Chapter 257 - 27: Earl Uman’s Mind
Chapter 257: Chapter 27: Earl Uman’s Mind
The Gauss Clan was a typical representative of the Northern Coastal Faction, the very group Marquis George belonged to.
The chance to ascend to the ranks of the great nobility should not have fallen to the Gauss Clan. But the war thirty years ago changed many things, and with them, the clan’s destiny.
Earl Uman’s older brother, the former head of the Gauss Clan, had exhausted all the family’s connections and resources to secure this very opportunity.
Perhaps securing this chance had exhausted all the Gauss Clan’s luck, for the previous clan head had met an untimely death on the battlefield.
However, none of that could dampen Earl Uman’s current mood.
For a Frankish Noble, nothing was more alluring than expanding territory and achieving great deeds.
Earl Uman was the same age as Robson—in his early twenties. Unlike Robson, however, Earl Uman had no past-life experience to serve as a foundation. Without that, and not having been groomed as the family heir in the past, Uman had a massive deficit in Inner Strength compared to Robson.
In fact, his past few moves had already revealed that Earl Uman still had a youthful disposition, his Inner Strength unstable.
"My lord, a letter has arrived from Baron Clewis.
Would you care to read it?"
Earl Uman was observing the nearby terrain, studying the map in his hands.
To be honest, Earl Uman himself didn’t know how to read the map or what he should be looking for. He had studied at King’s College, but he had only learned theoretical knowledge.
The Military Books said that before waging war, one must thoroughly survey the surrounding terrain.
"Oh?" Earl Uman turned and took the letter from his personal guard.
Clewis was a figure from the Southern Faction.
Earl Uman was extremely ambitious. Though he understood it was impossible to establish a new faction as he had previously claimed, the idea of dominating the lands beyond the frontier was still very much on his mind, and it was no small ambition.
Of course, for Earl Uman to dare think this way, he certainly had his reasons for confidence. This confidence stemmed mainly from hints from the royal family and Marquis George about crushing the Military Merit Faction and annexing Auric Province.
This Baron Clewis was the first step in Uman’s plan.
Initially, Earl Uman hadn’t planned to make his first move against the Southern Faction. After all, behind them stood Robson, and behind him, the Fengman Clan and even Marquis Oscillate.
But during his stay in Fengman City, Uman had keenly sensed the discontent among the city’s officials. He also noticed that the Southern Faction nobles were only superficially loyal to Robson.
After weighing the pros and cons, Earl Uman began to hatch his own plot. Of course, he wasn’t the one who spread the rumors; he merely fanned the flames with a few choice words.
The result, much to Earl Uman’s surprise, was that his small flame had grown into a raging wildfire.
For some reason, Robson remained in Fengman City, and the Southern Faction nobles had long grown impatient. All it took was a little enticement from Earl Uman for all of them to take the hook.
Earl Uman opened the envelope and read its contents.
"Earl, what are these new arrangements?"
As Earl Uman was reading, Viscount Edwin, who stood nearby, leaned forward and asked with curiosity.
Viscount Edwin was a man Earl Uman had recently promoted, effectively making him the current second-in-command of Ador Province.
Earl Uman’s approach to the nobles of Ador Province was very traditional: ally with one faction and strike another, ultimately consolidating his own position. Though the tactic was old, its strength lay in its simplicity and practicality.
Earl Uman handed the letter to Viscount Edwin.
"These brats from the south actually want to campaign with me, and they’ve come to me instead of Robson."
"It seems this bunch isn’t as formidable as Earl Harold claimed," Earl Uman said.
Before Earl Uman had set out, Earl Harold had told him a great deal about the Southern Faction. In the kingdom today, the Southern Faction held considerable political prestige.
"Clewis, Vid... So many of them?" Viscount Edwin said in astonishment.
"Have they all come over to our side?" Viscount Edwin looked at Earl Uman, utterly shocked.
Viscount Edwin hadn’t expected Earl Uman to have orchestrated something so significant in such a short time.
’Did he summon all the nobles from Ehrlich Province?’
’If Earl Uman brings this entire group under his command, who will have the final say in Ehrlich Province in the future?’
Earl Uman simply smiled and said nothing.
He was quite pleased with Viscount Edwin’s reaction. Of course, he certainly wasn’t going to reveal what, exactly, he had paid to win these people over.
Certain promises, for example, and certain materials...
"So what do we do now? Are we going to Ador or...?" Viscount Edwin asked curiously. This sudden and massive change of plans left him completely bewildered.
"We’re still going to Ador, of course. However, before we go, we can give them a little... assistance," Earl Uman said.
Originally, in Earl Uman’s grand design, his first move was supposed to be against the Military Merit Faction in Ador.
But he never expected that the renowned Viscount Robson would make such a major error, failing to properly manage his own subordinates.
Since Viscount Robson couldn’t manage them, he, Earl Uman, didn’t mind helping him out a little.
This suited Earl Uman’s intentions perfectly.
In the past, Earl Uman had schemed to have the Military Merit and Southern Factions form an alliance. That way, when it was time to make his move, he, Uman, could have the Military Merit Faction and the entire Auric Province for himself.
Now Earl Uman had changed his mind. The overall goal was largely unchanged, but a new opportunity had presented itself.
If he could ensure Ehrlich Province was too busy with internal matters to look outward, leaving Viscount Robson unable to even sort out his own internal squabbles, then any thought of external action or annexation would be out of the question.
Taking it a step further, if Earl Uman could truly win the support of those southern nobles from Ehrlich Province, then after swallowing Auric Province, there was no reason he couldn’t continue his expansion.
People’s ambitions change, and Earl Uman knew Marquis George very well. He was not a man who could sit still.
For years, the Northern Faction had said little, but they had always harbored a grudge over the Fengman Clan’s defection—Marquis George in particular.
At that point, if he could truly conquer the lands beyond the frontier, he could openly stand on equal footing with the Fengman Clan.
Then, the Fengman Clan would have Harold at its back and the Gauss Clan at its front—both key players in the Northern Faction.
Earl Uman didn’t believe Marquis George would simply stand by and watch the show.
"Go and make preparations. A good show is about to start," Earl Uman said.
Viscount Edwin frowned, watching as Earl Uman turned his back and resumed studying the map.
He wasn’t thinking that far ahead. Viscount Edwin was simply disgusted; the thought of having to help the southerners made his skin crawl.
This was all just a clever scheme orchestrated by Marquis George and Louis III. In the past, the conflict between the north and south of the Frank Kingdom hadn’t been nearly so severe.
But because of the war thirty years ago, the Northern Faction had suffered devastating losses and ended up owing many favors to the Southern Faction. If this trend had continued, the entire kingdom might have fallen under the Southern Faction’s sway.
As a master of the art of balancing power, Louis III naturally would not allow such a situation to fester. He orchestrated many tragedies back then. Typically, a Southern Faction noble would come to collect a debt, and the pitiful Northern Faction noble, unable to pay, could only sell off their family assets until they were left with nothing.
This led to a situation where the upper echelons of the Northern Faction maintained good relations with the Southern Faction, while the lower ranks harbored a deep and bitter hatred toward them.