Chapter 325 - 81: Ehrlichland Noble Council
Chapter 325: Chapter 81: Ehrlichland Noble Council
After hearing what Robson had to say, Viscount Keanan flew into a rage. He stormed straight out of the army’s formation, no longer bothering to hide his displeasure.
Seeing Viscount Keanan depart, the other nobles of Auric Province exchanged glances and also began to leave.
The situation was infuriating—they had been used as pawns by others, completely in the dark.
Earl Uman and Viscount Edwin would probably become political pariahs within the Northern Faction after this.
Robson wasn’t surprised. ’This group has to be won over one step at a time,’ he thought. ’Trying to swallow them all at once could make you choke to death.’
But with Viscount Keanan gone, it was Baron Clewis who was left dumbfounded.
’What’s happening? Why did you all just leave? What about the grand noble coalition we agreed on? Weren’t we supposed to confront Robson and force him to lower his terms?’
Viscount Keanan’s departure instantly changed the atmosphere.
Of the hundred or so nobles who had arrived, four-fifths were now gone. Only twenty or thirty nobles from southern Ehrlichland remained, and they were now outnumbered by Robson’s own party.
In an instant, the tables had turned. The hundred-plus nobles had stormed in aggressively, but now, the remaining few dozen stood amidst the army, suddenly as meek as lambs.
"Ah... so that’s how it is, Sir. I won’t disturb you any further. I’ll take my leave now." Seeing his chance, Baron Clewis tried to make a graceful exit, but Robson stopped him short.
"Hold it. All of you. The matter with the Northern Faction is concluded. Now, let’s talk about your situation, shall we?"
"I had intended for all of you to rest and conserve your strength, to follow me as we charge into the fray and contribute to the kingdom. I planned to leave the dirty, thankless jobs to outsiders. But I never imagined some people would just up and leave without a single word."
"I wonder, who was it that led you gentlemen astray?"
"To disobey a commander’s orders right before a major battle... What is the meaning of this?" Robson demanded angrily.
The meaning behind Robson’s words was perfectly clear.
We in Ehrlich Province are all part of the Southern Faction; we’re all one big family. Lord Robson had been prepared to lead the nobles of Ehrlichland to prosperity.
But then, for some unknown reason, the Ehrlichland Nobles had unexpectedly run off on their own.
His subsequent question about who had led them astray was also an obvious signal: only the ringleader would be punished, while the followers would be pardoned.
After Robson spoke, the Ehrlichland Nobles broke into murmurs, their gazes eventually settling on Baron Clewis, who stood at the front.
"My friend," Robson said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Baron Clewis, "do you have something you’d like to say?"
By now, cold sweat was streaming down Baron Clewis’s face.
"Sir, you can’t blame me, Sir! I was misled! It was him, this man right here—Earl Uman!"
"Sir! I’m from the Rein Clan, and my aunt is from the Guterres Family! I’m a southerner!" Baron Clewis was already rambling incoherently.
"Whoa there, my good sir," Earl Uman interjected, his tone sharp. "You need evidence to back up such claims! You were the one who approached me in the first place!"
"I took you in because I thought you were Sir Robson’s reinforcements. How was I supposed to know you had mobilized your troops without authorization?" Earl Uman’s words were incisive and his reasoning firm.
"I... I!" Baron Clewis was at a loss for words. Thinking back, he realized he really *had* been the one to initiate contact!
At this, even the surrounding Ehrlichland Nobles began to subtly distance themselves from him.
"I will report this matter truthfully to Marquis Oscillate and His Majesty the King."
"Guards, please escort this gentleman away."
"No! Sir! I’ve been framed! There are others! I’m not the only one who left on their own accord!" The mention of Marquis Oscillate triggered a panic response in Baron Clewis, and he immediately tried to rat out his accomplices to save his own skin.
"Bullshit! Sir, he’s the one who lured us into this! He’s always slandering you, too. You can’t let him get away with this!"
"Knight Vina is right..."
"Enough! This man’s fate will be decided by the Marquis and His Majesty the King. I am merely reporting the facts. However, while you may have been misled, your actions have still brought significant losses to the kingdom."
"This mess won’t be easy to clean up, will it?" Robson said, looking coldly at the assembled Ehrlichland Nobles. Nearby, Earl Uman and Count Sriphine also regarded them with scrutinizing gazes.
Just as the situation reached a stalemate, Earl Uman suddenly stepped forward.
"Sir, in my opinion, we are all nobles of Ehrlichland. We must support one another in the future."
"Rather than weakening ourselves through punishment, it would be better to find the root of the problem and solve it. That is what’s truly important," Earl Uman said.
"Earl Uman is absolutely right," Bo Yang added, also stepping forward. "Sir, the problem itself is secondary. What’s important is how we solve it."
When the nobles first heard Earl Uman speak on their behalf, they were shocked and uncertain, afraid to voice their agreement for fear of being misunderstood.
But when Bo Yang, one of Robson’s most loyal subordinates, also stepped forward, the southern Ehrlichland Nobles began to voice their agreement as well.
Earl Uman’s words, of course, were not spoken on a whim.
Now that Earl Uman had joined Robson’s camp, he had effectively joined the Southern Faction. However, the rift between the Southern and Northern Factions remained.
This incident was the perfect opportunity for Earl Uman to take the initiative and fully integrate into the Southern Faction’s family. In the future, after a few intermarriages, no one would even remember that he had once belonged to the Northern Faction.
As for Baron Boyang, he was one of Robson’s trusted confidants. To a certain extent, he could be seen as representing Robson himself, or at least the views of his inner circle.