The Witcher: Make Witcher Great Again

Chapter 411 Isparden Dominion

Previously, when helping the Restoration Army defeat the Humphries Alliance with fewer troops, Istrad had promised that Lynn could choose any of the cities of Cowell and Povis, except for the summer capital and the winter capital.

When it was the witchers' turn, the nobles present all whispered among themselves.

They were all very curious about what Lynn would choose.

As a result, Lynn pointed to the east on the map.

The enclave of Cowell and Povis, the Dominion of Isparden.

Isparden was nominally subordinate to Cowell and Povis, but in reality enjoyed a high degree of autonomy.

They paid the least amount of taxes of all the vassals each year, and they simply did not fulfill their military obligations.

Even after the "Bovis Split" occurred, the nobles of the Isparden Dominion killed Kowell and the Grand Duke sent by Bovis.

To the outside world, they claimed it was an accidental death.

After the Thyssen family fell from power and King Edie ascended to the throne, their control over Isparden further declined.

They simply stopped paying taxes altogether.

It has become a de facto independent country.

However, because the nobles of Isparden were all unwilling to submit to each other, they could not elect a king who could convince everyone. In addition, relying on the name of the suzerain state of Kovir brought more advantages than disadvantages, so Isparden was still separated from the suzerain state by this last layer of paper.

It would be a mistake to think that this is the only problem facing the Isparden Dominion.

Due to its inland location, Isparden's commerce and trade, while not nonexistent, was at least barely there.

The income from either Cowell's or Bovis's baronies is higher than the income from an earldom in Isparden.

In addition, the area has a very high degree of autonomy and xenophobia...

So when Lynn pointed to Isparden, the nobles were all dumbfounded.

Even Istrad was completely taken aback by Lynn's choice.

He had already prepared himself mentally for the painful decision to give up Innis Bocht Island, even if Lynn wanted it.

To everyone's surprise, Lynn actually wanted Isparden.

The land in Isparden looks bigger than Ennis Bocht Island, but in terms of income, the former is far less than the latter.

"Earl Lynn, are you really sure? You won't regret it?"

"Well, here it is."

Other nobles avoided Isparden like the plague, but Lynn had his own reasons.

First, Isparden is very close to Kaer Mohen, so the two places can support each other.

Secondly, Isparden is larger than Velen, but its environment is not as harsh, and the number of monsters is far less than in Velen.

Therefore, as long as the local bullies are dealt with, agriculture can be developed on a large scale in Isparden.

Agriculture is very important in this era... or rather, it is very important in every era.

However, in Lynn's home world, many Westerners who have become lazy due to high welfare benefits genuinely believe that goods simply grow out of the shelf.

In addition, Westerners generally believe that finance is more profitable than farming. Over time, fewer and fewer Westerners understand agriculture, and the role of agriculture has been gradually underestimated and forgotten.

In this world, productivity can never compare to that of Lynn's home world. Therefore, no matter how well commerce develops, agriculture cannot be ignored.

If people can't get enough to eat, nothing—no art, no philosophy—can save them; they'll turn into wild beasts in no time.

Another point is that Isparden borders Cordwin.

Lynn, who held the script in his hand, knew very well that King Henselt of Cordwin would betray the Northern faction in the future and attack Aden with the Nilfgaardian Empire.

When that time comes, Lynn, who holds the moral high ground, can take the opportunity to lead his troops south and destroy the Kingdom of Cordwin.

Of course, it is foreseeable that the local nobles of Cordwin will jump out and accuse them of violating their own lineage.

It doesn't matter, anyway, Lynn doesn't care about those local nobles. He only wants the land, not the people. Every single one of the local nobles in Cordwin is either respectable or he will help them be respectable.

Furthermore, once he conquers the Kingdom of Cordwin, he can divide Cordwin's lands into countless pieces and distribute them among the soldiers who made heroic contributions in the war and were of humble origin (promoting them to knighthood or barony).

These newly ascended nobles would naturally unite closely around Lynn for their own benefit.

This method does not apply to Westeros, because no matter how chaotic Westeros is, the Seven Kingdoms are all related in some way.

Anyone who dares to threaten the interests of the upper nobility will be immediately annihilated by the seven kingdoms forming a coalition.

However, this method can be used in the world of The Witcher.

Because there are inherently irreconcilable contradictions between the North and the South, reconciliation is absolutely impossible, and therefore, unity is also impossible.

Meanwhile, in the not-too-distant future, the seemingly stable northern camp will become precarious, and the entire north will tremble under the iron heel of Nilfgaard's Black Army.

By then, the northern kings will be unable to protect themselves, let alone care about Lynn.

……

Since Lynn had made his choice, Istrad said no more and announced that Isparden would be awarded to Lynn.

And in order to allow Lynn to better control Isparden.

Istrad also promoted Lynn's noble title from Earl to Grand Duke.

This time, however, the other nobles looked at Lynn with pity and compassion, not envy.

Because they all knew the fate of the previous Grand Duke.

Actually, they could all guess why Lynn chose Isparden.

Even though Isparden's commerce is not as developed as that of the local area, its mineral resources are far inferior.

However, in terms of area and size, Isparden is almost the same size as the mainland.

If they can suppress the local nobles of Isparden, then Lynn will be nominally a Grand Duke, but in reality, he will be no different from a king.

In addition, given Isparden's high degree of autonomy and independence, even if Lynn were to obey orders but not commands, the Thyssen family would have no way to deal with him.

They wouldn't even fall out with Lynn.

Even if Lynn were to become king, he would still be a potential ally. Furthermore, Isparden is separated from the mainland by the Humphries Alliance and the Duchy of Targos. There is a similar proverb in this world about befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones.

Of course, all of this comes with a premise.

That is why Lynn was able to suppress the local nobles of Isparden and secure his position as Grand Duke.

However, the nobles under Istrad did not think highly of this.

Although they all acknowledged Lynn's strength, they were ultimately not powerful enough to disregard an army of thousands.

Moreover, the number of witchers under Lynn's command was far too small.

There were only a dozen or so.

A sneak attack is fine, but a head-on battle might be...

In short, the nobles were not optimistic about Lynn's future.

……

Thus, the usurpers were all brought to justice, and Istrad's army naturally had to be disbanded. Such a large army required a considerable amount of money for food and supplies for its men and horses every day, and there were also many conscripted peasant soldiers in the army.

As long as the army remains in existence, these conscripted peasant soldiers cannot return to farming.

This is clearly not conducive to resuming production.

Moreover, the nobles who had benefited from the war of restoration were eager to inspect their new territories.

Therefore, the nobles left Lakvirilin, taking their army with them.

Even the conscripted peasant soldiers in Istrad's direct army were able to return home after receiving a substantial reward.

Istrad himself led the remaining troops on their journey back to Lang Essette.

Although the war of national restoration ended much faster than he had anticipated, and the losses and damage to the country were minimized, it was still a change of regime, and he had to return to the capital as soon as possible to take charge.

One evening, as the army halted to set up camp, an owl flew into Istrad's tent.

There was only Istrad in the tent.

He glanced at the owl perched on the box and smiled slightly.

“I am truly honored by the presence of Ms. Philippa Ehrert.”

A flash of light, and the owl vanished, replaced by a woman sitting gracefully on a box.

If she's not a royal advisor to Redania, then who else could Philippa Ehrart be?

"You're too kind... No, I should now address you as Your Majesty."

"I have to thank you for your help. Thanks to you, the Redanian army's actions were delayed. The Thyssen family will never forget your contribution, and will answer the call whenever you need us."

"Yes, I have noted it down. Your Majesty's generosity also fills me with sincere admiration. Our two countries have had some unpleasant past experiences, but that is all in the past. I hope that the friendship between our two countries will be unbreakable and last forever."

'Our two countries?'

Istrad keenly noticed the wording in Philippa's words.

His eyes flickered slightly.

But it soon returned to normal.

After exchanging a few more polite words, Philippa finally revealed her purpose.

"Your Majesty, I have recently heard some very interesting news."

"Oh, what is it?"

"There are some unfounded rumors circulating that a mutant with cat eyes participated in Your Majesty's great victory over the Humphors Alliance. I wonder if this is true?"

"Ms. Philippa is joking. Didn't you say yourself that it's just a rumor circulating in the streets? How could it possibly be true?"

"So, your country doesn't have a single witcher who has become a Grand Duke?"

"No, that's true, but it involves state secrets, so it's not something that should be revealed to outsiders."

Philippa deliberately used a seductive tone.

"Yes, I understand. However, Your Majesty, you must be very careful of those mutants. I'm sure you've heard rumors about them."

"They will stop at nothing for the bounty. The Witcher school active in the south is precisely because of their existence that they threaten the usurper emperor of Nilfgaard, which is why they are facing the crisis of destruction."

However, Philippa was disappointed.

Istrad remained calm.

"Thank you for letting me know, Ms. Philippa. I will keep that in mind... Is there anything else?"

Philippa stared at Istrad.

The latter also smiled and stared intently at her.

In the end, it was Philippa who took the initiative to look away.

Istrad's wisdom was something Philippa had anticipated.

But the magnanimity and breadth of vision of this Thyssen family leader still exceeded her expectations.

Logically speaking, after a king successfully restores his kingdom, shouldn't the next step be to discard the good bow after the birds are all gone, and cook the hunting dog after the cunning rabbit is dead?

What is this operation?
Does Istrald really not worry that the Witchers will take over his country?
It's worth noting that, barring unforeseen circumstances, witchers typically live for a very long time.

If one is willing to spend time slowly infiltrating a regime, regardless of whether it will ultimately succeed, shouldn't this be something that any person in power should be worried about?

Was Istrad really that careless?

Seeing that Istrad didn't seem to care about the witchers, Philippa thought about it and finally stopped instigating them.

After all, she still needed to rely on Istrad for the big thing she was going to do next.

At least for now, we can't afford to fall out with them.

'Go talk to those witchers one-on-one and see which one of them has Istrid so completely bewitched.'

Seeing that Istrad was unwilling to discuss the topic further, Philippa changed the subject.

At the same time that Philippa went to see Istrad, in the prison of Lakverilin.

"Hey! Get up! Get up now! Woman!"

Julia Ebatmark was woken up from her bed in her cell and, along with other prisoners, was taken to the shower room to take a shower and was given a clean set of clothes.

While waiting in line outside the canteen, Julia quietly asked a prisoner in front of her in line.

Do you know what happened?

"I heard that a very important person is coming."

"A big shot? What big shot?"

Before the prisoner in front of her could reply, she heard the jailer shout, "No whispering! Behave yourselves!"

Julia then fell silent.

Afterwards, she and the other prisoners ate in the canteen and were then taken to an open area outside the prison.

Then, to her surprise, she found that the open space was full of people.

And they weren't just anyone; they were all the mischievous cat's former companions.

"Everyone be quiet and stand still."

The prison guards in front of these prisoners were fully armed and very tense.

After all, there were only a few dozen of them, while there were three thousand prisoners in front of them.

These prisoners were not criminals such as murderers or rapists, but rather members of the Mischievous Cats who had fought for King Rider during the previous siege of Lakvirilin because they had chosen the wrong side.

King Ryder was executed, his entire family was wiped out, and his close associates were also executed or exiled.

As for these unruly cats who had fought for King Ryder and suffered nearly half their casualties, they were thrown into prison.

(End of this chapter)