I'm not a lord

Chapter 138 The Duke is not a good person either
Affected by the heavy snow and wind, several baronies in the Baihe River Basin became isolated islands.

However, this does not hinder normal communication between the baronies.

In the intervals between wind and snow, the messengers rode on a sled pulled by two strong draft horses and were still able to move freely in the vast snow, often at a speed of more than ten kilometers per hour.

The envoy from Green Lake Territory left the Shoal Territory Castle early the next morning and returned to Green Lake Territory that afternoon.

Facing the envoy who had returned safely, Green Lake Baron Bogdan's first question was:
"Have you met the Baron of White Bear Territory in Shoal Territory?"

The messenger, a senior knight of the Green Lake Territory, shook his head and said, "No."

Then Bogdan asked, "How is Yagna?"

The messenger replied truthfully: "The Regent of the Shallow Beach is in good health and her due date is still late February."

"Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"I saw it with my own eyes."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. Go back and rest first."

After asking three questions, Bogdan sent the messenger out of the castle.

Then he called another messenger and ordered him to take a sled and head south to Chixi Territory immediately.

At dusk, the envoy arrived at the Baronial Castle of Chixi Territory and met with diplomatic representatives from the other three baronies inside the castle.

Faced with the possible threat from the north, the four baronies south of the Shoalland quickly formed an alliance.

They jointly sent envoys to be stationed in Chixi Territory in the middle section of Baihe River for a long time.

This allows for quick sharing of intelligence while maintaining a safe distance from the 'dangerous' Shoal Territory.

There is a Green Lake Territory between Chixi Territory and Qiantan Territory, which provides ample buffer zone.

If Green Lake Territory is attacked from the north, the other three baronies will be able to learn the news as quickly as possible and respond immediately.

In fact, after more than two months of testing the Shoal Territory, the four baronies gradually reached a consensus.

They believed that the real owner of the Shoal Territory was not Yagna, but the second son of the Earl of Cold Wind, the current Baron Roman of the White Bear Territory.

In their eyes, Yagna was nothing more than a banner raised by the ambitious Roman, whose purpose was only to provide a cover for the annexation of the Shoal Territory.

Now that the White Bear Territory and the Shoal Territory have long been merged into one, the ambitious Roman’s next target must be the Green Lake Territory.

The main reason why the four baronies came to completely opposite conclusions from the Duke of Swamp was due to the different sources of intelligence.

The Duke of Swamp can directly learn about Roman's character and personality from Earl of Cold Wind, and he can also know Agna's temperament through his wife.

So the Duke of the Swamp would think that it was Agna who dominated everything, and Roman was just a banner borrowed by Agna.

What the Duke of the Swamp was naturally on guard against was a woman like Yagena forcibly occupying the Shallows Territory.

As long as Yagna fails to give birth to a boy, he can take back the Shoal Territory under the pretext of inheritance rights.

From now on, whether to send another baron to rule or send court officials to govern is up to him.

But the four baronies do not have these intelligence channels.

What they saw was the deliberately closed White Bear Territory.

Ever since Roman took office, White Bear Territory has been shrouded in mystery.

Foreign envoys who tried to enter the White Bear Territory either disappeared or were robbed by horse bandits and returned empty-handed.

The White Bear Territory had never sent envoys to contact the other baronies. It was as if the entire territory didn't exist.

After sharing their intelligence, the four barons came to several surprising conclusions:
Last year, those ships that passed through the White River and transported people eventually sailed into White Bear Territory, with a total of perhaps nearly a thousand people.

Through merchants from Sanhe City, they also learned that White Bear Territory had not sold any grain this year.

At the same time, this autumn, a mysterious buyer purchased a large amount of weapons and armor in Sanhe City and suspected that they were transported to the upper reaches of the Baihe River. This even affected the prices of weapons and armor in Sanhe City.

Combining these pieces of intelligence, and adding the "fall" of the Shoal Territory, they deduced a very terrifying answer:

Baron Roman of the White Bear Territory is frantically expanding his military, and his ambitions are likely not limited to the Shallows Territory.

Precisely because of the different perspectives, the 'scenery' that the four barons can see is completely different from that of the Duke of the Swamp.

Not only did they doubt Roman's intentions, they were also unwilling to believe the Duke of Swamp's judgment.

There is no doubt that Roman is an ambitious man.

But the Duke of the Swamp is not a good guy either!

The barons even suspected that behind Roman was not only the Earl of Frostwind, but also the Duke of Swamp.

Roman is just a pawn used by the Duke to unify the White River Basin!
Over the years, the Duke of Swamp has used various means to deprive a number of vassals of their territories.

The Duke's current wife was originally the only daughter of an earl.

Through marriage, the Duke of Swampland incorporated the earldom into his direct territory, abolished the barony and knighthood on the territory, split it into two counties and several towns, and directly sent court officials to manage it.

By relying on itinerant officials to govern the local area, the Duke of the Swamp obtained a stable source of tax revenue and thus supported a large number of court knights.

The barons of Baihe were used to self-government and they were afraid of the Duke's power.

In their eyes, Baron Roman of White Bear Territory is the second son of Earl of Cold Wind, and Earl of Cold Wind is now the favorite of Duke of Swamp.

Therefore, the person behind Roman is almost equivalent to the Duke.

This also explains why Roman could afford a large population and weapons and equipment, pay high war taxes and shield taxes, and not have to sell a single grain of food.

You should know that the only specialty of White Bear Territory is food.

He doesn't sell food but can come up with astronomical amounts of gold coins, and he is deeply involved in the War of Succession to the Shoal Territory. He is no longer an ordinary baron!
When the latest intelligence reached the Chixi Territory Castle, the envoy from the southernmost Hezhao Territory asked in confusion:

"Is the baby in Yagna's belly really Roman's? The due date is February, and it's almost mid-January, and he hasn't appeared in the Shoal Territory yet?"

"This is obviously intended to confuse us." The envoy from the Heron Territory asserted.

"Well, we must not let our guard down." The host, Baron Chixi nodded in agreement.

The size of Chixi Territory is comparable to that of Luhu Territory, and the total population of both does not exceed 6,000.

The naming method is the same as that of Green Lake Territory, both of which are derived from the unique landscape within the territory.

In the western forests of the territory, there are several red streams flowing out of the mountains, which is why the territory got its name.

However, the castle of Chixi Territory was built on the bank of Baihe River in order to control the commercial transactions of the territory.

Baron Chixiling is in his early thirties, with a long sword hanging from his waist and a burly figure. He is at the peak of his knightly career.

In his youth, he had received knight training at the court of the Duke of Swamp, and had transcended the boundaries of a [Warrior], becoming the pinnacle of military power in the entire barony.

(End of this chapter)