NOVEL WEB
Chapter 255:
In the grand hall, silence reigned, with everyone’s head bowed, speaking not a word.
Everyone was aware that the Count—now the Duke—harbored a volcano of anger inside, and nobody wanted to stoke the fire to see what would happen.
The bad news was that the Grayman family’s army had suddenly moved south, invading Emden—the former territory of the Kent family, driving away the Kent-appointed officials and vassal lords along the way.
The good news… well, it wasn’t exactly good news, but it was somewhat better than the former—the Aldans had stopped not far from Bayland Castle.
Paul Grayman… he was simply too reckless. Didn’t he realize what he was up against?
The Kent family had always been the second most powerful in the Northwest Bay, and now, having attained the title of Duke, they were stronger than ever. It was only their current inconvenience for waging war that had prevented them from dealing with him sooner.
Moreover, to stir trouble during the busy time of spring plowing was utterly despicable and shameless. According to reports, there were over a thousand Aldans—neither a small nor a large number. For the sparsely populated Alda, having so many able-bodied men not working in the fields was a real shame.
Ah, they could plunder for food, which was… truly… the act of bandits.
Marltz Kent looked around the hall and asked, “Do any of you have a good plan to drive the Aldans out?”
The audience was slightly surprised; the Duke’s tone was unexpectedly calm. How could he remain so composed after his homeland had been invaded?
But since the Duke had asked, his subordinates began to offer their suggestions.
“Your Grace, our minor defeat previously has emboldened Grayman to this extent. We should gather our forces again and decisively battle them.”
“Why not first recapture Fort Bidou and avenge our previous disgrace!”
“The Aldans’ firearms are formidable; we need a way to counter them.”
“You cowards, no matter how powerful, can they really stand against a cavalry charge?”
The hall erupted into a noisy debate.
…
Inside, Marltz felt somewhat bitter. The lords of Emden, driven to Center City by the Aldan army, came to him with their complaints, terrified by the enemy’s crossbows and thunder hammers.
“Once the smoke rose, men and horses fell alike, armor being of no use.”
“The booming like thunder, one shot reaching tens of miles!”
Although some of their words were clearly exaggerated, the power of the Aldan weapons seemed undeniable.
Damn it, this was clearly magic and sorcery. The biased, damned Church.
The noise in the hall was irritating to the Duke. Noticing his intelligence chief sitting silently, he waved him over to his study.
“Your Grace, you wanted to see me about…?”
“How’s the intelligence gathering on Alda lately?”
“Uh… we have some. I was planning to discuss this with you after the meeting, but since you’ve called me, I’ll present it now.”
The intelligence chief took out a scroll of parchment from his robe and handed it respectfully to the Duke.
Ever since the war broke out, the Duke’s estate had ordered the cessation of all trade with the territories of the anti-Kent alliance, including Alda. Thus, those on Marltz Kent’s side could no longer enjoy cheap paper and had to revert to using expensive parchment.
As far as Marltz Kent was concerned, all his correspondences, official documents, and reports he received were on parchment.
Marltz glanced over the document briefly, then gestured to his chief.
“I need to analyze this in detail. Wait outside for now.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The chief respectfully excused himself, feeling a bit puzzled in his heart. Had the Duke’s hand been trembling?
After the chief left, Marltz leaned his arms on the table, his right hand supporting his forehead, eyes closed, furrowing his brows for a long time before unrolling the parchment again.
He had been too complacent! He should have crushed that Grayman whelp last year.
…
The content on the parchment read as follows:
“Respected Duke,
After extensive inquiries, we have a general understanding of the Grayman family’s military strength, summarized as follows:
Since last year’s pirate disturbance, Alda has maintained a standing army, which has grown over the year to an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers. This means that in the Battle of Fort Bidou, Alda had committed less than half of its forces.
This army of over 2,000 includes a naval force of at least 600, established for the pirate eradication last year. Why it was retained post-pirate extermination is unclear, but according to our investigations in Port Fran, Grayman seems intent on developing long-distance trade and has already begun actions to that effect, inventing a new type of ship ideal for ocean voyages. It’s rumored in Port Fran that these ships have already sailed as far as the Horn Bay region.
Regarding the army’s equipment, although their armor coverage is not high, they possess lethal fire crossbows and thunder hammers. During Grayman’s suppression of the Baylding rebellion, they were equipped with a mix of fire crossbows and spears, but by this year’s Battle of Fort Bidou, they had uniformly armed with fire crossbows, further enhanced with bayonets, allowing the soldiers to engage both at range and in close combat.
Regarding these new weapons, fire crossbows and thunder hammers, intelligence suggests they are most likely invented by Paul Grayman himself.
In terms of military quality, according to our spies, slogans can be heard from the Aldan camps daily, from dawn to dusk, with only Sundays quiet. While the specifics of their training are unknown, their six days of weekly drills far exceed that of regular armies, even surpassing the training routines of many knights.
Furthermore, such intense training implies a high level of food supply, as soldiers would not withstand it otherwise.
Advanced and sophisticated weaponry, ample material support – this army must be costing a fortune. A year ago, Alda was a poor countdom, but its current state overturns our previous perceptions. We analyze the reasons for this change as follows:
First, Grayman has ‘united’ with neighboring Baylding. Although Alda was poor, Baylding is relatively prosperous among the northwest territories, and this union could have significantly increased tax revenue.
Second, the invention of various new items like porcelain, paper, canned food – all previously unseen commodities that greatly facilitate people’s lives. Until the technology for manufacturing these spreads, Grayman will continue to reap huge profits from them. Moreover, Alda has a method for mass-producing salt, significantly reducing its cost. Currently, most salt merchants in the Northwest Bay source their salt from Alda.
Porcelain, paper, canned food, salt – as Aldan merchants say, these are their ‘flagship products’ for foreign trade.
Additionally, Grayman is selling a costly agricultural device to the local landlords. Its effect on agriculture is yet to be evaluated, but it has already earned him a considerable sum.
Third, the rise of industry and commerce in Alda and Baylding. Following the emergence of these ‘flagship products,’ Grayman has implemented policies to foster local industry and commerce, involving numerous private factory owners and merchants in the production and sale of these products. Although tax rates decreased after policy implementation, the expansion in scale has significantly increased tax revenue in this area.”