Chapter 68: Predicament

Soren

Ever since the crushing defeat at the Battle of the Grand Highlands, the Soren Territory had become noticeably more subdued.

They had no choice but to behave!

All of Soren's commoner soldiers had been captured by the Idar forces and sent to build fortresses under the command of the Earl of Idar. Only the cavalry and the eldest son of the Earl of Soren, Herman Buckley, had been ransomed back at a high price.

However, the Earl of Soren had expected that the cavalry he paid so much to recover could once again take on the responsibility of defending the territory. Yet, what he got in return was nothing more than fifty or so completely naked cavalrymen.

As for their armor, swords, bows, and even their horses, all of them had been confiscated by the Idar forces.

Without horses, could they still be called cavalry?And thinking about all those costly suits of armor and weapons…

The Earl of Soren felt his heart ache those were worth over a thousand gold coins! Just gone, wasted like that…

"Useless! You're all useless! You led so many troops and still let the Idar forces annihilate you! When you saw the battle turning against you, did it never occur to you to retreat? This is utterly senseless!"

Herman Buckley, standing nearby, could only lower his head and endure his father's wrath.

"Father, I thought that if I could eliminate their cavalry, perhaps I could turn the tide of battle. I never expected things to turn out like this..." Herman Buckley said cautiously.

The utter defeat had shattered his so-called noble dignity. Being outmaneuvered at both the tactical and strategic levels was an experience he never wanted to endure again.

"Fool!" The old earl panted heavily, his eyes glaring with rage.

"And those damned spies! The rumor that Idar was pouring all its resources into building a garden what utter nonsense! It had to be false!"

"If Idar did that, then where did their soldiers' wages come from? And they have longer-range bows and better equipment. I don't know how, but Idar's cavalry is simply unstoppable..." Herman Buckley recounted the battle to his father in detail.

"Brother, are you doubting the spies under my command?" Behind the Earl of Soren, his second son, Toru Buckley, questioned with an unfriendly tone.

"That's right! I am doubting your spies!" Herman Buckley retorted without hesitation.

"Hmph! We all know the true strength of Idar. Stop making excuses for yourself, Brother!" Toru Buckley sneered.

"Enough! Shut up, both of you! Cough, cough..." The old earl slammed his withered right hand onto the table.

It hurt, but he kept his face stern, his expression dark as he looked at his quarreling sons.

"The battle at the Grand Highlands was a disaster... But what's done is done. Now the Idar forces are building a fortress on the southern bank of the Soren River! That damned Earl of Idar is sticking a fortress right at Soren's throat!"

At these words, everyone present was filled with righteous anger.

Soren was not far from the Soren River on horseback, it was only an hour or two away.

Now, a fortress controlled by Idar's soldiers was rising on the river's southern bank. How could they ignore such a blatant provocation?But… Soren had no means to stop it.

"A fortress of that scale… it must have cost at least three or four thousand gold coins to build. Our neighbor has been hiding his wealth well..." the Earl of Soren muttered.

"And even worse… those northern earls, even the small viscounts, are trying to take advantage of the situation, hoping to carve a piece out of Soren! They have no noble dignity at all!"

"Father! We must not sit idly by! Let me lead men to drive those northern bandits away!" Herman Buckley said, clenching his fists.

"You? Brother, no offense, but if you go, you might just lose the hundred new recruits we barely gathered..."

"You—" Herman Buckley was momentarily speechless, unable to refute his brother's words.

"A hundred newly formed peasant soldiers are hardly enough to stop them… We should send envoys to negotiate first," the old earl said, unwilling to take the risk.

"My lord! My lord, bad news!"

At that moment, the steward of the Soren household rushed in, panic written all over his face.

"What now?" the old earl asked impatiently.

Ever since he had set his sights on the Grand Highlands, bad news had come one after another, giving him endless headaches.

"Some commoners are packing up and planning to leave the Soren Territory..."

"That's all?" The Earl of Soren scoffed. "If they want to leave, let them. It would be better if they all left serfs are much easier to manage than free men anyway..."

"But... but my lord, it's spring plowing season! If the commoners leave, who will farm the land?"

"Nonsense! Can't the serfs handle the farming?" Toru Buckley interjected.

"My lord, most of Soren's income comes from those free commoners..." The steward looked miserable.

There was a long pause before the Earl of Soren finally processed the situation. "Wait… you said all of them?"

"More than half of the commoners are packing up. It looks like they're all leaving..."

"Where are they going?"

In this era, large-scale migration of commoners was extremely rare.

"They say Earl Bruno of Idar is offering generous conditions. He... he said that—" The steward stammered, hesitating to continue.

"Speak up!" the Earl of Soren barked.

"He's promising land to any commoners who migrate to Idar. He says the land south of the Soren River is mostly idle and fertile, and those who settle there can gain usage rights. He also claims that Soren is on the verge of collapse and will soon be at war again. Plus, after you conscripted over a hundred men from the commoners earlier… they're afraid that."

"This is outrageous! The land south of the Soren River belongs to Soren!"

As he finished speaking, the Earl of Soren was so enraged that he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Father!" Herman Buckley shouted in alarm.

"Call the doctor! Quickly! Get the doctor! I'll bleed him first to relieve the pressure—hurry!"