Being forced to volunteer for the right to lead troops, Hudson could not avoid the impending war.
If he tries to run at this critical moment, he will probably be intercepted halfway and forcibly conscripted into the army as cannon fodder.
Although his acquaintance with Baron Redman was brief, he still had some understanding of him. His political acumen was barely passable, and his military training was utterly terrible.
Based on past examples of his battles, Hudson had concluded: he was a "knight" with good luck.
Surviving to this point was not only due to his own strength, but primarily because the enemies he encountered were on par with him. They all knew when and where to assemble with their youngsters and charge for the battle.
Strategy and tactics, those did not exist for him. Maybe these concepts were not even a part of his dictionary.
There was nothing to despise, everyone was playing the same game. All relied on real capabilities and brawls, few used misleading tactics.
Obviously, this approach was not good for Hudson. If he followed his father onto the battlefield, he would most likely be expected to fight a real battle.
As a rookie knight, Hudson was not ready to fight to the death. In his view, the so-called honor of the nobles was nothing, only life was valuable.
Even if there was a war, he would let his brothers lead first. They were only a disordered mob, they only needed to be a little stronger than the rebel army, and that would be enough.
The heavy responsibility of quashing the rebellion, would be better left to his teammates. He could join in when the wind was favorable, and outrun his teammates in case of defeat.
In the circle of nobles, it was enough to be recognized and become familiar. If he could gain some military merit by the way, it would be a huge profit.
The crisis and opportunity coexisted, the risk of striving for success was too large, and Hudson, who had some insight, felt that he would not be able to handle it.
It turned out that Hudson was overly simplifying things. If Baron Redman was so easy to fool, he would have been taken down long ago.
There were fools among the noble children, but these fools, unless they came from an exceptionally strong background and had support, would not survive for three episodes.
On the battlefield, their innocence and frankness was due to the overall social ethos. The environment shaped personal character.
The result was that Baron Redman greatly appreciated his performance, but regarding his initiative to lead troops into battle, he neither agreed nor disagreed.
Back in his room, Hudson was already in despair. Words could lie, but the body was mostly honest. Although Baron Redman spoke beautifully, the suspicion in his eyes was obvious.
To think of it, it made sense, a barely sixteen-year-old boy, suddenly wanting to lead the troops into battle, which parent could feel at ease!
Moreover, he would be leading five hundred young and robust males into battle; the Koslow family could not afford such an expensive tuition fee.
The main thing was that this time the enemy was the rebel army, who exterminated the nobles like butchering dogs, they surely didn't know about the rules of the game among nobles, let alone expecting them to abide by them.
...
Deep into the night, Baron Redman lying in bed, was still unable to sleep. The previous conversation seemed to have affected him greatly.
Having mingled half his life in the circle of nobles, he knew very well that behind the bright exterior of the group, there were countless dark secrets. For the sake of benefits, there was nothing they could not do.
But if Hudson's speculation was correct, what should he do?
The Koslow family was ultimately too weak. With a prospering population spread across the various regions, that could only intimidate the middle and small nobles at their level. They were nothing compared to the major nobles.
"Should we really step back?"
This seemed to be in violation of knightly spirit.
It should be known, that in past wars, he had never done this. Within a hundred miles, who didn't know of his bravery, Baron Redman?
Caught between not wanting his reputation to get damaged, and not wanting to be cannon fodder. The torn Redman Baron was sleepless that night.
...
The next day, the news of conscription had spread around the castle. Whether servants or castle guards, all joined in the discussion.
This did not include Laisol, since he did not get the Life Essence, he was not doing well, making the Lady Baron worry.
"Laisol, look at the bigger picture. Your father was also in a difficult position. This incident has had a significant impact that he had to show a certain attitude, otherwise...
Irritated and angry, before the Lady Baron could finish her words, Laisol interrupted angrily, "Enough! Wasn't all this just to account for those bastards?
Wasn't the previous punishment enough, but also want to get rid of me?
We are all members of the Koslow clan, why should I bow to them?
Just because I was born later?
Not only is my inheritance forced to the back, even the resources are in the backward, this is really too unfair!
This is ridiculous..."
The Lady Baron had heard such nearly roaring complaints countless times. But the rules were as such, and it was not something she could change.
Even though it was known that Baron Redman treated all his sons equally, and her children received more care because of her influence, she was still not content.
No matter how much she strived, she couldn't change the inheritance order. This meant the family business of the Baron's Mansion had nothing to do with her son.
Originally she had accepted the reality, but seeing Laisol's pitiful state, once again it stirred the discontent in her heart.
Perhaps it was anger that got the better of her or perhaps it was disappointment, the Lady Baron went forward and slapped Laisol and yelled at him,
"Shut up, Laisol!
How many times have I told you, there are some things we cannot say haphazardly. If your father heard what you just said, you would have been driven out of the door.
You aren't even a knight, if you were expelled from the family, you would no longer be a noble.
Do you want to associate with the low-class citizens outside, wallowing at the bottom all your life, without seeing any hope..."
She was resentful, but the Lady Baron knew more about the difficulty of achieving a status as a noble. Even if she pampered her son, she knew there were some things that could not be said.
"Humph!
Even so..., how much better can my situation be now?
He would rather give the Life Essence to a stranger rather than his own son. Can I expect him to get me another portion?
Even if he is willing, I am afraid he doesn't have the ability to do so. That bastard Hudson was also delayed for a year. We don't even have to mention it.
You should know, according to the convention, after fulfilling the obligations of the empire, Baron's Mansion can only exchange for a portion of Life Essence every ten years."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Lady Baron's face changed drastically. Laisol suddenly realized that he had done something foolish again.
He was not the only son of his mother, there were two younger brothers apart from him, weren't there?
With Hudson about to set out to find his own way, the next round of resource competition would begin between the three of them. Both sides of the hands were the flesh, could the Lady Baron still support him unconditionally?