Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Laurist was getting impatient. He had long wanted to end everything here and return to his family's territory. He wanted to live a happy life with his wife and children, and watch as the second prince tormented his new Crimson Empire. He did not take the Storm Sword Sage's challenge to heart. This old man was much weaker than he had imagined. He had thought that the old man would only need two or three years to recover from his heavy injuries. He did not expect it to drag on for so long, and he had to spend an extra year to recover.
Although the Storm Sword Saint's training in the field of Domains was more extensive and had more experience than him, Laurist had also understood many things from their previous duel, as well as the experiences he had gained from fighting against the Sword Saint. The overlapping of the two domains caused the Storm Sword Sage and Laurist to feel as if they had fallen into a sticky pot of porridge. Neither of them could control their own domains. In Laurist's understanding, it was as if they had entered a space with several times the gravity. Any movement of the enemy and himself would be suppressed in slow motion.
This time, the Storm Sword Sage's challenge had given Laurist a very good opportunity. The previous battle had resulted in both of them being injured, but Laurist had discovered a possibility to defeat his enemy. The overlapping domains caused the Storm Sword Sage and himself to only be able to slowly practice sword techniques. However, this did not change the inner strength contained in his fists and palms. He could totally defeat the Storm Sword Sage with close combat and close combat, and not fight with the old man with his sword.
On the 33rd of August, the transport fleet from the north arrived at Hidden Gold Bay. The Raging Bear Knights, who had been on the ship for more than half a month, disembarked with weak legs. In the Norton Family's armed forces, the Raging Bear Knights were a small organization. There were only ten thousand of them, and the main force responsible for charging and breaking through enemy lines was only three thousand. One thousand Silver-tier Knights led two thousand Black Iron Knight Attendants, and the remaining seven thousand were servants, grooms, and guards in charge of logistics. However, the military expenditure of these ten thousand Raging Bear Knights was equivalent to that of the Monolith Army of forty-eight thousand. They were considered unique among the armed forces of the Norton Family.
This time, the Grizzly Bear Knights were escorting 500 ground-type bronze cannons, 800 Thunder Catapults, and countless gunpowder produced by the family to Moronte City. They were ready to participate in the decisive battle against the Trade Union. Fatty Shi had once suggested that Laurist call back the Monolith Army, but Laurist felt that the Raging Bear Knights would be more impactful in a field battle. Although the Monolith Army was famous, they specialized in defensive battles. In a field battle, the Monolith Army would not be as effective as the Raging Bear Knights.
In June, the construction of Fortress Schwartz, which Schwartz was responsible for filling in the reef area of Cape Romani, was officially completed. It took more than a year to complete, and more than 100,000 young captives were employed as laborers, spending more than a million gold coins. Such a huge expenditure allowed the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet to have a sturdy and perfect base of attack. They controlled the Golden Coastline of the Sunshine Sea and the Hidden Gold Bay, allowing the Thunderstrike Fleet led by Sunbarwood to have sufficient supplies and a base of rest without having to return to Cilovas Island.
After completing the construction of the fortress, Schwartz immediately received a second order from Laurist. He was to select suitable people from the Guard Camp and the North Sea Fleet's assault team to form three artillery battalions. He was to use the dozens of bronze cannons placed at the top of the fortress to urgently train a batch of qualified artillery teams before returning to Moronte City.
At this time, Schwartz led the three artillery battalions on board to take over the 500 bronze land-type cannons that had been transported over. In addition to the original 100 cannons, each artillery battalion now had a full complement of 200 cannons. After familiarizing themselves with them, they would accompany the Flying Tiger Legion to the frontlines. This time, they would become the dazzling protagonists of the decisive battle against the Trade Alliance.
Due to the discomfort brought about by the long-distance sea transportation, the Grizzly Knights spent another three days to rest and reorganize. They only left Moronte City on the 2nd of September. Under Laurist's leadership, the Flying Tiger Legion and the three artillery battalions headed for the frontlines. Their destination was Brewia City.
At this time, Brewia City was surrounded by military camps. Standing on top of the city walls, one could see an endless sea of tents and countless fluttering flags in the distance. However, the east, south, and west were all the territories of the Trade Alliance. Only the north was occupied by the Norton Family's armed forces, the Freedom Alliance's four city defense corps, and the Andinac Kingdom's White Lion Legion.
In the main tent of the Trade Alliance's armed forces, the upper echelons of the Trade Alliance had been debating for three days. Grand Duke Camberlet was having a headache. The reason was simple. The moment the Trade Alliance's armed forces arrived in Brewia City, the Norton Family's armed forces had sent messengers to deliver a letter of challenge personally written by Laurist. This time, the Norton Family's armed forces did not wish to engage in any offensive or defensive battles with the Trade Alliance. Instead, they wanted to have a field battle to determine the victor. The date of the challenge was the same as the date of the Storm Sword Sage's challenge to Laurist — the 10th of October.
Now, the upper echelons of the Trade Alliance's armed forces were debating whether to accept the Norton Family's challenge. There were no defensive positions set up in Brewia City or the barracks below the city. The Norton Family's armed forces seemed to be very confident that the Trade Alliance's armed forces would agree to the challenge, so they did not strengthen their defenses at all.
Many of the upper echelons of the Trade Alliance's armed forces suggested taking down Brewia City while the Norton Family's armed forces were unprepared. They would annihilate the enemy troops below the city and give them a head-on blow. In any case, we can completely ignore the Norton Family's challenge. In the face of the Trade Alliance's three hundred thousand strong armed forces, the Norton Family's army of a hundred thousand is just a piece of cake. We can just start with them first. Why should we accept the challenge and let the enemy gather more troops for a month? We can just fight our way to Moronte City.
Grand Duke Camberlet smiled bitterly. He waved the letter and told everyone that this was a letter personally written by Grand Duke Norton, and not a letter from a nobody. He was following the tradition of the aristocrats of the Galinthea Continent for nearly a thousand years. Even if the Trade Alliance did not accept the challenge, they had to give the other party enough time to set up their defenses. They could only attack the other party on the agreed date …
If it was a challenge from a nobody, then the Trade Alliance's armed forces could just treat it as a fart. Whoever had the bigger fist had the right to speak. Only the victor had the right to speak. No one would care about the wails of a defeated dog. But Grand Duke Norton was different. Don't forget that he was a newly promoted Sword Sage. If the Trade Alliance broke the rules first, then Grand Duke Norton would have an excuse to attack the upper echelons of the Trade Alliance. He did not even need to carry out any assassination. He could take the lead and launch a night attack. No one would be able to escape if he targeted them.
There was such a thing? The upper echelons of the Trade Alliance in the big tent looked at each other. Only a few people who were familiar with the traditional customs and rules of aristocratic warfare were explaining the pros and cons to those who did not understand. As a Sword Sage, he could not attack a well-organized battle formation alone in broad daylight. That would be courting death. Even a Sword Sage would not be able to escape if a few battle formations joined forces. But if a Sword Sage led his own battle formation to attack the enemy's battle formation, the effect would not be as simple as one plus one. No one would be able to withstand it.
If it was at night, then the night would be the home field of a Sword Sage. It would be too easy to launch a night attack. A normal military garrison would not be able to stop a Sword Sage's attack. Whoever went up would die. They would not even be able to escape. That was why a Sword Sage was called the Guardian Sword Sage. If the Trade Alliance did not have a Storm Sword Sage, they would not dare to go against the Norton Family no matter how many soldiers they had, let alone attack the Freedom Alliance.
That's right, we also have the Windstorm Sword Sage. If we invite him to the frontlines, we can ignore Duke Norton's request for a duel … Some of the higher ups of the Trade Alliance suddenly understood and immediately thought of the use of the Windstorm Sword Sage.
So the reason why Grand Duke Norton was talking to us about the traditional customs and rules of aristocratic warfare was because we also had a Sword Sage. Otherwise, he would not have waited for the Trade Alliance's army to attack Brewia City. He might have already raised his army to attack the Trade Alliance's territory. Without the Storm Sword Sage, the Trade Alliance would not be able to attack. They would even need to seek permission from their enemies to defend. The only way out was to beg the Andinac Kingdom to sign a truce as soon as possible. Only then would they be able to save their lives.
I did not expect the Storm Sword Sage to be so important to us! At this moment, many of the upper echelons of the Trade Alliance asked, "Where is the Storm Sword Sage?"
"That, that Master Maggert is still at the back. He said that he has to prepare for a battle with the Blood Sword Sage, Grand Duke Norton. He will only arrive at the Mana Hill Plains before the 10th of October …" Grand Duke Chickede, the president of the Chickede Trade Alliance, told everyone a piece of bad news with a frown.
"…"
"Why? Doesn't the Blood Sword Sage, Grand Duke Norton, need to prepare for a battle with the Storm Sword Sage, Master Maggert? Didn't the news from Moriente City say that he is leading the Flying Tiger Army and other troops to the frontlines? If we do not take down Brewia City now and eliminate the Norton Family's armed forces, we will have to pay a higher price to defeat the enemy when Grand Duke Norton arrives … "A deputy leader of the Trade Alliance's armed forces shouted angrily. He was a mercenary, and did not understand the meaning of these bullsh * t traditions and rules of aristocratic warfare.
Grand Duke Peterson stood up. "Don't talk nonsense. Grand Duke Norton has sent us a letter of challenge. This means that he recognizes our aristocratic status conferred by the Trade Alliance. He treats us as aristocrats and respects us. But if we do not abide by the traditional customs and rules of aristocratic warfare and ignore this letter like this brainless fool said, take down Brewia City first, and eliminate the enemies in front of us, then it is equivalent to admitting that we are not aristocrats and do not need to care about the traditional customs and rules of aristocratic warfare. The consequence is that Grand Duke Norton does not need to care about his identity as a Sword Sage. He can directly attack us and treat us like bandits and bandits. You can imagine the result yourself. Moreover, no one will complain for us, because we are courting death … "
"Then, then don't we still have the Storm Sword Sage? Isn't Grand Duke Norton worried that Master Maggert will treat the Norton Family's armed forces the same way?"
"Idiot, we broke the rules first. Why would Master Maggert stand up for us? Moreover, we will be long dead by then. Even if the Storm Sword Sage is willing to help us take revenge, it will be meaningless for us who are already dead …"
"…"
Grand Duke Combert finally slammed the table angrily. Why did the Trade Alliance adopt the policy of expansion and use war to open up trade routes and fight for benefits for the Chamber of Commerce? Why was it that they were invincible against the kingdoms and duchies in the central and southern parts of the continent, but everything went wrong when they turned north? The Andinac Kingdom was clearly on its last breath, but the Norton Family appeared out of nowhere and caused the Trade Alliance's armed forces to suffer losses. Now, they were supporting the Freedom Alliance.
Perhaps they should have agreed to the peace talks earlier, and things would not have come to this. Grand Duke Combert was a little regretful. To be honest, the current armed forces of the Trade Alliance were in a difficult position. They had been forced into a corner. If they lost this war, it would mean that the Freedom Alliance had succeeded in replacing the Trade Alliance. The Trade Alliance would also be torn apart because of this war, and would no longer be able to gather the hundreds of thousands of soldiers they had.
The tent fell silent. Grand Duke Combert let out a long sigh and said slowly, "Duke Norton's letter is both a challenge and a warning. If you look at the date of the challenge, you should understand that on the 10th of October, Master Maggert will fight against the Blood Sword Sage, Duke Norton. Duke Norton has also set the date of the challenge between his family's armed forces and the Trade Alliance's armed forces on the 10th of October. This means that as long as we abide by the rules, he will not attack us. After the 10th of October, no matter who wins or loses, he will not cause trouble for us … "
"But, but are the 300,000 soldiers of the Trade Alliance going to wait in the barracks for a month?" someone said unwillingly. They were clearly stronger than the enemy, but they had to face the enemy on the frontlines for a month. It was a little frustrating.
Grand Duke Combert shook his head helplessly. "Everyone, I want to tell you that we are now nobles, and we should learn some of the rules of the nobles. Following the rules is also good for us. At the very least, when we fall into enemy hands on the battlefield, we can be treated like nobles. After the battle, we can just pay a ransom and come back. We won't be hung on the gallows like bandits and bandits. Our enemies now are not those weak countries in the central and southern regions, where we don't have to follow the rules. But the Norton Family's armed forces are different from our previous enemies. Duke Norton is a new sword sage. None of us can bear the consequences of breaking the rules in front of him. It is not a wise decision to anger a sword sage. "
"If only the Storm Sword Sage, Master Maggert, could come to the frontlines earlier …"
Grand Duke Combert smiled bitterly. "Everyone, although Master Maggert is the sword sage of the Trade Alliance, he is not very reliable. We should not place all our hopes on him …"
"That can't be. The Trade Alliance's annual stipend is already close to a million gold coins. Does Maggert want more?"
"Sigh …" Grand Duke Combert sighed again. "I won't hide it from you. This time, we asked Maggert to challenge Duke Norton, but he rejected our request. In the end, under our persuasion, Maggert finally nodded and agreed, but he put forward a new condition. That is, he must challenge Duke Norton. Regardless of victory or defeat, as long as he can distract Duke Norton from the battlefield, he will have completed his mission. After the battle, we will cede a province from the Trade Alliance to him … "
"…"
"How dare he make such a request? Did he throw all our stipend into the water?" someone said indignantly. As a sword sage, no one would care if he was hung high up in the air. But as a sword sage, he was a lord. This made many people feel unbalanced. This was not about being on equal footing, but being a sword sage and a lord was clearly above them. This was because he was also a sword sage.
"We have no other choice. Otherwise, if he doesn't agree, we won't be able to attack the Mana Hill Plain and recapture Moronte City." Grand Duke Peterson took the initiative to stand up for Grand Duke Camberlet. "This is a joint decision of the seven major chambers of commerce. With Master Maggroot's interference and suppression of Grand Duke Norton, we don't need to worry about the threat of Grand Duke Norton, a new sword saint. Let's just fight. We have the upper hand in terms of military strength, and our high-end combat power is several times that of the enemy. If the enemy were to attack and defend against us, perhaps the Trade Alliance's armed forces would suffer a lot of casualties. But in a field battle, it's clear at a glance. Only by defeating the enemy fair and square can we make the traitors in Moronte City panic. Only then can we make these traitors fear and regret. "
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