Chapter 118: Chapter 114: The War Begins

Although the King of Cyart had tried to emulate the most powerful Lorne Empire by establishing a national standing army and gradually building the concept of a nation-state, he had no way to reclaim the numerous noble lands and their military forces.

The power of the local nobility in the various provinces remained extremely large; they even usurped the fruits of reform, taking direct control of the standing army's forces and continued to exist as familial local warlords.

Within Cyart, the most powerful families with the largest landholdings included the eight great noble families, among which was the Royal Family itself.

Most of Cyart Kingdom's land was, in fact, directly or indirectly under the control of these eight great noble families.

Actually, the Eastern Four Kingdoms, including Cyart, Rhea, Vallere, and Carnia, were established by ten great families expelled from the central continent by the Lorne citizens.