A new year had arrived, but it wasn't a happy one. Regardless of whether it was the nobles who had come to participate in the New Year's celebration or the higher-ups of the Northern Four Families Alliance, everyone was disturbed by the incident caused by His Majesty. Private discussions were inevitable, and even Laurist felt like he was in a terrible fix. The reason was simple. Both Count Filim and Count Shahin were moved by the second prince's suggestion. To them, it was a good idea to plunder the wealth and manpower of the four central duchies before they recovered …
Laurist hated the second prince to the core at this moment. This guy was a demon, cunning and sinister to the extreme. A few years ago, he had slapped him in the face and suffered a huge loss on the oath. He didn't expect that after three years, he would become a Great Swordsman and return the favor with a flip of his hand. Attacking the four central duchies was like a bait. Once it was thrown out, it attracted everyone's attention, causing the hearts of the people within the sphere of influence of the four northern families to waver. Then, he ran to the Fisablon Family's territory.
If it was just the nobles under the Norton Family's jurisdiction who wanted to attack the four central duchies, Laurist couldn't be bothered to care about their lives. As long as the Northern Four Families didn't move, the northeast region would be as stable as Mount Tai. Regardless of victory or defeat, the Norton Family's position as the hegemon would not be shaken. But the problem was that Count Filim and Count Shahin had been provoked by the second prince. If they sent out their troops, would the Norton Family's armed forces still be able to watch from the sidelines? What would happen to the alliance of the Northern Four Families Alliance?
It wasn't that Laurist didn't want to attack the four central duchies. It was just that his plan could only be carried out after two to three years. To the Norton Family, the most dangerous enemy was still the Fisablen Family. Since ancient times, there had been many cases of people being bitten by a snake instead of dying. Although the Fisablen Family had admitted defeat, they were still far from being at the end of the road. In another two to three years, Laurist would use economic means and military pressure to force the Fisablen Family to submit completely. Only then would he turn his attention to the four central duchies.
But now, Laurist realized that his allies didn't agree with him. Just like Count Filim had said, the Fisablen Family was like an injured magical beast that would spend the next two to three years licking its wounds in its lair, hoping to recover its strength. Because of this, the Northern Four Families Alliance can't just remain stagnant and wait for the next two to three years for the confrontation. We should take advantage of this opportunity to increase our strength. Currently, is there a better target to capture than the four central duchies where we have destroyed sixty to seventy thousand of their elite troops?
Count Shahin also believed that plundering was the best way for the nobles to strengthen themselves. Whether it was plundering property or manpower, it could weaken the enemy's strength and reduce the resistance. The four central duchies have already started a war with the alliance of the four northern families for the sake of the Fisablon family. It is obvious that they view us as enemies. More than a year ago, we annihilated sixty to seventy thousand of their elites. Even now, they still haven't recovered their strength. Even if they recruit more people, their combat power is still very low. We should take this opportunity to launch an attack instead of giving them time to recover their strength. Even if His Second Highness didn't take the lead this time, we, the four families of the Northern Lands, would still fight this war.
Count Filim was doing this because his family estate lacked manpower, while Count Shahin simply wanted to rob and make a fortune. As for Duke Gammus, he originally didn't care whether he sent troops or not, but after considering that attacking the four central duchies would open up trade routes for the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce, and if they didn't attack, the trade routes of the four central duchies would be closed to the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce. So he changed his mind and was willing to advance and retreat together, sending troops to attack the four central duchies together.
Loriste smiled bitterly. Ever since the Allied Trade Union defeated the second prince and destroyed the Principality of Merlein, the four central duchies had monopolized eleven of the twenty-nine provinces of the former Christen Empire, with a total population of five to six million. Regardless of geographical location or climate, these eleven provinces were the prosperous areas of the former Christen Empire. The agriculture, commerce, and handicrafts were very prosperous. Even after going through war, the four central duchies hadn't reached the point where they were heavily injured. Their strength couldn't be underestimated. Moreover, the four duchies were like brothers and relied on each other. No matter which duchy was attacked, it would attract a strong counterattack from the other three duchies.
Back then, the eldest prince coveted the prosperity of the four central duchies. After establishing the Redelis Kingdom, he commanded an army of three hundred thousand to attack the four central duchies. Although they lost cities and territories at the start of the war, the four central duchies refused to submit and persisted in resisting. After fighting for three years, not only did they drive the eldest prince's army out of their borders, but they also counterattacked the Redelis Kingdom. In the end, the eldest prince was forced to lower his head and sign a truce. It was easy to start a war, but it wasn't up to one's own will to end it. What Laurist was most worried about was being dragged into the quagmire of war between the four central duchies. If that happened, not only would it be of no benefit to his family, it would also affect the strength of the four northern family alliance. It might even give the old fox, Duke Fisabulon, a chance to strike back. That was an outcome Laurist couldn't accept.
This was the reason why Loriste maintained an attitude that it was better to stay put than to move. Bread had to be eaten bite by bite, and the road had to be walked step by step. Before completely defeating the Fisabulon Family, Laurist wasn't prepared to make a move on the four central duchies. But now, three of the four northern family alliance had expressed their desire to attack the four central duchies. This put Laurist in a dilemma. If he supported them, it would disrupt the steps of his plan. If he didn't support them, the alliance might break. Even if it could be maintained, it wouldn't be as united and coordinated as it was now.
Laurist suddenly understood the real reason why the second prince didn't inspect the north. If he went to the north, he had to first convince Laurist to agree to start a war against the four central duchies. If Laurist opposed it, then as allies, Count Phelim and Count Shahin would firmly support Laurist's point of view even if they had other opinions. If the four northern family alliance opposed it, then the second prince's call for the nobles to attack the four central duchies would become a farce. As the king, he would become a clown among the jokes.
Duke Kempis was smart and avoided meeting the second prince and expressing his stance. On the other hand, Count Shahin and Count Phelim were moved by the second prince. The second prince's plan was very shrewd. He didn't need to meet with Laurist to dig a big hole for him. It was up to him whether he jumped in or not. Although jumping in prevented the alliance from breaking, it would force the Norton Family to fight a war he didn't want to fight. If he didn't jump in, it would inevitably cause estrangement among his allies. Once the four northern family alliance split, the happiest person would be him, the king …
However, the four central duchies were not as easy to deal with as they had imagined. Even though the sixty to seventy thousand elite infantrymen sent by the four central duchies to support the Fisablon Family had been annihilated in the previous battle in the southern province, that was a field battle. The Fisablon Family had the advantage in terms of the types of troops and weapons and equipment. They had caught them off guard and unknowingly won a great victory. And if they attacked the four central duchies, the enemy could completely defend their castles and strongholds. Even if they relied on catapults to attack from afar, they would have to pay a price to occupy these places.
But Fatty Shi was much more straightforward than Laurist. He said, "Your Highness, we have to fight this war. Not only do we have to fight, but we have to put in extra effort to help Count Phelim and Count Shahin achieve their wishes. "
"Why?" Laurist was very unwilling to fight this war. He had been looking for excuses not to attack the four central duchies. "For the Norton Family, this war has no benefits. Count Phelim wants manpower, Count Shahin wants money, and Duke Kempis wants to expand trade routes. And even if we take over the land, it won't be our family's territory. These places will be under the second prince's jurisdiction in the future. Tell me, what benefits does fighting this war bring to our family? "
Fatty Shi laughed. "Your Highness, of course there are benefits, but it's not that obvious. First of all, if we agree, Count Phelim and Count Shahin will be more grateful to you, Your Highness, and the alliance of the four northern families will be more solid. Secondly, didn't Count Shahin say that he wants to find a province with more mines to be his family's territory? That way, the two small silver mines and one copper mine in the Henderson Mountains in Dreimuk Province will belong to the Norton Family. The Shahin Family's current territory will also be taken back, and the entire Dreimuk Province will belong to the Norton Family.
Thirdly, Count Phelim wants manpower, and Count Shahin wants money, but our family also needs manpower and wealth. There are currently only 1.67 million people in the north, and according to our family's development plan, only when there are three million people in the north can the economy of the entire north develop further, so we need at least double the manpower. Attacking the four central duchies and plundering their manpower and wealth is the best source of replenishment for the north. Look around the north, the Madras Duchy and the Iberian Kingdom have already been destroyed, so the four central duchies are our only targets. "
Fatty Shi's suggestion was very reasonable, and it took Laurist several days to make up his mind to attack the four central duchies after the spring ploughing in May of this year. There was no worry about fighting in the field. The main thing was to avoid the heavily guarded fortresses and castles of the four central duchies, sweep and plunder the manpower and wealth of the four central duchies, and avoid causing great damage to the family's armed forces. It just so happened that the family had reorganized and expanded four guard corps last year, so they could transfer men and horses to fight in turns, and achieve the purpose of training by fighting.
Time passed quickly, and on the 17th of April, a piece of news came that shocked everyone.
The second prince arrived at the Tiger Castle in the Eastern Wasteland Province of the Fisabron Family's territory with a dozen riders. The famous grassland god Grand Duke Fisabron saw the second prince and kowtowed, crying bitterly. After a sincere repentance and discussion, the second prince forgave the Fisabron Family for supporting the second prince to establish the Iberian Kingdom during the seven-year civil war between the three kings of the empire. Grand Duke Fisabron announced that the family belonged to the former Crimson Royal Family and inherited the territory of the Andinac Kingdom. He expressed his willingness to serve under the second prince and shed blood for the unification of the former empire, contributing all the strength of the Fisabron Family …
Grand Duke Fisabron didn't just say it verbally, he immediately took practical action. He offered horseshoes worth one million gold fords to the second prince as military expenses, and at the same time, offered 30,000 good horses to serve as backup mounts for the light cavalry regiment that the second prince was preparing to form …
It wasn't surprising that the Fisabron Family offered horses and gold to the second prince. It was expected that they would pay such a price for submitting to others. However, what was surprising was the second prince's response. He announced that he had a very happy time in the Crouching Tiger Castle. Then, he fell in love with Miss Sissi, the granddaughter of Grand Duke Fisablun at first sight. After obtaining the consent of Grand Duke Fisabron, the second prince successfully proposed to Miss Sissi, and the two became husband and wife under the auspices of Grand Duke Fisabron. This meant that the Andinac Kingdom had an official Queen …
"Isn't, isn't this a copy of the second prince?" Fatty Shi scratched the back of his head and sighed at Laurist.
Back then, the second prince had gone to the Fisabulon Family's territory to seek the support of Grand Duke Fisabulon. Afterwards, the Grand Duke had married his licentious second daughter to him. With the Fisabulon Family's border rangers as his backing, the second prince had established the Iberian Kingdom. Just as Fatty Shi said, the second prince went to the Fisabron Family's territory and found himself a wife.
"Hehe." Laurist sneered. He was the one who was the most upset when he heard the news of the second prince's marriage. His cousin, Christie, had followed him loyally for nearly 20 years, and they broke up just like that. Only a ghost would believe that such a cold-blooded and stone-hearted second prince got married because of love. "It's obvious. I found it strange that Grand Duke Fisabron, that old fox, announced his allegiance to the second prince so straightforwardly. So there's still such a trick. I can only say that the women of the Fisabron Family are really lucky. All of them are qualified to be queens … "
"Your Highness, Princess Silvia is with you now. She hasn't become a queen yet," Fatty Shi reminded.
Laurist suddenly came to a realization. He thought that if Princess Silvia hadn't been sent here by Grand Duke Fisabron, then the second prince might have fallen in love with Princess Silvia at first sight when he went to the Fisabron Family. He would definitely be enraged when he heard the news, and he might even start an army to snatch His Highness' wife. Then, the entire Andinac Kingdom would be embroiled in this whirlpool. After all, no man would be able to accept such a thing. Fortunately, Princess Silvia was sent to his side … Laurist rejoiced.
After another seven days, an urgent messenger eagle message from Bofinger of the Monolith Army was placed in front of Laurist.
The second prince had come to the border with Queen Sissi and a 10,000-man light cavalry regiment to request entry. It was said that this light cavalry regiment was Queen Sissi's dowry guards. At the same time, Grand Duke Fisabron and Master Swordmaster Shandi had led a border patrol regiment to accompany the second prince. It was said that they were going to the imperial capital together … Also, Master Swordmaster Shandi hoped to obtain permission to visit Princess Silvia in her family's territory and send her belated blessings …
Laurist's face was gloomy. In his heart, however, he was thinking about Grand Duke Fisabron. When your granddaughter Sissi marries the second prince, you send a 10,000-man regiment as dowry. Silvia is also your granddaughter. When she marries me, you send three carts of old junk. This is a slap to my face! Are you looking down on me?
"Your Highness, Your Highness …" Fatty Shi called out a few times before Laurist came back to his senses.
"What's wrong?" Laurist asked.
"How should we deal with this? Should we let the second prince and the others enter the border? "Fatty Shi pointed at the messenger eagle on the table.
"Let them enter the border. I don't believe that old man Fisabron would act rashly. In addition, order the Ferocious Tiger Ross to lead the Flying Tiger Regiment to welcome and escort them. I will bring the guards to the capital of Wendeli and wait for their arrival. Also, send a message to Duke Kempis, Count Phelim and Count Shahin. Tell them to meet me at the capital of Wendeli. Since we need to discuss the attack plan, we can deal with it all at once. "Laurist made his decision.
"Yes, Your Highness," Fatty Shi said.
…
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