King
Chapter 1303 - 1303 234 Successive Disasters_3

1303: Chapter 234: Successive Disasters_3 1303: Chapter 234: Successive Disasters_3 “Gentlemen, the private armies of the nobles everywhere have already taken action, and we don’t have much time left to make a choice.

There’s no need for courtesy now; let’s hurry and take away anything we can carry!

Our reputation is already ruined anyway, so what does it matter if we add a few more crimes to the list!”

Viscount Catalino added opportunistically.

“Good!”

Following the first cry of “Good!” the nobles participating in the meeting quickly expressed their agreement in twos and threes.

Viscount Catalino’s proposal was unanimously approved, and the emerging nobility displayed their expertise, looting and destroying the city on a massive scale.

The centuries of accumulation in the Capital have all become their spoils of war.

Countless riches were loaded onto ships and packed off directly.

It wasn’t just wealth that was looted; the Capital’s shipyards, munitions factories, Magic Academy, and various other facilities all began the relocation process.

Things that couldn’t be taken were directly destroyed; those who refused to leave were sent straight to meet the Lord of the Dawn.

The question of returning or not was no longer a concern at this moment.

What everyone was thinking was: not to leave any assets for the enemy.

The resulting damage was of no concern to anyone.

Quite clearly, most people were resolved to never return.

If one searched diligently, among the vast seas, a place to settle down could always be found, and many nobles even had ready-made islands in their possession.

The population and wealth taken now will be the resources for developing new territories in the future.

…

In Cameronburg, at the Governor’s Mansion.

“What, the Rebel Army is evacuating the Capital?”

Marquis McCutton asked in disbelief.

A Capital that had been so difficult to acquire, to think that it would be abandoned just like that changed his scorn for the Rebel Army into gravity.

Those who maintain rationality in the face of wealth are definitely not brainless fools.

A rational person wouldn’t commit the foolish act of killing the King outright.

Even with deep-seated hatred, they would find another way to disguise it as a natural death.

Intuition told him there might be more to the regicide than meets the eye.

But at this stage, regardless of the truth, the Emerging Aristocrat Group had been definitely pinned with the crime of “regicide”.

“Yes, Marquis!

After occupying the Capital, the Rebel Army robbed it immediately.

Having looted the Capital, they began loading the ships and leaving without delay.

They have always made their living at sea and have a large number of cargo ships at their disposal, allowing them to evacuate by sea.”

Upon hearing the words of the middle-aged military officer, Marquis McCutton made a decisive command: “Send out orders for the Governor’s Guard to immediately intercept and seize the properties of the Emerging Nobility within this territory!

At the same time, send orders to each prefecture, instructing the Prefectural Governors to immediately conscript troops and assemble at the provincial capital within thirty days to suppress the rebellion in the Capital!”

The principle of swift action in military affairs is understood by all, and of course, Marquis McCutton was no exception.

However, assembling troops takes time and the number in the Standing Army is limited, so one can only wait and watch the situation for now.

Even knowing that the Rebel Army was evacuating, in order to preserve strength and gain advantage in the upcoming struggle for the throne, Marquis McCutton had to be cautious.

Many Major Nobles have made similar choices for similar reasons.

Lacking the banner of The Royal Family, the Falcon Kingdom is in fact on the verge of disintegration.

Taking into account the historical cases of national fragmentation, the Falcon Kingdom already possesses most of the necessary conditions and could very easily become history with any misstep.

The more such a situation develops, the more cautious the established nobility become, thus creating favorable conditions for the Rebel Army’s evacuation.

…

The upheaval in Falcon Kingdom has drawn the gaze of high-level officials from various nations, and the heretical cult organization inciting the rebellion is equally unwilling to remain out of the spotlight.

It was as if overnight, the Evil God had suddenly become generous.

As long as the believers performed sacrifices, they could receive power bestowed by the Divine Spirit.

Although this external power boost came with significant side effects, it was indeed the best way to quickly enhance one’s strength in the short term.

With the aid of the Evil God, the power of the cult organization continued to grow, catching the governments of various countries off guard and causing them significant setbacks.

The Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent were three of the victims—foolishly deploying troops to suppress the rebellion based on past experience without fully understanding the enemy’s specific strength.

The outcome was self-evident, and the Black Forest Kingdom, at the center of the storm, was a tragedy within a tragedy.

In just over a month, more than twenty prefectures had fallen consecutively, and many Rebel Armies had united, forming a formidable force to be reckoned with.

When it rains, it pours!

The Cult crisis had yet to subside when the Continent of Aslante was hit by extremely severe weather this year, either by drought or by flood—either way, most people’s harvests were woefully insufficient this year.

War combined with a year of natural disasters only fueled the Rebel Army’s arrogance.

Countless bankrupt free citizens, in order to survive, joined the ranks of the Rebel Army one after another.

Before long, smoke from the fires of war had enveloped the majority of the Continent of Aslante.

Only a few countries that had profited from the continental wars managed to maintain their peaceful years.

Hudson, having just returned to his territory from the Capital, was once again compelled to lead efforts in drought and flood relief work.

In the face of nature’s mighty power, human strength is insignificant.

Snow Moon Territory suffered from severe drought, without a drop of rain since the start of summer.

Reliance was placed on previously constructed irrigation projects, and at critical moments, even Magicians were deployed to induce rain artificially.

Even so, the grain yield was only able to be maintained at seventy percent.

Given that the planting area had expanded and should have yielded an increase, the total grain production actually fell by five percent.

The Mountain Domain might have seemed peaceful throughout the year, but when the critical moment of autumn harvest arrived, a flood unprecedented in a hundred years burst forth.

Rain poured down as if intent to swamp the land overnight, transforming the Mountain Domain into a marshland.

The former mining areas became the source of the calamity.

The loose soil turned into a devastating mudslide that swallowed everything due to the downpour.

The territory’s drainage system faced its greatest challenge since its construction.

Countless fields were rendered non-existent under the torrential rain.

The canal water level also rose continuously, with the silt swept down constantly filling up the riverbed.

Had Hudson not instructed Belsden to organize the dredging of the river channels, a great disaster may have already occurred.

All military forces and reserves within the territory were mobilized and dispatched across the region for emergency disaster relief efforts.

Nevertheless, the losses continued to accumulate.

The rain kept falling incessantly.

With a helpless rub of his forehead, Hudson looked upon the devastation before him.

The drought in Snow Moon Territory could be weathered through proper response, but the flooding in Mountain Domain could only be passively combated.

The area affected by the rain was simply too extensive, with several provinces of the Kingdom now enduring the baptism of a violent storm.

To minimize the losses, Hudson even enlisted Maxim for the grueling task of herding the dark clouds out to sea.

Regrettably, the dark clouds carried by the air currents were far too many.

As soon as one patch was cleared away, another would immediately take its place.

A single Dragon was clearly overwhelmed, and adding a bear to the task was still hopelessly inadequate.

Hudson had estimated that without the help of one hundred and eighty mature Giant Dragons to handle the accumulated clouds and rain of Mountain Domain, the situation would be beyond control.

Without a doubt, this was an impossible feat.

Even if Lord Dragon himself offered assistance, they could not afford the price to hire so many Giant Dragons.

“One misfortune after another, a shortfall in the grain harvest is a foregone conclusion.

The days that lie ahead are bound to be tough!” Hudson remarked with a sense of foreboding.