That's very badass

Chapter 158 Gunpowder Keg

The Kingdom of Rhodes, the Land of the North.

When the time came to June 303, the temperature in the north had begun to pick up, and there was already a hint of heat in the blowing wind.

Thick dust accumulated in the fireplace, and people no longer hid at home, but chose to go out to feel the warmth brought by the sun.

Two months have passed since the last battle in the Orc Steppe.

The flames in the blacksmith's workshop burned endlessly, and the sound of forging was even denser and dull.

Countless iron ore was transported from the Carney Territory, sent to the blacksmith workshop, and finally processed into various weapons and armor, and finally flowed into the pioneering territory bordering the territory.

Roland had no intention of harming these people. Considering that they were facing all kinds of barbaric alien races, as a human being, Roland really couldn't do such a wicked thing.

At least the weapons given are quite satisfactory, but of course they are a bit expensive in price.

However, the pioneering nobles did not criticize this, because in their opinion, Earl Roland's ability to produce such a weapon already represented his great sincerity.

Even when their family was at its most glorious, the weapons they built were no more than that.

Roland didn't know if the wolf cavalry had brought the situation back to the orc territory. He didn't know the character of these orcs, nor did he have such a tight grasp of the intelligence on developing the territory.

Therefore, all of this can only be analyzed based on existing intelligence.

Out of prudent considerations, they may send someone back to report this matter first.

If they were too arrogant to take humans seriously, they obviously wouldn't do that.

In other words, the chances of them coming back again are still [-]-[-], which is still a sharp sword hanging over the heads of the pioneering nobles.

Regarding this matter, the nobles still had some complaints, but they were ignored by Roland directly, and then they were annoyed so much that they explained it to them.

Based on the importance the wolf cavalry attached to the ballista, it was easy to determine the fact that they lacked equipment. Although they didn't know why, the nobles could understand that the more the enemy wanted, the less they could give it to them.

As time goes by, the possibility of the orcs 'visiting' again becomes less and less.

The planning of the land and the progress of the construction took a lot of experience from them, so they left this matter behind.

After the last defeat, the king united the nobles in the east and west, and kept instilling Duke Osborne's conspiracy theory in them, and gained a certain market.

Geographical reasons make it easier for them to form a whole, and things like conspiracy theories are obviously in line with the thinking inertia of most nobles.

The characteristics of the nobles doomed them to the fact that they were easily attracted by interests, not to mention the fact that they already had a certain gap.

As expected, the relationship between them became tense.

And all of this was instigated by His Majesty Quesnel, and he was complacent about it.

The nobles in the north have heard a rumor that the current Earl of Carney still obeys the orders of Earl Rowland, who is a member of the Osborne family.

At first, the northern nobles scoffed at the news, and felt that His Majesty Rhodes was a bit too caring. After helping others regain the territory, is it normal for the two sides to distinguish the boundaries?
As for Earl Roland being a member of the Osborne family, this is even more nonsense.

Because even a fool knows that a piece of territory is obviously safer in his own hands than in the hands of a family member.

The Osborne family has no reason to make so many detours to do this thankless task.

This piece of land is not small, and it can even be said that most nobles would covet it, and the Osborne family is fully capable of occupying this piece of land in the north by themselves.

Instead of sending a family member to do it and form a new family.

Yes, new families are generally born in this way.

This kind of behavior that divides the family will not be beneficial to you no matter how you look at it.

What made them even more amused was that the Osborne family did not provide any clarification on this matter. All the leading members of their family gathered in the North Wind Fortress.

The northern nobles are close to the north, so they naturally know everything that happened in the north.

Of course they knew about the Rhodes family's defense against the Osborne family, they just regarded it as a cold joke.

The Rhodes family has also been committed to dismantling the Osborne family for several generations. From their point of view, the Osborne family must know their actions and behaviors.

And will respond to this matter, even if it is just for self-preservation, the Osborne family will secretly accumulate strength and attempt to overthrow them.

This can be seen from the fact that the entire northern border is run by the Osborn family.

This can be said to be His Majesty Quesnel's persecution paranoia, or it can be understood that in the mind of a conspirator, it is only normal for the world to be full of conspiracies.

Because the Rhodes family has always been like the nobles of the kingdom, seeking each other's land, and only in this way is it normal.

Only families whose main interests are based on family interests can survive until now. Those families who were loyal to the First Empire back then, no one remembers their names now.

Of course, His Majesty has not forgotten the name of the Osborne family as guardians of the north, but he also knows that this sense of responsibility will inevitably disappear in the long river of time after being passed down from generation to generation.

What made him choose to believe even more was that the threat of orcs had been preached for so long, but in fact there had been no new movement, and there was no sign of Chen Bing's North Wind Fortress.

This matter became their attack on the northern nobles, and they called them cowards. They were frightened at the slightest sign of trouble.

Because the northern nobles had been to Roland's territory, accompanied by the Dawn Knights, they experienced the situation of the orc prairie firsthand, and refuted it accordingly.

But what the other party said was just the same sentence, and that was also true. The orc didn't make any moves, which made them unable to say anything to refute. They held a sigh of relief and were very angry.

Of course, Roland knew about this matter, and he immediately countered with the incident in the Southern Scramble, saying that these people spoke in a serious tone, and they showed their true colors as soon as they entered the battlefield.

The aristocrats in the northern border became excited when they heard this, and immediately used this matter to confront each other. Of course, the other party had no room to refute.

In the end, it simply became, you say yours, I say I say, both sides held a sigh of relief, and felt ruthless in their hearts that once they find an opportunity, they must let these 'soft-legged shrimps' know how powerful they are.

The real situation now is that no one can convince anyone, and no one believes anyone. Both sides have their own judgments, and as the confrontation continues, hatred is quietly growing.

Under the guidance of His Majesty Quesnel, the entire Rhodes Kingdom has become a huge powder keg, and it only needs a little spark to explode.

No one is immune to the turmoil that is rippling across the kingdom.

If there is anyone in the kingdom who most wants to ignite this powder keg, then besides our Majesty Quesnel, the only one is Earl Roland.

The difference is that what His Majesty needs is a reasonable and legal excuse to wage war against the northern nobles.

Roland, on the other hand, had no intention of doing this while the orcs were still unsolved.

Its territory runs through the Hengduan Mountains and is connected to the orc prairie. He can feel the pressure from the orcs even more, especially after seeing the giant wolf of the orcs. He doesn't know if the orcs have other helpers.

For example, the more powerful ogre, and even the legendary Gron, all of these are like today's weather, dark, pressing on his heart, making it difficult for him to even breathe.

Only then did Roland know why His Majesty Quesnel was targeting him. Although his guess was unreasonable, as the person involved, he knew this very well.

He can only be regarded as a fish in the pond who has been affected by disasters. After all, he is still too weak, otherwise he would not be regarded as someone else's puppet.

But Roland did not intend to forgive His Majesty Quesnel, what His Majesty did to him could not be faked, and he did not have the tolerance to repay kindness with hatred.

Not to mention that he spent countless supplies and costs to unite the southern nobles and formed an alliance, intending to deliver a fatal blow to the Rhodes family at the appropriate time.

However, this also reminded him of one thing, that is, the kingdom's infiltration of information from all over the place was too good, but it was easily destroyed here in Roland.

It seems that it is time to start a new wave of spy purges.

He opened the map and wandered around the city, killing a bunch of people. He didn't need and didn't want to know which family these people came from.

All he needs to do is cut off their tentacles, and continue to kill after they continue to send.

Kill until the other party's intelligence officers are frightened, until they feel scared whenever they mention the earldom of Roland. Only in this way will they stop trying to obtain information.

Roland really wanted to continue to expand the army, because he knew very well that only with absolute force in his hands could he live a better life here.

His request is that simple. By the way, within his ability, he should improve the living standards of the civilians under his rule. Gaining people's love and praise is what every ruler wants.

But he also knew clearly that at this time, he couldn't do this.Although other nobles are also recruiting soldiers, they are not as exaggerated as Roland.

And there is no way to hide the number of troops, because soldiers always need to be trained, training requires a venue, and a large venue is required, only in this way can they grow.

If recruits are hidden from training, their ranks will not increase, even with a trainer up to level 8.

They can only be soldiers of the first order, and as a person, they also have various needs, and it's not that they don't care about anything after being recruited.

Such soldiers can only be used as cannon fodder, and the cost is too high, no matter how you look at it, it is not a cost-effective thing.

Businessmen passing by would always take this news back, and the development of the territory required financial support. Roland could not only do business in the north.

The people in the northern region can't consume the sea salt that is being produced more and more. Relatively speaking, Roland needs those merchants more than the merchants need him.

Before this orc came, the number of his troops had already aroused the nerves of some people. If it continued to expand, it would only be used by His Majesty Quesnel as a signal to start war.

No matter how you look at it, 5 people control two earldoms and form a very powerful knight group. For an earl, it is impossible to be a permanent force.

If the powder keg of the Rhodes Kingdom is ignited, they will fall into endless internal friction.

Even with the addition of those southern nobles, Roland was not sure of sweeping the royal family and the three-way coalition of the eastern and western nobles. He had already figured this out during the war between the two countries.

It's the same even if the northern nobles are together, not to mention whether the northern nobles will support him or not. In Roland's opinion, maybe they are more willing to support the Osborne family.

What's more, it has been 2 years since the desertification of the orcs, whether it is based on the speed of desertification or according to Duke Osborne's estimation.

The time left for the orcs is getting less and less. They are likely to make a large-scale invasion this year, and it will not be later than next year at the latest.

According to the information obtained by the scouts in the orc prairie, next year there will be no grazing land in the entire orc prairie, except of course around the river.

But the scarce land can't support so many orcs, unless they decide to self-destruct, which can only be said to be a good wish.

The orcs will never give up before they have tried the strength of the North Wind Fortress. They have a better life in the human world, and they have no reason to give up.

Neither the top brass of the orcs nor the ordinary orcs would give up on pursuing a better life, and the orcs did not take humans seriously at all.

This can be seen from the fact that they only dispatched thousands of wolf cavalry even in the face of tens of thousands of human troops.

The reason why they are not moving now is more likely because they are integrating all the forces that can be united, and this road is not going very smoothly.

But as time goes by, they will inevitably choose more drastic methods to seek unification by force or other methods. Maybe there is a battle going on on the orc prairie right now.

Roland could say that he had fully guessed the changes of the orcs, but what he didn't know was that the orcs hadn't experienced the turmoil that affected the whole clan.

Because the orcs had already formed a tribe two months ago, another name for the orcs to unite.

And the orcs have already solved the biggest trouble—the Blackstone clan. This is the only turmoil, and the entire Blackstone clan was removed.

As for the remaining clans, although they still retain their respective clan names, this is only to temporarily stabilize them.

The remaining 7 major clans will divide and reorganize them in the days to come. This is the general trend and no one can stop it.

They are currently preparing the entire orc force, and at the same time sent envoys to the ogre territory to negotiate.

(End of this chapter)