In terms of appearance, Grand Duke Nicholas, the president of the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce, should be the ugliest person among all the presidents. He had a long horse-like face and two very small eyes. He habitually squinted his eyes to size people up, giving off a gloomy, scheming, and malicious feeling. It was like encountering a venomous snake in the wilderness. No matter who it was, they would be on tenterhooks and be on guard.
This was probably the main reason why Grand Duke Nicholas had always lost to Grand Duke Cambert, the chairman of the Double-headed Dragon Chamber of Commerce, in every election for the highest executive of the Trade Union. After all, the Grand Duke of Camberlet was a man of integrity. Anyone who saw him would feel that he was a trustworthy and respectable man. Just by looking at him, one could tell that he was infinitely more amiable than the Grand Duke of Nicholas. No one liked to deal with a poisonous snake.
But those who truly knew Grand Duke Nicholas knew that he was a true genius, and that he was not what he appeared to be. He treated people sincerely and kindly. Be it servants or nobles, Grand Duke Nicholas treated them with the same respect. He did not treat them based on their status. Of all the merchant guilds in the Trade Union, the Mayflower Merchant Guild was the most loyal. As long as people got to know Grand Duke Nicholas, they would ignore his appearance and be attracted to his charisma.
Grand Duke Nicholas leaned over the table and looked at the map. He closed his eyes from time to time to think. The Norton Family had suddenly launched an attack on the territory of the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce. Were they planning to wipe out the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce's territory in one fell swoop, or were they planning to engage in a stalemate with the Commerce Alliance to slow down the Commerce Alliance's recovery, or were they planning to retreat after looting the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce? The Mayflower Merchant Guild's territory was rich in gold and silver. The Norton Family was currently attacking the hilly area where the gold and silver mines were located in the Feldunbar Province.
The captain of the guards, Syros, gently pushed open the door and entered. He held two letters in his hands. "Your Highness, these are the battle reports from Lindsay Hill City. The situation at the frontlines is calming down. The Norton Family seems to have given up on attacking the city. They have not used cannons to bombard the city in the past three days. The other is a secret report from Moronte City. Our scouts have confirmed that Grand Duke Norton has gone to the frontlines and is not in Breen Manor. "
"Oh?" Grand Duke Nicholas raised his eyebrows. He took the two letters and read them carefully. He then went to the map and thought for a while. His eyes widened. "Syros, execute the migration plan. Prepare to depart within three days."
Cyros was stunned. "Your Highness, the situation at the frontlines is very good. Why are you doing this?"
The relocation plan was to give up the entire Feldunba Province. To the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce, this was a backup plan that would result in a huge loss. Five years ago, the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce used the glass formula in its hands to exchange for the Feldunba Province from Duke Camberlet. Over the past five years, they had been fighting and developing the territory. They had invested a lot of money and energy. They had just settled down and saw initial results, but now they had to give up. For the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce, this was a very difficult decision to make.
"Is the situation at the front line really good?" Grand Duke Nicholas sneered, "Go and get ready. If we don't, I'm afraid our entire Chamber of Commerce won't be able to leave."
"Yes, Your Highness." Syros retreated. He was the kind of knight who would carry out orders even if he didn't understand them.
But soon, the vice president of the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce, Earl Abraham, received the news and came over. "Brother, what's wrong? Do you feel that the situation is bad?"
Grand Duke Nicholas nodded with a tired expression on his face.
"But didn't Duke Camberlet tell us to hold on for a month and a half? Then he would bring his army to support us. Furthermore, the situation at Lindsay Hill City is very good. The Norton Family's cannons are useless against the city walls. We can completely face off against the Norton Family's armed forces and wait for reinforcements to arrive. "
"Second Brother, it's not that simple." Grand Duke Nicholas shook his head. "That old man Camberlet doesn't have any good intentions. Think about it. He already knew that sandbags can withstand cannons. He knew it when he ransomed the Invincible Fleet's crew. But he only told us now, after our territory was attacked by the Norton Family's armed forces. Right now, the hilly area is only left with Lindsay Hill City as a line of defense. Once Lindsay Hill City is captured, the Norton Family's armed forces will no longer have any dangerous terrain to defend against. The cavalry will come down, and the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce will be finished. We won't be able to leave even if we wanted to. "
"But didn't Duke Camberlet say in his letter that even if Lindsay Hill City is breached, we can still mobilize the people to dig trenches on the flat ground, set up sand castles, and set up defensive positions to continue fighting? As long as we wait for Duke Camberlet's reinforcements to arrive, our territory will be safe … "Earl Abraham said anxiously. He didn't want to give up on the Chamber of Commerce's territory. It was the result of his five years of hard work.
Grand Duke Nicholas sighed softly. "I understand how you feel, second brother. But do you believe that if our Mayflower Army doesn't go to the frontline, the reinforcements that Duke Camberlet mentioned will never arrive? Think about it carefully. If Lindsay Hill City is breached, we can mobilize the people to set up defensive positions on the flat ground to continue fighting. Even if reinforcements arrive, our losses will be even greater. Because the Chamber of Commerce has to pay for all the logistics and military supplies, our allies will cause more damage to the Chamber of Commerce than our enemies. So we might as well leave and leave this place to them to fight to the death. We won't join in the fun. "
"But brother, Lindsay Hill City won't be breached so easily, right? Didn't they already defend against the Norton Family's cannons? We've seen the terrain there. There's no other way but to storm it. Didn't you say that the Norton Family's armed forces aren't willing to pay a heavy price to take down the enemy's castle? Maybe they'll retreat and change their target … "Abraham was still hoping for a fluke.
"Have you forgotten that Duke Norton is still a new Sword Saint?" Grand Duke Nicholas shook his head. "Lindsay Hill City can use sandbags to defend against the cannons, but what can we use to defend against the assault of a Sword Saint? If Duke Norton had been guarding Morent City, then I would be very relieved. No matter how fierce the Norton Family's attack is, it's just a feint. They're just here to loot. But Duke Norton has personally led his army here. I don't think he's here for the gold and silver. "
"No, no way …" Abraham's face was full of shock. "Duke Norton is a Sword Saint. How could he personally lead the assault? If we ask Storm Swordsman Maggruot to attack the army formation or the stronghold, Master Maggruot will lose his temper and think that we are insulting a Sword Sage. We might even suffer a little … "
"Everyone is different. Sword Saints are the same." Grand Duke Nicholas laughed. "How can the Storm Sword Saint be compared to Duke Norton? We only have a relationship of money. We're just using him to suppress the kingdoms in the south. Duke Norton, on the other hand, brought his family's armed forces along the way to achieve his current achievements and status. If not for him, the Andinac Kingdom would have been destroyed by the Commerce Alliance a long time ago. How could the Storm Sword Sage compare to him?
The Trade Union spent so much money to hire him to hold Duke Norton back, but what did he do? Both of them came out unscathed in the duel between Sword Saints. It's obvious that he's just putting us off. The first time they fought, both of them were injured. But the second time they fought, they didn't even have a scratch on them. Is this possible? Only that idiot Camberlet would be blackmailed by the Storm Sword Saint, allowing the Storm Sword Saint to become the Duke of a territory and escape our control.
Other Sword Saints might not participate in the battle due to their status, but Duke Norton is different. He brought his family's armed forces and fought all the way here. When the cannons didn't work, I was sure that he would take the lead and personally attack Mount Lindsay. If it was ten years ago, the Trade Union might have lost dozens of Master Swordsmen and hundreds of Gold-tier Swordsmen to set traps to kill him. But now, the Trade Union can no longer afford to pay such a high price … "
Abraham stood up sadly. He understood that the relocation plan decided by Grand Duke Nicholas could not be changed. All the land development plans in the Feldunbar Province were the result of his hard work over the past five years. It pained him to give it up now. But he had always believed in his brother's keen intuition. If he said that they wanted to migrate, it meant that he did not think that the Trade Union's army could withstand the attack of the Norton Family's armed forces.
"Brother, are you ready? Where are we moving to? Besides, even if you protect our Mayflower Army, Duke Camberlet will still blame us for the loss of his territory. He will also take away the command of the Mayflower Army, and we will be like the Forde Merchant Guild, Livord Merchant Guild and Visia Merchant Guild. We will pin our hopes of regaining our territory on the Double-Headed Dragon Merchant Guild … "
"Do you think we will go to the Double-Headed Dragon Merchant Guild's territory?" Grand Duke Nicholas stared at the map for a while before replying, "We will not go to the Double-Headed Dragon Merchant Guild's territory. We will go south, to the southern provinces. That is the Mayflower Merchant Guild's territory."
"To the south?" Abraham was a little confused.
"Yes, south." Grand Duke Nicholas answered with certainty, "Do you remember the letter that Duke Chickard sent half a month ago? The letter said that the Chickard Merchant Guild will announce its independence from the Trade Union before the end of the year. I had always thought that Duke Chickard's purpose in writing this letter was to provoke the Trade Union and show off in front of us. I also wondered why he sent the letter to us and not to Duke Camberlet directly.
But combined with the attack launched by the Norton Family's armed forces on our territory, I finally understand why Duke Chickard sent me this letter. He is reminding me to prepare early, leave the current big whirlpool, and head south. The Chickard Merchant Guild is alone in the south, and he needs allies. There are so many provinces in the south that he can't swallow, so he hopes that our Merchant Guild can also go to the south, leave the Trade Union, and become a country of our own, supporting each other … "
Earl Abraham was a little dumbfounded. "It can't be. Archduke Chickard only wrote one thing in the letter. How could you think of so many things …"
Grand Duke Nicholas stood up and pointed at the map. "It's very simple. After the migration plan is ready, you first bring people to Kasiloda Province, under the excuse of strengthening the walls and clearing the fields, which is to first take the women and children away from the frontlines, so that they won't be attacked by the Norton Family's armed forces. If the Norton Family's armed forces capture Lindsay Mountain City and then immediately attack Tenerig and Seruniga, then it is obvious that their goal is these four provinces, cutting off the communication between the north and south of our Trade Union. So we must leave Kasiloda Province immediately and head south. When we reach the south, we may be able to form a country of our own and send messengers to the Norton Family to ask for peace talks and a truce. I believe that Duke Norton will be very happy to let the Mayflower Merchant Guild go. "
"Are you sure?" Abraham asked.
"Of course," Grand Duke Nicholas replied. "Those southern provinces are beyond the reach of the Norton Family's armed forces. Duke Norton only has one goal, and that is the Trade Union. And if we leave the Trade Union, it will be very good news for him. It will be able to split the Trade Union once again, deal a blow to the morale of the Trade Union's armed forces, and force the Trade Union to ask for peace talks with him. This will also trap the Trade Union in a corner, no longer posing a threat to the newly established Freedom Alliance. So if we want to leave the Trade Union, now is the best time. Heading south is the best chance for the Mayflower Merchant Guild to establish an independent kingdom. "
Abraham stood at attention with a serious expression and bowed. "I understand, Brother. I will prepare everything."
…
When Laurist arrived at the frontlines, the atmosphere in the big tent was not very enthusiastic. Ovis had already been there for two days. Based on his experience and the experiments he had done with a lever-type catapult that he had built at the last minute, the idea of using catapults or catapults to throw explosives into Lindsay Mountain City to destroy the long-range attack weapons in the city was not very realistic. The biggest problem was that Lindsay Mountain City was located on a high ground. If they were to attack from above, be it catapults or catapults, they would have to be more than 200 meters away from Lindsay Mountain City to be effective. And this distance was within the effective attack range of the long-range attack weapons that Lindsay Mountain City had deployed.
"Your Highness, we have no way of charging through the road on the small stone hill in front of us. Lindsay Mountain City has deployed more than a hundred catapults and more than a hundred ballistae behind the side walls. No matter which direction we go, we will be within the long-range attack range of Lindsay Mountain City. Unless we are willing to pay a heavy price, we will not be able to force our way through the road on the small stone hill and reach the main gate of Lindsay Mountain City. But it is useless for us to go there. The main gate over there is also a sturdy stone fortress that cannot be taken down by just people. But the siege weapons and cannons cannot pass through the road in front of the side walls of the mountain city. The moment they enter the road, they will be attacked by the long-range attacks of the mountain city … "
Schwald gave Laurist a detailed introduction of the battlefield on the sand table. Laurist could not help but sigh at the strategic terrain and ingenious design of Lindsay Mountain City. A mountain city like this was easy to defend and difficult to attack. In the era of cold weapons, it was synonymous with an unconquerable castle.
"Let me do it." Laurist decided to personally launch a surprise attack on Lindsay Mountain City. To the family soldiers, Lindsay Mountain City was like a natural stronghold, but in the eyes of the Sword Saint, it was no different from a city on flat ground. However, this move was opposed by almost all the family knights present. They did not doubt Laurist's skills and abilities, but as the Grand Duke of the Northern Lands, Laurist, the head of the Norton Family, and the Sword Saint had personally led the assault on the enemy's castle. This made them, as the family knights, feel very ashamed.
"Don't worry, I will not be risking my life alone. Redi, Aire, bring a few nimble knights with me, and bring a few more bags of dynamite. We will focus on destroying the enemy's long-range weapons once we get up the city walls. Schwald will command the gunpowder battalion to quickly pass through the road on the small stone hill and reach the main gate of Lindsay Mountain City. The earlier you take down the enemy's main gate, the safer we will be. It is decided, this is an order. "Laurist said solemnly.
… …
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