Chapter 374 - 261: Ruthless Tax Collection (Part 2)

Chapter 374: Chapter 261: Ruthless Tax Collection (Part 2)

It was trade with a more distant empire, one whose borders would likely never touch their own, that had breathed new life into the region.

The Lizardmen had always dwelled there, occasionally launching small-scale incursions, but never before had they demonstrated such immense power as in their last two attacks.

If the Lizardmen army were to break through the border, it would be a catastrophe for the empire. Losing the entire desert would be a minor matter, but if...

"Father, what are you doing? The Empire needs you!"

The sound of footsteps grew more urgent as high-ranking military officers and nobles arrived one after another. The Prince turned; a meeting that would decide the fate of the empire was about to begin.

Elsewhere, Henry’s gaze shifted from the neatly arrayed new recruits to the intelligence report in his hands. The densely packed words swam before his eyes like ants, but he was in no mood to read it closely, his expression filled with irritation.

"Goddammit, why is the world in such chaos? And now the Lizardmen have to join the party!" Henry cursed under his breath, crumpling the report into a ball and throwing it forcefully to the ground.

His voice carried a trace of anger and helplessness. The entire world was against him.

Damn that Jianqi!

The emperor’s actions were already annoying enough, but now, the Lizardmen from the southern desert making a comeback at this critical juncture infuriated him.

Yes, he could ignore the Lizardmen’s offensive, continue his own expansion, and even provoke an all-out civil war.

But he had dealt with the Lizardmen before. Those things were genuinely tough. If the desert truly became an oasis for the Lizardmen and their numbers continued to grow, the consequences would be severe.

The Lizardmen weren’t like the Inferior Horned Beasts. To Henry, the Inferior Horned Beasts were just there for him to farm kills. But the Lizardmen were strong. They could actually kill him!

He stood on the high platform of the training grounds, looking down at the new recruits drilling below.

’Did I piss off the gods or something?’ Henry muttered to himself, his tone tinged with self-mockery.

All he had wanted was to develop his forces quietly in the eastern grasslands, train a batch of elite recruits, and maybe unify the southern grasslands first. Was that too much to ask?

However, reality was always disappointing.

He was just trying to train new recruits, but someone was always either targeting him or trying to sabotage him. All sorts of things were constantly happening, preventing him from training in peace.

Henry turned and went back to his tent, picked up two sheets of parchment, quickly wrote a few lines, and then sealed the letters.

"Go. Find a way to get this to Boman and Fass. Tell them to speed up their lobbying and consolidate the power of the grassland nobles as quickly as possible." Henry summoned a grassland rider and handed the letters to him.

Henry looked at the soldier before him and smiled. "I remember you. You have enough military merits for a promotion, don’t you? After this batch of recruits is trained, the promotions for you veterans will be finalized."

"Thank you, my lord! Loyalty!"

The rider took the letters, bowed slightly, and then departed swiftly.

Henry looked back down at the neatly lined-up recruits, very satisfied. ’Hmph, once I’m done training this army, I’ll kill all of them! Then the world will finally be quiet!’

Henry didn’t know that a blood-red glint had just flashed in his eyes. That kind of viciousness did not belong to Henry.

If it were possible to avoid war, Henry wouldn’t want to fight either. Unfortunately, in this world, only sufficient power could silence those with different opinions and ideas.

Only by training a large and powerful army as quickly as possible could he establish a firm foothold in this chaotic world.

"Recruits! Starting today, your training intensity will be doubled!" Henry shouted, his voice echoing across the training grounds.

"The battlefield has no mercy for the weak! Only the strong survive! You must become strong to live through the enemy’s blades!"

The new recruits roared in unison, "Yes, sir! Loyalty!"

Henry laughed heartily and said, "Of course, with the increased training intensity, your food rations will also improve!"

"Yeah!"

No one would refuse the chance to eat better.

’So what if it’s just more training? For an extra bite of meat and another cup of wine, it’s worth it!’

Loyalty!

The days passed one by one. Almost a month had gone by since Henry captured Odoche, and it had been nearly half a month since he started training the new recruits.

A sense of idyllic peace settled over Odoche, Ximira Castle, and Westwood Laine Castle.

During this time, the rest of the empire seemed to be caught in a giant vortex. All sorts of intelligence reports flew about like a hurricane, leaving people reeling.

Some of these reports were true, while others were embellished rumors. But without exception, they all stirred up waves across the empire, filling the people with anxiety.

Henry’s power, the emperor’s displeasure, the turmoil in the Northern Lands, the crisis in the south... these pieces of news intertwined, making the empire’s situation confusing and unpredictable.

In the midst of this chaos, Count Akakarat was undoubtedly one of the most panicked.

His territory was in the eastern grasslands, bordering Odoche. To him, Henry’s victory was like a bomb that could explode at any moment, leaving him on pins and needles.

’Lukaron is too far, and Henry is too close!’

Count Akakarat’s domain was originally in a relatively safe part of the eastern grasslands, allowing him to enjoy the benefits of the trade network while avoiding direct confrontation with the Half-Beastmen who appeared at unpredictable times.

Now, however, this once-peaceful land had become turbulent. Henry’s army was terrifyingly strong, and his power was expanding at a frightening pace.

’In just a few short years, he’s accomplished what takes others a lifetime!’

"If Henry really decides to make a move against me, what should I do?" Count Akakarat muttered to himself.

His domain was not small, but compared to Henry’s power, it seemed insignificant.

’Even John lost so decisively. What confidence did he have that he could resist Henry?’

’And I admit I couldn’t even defeat John!’

Once Henry’s army marched north, his territory would be the first to bear the brunt.

The Count’s minister stood to the side, and seeing his lord’s anxiety, couldn’t help but offer some advice. "My lord, perhaps we could try to negotiate a peace with Count Henry. After all, he hasn’t officially broken with His Majesty the Emperor yet, and he has no reason to declare war on you. There might still be room to maneuver."

Count Akakarat shook his head. "Negotiate? You think Henry would agree to peace talks so easily? His ambition isn’t something we can easily satisfy. Besides, His Majesty the Emperor won’t let him off the hook, either. He’s too conspicuous, too arrogant."

The minister thought for a moment, then spoke slowly. "My lord, we could contact Henry secretly and see if we can reach some kind of tacit understanding.

Logically speaking, Henry’s biggest threat right now comes from His Majesty the Emperor. He has no need to waste military strength on us. If we could form an alliance, it might not be a bad thing at all."

Count Akakarat fell silent. His minister’s words were not without reason.

Henry was already unstoppable. He had to find a way to protect his own territory and family. He didn’t want to end up like John, who lived a long life only to be displaced and forced to flee his home.

"Alright. Send someone to contact Henry. See what he really wants," Count Akakarat finally decided, his voice tinged with helplessness.

The minister bowed slightly and left the study. Count Akakarat sat back down in his chair, unaware of what kind of waves his decision would create in the days to come.

’No, I need a backup plan!’

’If Henry is dead set on getting rid of me and annexing my territory, then I have to prepare an escape route in advance.’

He began to plan his escape. He would have to move his wealth ahead of time to buy land and set up businesses. He could form a company of Mercenaries and prop up his most trusted men to become landlords, local leaders, and mercenary captains in the new region.

’Yes, that’s it! Before I leave, I have to levy some heavy taxes and raise as much money as possible! I’ll leave a complete mess behind for that wolf cub Henry!’