The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

If there's one thing that's been most unexpected on the continent of Soren recently, it's probably that Domingo has declared war on his sister Rosalind. Domingo Castile has directly declared war on New Castile.

Not only that, Domingo also had the support of his other siblings, although most of this support was just lip service. In an instant, Rosalyn, who had been getting along well with her older brothers and sisters, suddenly became the target of everyone's attacks.

This incident ignited chaos across the entire continent of Solon. Many states that seized territory and established their own kingdoms sought to gain merit by following these powerful lords, and some even fought amongst themselves for it. If other countries had previously maintained a superficial alliance due to the Avars, the continent of Solon had now fully entered an era of war.

Rosalind did not engage in any military buildup, nor did she follow Domingo's initial suggestion to triple taxes and engage in sustainable exploitation. Instead, she began to emancipate serfs, redistribute land, and register households within her territory.

If that were all, it wouldn't be enough for Domingo, who had been all smiles before, to suddenly declare war. Most importantly, Rosalind didn't leave any nobles behind.

Yes, Rosalind did not adopt the same aristocratic politics as other fragmented Castile, that is, a system of shared rule between the monarch and nobles, or a united aristocracy. Instead, she chose to consolidate the power of the nobles.

The nobles who had previously resisted Rosalind were killed without consequence, and no one would say anything in this chaotic era. However, Rosalind acted too rashly, which caused many nobles who had submitted to her to become very dissatisfied with her.

Not only that, many of the nobles who were eliminated by Rosalind also fled to other places, most of them to the neighboring territory of Domingo. The great nobles behind Domingo, hearing these nobles who were related to them in a roundabout way crying and wailing, also looked at Domingo.

In this era, the lower classes had no voice. Rosalind's good deeds for the lower classes were seen as acts of evil against the nobility. Thus, Domingo's campaign against his own sister was also seen as an act of justice, a campaign to punish a cruel tyrant.

With the added propaganda of the nobles who had been driven out of the territory by Rosalind, Domingo's image as someone who sacrificed his own family for the sake of the "people" below was firmly established.

Just as Grey Robe had said, Rosalind's policies would offend many people.

Moreover, Rosalyn is indeed a fat sheep now. Whether it's artillery technology or those foreign merchants, just taking a bite would make those nobles' mouths water.

As for what impact this will have on the so-called empire?

Although Domingo didn't know exactly how strong the Empire was or what it looked like, he didn't think the so-called Empire would be happy to see Rosalind's behavior. After all, Domingo and the other nobles believed that a great empire should be like theirs, jointly governed by many nobles and a wise emperor. They couldn't imagine what a powerful country that had abandoned the old nobles would look like because they had never seen one.

Rosalind pinned a thumbtack to the map, signifying yet another rebellion: "Grand Preceptor, have I really done something wrong?"

"No, Your Majesty, you are right. We have always been on the right track."

The grey-robed man comforted Rosalind.

"But Sister Bernice and the businessmen all felt that I was being too hasty."

Ultimately, Rosalind is not very old. Although she has the Grey Wardens to assist her, they cannot handle everything for her. Moreover, if the Grey Wardens truly had the ability to form alliances, they wouldn't have been ostracized like Rosalind in the first place.

The grey-robed man didn't know how to comfort the little princess. Rosalyn had liberated many serfs and given the farmers a lot of land, but she hadn't received much support, and some people had even joined the local lords in a rebellion.

Although the rebellion was quickly suppressed, Rosalyn began to reflect on her actions after news of Domingo's declaration of war arrived.

This was not what she had expected, especially since those who had accepted her help had also rebelled along with their original lord.

"Simply copying His Majesty the Emperor's policies will not work."

At this moment, Regus, who had been fiddling with the gold coins, finally spoke.

"Back then, His Majesty the Emperor inherited the Northern Territory from the Lars family. At least legally speaking, he was indeed the ruler of the North. But around the port of Valenia, the name of the Princess of Castile might not be as valuable as this gold coin in my hand."

Just then, someone came in to report that farmers in another territory had welcomed back their lord and started a rebellion. Regus glanced at the map and said, "This location is probably where the local lord was sent back by Domingo, and the lord instigated his people to start a rebellion."

Rosalyn was very puzzled: "Why? I clearly distributed land to the local people and gave them weapons to protect themselves, so why did they still join the rebellion?"

"There are many reasons. It could be that the local area was recaptured by the professionals brought by the lord, and the locals were coerced, or it could be due to the long-standing prestige established by that lord."

Finally, Regus shrugged and said, "Of course, I think it's probably just that the lord has come back to distribute money."

Rosalyn wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat.

The village really did distribute gold coins, but even Rosalind's distribution of gold coins didn't help. Without a strong garrison, they would still help whoever attacked them.

"There's no other way. Since we can't get along with the local lords, we have to send our own troops to guard the territory, but it's clear that we don't have enough manpower right now."

Regus remained indifferent, continuing to fiddle with the coin in his hand, while the gray-robed figure stood silently to the side. As he had said before, Her Majesty Rosalind's path was correct, but she was still a bit too young in terms of specific handling. Without the local lords' allegiance, it would be difficult to control the local people on the continent of Solon.

All the surrounding forces are now watching to see if Rosalyn can withstand Domingo's attack. If Rosalyn is unable to resist, those around her will likely swarm her and devour her completely.

Of course, with the Empire's fleet backing it up, at least the port of Valenia can be completely defended.

"If you ask me, there's no need to pay attention to those rebellions right now. After all, we don't have enough troops or management personnel. The best way is to send a team of elite soldiers straight to the enemy's lair."

Regus finally put the coins away and said, "Otherwise, judging by the time, your brothers are probably getting closer and closer to the streetlights."

......

The Avars were also in a dilemma. Domingo extended an invitation to the Avars, hoping to join forces with them to attack Rosalind. However, due to the overwhelming power shown by the Imperial fleet and the rumors that the Avars had been defeated on Mu, the Avars hesitated.

After the argument, the commander of Avar Harbor went to the beach for some fresh air. He was unsure whether to follow the nobles' advice and pull off a big heist to swallow up New Castile, or to continue to observe.

The empire hung like a sword over the heads of the Avars, and until it fell, the Avars would never know just how sharp it was.

Just then, a sentry came running up, breathless, shouting, "Sir, the ship!"

"A black ship is coming!"