"This can never go on like this!"
Amidst the arguments and discussions among the people, Great Earl Held slapped the table and stood up, looked at everyone present, and spoke angrily. "I think it is necessary to take some measures to stop these wizards from doing whatever they want in the kingdom!"
However, Herder's impassioned words failed to attract applause from everyone, and instead received a burst of ridicule.
"Measures? What are you going to do? Count Herder?" Viscount Skok sneered mercilessly. "Call your guards and knights to go to the City of Fire and Oil to seek justice?"
Now those wizards are at the peak of their power, defeating the Holy See's punitive forces one after another, all the way to the empire!
Even if they no longer want to believe it, they still have to face the fact that the power of these nobles alone is not enough to shake the rule of the wizards, and they cannot even defeat the guards of the kingdom!
The fate of Archduke Rickman was the best proof.
Three thousand musketeers, working with something called an aerial airship, beat tens of thousands of the kingdom's elite troops to flight. In Sk's view, it was definitely not a wise move to confront the wizards head-on!
In Sk's sarcastic tone, Held's face turned red and he refuted angrily. "Should we just sit back and watch these evil minions advance further and turn the entire kingdom into their private property?"
"Don't forget the reasons those wizards used to punish the eastern nobles..."
Hearing this, the expressions of everyone present changed slightly.
It is true that the lords in the eastern part of the kingdom made a big mistake by choosing to side with the empire and the church when the situation was unclear, but no matter what, they should not be tried and convicted in private by wizards!
Moreover, many of the evidence given by the other party can only be described as shocking!
When did beating to death a few erring serfs count as a crime?
There are also so-called exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, which are also a complete joke!
According to the laws of the empire, all subjects are the private property of the lord. How much food these people pay and how they should be punished are decided by the local lord. Unless it involves issues of faith, not even the king or the local church can interfere. !
Based on the other party's judgment standard, wouldn't he also have to be judged?
Thinking of this, the nobles in the secret room felt a chill in their hearts.
Held turned to look at Viscount Sk, and revealed the other person's scars without hesitation. "Don't think I don't know, Sk, your chief knight has betrayed his oath a few days ago and fallen into the arms of those wizards, right?"
The latter's expression immediately became extremely ugly.
A week ago, his chief knight suddenly disappeared. After sending people to search for several days, Skok finally discovered that this guy had secretly gone to the workshop in the royal capital to burn glass for the wizards!
This almost pissed him off!
A knight with a title actually does menial jobs that only poor people can do. This is simply an insult to his noble status!
Finally, after asking for the reason, I found out that the salary offered by the workshop was twice what I paid, and it also included three meals a day and a separate house...
The angry Sk immediately wanted to have his chief knight brought back to avoid being embarrassed here, and was ready to severely punish the other party for tarnishing his noble status.
However, the wizard who managed the workshop was very arrogant and rejected his reasonable request, because his chief knight was extremely talented. Although he had only been here for a week, he was the best glass-burning person in the entire workshop. Now he has become There are managers who are responsible for mentoring new employees.
Recalling the other party's arrogant and contemptuous gaze, endless anger and humiliation suddenly surged into Sk's heart.
A mere wizard, who used to be able to hide in the corner of the city like a rat, relying on the nobles to survive, has now climbed onto their heads and lorded it over them...
Held refused to give up. After uncovering Sk's scar, Held looked at the other nobles present and stabbed the pain points of each of them.
Although the power of the wizards has not yet expanded to their territory, the resulting influence has effectively threatened everyone's interests.
Not to mention anything else, the frequency of troubles caused by mining slaves and poor people has increased several times, and some territories have even seen large numbers of residents fleeing.
Because of this, they will gather together today to discuss the future of the nobles and the kingdom!
"I have a plan, it may work!" Just as the crowd was excited, Marquis Mortain suddenly said, attracting everyone's attention, and then said with confidence.
"We may not be the opponents of those wizards in a head-on battle, but don't forget, we still have something in our hands that can affect the survival of the entire kingdom."
The nobles in the secret room were stunned for a moment, and even Earl Held was very surprised.
Fortunately, the Marquis of Mortain did not mean to show off, and spoke frankly.
"food!"
"You mean..." Earl Herder's eyes suddenly lit up, and he had vaguely understood what the Lord Marquis meant.
"Now that the eastern part of the kingdom has just suffered from war, it is not easy to restore production. I wonder if you have noticed that those wizards are buying wheat in large quantities!" Marquis Mortan said with a sneer.
In order to please the lower class citizens and dismantle the foundation of the church, the Wizards Council used the looted wealth to hire the poor at high prices, and then used the novel alchemical creations they produced in exchange for high profits to maintain the status quo.
I have to say that wizards are very willing to spread their wealth, and this move is indeed very good!
In just one year, the people of the royal capital went from being genuinely afraid of the workshops that were smoking, to now flocking to them, and even taking pride in the work of wizards!
But there is a problem. As the savings in the hands of the residents increase, they are no longer willing to go hungry. The black bread noodles that used to be sold out are now not even eaten by the dogs on the roadside...
You must know that this stuff was once the staple food of the poor.
In order to reduce costs, businessmen usually add some sawdust and grass into it, which is not easy to chew but can fill the stomach...
But now, even the humblest miner in the royal capital will buy a piece of delicious white bread without hesitation.
This also increased food consumption several times. The eastern territory of the kingdom that had just been conquered had a population of millions. It was not easy to feed so many people.
The coming and going of food teams is enough to prove that the food in the hands of the Parliament is no longer enough.
At this time, as long as they buy wheat on a large scale, they can shake the grain trade of the entire kingdom, further reduce the already insufficient grain on the market, and push up the price.
Poor people with extra money will also start looting out of fear, causing a chain reaction!
"The kingdom under the rule of the wizard is like a castle that is solid on the outside but crumbling on the inside. As long as we kick it hard, it will collapse!" Marquis Mortain said decisively.
The nobles present looked horrified.
This trick can only be described as ruthless!
"But the Empire..." Sk hesitated. If the wizards could exchange food from the Empire through trade, then everything they did would be meaningless.
"Don't worry, there will never be a grain of food flowing in that direction!" Marquis Mortan assured.
The nobles present were not fools, and they immediately realized that the Marquis of Mortain had gathered them here today because he must be following the instructions of the church.
But this actually made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. After all, what they are best at is playing both sides and grabbing benefits. The current situation is that the wizard family is dominant and has also attracted a large number of poor people. With their own strength, they have no room for resistance. No.
"Marquis Mortain, your plan is indeed good, but what if those wizards attack us directly?" Viscount Sk asked hesitantly.
Wizards who possess powerful magic don't care about the laws of the kingdom. If these people are annoyed, it is not impossible to kill them all directly.
"Do you think those wizards will forgive us if we just wait and do nothing?" Mortan said with a sneer. "Don't be stupid. They are just under pressure from the Empire and the Holy See and they are temporarily unable to deal with us."
"And we don't need to do it ourselves!" Mortan has already made a plan. The caravans under their command will be able to purchase grain and raise grain prices. What they have to do is to use their financial resources and influence behind the scenes. Enough to add fuel to the flames!
What's more, the main force of the wizards is now in the empire, and they are always facing fierce battles with the Holy See's crusade. If they completely fall out with nobles like them, the entire kingdom is in danger of overturning!
After Mortan's explanation, Held and others put aside their doubts.
In this way, he would not have to confront those brutal wizards.
In the future, whether they use food as a price to force the wizards to make concessions, or completely disrupt the kingdom, it will be up to them to make the decision to return to the past grand scene of the joint rule of the nobles and the church!
Under the threat of their own interests and the temptation to regain control of the kingdom, the nobles in the secret room made up their minds and prepared to unite to let those wizards who do not understand economics experience the power and wisdom of the nobles!
…
Late at night, the nobles who came to the meeting left the Marquis of Mortain's castle through a secret passage. They changed their sad faces when they came. They were all high-spirited, showing excitement and excitement, as if they had seen the dawn of victory!
Jeff, who was among them, maintained a smile on the surface, but was deeply worried inside.
As a small baron, although Jeff had a fiefdom of his own, due to his quick mind and ability to adapt, he was not greatly affected by the wizard's rule, but actually benefited a lot.
For example, three months ago, he rented out the management rights of the mines and fields in the territory with 20,000 territorial citizens. He can receive nearly a thousand imperial gold coins in compensation every year, which is far more than what he made in the past by working hard to manage the territory. Much more!
Jeff doesn't have any lofty ambitions. His life ideal is to just collect rent, play with those novel and interesting witchcraft creations, find more beautiful maids, and contribute to the growth of his family!
The most important thing is that he is not optimistic about the so-called extermination plan of the Marquis of Mortain. Jeff knows very well that the reason why the wizards drive a large number of poor people into the workshop is not to waste the land, but to cultivate the land without so many manpower. !
He had returned to his territory before and saw something called a cultivator.
This kind of alchemical creation is very terrifying. Controlled by one or two people, it can easily cultivate hundreds of acres of land!
Therefore, the Wizards Council is not as short of food as Mortan and others expected...
However, Jeff knew very well that he was speaking lightly, and reporting the conspiracy of the kingdom's nobles might not receive much attention in the absence of evidence.
Jeff thought for a moment and soon thought of his lord!
As His Majesty's most capable right-hand man and one of the heroes who supported King Hatar to ascend the throne, the Grand Duke of Gard is privately called the wizard's lackey by many nobles!
This is the highest-level person he can currently come into contact with.
After thinking about it, Jeff no longer hesitated. After leaving the Marquis's castle, he went to the Grand Duke of Gard's residence in the royal capital overnight.
After notifying the guards, he was received quickly.
Slowly entering the spacious inner room, Jeff waited for a while. Duke Gard in robes quickly walked in with several guards.
"Please forgive me for disturbing your sleep, Your Majesty the Duke." Jeff bowed very respectfully.
"Tell me, Sir, do you have anything important to report when you come to me so late?" Duke Gard asked impatiently without any intention of being polite.
"Reporting to your lord, it's about the Marquis of Mortan..." Jeff reported truthfully, telling the truth about how Mortan secretly summoned more than 40 nobles of the kingdom tonight to plan a large-scale purchase of grain and artificially create a famine. Again.
After listening to Jeff's narration, Duke Gard pondered for a while. "You did a good job, Sir. I will report this matter to His Majesty Hattar truthfully."
Jeff didn't dare to take the first credit, but before he could shirk it, Duke Gard asked again.
"How many people have you told about this?"
"Only you, my lord!" Jeff quickly replied.
"Very good, very good!" Gad nodded with satisfaction, then asked the attendant to bring a bag of gold as a reward for delivering the message, and encouraged him. "If this matter is confirmed to be true, you will definitely get the reward you deserve!"
Jeff happily took it. The bag was heavy and contained at least two hundred imperial gold coins.
"You can go back and rest!" Gad waved his hand and said.
Jeff turned around and put away the money bag filled with gold. For some reason, he felt a vague uneasiness in his heart. It wasn't until he was about to step out of the inner room that he suddenly remembered that after listening to his own narrative, the Grand Duke's behavior was unavoidable. He was a little too calm, and there was no trace of surprise on his face from beginning to end.
It’s like I already knew the news...
Jeff's inner uneasiness became more and more intense. The moment he stepped out of the threshold, this strong uneasiness turned into an even stronger sense of crisis.
Almost subconsciously, Jeff's right hand touched the hilt of the sword at his waist, but faster than him were the crossbows in the hands of the guards!
The sharp arrows and the sound of the crossbow triggering arrived almost at the same time. They penetrated Jeff's chest, arms and thighs in an instant, and then a long knife pierced through the air. Blood spurted out, and Jeff's round head was engulfed. After cutting it down, the widened eyes were full of confusion...
Gad threw away the blood-stained sword in his hand, looked at the guards around him indifferently, and said.
"Clean up the body and tell Mortan to be more careful next time and don't let people like this sneak in again."
(End of chapter)
