Chapter 381: The Changes in the Dukedom of Leo
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In just a short period, Kant quickly and completely took control of The Stone Pa.s.s.
News that the ambushers from the Eastern County had been easily taken care of and that even the four Grand Knights had surrendered had spread throughout the Dukedom of Leo.
It had become the joke of the table among the n.o.ble families’ banquet.
This change had happened too quickly.
The n.o.ble families, who had been sitting on stage, had yet to react.
However, when they came to their senses, they realized that Kant had easily grasped the situation and had already torn a hole in their original arrangement.
No one had expected it. Not even the Countess of the Eastern County, Agatha, whose influence was comparable to that of the Grand Duke of Leo.
It was just like half a month ago.
That hideous performance at the end of the banquet had also become a joke among the n.o.bles.
As the n.o.ble families spoke about Kant’s conquests, they were both shocked and fearful. But, interestingly, their eyes were also filled with playful antic.i.p.ation, as if they were watching a bewitching opera.
One of them was also somehow connected to Countess Agatha.
After all, she was the biological sister of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron.
Kant’s biological aunt.
They were all members of the royal family.
In fact, several high-ranking n.o.ble families actively tried to suppress their influence.
Although spreading rumors did nothing to displace the royal family, the act disgusted them and deepened the conflict between Kant and Countess Agatha. Eventually, a misunderstanding occurred, and both sides were brought to the battlefield.
This was a fight between members of the royal family.
It did not have much to do with ordinary n.o.ble families.
Now.
Within the Dukedom of Leo, the Eastern County, which was already a cast-out of the traditional n.o.ble circle, quickly became a stranger in its own country because the n.o.ble families from the Southern and Northern Counties started ostracizing them.
Although economic relations and business communications functioned, as usual, political communication had been interrupted for almost ten years.
The economy was their lifeline that could not be interrupted.
And despite its importance, both sides’ political parties refused to even greet each other.
It was clear how rigid and unbending the relations.h.i.+p between the two sides was. Yet, oddly, Countess Agatha was the biological sister of Leo Archduke Cameron and was once the most advantageous heir to the Archduke’s position.
Perhaps it was precisely their closeness that caused the political relations.h.i.+p between the two sides to deteriorate.
As for Kant.
He was a baron with a sensitive ident.i.ty.
All the n.o.ble families were waiting in peace, observing and coveting his current rise.
Even in the private chatter among the smaller n.o.ble families, Kant’s rise seemed the only natural and expected outcome.
It originated from the direct princess of the Silver Platter Kingdom, the second wife of Leo Archduke Cameron.
Princess Sofia.
Only she, who had the support of the Silver Platter Kingdom behind her, would have been able to gather the power to support such a force so quickly. So even if she died, she already had an immovable foundation left behind.
They needed to carefully observe any conceivable shadow of support from the Silver Platter Kingdom backing Kant.
However, they were already faced with Kant’s rise.
This was the new power of the Northern County.
The new royal aristocrat who controlled the table salt trade was naturally a.s.sured an endless stream of wealth!
Backing him was the legacy left behind by Princess Sofia of the Silver Platter Kingdom. It was a power that could make the entire Dukedom of Leo wary, and it was an absolute force that could overturn any conspiracy!
When Princess Sofia died, the power she had quickly fell apart under the attacks of the local n.o.ble families.
Now that I think about it, the fact that they were torn apart so quickly was probably just a cover-up.
They were lurking.
Waiting for the right time.
Only when Kant was exiled and discovered in the Nahrin Desert did the forces loyal to Princess Sofia rescue her flesh and blood from the muddy swamp.
They were headed for Glory, and the entire Dukedom of Leo had to face it.
A fierce power struggle was about to begin.
This was the reason why the n.o.ble families felt so amused.
They could accept Kant’s rise because he was the blue blood of Cameron, the second-in-line heir to the Dukedom, the son of the first wife who had incredible discipline and obtained the t.i.tle of Archduke.
If Kant’s eldest brother died, then he would become the heir to the Archduke.
And in the Dukedom of Leo, which was founded on martial arts.
Similar things have happened.
In fact, there were quite a few in history!
The current Dukedom of Leo, Cameron, who ascended to the throne, was extremely close to Kant’s biological mother, Princess Sofia, from the Silver Platter Kingdom.
Although it was not publicly clarified.
Only an absolute fool would not have known.
They just pretended not to know.
At that time, the struggle for the throne of the Dukedom of Leo was highly intense. The Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, like Kant now, was leading his troops to seize the ident.i.ty of his elder brother’s first-in-line heir by force. Silently supporting him in the background was none other than Princess Sofia, who provided financial and military support.
Many historical works of scholars argue that if it wasn’t for Princess Sofia’s help, Grand Duke Cameron would definitely not be an Archduke, and he probably would have perished somewhere on the battlefield.
It was precisely because of Princess Sofia’s help that the t.i.tle “Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo” was ultimately Cameron’s.
However, Princess Sofia’s help came at a price.
The power of the Silver Platter Kingdom began to infiltrate the Dukedom of Leo. Many thought that the two sides would quickly become closer and that after a few years, they would unite as one.
This alliance naturally meant that the Dukedom of Leo would become a va.s.sal and join the territory of the Silver Platter Kingdom.
And that the current n.o.bles would retain their n.o.bility.
However, the authority of the top n.o.ble and the Grand Duke of Leo would be impacted.
This was the reason why Princess Sofia fell ill and died suddenly. The Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom engaged in direct war. Ten years ago, they had fought until the rivers ran red, resulting in the current stalemate between the two sides.
The Silver Platter Kingdom did not dare to cross the boundary carelessly.
On the plains, the cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo was admittedly powerful.
Even if they could defeat the troops of the Dukedom of Leo, the Silver Platter Kingdom would not escape unscathed. Therefore, the benefits of conquering the Dukedom of Leo did not outweigh the prospective price of bloodshed.
This was the most significant reason why the two sides were in a stalemate.
The n.o.bles did not care.
As long as they could remain n.o.bles, they were willing to pledge their allegiance to whoever ruled above them.
The n.o.bles were not tightly knit and often had conflicts. They only agreed on one thing; that forcefully getting rid of one another was for the best.
Even the royal family of the Dukedom of Leo thought so.
Take the Eastern County, for example.
Ten years ago, the Eastern County still had a castle and its corresponding land south of the river.
Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, who had just ascended to the throne, chose to cede the castle and land to stabilize the Silver Platter Kingdom. However, in reality, that land was one of the fiefdoms of Countess Agatha, Cameron’s sister.
In the end, it caused the winter county to be officially replaced by the Eastern County.
It was just like a divided regime.
At present, the Dukedom of Leo had already fallen into internal strife.
This was a hidden danger left behind when Grand Duke Cameron ascended to the throne. However, its effects had been delayed due to some tricks of the Silver Platter Kingdom.
And it was still being delayed.
It was not just Countess Agatha of the Eastern County territory who had her own system. It was almost the same in the Northern County Territory!
One had to know that the owner of Logue Castle in the Northern County territory, Viscount Wayne, had not been desolate here and did not have a central economic pillar. He still had to rely on the grain of the Southern County territory to survive. Otherwise, he would probably have split off long ago.
However, Grand Duke Cameron, who had long noticed but remained silent, placed Viscount Kevin in.
For example, Maas Castle, which was located between the Mountain of Leo and Mountain of Death.
This castle was like a nail, and it just happened to be stuck between the plains where the two mountain ranges met.
Even Viscount Wayne wanted to contact Countess Agatha of the Eastern County; he would have to avoid this nail. However, if he were to go around it, it would be an awfully long detour that would also take a lot of time.
It would be inconvenient while also allowing the troops of the Southern County to ambush them and ruin the commute.
Strategically, the Southern County was strong.
This was also the reason why the n.o.ble families were still living their lives in peace. They did not cause a civil war that could result in both sides suffering losses due to the problems left behind by history and the deliberate instigation of the Silver Platter Kingdom.
They were all in a stalemate. As time pa.s.sed, the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, became more and more powerful.
In the end, all the problems would be resolved.
However…
There was an oversight.
A new force was rising in the seemingly insignificant Nahrin desert.
The eldest son of the Grand Duke, Baron Kant, who had been exiled, walked out of the barren desert and officially stepped onto the stage. He successfully made a name for himself and could proudly greet everyone.
It was as if he was slapping the faces of those cunning n.o.bles who schemed and plotted but were now gloomy and uncertain.
The banquet ended nearly a month ago.
Merchants were transporting table salt to all the castles and cities in the Dukedom of Leo.
Whether it was the Northern or Southern Counties, or the isolated Eastern County, the n.o.bles had obtained table salt through their own means. The amount of table salt was tremendous, and it was of unparalleled purity.
The highest quality table salt!
Even the Silver Platter Kingdom had traces of table salt.
As for the dwarf table salt purchased in the distant valley, it was on the verge of being eliminated and was about to leave the market.
The table salt purchasable from the dwarfs was too expensive and extremely dangerous.
There were many barbarian tribes in the wilderness that they would have to pa.s.s by to obtain it.
Every time, something would happen to the trade caravan.
Conversely, the trade caravan of Nahrin desert only needed to enter the pa.s.s of hard stones to access a large amount of table salt. Moreover, the price was meager, and it was profitable even if the table salt was sold multiple times.
The tax revenue of the entire Dukedom of Leo had increased several times because of the table salt trade!
Some of the n.o.bles were delighted.
However, some n.o.bles were even drearier.
This was because as the table salt trade increased, the number of bandit groups that roamed the Dukedom of Leo also increased.
Some of them might be bandit groups that the n.o.bles had specially hired, but most of them came from the outside world, such as the Silver Platter Kingdom or the bandit groups that had heard the news from the river of Resniston.
Of course, there were also various forces supporting them.
It was complicated.
Even the n.o.bles of the Dukedom of Leo needed to use the court of n.o.bility to contact each other and form an alliance army to wipe out the bandit groups. Only then would they be able to chase away the bandits that appeared from time to time.
Owing to this, bandit groups that had the support of the local n.o.ble forces could escape.
But many n.o.ble families also discovered something peculiar.
No one knew when.
At the junction of the Northern County, Eastern County, and Southern County, near Maas Castle, where Viscount Kevin was, a bandit group that whistled like a gale quietly appeared and swept away all opposition.
It was a bandit group formed by light cavalry.
There were about 1,500 people.
They were experienced in fighting, and they were even more proficient at plundering.
When the n.o.bles tried to form an alliance army to wipe them out, the mysterious bandit group vanished from the plains. They seemed to have hidden in a depression or a hill.
But when the Alliance army disbanded, they would reappear and continue to plunder the trade caravans.
Plundering was not a ma.s.sacre.
Instead, it was a commission.
As long as the trade caravan paid 5 gold eagles, they would be allowed to pa.s.s. They would also help the trade caravan deal with the other bandit groups.
Not only was the bandit group not wiped out, but due to their excellent reputation, many of the trade caravan members were willing to pay gold eagles in exchange for their protection.
These trade caravans were all in the table salt trade.
After a round of trade caravan, the profits of the trade caravan would definitely not be less than 50 Gold Eagles.
Using five gold eagles in exchange for peace was definitely worth it.
If those bandit groups really encountered them, they would probably end up losing everything.
However, it was a pity.
The bandit group formed by the light cavalry was only responsible for the safety of the three Counties.
Although it was usually the most dangerous place at the border of the three Counties, the bandit groups that had been expelled happened to be scattered on the flat plains of the three Counties.
They even posed a significant threat to the villages in certain areas.
This indirectly affected the livelihood of the Lord.
Of course, these were not things that the merchants cared about. Being able to earn money was enough.
If they could hire this group of light cavalry now, there would probably be people who would be tempted to employ this group of elite plunderers directly. With them on your side, there was no need to worry about other bandit groups.
Some mercenary groups would take on the role of bandit groups when they had nothing to do.
This was normal.
Unfortunately, the light cavalry did not agree.
On the contrary, they would disappear for a few days and mysteriously appear at specific Northern or Southern Counties locations. It was as if they were scouting. It was indeed strange.
However, in the face of the enormous profits from the table salt trade, not many people cared about these oddities.
It was most important that they could make money!