Throne of the North.

Chapter 426: Confrontation and display of strength

Just like before, the appearance of the Elector did not allow the nobles of the Northern Province to complete their plan to annex land. The nobles surrounded Volvo for several days, and the Elector did not dare to openly help them annex land.

Until a new name came into everyone's ears.

Kaan Meyers, a middle-aged man with a big belly, slowly arrived in the North Wind Province in a carriage. He is the powerful elder of the Meyers family and the younger brother of the Grand Duke.

At the same age, the Grand Duke is in his prime, but Kaan is gradually getting old. Even with the use of a lot of extraordinary substances, he can only keep his face young.

He is just an ordinary person, but he holds a large part of the power of the Meyers family, and he manages all the heirs in the Meyers family.

Such a person should stay in the Grand Duchy, but I didn't expect him to appear in the North Wind Province, which is very confusing.

However, with the arrival of this person, the nobles' beloved daughter can finally be put to rest.

"His Majesty the Emperor will not need the land of the Northern Wind Province, so the nobles don't need to consider the Emperor's part. The Northern Wind Province will be managed by the Meyers family, and Volvo's interests here will be guaranteed. He doesn't need to bear the reputation of opposing the Emperor."

The nobles wanted to annex the land. Besides the nominal legitimacy and the division of interests within the North Wind Province, there were also issues from the royal family and the Meyers. Now that the royal elector and the representatives of the Meyers family had appeared, it meant that all the conditions had been reasonably met.

However, when Caan Meyers arrived, the first thing he did was not to argue with the nobles, but to expel Count Pascal from the North Wind Province.

Count Pascal, Count Gargoyle, Ryan was also surprised by this result, because the only place where Count Pascal had made his mark in the North Wind Province was the gargoyle guards of the Miraculous Cathedral of Light.

Previously, Count Pascal reached a cooperation with the Cathedral of Light to let the gargoyles become the guards of the church in the wonder of the Borean Province, in order to show his political correctness and position to the emperor. This was the plan given to him by Ryan.

But why did Mayes expel Count Pascal? He could do nothing in the North Wind Province.

Instead of asking, Ryan wrote a letter to Count Pascal in the Danube Province to ask him the reason.

The reply arrived quickly. Count Pascal was also very angry and had begun questioning Archduke Meyers, but he didn't know the answer either.

"It's weird."

In Lingdu City, Ryan watched the quarrels of the nobles with great interest, but he never received an explanation for the matter.

But within two days, Ryan could no longer stay out of it because Kaan Meyers found him.

"You want to become a member of the Northern Chamber of Commerce?"

Ryan looked at the middle-aged man in front of him. As soon as Meyers's people came to the North Wind Province, they started to make trouble, which made Master Ryan not so happy.

"Baron Ryan, your name is so famous that I can hear it even in the far south. It was you who organized the Northern Chamber of Commerce. Meyers believes that with Baron Ryan's wisdom, the Northern Chamber of Commerce can become one of the top ten chambers of commerce in the empire. We certainly see the benefits of it."

Kaan talked freely and said:
"With the help of Meyers, the supplies of the Northern Chamber of Commerce can be easily sold to more places. This is the strength of the Meyers family."

Kaan looked at Ryan and smiled. He believed that Ryan would not refuse.

"I'm sorry, the original intention of establishing the Northern Chamber of Commerce was that only nobles close to the North could participate. The North Wind Province is very poor, so we need to establish a chamber of commerce to gain wealth."

"The Meyers family is moving to the Northern Wind Province?"

Ryan asked back, causing Kaan to look angry.

How could Meyers move to this place? And Ryan's refusal made him unsure of what to do in the future.

Meyers wanted to coordinate the power of the Northern Province, both in terms of wealth and nobility.

This requires an entry point. Kaan chose the Northern Chamber of Commerce, hoping to use the economy to control the nobles here to be obedient.

Meyers did not want to be overly involved in the issue of land. Land annexation should be a silent matter, but it has become so heated in the North Wind Province.

"Baron Ryan, don't you want to sell the resources of the North to more places and earn more wealth?"

"Of course I do."

Ryan said without denying it.

"Meyers can help you guys."

Kaan said emphatically.

"We can even sell the supplies of the Northern Chamber of Commerce to the foot of the Holy Mountain."

Kaan was extremely confident that the strength of the Meyers family was part of the strength of the empire.

Ryan was extremely surprised and looked at Kaan in front of him with some shock.

"How could the Meyers family sell things to the Holy Mountain? Are you colluding with the Church?"

Kaan raised his head and hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ryan angrily.

"Baron Ryan, please be careful with your words. You are a noble. How can you slander the firm will of a noble?"

Ryan still didn't believe it and continued:

"If you are not colluding with the Church, why are you targeting Count Pascal's gargoyle soldiers? Because of the light, many people in the Pascal family have been attacked by the Church."

"They firmly stand against the Holy See, but you expel them at this time."

"This... is hard not to be suspicious."

Ryan asked Kaan why he expelled the gargoyles. He asked Viscount Hogg. There were no conflicts between Kaan and Pascal, or between Meyers and Pascal. The two sides had not met many times before, so there was no conflict.

"Humph!"

"It is impossible for Meyers to betray the Empire. Your worries are unnecessary, Baron Ryan. We will always be loyal to the great Emperor Flor and the Empire."

Kaan stood firm in his stance, but Ryan wasn't about to stop questioning.

"Then why did you expel Count Pascal's gargoyle?"

Kaan stared at Ryan with suspicion.

"Why would Baron Ryan pay attention to this matter? We are discussing this with the Northern Chamber of Commerce."

"Why can't we discuss it? Do you know that most of the food in my territory now comes from the Danube Province?"

"You expelled the gargoyle, and Count Pascal wrote to me to ask what happened in the North Wind Province. The gargoyle Count was extremely angry. If I don't give him an explanation, people will start to starve to death in my territory next year."

"Then...I will share what you gave me with my people?"

Ryan looked coldly at Kaan in front of him. What he said was not wrong. Count Pascal was indeed very angry now. It was okay for the Meyers family to target a small noble, but there was no doubt that Count Pascal was powerful. If he was treated like this and did not react, he would be laughed at by the entire empire.

This incident is bound to affect the relationship between the Borean Province and the Danube Province, thereby undermining the Frozen Territory's access to food.

It's not that we won't sell it to him, the key point is that those nobles who share the same hatred for the enemy will raise the price.

Every increase in the price of a gold coin was caused by Kaan in front of him, and it was Ryan's loss.

"You don't have to explain to Count Pascal, but you have to give me an explanation."

Ryan looked at Kaan in front of him. The atmosphere between the two sides became tense for a while, which made Kaan a little overwhelmed. He didn't understand why it turned out like this. It suddenly seemed like a war was about to start.

Looking at Baron Ryan in front of him, Kaan felt a little uneasy. The opponent's aggressiveness was too strong.

Thinking of his identity, Kaan snorted coldly, stood up and walked outside, no longer paying attention to Ryan. He would not explain to Ryan the reason for expelling the gargoyle.

Ryan did not stop the other party. Looking at Kaan's back as he left, Ryan suddenly felt that this "little thing" was not that simple.

Ryan also sought information through Viscount Hogg, the Melendez family, and the Clayton family.

"Count Pascal was close to an elector at the beginning of the year."

Viscount Hogg told Ryan this, causing him to frown.

"It's not new that the nobles choose the electors, but is there any precedent for the nobles to hate each other because of this?"

Ryan looked at Viscount Hogg, who hesitated and then shook his head. "The nobles are motivated by profit. They are the benefit of the nobility and the royal family. There will also be interests among the nobles. They will not do anything to the extreme."

"That's it, that's not the reason."

On the other side, Kaan looked at the nobles in front of him with a gloomy expression. He couldn't understand why the North Wind Province was controlled by a baron!

"The resources of the Northern Chamber of Commerce come from you. As long as you withdraw, the Northern Chamber of Commerce can only be called the Frozen Land Caravan. Why, I just promised to give your descendants land, and you want to destroy the bridge after crossing the river?"

"Mr. Kaan, you think too simply."

Count Sauron's eldest son, Feder, said with a helpless expression.

"You want us to withdraw from the Northern Chamber of Commerce and then form a new Northern Chamber of Commerce. It's not that simple. First of all, the resources in the hands of those nobles will not be handed over to us."

"I will give them land and they will agree."

Kaan said this. With his arrival, he and Volvo worked together to solve the troublesome issue of land annexation in the North Wind Province. Although he offended many people, he also naturally gained friends.

The value of a noble seat was unimaginable, and he believed that the nobles would not dare to object to such a small matter.

"is it?"

Feder smiled and continued:

"In addition, a large amount of materials are concentrated and need warehouses, but the storage conditions of many resources are different. For example, the rubies in our Longshan City need to be transported and preserved with fine sand to keep them smooth and delicate. Of course, this is not important, but some resources in the hands of nobles have very harsh storage conditions. For example, the fruit trees in Viscount Walter's territory will deteriorate if they are exposed to air for too long. There are also some meat problems. The taste will change after a few days. Mr. Kaan should have known about this."

"The frozen land has the ice cellar warehouse of the Northern Chamber of Commerce, which can perfectly store all materials. If we want to establish a new chamber of commerce, who will be responsible for this? And where should we choose to build the warehouse?"

"There is also a third question. Most of the supplies of the Northern Chamber of Commerce are now sold to the neighboring Andara Kingdom and Sera Kingdom. A small amount is sold to the south, in the Danube Province, Volga Province, Calais Province and the Imperial City."

"Without Baron Ryan, we wouldn't be able to sell our supplies at all."

"Maybe Meyers can help us expand into more markets, but before that, I still want to question what you said before, Mr. Kaan."

"Can you really get those nobles to hand over their resources to other people?"

"Why don't you go and ask if there are any nobles who want to do this."

Feder said truthfully that the nobles of the North Wind Province did have intertwined interests with the Electors and the Meyers family, but this did not mean that the network of interests between the nobles and Baron Ryan was completely isolated. On the contrary, everyone was a noble of the North Wind Province, and the interests involved were even more closely tied.

Xenophobia and regional solidarity are not simply formed by everyone living together, but are the only way to protect one's own interests.

The meeting in Kaan ended unpleasantly. He found some nobles, but the result was the same as what Feder said. Those nobles were very hesitant to hand over the resources to him.

"Perhaps, Baron Ryan will not let us lose our wealth."

They politely rejected Kaan, causing him to go straight to Volvo with a gloomy face.

"It's no use looking for me. I am the Emperor Chosen, but the power I have is only the title of rebuilding the West Sea Fleet. In this land, my words do not constitute any form of order."

The emperor and the electors are father and son, but they are also competitors for power. Before being tested, the electors have almost no power, and the constraints they impose on the nobles are close to zero.

"As for the problem you encountered, perhaps I can tell you an answer."

Volvo looked at Kaan, not understanding why Grand Duke Meyers would send someone who was specifically responsible for managing the family's bloodline to the North Wind Province.

"The nobles of the North Wind Province need the power of Baron Ryan to help them fight against the threat of death."

"Those orcs have not disappeared, and as long as the North Wind Province is close to the North Border for one day, the nobles of the North Wind Province will need Baron Ryan for one day."

"They are plundering the land of the dead nobles, but they are even more afraid of becoming dead nobles themselves and losing their heritage and land."

"Now, do you understand the importance of Baron Ryan in this land?"

“Maybe you can make the nobles richer, but Baron Ryan can keep them alive.”

……

“Being alive is a very heavy topic.”

"Maybe we could discuss our life and death, the inheritance of our family, and the future of our territory with a smile."

"But now, I think none of us can face the threat of death with a smile."

Ryan raised the metal wine glass in his hand.

"To our friends, to their death and our life."

Next to Ryan, Baron Hatton was a little sentimental.

"Lian, to be honest, if you hadn't insisted, I would have sent Lian to the South. You know, I have an aunt who married in the South."

"If I had done that, perhaps Lian En would not have become the Ash Knight today. In him, I see the same wish my father had when he came to the North Wind Province. He wanted to revive the Hatton family, but I can't do it."

"I didn't dare to say it before, for fear that you would laugh at me, but it's different now. Lian En can do it and rekindle the honor of the family."

"But I was really afraid of death before. Those damn orcs would not let me go just because I am a noble. Those werewolves would even kill us nobles and become the new rulers of this land."

Ryan looked at Baron Hatton and said:
“So, we need to increase our strength.”

"Humanity has only one weapon to fight against the North and the orcs, and that is courage."

"Courage enables us to defeat the orcs, but fear and terror will only make us depressed and become corpses under the orcs' fangs."

"Do you think an army of eight knights can kill an army of eighty werewolves?"

One against ten, it's still a war. The nobles are not rookies. They have experienced and are still going through wars with the orcs. One by one, the nobles hesitated and shook their heads.

"It's impossible. It's hard for a formal knight to kill a werewolf."

Ryan agreed, indeed.

"But the eight knights of Lingdu City killed hundreds of orcs at the cost of half of their losses. Why?"

"The eight of them are just from Lingdu County and Viscount Hogg's men. Could it be that their knights are stronger than ours?"

This is impossible.

"So how did they do it? Go into the wilderness and bring back hundreds of orc heads?"

"Because of courage. They are knights with extraordinary courage. They fight to gain the respect of nobles like us, to get that precious warhorse, and for the wealth of an orc's gold coin."

"These things give them courage, just like when humans face dragons, those people are called heroes whether they are alive or dead."

"If there were more heroes in the Northern Wind Province, our lives would be protected."

"The humans in this land are afraid of the appearance of orcs, so they need courage. Orcs are not as strong as we think, right?"

Faced with this question, many nobles fell silent and began to think about the feasibility of what Ryan said.

"Ultimately, these people can help us create wealth."

"We need soldiers, but the cost of training soldiers is high, and some people are not suitable to be soldiers, even if they are tall and strong."

"We also need wealth. In the past, we relied on selling iron ore and resources to gain wealth, but this is not enough. We need more ways to gain wealth and get rid of the southerners' views of us. Only in this way can those corrupt nobles marry their daughters to us and be willing to marry with the nobles in the north."

"This way, you can avoid the situation where you have nowhere to run when danger strikes."

"Of course, the nobles will not escape disaster. I am just giving an example."

"The Northern Brave Guild can do everything I said."

(End of this chapter)