Chapter 348: Merger and Alliance
“It seems the Empire is unreliable. We can only rely on Hydra.” Ferrier had to spend a lot of time and energy stabilizing her territory due to the many people who fled at the first sign of trouble. Having finally found the time to invite Solari, she was in no mood for small talk and spoke frankly.
Solari, usually full of energy, looked several years older, clearly under a lot of pressure recently. Hearing this, he nodded, showing no sign of disagreement.
The current situation was clear. The barbarians’ southward advance was a certainty, and the Imperial Border Army’s years of laxity made them untrustworthy. In this situation, not clinging to a strong ally meant waiting for their doom.
Moreover, the two had already reached a consensus on this, just not expecting it to happen so quickly, so quickly that they weren’t prepared at all.
They had neither anticipated the barbarians’ southward advance nor the Imperial Border Army’s inaction, let alone the rapid changes in the situation, leaving them feeling overwhelmed.
“Since we’ve reached an agreement, let’s not waste any more time.” Ferrier took out the two-way mirror. Thinking about how it was just a cooperation before, but now a complete surrender, she couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. Still, she activated the mirror, sending the message of their allegiance.
Owen wasn’t surprised by their complete surrender; he found them decisive and intelligent.
To wait until they were desperate before surrendering would hold little value. It was a wise choice to sell themselves at a good price while they still had leverage.
The final factor in their decision was Owen’s generous treatment of his subordinates. For example, two maids from the Serving Church, one became the administrator of North City, the other was cultivated into a Legendary. Early followers like Correns and the Howard father and son, despite their humble origins, now held considerable power.
After deciding to pledge allegiance, the two regretted not making the decision sooner, missing out on the good times. Now, they could only seize the opportunity before them.
“Lady Maya has replied.” Ferrier felt the vibration of the two-way mirror and was instantly invigorated. Solari, who had been resting with his eyes closed, immediately opened them.
“This!” The projection from the two-way mirror, along with a detailed plan, left the two stunned. It was clear that the other party had anticipated their allegiance and the predicament they faced, and had already prepared a detailed plan: a merger.
“Then let’s merge, build a South City according to Lord Hydra’s orders.” Solari slammed the table and said decisively.
“Alright, you’re in charge of personnel transfer, I’ll handle the logistics.” Since the merger was based on Ferrier’s territory, she voluntarily relinquished some of her authority.
Solari didn’t care about that. Compared to Ferrier, as a man, he was much more decisive because he understood that no one would tolerate a half-hearted subordinate.
Ferrier had too many traitors under her command. Even after a batch had fled, many remained. She didn’t bother distinguishing them and handed them all over to Solari to deal with.
Solari transferred the population while recruiting refugees because the number of people needed for the city construction plan was not small.
Fortunately, Maya sent a number of middle and grassroots managers, as well as many military officers, which saved Solari a lot of energy and allowed him to integrate his and Ferrier’s armies.
Despite their busy schedules, neither Solari nor Ferrier relaxed, recognizing the rare opportunity.
With the barbarians advancing south and the border army preparing for war, it was the perfect time. First, the forces within the Empire were unable to intervene. Second, a large number of nobles and refugees who had lost their territories gathered here, ensuring they wouldn’t lack manpower. Thus, the progress was very smooth.
However, their actions also inspired others. After a period of communication and testing, alliances, big and small, sprang up like mushrooms after the rain.
Alliances were not new to the Northland, and no matter what kind of alliance, there was always infighting, sometimes even turning from resisting external enemies to undermining each other.
However, this time the alliances appeared more professional, more restrained, and more understanding of the art of compromise.
This was mainly due to the people involved. The previous alliances were composed of the first batch of Northland nobles. They were mostly of humble origins, ambitious, and capable, but lacked experience in compromise and alliance, and didn’t understand how to maximize the benefits of betrayal. This, coupled with the rapid pace of betrayal, led to the internal collapse of the alliances before they could play any significant role.
The current Northland nobles mostly came from various forces within the Empire. Their education and broader perspectives made them familiar with compromise and alliance, so the alliances formed faster and were more powerful.
Due to their different backgrounds, the newly formed Northland noble alliances first communicated with each other and formulated a plan before informing Ferrier and Solari.
The plan didn’t harm their interests, but since they had already pledged allegiance, they couldn’t make decisions on their own. Therefore, they first sent the plan to Maya, awaiting her reply.
When Maya handed the plan to Owen, he was also surprised, but after careful consideration, he didn’t find it strange.
The plan wasn’t complicated. They intended to establish a Northland Noble Alliance, jointly build towns along the Imperial border, and form a line of defense against the barbarians’ southward advance.
In short, they were scared of the Northland barbarians. Compared to other schemes and benefits, preserving their lives came first.
They were unlucky. Before they could reap any benefits, they encountered the barbarians’ southward advance. Worse, during the invasion, they couldn’t cross the Imperial border and flee to the Empire’s interior because that would be considered abandoning their territories. The House of Lords had the right to strip them of their noble titles and lands. Therefore, they were trapped in the Northland, forced to band together for survival.
The newly established alliance had a negligible effect, merely a gathering of the weak for warmth, but it gave Owen some inspiration.
“I remember many Northland nobles fled to Mara Town and North City after losing their territories. Go and organize them. We’ll also form an alliance, called the Northern Glory Alliance.” Owen tapped the table and said.
Although only the weak huddled together, the phrase “strength in numbers” applied not only to battles but also to voice. If the Northland Noble Alliance represented the Northland, North City would be at a disadvantage in public opinion.
Therefore, Owen decided to establish an alliance as well, directly dividing the Northland and vying for a voice, which was probably what the Empire wanted to see.
However, Owen didn’t intend for Ferrier and Solari to join his alliance. Instead, he wanted them to join the Northland Noble Alliance. His intention was self-evident.
“By the way, don’t forget to spread the word about Grand Duke Macaron’s conspiracy.” Owen said to Maya as she was leaving.
“It’s already being done. I believe it’s already spread far and wide.” Maya said with a smile.
In fact, it was true. Grand Duke Macaron’s envoys had indeed contacted many Northland nobles in private, so the matter was directly confirmed by those nobles: it was his doing.
Compared to Grand Duke Macaron, the so-called Northland nobles were like destitute vagrants. However, they had backers. While they couldn’t offend a Grand Duke, it didn’t mean their backers couldn’t make things difficult for him and cause him some trouble.
