The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

The weather is gradually turning cold, and the cold winds from the permafrost have once again begun to blow across the North.

This autumn seems colder than usual, with even the autumn wind carrying a chilly feel, as if winter has arrived early.

In the past, the people of Jinsui Plain would probably have complained about the merciless autumn winds and started praying to the goddess for a good harvest this autumn.

Or perhaps one should kneel before the god of winter, hoping to delay the arrival of the cold winds from the frozen ground.

Those who were more cultured would temporarily worship the god of nature, or send a goddess to visit the god of nature and say hello.

But this year is different. This year, the people of Jinsui Plain do not need to pray to these gods, because this year, Jinsui Plain has hardly any harvest, and there are not many people left.

The former farm now appears desolate and barren, with withered grass swaying in the wind, making a rustling sound, and even the weeds are beginning to wither.

A few lonely trees stood not far away, their leaves long gone, leaving only bare branches shivering in the cold wind blowing from the frozen earth.

The original Golden Harvest Plain was a land of great geographical advantage. Not only was it backed by a river valley with a dense network of waterways, convenient transportation, and a large number of merchants, but it was also the largest grain-producing area. Moreover, relying on the Lars family, the Golden Harvest Plain theoretically did not belong to any lord and was an absolutely neutral territory.

That being said, the nobles of the North have already tacitly accepted that the Golden Plains is part of the River Valley. After all, although it is neutral, it is the closest to the River Valley. The Golden Plains also needs to rely on the River Valley for trade and exchange. A large part of the reason why the River Valley is able to prosper is because it is close to the Golden Plains. The two are complementary.

Unfortunately, after Doug took over the rule, there was no longer any concept of neutrality in the Golden Plains. The so-called neutrality was only maintained in the context of the North, where lords were everywhere, as a direct territory of the Lars family. Now, Doug was ruling directly as the heir of the Lars family.

Doug knew, of course, that the output of the Golden Harvest Plain was very important, but whether it was to pay off the debt to the demons in the early stages or to plan for the war later, Doug needed money very much. And those rich farmers on the Golden Harvest Plain were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter, and fat lambs at that.

No, in Doug's eyes, this was simply a succubus with ram's horns, swaying her hips to seduce him. Originally, Doug could resist the temptation, since as long as the Golden Plains had not been breached, Doug's side had the resources to fight a protracted war.

Furthermore, as long as the original policies are maintained, the Golden Harvest Plains are quite stable, regardless of who rules it. If managed properly, it can supply most of Doug's food needs, so Doug can remain rational.

But Doug's ability to remain rational did not mean that his men could remain rational. Soon, the nobles under Doug's command began to target the wealthy households of the Golden Harvest Plain, demanding more and more each time. Although they dared not collect taxes three times, they had already collected taxes for twenty-five years.

Upon learning this news, Doug not only did not stop it, but joined the ranks of exploiters, and even became more ruthless in his exploitation. Doug thought that since others were benefiting, he might as well benefit himself.

Some things, once started, can't be stopped.

One of the main purposes of issuing Dougcoins was to exploit the wealthy households of the Golden Plains.

It was after reaping the rewards of the Golden Plains that Doug's mindset completely transformed into that of a gambler.

Today, on the Jinshui Plain, most of the wealthy households have fled with their property, and the serfs have also scattered and fled. Broken farm tools and abandoned carriages are scattered everywhere on the ground, and only a few crows are circling in the sky.

A team of scouts patrolled the Golden Harvest Plain. Seeing the desolate scene, the scouts couldn't help but shake their heads.

Although they are called scouts, these scouts are equipped with a lot of weapons and equipment, making them more like a complete cavalry unit. They are all professionals, ready to engage in battle at any time.

Meanwhile, the Doug Army, not far away, just stared blankly at the scouts, not daring to make a move, letting them conduct physical reconnaissance.

These scouts were actually Hammond's professional squad, sent by Laurie to probe the strength of the Golden Harvest Plains.

Because Doug has now abandoned most of his territory and begun to concentrate his forces on the Golden Plains, all other roads have been blocked by Doug, leaving only a few main roads leading to the Golden Plains.

In order to invite the gray-collar workers to the Golden Harvest Plain for a decisive battle, Doug even went so far as to use precious gunpowder and organize a large number of professionals to blast the mountains, physically blocking some roads that were difficult to block, and resolutely implementing a scorched-earth policy.

So far, everything Doug has done is telling gray-collar workers, "Come on, let's go all in on the Golden Harvest Plain."

Laurie and White quickly sought Lind's opinion, and Lind's reply was clear: it was entirely up to the generals and staff at the front to make the decision, and if a battle was to be fought, the railway here would be accelerated to extend to the Golden Harvest Plain to ensure logistical supplies.

When Hammond returned and reported on the current situation of the Golden Plains, Laurie put his legs up on the table and shook his head with a worried expression.

"Old Ha, what do you think of this Golden Harvest Plain?"

Upon hearing this abstract nickname, Hammond knew that Laurie was starting to have a headache again.

Hammond thought about it carefully and said, "The Golden Plains are flat and quite wide, which can maximize the range advantage of our artillery and provide a wider range of firepower. It is also easy to deploy. Although it is not easy to defend against the enemy's close-range attacks, as long as we coordinate properly, we can still make full use of the advantages of artillery."

Laurie nodded, then asked Darcy, "Darcy, what do you think?"

"They'll just be lined up and shot."

Darcy was more confident than Hammond. The Grey and White Collar's muskets were the most advanced at the time. As long as the machine guns were set up in the right place, Doug's side would really just be lined up and shot.

“You’re all right, but if that’s the case, why did Doug choose to fight us on this plain?”

Originally, Laurie's advance wasn't going to be that fast, but not long ago, Doug suddenly abandoned other areas and prepared to have a decisive battle with the Grey and White Collars on the Plains.

So much so that the areas along the way could no longer be described as surrendering at the mere sight of the enemy; rather, the surrender was as swift and disgusting as diarrhea.

"Perhaps the other side felt that they could better utilize their numerical advantage on the plains."

Darcy had little experience, and after thinking about it, this was the only level he could come up with.

But Hammond thought about it carefully and said, "Doug sent a letter before, saying that he wanted to divide the territory with the governor and give us all the land west of the Golden Harvest Plain. So the Golden Harvest Plain is probably the other side's bottom line. Concentrating the soldiers here not only means a decisive battle, but also a warning."

"This warning is useless."

Laurie used her waist to rock the chair.

Doug is practically begging on the Golden Plains, saying, "Come play, grandpa!"

"Old Ha, that's what I thought too, but the more I think about it, the more something seems off. The other side would rather destroy their other territories than not bring us to the Golden Harvest Plain for a decisive battle, but so far, there's been no preparation on the Golden Harvest Plain. Something's definitely amiss."

Laurie's veteran radar is already beeping, if it has any.