Anxiety ploy

Facts have proven that most people's hearing is fine. Pretending not to hear is just not wanting to listen. When Damian "accidentally" hinted at Schmalen's possible invasion to seize territory, driving all the knight families of Gothingen County away, everyone perked up their ears, even sharper than rabbits.

The beautiful and delicate Countess trembled, spilling wine on the table. She opened her mouth in astonishment and joy, "My brother, Schmalen, actually has the audacity to... seize all the territories of Gothingen County?"

"Of course. Bandit knight Henrik, along with other bandits, said so. And I need to remind everyone that recently, many non-local bandit knights have appeared in the southeastern forests, causing a lot of trouble." Damian held a wine glass, walking among the crowd, inadvertently spreading anxiety.

In terms of communication, spreading anxiety is more mobilizing than spreading joy.

If, like ordinary lords, one keeps claiming, 'We have the advantage' or 'As long as we concentrate our forces, a single charge will win,' the likely consequence is that everyone will think, 'Even if I don't go, we can still win.' As a result, if you don't go, I won't go, and we'll end up losing the war completely.

When William the Conqueror landed in England, if the English landlords could truly abandon their estrangement and unite, would a Norman army of less than ten thousand be a match for millions of Englishmen? However, everyone was busy choosing sides and fighting civil wars.

So, although Conosa couldn't hide her smile anymore, Damian still pretend to be anxious.

"I heard Milhaus Castle has copper mines, they must be very wealthy, right?" "Milhaus Castle is in a basin, it must be easy to defend and difficult to attack, right?" "I heard it's peaceful and prosperous there, with many villagers, so they can gather more troops, right?"

After a series of anxious remarks, many people began to anxiously wonder where to put their hands and feet. Those who usually loved drinking were now uninterested in wine, holding their wine glasses gloomily.

This is understandable, after all, Damian's methods are a bit beyond their era's understanding.

Many rough knights, who couldn't even read, naturally didn't understand Damian's linguistic tricks.

Of course, the reason for all this is still Schmalen's attempt to seize all the territories of Gothingen County and redistribute them.

The allocation of territories is a matter of life and death for people.

When William the Conqueror dared to distribute territories, it was based on the disintegration of England's old aristocracy, decades of civil war, and several times being overthrown. And his throne was not always secure, as it was overturned a few years ago.

But you, Schmalen. What gave you the courage to dare to confiscate all of the lands of the Knights of Gothingen and redistribute them?

Just when all the knights were anxious, preparing to talk to Damian about abandoning their estrangement and hatred and forming an alliance to drive out Schmalen, Damian signaled Conosa to quickly end the meeting.

Conosa quickly noticed Damian's intention.

If cooperation is discussed at this time, it is the lords asking the lower knights to cooperate together. This would put her at a disadvantage.

If cooperation is not discussed at this time, and it's discussed just before the next war, it would be the knights urgently requesting the lords to cooperate. At that time, she would be in a position of advantage.

In short, the meeting ended there, and the knights could only leave gloomily.

And the internal knights also dispersed and disbanded at this time, with knights with territories returning home to cooperate in defense.

This once again put Gothingen County in a tense situation before the arrival of a great enemy. Having just experienced a difficult war, people hastily stored grain in the granaries, and then had to train in the training ground with pitchforks to prepare for the autumn famine.

As a relatively prominent figure in the current territory, Knight Wagner, whose territory is conveniently located northeast of Bovendon Village, is also the first to be invaded. He wants to request Conosa to help defend, but is unwilling to give up his dignity to ask Damian for troops.

In fact, everyone knows that the peasants like Damian very much. A few days ago, he even summoned dozens of mounted farmers to drive the bandits back to their lair.

But no one is willing to put down their face to request Damian's help.

Moreover, Damian may not necessarily agree.

He needs to defend Bovendon Village, the Free City, and Joan's Manor, as well as the capital, Gothingen Castle. His forces are also in short supply.

The anxious mood has led many knights to seek cooperation privately, hoping to confront Schmalen together in the field.

Otherwise, it would be shameful to be individually defeated by the enemy. Many rudimentary castles cannot withstand prolonged sieges because they received little food this year.

However, cooperation requires someone to lead and organize. At this moment, someone stepped forward voluntarily.

It was Andreas, the dean who only adept at aristocratic politics, considered himself highly despite having no other merits.

Although the monastery belongs to the church, local nobles often place their offspring there, turning church property into hereditary assets, counted as part of noble family wealth.

In Schmalen's plan, he intends to transfer the monastery to his illegitimate son, another clergyman. As for Andreas, he plans to send him back to the capital of the principality.

But for the latter, without land or wealth in the capital, what's the point of his existence? Lady Shayla will definitely divorce him by then.

So Andreas realizes he seems to have forgotten something.

He has been too busy helping Grand Duke Diodorak deal with Conosa, forgetting that the neighboring Norstenburgers also have plans against him.