The municipal residence of Erengrad is built on a small hill, just like the temples of Thor, the bear god, Esun, and the fire god Daha. The height symbolizes its majesty and power. People must look up when walking through the temple.
, symbolizing the transcendence of gods over mortals, and similarly, you must raise your head when walking through the city hall, symbolizing power over the people...
This is not a place to be proud of, but the civilians of Erengrad are already used to it, or the civilians of the entire Kingdom of Kislev are used to the status quo of aristocrats ruling civilians...
In this magnificent municipal residence, an important meeting is taking place at the moment. Representatives of the four major families that control Erengrad are talking in this meeting hall, discussing their next plan.
Although Tiers notified them to attend the meeting, he himself did not dare to be late. As a city councilor, he had some powers, but not all. Finance, military, foreign trade, black market, ports, and police agencies were all affected by this.
Several major families are firmly in control. They usually cooperate and have gang fights, but overall the four major families are still in a balanced relationship.
For example, the Morlock family controls more of the army in Erengrad City. 40% of the officers of the city's defenders are members of their family. However, the Morlock family has less involvement in the city's finances. This aspect is mainly composed of
The people of the Marcus family are in control. As we all know, the army needs finances to maintain. Soldiers will riot if they are not paid. Therefore, the relationship between the Marcus family and the Morlock family is very delicate. Both sides need each other, and they both contain each other.
. Dinner parties, family marriages, etc. are quite normal.
Another example is that the Brandon family controls the black market and gang power in Erlengrad. Seventy percent of the gang leaders are secretly directed by members of their family. Any shady affairs among the four major families are often led by these people.
The black market has provided them with a lot of benefits, but at the same time, both the black market and the gangs are subject to the control of the police. In the police department, the Brandon family does not have many people of their own. Erlen
Most of the armed police department in Grad are members of the Leo family. Most of the senior officers in the police department were promoted by members of the Leo family, or promoted by Leo himself. The police force is very important to this family.
Loyal and loyal, if the gangsters in the city go too far, the police will also control them. If they go too far, the two families will need to communicate with each other to solve the problem...
There are other places, such as the port, which is controlled by Tiers' family. Customs clearance of all goods must go through Tiers' son and son-in-law before they can enter or leave Erengrad. As long as he does not agree, the four major families will
Their interests will also be damaged. Therefore, these five old men in the council hall, although they are kind and kind on the surface, have their own hidden thoughts in their hearts. However, their opinions on the independence of Erengrad and the rebellion against the Snow Queen are different.
is unified.
"The Northern Alliance forces left, walking along the upper reaches of the Leinsk River."
"When did this happen?"
"Just two days ago."
Tiers said straight to the point as soon as he entered the door. They had many things to discuss, and there was no need to beat around the bush.
"Did you send someone to follow it?"
The great nobleman Frank Leo asked. Among the five old men, he was the youngest one and controlled the police force of Erlengrad.
"Yes, my people are watching their movements."
Tiers returns.
There is no one else in this hall, not even the servants pouring wine, there are only five of them. Once the bronze door of the conference hall is closed, no information here will be revealed.
"What is their purpose? To prepare for a full-scale siege in the future? Are they going out to collect and store grain?"
Brandon said with a contemptuous tone. As the boss of Erlengrad's black market and gang force, Brandon has always been like this, with a ruthless attitude and not necessarily much respect for anyone. Even in
In front of the Queen, he did not hide his dissolute nature at all. Of course, he had no chance to meet the Queen directly...
"It looks like this..."
"It's not that simple. If even we can see the trick, then our opponents won't play it like this. Brothers, believe me, Cohen and I are old acquaintances. We have been dealing with each other for a while.
I still have a certain understanding of him. He is an arrogant guy who looks down on others, but he is definitely not a fool. The robbery of food is probably just a cover."
Sitting in the middle of the rectangular wooden table, Tiers spoke leisurely.
Soon, Montreal Morlock agreed with his point of view. This great nobleman of Erengrad controls the military power of most of the city's troops. His understanding of war is deeper than anyone else here.
, after all, he is also a soldier. He inherited the family business from his father and has been in charge of the Erengrad army for more than thirty years.
"Grain grabbing is necessary, but just because it is necessary, it becomes a cover and an excuse. This is such a legitimate reason and motive, isn't it? However, you and I both know that Erengrad is not short of
Food, we have sufficient food reserves, and we don’t have to worry about future food problems. This port will provide us with a steady supply of supplies. As long as the sea route is not blocked, Erengrad will not be truly blocked."
"So your point of view is that the old witch is actually trying to confuse us so that she can block the port of Erengrad?"
Brandon asked.
"Isn't it? There are some small villages and towns in the upper reaches of the Leinsk River. How much food can be stored? The old woman's real goal is the Gulf of Kislev. I estimate that she will occupy all the ports on the coastline in the near future.
, use these ports to create a fleet, a fleet large enough to blockade the city's ports."
Montreal. Morlock said that his long-term dealings with soldiers and his background as a soldier made him speak in a tough tone. Everyone could hear it, and he was very confident in his judgment.
"That will take at least a year. Will that old woman wait that long?"
Leo questioned.
"It's up to her whether she can afford to wait. Maybe she couldn't wait before, but this time she has to wait, because not only are we fighting against her, but many lords are also unhappy with her and are refusing to carry out her orders.
"
"Perhaps she will attack the city directly?"
"That would be too risky. A forced attack on the city would result in the death of thousands of civilians. If Catalina really does this, her throne as czar will not be stable. Although the people are easy to deceive, they are also very scary when united.
the power of."
The five great nobles were discussing each other in this luxurious palace. However, many conspiracies were also happening in private, like a dance with masks, everyone had a common purpose.
They come to a meeting, but they all think about their own interests.
"So, now it's certain that Cohen's forces were basically deceiving us?"
Leo asked.
"That's more or less what it means. What is the Northern Alliance Army? It's just a bunch of rabble. They can't even come up with uniform clothing and weapons. There are more than a dozen lords alone, and there are only a few hundred people in some places. What kind of combat effectiveness can such an army have?
?So, don’t worry about them. They can go wherever they like. As long as the Krem Guards in Kislev are not dispatched, we have no real enemies.”
Old General Morlock said. Others nodded in agreement.
"But there comes a point where we have to take action."
Tiers reminded everyone.
"What's up?"
"Stone Castle, Valo City... The old woman's men are heading towards these two castles. As you know, we cannot abandon our allies. This war is still very long. What we need is not just money and patience.
There are also allies. Without allies, we still cannot fight against that old woman for a long time with Erengrad alone."
Tiers said, his eyes kept moving, observing the expressions of several colleagues.
Jerram Marcus first made a statement——
"In my opinion, we must support these lords. Our allies at the beginning of the war are very crucial, and we cannot lose them. Let the Blood Hand Mercenary Group go to break the siege of Warlow Castle. It is time to use them. These people
They have been eating and drinking for free in our city for so long, so I just want to test their fighting power."
The Marcus family holds the financial power of Erengrad, and his words also carry a certain weight. Several other nobles also nodded after hearing this. Obviously, they have reached an agreement again on the matter of supporting their allies.
Consistent.
"But there is a problem..." Jerram Marcus continued, "Mercenaries have good combat effectiveness, but loyalty is a problem. As long as someone is willing to pay a higher price, they will betray their original employer at any time and replace them with a new one."
They fight with their employer. Also, this group of mercenaries will not really fight to the end. What I mean is that once they find out that the strength of the enemy and us is very different and they are likely to be defeated, the Bloody Mercenary Group is likely to run away on the spot, or even directly
Surrender to the other side.”
As the finance minister of Erlengrad, although Jeram Marcus has never actually led an army, he still has a deep understanding of military politics. In fact, although he himself has never led an army to fight, his nephew
However, he has such experience. His nephew Yudaan, who is in his prime, is serving in the city defense army under Morlock and serves as the captain of one of the troops. Morlock has long known about this, but the relationship between the two families has always been "close".
When there is no need to quarrel, just turn a blind eye to this kind of mutual penetration. After all, no one can completely eradicate the other, and we have to rely on the other.
"This is indeed a problem."
As the leader of the meeting, Tiers responded. He continued to scan the crowd with squinted eyes...
"But allies still need to be saved. We can't give up rescuing our allies just because we are worried about the loyalty of the mercenary group, right?"
Morlock said seriously.
"Yes, yes, that's for sure." Tiers said, "I have an idea."
Several nobles looked at their mayor, each with a different look in their eyes. The upright Leo looked seriously, the cunning Brandon pretended not to hear, the finance minister Marcus and the garrison commander Mo
Locke looked mysterious.
"If anyone among us can go with the mercenary group, then these mercenaries will not dare to betray us. When encountering any emergency, this person can be dealt with on the spot and kill those rebellious seedlings in the cradle.
."
Tiers suggested.
Of course, Tiers had already discussed this proposal privately with Morlock and Marcus. Although the four major families in charge of Erengrad City seemed to have a balance of power, upon closer inspection, there were still differences.
The most important military power and financial power are in the hands of the Morlock family and the Marcus family. In fact, the power of these two large families has a slight upper hand.
So, as soon as Tiers finished speaking, the cunning Brandon immediately fell silent. He had already thought of a way out. Once the two major families joined forces with Tiers to "shuffle", then he would bring all the
He smuggled out his property and took refuge with the Snow Queen.
However, this did not seem to be the case. Tiers quickly turned his attention to the upright Leo. As the youngest noble among the four major families, he is also the weakest. Although he controls the police force of Erengrad
, but the economic strength is not as strong as that of the other three major families, and not all of the police officers are from him. The other three major families have been spying on their power for more than a day or two. After all, the four major families in a city have
It's still too much for the family to control it together... plus a city magistrate, five people will hold a meeting when something happens, and the discussion will take a long time. Unlike the Snow Queen, maybe as long as she says a word, the army can take action.
"Leo, what's your opinion?"
Tiers asked the young aristocrat Leo in front of everyone whether the bad guys will fight to the end.
"I……"
Just as Leo was about to answer, he felt something was wrong. Why did Tiers only ask himself among so many people, but not others? If he said he agreed to such a plan, then Tiers would inevitably follow suit and say - then
You go, you are the most suitable. In this way, you will be squeezed out of Erlengrad... The police force that you have worked hard for many years will be handed over to others bit by bit with your departure. But if you say no
It's not okay to agree. It seems that they have negotiated with others.
"Leo, we are all old friends. The current situation is tense and we cannot lose our allies, can we? The Blood Hand Mercenary Group is a powerful force. If you can lead them..."
"No, they won't listen to me. They'll just follow the money."
Leo resisted. His face was livid, and he stared angrily at the other people present.
"We will support you, you don't have to worry about funding." Tiers said, then turned to ask Jerram Marcus. "Right, Marcus?" he said.
The latter nodded slightly, his eyes blurred.
Feeling that he had been deceived, Leo left the table angrily, and the bronze door opened with a bang. However, what was waiting for him outside the door were the city guards of Erlengrad...
"So, where is the remaining northern army in the east of the city?"
After driving Leo away, several big bosses continued to sit at the exquisite long wooden table and discuss.
"Let the mob go meet them. There are too many mobs in the city. Just let them go out to vent their anger, and there will be fewer mouths to eat."