Fatty Shi went to the royal capital to offer his condolences, but Laurist didn't go. He used the excuse that he wasn't on Syrovas Island and asked Fatty Shi to receive the messengers and head to the royal capital to pay his respects.
What a joke. If he went to the royal capital now, the two of them wouldn't be able to see each other, much less meet the second prince. What annoyed Laurist the most was the other party's flattery. They would say nice things just to get him to provide this and that, and they would always talk about the country.
What if the Chikerde Merchant Group attacked when he went to the royal capital? Laurist felt that he had to stay on Syrovas Island and wait for the enemy's attack. This time, he had to teach the Chikerde Merchant Group a good lesson.
The preparations for war were carried out in an orderly manner. Those who needed to leave had all left. Pat, on the other hand, secretly looked for him and asked him to write a letter of introduction to Miss Tresti. As it turned out, this fellow had already hooked up with the beauty of White Bird Restaurant, Marsha. This time, it took him a lot of persuasion to get the mother and daughter to agree to go to the north and open a restaurant in the newly built port city. After all, the business on the island wasn't that good, and they couldn't earn much money.
However, Marsha's mother, Auntie Nataya, hoped that their neighbor, Professor Hugo, and his family would come along so that they could take care of each other. Pat found out that Professor Hugo was originally a literature and history professor at the imperial Royal Knight Academy. He had brought his family back to his hometown to avoid the war. Pat remembered the Nico Academy that Miss Tresti was building, so he came to ask Laurist to write a letter to introduce Professor Hugo.
Laurist asked as he wrote the letter. Only then did he learn that he knew this Professor Hugo. He was the chubby, red-nosed old man who had drunk a little too much when he first went to the White Bird Restaurant. It was no wonder this old man wasn't afraid of him as a suzerain and even complained that suzerains were perverts. He must have seen a lot in the imperial capital and understood what kind of people those sanctimonious nobles were.
Not many residents of White Bird Town left. Firstly, they were used to life on the island and were unwilling to leave. Secondly, just as Lollister had expected, they did not care who the lord was. The Norton Family had not taken care of Shirovas Island for five years, so the residents had no loyalty to their lord. In any case, whether or not there was a lord, they could still live their lives as usual.
In fact, the arrival of Laurist and the others had caused many complaints among the island's residents. They felt that the lord's large-scale construction projects had brought many more opportunities to earn money, but it had also brought many troubles to the residents, affecting their peaceful lives.
On the other hand, the evacuation of White Bird Restaurant's beauty, Martha, had led many residents to head north. There were dozens of families with nearly 100 people. They were all relatively wealthy families. They were worried that they would be robbed in the upcoming war, so they decided to head north.
The staff who went to persuade them to evacuate promised that there was no need to worry about housing or jobs. The housing area in the emerging port city could be one-to-one with the area here, and there were even subsidies. As for jobs, there was no need to worry. The family territory in the north was in the ascendant and needed all kinds of talents. As long as one had a skill, there was no need to worry about not having a good job.
From his conversation with Pat, Lollister learned that the lame captain of the garrison in White Bird Town, Victor, was also pursuing the beauty Martha. However, compared to Pat, who was young, handsome, tall, and fit (Note: The above was Pat's own boasting, and it did not mean that Lollister agreed with his opinion) and had both legs, the beauty Martha's choice was obvious.
This was also the main reason why the garrison of White Bird Town had encouraged the residents to boycott the construction of a fortress between the trade district and White Bird Town. One was the captain of the garrison, and the other was the commander of the third battalion. For the sake of a beautiful woman, Marsha, the two of them were like fire and water. However, Pat had a smug look on his face, filled with the superiority of a victor.
F * ck! At least Lollister was not fuming with anger. The two bastards were fighting over a girl and treating the family's development plan like a game. He had thought that the residents of White Bird Town were collectively boycotting the fortress, but it turned out that it was the two of them. Let's not talk about the lame Victor for now. He wasn't a member of the family in the first place. There would be plenty of opportunities to deal with him when the family had a firm foothold.
Padt, you're a family knight, yet you still don't know what's important. Of course, Lollister was not asking him to hand over the beauty. He just wanted him to know the truth about the residents of White Bird Town resisting the construction of the fortress. That way, he wouldn't have arranged for the third battalion to be stationed in the abandoned Farama Village. Relying on the lame Victor's five hundred guards, who had not gone through much formal training, to protect White Bird Town felt a little uneasy.
Days passed, but why hadn't the enemy arrived yet? Lollister felt that time was passing like a year. He looked forward to the Chikede Merchant Group's attack on Cilovas Island.
During this time, Freya organized two fleets and had Sunbarwood lead an armed fleet back to the north. The first was to send the evacuated personnel over, and the second was to transport supplies back. Sunbarwood stayed in the north for five days. When he returned, he was met with a series of unexpected events. He was even more respectful towards Lollister.
"I didn't think that my lord's family would be so powerful …" Sunbarwood finally understood why Lollister was so confident in going to war with the Chikede Merchant Group. This trip to the north had broadened his horizons. But in his heart, he was really puzzled. They were both counts, but Count Shellech, whom he wanted to rely on, was like a beggar compared to Count Norton. Whether it was the territory or the family's military, there was simply no comparison. To be precise, the Norton Family's apparent strength had already surpassed that of a duchy.
Now, Sunbarwood was working hard to become a knight of the Norton Family. This made him feel wronged. A Gold-tier swordsman like him would be very popular if he wanted to become a knight of another noble family. However, it wasn't that simple in the Norton Family. Everything depended on merit. Even if there wasn't any merit, hard work was fine. Otherwise, it would be impossible to become a knight of the family.
However, after touring the Norton Family's territory in the north, Sunbarwood made up his mind. Even if other families came to invite him, he wouldn't go. Just the eight manors and castles of the Xingan Plains were enough to make him envious. They were well-equipped, with butlers, servants, and a yearly income of 500 to 800 Gold Fords.
When Dawson Sunbarwood was a pirate, he would only earn a little more than a hundred Gold Fords a year. Even before he became a Gold Knight, his monthly salary and position allowance were already 10 Gold Fords. It was enough for his wife and children to live a comfortable and happy life in the north.
He had to become a Gold Knight of the Norton Family and earn a manor and castle for his wife and children. This was Sunbarwood's grand wish.
On the 22nd of January, Fatty Shi returned from the royal capital, but there was still no sign of the Chikede Merchant Group's attack. Even Fatty Shi was wondering if the Chikede Merchant Group would wait until winter was over and then launch an attack in April or May.
Fatty Shi also sucked in a breath of cold air when he talked about what he saw and heard during this trip to the capital to mourn. "The second prince was really ruthless. He chopped off the head of the second prince Iberia and placed it on a large silver plate in front of the third prince's coffin as an offering. The poor second prince never dreamed that he would die in the hands of his own nephew. The eyes of the head were still open, showing horror. He really died with his eyes wide open … "
Fatty Shi also said that the second prince made an impassioned speech in the large square in front of the royal palace, declaring that the war to revive the former Christen Empire was about to begin. No one could stop the people's desire to restore the rule of a strong empire, and any obstacles in the way of this war of unification would be crushed by the powerful army he would lead …
The second prince's speech aroused the cheers and shouts of nearly ten thousand people gathered in the large square, shaking the royal capital. Fatty Shi said that in the royal capital, whether it was the residents or the soldiers, they all had a feeling that they had finally endured and were finally free. They were relieved of the third prince's death. Now, the three hundred thousand troops under the second prince's command were already making their final preparations for war. Fatty Shi estimated that the war with the Redelis Kingdom would break out in April after the winter wheat harvest.
Laurist continued to wait on the island for the Chikede Merchant Group's attack. He waited until the eleventh of February, when two large ocean-going merchant ships of the Peterson Merchant Group arrived at Silovas Island. A group of people, including the vice chairman of the Peterson Merchant Group, disembarked from the ships, as well as Dolus and the nearly forty talents he had gathered from Morent City.
The news that Dolus brought to Laurist was, "Sir, don't just wait here like an idiot. The Trade Union is now at war with the Telimbo Kingdom, and they're both bleeding. They have no time to care about our Norton Family's territory on Silovas Island."
After the explanation from the vice chairman of the Peterson Merchant Group and Dolus, Laurist finally understood that these were the chess pieces that he had casually laid out when he left Morent City. The two letters had played an unexpected role, catalyzing the conflict between the Telimbo Kingdom and the Trade Union. The small skirmishes on the borders had finally led to a war.
Laurist was overjoyed. Back then, he had thrown out the two letters with the intention of causing trouble for the Trade Union, but he had thought that it would at most cause some conflict between the Telimbo Kingdom and the Trade Union, and drive a wedge between the so-called sincere and unbreakable friendship. He had never expected that it would directly lead to a war between the two. This was truly an unexpected surprise.
Speaking of which, the two letters had played such an important role because of the great cooperation of the one-track minded Telimbo VII. After the attack on the Maymoon Flower Chamber of Commerce, due to the destruction of one-third of the inner city of Morent City, countless high-ranking members of various chambers of commerce and their families were implicated and killed. This didn't only refer to the seven magnates, but also those second and third rate chambers of commerce that lived in the inner city were implicated.
The people of Morent City were furious, and the seven giants could not control the public opinion at all. In particular, the second and third-rate merchant groups kept adding fuel to the fire. Members of the Trade Union Parliament started giving speeches on the streets and squares, believing that the Telimbo Kingdom had to be punished. They could not let the murderers whose hands were stained with the blood of the innocent go unpunished. There were even people who shouted that they should fight their way to Feyes City and capture Telimbo VII alive.
However, the seven giants of the Trade Union were still relatively clear-headed. Even though the Maymoon Flower Merchant Group had suffered great losses, they still forcefully suppressed their desire for revenge. They also sent a special envoy to the capital of the Telimbo Kingdom, Feyes City, to meet with Telimbo VII. They proposed to hand over the escaped Level-3 and Level-2 Great Swordsman to the Trade Union as the murderers, so that they could answer to the citizens of Morent City. They also demanded that the Telimbo Kingdom apologize and compensate for the consequences of the attack, and renegotiate the issue of the Telimbo Kingdom's preferential treatment of the glass tax in the future …
The seven giants of the Trade Union already felt that they had been very restrained, but they did not expect Telimbo VII to be so shameless. He firmly rejected the Trade Union's proposal, and even emphasized that the attack on the Mayflower Merchant Group was not his responsibility, nor was it his order.
Telimbo VII spouted nonsense in front of the special envoy of the Trade Union. He believed that the Great Swordsman and Golden Knights who attacked the Mayflower Merchant Group were a group of chivalrous people living in seclusion in the Telimbo Kingdom. They had acted bravely for a just cause, and could not stand the Trade Union's betrayal of the Telimbo Kingdom. Before the glass formula and production process of the Telimbo Kingdom's survival were leaked, they had disregarded their own lives and risked their lives to attack the Mayflower Merchant Group. In the end, they destroyed the two letters.
Therefore, this incident should be a heroic act of chivalrous people, and had nothing to do with the Telimbo Kingdom or the royal family. It was ridiculous for the special envoy of the Trade Union to demand that he take responsibility for this matter.
The special envoy of the Trade Union almost vomited blood in anger at Telimbo VII's reply. The evidence was clear, but he still refused to admit it. This was a matter of national importance that would affect the future relationship between the Telimbo Kingdom and the Trade Union. How could it be handled like this? This was unheard of.
With a dark expression, the envoy turned around and was about to leave after saying that he would be responsible for the consequences. However, King Trunbo VII recklessly stabbed him in the back. He proudly announced that King Trunbo VII would declare the attackers as the glorious heroes of the Trunbo Kingdom, and would hold a grand memorial ceremony in Feyes City to commemorate these heroes who had willingly sacrificed themselves for the kingdom's interests … Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The special envoy of the Trade Union was so angry that he vomited blood on the spot …
After receiving the news of the special envoy's humiliation and Telimbo VII's official reply to the attack on the Mayflower Merchant Group, the seven heads of the Trade Union felt like they had been slapped in the face. Therefore, they made a decision. At the auction held on the 15th of December, the Mayflower Association bought the two letters at a high price of 23 million gold fords. They obtained the formula and production process of the green glass and oil glass.
In reality, Dean Levins of Dawn College, who had entrusted the auction for the two letters, didn't even receive such a high price. They had reached an agreement a day earlier. The other seven colleges would each receive one and a half million gold fords, and Dawn College would receive two million gold fords. However, after the auction, Dean Levins announced that the twenty million gold fords would be donated to the Trade Union for the restoration of the inner city, and the remaining three million would be used to establish the Mancheni Scholarship to support the education of poor students. This was all on the surface, and everyone was secretly making a fortune. However, it did give Dawn College a widespread reputation.
After obtaining the formula and production process for the two types of glass, the Trade Union immediately announced that they would produce and sell their own products, and would not allow the Telimbo Kingdom's specialty glass to pass through the border. They would also stop giving the Telimbo Kingdom's glass preferential treatment.
When the news reached the Telimbo Kingdom, King Telimbo VII was furious. What? So many Master Swordsmen and Golden Knights had died? So the two letters that were destroyed were fake? The Trade Union was really cunning. No wonder the nobles always suffered when dealing with merchants. It was all the merchants' fault. They used fake letters to fool us, causing us to suffer heavy losses …
King Telimbo VII, who had automatically placed himself in the position of the victim, was enraged. It was impossible for him to organize a team of Master Swordsmen and Golden Knights to attack the Trade Union and take back the two letters. So, King Telimbo VII ordered the fifty thousand troops stationed at the border of the two kingdoms to approach the Trade Union's border. He was prepared to use force to force the Trade Union to hand over the two letters and promise that they would not produce the two types of glass …
However, King Telimbo VII had forgotten one thing. The once powerful Crisen Empire could not make the Ford Trade Union lower its head even with two to three hundred thousand troops. So, the Telimbo Kingdom's fifty thousand troops were nothing to him. Usually, when the Trade Union's City Defense Force met with the Telimbo Kingdom's scouts, they would yell at each other when they ran into them. Fortunately, both sides refrained from using weapons. However, there were more and more fights between them with bare fists.
Finally, the villages on the border of the two kingdoms were in trouble. A group of Telimbo Kingdom's soldiers sneaked into one of the villages to take a rest. While they ate and took food, they also wanted to show off the strength of the Telimbo men to the village's wives and daughters.
Unexpectedly, they bumped into a group of mercenaries from Moronte City who were passing by. The mercenaries did not have as many rules as the City Defense Force. If it was the City Defense Force, they would disarm the Telimbo soldiers and send them to the enemy's camp to protest and await the punishment of the soldiers who disobeyed military orders.
When the mercenaries discovered that the village had been ravaged beyond recognition, although there were no casualties, they immediately started fighting. A few of the Telimbo Kingdom's wounded soldiers who managed to escape screamed that they had been ambushed and attracted reinforcements. When they saw the corpses of their comrades, they were enraged and began to chase after the mercenaries. The battle here had attracted the attention of the Trade Union's City Defense Force, and the scale of the battle began to expand.
The simple-minded Telimbo VII was overjoyed when he learned that many people had died in the battle at the border. He thought that he could use this as an excuse to expand the scale of the battle and teach the merchants of the Trade Union a lesson. Therefore, he ordered the fifty thousand soldiers at the border to attack Moronte City. He was prepared to force the Trade Union to sign an agreement under the city walls …
The battle went smoothly at first. The Trade Union did not expect the Telimbo Kingdom to actually attack. Caught off guard, the Telimbo Kingdom's fifty thousand soldiers occupied the two cities at the front of the Mana Hill Plains. This was like poking a hornet's nest. The Trade Union immediately declared war on the Telimbo Kingdom. They wanted to retaliate and let Telimbo VII taste the consequences of starting a war.
As soon as the Trade Union made their move, the Telimbo Kingdom learned that a dog that bites doesn't bark. Just before Dolles and his men arrived on the Peterson Merchant Group's merchant ship, the Trade Union's self-defense force had not only retaken the two cities they had occupied, they had also chased after the remnants of the enemy and swept through seven counties of the Telimbo Kingdom. They had almost occupied half of the kingdom's territory.
The Telimbo Kingdom was about the size of four provinces of the former Christen Empire. However, it was divided into fifteen counties instead of provinces.
"Right now, Telimbo VII is crying for help from all the countries around him. He is mobilizing the entire kingdom, declaring that he will resist the ungrateful Trade Union's army, who have betrayed the friendship forged by iron and blood in battle, and who have risked the world to invade the kingdom …"
Dolles said with a smile.
… …
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