The allure of fiefdoms for nobles was unparalleled. The nobles of Light and Whiton counties had suffered greatly, and many families had been wiped out. With such a rge cake up for grabs, it was impossible not to be tempted.

  One moment, everyone was sympathizing with the tragic fate of the nobles in the two counties; the next, they were sharpening their knives, eager to cim a piece of the pie.

  Even Count Piers, who had been harshly criticized by everyone, suddenly became a towering figure in their eyes.

  The anger, criticism, and condemnation had stemmed not only from a sense of shared grief but also from the fact that the Dalton family had tried to monopolize the spoils.

  Now that Count Piers had made a promise to share the spoils, the situation was completely different.

  If it had been a personal promise, people might have doubted it, given Count Piers' less-than-stelr reputation and the possibility of him reneging at any moment.

  But with the guarantee of his family's honor, things were entirely different. No noble would dare to joke about their family's honor.

  In a world where honor was valued above life, the cost of breaking a promise was simply too high. Once broken, the offender would have to leave the noble circle.

  Seeing the eager eyes of his allies, Hudson knew there was no stopping them. If they couldn't control their greed, disaster was sure to follow.

  If the rebels were truly easy to deal with, why would Count Piers offer to share the spoils?

  As one of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom, the Dalton family was no pushover. Whether in terms of strength or connections, they far surpassed the minor nobles in the alliance.

  If the rebellion could be swiftly crushed, leaving no room for the kingdom to intervene, the Dalton family could have swallowed at least half a county, if not more.

  Now, by generously offering to share the spoils and drawing everyone in, the Dalton family would be lucky to get even a tenth of the pie—perhaps even less.

  Nobles were interconnected through countless marriages. Even if the nobles of the two counties were wiped out, there would still be retives to step in.

  Those from far away might not be able to intervene, but local nobles with connections wouldn't let the opportunity slip.

  Once they entered the fray, a fierce struggle was inevitable.

  No matter how distant the retionship, as long as it complied with the kingdom's ws and there was a legitimate cim to inheritance, anyone could jump in and fight for the title. Only after the dust settled would the truly uncimed nds be avaible for distribution.

  Even Hudson was combing through his family's network of retives, searching for any connections to the nobles in the two counties.

  At this moment, the advantage of the Coslow family's rge numbers became apparent. Not only did they find several in-ws, but there were also two branches of the same cn.

  Of course, that wasn't enough. Even with connections, the order of inheritance had to be considered.

  Under normal circumstances, Hudson wouldn't be in line to inherit.

  But exceptions always existed. If there were no direct heirs, the inheritance order among distant retives became a tangled mess.

  With the support of a powerful noble, one could seize the title before other cimants could react, creating a fait accompli.

  There would certainly be repercussions, but compared to the title, the risk was worth it. At worst, they could argue it out ter. As long as the vested interests mutually acknowledged it, it would remain a murky affair.

  The main issue was that all the nd in the kingdom was already cimed, and the vested interests had set a high bar for newcomers. The merits earned from suppressing the rebellion would, at most, produce a few knights.

  To earn a title through military achievements, one had to achieve victory in foreign wars, and the fief had to be in a votile border region.

  If not for this, Count Piers' sudden show of goodwill wouldn't have caused everyone to shift their political stance so quickly.

  The discussion grew so heated that some impatient nobles had already pulled out their treasured maps, cmoring to divide the spoils in advance, as if the rebels didn't exist.

  Knight Chelse, the nominal leader, couldn't control the situation. What was supposed to be an alliance meeting had devolved into a bargaining bazaar.

  Hudson didn't rush to join the discussion. The territories of Whiton and Light counties were indeed rge, but there were too many wolves eyeing the meat.

  It was impossible to satisfy everyone, and no conclusion could be reached now. Even if a tentative agreement were reached, it wouldn't hold.

  Ultimately, the temporary alliance was only a small fraction of the nobles. Even if they banded together, their influence was limited, and they couldn't get everything they wanted.

  "Stop!"

  "Everyone, now is not the time to discuss these matters. The governor's orders clearly state that we must reach the frontlines within three days. If we fail to arrive on time, even if we aren't punished, the spoils will likely be out of our reach.

  Considering the distance, we still have over a hundred miles to Fort Ethel. We don't have time to waste.

  As for the issue of fiefdoms, I think it's pointless to discuss it now. There are so many nobles in the southeastern province that no amount of spoils could satisfy everyone.

  This means only a few will get what they want. Any distribution pn will have to be based on military achievements to be convincing."

  Chelse's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the crowd. The lively atmosphere instantly cooled.

  Everyone was smart. They had just been overwhelmed by the sudden good news. Now that they had calmed down, they realized the gravity of the situation.

  Count Piers wasn't an easy man to deal with. Offering such a rge share of the spoils clearly meant he wanted them to risk their lives.

  Without sufficient military achievements, they wouldn't even have a seat at the table.

  Inheritance rights?

  Direct heirs were recognized—that was the rule of the game. But distant retives? That was a different story.

  No one sprang from a rock. Everyone had a crowd of retives.

  There were plenty of people eligible to compete for inheritance rights. Without something convincing, why should anyone let you take the prize?

  When it came to core interests, no one would easily back down. Even former allies could become competitors in the next moment.

  This was an open scheme. To cim the inheritance left by the wiped-out nobles, one had to fight on the battlefield.

  Even Hudson had to admit that Count Piers had made a brilliant move, turning a passive situation into an active one.

  Judging by the varied reactions of the crowd, it was clear that everyone was prepared to go all in. If nothing unexpected happened, the next step would be to summon their family's main forces.

  The southeastern province wasn't particurly rge. In theory, if the news was sent back now, most nobles' elite forces could arrive before the main group reached the frontlines.