Translator: Kris _ Liu Editor: Vermillion Both Shaheen and Phelim were confused when they received the messenger's report. A few days ago, the Norton Family's armed forces passed through their territory, saying that they were going to attack Winderbury to capture the second prince. Now, Laurist was on his way to Gildusk City for a meeting. They couldn't understand what was going on.
However, this didn't stop them from welcoming Laurist and his men. The two Barons walked around the cross on which Master Swordsman Jared's body was nailed.
This time, Laurist got himself a four-wheeled carriage and nailed a cross on it. Then, he pinned Jared's body onto it and paraded it through the streets. The dead Master Swordsman's body had already been preserved, so he didn't have to worry about it rotting in two or three months.
"Loke, don't you think you're going a little overboard? He's a Level 3 Master Swordsman after all. He's said to be half a step away from becoming a Master Swordsman. Nailing his body to a cross isn't appropriate …" Baron Phelim said as he looked at Jared's body.
"Chuck, I don't think he's a Master Swordsman. He's just a despicable assassin. Since he could disregard his reputation as a Master Swordsman and come here to assassinate me, I can hang his body as a despicable assassin even if he fails," Loriste said disdainfully.
Baron Phelim's full name was Phelim Charlward. His nickname was Chuck.
"Your family has suffered heavy casualties, right?" Shaheen asked. He had seen Master Swordsman Jared twice and knew that the old man was much stronger than his junior, Master Swordsman Rouynth. It was said that Master Swordsman Rouynth couldn't last more than a hundred moves against Jared. When Shaheen was still a Gold Knight under Duke Lujins, Master Swordsman Rouynth had made fun of him twice. In the end, he could only swallow his anger.
Laurist let out a long sigh. "This old man killed nearly five hundred of my family's soldiers and eleven Argent Family Knights. Even Bofinger and Josk were seriously injured. I've been recovering for more than two months, so I won't let the second prince go this time. Nailing the body of the old man to the cross was to publicize the despicable act of the second prince ordering a Great Swordsman to assassinate the Lord, letting people know that he was not qualified to be a king. This way, even if we capture him, no one will accuse us of rebelling. "
"What can you do even if you catch him? The reputation of killing the king is not good … "Baron Philim's worries were not unreasonable. Even if the second prince was not qualified to be king, the crown was still on his head. In Galinthea, killing a king was not a good reputation for a noble family.
"Don't worry, we'll imprison him for a while and hand him over to the second prince of the Andinac Kingdom when there's a chance. Let them deal with him as the heir of the former Chrison royal family. That's their family's business." Laurist had already made up his mind.
The two barons gave him a thumbs-up.
"This method of yours is awesome. Not only did you leave others speechless, you also avenged yourself. The Andinac Royal Family hated the eldest and second princes to the core. If they hadn't raised the flag of rebellion, the great empire wouldn't have fallen apart. If the second prince had fallen into their hands, hanging him would have been a very merciful punishment. "Baron Philim nodded in praise.
Baron Shahin pointed at the body of the Great Swordsman and asked, "Locke, are you going to Winderbury like this? Is there anything we can help with? "
Laurist sighed and said, "Henned, Chuck, you two idiots, I'm here to remind you to send your troops …"
Baron Shahin's full name was Shahin Henned. He did not have a nickname. Knight Henned, who used to be one of the five Golden Knights under the Grand Duke of the North, was captured alive by Laurist when he was ordered by the Grand Duke to attack the Norton Family.
Baron Shahin was stunned and asked, "Why do we send our troops?"
"Last time, the three of you complained that our armed forces swept the North clean, leaving you with no people. Now that the opportunity is right in front of you, you're ignoring it. What should I say to you? Our family has sent troops to capture the second prince, and we only want the Royal Capital, Winderbury City. Who else in Winston Province can resist our army? Why don't you take the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and instead stand on the shore and watch? Send your troops to rob them! Idiots, if you want men, money, or food, it's all up to you! "Laurist said in exasperation.
"Uh …" Baron Philim already understood what Laurist meant, but he blushed a little and said, "Locke, it's not that we don't want to send our troops, but …"
"Alright, I understand your concerns. Aren't you worried about the two border guard corps of Pitro City? I heard that the last two times you sent troops to Winston Province, you suffered some losses? " Laurist smiled and waved to Schwald who was standing beside him, "Schwald, go get a map of the Iberian Kingdom."
"His name is Schwald, a disciple of mine like Redi. His father is Bofinger, you know him too. Now that he has awakened impetus and is following me as my attendant, please take care of him in the future. "Laurist introduced his new attendant to Baron Shahin and Baron Philim.
"Of course, of course." The two barons said. Henned took out a dagger inlaid with several gems and gave it to Schwald as a greeting gift.
Baron Philim didn't have anything suitable with him, so he decided to entrust his only precious illegitimate daughter to Schwald. He praised his illegitimate daughter as one of the few in the world, saying that she was beautiful, sensible, and well-behaved. She was also fifteen years old this year, a year younger than Schwald. Although she was his illegitimate daughter, she was still registered in the Philim family's genealogy.
The more Baron Philim looked at Shi Huade, the more satisfied he was with him. Shi Huade was different from Redi's boorish and taciturn demeanor. Shi Huade was handsome and had a refined temperament. Baron Philim had always told his precious illegitimate daughter to find a good husband for her, and Shi Huade was a good candidate. Schwald's father was a Gold Knight, and he was also Laurist's disciple. With such outstanding looks and temperament, it was obvious that he would have a bright future. It was definitely a good idea to marry his precious daughter to him.
Schwald was dumbfounded. He didn't expect to get a wife when he went to get the map. He blushed at Baron Philim's words and didn't know how to respond. In the end, it was Laurist who helped him out. "Alright, Chuck, there's no hurry to find a son-in-law. Once this is over, you can talk to Bofinger yourself. Schwald and your daughter are still young anyway. If they like it, they can get engaged first. It won't be too late to get married when they're twenty."
Baron Philim said, "She's not young. When my daughter was born, her mother was only sixteen …"
Henned and Laurist gave him the middle finger, meaning that he was a beast to even lay his hands on a fifteen-year-old girl. Baron Philim didn't say anything …
Laurist unfurled the map of the Iberian Kingdom and pointed at the two provinces of Grand Duke Fisabulon. "Grand Duke Fisabulon was originally the second son of a viscount in the Makinohara Province. He later joined the army and was made the commander of the border guards due to his military exploits. The border guards were originally formed by the Crisen Empire to defend against the grassland barbarians in the northeast plains. They had a strength of twenty-five thousand men. After Duke Fisabulun became the commander of the border guards, he greatly expanded it and defeated the grassland barbarians 34 years ago. He expanded the territory of the Empire and established the Eastern Wasteland Province. He was conferred the title of duke due to his meritorious service, and the Eastern Wasteland Province became the hereditary territory of the Fisabulun family … "
"Due to the expansion of the border guards under Duke Fisabulun's control to a strength of 78,000 men, which was comparable to the former empire's White Lion Legion, the Duke had always been deeply suspicious of the empire. He could only manage the Eastern Wasteland Province and Muino Province to protect himself. During the empire's civil war, the second prince personally went to the Eastern Wasteland Province to meet Duke Fisabulun and married his daughter. Finally, he obtained the support of the Fisabulun family and established the foundation of the Iberian Kingdom. "
"After the Iberian Kingdom was established, the second prince disregarded the exhaustion of the people and insisted on sending troops to attack the Duchy of Merine. In the end, he was defeated by the army of the duchy and the Gale Legion led by Duke Merine. Not only did he suffer a great defeat, but even the southern province was turned into ruins. Under such circumstances, the second prince borrowed three cavalry regiments from Duke Fisabulun and took advantage of the time when the Andinac Kingdom and our family's caravan were heading north to attack the Duchy of Madras. In the name of supporting the Duchy of Madras to resist the invasion of the Andinac Kingdom, he tried in vain to annex the Madras Kingdom's Delemke Province. "
"Unexpectedly, the situation on the battlefield changed. The Duke of Madras shook hands with the Andinac Kingdom and made peace with the second prince, but at the same time, he became enemies with the second prince and defeated the second prince's army in the battle of Kebo City. The second prince had no choice but to withdraw from the Delemke Province and took advantage of the time when our Norton family's armed forces defeated the Duke of the North to occupy the Northern Grand Duchy. "
"After occupying the Northern Grand Duchy, the second prince could be considered to have direct jurisdiction over the territory, so he left the southern province of the Iberian Kingdom, which is the province of Winston where the three southern counties and the capital are located. Because the three southern counties were already in ruins, if he wanted to restore production, he would have to invest a lot of money, and he would also have to guard against the Duchy of Meraine's army at any time. For the second prince, the gains did not make up for the losses, so he abandoned this province. "
"As for the Winston province where the capital is located, other than the capital Wendelemke City, the rest of the territory has long been sold by the second prince, so it is simply unable to support the second prince to support an army. So after occupying the Northern Grand Duchy, the second prince has been staying here and not returning to the capital. He used the provisions he plundered from the north and the property he plundered from the Delemke Province to reorganize his army, and formed the first army of the Iberian Kingdom, preparing to once again enter the game of hegemony. "
"Unfortunately, the second prince should not have provoked the Norton family. As a result, the great situation that he painstakingly built up was ruined in one day. He could only escape back to the capital Wendelemke City with a few dozen guards, and he despicably sent a great swordsman to assassinate me. It is really too shameless."
"Let's take a look at the military arrangement of the border troops under the command of Grand Duke Fisabulun. Although he lent the second prince three Ranger Regiments, Grand Duke Fisabulun had already filled up the shortage of troops, and now the border troops have a full army of 78,000 people. According to the information we have gathered, the border troops have deployed 35,000 people in Munohara Province, and 43,000 people in Eastern Wasteland Province. "
"As the main battlefield against the grass barbarians, Grand Duke Fisabulun has deployed two Ranger Regiments at the border between Eastern Wasteland Province and the northeast prairie. Later, he has deployed one regiment at the East River Stronghold. These three regiments are the main force against the grass barbarians. The other regiment is deployed at the border between the Southern Province and Eastern Wasteland Province. Once the Duchy of Meraine's army invades the three southern counties, this Ranger Regiment will immediately be dispatched, trying to delay the enemy until the subsequent reinforcements arrive. "
"The Second Prince can give up on the Southern Province and Winston Province, but Grand Duke Fisabulon can't. If these two provinces are occupied by the enemy, then the Eastern Barren Province and Makinohara Province will be attacked from both sides, and the Fisabulon family's downfall will be imminent. What's funny is that the second prince would rather give up these two provinces than entrust them to Grand Duke Fisabulun. It can be seen that this father-in-law and son-in-law don't trust each other. Otherwise, even if the second prince was a puppet, he would still be able to keep the Iberian Kingdom stable. "
"The 35,000 troops that Grand Duke Fisabulun has deployed in Munohara Province are led by his adopted son, who is also a great swordmaster, Viscount Christopher. Since Munohara Province isn't the main battlefield against the grass barbarians, there is only one Ranger Regiment deployed at the border of Eastern Wasteland Province. This is also a reserve force to support the main battlefield. As for the remaining 25,000 troops, they are deployed at the city of Pidro in Winston Province. Once they receive the warning signal from Winston Province, the two border Ranger Regiments in Pidro Province will be dispatched urgently, and they will arrive at any location in Winston Province in less than four or five days … "
"I heard that your two families have attacked Winston Province twice, and both times you suffered losses at the hands of these two border Ranger Regiments. Is that true?" Laurist ended his long speech and smiled as he asked the two barons in front of the map.
Baron Phelim nodded with a red face, "The first time, our family sent out a large group to besiege a manor castle. We didn't expect to be ambushed in the middle of the night just as we were about to take it down after four days. Only half of our 2,500 troops made it back …"
Henned continued unwillingly, "The second time, Chuck and I sent out troops together and took down two territories. Just as we were about to continue, we met with these two border Ranger Regiments. Our two families had 15,000 troops, while the two border Ranger Regiments had around 20,000 troops. We weren't afraid of them if it was a head-on battle, but the two Ranger Regiments didn't fight with us in the open. They always ambushed our campsites and sealed off our supplies. They relied on the mobility of light cavalry to follow us around and leave after a single strike. "We had no choice but to retreat together when we saw that we were running out of supplies. We had no choice but to give up the loot and quickly retreat with light equipment. That time, our two families lost nearly 3,000 troops … "
"Although our two families also caused two to three thousand casualties to the Ranger Regiments, they were the ones who defeated us both times. That's why we gave up on attacking Winston Province. If we don't take care of these two Ranger Regiments, we won't be able to move freely in Winston Province, "Baron Phelim said hatefully.
Laurist clapped his hands, "That's right, the reason I came to discuss with you this time is to decide how to remove this thorn in your side. Our Norton Family has sent 24,000 troops to Winderbury City to capture the second prince. I believe the two Ranger Regiments will definitely move out when they hear the news. While our family forces are entangled with them, your families can send out troops to surround them from behind. As long as you catch them off guard, you'll definitely be able to make them suffer. Once we defeat these two Ranger Regiments, we can do whatever we want in Winston Province. You'll be able to get whatever you want … "
"Alright, I'll do it. I'll go get the troops now," Henned said.
"Wait," Laurist said, "The most important thing to deal with the Ranger Regiments this time is mobility. You've seen the 24,000 troops we sent out. Other than the chariots, the rest are all cavalry. Firstly, we are moving at lightning speed. We hope that the news won't be leaked or that we can arrive at the capital before the enemy can react. This way, we can catch the second prince off guard and capture him. Secondly, when we retreat, we can avoid being entangled by the two border patrol squads.
But after thinking about it for the past two days, I think it's better to just wipe out these two Ranger Regiments. Not only will we help you vent your anger, but we'll also show Duke Fisablon our strength. This will prevent him from looking down on the four Northern Families. Two days ago, I received a letter from Kemus. He said that the snow salt business in Eastern Barren Province and Makino Province is always being obstructed. So, I want to teach Duke Fisablon a lesson and let him see how powerful we are. "
"Alright, I'll offer eight thousand cavalrymen. They're all elites of the family, and they're equipped with new standard equipment." Baron Philim made up his mind. He had fifteen thousand men under him, and these eight thousand were all the elites of his family.
Henned thought for a moment, "Then I'll offer twelve thousand. They're also equipped with new standard equipment, but I don't have that many cavalrymen …"
Henned had already expanded the Northern Army to twenty-four thousand men, but there was only one cavalry division.
"Alright, that's twenty thousand men. We'll wait for another two days. I've already ordered my family's knights and a chariot battalion to rush here. Including the two thousand guards I have with me, we'll have twenty-eight thousand men. When the time comes, we'll close the gates and beat the dogs. No matter how mobile they are, they won't be able to escape. By the way, send more scouts over the next few days and keep a close eye on Pitro City. As soon as the two Ranger Regiments move out, we'll follow them and let them have a taste of being ambushed. "Laurist slapped the table.
… …
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