In the following days, despite Gwynnis announcing that he had recruited enough people, nobles continued to send their subjects, pleading for his care. To secure spots, they showered him with compliments and even offered gifts. However, Gwynnis consistently declined, emphasizing that he had reached the desired number and refused all gifts. Disappointed, the nobles left reluctantly.
Throughout the negotiations, Gwynnis interacted with several noble families, yet none doubted his intentions. Frankly speaking, with the news spreading among almost all the nobles, anyone questioning the situation now would seem foolish. If these nobles individually approached Gwynnis, suspicions might arise, but with everyone eagerly sending their subjects, no one raised an eyebrow. They were more concerned about arriving late and missing the opportunity.
With the enthusiastic cooperation of his noble colleagues, Gwynnis quickly obtained a total of six thousand people.
After bidding farewell to the nobles, Gwynnis immediately directed the newcomers to start working. Some were responsible for logging, others for collecting and transporting ores, some for constructing earth furnaces, and others specifically for smelting iron ore. Thus, as time passed, Gwynnis's mining site produced sponge iron continuously.
With a substantial amount of sponge iron in hand, the Wendamil slaves Gwynnis previously housed became busy. Many of them came from artisan families in Wendamil, experienced in iron forging and weapon crafting. Soon, numerous makeshift blacksmith workshops emerged in the open mining site, with the constant sound of clanging iron echoing throughout.
Meanwhile, Baron Henry Lockwood didn't remain idle these days. As the most influential noble in the western part of the Earl's domain, he observed the increasing chaos around him and began to formulate plans. As someone eager to become the leader of the western nobles, he had to lie low for a while after leading the failed noble coalition near the ruins of Wendamil. However, as the situation deteriorated and with significant savings and advantages still in his hands, he felt it was time to act.
During the previous Hafdan raid, the losses at the mouth of the Handi River were relatively minor. Baron Handi River's territory, situated at the westernmost part of the Earl's domain near the sea, boasted a prosperous port and lively town. Due to its remote location, he had ample time to react, gathering all his subjects into the castle for refuge before the Hafdan arrived.
Because of his secluded position, the Hafdan didn't frequent his territory. In the first raid, they merely burned the villagers' houses, plundered some wealth and food, causing acceptable losses for the wealthy Lockwood Baron. In the current situation, it could be said that the weaker became weaker, and the stronger became stronger.
Baron Lockwood secretly rejoiced at this. It seemed like a heaven-sent opportunity for him to lead all the nobles in the western part of the Earl's domain!
He wanted to step forward again, become the leader of the nobles, and make the Handi River Baroncy great again! Under his guidance, numerous messengers were dispatched from the Handi River, inviting all fifty-three noble families in the western part of the Earl's domain, including all barons and knights, to a meeting at his castle.
Of course, Gwynnis received the invitation to the meeting, but he decided not to attend. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, he was genuinely busy, with numerous tasks demanding his attention. Whether it was mining, iron smelting, or forging, there were a plethora of issues to address. Additionally, he had to manage the supply of resources, calculate the consumption of provisions, and assess whether the stock of rye could sustain them until the autumn harvest.
Furthermore, with six thousand people living in the mining site, coordination was crucial for their daily lives and production work. Any mismanagement could lead to unimaginable chaos. Therefore, he dared not take a single step away, remaining on the mining site, even for his daily activities. He feared that if specific issues arose and the responsible parties couldn't find him, it might result in even greater disorder.
Apart from these practical concerns, Gwynnis also had a negative impression of Lockwood. When invited by the noble coalition near Wendamil during the previous conflict, he feigned illness and didn't attend. The subsequent fate of the coalition was well-known to everyone. Now, faced with Lockwood's invitation once again, he had even less interest in participating. In his view, improving his own strength was more important than attending any meetings.
In Gwynnis's absence, the meeting of Baron Handi River commenced. Except for the nobles whose territories were too distant or had suffered extreme losses, almost all members attended the gathering.
During the meeting, Lockwood, in collaboration with other nobles, analyzed the current situation and identified the most urgent issue: addressing the provision problems of their subjects. Despite the lower status of their subjects compared to the nobles, the territories couldn't function without them. To prevent a complete halt in the production and development of their territories, they needed to lend a helping hand to their subjects now.
When discussing specific details, Lockwood noticed that the damage varied among different territories. The impacts on the subjects, families, and households differed for each noble family. Generally, some nobles suffered minor losses, with their subjects and fields largely intact, apart from the destruction of villages and estates, and the looting of property and food. For these nobles, recovery was relatively simple. Rebuilding villages and estates and enduring the grain shortage until the autumn harvest would resolve all issues.
However, some nobles were less fortunate, with both villages and estates destroyed, property and food looted, and even most fields ruined. Even if they waited until the autumn harvest, the expected yield would likely be less than a third of previous years. Nobles facing such circumstances could only recover by replanting after the harvest and hoping for favorable conditions the following year.
Of course, some nobles faced even more challenging situations, with villages, estates, fields, and even subjects completely annihilated. In such cases, these nobles had no reason to attend the meeting, and Lockwood didn't extend an invitation to them.
Regardless of the varying circumstances, the nobles present understood that to weather the crisis, they couldn't sacrifice their subjects. In response, Lockwood generously offered to provide some provisions free of charge to everyone present. With these provisions, they could return home, implement strict rationing, and carefully manage resources until the autumn harvest.
At that time, nobles with relatively normal harvests could sell excess provisions to their neighbors, cooperate in loans or debts, and collectively overcome the crisis. However, the prerequisite for all this was joining the Western Nobles Alliance organized by Lockwood.
As for the alliance leader, strength spoke the loudest. Considering that Henry Lockwood had facilitated all these arrangements, he naturally became the undisputed candidate for the alliance leader.