King

79: Chapter 78, The Bustling Banquet_1 79: Chapter 78, The Bustling Banquet_1 Arguing held no meaning as the master of the house always has the final say, no matter how difficult the faces of the Northland nobles looked, the army was still held outside the city.

In fact, the real reason for the conflict wasn’t whether the army should stay outside the city, but ingrained mutual contempt.

On the surface, the Northern aristocracy disdains the Southern aristocracy’s hypocrisy; the Southern aristocracy disdains the Northern aristocracy’s arrogance of the Lord of the Dawn being the leader, and considering themselves as the second in command.

The core of the issue, however, is a dispute over the kingdom’s interests.

In the eyes of the Northern aristocracy, they defend the frontier against Orc invasions, have illustrious military merits, and have made the greatest sacrifices, so they should receive more benefits.

But the Southern aristocracy doesn’t see it that way.

In every Orc invasion, everyone has participated in the war with their own armies, and no one has ever faltered.

Although the Northern aristocracy bears more of the daily defenses, everyone also provides compensation.

Every year, the kingdom allocates generous subsidies to the Northern aristocracy.

Furthermore, it’s not just them who undertake the defense of the Northern Border, there is also the two hundred thousand Kingdom’s standing army which has been stationed to fend off Orc invasions.

This standing army was formed with the combined manpower, money, and resources of the nobles from other regions of the kingdom.

In the eyes of the Southern aristocracy, the present difficulties in the Northern Border are solely the result of the five great clans’ own actions.

Even in some nobles’ minds, these five clans of the Northern Border are the Kingdom’s tumors.

Ever since its foundation, disagreements between the North and South in the Alpha kingdom have never ceased.

The reason for the lack of an open fallout is mainly due to the orcs.

As long as the Orcs launched an invasion, the Kingdom’s internal conflicts would be immediately reduced to a minimum.

After every great war, the Alpha Kingdom would enjoy decades of peace.

It was unclear whether the Alpha Kingdom was prosperous, or if it was just a coincidence, but every time the Kingdom’s internal conflicts accumulated to the tipping point, there would be a great war in the Northern Border.

War did not resolve conflicts but it did eliminate the people who created them.

After the war, all parties suffered heavy casualties, and everyone was too busy nursing their wounds, naturally, they couldn’t afford to cause trouble.

…

At the Governor’s Mansion’s welcome banquet, everyone was all smiles and laughter, as if the minor conflict at the city gate didn’t happen at all.

If someone observed closely, they would notice that the nobles in the venue had two clearly distinct affiliations.

One was the local nobles, the other ones were from the Northern Border.

Besides these, there were a few that were neither aligned with the local nobles nor could fit into the circle of the Northern aristocracy, appearing rather out of place.

However, this awkwardness did not last for long.

As a number of noblewomen and noble ladies entered the venue, they quickly found their places.

These people were neither local nobles nor could they integrate into the Northern aristocracy, but were nobles from other regions of the Kingdom.

As outsiders, they managed to survive in the complicated Northern Border and made significant contributions to the war.

Clearly, they were not ordinary people.

Smart people always knew how to balance the pros and cons.

If they didn’t want to get involved in the conflict between the Northern aristocracy and the local nobles, they naturally tried to avoid it.

Compared to complicated politics, chatting with noblewomen and noble daughters was clearly more enjoyable.

Drinking fine wine and enjoying fine food, yet the main character, Earl Piers hadn’t shown up, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of the Northern aristocracy.

Regardless of their dismal mood, they still had to wear a smile on their faces.

This was, after all, a banquet, and noble decorum could not be lost.

Upon seeing the somber faces of his companions, Baron West acted boldly, “You should eat freely, these are all good things.

Your Excellency Governor is indeed very courteous!

For instance, this cup of wine is from the Royal Winery.

It is said that each grape used is carefully selected and meticulously crafted by a master winemaker.

Due to its limited production, each bottle is very costly.

Without a certain status, you couldn’t even buy it if you wanted to.

Look at this golden roasted rabbit made from Magical Beast Snow Rabbit.

Most of the spices sprinkled on it are from overseas, and they definitely won’t be cheap.

And this caviar, it is from a Magical Beast…

In our Northland, only those of Viscount rank or above could enjoy these during a victory banquet, and even then, they would be limited supply.

Now His Excellency the Governor has brought them out to entertain us, what else could you be unsatisfied with?”
Each individual comment sounded like a compliment, but when combined, they clearly felt off.

The Northern nobles who caught on, also began praising Earl Piers for his generosity and broad-mindedness, interweaving the hardships of the Northern Border amongst their praises.

To ensure more people could hear, they deliberately amplified their voices.

The stark contrast was immediately visible to everyone.

A pleasant banquet quickly soured, leaving the nobles, who were previously inventive in their ridicule of the “savages” and “peasants,” completely speechless.

To refute?

People were praising Earl Piers for his generosity, how could they deny it?

And flattery was even more out of the question.

Knowing full well that the other party was using the situation to mock them, to concur would be a direct insult to Earl Piers.

To provoke a diversion, the current circumstances did not allow it either!

The guests, after all, deserve some accommodation from their host.

“It seems that everyone here has a profound misunderstanding of our esteemed governor!

The struggle of the Northern Border, everyone here knows.

We, the nobles of the Southeastern Province, have made great contributions to the peace of the Northern Border.

Especially after Earl Piers took over as governor, the amount of human, material, and financial aid we provide to the Northern Border each year has consistently reached new highs.

To boast a little, of the two hundred thousand standing army stationed in the Northland by the kingdom, one-eighth is supported by our Southeastern Province.

The annual financial aid that the kingdom provides to the Northern aristocracy, one-eighth of that is provided by our Southeastern Province.

It can be said that everyone here has contributed to the peace in the Northern Border!”
As soon as the government officer uttered these words, the initially embarrassed native nobles immediately erupted into the most enthusiastic applause.

This sudden reversal of the situation left Baron West feeling extremely uncomfortable.

It wasn’t that he wanted to cause trouble, but rather he had no choice.

The northern nobles who traveled south may appear united, but they are actually riddled with various factions.

Even though his strength is the strongest, it doesn’t mean everyone should accept him as their leader.

The Felix family name is indeed useful, but sadly he is Duke Cavadia’s illegitimate son, not the legitimate one.

The others gave him some respect due to Duke Cavadia’s influence.

However, at their core, they still mostly despised him.

To consolidate all the Northern aristocracy, West must prove his worth, in order to gain their compliance.

There are plenty of big shots in the Northern Border, not just illegitimate children like him.

To be given this opportunity to lead the southern expedition of these noble children, it’s not only due to his Duke Cavadia status but also West’s personal capabilities.

If his personal capabilities were subpar, even with Duke Cavadia’s support, he wouldn’t have managed to become a viscount at such a young age in the Northland.

Ninety-nine percent could be attributed to his nobility, but his personal efforts accounted for at least one percent.

Without that one percent, he would be nothing but a parasite, regardless of his lineage.

For this southern expedition, he didn’t hesitate to demote himself.

He was clearly not going for a Baron’s territory, even though a Fiefdom Baron seemed more prestigious in the eyes of outsiders.

Cleverly building tension and conflict, then utilizing the pressure from the native nobles to unite the southern expedition of the Northern aristocracy, was West’s plan.

Unfortunately, his plan was just too naive.

Faced with an old fox, he fell apart before it could even be enacted.

Unequal information was always the root of trouble.

As political rivals, it was already commendable that these northern big shots didn’t slander their opponents.

They would certainly not emphasize their competitor’s contributions in front of the younger generations.

Now that the data has been presented, West has been forced into a defensive position.

After all, he was just too young, his skin wasn’t thick enough.

“Sir Antonio, you are right, we are all contributors to the kingdom.

However, with Orcs on the verge of mobilizing, it might not be long before they launch another invasion.

Now, the military expenses of the Northern Border have depleted, and to raise more, the great Caesar III is losing sleep.

As the kingdom’s nobles, we cannot ignore that.

No need to give too much, just save a little bit in our everyday expenses.

For instance, by lowering the standards of our banquets a bit, we can add another legion to the Northern Border.”
This was no exaggeration.

If the thousands of nobles in the Southeastern Province saved on their expenses, it would be no trouble to support a new legion.

Although the situation had turned passive, West wasn’t pleased in the least.

That’s because the one who just spoke, Baron Katelai, was one of his competitors.

The better his performance, the more difficult it would be for West to gain control of the team.

As everyone had no superior, even though being the so-called “leader” seemed useless in name, it actually influenced their future authority in the counties of Layton and Wharton and the investment strength of their respective backing forces.

The Cavadia factor only caused those nobles affiliated with the Felix family to support West.

Those allied with the other four major clans would not fall in line easily.

Now, anyone with a bit of power strived for the leader’s position.

The only difference was that some had declared their positions, while others were waiting for the right time.

Looking at the ages of the people present, it was clear that this southern expedition of the noble young masters, apart from not putting all their eggs in one basket, was more about a training arranged by their backing forces.

Only the best offspring could receive more resources.