pertwk Page 78
Page 78
"After all, many of them were emaciated but had bulging bellies—clearly they had eaten clay or sawdust. They wouldn't last much longer, and many had even started eating the corpses of their fallen comrades."
“I really didn’t expect the nobles of the Nikolai Duchy to be so crazy—even if they’re going to eat people, they should at least fatten them up first. What value do these refugees, who are so hungry they can’t even get a drop of oil out of them, have to them?”
Yang Hao was greatly puzzled by this—even if you're eating pork, you have to fatten the pig up before you eat it, right? On the other hand, even if the nobles of the Nikolai Duchy were all cannibals, you still have to give your people some pig feed, instead of just eating bones and dead skin in one bite, right?
What were they thinking? Did they become stupid from eating people?
“My boss, what does it have to do with the poor starving and emaciated and the nobles eating well and plump? Besides, my sisters who stayed there just sent me a message this morning—every noble in the Duchy of Nikolai has many children.” Faced with Yang Hao’s confusion, Theresa simply walked up to him, gracefully turned around, took a sip of wine, and calmly explained.
"...Damn it, don't tell me—" Yang Hao's expression changed. He had considered the possibility that the nobles of the Nikolai Duchy would resort to cannibalism, but he truly hadn't imagined...
"Their offspring are mentally challenged, yet they can eat enough food for several people. They consume four or five tons a day, and recently, several noble offspring under observation have started eating exotic spices and fruits—well, I've seen similar things in the countryside of Kazimierz. The animals that are about to be slaughtered are also given fruits and spices in the days leading up to the slaughter, so that their meat will retain a lot of meaty aroma when it is officially cooked."
He truly hadn't considered that... the reason the nobles of the Nikolai Duchy had offspring was to devour them.
Even tigers don't eat their cubs... If it were a situation of natural disaster or man-made calamity, driven mad by hunger, and forced by dire straits to exchange children for food, that would be one thing. But here you are, plump and juicy, with your mouths drooling with oil, and the only feeling you get from the children you've raised for so many years is the lingering aroma of their flesh after they've been turned into delicacies?
For a moment, Yang Hao felt nauseous, and a sour smell filled his mouth. He felt like vomiting. As someone who wasn't exactly upright, he simply couldn't understand...
"Here."
"...Thanks."
Theresa handed him the wine, which Yang Hao took and downed in one gulp before realizing it was the same glass Theresa had just drunk from...
He stared silently at the wine glass in his hand, while the [Puppet Stage] interface continuously displayed Theresa's purpose—she did indeed have some peculiar feelings for him, seemingly because of those two instances of flattery...
...Never mind. Let's not think about it too much right now.
"Tell me how many nobles in the Duchy of Nikolai are innocent. That way, we won't accidentally harm innocent people during the purge."
"Boss, why don't you ask me how many of their people have a history of killing people? That would make it easier to calculate."
"...Never mind then. Just execute them all. By the way, how is the quality of the army of the Duke of Nikolai?"
"How should I put it? It's strange..."
Theresa began to recount some strange intelligence coming from the Duchy of Nikolai. According to her description, something odd seemed to have appeared within the Duchy of Nikolai's private army.
At first glance, it appears to be a seasoned vanguard draped in a red cloak, but a closer look through binoculars reveals that it is a skinned corpse.
“My sisters don’t really know what those things are, they just know that seeing them from a distance is enough to give them a serious mental shock… My personal understanding is that those humanoid units with their wrists and hands amputated and replaced with blades are probably inhumane puppets created by those nobles—well, they’re similar to the stone golems in Letania.”
How strong do you think their fighting ability is?
"It's troublesome. My sisters are professionally trained spies and knights. They felt like throwing up at first glance, let alone ordinary soldiers."
"Units that would cause a severe blow to morale?"
"And their actual combat strength should also be very strong."
"How do you compare them to ordinary Ursus soldiers?"
"I think ordinary Ursus soldiers would be crushed. Of course, the Gauls are a different story."
The foal brought very useful information: nobles who eat their own children, the unusual soldiers in the Duke of Nikolai, and possibly uninvited cannibalistic nobles...
Yang Hao nodded seriously, returned the wine glass to Theresa, and decided to play along.
[Event: Uninvited Cannibals]
For sensual supremacists who indulge in hedonistic revelry, the experience of suddenly appearing at their nemesis's house and then feasting on human flesh in their nemesis's restaurant would be an extremely interesting one.
The cannibalistic nobles of the Duchy of Nikolai may arrive uninvited in a few days, or they may know nothing about it. But one thing is certain: if they do come, you'll have a ready-made pretext for war—perhaps not enough to completely destroy Duke Nikolai, but cutting off two of his legs should be an easy pretext for war.
But please be very careful! They have successfully created some flesh puppets using their experience from cannibalism and some kind of mysterious Originium magic...
'Flesh golems? Could they stop the tracks of a moving city?'
Effect: Nobles from the Duchy of Nikolai may appear in your territory at any time.
friendly reminder:
Assassins targeting you have infiltrated the city. Please prepare yourself.
"...Theresa. I need your ponies to do something."
Looking at the situation, Yang Hao opened his mouth, then decided to take a gamble.
What event could provide a better pretext for war than the assassination of a duke? If security is adequate, there probably isn't one.
Chapter 168
On the morning of September 16rd.
On the second day of the aristocratic gathering, Yang Hao began his social activities at the palace.
Because Koschche is currently working in the audience chamber, only Monica, including Theresa, will be following him around serving him. He has to rely on himself to communicate with those powerful figures, which is both bad news and good news.
The bad news is that Yang Hao will have to deal with countless titles and names, and he might not be able to remember them, especially considering that Ursus names, especially those of nobles, are generally very long.
The good news is that Yang Hao can expand his social circle. If he is likeable and can truly win people over with virtue and earn their respect through his abilities, then he can gain considerable external support in the upcoming struggle against the Duchy of Nikolai. Perhaps this is what Kosiché was considering for him? After all, there are occasional situations where she has to leave the territory for several years, and in those times, it would be best if her husband had connections.
Moreover, considering that the nobles here at least respected Kosiché and were also very friendly to Yang Hao, Yang Hao couldn't help but feel grateful to his wife for taking care of him.
However, you can express your gratitude later in the evening. For now, focus on building your social network to gain support!
With this in mind, Yang Hao began to walk toward a social group composed of three young nobles.
...
Yang Hao quickly arrived at the three noblemen's side. After exchanging names, he was surprised to find that these three young noblemen—three counts—were actually cousins from three smaller families under the same large clan.
They all share the surname Abaddon. The eldest brother's name is Verus, the second brother's name is Kells, and the youngest brother's name is Jason.
Through a brief exchange, Yang Hao and the three young men hit it off immediately. He was surprised to discover that the three brothers had already implemented a similar "work relief" policy in their respective territories to revive the economy. Apart from their inability to appease the discontent of their minor nobles, and the fact that "work relief" simply couldn't find a use for labor and could only result in a vicious cycle of repairing and demolishing roads, there was nothing wrong with it!
"So when I heard that Lord Kosiché was hosting this gathering, I quickly brought my two brothers along. But Lord Yang Hao, may I ask if this is really a policy you orchestrated? How did you gain the people's trust in the tokens, and how did you put cheap labor in the right place—instead of having to build roads out of necessity like us, then tear them down to build canals, and finally tear down the canals to build roads?"
Count Verus paid Yang Hao his highest respect, but also raised a series of questions: after all, in their eyes, their methods were no different from Yang Hao's, so why were the results so different?
Even if the counts racked their brains, they would never have imagined that Yang Hao had the help of the [Puppet Stage]. Moreover, although their policies were almost identical, they overlooked some of the most important things.
"Mr. Verus, when you brothers implemented this policy and issued tokens, did you consult the opinions of the lower-ranking nobles?" Yang Hao looked at them thoughtfully, and after gesturing for Monica to bring drinks for the four of them, he asked the question.
“Yes, but the lower nobles amassed great wealth during the economic crisis, so…” Earl Kells, the second brother, shook his head, his face bitter: “They refuse to accept our tokens—and even tried to incite their peasants…”
"And a bunch of shameless bastards hired bandits to rob our supply convoys." Earl Jason, the third brother, was as black as ink; it was clear he truly despised those lower-ranking nobles. "But we have no evidence..."
"Ah, I think I know your problem."
Yang Hao suddenly realized: So, these are a group of soft-hearted counts.
Sigh, you're all so soft-hearted, how are you going to get your territories out of the economic crisis? They're just a bunch of minor nobles, aren't they? Just replace them when they die, and confiscate their money before you do!
"Please say."
“Let me start with Mr. Jason—you don’t have evidence to prosecute those minor nobles who hired bandits, right? Well, think about it from their perspective, they don’t have evidence to prosecute you for hiring mercenaries to raid their homes either.” Yang Hao kindly reminded the three bewildered brothers, while Monica, who had arrived behind them unnoticed, looked utterly helpless. “They’ve already harbored rebellious intentions towards you, so why should we wait until they rebel before trying them? We must deal with them before they cause any more damage!”
“But… without evidence, what about the Imperial Council…?” Verus nodded thoughtfully, but still voiced the concerns of his three brothers: “We have an obligation to protect our people…”
“Mr. Verus, let me put it this way—before you arrived, Duke Kosice had more than thirty minor nobles.”
"Huh?" The three of them were taken aback for a moment, and raised their eyebrows in unison.
"Now there are only three left."
"Huh?" The three of them were dumbfounded. It seemed that they had rushed over without even understanding the current state of the nobility in the Duchy of Koschche?
"The problem isn't how to deal with the Imperial Diet's investigation; the problem is how to legally deal with those corrupt bastards. In my wife's and my territory, there were also many bastards who were notorious for corruption, plundering the people's wealth, smuggling drugs, and even trafficking people. But they were all dead, and the people were very satisfied and happy. The Imperial Diet didn't bother us either—because we gave them reasonable evidence."
“Evidence…but sir, gathering evidence takes time…” Earl Jason was already somewhat excited, but reason kept him calm, and he asked one last question: “Without evidence, we still can’t take action.”
Faced with Earl Jason's question, Yang Hao simply smiled and said, "If there's no evidence, we can fabricate it."
"After all, it is an undeniable fact that the minor nobles under your name are embezzling, so it won't take you too long to create evidence of this existing event."
"I understand now..."
Seeing Earl Jason's thoughtful and eager expression, Yang Hao felt that he should have left a good impression on him.
With Count Jason's problem solved, the next big question became where to place the workforce for the "work relief" program.
"As for your question, Mr. Verus... if I understand correctly, you're worried about where to put the labor force, right? Infrastructure, definitely infrastructure. And it's not just roads that need to be built—you can take advantage of this economic crisis, when labor is so cheap and in need of relief, to have them build some essential buildings in the city."
“Residential area? Industrial area?” Mr. Verus frowned, then shook his head. “But the cities of the Earl’s territory are definitely not as good as those of the Duke’s territory. Our territory is too small, and it would be very difficult to expand the residential and industrial areas... Moreover, if we were to expand the city, it would take a long time, and the number of laborers would only be reduced by a portion, with a large portion still waiting to be fed.”
“Residential and industrial areas can not only be expanded, but also renovated.”
"Renovation?"
"For example, demolishing and rebuilding some poorly designed buildings, updating some useless buildings into useful ones, or even taking this opportunity to build some of your own private property."
"Then... Ah, I understand!"
As if struck by a sudden enlightenment, Mr. Verus, who had initially wanted to ask more questions, suddenly realized what he should do. He excitedly took out a notepad and pen from his pocket and began to record what Yang Hao had said and describe his initial plan. After he had written most of it, he sincerely asked Yang Hao for some advice.
Yang Hao took the note from him, offered some minor suggestions on noteworthy points, and also added some "good suggestions" that might make their territory look less impressive and make the Kosiché territory look better. In doing so, he gained the friendship of Earl Verus.
Now that we've gained the friendship of two noble counts, the remaining question from the second brother, Count Kells—the question of [token credibility]—is easily resolved.
Although Yang Hao solved this problem through the [Puppet Stage], he also knew that as long as the government set an example and forced those merchants to accept the purchasing power of the tokens, the people at the bottom would naturally accept the purchasing power of the tokens as well.
There might be some deaths during this period. But oh well, they're just a few low-ranking nobles and vested interests. Kill them, kill them, and we'll just replace them with a new batch in a few months.
...
Thus, the three Abaddon brothers were completely convinced of Yang Hao's abilities and expressed their admiration. Yang Hao, having gained the friendship of the three earls, also breathed a sigh of relief. After having Monica pour four glasses of wine, he clinked glasses with them and drank them down in one gulp, then said he had other matters to attend to and left first.
After Yang Hao left, the eldest son of the Abaddon brothers, while remarking, "No wonder he became the Duke's husband," began to study his notes. The second brother, meanwhile, was seriously considering the implementation plan for the tokens and starting to think about which troublemakers should be sent to hell.
As for the third brother, Jason?
He already had a detailed list in his mind. Once he went back and prepared all the evidence against the people on the list, he figured they would all die a violent death.
...
Back in the palace's lounge, Yang Hao muttered to Monica, "So tired, so tired," as he slumped onto the sofa. He felt incredibly proud of his social event, but also utterly exhausted.
"My lord, please rest well. Lord Kosiché will take over the negotiations with them in a little while."
“Oh dear, I can’t be absent. I need to improve my social skills, no matter what… But then again, Monica—do you think if Duke Nikolai sent an assassin to kill me in public, and they got caught red-handed, would the nobles and generals here support us in killing Duke Nikolai?”
“Please don’t say such things!” Monica rebuked him sternly. She realized that Yang Hao might be planning something terrible—perhaps having Duke Nikolai’s assassins kill him? “And please don’t do anything dangerous! Neither Lord Kosiché nor I want anything to happen to you.”
"I was just asking," Yang Hao said, pouting, feeling helpless that his little plan had been rejected by the head maid. "Monica, just tell me your thoughts~"
Faced with Yang Hao's words, Monica finally understood what Koschei meant by "I can't help it when my darling is being affectionate"... She sighed and could only answer her question truthfully.
"...If that were to happen, then regardless of whether you were harmed or not, the nobles attending the party would harbor the worst resentment towards Duke Nikolai. Everyone would support your and Lord Kosiché's sanctions against Duke Nikolai—and the guests from Victoria and Yan are still on their way. If they were here too...it would be the same."
"In other words, at the very least, the nobles and generals of the Ursus Empire present here will support us, right?"
"Yes."
"The nobles of Victoria and Yan might refrain from reporting any discoveries due to their own national stance. But could they also be subtly hinting at their support for us?"
"After all, in their eyes, you, who can solve the economic crisis, are undoubtedly more important than the Duke of Nikolai, who is just loafing around and waiting to die."
"I understand now..."
Simply put, if they were to be assassinated by the Duke of Nikolai in public, all the noble generals attending the gathering would support the Duchy of Kosiché in punishing the Duchy of Nikolai.
If there's any problem, it's probably the immense risk—this is Yang Hao's first time facing an assassination attempt since arriving in Ursus. If things aren't handled properly, he could be injured, crippled, or even lose his life...
...Should we take the gamble? Yang Hao thought that gambling with a more than 90% chance of getting injured was still worthwhile...
"grown ups?"
"No, nothing. Monica, what's wrong?"
"...If you are really thinking about something that will hurt you, then I will stop you no matter what."
"Haha, how could that be? You're being too sensitive~"
However, Monica and Koschke's protection of themselves... well.
He hoped to have a proper conversation with them—but if that only resulted in more excessive protection, Yang Hao would have no choice but to keep it a secret.
Chapter 169
...
On the same day, a Colombian infiltrator named Mr. A also completed his infiltration of the Duchy of Cosice.