Eastern Wasteland, Tiger Castle's hall.
Young Seria knelt on one knee on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. In the coffin in front of him laid the corpse of the third border ranger, Galini Broput. After experiencing untold hardships and stumbling on the grasslands where the ice and snow had just melted, he finally returned to Tiger Castle. He couldn't help but feel sad and the shame of the entire army surrendering to the enemy. This made Seria feel ashamed to face his family and His Highness Grand Duke Fisabulun.
Grand Duke Fisabulun didn't turn pale with fright, nor did he fly into a rage. He only circled around the coffin, step by step. In the end, he let out a long sigh and reached out to caress Broput's stiff and cold face. He muttered to himself, "It's my fault, old friend. If I could have decisively withdrawn my army back to my family's territory, you wouldn't have died. I can only blame myself for being too greedy. The situation was clearly disadvantageous, yet I still hoped to use the favorable terrain of Mount Pobiliqi to bargain with the four families of the north. I didn't expect that I would lose you and your third border ranger corps … "
A hint of defeat finally appeared on the Grand Duke's face. Everything wasn't going according to plan. Ever since he'd left Mount Pobiliqi and returned to his family's territory, he'd united all the grassland barbarian tribes in the northeast to send troops together. He'd also rushed to Muye Province to reorganize the half crippled fourth border ranger corps, then ambushed the Norton Family's hunting corps in the north. He'd also acted as a guide to persuade more than a hundred thousand grassland barbarian cavalry to attack Pidro City.
At that time, Grand Duke Fisabulun thought he could turn the tide and change his family's unfavorable situation. He didn't expect to turn defeat into victory in the war with the four families of the north. He only hoped to mess up the wishful thinking of the four families of the north in conquering the Iberian Kingdom. His thinking was the same as those willful brats. If I can't get it, then don't even think about getting it. Luring the grassland barbarian tribes to pillage Winston Province was creating trouble for the four families of the north. The more chaotic the situation, the better. No one could think of taking advantage of it. Only in this way could the alliance of the four clans of the Northern Lands not dare to underestimate the Fisablon Family and not exterminate them.
But they didn't expect the more than a hundred thousand grassland barbarian cavalrymen to have such a strong start but weak finish. They attacked Pidro City, which was defended by only three thousand people, and lost twenty to thirty thousand men. Their morale plummeted, and they didn't want to fight anymore. Seeing that the reinforcements of the defending army had arrived, the grassland barbarian army perfunctorily defended for more than ten days. The leaders of the grassland barbarian tribes began to discuss the matter of withdrawing their troops back to their nest.
At that moment, Grand Duke Fisabulon was exasperated that the iron did not meet his expectations. He decided to go all out and adopt the second plan. He united all the grassland barbarian tribes that had pledged allegiance to the Fisabulon family, and on the night before the army retreated, they launched a surprise attack on the strongest grassland barbarian tribe, the Krinubi grassland barbarian tribe. The unprepared Krinubi grassland barbarian tribe was annihilated overnight. Then, Grand Duke Fisabulon brought the grassland barbarian tribes that had pledged allegiance to him back to divide up the inheritance of the Krinubi grassland.
The situation was already very clear. Since the Fisabulon family would be suppressed by the alliance of the four clans of the Northern Lands, they would not be able to leave the northeast prairie. Then, they would first sort out the powerful grassland barbarian tribes in the prairie, so as to avoid causing trouble for the family after the Fisabulon family's power was reduced. At the same time, they could also suck the blood of these powerful grassland barbarian tribes to make up for the family's losses. In any case, those who attacked these powerful grassland barbarian tribes were grassland barbarian tribes that had pledged allegiance to the family. So, the family wouldn't suffer any losses, so why not?
At the end of last year, Grand Duke Fisabulon was busy with this matter. After stabilizing the internal affairs, he would think of a way to deal with the alliance of the four clans of the Northern Lands. The prairie was vast and boundless, and the Grand Duke was confident that the alliance of the four clans of the Northern Lands would not easily step into his family's territory. In the future, the confrontation would only happen in the Muye Province. At the border between the Southern Province and the Eastern Barren Province, the armed forces of the four clans of the Northern Lands Alliance were currently building defensive facilities and digging trenches to cut off traffic. Thus, the Grand Duke concluded that the four clans of the Northern Lands Alliance were adopting a strategy of defending the south and attacking the east. This was a strategy that would gradually reduce the territory and living space of the Fisabulon family …
Thus, Mount Pobiliqi in the Southern Province became the only strategic location that the Fisabulon family had an advantage in. It could be used to attack and defend, and it could also be used to send troops to cause chaos in the Southern Province. In order to defend against the 3rd Border Ranger Corps on Mount Pobiliqi, they had to station several times the number of troops. As long as the battle dragged on, none of the four clans of the Northern Lands Alliance would be able to withstand such a huge battle. At that time, Grand Duke Fisabulon would sit at the table of peace and fight for some decent terms for the family to end this losing battle.
However, he did not expect the armed forces of the Norton family to actually send troops during winter, taking a huge risk to take a detour to the Eastern Barren Province and occupy Mount Pobiliqi from the back of the mountain. This forced the 3rd Border Ranger Corps to lay down their weapons and surrender, dealing a heavy blow to the Fisabulon family. Grand Duke Fisabulon did not blame Captain Broupt, who had already committed suicide. He could imagine that no one would be able to resist in that kind of situation. Not surrendering would only result in a pointless massacre.
"You shouldn't have committed suicide, old friend …" Grand Duke Fisabulon let out another long sigh. He caressed Captain Broupt's ice-cold face one last time before leaving the coffin.
"Get up, Seria. You have already done your duty. You are worthy of the honor of being a knight of the Fisabulon family. Tell me again about the scene when you met the Norton family's Grand Duke of the Northern Lands, Lollister. Tell me everything you said clearly. Let me think about his intentions. Or was it purely because he admired Captain Broupt's courage that he allowed you to escort his body back? "Grand Duke Fisabulon made a lifting gesture, indicating for Seria to get up and reply.
Seria used his cloak to carelessly wipe away the tears on his face. After standing up, he once again described the scene when he met Lollister, trying his best to recall every word Lollister had said.
After a long period of silence, Grand Duke Fisabulon waved his hand powerlessly. "Seria, you must have had a hard journey. Go wash up first and rest well for a few days. I have already remembered your contributions in my heart. You are still young, and you are the hope of our family's future. Train well and remember the trials and tribulations this time. The family's future still requires the efforts of the younger generation like you … "
"Yes, I will definitely train hard and serve the family." Seria excitedly bowed to the Grand Duke and promised before leaving.
Knock, knock, knock … Grand Duke Fisabulon sat in the study room and used his left middle finger to lightly tap on the desk. As he pondered, he revealed a bitter smile. From Seria's description of the scene when he met Lollister, it was obvious that Lollister was conveying such a message to him. The Fisabulon family's power was already gone, and now it all depended on whether Grand Duke Fisabulon was tactful enough to admit defeat. If he was obedient and sucked up to the Norton family, he would still have a way out. Otherwise, don't blame him for shedding all pretense of cordiality and killing him when he was down.
"Hmph, this sinister, cunning, vicious, and unscrupulous brat. Don't even think of making me yield. Don't even think of bullying the Fisabulon family!" Grand Duke Fisabulon snorted heavily as anger filled his chest. He returned Lollister's description of him in its original form. Although the two of them had never heard the other party's slander, they were indeed telepathic at this moment. The only difference was that the old man was changed to a brat. Both of them viewed the other party as their greatest opponent in their lives.
However, there was no use in being angry. Grand Duke Fisabulon was very clear that his family was only outwardly strong but inwardly weak. The surrender of the 3rd Border Ranger Corp was a greater blow to his family than the complete annihilation of the 1st Border Ranger Corp. The 1st Border Ranger Corp could still claim that the alliance of the four northern families had set up an ambush, and that the corp's soldiers had fought bravely and unyieldingly to the death. It was excusable for the entire corp to be annihilated. After all, the alliance of the four northern families had launched an undeclared war, catching the Fisabulon family unprepared.
However, the entire 3rd Border Ranger Corp was forced to surrender, and the family even had to fork out money to send envoys to redeem the knights and clansmen of the family. Grand Duke Fisabulon believed Seria's words very much. It was his relative, his nephew Wario's dereliction of duty that led to the destruction of the entire corp. However, there was nothing he could do even if he was angry. It was the decision of the elders of the family to let his relatives take charge of the logistics of the various corps. They believed that this was the only way they could control the various corps and make them loyal to the Fisabulon family.
Not all members of the Fisabulon family were dedicated to the family. For example, his second daughter, the queen of the Iberian Kingdom, wholeheartedly went against him, her father. Whenever Grand Duke Fisabulon thought of his second daughter who had returned to his family's territory, he would feel a headache. Instead of being a good queen, she actually wanted to open a brothel, causing him to lose all face. Now that he had wandered to the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan, he believed that the gold mines there were rich, so he would definitely be rolling in money …
Grand Duke Fisabulon sat in his study for a long time, thinking about how to break out of this situation. Next, the Fisabulon family would very likely have to endure the humiliation, swallow the humiliation, and live a bitter life in the family's territory. The alliance of the four northern families had already cut off all communication between the family's territory and the outside world. Currently, the family only had the 2nd Border Ranger Corp, which guarded the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan regions, and the 4th Border Ranger Corp, which guarded the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan regions. These two corps had close to a hundred thousand men, and in addition to the twenty thousand armored guards stationed at the Crouching Tiger Castle, as well as the one thousand guards by his side …
Although the Fisabulon family still had a hundred and twenty thousand men in the family's armed forces, it was still a bit tight to defend three large provinces. Fortunately, at the end of last year, when they were sweeping through the grassland barbarian tribes that posed a threat to the family, Grand Duke Fisabulon selected close to twenty thousand grassland barbarian cavalrymen from the grassland barbarian tribes that had surrendered to him. He was preparing to form a new reserve corps to suppress the grassland. That way, even if the grassland barbarian tribes joined forces to attack the family, the family would still have the power to fight back. It was just that the current hundred thousand men in the family were enough to deal with the grassland barbarians, but if they were to attack the defensive line of the four northern families, it wouldn't be enough.
They had more than enough defense, but not enough offense. This was the current situation of the Fisabulon family. He Kuang's 2nd Border Ranger Corp, which guarded the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan regions, absolutely couldn't be touched. The gold mines in the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan regions were the guarantee for the rise of the Fisabulon family. Many of the elders in the family had suggested moving the family's center to the Greater Jinchuan Province. However, Grand Duke Fisabulon considered that the Greater Jinchuan Province was far away from the territory of the former empire's central region, and was worried that the Fisabulon family would be marginalized, so he rejected this proposal.
"Go and call Princess Sylvia over," Grand Duke Fisabulon ordered the servant outside the study.
It could be said that the person who had suffered the most from the war that Laurist launched against the Fisabulon family was Princess Sylvia. Princess Sylvia, who wholeheartedly wanted to marry Laurist, had even gone on a hunger strike because of Grand Duke Fisabulon's rejection. However, the pitiful Sylvia had never imagined that her lover would launch an undeclared war against her own family, leading the armed forces of the four northern families to sweep through the Iberian Kingdom. Her grandfather, Grand Duke Fisabulon, had been beaten to a sorry state, forcing him to flee all the way back to the family's territory. The family had suffered heavy losses.
When the war broke out in May of last year, the 1st Border Ranger Corp was completely wiped out, the capital city of Wendelbri fell, and the news of the Grand Duke running back to the southern province reached the Crouching Tiger Castle. Princess Sylvia's days had not been good. Some of the family members of the 1st Border Ranger Corp, who had learned of or were worried about the whereabouts of their loved ones, began to secretly curse Princess Sylvia for being a jinx. Wherever she appeared, there would be misfortune. When she had gone to the north to play, the second prince had been utterly defeated by the armed forces of the Norton family, and his army of a hundred thousand had been wiped out in one battle. Now that she was going to marry into the Norton family, the Norton family's armed forces swept through the Iberian Kingdom …
When the news of the four central duchies sending reinforcements and Grand Duke Fisabulon's alliance arrived, the curses turned into schadenfreude. Everyone believed that the alliance of the four northern families would soon be defeated. There were even people who said in front of Princess Sylvia that the Norton family's brat would soon be captured by the Grand Duke to become the Fisabulon family's shepherd slave. At that time, Princess Sylvia would not have to marry so far away, and would be able to see her lover every day in her own family's territory …
But soon, the news of the allied forces' defeat reached the family's territory. This was simply a slap in the face. Thus, the ridicule and schadenfreude turned into curses. Princess Sylvia had suffered all sorts of grievances and criticism from her clansmen, and she had lost a lot of weight.
"Sylvia, you've lost weight again. Are those people making things difficult for you again? "Grand Duke Fisabulon asked lovingly as he looked at Princess Sylvia.
"No, Grandpa, it's fine. I'm already used to it."
"I'm sorry, Sylvia. This has nothing to do with you. This war did not happen because of you. Our Fisabulon family wants to rise and dominate the former Empire's northeast region. Similarly, the alliance of the four northern families also wants to rise. That's why they started a war with our family. This is an unavoidable competition, and we can't escape it, "Grand Duke Fisabulon said with deep emotion.
Princess Sylvia nodded without saying a word. On one side was the person she loved, and on the other side was her family. She was stuck in the middle and was almost numb to being bullied.
"I want you to go to the Norton family in the Northern Lands," Grand Duke Fisabulon said.
"What did you say?" Princess Sylvia raised her head in surprise.
"There's no other way," Grand Duke Fisabulon said with a bitter smile. "Our family has already been defeated. The outcome has been determined, and there's nothing we can do to change the situation. I hope that you can go to the Norton family and have a good talk with that brat. Don't be so cruel and cut so much meat off of the Fisabulon family. After all, the Fisabulon family was the former Empire's main military force to suppress the Grass Barbarian tribes in the Northeast Prairie. Without the Fisabulon family, the Grass Barbarian cavalry would constantly harass and invade the Empire's borders. Let that brat think about it carefully. "
Grand Duke Fisabulon let out a long sigh. "Sylvia, Grandpa is very regretful. I shouldn't have rejected that brat's marriage proposal. Otherwise, this war might not have happened. Now that things have come to this, it's too late for regrets. There are three main things for you to go to the Northern Lands this time. The first is to ransom the captive family knights and clansmen. The second is to have the Snow Salt Merchant Guild restore the supply of salt and daily necessities to the family's territory. There's plenty of soil on the prairie, but there's no salt. The livestock won't be able to bear it, and humans won't be able to bear it. I just hope that they won't sharpen their blades so quickly. The last thing is to find a way to convince that brat to allow us to ransom the soldiers of the 3rd Border Ranger Corps. We need them to deal with and suppress the Grass Barbarian tribes on the prairie. "
After a pause, Grand Duke Fisabulon said somewhat bitterly, "Sylvia, go pack your clothes and luggage. Bring as much as you can. This time, I'll allow you to stay there and not come back …"
"Grandpa, you …" Princess Sylvia was stunned. Doesn't this mean …
"That's it then. I'll prepare the accompanying guards and personnel in charge of negotiations. Once the rainy season is over, all of you can set off immediately." Grand Duke Fisabulon didn't look at Princess Sylvia. He turned around, waved his hand, and walked out of the study, disappearing outside the door.
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