Chapter 231 - 10: Starting Today, I’ll Be a Lord (Part 4)
Chapter 231: Chapter 10: Starting Today, I’ll Be a Lord (Part 4)
"That guy definitely snitched," Baron Wulan muttered, his tone sharp with disgust. He clearly had plenty of grievances against Earl Uman.
Earl Uman listened to his younger brother’s complaints, swirling the wine in his glass.
"Of course I knew he was going to snitch. Did you really think I’m that stupid?" Earl Uman said with a touch of disdain.
Baron Wulan looked up in confusion at his older brother, only to see Earl Uman raise his glass and sigh.
"Wulan, you can’t possibly think I could actually form some ’Northern Heartland Faction,’ can you?
That’s impossible. It has nothing to do with ability. Whether it’s George, Oscillate, or even Harold—aren’t they all from Earl Clans that are centuries old?
Unless they’re all a bunch of fools, how could I possibly trip them up?" Earl Uman said, shaking his head.
After hearing this, Baron Wulan looked at Earl Uman, still confused.
"Then why?"
"Wulan, who do you think is more difficult to deal with: Robson, or Sriphine?" Earl Uman asked.
"Count Sriphine, obviously! He clawed his way up from the central front lines!"
Hearing Baron Wulan’s response, Earl Uman stared at him in shock. ’He truly couldn’t fathom how his family’s tutors had managed to produce such a... unique mind.’
"If I dared to touch Robson, do you think the Fengman Clan would be pleased? The moment I made a move, believe me, the Fengman Knight Order would be at our gates the very next day.
The easy target is Sriphine...
Do you understand? He’s from the military-merit faction. No one gets along with him. If we want to expand our own power, he’s the best one to target."
This was, in fact, Earl Uman’s true line of thinking. Becoming a Marquis was something Uman wouldn’t even dare to dream of, but setting that aside, taking down Count Sriphine was a definite possibility.
In reality, this round of enfeoffments was quite strange. Strictly speaking, only Earl Uman’s family was a major noble house with a deep heritage that had followed the traditional path to power.
A century ago, Count Sriphine’s family was just a Baron Clan, not even considered middle nobility. They had no real power to contend with Earl Uman.
"Move against him? But Robson and Sriphine have teamed up. If we attack Sriphine, do you think the Fengman Clan will just stand by and do nothing?" Baron Wulan asked, perplexed.
"You still don’t get it... Sriphine is from the military-merit faction. Robson can help him, but if the Fengman Clan helps him too, Valentino will become an outcast in the kingdom’s political arena—a public enemy.
The Fengman Clan are also great nobles who climbed the ladder step by step. Do you really think they’d look kindly on these upstarts from the military-merit faction?
The Fengman Clan only cares about Robson. They don’t give a damn about anyone else. Understand?
Robson should have been opposing Sriphine himself. But now, if we pretend to target Robson while secretly going after Sriphine...
...do you think Robson will still attack Sriphine? If he doesn’t, how will he get his hands on Sriphine’s territory?" Earl Uman explained.
Baron Wulan was still dazed, but it seemed he was beginning to understand.
"But what if the Fengman Clan throws their full weight behind Robson?"
"Wulan, if you weren’t my brother, I honestly couldn’t be bothered explaining all this to you.
The Fengman Clan needs a son-in-law who can help them train their troops and expand their influence. They don’t need an independent Earl of Ceylon. They do not want the next generation of Robson and Valentino to bear the surname Odogin."
"As long as the Fengman Clan stays out of it, what do they have to fight me with? One is the second son of a Baron, the other is a military upstart. With the meager foundation they’ve managed to scrape together—if you can even call it a foundation—how can they possibly contend with me?"
"Wulan, this is a golden opportunity! A gift from the Lord of Dawn to our family!
We have built our power for five generations. Three hundred years ago, we were already Viscounts! By what right does that Sriphine get to rise so far, so fast?
Grantham has no idea what he’s doing. The military-merit faction thinks they can take power? We’ll break their legs!"
"For someone who talks so big, you can’t even pass a basic Common Tongue exam."
"Hey! What are you doing? Uman, I’m warning you!"
"What am I doing?! Mmph!"