industrial lord

Chapter 723 Join Us

The departure of the Rhine Alliance army was completely undisclosed; the tavern waitresses knew everything the very night the order was given.

The news quickly reached Guangang.

Lord Larken, the lord of Storkport, summoned his two most trusted men: the old knight Lauding and the municipal official Legg.

Laken sat on the sofa and said in a deep voice, "I have received reliable information that the Rhine Alliance's army will pass through our Storkport and use it as an important stronghold."

The news had been circulating in the city for two or three days. Residents who could run had already fled to distant mountain villages, while those with connections simply went to Hanma City.

Those who were unwilling to flee had already packed their valuables into jars and buried them, boarded up all the windows, and braced the doors with sturdy wooden sticks, storing as much food as possible.

The once bustling port is now desolate, with only two or three people hurrying by on the street even during the day.

Lauding stood up and said firmly, "Please rest assured, sir, I will definitely protect the castle!"

He dared not say that the entire port city, given the castle's terrain, defensive strength, and food reserves, should theoretically be able to hold out until the enemy ran out of food.

Larken said expressionlessly, "I have definite information that the ones attacking us are the Weisen Army."

Lauding turned pale instantly, opened his mouth, and tried several times but could not utter a word.

Back then, at the foot of Hamma, he followed the old baron and watched as the army of the Kingdom of Danma failed to capture the fortress defended by the Mainz and Bain armies. The corpses piled up like a wall. The Duke of Wessen personally led the Wessen cavalry with the momentum of 800 defeating 100,000, breaking through several battles and beheading the king. In the end, he was captured in the defeated army, and the armor that was stolen was bought with a loan.

Larken said solemnly, "Although we have lost contact with Her Majesty the Queen, we are all nobles of the Kingdom of Danma and have a duty to defend our land."

"Sir Lauding, the task of leading the troops is entrusted to you."

"Me, go fight the Weisen army?" Lauding blinked. If he had that ability, he would have been a high-ranking nobleman long ago.

Larken asked him, "How many casualties do you estimate we would suffer if war broke out?"

Lauding thought for a moment, then stretched out a palm and said, "Casualties will definitely be few, probably less than five."

Larken looked at him in surprise. A defensive master is a master indeed. He never expected that there would be such a hidden master in his own territory!
Lauding continued, "Because the soldiers will soon all run away."

Larken's lips twitched.

He said, "Let's discuss how to end this gracefully."

Lauding bit his lip and asked, "You want to surrender?"

He heard that the Duchy of Wessen treated surrendered enemies as...

It's alright; private property can be retained, but the title is gone.

If Larken surrenders, he will certainly lose his title, and Laudin will naturally lose his job as well.

We have no choice but to surrender; we definitely can't win.

Lauding sighed as he recalled how Grand Duke Wessen had led his cavalry to charge the enemy lines with ease, as if cutting cheese with a steel knife.

Larken shook his head and said, "It's not surrender."

Lauding was taken aback. Was he really going to have to fight Weisen's army himself?
He racked his brains, but he couldn't recall ever offending the master.
Larken said with certainty, "We're in!"

Lauding blinked, confused.

He looked at Legg and found that Legg was very calm, as if he knew something that he himself did not.

Larken said, "I have definite intelligence that the Grand Duke of Wessen's plenipotentiary is still negotiating with the nobles of the forest and sea region in Hamma City."

"The negotiations are about how these nobles will join the Duchy of Weisen. There are two options. Currently, many nobles have signed memorandums and become quasi-territories of the Duchy of Weisen. It is expected that they will all swear allegiance to the Grand Duke of Weisen next year." "If I set off now, I can reach Hanma City in half a day. After signing the memorandums and agreements, I can rent a carriage to come back. It will probably take two days."

Laudin remained silent after hearing this. Decades of knightly education had instilled in him the concept of loyalty. Although he was only loyal to the Larken family, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable seeing Larken decisively abandon the Queen.

Larken told him, "I've inquired about it. Although the nobles of the Duchy of Weisen have much less political power, they can do business with the Duchy of Weisen and even allow their descendants to ascend to the power stage of the duchy."

"The negotiation between the two sides has yielded some results. The Duchy of Wesen has ceded some power in the parliament, and the family has hereditary seats in the parliament."

"Instead of leaving only this dilapidated castle after the defeat, we might as well rely on the Laken family's business in Stork Harbor, start with commerce, and gradually move into politics."

“Your son has just come of age, hasn’t he? I’m going to give him the Flora family name and let them become a sacred couple, with a wedding ceremony for my second son and Leg’s daughter.”

If you can't beat them, join them, but there are some things to consider when joining.

Larken chose the method that maximized his own interests, not only joining the alliance himself but also legitimizing his illegitimate daughter, thus winning over Lauding as an ally through marriage.

Although Laudin's abilities are not impressive in the Principality of Wessen, he has served the Laken family for decades and enjoys considerable prestige locally and in the surrounding areas, making him a valuable asset to the Laken family.

The same principle applies to Legg.

Larken decided to leverage his strengths, gather allies, and deepen his local presence to lay a solid foundation for the next generation.

Lauding remained silent for a long time, and finally nodded for his son's sake.

Larken breathed a sigh of relief. Laudin was the biggest variable in his plan, and now that he had persuaded him, the rest of the work would be much easier.

“Wesson’s army will be here soon,” Laken said. “I will be leaving for Hamma in an hour. You should be prepared.”

"Lauding, tell the soldiers not to escape and to maintain order in the city."

“Leigh, take a look at that book written by Grand Duke Wessen that teaches people how to be mayors. We need to hold a grand welcoming ceremony to let the Wessen army feel our sincerity.”

"You can go to the Dawn Merchant Guild. They should be familiar with the practices of the Duchy of Wessen. Ask them for advice."

The three discussed some details, such as finding the escaped people, cleaning the streets, arranging campsites, and so on, and set the general direction.

Larken, accompanied by his steward and several guards, boarded a riverboat and set off at full power for Hanma City.

Today, the port of Hamma City is crowded with ships, and there is no empty dock. Larken wiped the sweat from his forehead and told the captain to moor the ship at a shipyard dock.

The shipyard was very unhappy with the uninvited guest, until a few gold coins flew over, at which point they immediately sent out a factory van to take the guest into the city.

The news of Laken quickly reached Wesenberg City via telegram, and a group of high-ranking officials held an emergency meeting overnight to discuss it. In the end, they agreed to let Laken join the group, granting him special permission and making an exception for him, so as to set a good example.

People in Hamma were also waiting for news. Those involved drank a lot of refreshing tea and finally received a reply from Wesenberg before sunrise, and immediately signed the agreement.

As the sun rose, Stork Harbor became an official member of the Duchy of Wesen.

Larken immediately called a taxi to the shipyard, and the captain sped off at full power towards Angkor Port.

However, by the time Wesenberg City sent the telegram to the Northern Army, the radios had already been packed up and were being loaded onto the ship with Franz Jr.

When Eugene returned to the 3rd Division's base and saw the telegram, he thought that Franz and the others should have received it as well, so he ignored it.

The headquarters in Hanma City received the telegram and shared the same idea.

When dozens of soldiers from the 1st Division, who had fought their way into the assault team, landed at the port of Guankang in specially made speedboats, fully armed and expecting to make a great contribution, they were greeted by a young girl holding flowers, a crowd holding banners, and a band playing "God Save Duke Wessen".

(End of this chapter)