The eldest son of the Qikede Chamber of Commerce, Seligam, had just departed on one of those merchant vessels. Nearly six thousand personnel from the northern fleet could never be transported home aboard a single Peterson Chamber of Commerce ship, so Seligam had readily paid to hire the Norton Family's transport fleet to carry the ransomed people back to
Lorist wasn't particularly worried about the safety of those transport ships. Qikede would have to be out of its mind to reignite war with the Norton Family over a dozen merchant vessels. The issue was that Seligam had only just revealed before his departure where the Commercial Alliance had obtained the troops to occupy Campona Province. Lorist had never in his wildest dreams imagined the Commercial Alliance still had such a trick up its sleeve…
His meetings with Seligam over the past few days had given Lorist some insight into the inner workings of the Commercial Alliance. After winning the Glass War, the surrounding nations had begun to guard against the Alliance's expansionist ambitions, imposing blockades or canceling trade routes. But the Commercial Alliance had still conquered seven nations, expanding its territory roughly four- or fivefold. As long as it integrated its production and stimulated domestic demand, there was no reason things couldn't work out.
The trouble was that the seven giants—the large chambers of commerce that governed the Alliance—had each received their own commercial territories and naturally shifted their focus inward. In this situation, the grip on the Alliance as a whole began to loosen. At the same time, the Alliance's subordinate council seized some measure of power, and the aftereffects of the Glass War began to surface.
The subordinate council was composed of second-tier chambers of commerce, citizen representatives, and heads of various industry organizations. Its primary role was advisory—filling gaps, overseeing supervision, and gauging public sentiment. After the Glass War, seven nations were folded into the Alliance's territory. Although the area had grown enormously, the spoils had essentially been divided among the seven giants and a handful of standout second-tier chambers. The scraps left over were hardly enough to satisfy everyone.
For instance, during the Glass War, those short-sighted chambers of commerce and mercenary organizations had buried themselves in looting the private estates of the Trinbo Kingdom's nobility, ignoring the Alliance army's commands and acting on their own. This had infuriated Combalett, the Alliance army's commanding general and president of the Twin Dragon Chamber of Commerce. After the war, when Combalett presided over the distribution of spoils, he conducted a thorough reckoning. All those who had disobeyed orders and defied command had their merit halved, and entire teams or individuals were unceremoniously struck from the Alliance's list of ennoblements.
Now these second-tier chambers and mercenary leaders who had received no fiefdoms were filled with regret and raising a fuss in the subordinate council, giving the seven giants a massive headache. But where on earth were they going to find more territory? It was then that one of the seven giants, the Wesia Chamber of Commerce, proposed another idea that drew the Alliance's attention to the Redelis Kingdom during the war.
The Alliance had originally feared the
Furthermore, although the seven giants had received their own commercial territories, the original nobles within those territories remained a headache. This was the perfect opportunity to cull a batch—send them all to the front lines and let them fight for their futures. With enough merit, they could be promoted in rank and granted new fiefdoms.
So the forces attacking Campona Province were precisely these ragtag troops. Apart from the Wesia Chamber of Commerce, none of the other six giants had participated in the offensive—they were all busy consolidating their own territories. The Second Prince had also made a critical mistake, concentrating all his forces in Majik Province. The provinces he had subsequently seized—Potoorg Province, home to the Feideliga capital, and Andewof Province—were held by only token garrisons. Campona Province, brimming with fortresses and castles, was defended by barely a handful of aging, decrepit garrison units. Perhaps in the Second Prince's mind, the rear was already secure, and there was no point wasting troops there…
What the Second Prince hadn't anticipated was that the Commercial Alliance would suddenly invade and seize Campona Province. The very fortresses he had abandoned now formed a chain of barriers severing his connection with the Andinak Kingdom. The Alliance's blade had struck both ruthlessly and precisely, taking half his life in a single blow. On top of that, the four central duchies had explicitly refused his demand that they relinquish their ducal titles and rejoin the Empire, organizing a four-nation allied army to stand against his hundred-thousand-strong force. They were also generously supporting the noble coalition in Majik Province. The Second Prince was now besieged on all sides.
"Sigh…" Lorist let out a deep breath.
"My Lord, what are you worried about?" Bodfeng asked from nearby.
"The Second Prince's campaign in the Redelis Kingdom…" With his trusted lieutenants, Lorist saw no need to hide anything. "Actually, I'm not all that worried about him. The best thing for the family right now is to rest and recuperate, train our forces, and wait for a better opportunity."
Lorist smiled and shook his head. "No matter what, the Second Prince is still our overlord. With him in this predicament, we ought to show some concern. If the imperial capital demands we send troops to rescue the Second Prince, we'll mobilize the family forces and break through Campona Province's blockade line. As for going to Majik Province to fight those Redelis Kingdom nobles, I have no interest—unless we learn the First Prince's whereabouts. It's strange. As the King of the Redelis Kingdom, how did the First Prince simply vanish after the capital fell? It's been a year and a half now with no word…"
At the end of the sixth month, Hanske—the governor of Silowas Island who had been dispatched as an envoy to the imperial capital—returned. When he arrived, Lorist was at the Seawatch Manor sparring with Great Swordmaster Hughes. After withstanding over a hundred exchanges, Great Swordmaster Hughes finally conceded defeat and sheathed his sword. Wiping away sweat, Lorist took the reply letter Hanske handed him.
Opening it, he found a letter instructing the Norton Family to behave itself and refrain from meddling in the Andinak Kingdom's military affairs, and to simply guard its own territory. The letter bore the Regent Grand Duke's official seal.
Lorist turned the letter over several times, studying it, then looked at Hanske. "Who's been handling the Kingdom's affairs in the capital?"
"My Lord, upon arriving in the capital, I was received by Marquis Rede. He read the letter Your Lordship had written and politely said there was no need for our family forces' assistance. He had already ordered the Royal Guard's Second Legion, stationed at the Madras Duchy border, to redeploy to the southwestern front and break through Campona Province's blockade line to reestablish contact with His Majesty the King. Then he wrote this reply." Hanske answered.
"Marquis Rede?" Lorist recalled the old man he had once seen at a banquet in the capital. He could no longer remember what the man looked like, but he remembered all too clearly how that old man's youngest son had gathered a pack of noble youths to forcibly occupy the Seawatch Manor on Silowas Island for five years, until Lorist himself had arrived on the island, arrested them, and taught them a thorough lesson.
"Hmph…" The old man was clearly getting his revenge. Putting personal grudges into matters of state and handling things so carelessly—that was all the old man was capable of. Lorist thought with annoyance, I'm actually happy they won't let us send troops. With this reply letter in hand, I finally have a proper excuse to stay out of it.
"Mm, Schwad, keep this letter safe and don't lose it. It's a very important document." Lorist casually handed the reply letter to Schwad.
"My Lord, when I was leaving, Marquis Rede even sent an escort. When we boarded the ship at Chilin Port, I overheard the escort officer giving orders to the Chilin Port garrison—no member of the Norton Family was to set foot on shore, not a single soldier…" Hanske added from the side.
Lorist's body stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean? Are they treating us as enemies?"
Hanske smiled bitterly. "I don't know either, but that was the order I heard—to be on strict guard against our Norton Family forces."
"But, Lord Hanske, if they were really going to give such an order, they wouldn't have done it right in front of you! Could it be that you offended the people escorting you back?" Schwad interjected.
"Hmm?" Hanske rubbed his head, thinking for a long moment before answering. "That can't be it, can it? All I did was stop them from taking out their swords on those refugees along the way. So they deliberately gave that order in front of me to slap our Norton Family in the face?"
"What refugees?" Lorist asked. "Tell me in detail."
"It was like this, My Lord. On our way to the capital, we encountered many refugees along the road. They had originally come from the two southwestern provinces, and we even recruited fifty or sixty thousand of them to settle on the island for development. Later, after the Second Prince's surprise attack on Feideliga, the capital of the Redelis Kingdom, Campona Province surrendered without a fight. The Second Prince temporarily resettled the remaining refugees there. Now that Campona Province has been captured by the Commercial Alliance's forces, these refugees have nowhere to go and are heading for the capital," Hanske explained.
"Why would they go to the capital? They could go to the Commercial Alliance's side, or head to Morant City…" Schwad said.
"Because the Commercial Alliance doesn't want them. They're former citizens of the Krisen Empire—the very people the Alliance's populace despises. The old Krisen Empire and the Commercial Alliance fought each other for over a hundred years, shedding rivers of blood. The hatred between their peoples is a mortal grudge, carved into their bones. Don't be fooled by how well we do business with the Peterson Chamber and the Qikede Chamber—those are merchants, and in a merchant's eyes there's no right or wrong, no hatred, only profit. But the common folk are different. It will take at least another hundred years to ease that hatred." Lorist ruffled Schwad's hair. Having lived in Morant City for nearly a decade, he understood ordinary people's views all too well.
"My Lord, you're absolutely right. The refugees said the same thing. They said the Alliance soldiers who occupied Campona Province would draw their blades on people at the drop of a hat—they've already killed many refugees. They had no choice but to leave. It's a good thing they left early; the Alliance's forces have now reached the two southwestern provinces. Before long, they'll probably arrive at the capital."
Hanske continued anxiously, "On our way back, because refugees were blocking the road ahead, those escort officers wanted to draw their swords and start hacking. They cursed the refugees as cowards, pigs who wasted food, people who had abandoned Campona Province and fled instead of fighting the enemy to the death. The gist of it was that the King being besieged was all the refugees' fault, and they wanted to execute every last one of them as deserters…"
Lorist let loose a string of curses. "So these knights think fighting wars is the refugees' job, and losing Campona Province is the refugees' responsibility? Their brains must be rusted solid…"
"Yes, My Lord. That's exactly why Commander Reidi flew into a rage. He went up, disarmed those knights, and slapped them across the face several times. Ah… I understand now, My Lord. Those knights must have been furious that Commander Reidi made them lose face. That's why they deliberately read out that order in front of us—they wanted to humiliate our family…" Hanske's face flushed red.
Since the commander of the guard battalion, El, and
"Ha ha, humiliate our Norton Family? I'd very much like to know where they found the nerve for that." Lorist grinned savagely. "Schwad, relay my orders. Tell Sambawood to have the maritime legion stand by for departure. Have Bodfeng's First Division board the ships. I'm going to visit Chilin Port myself and see just who gave the order barring a single soldier of the Norton Family from setting foot on shore…"
"My Lord, doing this could easily make people think our Norton Family is planning a rebellion…" Hanske hurried to dissuade him.
"Don't worry, my good Governor. I'm not stupid enough to order our forces to attack Chilin Port. I simply want to take my personal guards for a stroll through Chilin Port's market and do some shopping. I want to see whether the Chilin Port garrison will block me, a Count of the Andinak Kingdom, from coming ashore with my guards. If I insist on going ashore, I want to see if those Chilin Port defenders will attack me. The moment they raise a hand, I'll declare them rebels attempting to harm a Count—and then we'll have the initiative. I want to get my hands on that order barring us from shore. That's our evidence!"
Far from flying into the blind rage Hanske had feared, Lorist was perfectly clear-headed. Hanske finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lord Lorist, I'll accompany you on this trip as well," Great Swordmaster Hughes volunteered.
"Good. We leave immediately. I want to see who dares to slap the Norton Family in the face…"
…(To be continued.)