Chapter 156: Pre-War Meeting
Four days later, Xi Wei and his army successfully arrived at Gray Stone City.
He temporarily stationed the army in a basin three kilometers away from Gray Stone City, using nearby rock formations for cover. He then rode his turkey alone to Grey Fortress for the pre-war meeting.
This time, he did not bring out his entire force; ten thousand militia members were selected elites from the city guard of various towns. The rest were distributed among the eight towns to continue defending the city walls.
In truth, he wasn’t very worried. According to scout reports, the neighboring Andor Empire was currently under invasion by the Naga sea tribe and was in a state of disarray. Furthermore, the surrounding lords had also been summoned for the campaign, and the Bloodfang Tribe, which held a grudge against him in the Orc Empire, had already been eradicated by players from Dawn Town. Even the Elf Princess Ashilia was being watched over by Mrs. Chris and Nina. Therefore, relatively speaking, Eagle Territory was quite safe for the next month.
As Xi Wei arrived at the entrance of Grey Fortress, he bumped into Earl Most, who was arriving in the company of a group of nobles.
“Good day, Earl of Eagle,” Earl Most said with a faint smile. He was a distinguished-looking middle-aged man, his mustache meticulously groomed into two neat, symmetrical curls. His eyes were neither large nor small, but they held a hidden arrogance.
“Greetings, Lord Most,” Xi Wei nodded. As the saying goes, one doesn’t strike a smiling face. They were both Earls, and he might even seek favors in this man’s territory in the future, so he had to maintain proper etiquette.
Although Xi Wei seemed uninterested in chatting, Earl Most didn’t want to let him go. He stepped forward, walking alongside Xi Wei, and said calmly, “Eagle Territory is truly a good place. It’s even larger than my own earldom. I wonder how many troops you’ve brought this time?”
“Heh heh, Eagle Territory is vast and thinly populated. We don’t have many troops, and I’m afraid I’ve made a fool of myself in Lord Most’s eyes,” Xi Wei grinned, feigning regret and helplessness. “This time, I’ve only brought two hundred knights and a little over three thousand militia. We only have this much equipment, so we couldn’t muster more troops.”
“Very good! Earl of Eagle has done his best, and I believe His Highness the First Prince will not fault you.” Earl Most obtained the answer he desired, and the arrogance and smugness in his eyes were almost overflowing. He casually boasted, “Alas, I don’t have many troops either. I can’t compare to the lords of the fertile lands. I only have a bit more than you: a thousand knights and over ten thousand militia, all equipped with armor and weapons.”
Xi Wei’s mouth twitched at the remark, and he remained silent, walking into the conference room and casually taking a seat designated for an Earl. Earl Most, believing that the Lord of Eagle Territory was intimidated by him, felt immensely pleased. He no longer bothered with pretense and unceremoniously sat in a seat far from the Lord of Eagle.
Ever since he was overlooked the last time the First Prince summoned five lords but not him, the usually conceited Earl Most had felt a great loss of face. Moreover, he believed that those summoned by the First Prince would surely become core nobles in the Royal Capital in the future. So why couldn’t he? This was an opportunity, so as soon as he returned to his territory, he began frantically recruiting soldiers, selling off everything he had to muster ten thousand well-armed militia. Combined with his over a thousand knights, this was a considerable military force for a border Earl. This time, he would surely make His Highness the First Prince see him in a new light and understand that compared to Xi Wei Jinshi, another border Earl, he, Most, was far superior.
When all the lords, minor nobles, and the player representative, Scheming Frog, were assembled, Karallant and the First Prince Bai Leferun arrived late. A castle guard, holding a sheepskin scroll, walked around the conference room, recording the military strength brought by each lord onto the scroll before handing it to Karallant.
Karallant glanced at the scroll, then at the map on the conference table, and after a moment of thought, looked up, surveyed the lords in the conference room, and announced loudly, “Currently, the lords of Rhode Territory, Mont Territory, and Dire Territory have pledged allegiance to the Holy See, and their armies are guarding their respective territories, forming the first line of defense for the attack on the Royal Capital. The first task is to break this defense line and then launch a joint attack on the Royal Capital.”
“As shown in the diagram.”
“I know some of you will ask if we can bypass these armies,” Karallant continued, pausing before explaining with a serious expression, “These armies must be eliminated. Otherwise, during the attack on the Royal Capital, being suddenly surrounded by the forces of the three core territories would have unimaginable consequences.”
“Now, let’s assign your attack missions. Earl of Eagle and Earl Most, your combined forces are the largest, so you will jointly attack the largest territory, Rhode Territory. Viscount Fate of Tulip Territory and Baron Fount, you will accompany me and the First Prince’s Grey Fortress army to attack Mont Territory. Lastly, Earl Frostwolf, Viscount Hyacinth, and the Foreigners, you will jointly attack Dire Territory. Other minor nobles with titles but no territories will follow their respective lords with their armies. After capturing the three territories, assemble at the designated location. Are there any other questions?”
Karallant asked finally, seeing that everyone in the conference hall seemed to have no objections. He then made the decision, “Then, we won’t delay any further. The situation is urgent. Please reach your respective attack positions before noon. I have also marked the assembly location on the simplified map.”
As Karallant spoke, he signaled the guards behind him to distribute the simplified maps to the lords present. After all the lords had received their maps, he took out two blue crystals inscribed with runes and had the guards hand them to Xi Wei and Earl Frostwolf, saying, “These are communication crystals. Once you reach your positions, you can report to me using these.”
After Karallant finished speaking, he and the First Prince walked towards the exit of the conference room. However, a questioning voice came from behind them, “Lord Karallant, why are the communication crystals being given to the Earl of Eagle and not me?”
Karallant turned and glanced at Earl Most, his eyes filled with disdain. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing, let out a snort, and walked away. He was very busy, needing to prepare provisions for the three attacking armies and had no time to waste arguing with Earl Most. The siege weapons had already been built, and the provisions were ready. The First Prince had summoned these lords to provide troops and manpower, and Grey Fortress couldn’t let these lords work for nothing.
Earl Most stared blankly at Karallant’s departure, somewhat bewildered. These communication crystals were usually given to the commander of the army. Since his soldiers were more numerous, why wasn’t he given one? Could the Earl of Eagle be Karallant’s father? Earl Most’s expression darkened as he turned to look for the Earl of Eagle, only to find that he had already left at some unknown time. He couldn’t help but inwardly curse. Since he had more troops, he would just coerce the Earl of Eagle into handing over the communication crystal later, and then let the Eagle Territory’s army serve as cannon fodder during the siege!
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