Chapter 230: Chapter 229: Divide and Weaken

The sudden turn of events stunned everyone.

The newcomers had hoped Kudore would be appointed Wubei Territory’s Guard Officer, which would have given them someone to rely on.

But they never imagined that the Lord, who was so calm and relaxed one second, would erupt with Fighting Qi and kill a man the next, completely without warning.

Staring at Kudore’s beheaded corpse on the ground, they were horrified. ’This was a Professional Knight nearing the Advanced Level! How could he die in an instant, without even a chance to resist?’

A chill ran down their spines as they remembered the plan they had hatched with Kudore.

Some of the more cowardly among them collapsed to the ground, soiling their pants in sheer terror.

Others simply stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened, at a complete loss.

And still others, gripped by terror, fell to their knees one by one, begging the Lord for forgiveness.

Wilson and his men, on the other hand, were elated after their initial shock.

’Of course,’ Wilson thought. ’How could the Lord possibly appoint an outsider, an Intermediate Knight, as Wubei Territory’s Guard Officer?’

’A man like Kudore isn’t even fit to be Macken’s deputy.’

’He deserved to die for challenging the Lord’s authority!’

Wilson fumed internally, the anger from Kudore’s earlier slander finally dissipating.

From Ronin’s perspective, if Kudore had merely started a fight with Wilson and his men, even if someone had been injured, it wouldn’t have been a crime punishable by death.

After a public punishment to make an example of him, Ronin might even have been able to put him to use.

But the man was far too cunning for his own good.

Not only had he formed a clique and deceived him—his Lord—in front of everyone, he had even colluded with others to pressure him for personal gain.

’If I back down and let him go today,’ Ronin thought, ’what’s to stop this group from pulling the same stunt again in the future? That would be unacceptable.’

Anthony was right. Wubei Territory was short on people, and even shorter on capable Knights.

Ronin welcomed outsiders, but he had his limits. People like Kudore were not welcome.

“What I am willing to give is yours for the taking. But don’t you dare get any funny ideas about what I am not.”

Ronin’s voice, infused with a Knight’s Fighting Qi, was loud and filled with authority. The chaotic, pleading crowd fell silent, each and every person too frightened to make a sound.

“I know what you were all thinking. You figured if you caused a scene together, you might get a bit more farmland. And if not, no big deal. It’s not like I’d kill every last one of you, right?”

He sneered. “It’s true, I won’t kill you. But I can banish you.”

’Bad news travels fast.’

If he were to kill them all, and word got out, the Viscount of Wubei Territory would be labeled a murderous butcher who was brutal to the Free People seeking refuge under him.

Consequently, potential newcomers would be deterred from coming to Wubei Territory, which would be a huge detriment to the domain’s development.

“I am merciful. I will give you two hours to think it over. I will allow anyone willing to follow my arrangements to stay. As for those who are unwilling… you can leave Wubei Territory right now!”

Ronin didn’t linger. He turned to leave. “Rogner, you’ll stay here and maintain order. Wilson, come with me.”

“Yes, my Lord!”

Wilson followed carefully behind Ronin, wondering why the Lord had singled him out. ’He isn’t going to punish me for my poor handling of the situation, is he?’

The more he considered the possibility, the more flustered he became.

While he found the Lord’s execution of Kudore immensely satisfying, the thought that his master could kill an Intermediate Knight in the blink of an eye filled him with dread.

’The merciful Lord has a ruthless side as well.’

“I doubt many of them will leave. You are to split up those who remain.”

Ronin said as they walked away from the crowd.

“Mountain Forest Town, Sanfang Town, Swamp Town, and Black Earth Town are all short-staffed. Break these people up and assign them to the various towns.”

Wilson nodded thoughtfully. He was beginning to understand the Lord’s intentions.

These five hundred-odd people made up one-seventh of Mountain Forest Town’s population. If they were allowed to stick together, not only would they be difficult to manage, but they would also likely cause friction with the original inhabitants.

While they posed no threat to Mountain Forest Castle itself, this source of instability within the territory would severely impact the Lord’s development plans and make Wilson’s administrative duties much more difficult.

But if the group was broken up and distributed among the towns, they would be far easier to manage.

“I understand, my Lord.”

Wilson thought for a moment, then asked, “What about families? Do they need to be separated as well?”

“Leave the families intact.”

Ronin wasn’t so ruthless as to break up families. There was no benefit in going that far.

“When Macken returns to the domain, coordinate with him. In the future, whenever a large group of outsiders arrives, the Knight Squad must dispatch Cavalry, Infantry, and Professional Knights to the scene to maintain order. What happened today was a slap in the face to the Lord’s Mansion!”

“Yes!”

Wilson lowered his head, his heart pounding. “I will ensure proper arrangements are made in the future!”

“I trust you to handle things, but sometimes you need to be more prepared for contingencies.”

Ronin’s tone softened.

“You’re in charge of administration, and Macken is in charge of defense. Though you belong to different departments, there are matters where you must cooperate. After all, maintaining order is also a part of the domain’s defense.”

Wilson bowed slightly. “You’re right, my Lord. I understand.”

Ronin waved his hand, dismissing him to continue the work of settling the Free People. He then returned to Mountain Forest Castle.

’With the domain’s population growing, establishing a basic legal code is imperative.’

Even before he had dealt with Kudore, Ronin had considered how he would have punished the man if he had decided not to kill him.

The Kingdom had its own laws, but he had no idea what they actually said.

And neither did anyone else in the domain.

’It looks like I’ll need to recruit some people with legal expertise.’

He needed to draft a set of laws tailored to Wubei Territory’s needs. That way, when problems arose, there would be a precedent to follow, and any punishments would have a legal basis.

When Wilson returned to the Western Square, he found that not a single one of the Free People from Baron Kona’s domain had left. Even those who had vocally supported Kudore now stood with their heads bowed, unwilling to leave.

For one, if they left Mountain Forest Town, they would have nowhere else to go. Ronin was willing to give them farmland and a lenient tax policy; other lords were not so generous.

For another, if they left now, there was no way they could make it out of this Forest Land before nightfall.

Given their strength and Constitution, spending the night in the woods so close to the Wushan Demon Beast Mountain Range was an extremely dangerous prospect they dared not even consider.

Third, and most importantly, they had no idea if they would be killed on the spot for trying to leave.

After all, Kudore’s body was still lying right there.

Leaving meant almost certain death, while staying offered a chance at life. So, they all stayed.

If they had known it would end like this, they never would have followed Kudore’s lead and presented a united front.

Those with clearer heads realized the truth: how could a down-and-out Wandering Knight possibly have the power to challenge a Viscount?

“The Lord is merciful. He will not hold your transgressions against you, and you will be treated according to the policies established earlier.”

Wilson’s words put their anxious hearts at ease. At the same time, a seed of resentment toward Kudore began to sprout in some of their hearts for causing all this trouble over nothing.

Wilson sent his injured assistant to rest, then resumed his duties with his other aides.

“We will now continue with the registration. I will finalize your assignments within the next two days. When the time comes, you will be escorted to the towns where you will live.”

Rogner, standing guard nearby, heard the arrangement. After a moment of thought, he understood the Lord’s purpose.

’Divide and weaken. Then they’ll be easy to manage.’

Rogner had once again witnessed his Lord’s methods. He couldn’t help but sigh internally.

He had naively viewed bringing these people to Wubei Territory as a simple escort mission, never expecting them to be hatching such schemes.

In a way, this incident was partly his fault.

’Thinking back, the group had indeed been quite reliant on Kudore during the journey,’ he reflected. ’There were subtle signs that they saw him as their leader.’

’If I had been more vigilant, I would have reported this to Ronin.’

’I was too naive. I’ll have to be more careful in the future.’

He glanced down at his re-sheathed sword. ’Why did the Lord use my sword to kill Kudore? Was there some hidden meaning behind it?’

’He was probably dissatisfied with my performance on this mission.’

In truth, when it came to using Rogner’s sword, he was simply overthinking things.

Ronin simply felt that using the Flowing Flame Sword to kill Kudore would have been giving the man far too much credit.

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