Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence - Chapter 509 - 313: Surging Waves (Part 2)
Chapter 509: Chapter 313: Surging Waves (Part 2)
Thus, whether it was those intertwined with the interests of the Calvin Clan, the nobles once sheltered by Duke Edmund, or representatives of other nobility worried about “the rabbit’s death and the fox’s lament.”
After weighing decisions in their hearts, they chose silence or nodded in agreement.
Many among them didn’t necessarily support Emily herself; they merely supported the self-preservation behind her words.
Just as the tide was turning, the representative from the Simmons family, who always wore a smile in his eyes, didn’t look pleased.
He twitched slightly as he quietly glanced over the scroll on the table, as if deliberating whether to forcibly advance the original plan.
But before he could decide, Emily slowly delivered her sharpest blow.
“If His Highness the Regent King intends to pacify the Northern Territory, why not grant the Sixth Prince the position of ’Royal Reconstruction Envoy of the North’, temporarily dealing with partial administrative powers, and deciding the governor’s succession once the situation is clear.”
She spoke lightly, as if truly considerate of the prince, without a hint of offensive intent.
But this was a masterpiece of hiding the blade within ceremony and propriety.
Endowing the title “Royal Reconstruction Envoy,” which sounded prestigious, actually meant:
Giving the Sixth Prince a “dignified position” without actual authority to lead.
Temporarily leaving the governor’s position vacant, preserving a line for future contention.
If it ever becomes necessary to remove the Sixth Prince’s influence, it wouldn’t become a major case for dismissing the governor.
This move retreats one step, blocks three steps, borrowing a step to resolve the entire situation.
A flicker of a shadow passed through the eyes of the Simmons representative.
He naturally understood what Emily’s tactics signified.
It wasn’t that they lost, but rather that Emily promptly patched the gaps, leaving no openings for a decisive strike.
If he were to forcibly refute now, it would appear as if he was pressuring the throne, disrupting the meeting’s order.
If he retreated casually, it would confirm the sin of reckless advancement.
He was stuck.
And within the Imperial Hall, many nobles nodded lightly, while even General Yoda, from the military side, discreetly put away the bronze badge in hand.
The Regent King didn’t speak, merely turning to look at the old chief steward Lin Ze by his side.
Lin Ze bowed slightly, whispering a few words into the Regent King’s ear.
Moments later, the frail Regent King spoke, his voice hoarse yet indisputable:
“The position of Governor of the North shall remain undecided for now. Conferring the Sixth Prince as ’Reconstruction Envoy of the North,’ assisting in matters, under the joint supervision of the Imperial Secretariat.”
Everyone in the Imperial Hall rose and bowed.
Emily also bowed slightly, her face calm, yet her heart breathed a sigh of relief.
She won, though not completely, but it was enough.
However, from now on, it might depend on Louis himself.
The title of Royal Reconstruction Envoy, although light in name, actually represents the Empire’s factions inserting an eye and hand into the Northern Territory.
How to deal with the maneuvers and compromises with him in the future would depend on Louis’s own skills.
What the Calvin Family can do for him ends here.
To strive further, the cost would be too great, just as her brother said in his letter, “Don’t exert too much effort.”
But she wasn’t worried; to rise from a pioneer in the Empire’s southeast to the actual ruler of the Northern Territory in just four years, Louis must possess exceptional political acumen.
And as the meeting hadn’t yet adjourned, the following proposals, though numerous, could no longer invoke the previous intense contention.
Most of the topics were related to the reconstruction of the Northern Territory.
Including how to repair the defenses of Frost Halberd City, whether to restart financial appropriations for the Northern Territory granaries, and whether the middle and lower nobles who accomplished merits in battle should be rewarded.
These issues, during the Emperor’s lifetime, perhaps required careful weighing, but now were swiftly passed over.
Some neutral nobles proposed funding details for building the Northern Territory’s defenses. Some members suggested increasing the proportion of stationed troops in the North on the grounds that remnants of the Barbarian Race still exist.
But in the end, it was merely recorded, left for financial review, and passed over with a phrase.
Only those families permitted to present accomplishments, showed a hint of pride on their faces.
Even though everyone knew, those so-called battle merits were mostly finely polished numbers.
But the real challenges were just beginning to emerge.
As the reconstruction of the Northern Territory entered the practical stage, the meeting inevitably brought up the issue of resource aid arrangements.
The atmosphere instantly became subtle, yet the nobles showed a trace of indifference.
The true issue lies not in the lack of resources, but in the absence of the Emperor.
Had the Emperor still been around, even if discontented, the nobles would have reluctantly responded due to the imperial authority.
But now, these great figures sitting around the long table, each harbors calculations and hidden tests.
“From which warehouse should provisions be allocated?” a Marquis furrowed his brow lightly.
“Shipped to the Northern Territory? Even if ten percent were allocated, getting three percent through would be a gift of God.” On the other side, a Duke’s representative sneered, shaking his head, the arrogance in his whispers barely concealed.
With the Emperor present, perhaps these people would yield, but the Imperial Capital without an Emperor would not truly “lean northward.”
“Supporting the Northern Territory” slogan remains solemnly high, yet the actual resource requisition falls far short of the Emperor’s formerly commanding enforcement.
After all, the Regent King is not the true ruler; even sitting on the throne’s seat, feebly commanding the Empire’s grand machine, he cannot dictate like the Emperor before.
Furthermore, there’s an extremely awkward possibility.
Various parts of the Empire indeed respond to the call, delivering provisions and equipment, but these resources were deducted and siphoned off during transportation.
Some local officials seized the chaos to manipulate, others military corps engaged in “supplementing military supplies” customary maneuvers.
Even more audacious, some simply set off on order yet returned halfway, making the record flashy while nothing actually moved.
Moreover, the Northern Territory remains a leaderless state, with no authority to hold these losses accountable.
Those in charge of withholding resources naturally became more unscrupulous.
“How much of the resources finally reaching the Northern Territory remain?”
Emily coldly observed these nobles as they smiled discussing ways to rescue the North.
Yet in her heart, it was as if she already saw carts of empty boxes and rotten grain, piled before shattered docks and burnt fortresses, turning into ashes in the wind.
“Anyway, the Barbarian Race has nearly been settled, heard the snowfield has been quiet for months after the battle.”
“Moreover, even if they do attack, there’s the Imperial Legion watching over. Our Southwest’s supplementary support is symbolic at best.”
“The Empire is so vast; it wouldn’t truly allow the Northern Territory to perish, right?”
The low murmurs of noble representatives, carried a half-true half-joking tone.
This is the real political atmosphere of the Empire at the moment, actually everyone weighing their own scales of gain and loss.
……
Outside the window, not far away from the tower, came the low orders from soldiers changing guard, like echoes from a dream.
On the bed, Louis slowly opened his eyes.
This wasn’t his familiar domed chamber in Red Tide City, but rather the cold, hard interior of a tower in Frost Halberd City. Even with thickly carpeted floors, the chill couldn’t be concealed.
Today marks the twelfth day since Duke Edmund’s passing; it’s time for them to prepare to return to Red Tide.
Emily quietly lay on Louis’s left arm, her skin as pale as snow, making her lips even paler.
The once proud and stern daughter of the Governor, beside him, was merely a fatigued, sleeping girl.
Her brow no longer furrowed, her breathing calm, seeming to have momentarily detached from the pain of losing her father and political strife.
Louis gazed at her for a long while, lightly stroking the strands of hair that fell upon her.
“…already strong enough.” He silently thought to himself.
She was the daughter of Duke Edmund, the rightful bloodline to the Shield of the North, already prepared for her father’s departure.
Only in the deep of night, occasionally she would tightly grip his hand, as if searching for the last support amidst some collapse.
Louis gently extended his hand, brushing away a strand of fallen hair from her forehead.
Emily’s brow flickered slightly, yet she did not wake, she was too tired.
Louis then slowly raised his other hand, gently drawing through the air.
A translucent screen quietly emerged before his eyes, silently spreading.
Pale blue interface flowing with a subtle glow, a few faint blue strands passed, stirring a barely audible hum.
The familiar interface finished loading.
[Daily intelligence updates complete]
