Chapter 177: Extortion or Exposure

‘The Knight Val spoke the truth. Just our Bolerum Territory alone truly has no right to bargain with a whole kingdom. Like a strong man would not bargain with a child, for him, direct theft is the most effective method.’ After a long silence, George said, ‘Then, what benefits can our Bolerum Territory gain from this?’

Of course, since Knight Val played the biggest role, besides taking three parts of the reward Bolerum Territory owed him, His Grace the Duke would likely give him other prizes. If George had not made his plans and strategies before, and if Knight Val had succeeded on his own, he would have been able to take at least five parts. But without George’s analysis and planning beforehand, it was uncertain whether Knight Val would have thought of this point, let alone the rewards that followed.

Knight Val frowned and thought for a long time before saying, ‘This is hard to say! It depends on how big a threat it poses to the Kingdom of Lucia. Sometimes, the threat is not just the evidence itself, but also our side’s operations in the Duchy of Nohan! I wonder how much advantage the big shots in Karada can get when bargaining with the Kingdom of Lucia.’

From Knight Val’s words, it seemed he had little confidence in this. Facing the Kingdom of Lucia, a huge machine like a steamroller, the Duchy of Nohan had the ability to fight, but the most likely outcome was mutual destruction. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Coruz was like a giant with muddy legs; corrupted by luxury and extravagance, he was not a good ally.

From any angle, the cards the Duchy of Nohan held now could not be considered a good hand. Of course, what George and Knight Val did might have added a King of Hearts to this hand. But just that was far from enough to bridge the gap between the two sides.

‘It seems that even the benefits in this area are not easy to get! Although, given my father’s status, the Duchy is unlikely to withhold our rewards. But if the Duchy itself cannot gain much from the Kingdom of Lucia, then even less will be left for Bolerum Territory. This forces us to make plans!’ Thinking this, George immediately gave up his idea of being a lazy boss and started thinking about what to do next.

After fiddling with his fingers for a while, Knight Val finally heard George’s new suggestion: ‘If we target not the whole Kingdom of Lucia, but the Lucia royal family and those nobles close to them, wouldn’t the chance of success be higher? I do not believe the Kingdom of Lucia is a solid block of iron.’

‘Threatening only part of them might increase the chance of success. But if we target the Lucia royal family, the evidence we have is clearly not enough!’ Knight Val’s frowning brow furrowed again. It seemed he was still unsure.

George said very seriously, ‘If we rely only on worldly power , it is indeed insufficient. But the Barbarians of the grasslands are also enemies of the gods. Whether it is a Good God or an Evil God, they all despise a non-god existence that competes with them for faith. This is a great help we can use this time.’

Hearing this, Knight Val’s face changed, as if he was having a fierce internal struggle. After a long while, he said in a warning tone, ‘Are you trying to cooperate with the Church on this issue? Although there are no restrictions, open or secret, on this, this practice of letting divine power interfere in political power might make the Duchy of Nohan, especially Bolerum Territory, hostile to us in diplomacy! I think we should not ruin Bolerum Territory’s reputation for temporary gain.’

‘Is the struggle between royal power and divine power involved again? The things to consider here are really too troublesome…’ George thought while scratching his head.

Seeing George seemed to fall into thought again, Knight Val stood up to pour himself a cup of water. As a fortress, the food, clothing, housing, and transportation in Brandenburg were certainly not as good as in the Territory. Drinks like milk or juice, which could not be stored for long and were troublesome to make, were basically not seen here. Knight Val looked at the clear water in the tin cup and stared blankly, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck George. After thinking carefully about the pros and cons, he came to a conclusion: ‘If we use it only as a deterrent, such an impact should not happen! King Pastfield III of the Kingdom of Lucia would never gamble his crown on a single bet. The Lucia royal family has always given the impression of having many descendants, so there must be many people eyeing that crown. Once this evidence is combined with cooperation from the Church, as long as the operations are handled properly, it is enough to knock him off the throne. A king like him, who thinks he has great talent and lofty ambitions, cannot bear to lose his power. There are still many places to bargain about!’

‘What if Pastfield III refuses to compromise even at the cost of losing his throne?’ Knight Val still held some doubts. Perhaps in his view, the risks in this matter were still too great.

For Knight Val’s reaction, George made a relaxed face: ‘Even if we do not reach our original goal, it is actually not a big deal. Because this will directly stir up the political arena of the Kingdom of Lucia. After this battle, no matter whether King Pastfield III of the Kingdom of Lucia abdicates or not, the political situation inside Lucia will definitely be unstable. By the time they calm down the internal unrest and clean up the mess, it will take at least ten years, not counting the loss of national strength Lucia suffered during internal friction. For us, this is at least ten extra years of development time! Even if there is a slight hindrance to our reputation, in any calculation, we are not losing out.’

‘Uh! Let me think about this properly.’ This time, it was Knight Val’s turn to fall into thought.

The cold wind still blew, but the heavy tapestry at the door successfully blocked it outside. The wind through the cracks could not even shake such a heavy object. Even the harsh sound was isolated in that narrow space.

‘Forget it, since it is like this, I will go and propose that the big shots in Karada take a gamble! It seems that whether we win or lose, the Duchy of Nohan does not lose.’ As he spoke, Knight Val suddenly laughed and changed the subject, ‘I say, George! Are you planning to get involved in this trip to Karada?’

‘I know my own level well.’ George said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. ‘I know nothing about the tricks of diplomacy! If I just point out a feasible direction like this, I can handle it. But if I really get involved and take responsibility for execution, would that not just cause trouble for others?’

Knight Val did not seem to think so. Instead, he tried to persuade George: ‘Did you not do very well in the position of Acting Lord before? I think there should be no big problem in this area! You know, getting involved in this matter will also earn extra merit. When the final results come out and rewards are distributed, our Bolerum Territory can also strive for more benefits.’

‘I almost forgot that in this world, diplomacy and internal affairs have not truly separated! Knight Val naturally thinks I handle internal affairs well, so I should also be good at diplomacy. But I really have no confidence! I need to think of what to do quickly!’ Knowing he almost dug a pit and buried himself, George immediately argued: ‘Diplomacy between countries is quite different from the internal affairs of an ordinary Territory. Moreover, I do not even know the relevant knowledge or etiquette, so I will not trouble them. Besides, eating all the meat alone is very easy to make people jealous.’

‘If you say it like that, there is some truth to it. Those kinds of knowledge are not easy to make up in a short time. Moreover, bearing such a heavy burden on the first time is not good for you. So let’s skip this time, and later find a lighter diplomatic task for you to get involved in! For this kind of matter, it is indeed more stable to proceed step by step from shallow to deep.’ It could be seen from Knight Val’s words that he was considering George.

‘Knight Val’s words seem to have an arrangement inside! Speaking of which, he must have discussed this with my father? Otherwise, he alone could not make such a decision. That means Knight Val has a way to contact Karada quickly even in Brandenburg? But he seems to have no reaction to the issue of eating all the meat alone! A Legend is indeed a Legend! Even eating all the meat alone seems perfectly natural.’ George could not help but complain in his heart.

After the two reached a unified opinion, Knight Val hurriedly left the room. It seemed he was going to contact the Karada side.

‘I hope the reward this time will be generous! These two are truly big fish! And the permanent loss of 22 people is really painful!’ George, alone, began to mutter to himself.

The so-called permanent loss was not a death list, but for the army, the difference was not big. Even the living ones often could not return to the battlefield due to severe physical or psychological trauma.

Some of them would also have various inconveniences in daily production and life in the future. Originally, even after retirement, these people were the main labor force of the Territory! This made the already scarce labor force of Bolerum Territory suffer a loss, making George feel heartbroken.