“Is it really that exaggerated?”
Looking at Jefferson reporting on what Doug had seen and heard, Lind couldn’t help but lean his hand against his face.
Lind had no interest in the debauched private lives of those nobles, and he wasn’t particularly interested in the military supply routes Jefferson mentioned either. What truly worried Lind was that most of Doug’s territory was being managed by elderly women.
It was a problem how much food could be harvested from Doug’s territory this year. After all, Lind was not Doug; he didn’t think that defeating the opponent would solve everything. Governing afterwards was not simpler than fighting a war.
It seemed the pace in Graywhite Territory needed to quicken. Some areas could be taken first to plant crops, and the rest could be addressed later.
“Not only that.”
Jefferson continued, “In fact, people from the Demon Clan have sought me out midway, hoping I could smuggle some things over to them. They were even testing your attitude. As long as you allow them into our territory, they will help our army locate Doug’s critical military facilities. Right now, Doug’s relationship with the Demon Clan doesn’t seem very good.”
After hearing this, Lind’s gaze turned somewhat cold: “These parasites, even before Doug’s evident decline, have already begun preparing to act as guides.”
“Those demons are quite generous. Should we sell them some weapons like we did to Doug?”
Jefferson reported all the bribes received from Doug’s territory. The amount given by the Demon Clan was almost catching up to Doug’s.
“No, not a single weapon is to be sold to them. Whether they steal from Doug, rob, or even pay more money for it, I don’t care. But we will not sell them a single weapon.”
“This is an internal war among us humans; they have no right to intervene.”
Lind’s attitude was very clear. The Demon Clan? Once Doug was cleaned up, the next target was the land beyond the Snowcut Territory; it must be taken back.
The idea of enclaves or reserved lands was out of the question.
Seeing Lind’s firm stance, Jefferson felt a sense of relief. Although he had sworn never to be indecisive again, the worst part of doing Jefferson’s kind of work was that upper leadership might be ambiguous.
If Lind’s stance had been a little unclear, Jefferson would have been forced to constantly speculate whether Lind was hinting at the possibility of doing business with the Demon Clan to earn a bit more.
Fortunately, Lind held absolute power and force, and he didn’t need to play riddles with his subordinates. Lilith, who was in the Royal Capital, had a much harder time of it.
“Oh, by the way, the Demon Clan not only approached me; I also heard at the ball that they have already begun to collude with the Eastern Border.”
At the ball, aside from listening to the noble girls flaunt how the army gifted them luxury items, Jefferson heard some rumors.
After all, the nobles on Doug’s side were quite careless. Even if Jefferson was careful not to ask directly, he could still hear plenty of outrageous intel.
“Yes, I received news on my end as well.”
Lind pulled out the intelligence Lucanus had previously handed over and flicked through it.
“Doug is not entirely without moves. Although they can’t win against us, at least they haven’t allowed the Eastern Border to truly swallow their territory. Let’s hope they can keep it up.”
Although Monroe from the Eastern Border had been harassing Doug, he had never managed to bite off a complete piece of territory. After all, while Doug’s army could not match Lind’s, and was even pressed by the resistance, they still held some advantage when fighting against the Eastern Border’s troops with firearms.
After hearing this, Jefferson shook his head and said, “But now the Demon Clan has also approached the people of the Eastern Border. I find that a bit dangerous.”
“They’ve simply found a new host.”
In the end, Lind patted Jefferson’s shoulder to encourage him: “You’ve done well this time; take a break. I will contact you the next time there’s a trade.”
Jefferson felt relieved. This time, his sanctioned smuggling could be considered a perfect conclusion. As he was leaving the study, he remembered something and asked, “Lord Governor, has the Beitang Defensive Line already been breached? Why was there not a single figure in sight when I arrived?”
“That defensive line is tougher than Lars’s knights and isn’t so easy to breach. But looking at the time, it should be soon.”
Lind shook his head, looking towards the direction of the Beitang Defensive Line.
At that moment, within the Beitang Defensive Line, knights and veterans were curled up inside a room, and no one was out on patrol anymore.
The bizarre rules of the defensive line had not only persisted but had also increased with the passage of time, adding many new regulations.
The most terrifying part was that people had already begun to disappear from within the fortress. They might have escaped through certain channels back to Doug’s territory, or perhaps simply defected to the opposite outpost.
There were also those who had truly vanished without a trace.
Rumors of supply cuts had intensified, especially after the last supply line, Silverwing City, fell.
Although the knights up top claimed that supplies were not actually cut off, and even if they were, there were enough resources within the fortress for everyone to survive.
That was what they said, but the food reaching the soldiers would not lie.
Although the fortress still maintained two meals a day, the quantity had barely caught up to one of the previous meals.
Originally, there might have been supplies with defector notes and randomly refreshed resources, but with fewer and fewer patrols, these supplies were dwindling, or perhaps Graywhite Territory no longer needed to use such methods.
“I’ll go out and take a chance.”
The veteran finished the last bit of food and prepared to get up and patrol.
They said it was a patrol, but in reality, it was to find if any randomly refreshed supplies had come from Graywhite Territory.
“It’s better not to go, since everything has to be handed over anyway.”
A knight leaned against the corner, voicing his dissent.
“Maybe our brothers can’t hold on much longer.”
The veteran looked around. Everyone’s faces showed the color of vegetables.
The surrounding soldiers fell silent. This war was completely different from what they had imagined; there was no blood and fire and no glorious sacrifices. They hadn’t seen even a single opponent aside from kicking balls.
“I borrowed some supplies from the traitors, and you defended me. Now, it’s time for me to repay you.”
Saying this, the veteran prepared to leave for a chance.
At this moment, a soldier got up and shouted, “Wait!”
Then this soldier stopped the veteran and quietly asked, “Are you from Graywhite Territory?”
Everyone in the room held their breath. This was a taboo within the defensive line, one of the new rules in the bizarre regulations: do not inquire about which side your teammate belongs to.
“No, no, I’m not. Although I previously consumed supplies from Graywhite Territory, I am not one of them.”
“Then I’ll go out with you. Let’s find a place to escape. Whether we defect to the opposite side or become outlaws, I don’t want to stay here any longer.”
A strange silence fell over the room.
Finally, the knight said, “Do you know? Just based on what you just said, we could turn you in to the lords for food.”
“Then catch me if you can!”
At this moment, more soldiers stood up beside the veteran and said, “Originally, there was enough food to eat, but now it has all been sold out by those lords up top. They abandoned this fortress long ago; what are we still holding onto here?”
The veteran asked in shock, “Where did you hear all this?”
The soldiers looked curiously at the veteran: “These are all written on little papers scattered everywhere, right? Didn’t you leave the notes? Aren’t you from Graywhite Territory?”
“I am not! Although I ate their supplies, I really am not!”
The veteran’s expression gradually changed from shock to fear.
At that moment, the light knight stood up and said, “I placed those little papers.”
“I am the insider.”
Looking at Jefferson reporting on what Doug had seen and heard, Lind couldn’t help but lean his hand against his face.
Lind had no interest in the debauched private lives of those nobles, and he wasn’t particularly interested in the military supply routes Jefferson mentioned either. What truly worried Lind was that most of Doug’s territory was being managed by elderly women.
It was a problem how much food could be harvested from Doug’s territory this year. After all, Lind was not Doug; he didn’t think that defeating the opponent would solve everything. Governing afterwards was not simpler than fighting a war.
It seemed the pace in Graywhite Territory needed to quicken. Some areas could be taken first to plant crops, and the rest could be addressed later.
“Not only that.”
Jefferson continued, “In fact, people from the Demon Clan have sought me out midway, hoping I could smuggle some things over to them. They were even testing your attitude. As long as you allow them into our territory, they will help our army locate Doug’s critical military facilities. Right now, Doug’s relationship with the Demon Clan doesn’t seem very good.”
After hearing this, Lind’s gaze turned somewhat cold: “These parasites, even before Doug’s evident decline, have already begun preparing to act as guides.”
“Those demons are quite generous. Should we sell them some weapons like we did to Doug?”
Jefferson reported all the bribes received from Doug’s territory. The amount given by the Demon Clan was almost catching up to Doug’s.
“No, not a single weapon is to be sold to them. Whether they steal from Doug, rob, or even pay more money for it, I don’t care. But we will not sell them a single weapon.”
“This is an internal war among us humans; they have no right to intervene.”
Lind’s attitude was very clear. The Demon Clan? Once Doug was cleaned up, the next target was the land beyond the Snowcut Territory; it must be taken back.
The idea of enclaves or reserved lands was out of the question.
Seeing Lind’s firm stance, Jefferson felt a sense of relief. Although he had sworn never to be indecisive again, the worst part of doing Jefferson’s kind of work was that upper leadership might be ambiguous.
If Lind’s stance had been a little unclear, Jefferson would have been forced to constantly speculate whether Lind was hinting at the possibility of doing business with the Demon Clan to earn a bit more.
Fortunately, Lind held absolute power and force, and he didn’t need to play riddles with his subordinates. Lilith, who was in the Royal Capital, had a much harder time of it.
“Oh, by the way, the Demon Clan not only approached me; I also heard at the ball that they have already begun to collude with the Eastern Border.”
At the ball, aside from listening to the noble girls flaunt how the army gifted them luxury items, Jefferson heard some rumors.
After all, the nobles on Doug’s side were quite careless. Even if Jefferson was careful not to ask directly, he could still hear plenty of outrageous intel.
“Yes, I received news on my end as well.”
Lind pulled out the intelligence Lucanus had previously handed over and flicked through it.
“Doug is not entirely without moves. Although they can’t win against us, at least they haven’t allowed the Eastern Border to truly swallow their territory. Let’s hope they can keep it up.”
Although Monroe from the Eastern Border had been harassing Doug, he had never managed to bite off a complete piece of territory. After all, while Doug’s army could not match Lind’s, and was even pressed by the resistance, they still held some advantage when fighting against the Eastern Border’s troops with firearms.
After hearing this, Jefferson shook his head and said, “But now the Demon Clan has also approached the people of the Eastern Border. I find that a bit dangerous.”
“They’ve simply found a new host.”
In the end, Lind patted Jefferson’s shoulder to encourage him: “You’ve done well this time; take a break. I will contact you the next time there’s a trade.”
Jefferson felt relieved. This time, his sanctioned smuggling could be considered a perfect conclusion. As he was leaving the study, he remembered something and asked, “Lord Governor, has the Beitang Defensive Line already been breached? Why was there not a single figure in sight when I arrived?”
“That defensive line is tougher than Lars’s knights and isn’t so easy to breach. But looking at the time, it should be soon.”
Lind shook his head, looking towards the direction of the Beitang Defensive Line.
At that moment, within the Beitang Defensive Line, knights and veterans were curled up inside a room, and no one was out on patrol anymore.
The bizarre rules of the defensive line had not only persisted but had also increased with the passage of time, adding many new regulations.
The most terrifying part was that people had already begun to disappear from within the fortress. They might have escaped through certain channels back to Doug’s territory, or perhaps simply defected to the opposite outpost.
There were also those who had truly vanished without a trace.
Rumors of supply cuts had intensified, especially after the last supply line, Silverwing City, fell.
Although the knights up top claimed that supplies were not actually cut off, and even if they were, there were enough resources within the fortress for everyone to survive.
That was what they said, but the food reaching the soldiers would not lie.
Although the fortress still maintained two meals a day, the quantity had barely caught up to one of the previous meals.
Originally, there might have been supplies with defector notes and randomly refreshed resources, but with fewer and fewer patrols, these supplies were dwindling, or perhaps Graywhite Territory no longer needed to use such methods.
“I’ll go out and take a chance.”
The veteran finished the last bit of food and prepared to get up and patrol.
They said it was a patrol, but in reality, it was to find if any randomly refreshed supplies had come from Graywhite Territory.
“It’s better not to go, since everything has to be handed over anyway.”
A knight leaned against the corner, voicing his dissent.
“Maybe our brothers can’t hold on much longer.”
The veteran looked around. Everyone’s faces showed the color of vegetables.
The surrounding soldiers fell silent. This war was completely different from what they had imagined; there was no blood and fire and no glorious sacrifices. They hadn’t seen even a single opponent aside from kicking balls.
“I borrowed some supplies from the traitors, and you defended me. Now, it’s time for me to repay you.”
Saying this, the veteran prepared to leave for a chance.
At this moment, a soldier got up and shouted, “Wait!”
Then this soldier stopped the veteran and quietly asked, “Are you from Graywhite Territory?”
Everyone in the room held their breath. This was a taboo within the defensive line, one of the new rules in the bizarre regulations: do not inquire about which side your teammate belongs to.
“No, no, I’m not. Although I previously consumed supplies from Graywhite Territory, I am not one of them.”
“Then I’ll go out with you. Let’s find a place to escape. Whether we defect to the opposite side or become outlaws, I don’t want to stay here any longer.”
A strange silence fell over the room.
Finally, the knight said, “Do you know? Just based on what you just said, we could turn you in to the lords for food.”
“Then catch me if you can!”
At this moment, more soldiers stood up beside the veteran and said, “Originally, there was enough food to eat, but now it has all been sold out by those lords up top. They abandoned this fortress long ago; what are we still holding onto here?”
The veteran asked in shock, “Where did you hear all this?”
The soldiers looked curiously at the veteran: “These are all written on little papers scattered everywhere, right? Didn’t you leave the notes? Aren’t you from Graywhite Territory?”
“I am not! Although I ate their supplies, I really am not!”
The veteran’s expression gradually changed from shock to fear.
At that moment, the light knight stood up and said, “I placed those little papers.”
“I am the insider.”
