Chapter 268:
When the news of the quelled riot reached Lakeheart Town, Paul still found it slightly unbelievable.
Was it over? Was it really that easy to settle?
Paul had braced himself for the worst: a widespread uprising among the peasants, swiftly toppling his “tyrannical” rule, forcing him to flee ignominiously to a neighboring ally’s territory for refuge.
Chief of Staff Schroeder, noticing the expression on the Count’s face, gently coughed.
“Cough, my lord Count, please allow me to report to you the specific process.”
He didn’t understand what the lord had been fretting over these past few days. It was just a mob, wasn’t it?
The “specific process” Schroeder mentioned was quite simple:
The troops sealed off the roads, and upon receiving Lakeheart Town’s ultimatum, they immediately entered the riot area to restore order. The disturbances elsewhere were minor, merely hooligans taking advantage of the chaos. Only the riot in Faber Village had gained significant traction. The largest landowner’s house there was overrun, and their wealth plundered. The rioters occupied the yard, intending to resist to the end, hoping to coerce the lord’s manor into pardoning their crimes and recognizing their ownership of the looted goods.
The loyal and brave navy soldiers wouldn’t stand for this. After their ultimatum was rejected, they immediately launched an assault, and in just an hour, all the rioters in the yard were subdued.
“That’s about it, my lord Count.”
“What about our casualties?”
“Six were lightly wounded by stones and ropes, and one twisted his ankle while climbing a wall.”
“No fatalities?”
“None on our side.”
“And the other side? …The rioters.”
“23 dead, 30 wounded.”
Paul relaxed completely, leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes, and exhaling: “Honestly, Schroeder, I didn’t expect things to go this smoothly.”
“Lord Count, you must understand, the disparity in strength between us and them was substantial. They were merely an unorganized, undisciplined group of villagers. When our sailors climbed over the wall, the rioters did try to resist. But after a few at the front were killed by bayonets, the rest scattered in panic, running around like headless flies, or cowering on the ground with their heads in their hands. A small detachment of our navy blocked the back door, so we captured them all.”
“What should we do next?”
“It’s up to you, as the lord.”
“Let’s have Cecil investigate the causes and consequences of this riot first.”
…
Upon receiving Paul’s orders, Cecil immediately began interrogating the captives. After several days and nights of continuous questioning, the people of Lakeheart Town understood the cause of the riot.
The root was the tax farmer Baden’s unilateral imposition of a “war tax.” The salt workers, already struggling due to the establishment of the salt fields, couldn’t afford this new burden, leading to a conflict with Baden’s tax collectors. Long-standing grievances quickly escalated the conflict. Blinded by rage, the salt workers headed straight to Baden’s Faber Village, leading to the riot.
Baden’s imposition of the war tax could be confirmed, as several of Baden’s servants — those he had sent to collect taxes — rescued from the salt workers all confessed to this without dispute.
“The damn greedy landlord!”
Paul cursed in a language Cecil couldn’t understand, right in front of him.
“What did you just say, my lord?”
Cecil asked cautiously, sensing that the Count was very angry.
“Ah, it’s nothing, continue.”
“It’s strange, the rioters confessed everything else but no one admitted to any connection with the attack on the salt fields, nor did they admit any relation to disturbances in other areas.”
“Oh?” Paul tapped his fingers lightly on the table, “What do you think?”
Cecil replied, “My lord, it’s highly likely they are not lying. I interrogated them separately, and I don’t think such a disorganized group could coordinate their stories so quickly.”
Paul nodded, “Yes, I think so too.”
Cecil continued, “Several disturbances of varying degrees happened during that time. According to our investigations, it seems someone was deliberately spreading the news about Faber Village, inciting people in other areas, with many taking advantage of the chaos.”
Paul was indignant, “How could these people do this, haven’t I been a good lord to them?”
“Lord, don’t rush to self-reflect. Considering that the salt fields were also attacked, it’s obvious…”
Paul, as if struck by a revelation, suddenly interrupted him, “I understand now, Cecil!”
Cecil swallowed his next words, looking at Paul.
Paul stood up anxiously, “A conspiracy! Isn’t it clear, Cecil? This is a conspiracy!”
Cecil widened his eyes, feigning surprise, “A conspiracy? What do you mean?”
Paul explained, “Someone must be manipulating all this from behind the scenes. Considering we are at war with the usurper Marltz Kent, it’s very likely he is behind this, deliberately provoking my subjects to cause trouble. And then there’s the Arcane Society, they could be involved too.”
The intelligence chief ‘realized’ and slapped his thigh, “Of course, Count, you are as wise as ever…”
Paul, still furious, sat back down, “This is shameless, despicable, downright dirty! Unable to defeat us on the battlefield, they resort to these underhanded tactics. I despise such people.”
Cecil said, “Count, with your permission, I could give them a taste of their own medicine.”
Paul snorted, “I refuse to stoop to such lowly methods. Schroeder!”
Hearing his name, the sitting chief of staff immediately responded, “Yes, my lord Count.”
“Draft a new battle plan immediately. I want our front-line troops to resume the offensive and send new units to support them. We’ll defeat the enemy with honor.”
The old knight calmly replied, “Count, I understand you are upset, but I advise against acting rashly. We don’t know if similar riots will happen again, so it’s better to keep our forces close to home for now. The battalions in the newly occupied areas especially need to prioritize maintaining order, as those were Kent family territories before. They could stir up trouble there more easily than elsewhere. And… we are not certain if the Kent family is behind this.”
“Damn it!”
Paul slammed his fist on the table and yelled at the intelligence chief, “Bring me that Baden fellow, I want to have a good talk with this landlord about his so-called ‘war tax’!”
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