Chapter 77: Exchanging Iron Veins

Sigh, if it were just a matter of money, it would be manageable. A few hundred gold coins, for Earl Osborn, might be a considerable sum, but he could probably scrape it together by emptying his pockets or borrowing some from outside. However, the attitude of his vassals infuriated Osborn.

Disregarding the authority of superior nobles in such a manner—him being an Earl—if he didn't mete out corresponding punishment, how would he continue to hold sway locally? Moreover, these nobles from the eastern regions seemed to be uniting to resist him. Not only did they refuse to help their colleagues in the west pay taxes, but they were also unwilling to pay their own agreed-upon war tax. Even the regular annual tax seemed to be facing resistance.

Several times, these nobles colluded, shut the castle gates, and refused the tax collectors sent by the Earl to enter. Osborn finally understood; these guys were planning a rebellion!

Who could blame them, considering his abysmal performance in the previous battle against the Hafdans? The Earl's domain of Anen Valley had not witnessed a large-scale war in two or three decades. This rare opportunity for battle, and Osborn had managed to mess it up. No wonder the nobles under his rule weren't looking at him favorably.

In an environment where vassals enjoyed significant freedom, not every noble was respectful towards their superiors. Nobody wanted a tighter noose around their necks. If the superior was a harsh character, that was one thing. If they were a wise and benevolent ruler, the vassals might willingly obey. However, if faced with a foolish superior, don't be surprised if the subordinates turn their backs.

In the absence of war for two to three decades, based on the Earl's daily behavior, the vassals had only temporarily labeled him with tags like "willful, bad-tempered, lacking foresight." They hadn't witnessed the Earl's performance in war, so they weren't openly rebelling yet.

Now, after the battle against the Hafdans, the eastern nobles roughly understood their boss's true strength and were beginning to become unruly. This resistance to taxes was an initial test. It started by resisting utterly unreasonable taxes, then progressed to not paying slightly unreasonable ones, and could ultimately develop into not fulfilling obligations that should be performed and not paying even the justified feudal taxes.

After all, who would complain about having too much money in their pockets? As vassals, the less tax and fewer obligations, the better, while more power was always desirable.

Even if Earl Osborn was a bit foolish and acted recklessly in normal times, he should now be able to see through the thoughts of his subordinates. If he didn't set an example by dealing with those with rebellious intentions, the subsequent troubles would be unbearable for him.

Thus, the atmosphere in the eastern part of the Earl's domain gradually became tense. Starting from a simple resistance to taxes, there was a hint of developing into a comprehensive confrontation.

...

Of course, Gwennis, situated in the western part of the domain, was oblivious to all this. At the moment, just figuring out how to handle the starving peasants around him and the watchful neighbors was giving him a headache. Handling it properly could be an excellent opportunity to strengthen his own power; if things went wrong, it could result in significant losses or even losing everything.

After a night of contemplation, Gwennis had made a preliminary decision.

He first spent all 5000 ruling points to illuminate a large and high-grade shallow iron vein on his territory. The moment he pressed the confirmation key, in broad daylight, a clear sky suddenly split, and a thunderbolt struck a forest in the territory.

The loud noise startled Gwennis. Reacting quickly, he immediately gathered his attendants and rode towards the point where the lightning struck.

Arriving near the destination, Gwennis quickly found the expected target. In the dense forest, the lightning had charred nearby trees. Amidst the smoke, Gwennis saw a large area of brownish soil, interspersed with numerous reddish-brown rocks, extending continuously into the depths of the forest.

Thus, in the bewildered gazes of his attendants, Gwennis announced that the Targas territory had discovered a massive iron vein.

The decision to exchange points for iron ore was a carefully considered one. Unlike silver and gold mines, iron mines were less likely to attract attention from surrounding colleagues and higher-ranking nobles. Iron, being crucial for both production and military purposes, held significant importance. However, the profit from its extraction remained within a reasonable range. While it might make others envious, it wouldn't immediately attract a bunch of adversaries that he couldn't handle.

For Gwennis, it wasn't that he couldn't afford to exchange for small gold or silver veins; rather, large iron veins had a higher cost-effectiveness and better suited his actual situation.

Of course, having the iron ore was not enough; he needed to quickly establish the mining operation. Mining required a large workforce, and his own subjects were not sufficient. Gwennis set his eyes on the subjects of his neighbors.

In the Hafdans' invasion, many of his neighbors had suffered heavy losses, but quite a few subjects had successfully sought refuge in their lord's castle, saving their lives. However, these subjects, having lost their homes and with farmlands lying fallow, had nothing left except their wretched lives.

Taking Harold Evans, the largest neighbor, as an example, before the war, as the owner of Evans Baron's domain, he ruled over 1700 free subjects and 800 hired farmers on his estates, totaling around 2500 people. However, during the war, he suffered heavy losses. Hundreds were killed by the Hafdans without any warning, and with several months of hiding in the castle, some died from illness or other causes. By the war's end, only around 1600 people survived.

Post-war, due to Baron Evans's dwindling food reserves, he couldn't continue supporting his subjects. He immediately expelled the "parasites" from the castle, letting them fend for themselves in the domain. However, with such a vast domain, the forests were also under the lord's control, and entering them without permission was forbidden. Moreover, hunting wild animals for food was not allowed. What could these destitute farmers, who had lost everything, rely on for survival?

The limited wild vegetables and fruits in the roadside fields were quickly plundered. In the following days, even the leaves and bark in front of their homes were gnawed clean. The one thousand or so farmers continued to suffer from hunger, growing dizzy.

Not only were the subjects starting to starve, but even Baron Evans himself was not faring well. Despite being a Baron with a massive grain silo, he had reserved enough food for his castle and estate's servants for a year. However, like other nobles, most of the collected land tax had been sold off. The remaining portion, supporting over a thousand subjects for several months, had long emptied the granary.

If they couldn't get more food, not to mention the lowly servants, even the Baron himself would starve.

Of course, Baron Evans had considered buying food from the outside. However, the entire western part of the Earl's domain had been plundered by the Hafdans. In their current situation, who could he approach for supplies? The eastern part of the Earl's domain hadn't suffered much, but recent reports from messengers suggested some unrest. Additionally, their crops weren't ready for harvest yet. Trying to make large-scale purchases seemed unrealistic.

It was currently mid-June, and there was still some time before the August harvest.