Chapter 274: Chapter 257 Eve of the Rebellion_1
Count Theodore knew that his request to Yan Xing was somewhat excessive.
And Yan Xing was right...
The most urgent matter was to ensure Marquis Anderson’s military authority remained intact, not to disrupt Lady Karol’s recruitment of the elves.
But the entire Wildwind Highlands Legion had reached its limit. Facing the principality’s power grab, Marquis Anderson truly had no good countermeasures.
Even Count Theodore did not know what to do, and it was impossible for him to leave Nuta City at this time to devise strategies for the Marquis.
The only thing he could probably do now was to remind Marquis Anderson to be on guard.
Then, he needed to hold onto Nuta City so that, in the worst-case scenario, they could preserve the foundation of their family.
After much consideration, Count Theodore said to Yan Xing, "If a rebellion occurs within Nuta City, my men can control the private soldiers of the unruly nobles. As for the mercenaries, can you handle them?"
Yan Xing replied, "With my current strength in Nuta City, I can only protect my assets within the city. If we want to control the mercenaries, we must allow the Eternal Domain Merchant Guild’s mercenaries to enter the city. If we also need to respond to other unforeseen emergencies, we must allow troops from the Eternal Domain to enter the city."
Yan Xing’s response once again plunged Count Theodore into deep thought.
Although the Eternal Domain Merchant Guild’s mercenaries had the backing of the Eternal Domain, they were nominally under the employ of the Silvermane Principality’s Merchant Guild. Inviting them into the city under the pretext of protecting merchants was a legitimate reason.
But allowing troops from the Eternal Domain into the city meant something entirely different.
Finally, Count Theodore said to Yan Xing, "The Merchant Guild’s mercenaries can enter the city at any time, but the troops from the Eternal Domain... You may have your forces assemble at the border. If the situation becomes dire, I will issue a call for aid to our allies."
This was precisely what Yan Xing wanted to hear from Count Theodore. As long as the Eternal Domain’s troops could assemble at the border, the time it would take for them to enter Nuta City would be significantly reduced.
He knew that during critical moments, arriving in the city even a few minutes earlier could turn the tide.
"Yes, Mentor. I assure you that after my troops enter Nuta City, they will absolutely not disturb the civilians and will withdraw from the city once the situation settles.
"Occupying this city has never been my goal. I only need a stable space to develop the Eternal Domain."
The meeting between Yan Xing and Count Theodore mended some of their recent rifts. External pressures and shared interests drew them closely together.
After leaving the Lord’s Mansion, with the elderly Count’s permission, Yan Xing’s actions within Nuta City became more daring.
As soon as he returned to his Envoy Mansion, he ordered the Eternal Domain to transport a batch of weapons to Nuta City.
The Eternal Domain’s armed forces within Nuta City needed to be prepared to face the mercenaries.
The proportion of hero units among the mercenaries was somewhat high; although most were not very powerful heroes, they could all cast some magic.
The Eternal Domain currently lacked even high-ranking troops and had even fewer heroes. Therefore, to counteract magic, they needed special weapons.
Yan Xing had equipped the Envoy Mansion guards with flintlock pistols, each with one bullet preloaded in the chamber, so that upon encountering an enemy, they could draw and shoot at once.
As long as they aimed accurately, an ordinary hero could be killed before they even finished casting their magic.
However, the flintlock pistols weren’t powerful enough against heroes who cast multiple layers of defense magic, so they needed more powerful weapons.
At the time, the Eternal Domain’s technology was not advanced enough to produce highly sophisticated weapons.
Relying on the griffon breeding program to establish their own weapons laboratory was like relying on a distant water source to quench immediate thirst.
The solution Chui Chui offered was to make flintlock guns bigger and cruder—to make recoilless guns.
Simply put, this meant using seamless steel tubes as rocket launchers and then stuffing large firecrackers into them.
Urban warfare didn’t require long range; a flat trajectory of a hundred meters would suffice. The main targets were mercenaries, so excessive power wasn’t necessary. Loading the warhead with steel balls would ensure sufficient deterrent power.
Thus, one such rocket launcher was equivalent to a blast of Magic Lightning that any soldier could unleash.
These rocket launchers could be used against clusters of mercenaries and to suppress enemy heroes.
To attack sturdy defensive fortifications, more powerful artillery would be required.
A steel tube fitted within another steel tube created a serviceable smoothbore cannon barrel. Mount it on wheels, assign some artillerymen, and a cannon that fired solid shot was complete.
The Eternal Domain’s first-generation cannons used breech-loading, had a caliber of 88 millimeters, and fired standard paper cartridge shells.
The base of the shell featured a percussion-cap ignition system, and the projectiles were iron balls.
However, since a cannonball’s trajectory is parabolic, precise targeting required professional artillerymen.
As such knowledge could not be taught to the locals quickly, Chui Chui developed robotic artillerymen to meet the need.
Now, upon receiving Yan Xing’s orders, a batch of newly produced rocket launchers, cannons, robotic artillerymen, and shells were packed into boxes and loaded onto recently modified trucks to be sent to Nuta City.
At the same time, the Eternal Intelligence Exchange increased its information bounties to attract more people to input data into its intelligence database.
In addition, Yan Xing sent messages overnight to the Eternal Grain Bank’s shareholders, instructing them to be vigilant in protecting their assets and to prepare a certain number of troops, ready to be mobilized by the Eternal Grain Bank at any time.
One order after another was issued from the Envoy Mansion.
The activities of Yan Xing’s Envoy Mansion naturally did not escape the attention of those watching it.
In fact, all the factions within Nuta City were actively expanding their forces. At first, they were discreet, but gradually they all began preparing for war openly.
Gale, from the Nuta City branch of the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce, publicly announced his resignation as branch president. He then converted to the Temple, becoming one of its priests.
To demonstrate his piety, Gale also donated eighty thousand gold coins and a large amount of supplies to the Temple.
The Temple then distributed this money and supplies to its followers and held one large gathering after another.
The Farsight Mercenary Corps was very active in these gatherings, chanting slogans and stirring up the atmosphere. They also spread rumors that Count Theodore had serious health problems, had become very confused, and trusted a human from the Thunderous Swamp.
They claimed that Nuta City’s interests had been sold to the Swamp Tribe.
Flush with money and supplies, the Farsight Mercenary Corps openly recruited soldiers, their rebellious intentions becoming blatant.
Although the Jufeng Mercenary Group, which opposed the Farsight Mercenary Corps, also recruited mercenaries to expand their forces, they clearly lacked the financial power of the Temple-backed Farsight Mercenary Corps.
The Farsight Mercenary Corps suffered losses in their confrontations with the Jufeng Mercenary Group, yet their numbers only grew as the fighting continued.
One could imagine that once the conflict escalated beyond clashes between elite forces into full-blown hostilities, the situation would undoubtedly become very unfavorable for the Jufeng Mercenary Group.
It was at this time that a piece of information somehow leaked out.
The Orcs had set up a treasure cache in Nuta City filled with a large amount of gold coins, intended to bribe human traitors into serving them.
The existence of the treasure cache had been exposed!
Yan Xing immediately arranged a meeting with Li Jiya—also known as Xue Jun—through Grey Mouse.