In the following days, Anke and the three earls took the lead and, under the pretext of suppressing the bandits on horseback, began collecting donations for the Bandit Suppression Fund from the wealthy across Hanover Province.
Merchants and petty nobles who had long suffered from the bandits’ raids suddenly saw them as saviors.
They eagerly donated money, hoping the bandits would be wiped out so they could have some peace.
Even some clever nobles thought it seemed off—like a bottomless pit.
They raised doubts, questioning where the money was really going.
But as soon as they voiced their concerns, a large number of people immediately jumped forward to accuse them.
Those accusers pointed out that even the Lord and the three earls had donated, so the money must truly be used to suppress the bandits and protect the region.
“If you say there’s a problem, are you in league with the bandits?”
Under a barrage of accusations, the dissenting voices eventually faded away.
Looking at the rising gold coin figures reported from donation points across the various cities in his domain, the three earls marveled that this was even faster than outright robbery.
After the fund collection was completed, officials dispatched by the three earls carefully checked the incoming gold coins three times, and Anke received the final result.
In just three days, the twenty-one cities of Hanover Province had raised a total of 4.83 million Gold Markors in bandit suppression donations.
According to the agreed split, each of the four families—Anke and the three earls—could receive over 1.2 million gold coins. Over 1.2 million gold coins! Enough to fill several large carts.
“Your Highness Anke, this move of yours is truly a miracle.”
“I never thought… ahem, that these people could squeeze out so much money!”
“Your Highness Anke, are you still selling those Border City Construction Bonds? I’m very interested in investing in you.”
After seeing the final earnings, the three earls looked at Anke with fawning smiles.
‘These merchants and nobles are ridiculously wealthy. I need to think of other ways to make them cough up more gold.’
The commotion Anke stirred up was so massive that even without Earl Oka sending word, the First Prince Spaite, far away in the Golden City, learned that Anke was preparing to suppress the bandits.
He immediately summoned his retainer Cavens to discuss how to respond.
After listening to Spaite’s description of Anke’s large-scale actions in Hanover Province, Cavens stroked his beard and pondered for a while before advising Spaite.
“Your Highness, since the Fourth Prince has made such a big show of suppressing a mere bandit group, we’d best take a step back—even have those bandits withdraw from Hanover territory entirely, without any engagement with the Fourth Prince’s men.”
“Not engage with Fourth Brother’s men? Why? Are you suggesting that my bandits, made up of elite veterans, would lose to Fourth Brother’s rabble militia from that broken Border City?”
Spaite’s voice carried a hint of displeasure.
“I may offend you by saying this, Your Highness, but your bandits likely cannot stand against the Fourth Prince’s forces. After all, the Fourth Prince defeated the barbarians in winter, hunted down the Blue Water Dragon that ruled the river, and even the lich we hired couldn’t kill him. These facts alone show that the Fourth Prince’s power has grown beyond what we can estimate, without our knowledge. Therefore, rather than letting these veteran bandits become fodder for Anke’s achievements—or even a weapon against us— it’s better to retreat beforehand, wait for the right moment, and then plan again.”
Cavens insisted on his view despite Spaite’s pressure.
After hearing Cavens out, Spaite stood up in silence, walked to the window, and looked outside.
“You’re right, Cavens. The Fourth Brother now is no longer the child in the Royal Capital who only played with dolls…”
Spaite turned back to face Cavens.
“I’m glad Your Highness can pull back in time. Swallowing your pride for a while isn’t a big problem.”
Cavens breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had convinced Spaite.
“But Cavens, what if I don’t want to just pull back like this?”
Spaite suddenly changed his tone, becoming firm again.
“Your Highness, giving up in time is the right choice. Don’t sacrifice the big for the small out of impulse.”
Cavens tried hard to persuade him.
“It’s not impulse! I’ve prepared so long, spent so much money and effort to deal with Fourth Brother. I can’t give up without gaining anything!”
Spaite’s tone was resolute.
“At the very least, I need to find out what kind of force my fourth brother truly commands now!”
“What does Your Highness intend to do?”
Cavens asked.
“I can withdraw, but before I do, I have to clash with the Fourth Brother. I need to know what made him so strong— is it those alchemical rods that make thunderous sounds, as the spies reported? Or is there someone else helping him? If we can’t win, my men will retreat, but at least we’ll bring back useful intelligence. If we do win, that’s the best outcome. Anke made such a big deal about suppressing the bandits—if he fails, he won’t be able to keep his position as Lord!”
Spaite explained his plan to Cavens.
“With all due respect, Your Highness, this is a gamble.”
“It’s not a gamble. Gambling means losing everything if you fail. My approach will at least bring back valuable information even if we lose. My fourth brother can’t possibly wipe out all my bandits in one go, can he?”
Spaite countered.
“Cavens, can you think of a way to annihilate all my bandits in a single stroke?”
“No, naturally I cannot.”
“Then that settles it. Give the orders to the bandits as I said.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Seeing that Spaite had made up his mind, Cavens stopped trying to dissuade him and simply carried out his orders.
After the letter was drafted, it was tied to a carrier pigeon.
The pigeon departed from the castle in the Golden City and eventually reached a secret outpost established by the First Prince in Hanover Province.
The contact at the outpost retrieved the letter, then set out immediately at top speed to find the bandit group dispatched by the First Prince.
Since no merchant caravans dared to leave the cities recently, the idle bandits were holed up in their base, digesting their previous loot, so the contact found them without much trouble.
When the bandits, who had nothing to do, saw the long-absent messenger arrive, they thought he had brought news of a new caravan.
Like sharks smelling blood, they swarmed around him.
“No caravan! No caravan! It’s a letter from His Highness the First Prince! Take me to your chief.”
The messenger shouted loudly.
Hearing it wasn’t caravan news, the bandits dispersed again, leaving only one to guide the messenger.
The messenger handed the First Prince’s letter to the bandit chief.
The chief tore it open and immediately began reading. The other leaders curiously asked what the letter said.
“Chief, what new orders has His Highness given?”
“We have something to do! The Fourth Prince wants to wipe us out, so His Highness the First Prince orders us to clash with the Fourth Prince’s men and see what he’s capable of. If we lose, we withdraw from Hanover Province. If we win, we stay and keep robbing caravans!”
The chief summarized the letter’s message to his underlings.
“Then what are we waiting for? Fight! These militia and knights here are no match for us! What are we afraid of?”
“Right, how could we possibly lose?”
The string of victories since arriving in Hanover Province had gone to the bandit leaders’ heads, making them believe they were invincible.