Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence - Chapter 616 - 363: The New Lord of the North (Part 2)
Chapter 616: Chapter 363: The New Lord of the North (Part 2)
Holmes was the first to react, kneeling with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing: “No, my lord! I’m innocent! I did nothing!”
Klan’s face flushed red, his eyes bloodshot: “Please give me a chance to explain, I was just following orders! It was His Highness who…”
But before he could finish, the Red Tide Knight kicked him heavily to the ground.
Harlov struggled and roared: “You brat have no right to judge the honored nobility of the Northern Territory! My grandfather took an arrow for the Duke!”
His voice was high-pitched, filled with a desperate will to survive.
The last person, Heman, had a numb expression, trembling as he closed his eyes, murmuring softly as if accepting his fate: “I just…”
The four were pressed to kneel on the ground, one after another.
Beseeching, cursing, silent, emotions intertwined.
Until the first sound of the blade broke through the air, blood splattered in front of everyone.
Lambert’s movements were clean and swift, each stroke as fast as lightning.
When the second blade fell, Klan’s angry voice abruptly ceased.
The third blade was accompanied by a fearful wail.
By the fourth blade, Heman only let out a gentle sigh.
Blood flowed along the cracks in the stone tiles, forming lines, the smell of blood in the air grew stronger.
The onlooking nobility, some interested, others gloating, some shivering with heads down, dared not look again.
Those nobles closer to the front row whispered to each other, mixing “they truly deserved it” with “the punishment was too severe.”
Lambert sheathed his sword and silently stepped back.
The whole venue was silent, left only with the sound of wind and blood dripping.
Everyone understood, Louis’s blade was not just a punishment, but a declaration of the beginning of new rule in the Northern Territory.
Louis merely looked at the blood light with indifference, his expression unchanged. Flames danced behind him, casting a golden-red silhouette.
After this moment, he was no longer just the Red Tide Lord, but the true master of the Northern Territory.
A king in the North, succeeding Duke Edmund, was thus born.
……
Four days had passed since the night of the Barbarian Race attack. The Northern Territory reconstruction meeting was still postponed.
The burned manor was temporarily repaired, new wooden beams propped up the roof, charred stone pillars still bore traces of fire.
Through the shattered skylight, wind and snow poured in, rustling the Ironblood Empire’s dragon banner.
The nobility appeared tense, some even attending with bandages.
Every footstep echoed heavily and oppressively on the stone bricks.
On the main seat sat the young lord—Louis Calvin.
He was clad in a black and red military coat, the emblem of the Shield of the North gleaming on his chest.
Nominally still just a Count, and without any formal position in the Northern Territory reconstruction meeting, yet he sat in the main seat, and no one dared say a word.
For everyone knew, that seat meant for the Sixth Prince, now had no one but Louis to sit upon it.
Astha’s body had set out south to the Imperial Capital with the convoy escorting Sai Fu.
The hall was silent, only the sound of the fire crackling gently in the fireplace.
Louis slowly stood, glancing over everyone before speaking: “The situation of the Empire, everyone is aware.
The Regent King is isolated, royal power has waned, the southern provinces are turbulent, the Western Territory has a grain blockade, and the Northern Territory is the Empire’s last shield.”
Louis paused, his tone more measured: “The Sixth Prince has passed, but we must take up his responsibility, to protect the Northern Territory.
If we continue to govern separately, the Northern Territory could become ruins at any moment. Therefore, I propose that we should unite and safeguard this land together.”
“Count Calvin is right, the Northern Territory must unite!” Yorn patted the table, nodding in approval.
But the old Northern noble, Marquis Cory, only let out a vague “Hmm.”
Viscount Harl swallowed his drink, forced a smile, and said, “Yes, yes, protect the Northern Territory…”
The vassal lords of the Southeast’s Red Tide were the first to respond enthusiastically, their expressions sincere and excited.
They had long recognized the benefits of the Red Tide system, praising Louis as the one who could truly lead the Northern out of winter.
Yet the old noble faction had complex expressions, corners of their mouths barely tugging, responding lowly, not daring to express openly.
The air was filled with both reverence and hesitation, yet no one could oppose the logic of his words.
Some sighed softly, others pursed their lips, their gazes shifting between the table and Louis.
The firelight cast on everyone’s faces, rendering their expressions into a blur.
Then Louis announced the meeting officially began.
Lords from each faction proposed their reconstruction plans one by one, the air immediately grew tense.
The representative of Holmes’s remaining party was the first to rise, cupping his hands as he said, “The various territories of the Northern Territory should restore autonomy, with each family recruiting their own soldiers, and the Empire merely supervising, no need to establish new administrative bodies.”
As soon as he finished, several old nobles nodded in agreement: “Indeed, the Northern Territory has always been self-sufficient!” “This is our tradition!”
Yorn frowned slightly, leaning on his chair, he said softly: “The result of self-sufficiency is not being able to afford a meal. Do you not understand your strength? Dare you say you wouldn’t buy cheap grain from the Red Tide?”
His two rhetorical questions made the room awkward.
Next, a middle-aged Count from the Southern Expansion faction stood up, his tone trembling: “I believe, the Imperial Capital should send an inspection group to retake control of finance and defense, to demonstrate royal power!”
Once he finished, the whole room plunged into a moment of quiet, then burst into murmurs.
“The Imperial Capital? They can’t even take care of themselves.”
“Sending people now to the Northern Territory would just increase the freeloaders.”
Some snickered disdainfully, while more just shook their heads and sighed, clearly finding the idea too disconnected from reality.
