I'm not a lord

Chapter 132 The Duke of Swamp's Countermeasures

Count Frostwind has very complicated feelings towards his second son, Roman.

Although Roman is uneducated and has a bad temper, he still covets his eldest brother's inheritance rights.

But he was, after all, the legitimate son of Earl Cold Wind and his wife, and the second-in-line legal heir to the territory.

If something unexpected happens to the eldest son, Roman can still inherit the territory on behalf of the Cold Wind Family.

So as to prevent the family territory from falling into the hands of outsiders.

To put it more extremely, if the Cold Wind Family of the Crown Territory was wiped out in the war, then the second son Roman would be able to inherit the family name and continue the family bloodline.

It was for this reason that when Earl Cold Wind heard that his distant relative had no descendants, he resolutely kicked his second son to that remote barony.

The geographical location of White Bear Territory is indeed a bit remote, the land is indeed a bit barren, and the population is indeed a bit small.

But at least they are far away from the center of chaos and will not be torn to pieces by the coming vortex of war.

After all, Roman received education from a count's family, so it shouldn't be too difficult for him to secure a barony.

What's more, Earl Cold Wind also equipped him with an escort team including two knights, complete with chariots, horses, armor and weapons.

As long as they use the banner of the Cold Wind Family, there shouldn't be any problems along the way. There are no large-scale horse bandit groups in the Duke of Swamp's territory.

After forcibly sending his second son away, the count never contacted him again.

The relationship between father and son was once very tense, and the count also had his own face and pride.

In his opinion, he had done nothing wrong from the beginning to the end, and had never let his second son down.

He hoped that Roman would first bow his head and apologize, and at the same time report that he was safe.

This way he can get away from it and restore the father-son relationship.

But I didn’t expect that there would be no news from my second son for nearly a year.

The Earl thought his second son still hated him, so he made up his mind and did not send any messenger to contact him.

Now, hearing the news about his second son again from the Duke of Swamp, Earl Coldwind couldn't help but feel sad.

Could it be that that bastard son really got into trouble?

But considering his abilities, even if he did get into trouble, it wouldn't be too serious.

That's why Earl Frostwind took the blame first.

When facing a big leader who can dominate your destiny, you must first have the right attitude.

"You're going to take the blame for him? You should first look at what he did."

The Duke of the Moor glanced up and down at the Earl, drew a yellow envelope from the lining of his coat, and threw it straight to him.

Count Cold Wind took the letter, opened it, and read it in the candlelight in the hall.

Good man, this bastard Roman is really a worry. Even when he went to the White Bear Territory, a crappy place where you can only see giant bears baring their teeth, he still caused trouble.

And this is not just an ordinary incident. This kid actually got involved in the barony's succession war, had an affair with a baron's daughter, and even had an illegitimate child!

"Sir, this."

After reading the letter, Earl Cold Wind was speechless.

He had to admit that this battle for territory was very clean and neat, highlighting the meticulous thinking and decisive measures of the mastermind behind it.

Yagna, the daughter of the former Baron of Shoal, colluded with the Baron of White Bear and instigated several knights of Shoal to launch a swift offensive against Flora, the regent of Shoal.

In just two days, the entire barony, including the castle, fell into the hands of Yagna. Flora, her lover, and the baron's son were all dead, leaving no witnesses. This made it difficult for outsiders to uncover the truth, and they could only believe Yagna's one-sided story.

The legal basis for Yagna to rule the Shoal Territory comes from the unknown gender of the fetus in her womb.

The father of this fetus is Baron White Bear!
For a moment, Earl Cold Wind didn't know whether to praise or scold his second son Roman.

Praising him for hooking up with a baron's daughter right after arriving in White Bear Territory?
And you even got her pregnant?

Or should we scold him for not being able to control his pants and causing trouble?
And with Roman's personality, these things really seem like something he could do!

Count Frostwind said he would take responsibility for his second son Roman, but he didn't know how.

Apologize to Flora and other victims?
But everyone was dead, leaving only a few brand new tombstones.

You can't apologize to a dead person, right?

Or should he acknowledge Yagena's status as his daughter-in-law? And completely confirm the legitimacy of the fetus?
But the other person said in the letter that they were in a secret marriage and had already severed their relationship.

In the end, it was the Duke of Swamp who spoke up and resolved the Earl's embarrassment.

"In my opinion, this matter has little to do with your Hanfeng family. My wife said in the letter that Yagna has always been very scheming. The incident in the Shoal Territory this time must have been instigated by her. Your second son must have been seduced and bewitched by her.

All you have to do is write a letter to your second son immediately, warning him not to interfere in other territories anymore, to manage his own White Bear Territory, pay taxes on time, and guard the borders."

The Duke of Swamp specifically called out Earl of Coldwind to discuss the matter, just to see whether this incident was instigated by the Coldwind family.

But looking at the confusion on the earl's face and his previous sincere attitude, it can basically be denied.

Moreover, with the prosperity of the Cold Wind Valley, there is no need for the Cold Wind Family to covet the poor Shallow Beach Territory.

Seeing the Duke of Swampland's conclusion, Earl Chillwind quickly replied, "I will immediately write to Roman, urging him to remain loyal and humble to His Excellency the Duke."

The Duke grinned and said, "You can rest assured. Your son is as loyal as you are. He has already paid the shield tax for next year in advance."

The main reason why the Duke was so lenient was that both the White Bear Territory and the Shoal Territory had paid their taxes obediently.

Moreover, his wife pleaded for Yagna in the letter, saying that it was not easy for the girl to work hard to regain the family territory and prevent an illegitimate child from inheriting the Shoal Territory.

If Yagena can really give birth to a boy next year, she will be in charge of the Shoal Territory temporarily.

In fact, the Duke of the Marsh did not care who governed those poor baronies at the moment.

In his eyes, there was no difference between Agna and Flora.

All he cared about was whether the territories paid taxes on time.

As long as they paid taxes to support his army, he would turn a blind eye, even if it went against the inheritance law of the Northern Kingdom.

The Duke has a more important goal than upholding the law, and that is the crown of the Lord of the North.

He would not spare the troops and energy to deal with those minor problems before seizing the crown.

Moreover, the White River has already frozen, making it very difficult to send troops to conquer the Shallow Beach Territory and the White Bear Territory at this time.

There was no need for the Duke to destroy his friendship with the Cold Wind Family because of such a small matter.

Earl of Cold Wind was the first Earl of the Crown Territory to serve him, and he had been secretly communicating with him even before he sent out his troops.

Just in case, the Duke also prepared insurance.

He has ordered the other four barons of the White River Basin to keep a close eye on the movements of the Shoal Territory.

Four against two, the advantage is his.

(End of this chapter)