In the end, the second prince shamelessly followed behind Lollister.
Lollister said, "Your Majesty, although the Kemps and Şahin families are allies of the Norton Family, they are still nobles of the Iberian Kingdom and are enemies with the Andinac Kingdom. Coupled with the unpredictable situation at the frontlines, I am very worried about Your Majesty's safety. Therefore, it is best for Your Majesty not to take risks at the frontlines. "
The second prince smiled and patted Lollister's shoulder. "It's alright. With my brother Locke around, I won't have to worry about my safety. As for Earl Kemps and Baron Şahin, since they are your allies, I believe they won't be interested in me, the former king of the Andinac Kingdom. Besides, I'm just going with you to take a look, not to interfere in your battle. As a noble knight going to watch the battle, I think I will still be treated well … "
Loriste had no choice but to lead the Second Prince and the others on the road.
Four days later, Lollister and his party crossed the pontoon bridge at the lower reaches of the Midburo River and set foot on the border of the Madras Duchy.
The Northland Coalition Army's camp was not far from the ferry. After destroying the defenses and garrisons on the other side of the river, Earl Kemps and Baron Şahin did not lead their troops deep into the territory of the Madras Duchy. Instead, they set up camp on a small hill not far from the ferry. This was the place where the family castle of Baron Seuras, who had collected fees at the ferry and was later hanged by the orders of Ferocious Tiger Ross and Yuri of the northbound caravan, was located. They set up camp there and began to build a large amount of infrastructure, as if they were not going to budge.
The letter that Lollister received five days ago was from Earl Kemps. The letter said that when the Northland Coalition Army stopped advancing and instead started to build a large amount of infrastructure around the ruined castle on the small hill, it was as Lollister expected. In just a short ten days, the private and regular armies of the Madras Duchy seemed to have gone crazy and started to attack the main camp of the Northland Coalition Army. The ten days were very lively until the Madras Duchy's troops were badly battered by the strong camp and lost five or six thousand men and horses. Only then did they stop and send messengers to the Northland Coalition Army.
"Locke, your strategy of switching from offense to defense is truly brilliant. Henned said that if we had continued to advance, we would have suffered great losses from the attacks of the Madras nobles' private army and the regular army. On the other hand, by staying in the camp and taking advantage of the terrain and defensive facilities, we were able to easily defeat their attacks with minimal losses on our own … Uh, who is he? "
Earl Kenneth rushed over from afar to welcome him, boasting about the effectiveness of Laurist's strategy when he left. Then he saw the smiling Second Prince, whose eyes were even shining.
Laurist had no choice but to introduce them to one another. Earl Gammus was a little embarrassed. Just as Lollister had said, the former king of the Andinac Kingdom was famous, and the Gammus Family was indeed hostile. However, he was now the former king, and he was here as a noble knight to watch the battle. So, Earl Kenneth couldn't do anything to him.
On the other hand, the Second Prince seemed to be very familiar with them. First, he started with the name of the former Christen Empire's number one construction chamber of commerce, then expressed his regret for the Gammus Family turning to the Iberian Kingdom, and finally expressed his admiration for Earl Kenneth's talent. In less than ten minutes, the Second Prince and Earl Kenneth had their arms around each other's shoulders, as if they were brothers, chatting happily.
When they arrived at the main tent, Shahin Henned had also just returned from patrolling the camp. After meeting him, Laurist introduced him to the Second Prince, but although the Second Prince was very friendly, Henned didn't buy it and only maintained a superficial politeness.
This time, Laurist rushed back because of the messenger from the Madras Duchy mentioned in the letter. Last time, when Earl Kenneth received the messenger, he only mentioned the restoration of trade routes, not blocking the lower reaches of the Mitburo River, and low taxes for caravans passing through the checkpoints. Unexpectedly, the messenger returned with a reply very quickly, accepting all of Earl Kenneth's requests. This time, Earl Kenneth and Baron Shahin were in a difficult position. Since the other party had accepted all of their requests, it seemed that the war was over. Should they retreat back to the north?
Earl Kenneth had no choice but to write a letter to Laurist, while he himself used delaying tactics against the Madras Duchy. After listening to Earl Kenneth's statement, Laurist laughed. "Don't worry about them, we just need to do our own thing. The most important thing now is to build a good camp for the army to survive the winter and to store up supplies. When we have time, we will sweep through the manors of the lords nearby and demand that the nobles pay us war taxes. If they don't obey, we will send troops to wipe them out."
"Then what should we do if their messenger comes to protest?" Earl Kenneth asked.
"That's simple. What started this war? Wasn't it because the Madras Duchy set up arrow towers and other defensive facilities by the river, sealing off the crossings and passages downstream, and sinking two of Henned's fishing boats? We want the Madras Duchy to compensate for our losses, and to compensate for our military expenses for mobilizing our troops. All we have to do is ask for an exorbitant price. If the Madras Duchy wants to bargain, we can slowly discuss with them and drag it out through the winter. In the end, we still have to ask for the Madras Duke's signature on the negotiated agreement, and not just some random dog or cat saying that they can withdraw after accepting our terms. "
Earl Kenneth was overjoyed. He slapped his thigh and said, "That's right. My brain has rusted after staying in the barracks with these uncouth people. I can't even understand such a simple matter. I always felt that I was a little uncertain after defeating the Madras Duchy. When I heard that they accepted our terms, I felt that they had taken advantage of the situation and should withdraw their troops. I can guarantee that after we withdraw our troops, the Madras Duchy will definitely turn against us and immediately rearrange the defensive line by the river. "
"If they dare to rearrange it, we can just fight again …" Henned said confidently.
Earl Kenneth thought for a moment and asked, "Loke, if the Madras Duchy fully accepts our demands again, what should we do?"
Laurist replied, "There's no other way. If the Madras Duke is willing to accept this loss, then we still have to withdraw our troops. However, we can use the excuse that we don't believe their promises and request to rent a piece of land by the river, connected to the pontoon bridge, and station a division there. The first reason is to protect the pontoon bridge, and the second is to protect the north's merchant caravans from the Madras Duchy. "
"Alright, let's do that. The next time the messenger comes, I'll tell him this. Ask the Madras Duchy to show their sincerity. As long as we do the above, we can end this war. "
The second prince was originally just smiling as he sat in the big tent listening to Laurist and the others' discussion. The more he listened, the more he felt that something was wrong. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Sorry to interrupt, Brother Loke, Earl Kenneth. May I ask why you are fighting the Madras Duchy this time?"
"Oh, Your Majesty, it's like this. The Madras Duke sealed off this part of the river and sank the fishing boats of Baron Shahin's family. That's why we sent troops to punish the Madras Duchy. If the Madras Duke agrees to no longer seal off the river and open up the trade route, allowing our merchant caravans to enter the Madras Duchy to trade, then this war can end. "Earl Kenneth answered the second prince's question politely.
"Then you don't want to attack the Madras Duchy and make it your territory? Wouldn't that mean opening up the trade route and removing the blockade on the river?" The second prince asked curiously.
Earl Kenneth rolled his eyes and looked at the second prince as if he was looking at an idiot. "Your Majesty, we don't want to occupy the Madras Duchy, because the price and losses we would have to pay would be too great. Although we can do it, our goal is only to open up the trade route. Why do we need to occupy the Madras Duchy? We would have to invest a lot of money to develop it. We won't do such a stupid thing. As long as the Madras Duke agrees to our request, then it's fine to end the war. "
The second prince was disappointed. He thought that the two allies of the Norton Family were attacking the Madras Duchy to destroy the duchy. He didn't expect that it was just a feint. They only wanted to open up a trade route. Originally, he wanted to take advantage of the situation and recruit the refugees in the Madras Duchy to form the White Lion Legion. Then, through the Madras Duchy, he would fight his way back to the Andinac Kingdom and regain the throne. It was a beautiful dream, but reality hit him hard.
Looking at the second prince's distracted face, Laurist wanted to laugh. He had already understood the second prince's plan along the way, but he had his own ideas about conquering the Madras Duchy. He wouldn't follow the second prince's instructions.
"Alright, let's get something to eat first. Also, Henned, arrange a place for His Majesty to rest. We've been traveling for a few days, so we need to have a good rest after eating. If there's anything else, let's talk tomorrow."
Although it was a time of war, with Earl Kenneth around, the impromptu banquet was still very sumptuous. However, the second prince looked preoccupied and couldn't eat. He quickly said that he was a little drunk and went to rest in the room that Henned had arranged for him.
"Why did you bring him here? I was a little embarrassed when we first met, "Count Kemus complained.
Laurist shrugged. "I couldn't help it. He insisted on coming, and he's the lord of the Norton Family, so I couldn't refuse. Anyway, he's just the former king of the Andinac Kingdom and a noble knight. It's not a big deal for him to come and watch the war. "
"Didn't they say that he went missing? Why did he appear again? You're already a free noble, and now you suddenly have a lord. You don't feel good, do you? "Henned said.
"Sigh …" Laurist sighed, and then told him about how the second prince and the others had escaped danger, as well as how the second prince had come to the North to ask for help from the Norton Family to restore his throne, and how he had dealt with the second prince.
"Hahaha …" Earl Kenneth and Henned laughed for a long time when they heard that the second prince couldn't recruit soldiers in the Norton Family's territory.
"Actually, Locke, don't you think that the former king is a treasure? You can control him and use his name to send troops to the Andinac Kingdom. In the future, you can make him a puppet, and you can take over the kingdom … "Henned suddenly had a whimsical idea.
Earl Kenneth immediately poured cold water on his idea. "Forget it. Don't you know what kind of person the former king is? He's ambitious and wants to unify the former kingdom, create a prosperous era, and become a famous king. You want to control him? Are you dreaming? What a powerful minister needed was a cowardly puppy, not a wolf king who could bite you at any time.
Don't you see how he treats Laurist? He uses him and is wary of him. On the surface, he calls Locke brother, but in reality, he's also very afraid of the Norton Family's strength. Now that he's in trouble, he's still thinking of recruiting soldiers and using his own strength to regain the throne, instead of entrusting everything to Locke. Accepting all of the Norton Family's requests shows that he's not someone who can be manipulated. "
"Alright, when I came, I already sent a guard to pass an order to Ovekis's Thunderbolt Catapult Camp. Tell them to conceal the catapults and not let the second prince and the others find out that we have such a powerful siege weapon. Also, order your men to keep their mouths shut and not leak anything. The second prince and the others don't really care. Anyway, we're not at war with the Madras Duchy. The frontlines are very peaceful, and they might not stay for more than a few days. Let's just follow the original strategy. "Laurist got up, and the banquet ended.
Laurist didn't want to rest after eating. It was only afternoon, so he asked Ell to go to Count Kenneth's tent to find two fishing rods and go fishing by the river. There was a type of white fish at the banquet that was extremely delicious. It was a specialty of the Mitrobro River. Count Kenneth even boasted about his fishing skills during the banquet. Henned said bitterly that while he was supervising the frontlines to repel the Madras Duchy's attack, Count Kenneth was fishing in the river at the back. However, Henned had no choice. His favorite woman was Count Kenneth's cousin, so he had no choice but to accept it.
After fishing for three hours, apart from the white fish, the other aquatic products in the river were all messed up. Seeing that the sky was starting to darken, Laurist and Ell rowed the small fishing boat back to the shore and rode back to the camp.
The broken castle on the small hill had been mostly repaired. It was the center of the Northern Coalition Army's camp, and also where Count Kenneth and Henned were staying. Laurist was arranged to stay in a side building not far from the main castle. He handed the afternoon's harvest to the guards to deal with as he went upstairs to take a bath and change his clothes before eating.
Just as he entered the bath, he heard the guard outside announce that Count Kenneth had arrived. He was probably here to invite Laurist to dinner. Laurist didn't mind and let Kenneth in directly. They were both men, so there was no need to avoid him.
Unexpectedly, the first thing Kenneth said when he entered was, "Your Majesty talked to me for a long time this afternoon. Do you know what he wants?"
Laurist was stunned. "What does he want?"
Count Kenneth laughed. "He made me a lot of wishes. He drew me a very, very big pie and put it in front of me. He said that if the Kenneth family is willing to switch allegiance to him, he will raise my title and make me a grand duke. After the restoration of the kingdom, he will give my family a province as my fief. "
Laurist laughed. "Do you believe in his promise?"
Kenneth shook his head. "I don't believe it, but I'm very tempted."
"Why?"
"Locke, the Norton family is a noble family of the Crisen Empire for hundreds of years, but we are not. The Kenneth family is only the largest construction company in the former empire. This noble title was bought from the second prince. The second prince is a traitor of the former empire, and now he is dead. The Iberian Kingdom is also in a precarious situation. Once the kingdom is destroyed, no one will recognize our noble title. The Andinac royal family is the inheritance of the former Crisen royal family, and the second prince represents the orthodox … "
… …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
