Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

Chapter 231: Please Support on Kofi!

TL: Etude

For a long time, the northwest bay of the Kingdom of Ordo has been home to two types of lords.

One type is the native lords, whose lineages can mostly be traced back to the military leaders or religious nobility of various tribes that lived here in ancient times. Since the dawn of human civilization, their ancestors have been rooted in the northwest bay — although, according to scholars, their ancestors also migrated from the central plains of Ordo to the northwest. Some of them were enfeoffed here by various regimes before the Rodney Dynasty, but they too have a long history of residence in the northwest bay, with some families dating back to the time of the ancient Gubera Empire.

The most powerful among these lords is the Ferdinand family, with most other native lords being vassals or vassals of vassals to the Ferdinand family.

The other type is the foreign lords, whose ancestors were enfeoffed in the northwest bay after the establishment of the Rodney Dynasty. During the unification of Ordo by the new dynasty, more than half of the original lords of the northwest bay sided with the current royal family, but a small portion who failed to see the changing tide were removed, and their lands were awarded by the Rodney royal family to their loyal followers.

The new lords enfeoffed by the Rodney royal family, besides serving to guard the frontier, also had the task of monitoring the native lords. For a long time, the new and old lords have been keeping each other in check.

However, the Grayman family is somewhat exceptional. Originally, their fief was in the fertile central plains. Later, due to political struggles and siding with the wrong faction, they were kicked to the northwest bay by the royal family. Their new territory was essentially previously unclaimed land, meaning, in a sense, the Grayman family was also under ‘surveillance.’

There are twelve counts in the northwest bay in total, with six being vassals of the Ferdinand family and the other six directly enfeoffed by the royal family. The power among these countships varies greatly, with the most powerful being the Kent family. Besides their direct lands, they have 10 viscountcies as vassals. In contrast, the (previously) weakest Grayman family didn’t even have a formal knight’s fief.

As for other viscountcies and baronies, they are mostly vassals of the Duke of the Northwest or one of the twelve counts.

The current situation in the northwest bay is such: five of the six counts enfeoffed by the royal family have formed an alliance led by Count Parker to oppose the Kent family. The Kent family, in turn, has rallied three other counts who are also vassals of the Ferdinand family to form a counter-alliance. The remaining three counts have ambiguous attitudes and have not yet clearly chosen sides.

Although the Kent family appears to be at a disadvantage, Marltz Kent, who controls Count Ferdinand, can mobilize the forces of the duke’s direct lands and other vassals under the duke’s name. Some of the viscountcies are quite powerful, with populations almost matching those of nominal countships like Alda. Therefore, in terms of absolute power, Marltz Kent’s side holds the advantage.

“Don’t worry! Many lords under the Duke believe that the letter is real. As long as we can withstand Marltz Kent’s onslaught, they will turn against him in the rear to support us,” Count Parker declared, shaking a stack of letters at a meeting, revealing his seemingly unreliable trump card.

…

In late March, the two factions, long prepared for conflict, almost simultaneously made moves against each other. Marltz Kent issued a final ultimatum to the lords who did not respond to his previous summons, ordering them to gather in Center City within three days or face punishment for insulting the duke. The anti-Kent alliance, not to be outdone, publicly displayed the duke’s secret letter and brought Viscount Henry to the forefront. Viscount Henry had been secretly protected by Count Parker for a long time. The appearance of the secret letter and Viscount Henry caused a major uproar in the northwest bay.

Marltz Kent immediately declared that the letter was a forgery, accusing Henry Ferdinand of harboring resentment for not being chosen as the duke’s heir, escaping from the dungeon, and framing him. He also alleged that Count Parker, leading a group of treacherous individuals, always harbored ulterior motives and conspired against him in collusion with Henry.

Through the young mage Andy, who controlled Duke Ferdinand’s barely alive body, Marltz Kent held a public meeting in Center City to repeatedly assert these claims.

Privately, however, Count Kent was somewhat apprehensive. He had anticipated that Henry would seek refuge with those opposing him, but he had not foreseen such consequences.

And then there was the secret letter in his possession, aligning perfectly with his actions and plans. Could it really be written by Duke Ferdinand? Could there be a flaw in Master Barnett’s controlling spell?

The thought brought Marltz Kent a sudden headache, followed by a natural thought: How could this be possible? How could there be a flaw in Master Barnett’s spell? Praise to Master Barnett, praise to the Arcane Society, Duke Ferdinand was surely under his control. It must be that damnable Henry, imitating his brother’s handwriting.

As for why the contents of the letter matched the facts… it must be a coincidence! Just a coincidence!

But then… why were so many lords following that old fool Parker in opposing him? These people were usually obsequious in his presence, their words laced with flattery, and now they dared to oppose him.

In his original estimation, there might be one or two rebellious individuals, like the old geezer Price Parker, but under the guise of the duke’s authority and righteousness, they wouldn’t be able to cause much trouble. Once he had purged those lords still loyal to the royal family, he could declare independence in the northwest bay and stab the kingdom’s government in the back while their attention was focused on the south.

But now, Henry Ferdinand’s escape and the forged secret letter he brought with him had alerted those newcomers — a term used by native lords in private for lords newly enfeoffed by the royal family — causing them to unite earlier than expected, derailing his original plans.

At this thought, the count was filled with regret. He should have found an excuse to detain these potential enemies during the duke’s birthday banquet. Although that would have been more troublesome to handle later, it would have been much easier than the current situation.

Regret was futile now; the truth would be revealed on the battlefield.

…

After extensive preparations, both factions had amassed considerable military forces. They maneuvered troops, poised for war. However, neither side forgot the existence of the royal family. The anti-Kent alliance naturally sought to involve the royal family, while Count Kent also needed to maintain the appearance of a loyal subject of the kingdom. Both sides, as if by agreement, sent their envoys to Crystal Shine Fortress to present the “real situation” to His Majesty the King, seeking royal support for themselves and declaring the other side as rebels.

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