"Aside from the nobles near the frontlines who are organizing local defenses, the noble armies from other regions have already set out. They are expected to arrive at the frontlines within the next five to ten days.

  Currently, the nobles from the Hanson region are the closest to us, only about eighty miles away. However, their marching speed is akin to that of a snail, with daily progress of less than ten miles.

  The nobles from Warren, Kadar, and Qiaomu regions are also less than a hundred and twenty miles away. But they have deliberately slowed their pace, with daily progress not exceeding twenty miles."

  As soon as the middle-aged officer finished speaking, Count Piers' anger erupted. It was utterly infuriating. The conscription order had been issued over half a month ago, yet the reinforcements were still on the way.

  To the uninformed, it might seem like the southeastern province was vast. But in reality, the farthest noble territory from Fort Ethel was no more than four hundred miles away.

  With such a short distance, it was baffling that they had been dragging their feet for over half a month. No wonder Count Piers was furious.

  But anger aside, before the rebellion gained momentum, he had sat back and watched the conflict, hoping to profit from the chaos. These unsavory actions couldn't be brought into the open. The current reaction from the nobles was the backsh from those deeds.

  The fate of the nobles in Light and Whiton counties had served as a warning, making the minor and medium nobles in the southeastern province wary of him.

  The world was never short of smart people. If Hudson could analyze the problem, other nobles would surely notice the clues as well.

  To protect themselves, everyone had to use their own methods. Although Count Piers had ordered a news bckout, it was ineffective against nobles who wanted to gather information.

  There was no other way. Nobles were all part of the same family. Although Count Piers was the most powerful noble in the southeastern province, most of his knight subordinates came from minor and medium noble families.

  Perhaps these people wouldn't betray their lord, but passing information to their own families was entirely possible. One couldn't expect everyone to be one hundred percent loyal, could they?

  "Idiots!"

  "They're all idiots!"

  "The longer they dey, the stronger the rebels will become. When the fighting starts, they'll get what's coming to them..."

  Count Piers cursed angrily.

  Deep down, he had already decided to teach these duplicitous minor and medium nobles a lesson.

  But thinking was one thing; actually carrying it out was quite troublesome. Everyone was scking off, leaving him, the leader, to bear the brunt of the fighting against the rebels.

  No matter how many schemes he had, if the others simply refused to come, there was nothing he could do!

  Could he really let the rebels pass and cause trouble for the other nobles?

  If he did that, the nobles would probably be overjoyed. Given the rebels' methods, a bloody rampage would essentially doom the Dalton family.

  Nobles enjoyed many privileges, but they also bore corresponding responsibilities. Just look at the nobles of Light and Whiton counties—almost all of them had died in battle.

  Even if there were survivors, in the world of nobles, they were as good as dead. "Defending the nd" was the most basic duty of a noble, and it wasn't something one could simply walk away from.

  Losing their territory meant losing everything—their noble status, family honor, all gone in one fell swoop. The harsh reality forced them to stay and fight to the death.

  Of course, those nobles who were outside their territories didn't count. They were the seeds. If disaster struck, these exiled nobles could inherit the titles and revive their families.

  "Governor, now is not the time to assign bme. The priority is to urge the nobles to bring their forces to reinforce us as soon as possible.

  Although Fort Ethel is strong, it cannot completely stop the rebels' advance. If the enemy bypasses the fort and sends troops to cause chaos in Beda, we'll be in big trouble."

  The middle-aged officer reminded him.

  This wasn't an exaggeration. As rebels, they didn't need to follow the rules. Without a stable rear, the concept of a retreat didn't matter much to them.

  If it came to that, whether Count Piers wanted to or not, he would have to use his family's full strength to fight the rebels to the death.

  After a moment of hesitation, Count Piers, now fully aware of the situation, looked out at the rebel camp outside the fort and said with determination, "Issue the order: all nobles must arrive within three days.

  Tell them that the rebel-ravaged counties of Whiton and Light are waiting for them to recim. As long as they make significant contributions in the upcoming battles, the uncimed territories will be their spoils of war.

  I swear on the honor of the Dalton family: I will report truthfully to the capital, ensuring that every meritorious individual receives the treatment they deserve."

  The mess he had created had to be cleaned up by himself. To survive in the noble circles, certain rules had to be followed.

  To salvage the situation, Count Piers had no choice but to go all out. After all, this mess was too big for his family to handle alone.

  Two entire counties—even if he wanted to monopolize them, the capital wouldn't allow it.

  If he didn't rally the local nobles to back him, the Dalton family wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure. The royal family might even step in.

  If the royal family found an excuse to send a prince to take over, it would be unclear who would truly rule the southeastern province.

  As a seasoned regional lord, Count Piers wasn't a fool. After weighing the potential interests involved, he decisively made the necessary trade-offs.

  ---

  As the marching speed dropped to about ten miles a day, the journey turned into a leisurely sightseeing trip. The tense atmosphere of war disappeared, repced by a growing sense of leisure.

  As they moved forward, the alliance's ranks swelled rapidly, with more and more nobles joining the group.

  More people didn't necessarily mean greater strength, but it certainly meant better information. As everyone tapped into their networks to gather intelligence, more and more details emerged, and the nobles gradually understood the situation.

  With the information out in the open, Hudson and the other nobles finally set aside their worries.

  After mourning the unfortunate nobles of Light and Whiton counties, they unched into a verbal tirade against Count Piers, wishing they could eat his flesh and drink his blood.

  Of course, this was limited to verbal attacks. Asking them to step forward and seek justice was a tall order. After all, they were all smart people who knew their own limitations.

  The only thing they could do was continue to sck off.

  Since Count Piers had allowed the rebellion to grow, he was responsible for cleaning up the mess. Otherwise, when the kingdom held him accountable, he wouldn't fare well.

  With someone holding the frontlines, the rebels wouldn't reach their own territories, so everyone rexed.

  As for the issue of deys, they had already prepared their excuses—rebel harassment.

  If they said there were rebel attacks, then there were. The truth didn't matter.

  Count Piers bore undeniable responsibility for the rebellion, which was a ready-made weakness. He couldn't dig too deeply into this issue.

  It wasn't until Count Piers' new orders arrived that the situation changed. Compared to the previous purely obligatory service, there were now tangible rewards on offer.