Chapter 32 Countermeasures
Not long after Gervis walked into the hall, Thomas came in with Laurie and Audrey.
"Don't be shy, just find a seat and sit down." Gervis was the first to sit on the large wooden sofa.
Maybe because it was summer and people were wearing thin clothes, Gervis felt a little uncomfortable sitting on the wooden sofa and couldn't help twisting his butt.
On such wooden sofas, nobles would usually put soft goose down cushions, and some great nobles would even put furs of large animals on them. This made them both beautiful and comfortable to sit on.
However, Gervis had just become the new owner of the castle, and these things were not available for sale in the territory. Even if he wanted to buy goose down cushions, he had to send people to other places to buy them, so he could only make do with what he had for the time being.
After Gervase sat down, Laurie and Audry also found two chairs to sit down. Gandalf often asked them to sit down in the past. In addition, they were a little tired after running around all afternoon, so they didn't bother to be polite with Gervase.
Thomas, however, still stood straight. He did not look for a chair to sit on. He just took two steps to the side so as not to block the view of Gervis and others.
Seeing Thomas's actions, Gervis had nothing to say. He knew that Thomas was different from Laurie and other rough men who only knew how to kill. Thomas was a prospective butler who had received strict education at Rose Castle. Matters of hierarchy were what Thomas cared about most.
"How did you resolve the issue with Benny's men?" After twisting his hips several times and finally finding a comfortable sitting position, Gervis looked at Laurie and the other man and asked.
"Sir, Benny's men have been hanged. Before the hanging, more townspeople were notified in the town as you instructed, and most of the townspeople came to the square to watch." It was Laurie who answered. He usually liked to talk, while Audrey was a bit taciturn, so the two of them didn't need to discuss it. After Gervis asked, Laurie answered on his own.
"Well, that's great. If we can catch Benny next, this matter will be solved perfectly!" To be honest, ever since Benny escaped last night, Gervis felt that this was a big mistake he had made. If it weren't for his laziness, everything that happened in the evening would not have happened, and Ike would not have been injured.
If Benny had not escaped, and Gervis had publicly dealt with these three scums at the same time, his reputation would have spread throughout the territory, which would have been of great benefit to him. Although it is almost the same now, Gervis is a perfectionist, and Benny's escape always leaves some regrets. This world is so primitive, and the chance of catching Benny at this moment is basically zero.
"Let's discuss the matter of Viscount Lanny." Recovering his wandering thoughts, Gervis prepared to discuss the solution to the buffer zone.
Gervis felt that Viscount Lanny must have discovered huge benefits in that camp. This benefit originally belonged to him, Gervis, but now it was taken away by Viscount Lanny. The longer it dragged on, the more he would lose.
Suddenly, seeing Thomas's curious face, Gervis remembered that Thomas didn't know about Viscount Lanny's camp, so he told Laurie, "Laurie, Thomas doesn't know what happened this afternoon. Tell Thomas about Viscount Lanny's camp."
The reason why Thomas had to be informed was that among the people present, only Thomas understood the relationship between the nobles the best, and Gervis had already decided to make Thomas his butler, so Thomas also needed to be informed of these matters.
Laurie and Audrey were born as commoners, and they were okay at fighting, but asking them to participate in the discussion was just a helpless move by Gerves, because Gerves had no one who could give advice, so he thought that three cobblers were better than Zhuge Liang, and hoped that they could also have some good suggestions.
"Yes, Lord Gervis." Laurie responded to Gervis, and then began to tell Thomas the details of his inspection of the camp this afternoon.
"Here's what happened..."
After Laurie finished explaining, Gervis said, "Tell me, do you have any good ideas?"
After Gervis finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment. Thomas and the other two were all in deep thought and did not answer immediately.
Gervis was not in a hurry. This kind of thing was not something that could be thought of easily. Perhaps he could not find a solution today, because Gervis did not have the strength to fight against Viscount Lanny at the moment, which was very embarrassing.
"Sir, why don't we go to Lord Gandalf to ask for support. Then we can just raze the camp to the ground and burn it down." The first person to speak among the crowd was the taciturn Audry, and the method he used was in line with his character.
"My lord, I still suggest that you inform the Earl and use the Earl to put pressure on Viscount Lanny to withdraw from your buffer zone." Thomas spoke slowly. His opinion was exactly the opposite of Audrey's. Seeing that Audrey was about to speak again, Thomas paused and added.
"If we destroy Viscount Lanny's camp, it means we will have a great grudge against Viscount Lanny. Even if there is really something good there, we won't be able to mine it. We have too few soldiers to defend against Viscount Lanny's sneak attack."
"Well, it is indeed a problem. However, if I tell Alice, will the king take away the benefits there?" Gervis did think about whether he could keep that place if he really drove Viscount Lanny away.
It was obvious that he would not be able to hold on. The armored man on the wall during the day was a titled knight, and no one among Gervis could defeat him.
However, Thomas suggested telling Alice, but Gervis was worried that the matter would become a big deal and attract the king's attention after being known by the king, and in the end he would not get any benefits.
"Your Excellency, under normal circumstances, when something like this happens, unless it's something extremely rare, the feudal lords won't actually develop the buffer zone. They'll just warn both parties, and once both parties make corrections, they'll ignore it," Thomas explained.
"Moreover, Viscount Lanny is a greedy man. If there is something rare, he will try his best to conceal it. We are not able to compete with Viscount Lanny for the benefits there now. It is better to make the matter there bigger so that Viscount Lanny cannot develop it. When your strength grows, we can develop it openly."
Just after Thomas finished speaking, Laurie, who had been silent, also prepared to speak.
"Sir, if we only solve this matter through the Earl, it will damage your reputation."
After hearing the damage to Gervis's reputation, Thomas stopped talking. If he continued, it would seem like he was disregarding Gervis's reputation.
But Audrey agreed with Laurie's words and nodded to Gervais, showing that he supported Laurie's statement. With Audrey's personality, he liked to be straightforward.
The scene suddenly froze. Gervis was a little helpless. What Laurie said made sense. In this world, nobles paid great attention to their image and liked to use words like bravery and integrity to label themselves.
Lanny has now infringed upon Gervis's interests, but Gervis did not fight back himself, but only complained to Alice. If this were spread by someone with ulterior motives, Gervis would definitely become a laughing stock and would be labeled a cowardly noble from then on.
In fact, there is a deeper reason. If Gervis was not Alice's husband, but just an ordinary vassal of Alice, it would be normal for Gervis to ask his lord for help when he encountered difficulties. No one would laugh at him because everyone encounters difficulties.
But Gervis happened to be Alice's husband. If Gervis encountered any problems, he would go to Alice. In the eyes of some people, this was a gigolo trying to curry favor with someone powerful.
Gervis's territory and title were all given by Alice. If he continued to rely on Alice for too much help, he would be labeled as a gigolo.
Laurie was a close confidant of Gervis's father and knew Gervis's temper, so he dared to remind him. If it were any other noble, no one would dare to expose such a thing to his face.
"It is undeniable that Thomas's method is the easiest for us to do at the moment." Gervis felt that Thomas's countermeasures made sense, as the nobles had many twists and turns.
Gervis was originally worried that the king would know what happened in the buffer zone and the meat in his bowl would be snatched away by the king, but after listening to Thomas' explanation, Gervis realized that he was being too stubborn.
I am worried that the piece of meat will be snatched away by the king. Isn't Viscount Lanny afraid? Viscount Lanny found the things there, so he should be the one who is most reluctant to part with them.
I don't have enough military force to protect that place now, so I can only use a delaying tactic to prevent Viscount Lanny from developing that place temporarily and stop the loss in time.
Laurie and Audrey thought that Gervis only accepted Thomas's opinion and didn't mind the blemish on his reputation, and they felt a little depressed. Audrey had already stepped down with a smile on his face.
At this moment, Gervis changed the subject and continued, "However, I also agree with Laurie's suggestion. I don't want my reputation to be damaged, so after telling Alice, I plan to do one more thing."
"Viscount Lanny's people have been there for a while, and they should have gained a lot of benefits. What do you think if we rob them on the way when they are escorting the things back?"
Gervis expressed his thoughts. This was the only thing he could do at the moment. The camp was impregnable. Without two or three times more troops, a strong attack would only result in death.
If he wanted to rob the people on the way, as long as he made proper arrangements, he might succeed. The woods in that place were dense, so it would be no problem to hide as many people as possible. Moreover, if the robbery was successful, he would also know what was in the camp that made Viscount Lanny attach so much importance to it.
"My Lord, your idea is brilliant!"
"Your Excellency is wise!"
After listening to it, Laurie and Audrey thought for a moment and immediately agreed with Gervis' proposal. This way, they could not only take back the things stolen by Viscount Lanny, but also hit his camp plan.
"My lord, you are such a wise nobleman," Thomas also agreed with Gervis' proposal. Having heard too much about the intrigues among the nobles in Rose Castle, Thomas knew that there would be no problem in pretending to be a robber to rob and kill a convoy as long as no evidence was left. Viscount Lanny could only swallow this loss in the end.
"Very good, then it's settled. I'll write two letters tonight and have them delivered to my father and Alice tomorrow."
As for the robbery and murder, Viscount Lanny's convoy will most likely be escorted by titled knights. Gervis needs to write to Gandalf for help. It would be best if Gandalf sends one of the two lords to ensure that everything goes well.
…
While Gervis and his men were plotting, Tabby had already returned to Blackrock Castle.
At this moment, Tabby had reported everything that happened in the afternoon to Viscount Lanny.
Viscount Lanny listened to Tabby's report, and seemed to be thinking about something. His fat hands tapped the table lightly. After thinking for a long time, Viscount Lanny finally said, "Since that pretty boy doesn't accept the compensation of 5 gold coins, he must be planning to tell that bitch Alice."
"Send someone to the capital tomorrow with 200 gold coins. If Alice tells the king about this, have someone find the second prince and give him the gold coins. Tell him that we have discovered a silver mine there and hope he can help suppress this matter. As long as the mine is not exhausted, you will receive 200 gold coins every year."
"Yes, Lord Viscount, I will arrange it later."
"How's the progress at the camp? When can the first batch of ore be delivered back?" Lanny suppressed his excitement and asked Tabby.
The mines in that place are of vital importance to Viscount Lanny, otherwise Viscount Lanny would not have taken such a big risk and given away so many gold coins.
"Your Excellency, Viscount, I went to check on their mining progress. They have stored quite a bit. We just need to wait for half a month and then deliver it back." Tabby knew that the mine in the camp was the lifeblood of Viscount Lanny, so he went to the buffer zone camp not only for the possible arrival of Gervis, but also for another reason to check on the camp and supervise the progress of mining there.
(End of this chapter)
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