Hammond was in the barracks, slurping hot noodles. To be honest, it was hard for him to imagine that he was in the midst of a military campaign.
At the beginning, once he made contact with the opposing forces, they had already planned to retreat into their castle and wait for reinforcements. Hammond wasn’t anxious; instead, he was bombarding the walls while sending scouts to sweep the surrounding areas of Frost Castle, removing all the avenues and supply routes one by one.
The attacking troops had arrived, but overall command still rested in Hammond’s hands. Although Hammond’s military rank was still low, it was clear that the army already recognized his abilities.
“We’ve captured an enemy scout.”
Darsi walked into Hammond’s command tent and habitually sat down across from him, starting a conversation.
“Have you interrogated him yet?”
The two were in an at-ease teacher-student relationship and were also old friends, so they omitted the formalities.
“It was after the interrogation that I came to seek your opinion. What did the scout say? He claims he came to surrender and brought crucial information from Frost Castle, but things seem a bit strange—I’m worried there may be a trap.”
Darsi then handed Hammond a piece of paper.
“This is a letter supposedly written to us by the leader of the garrison at Frost Castle.”
Hammond examined it carefully, stroking his chin as he thought.
The letter stated that tomorrow night, a unit would emerge from Frost Castle through a supply route to launch a night raid, but they were not elite troops. The leader would be Emily, the youngest daughter of the Laurent Family. This unit posed no threat from top to bottom. If the Graythorn Territory’s army truly adhered to their claim of Northern Borders not fighting against each other, they hoped the Graythorn Territory’s army would treat Emily kindly after capturing her.
“Is this some sort of nobleman’s scheme or a trick from the Doug Army?”
Upon hearing Darsi’s puzzled inquiry, Hammond understood why he had come to seek him out.
Darsi had a good military talent, but being from a hunter background, he was not very skilled in the intrigues of nobility.
After a moment of reflection, Hammond flicked the paper and explained, “The information in this letter is probably true, and indeed, tomorrow night is a suitable opportunity for a night raid.”
At this point, Hammond’s mood was somewhat complicated. He had once attempted a night raid on the Graythorn Territory’s army. Although he did not inflict any fatal damages on it, after that encounter, the army became highly sensitive to night raids.
Tomorrow night, the kind of weather favorable for a night raid would certainly raise suspicions.
Moreover, this was not the same barracks as when Hammond attempted his night raid. It was known that the attacking force had been here for two weeks, and the camp had long been established, with cannons ready for action. A night raid there would be genuinely dangerous.
It could be concluded that the opposing side was unlikely to be genuinely preparing for a night raid; instead, they were likely using the guise of a night raid to achieve some objectives.
After pondering over the letter, Hammond reached a conclusion.
“The other side is signaling, letting us capture their daughter Emily, hoping that in consideration of her doing nothing wrong, they will be able to let her go in the future.”
“Then why not just let this Emily escape through the supply route?”
After hearing this, Darsi became even more confused.
“And doesn’t he worry about what we might do to his daughter?”
Hammond shook his head, stating, “It’s impossible to flee. If the Frost Castle’s leader really sent his daughter through the supply route, it couldn’t go unnoticed. By then, they might not even wait for us to bombard the castle; the enemy would likely collapse on their own.”
After all, if even their leader sent his youngest daughter away, it could be concluded that Frost Castle could not hold out.
Though the failure of a night raid would undoubtedly impact morale, proper handling could actually inspire it—after all, even the leader’s youngest daughter was willing to risk a night raid to fight to the death.
“As for how we will treat his daughter…”
Hammond looked at Darsi and asked, “Are you really thinking about doing anything to the girl?”
Darsi quickly shook his head, “How could that be possible? The Lord Governor has always said that Northern Borders people do not fight against each other, emphasizing unity among Northern Borders people.”
“Exactly. Even the old nobles would treat the enemy’s noble captives well; what about us? We’re not demons, we’re all Northern Borders folks.”
Hammond continued to analyze, “So we not only cannot do anything to his daughter, we even need to protect her. If something truly happens, the Lord Governor’s slogan about Northern Borders people not fighting each other would just become empty words.”
“At that time, not only would we find it hard to excuse ourselves, but the public opinion environment we have painstakingly built would also backfire. Not to mention how the commoners would react, the small nobles would likely completely change their attitudes and resist fiercely.”
“After all, the Laurent Family is not some small family; even among the nobles of the Northern Borders, they hold some prestige. How we treat the Laurent Family will affect the attitudes of the subsequent noble factions.”
Darsi took a while to sort out his thoughts and said, “So the other side is effectively retreating by advancing, letting their daughter carry out a night raid, and then actively reaching out to us to ensure her capture, thus preserving their daughter, right?”
Seeing Hammond nod, Darsi sighed deeply, lamenting, “You nobility really have too many tricks up your sleeve.”
“I used to dismiss such matters, but some things are still worth learning.”
Hammond patted Darsi’s shoulder, clearly not wanting him to follow in his footsteps.
“It’s much better to fight against demons; then we wouldn’t have to think so much.”
After saying this, Darsi shifted his gaze to the north. The Lord Governor had said that once they defeated Fang Ge, they would need to occupy the lands north of the Snow Region.
At that time, they could probably engage in a proper fight.
Hammond nodded, then began discussing the plans for the night raid the next night with Darsi.
During their conversation, Darsi suddenly thought of something and said to Hammond, “Wait, the Emily they’re sending over is definitely not of any use.”
Hammond looked at Darsi with a complex expression and asked, “Do you really have thoughts about that girl? Although she is young, she is a daughter of a great noble family…”
Before Hammond could continue his joke, Darsi interrupted, “Aren’t they planning a night raid? Why can’t we actually be the ones to be ambushed?”
The next night, Emily was fully armed, standing in the supply tunnel. Although the soldiers around her didn’t look elite, she believed her father would not put her in danger.
“Remember, your safety is the most important. If anything feels off, just run away immediately, okay? Don’t worry about the castle; Emily, your survival is more important than anything else. As long as you’re alive, the Laurent Family still has hope.”
Pierre held Emily’s hand, repeatedly reminding her.
Although what Pierre was saying didn’t sound like words of someone going on a dangerous night raid, Emily still clasped her father’s hand in return and said, “Father, don’t worry. This time, I will definitely help you out. Just wait to hear good news from me.”
Pierre sighed. Under the dim light, it seemed as if he had aged a few years. Finally, he let go, watching Emily leave the castle through the supply tunnel.
Beside Emily were not elite troops, but a group of ordinary soldiers from the castle, including her brother and uncle, whose combat effectiveness could only be described as lackluster.
Shortly after leaving the castle, Emily quickly confirmed her direction and, taking advantage of the moonlight, made her way into the nearby woods. When dark clouds covered the moon, Emily commanded the soldiers, charging out.
Even though she was puzzled about why there were no outposts set in such an obvious forest, Emily didn’t think too much about it once she had her wish fulfilled. It was only when she was about to burst through the woods that her horse, which she rode at the front, suddenly stumbled, sending Emily herself flying off. Only then did Emily realize that while the nighttime provided the best cover, it also provided the best camouflage for traps hidden in the woods.
Even though Emily was a professional soldier with armor for protection, the fall left her somewhat dazed after rolling several times.
In her dazed state, Emily heard a conversation between an old man and a young man, “Does this young lady not know that she has come to surrender? Why is she charging forward so quickly? We haven’t even had the chance to warn her before she got tripped by the trap we set.”
“This is problematic; we still have to treat her wounds.”
“Hey, military doctor! Hurry and get the military doctor over here!”
