The bearded man quickly finished reading the letter, but confusion lingered on his face.
"Lord Li Ang, I understand Earl Oden's instructions. But what does this have to do with those Gato Raiders?"
The bearded officer was probably of common birth and seemingly still had not grasped the current situation.
"There's a group of so-called bandits in Fletcher Village. You know about them, right?"
The bearded man nodded blankly. "They're Duke Alma's nephew's men. But they haven't done anything particularly bad before. They seem more like they're developing territory—so although the people of the earldom don't get along with them, they wouldn't provoke them without cause, lest it lead to a bigger conflict."
Li Ang nodded. "If you haven't received intelligence that Fletcher Village was raided by the Gatu people, and you also haven't received news that Brave Shield Fortress fell, then that means those so-called bandits near Fletcher Village colluded with the Gatu people and deliberately let them into the heartland of Long River Town..."
In truth, Li Ang was only guessing, but he was almost certainly right.
Since Brave Shield Fortress was unharmed and had not even sent any urgent beacon warnings, the Gatu cavalry's ability to penetrate deep into the kingdom's interior was most likely due to help from traitors within.
Earl Oden had risen on the corpses of Gatu people. He and the Gatu people were bitter enemies, so it was unlikely that his Brave Shield Fortress garrison had let them through.
Considering the territorial conflict between Duke Alma and Earl Oden, the conclusion was not difficult to reach.
—Earl Oden had specifically asked Li Ang to deal with the "bandits" in Fletcher Village, surely because he had considered the possibility of this happening.
But Oden had never said those so-called bandits were Alma's nephew!
That old fox had set me up... Looks like neither side was any good...
Li Ang thought.
When the bearded man heard Li Ang's speculation, his lips began to tremble. He muttered, "How could they dare... How could they..."
Li Ang sighed, his expression utterly sincere. "Of course they'd dare—you should know what it means for Earl Oden and for yourself that over a hundred Gatu cavalrymen entered the kingdom's heartland..."
Over a hundred Gatu cavalrymen had appeared in the heartland of Long River Town. Neither Brave Shield Fortress, a border fortress, nor the Long River Town garrison could escape blame. At the very least, it counted as "incompetence and dereliction of duty."
Moreover, the Gatu people had come through Fletcher Village in Earl Oden's territory. There was even suspicion of collusion with the enemy!
This situation was difficult to handle. Even if they immediately wiped out the Gatu cavalry, it would be hard to undo the fact that they had already raided inland villages.
Duke Alma would inevitably use this to attack Earl Oden. Whether it would rise to the level of "collusion with the enemy" aside, Oden's subordinates had at least failed to protect Long River Town's safety. He would certainly be criticized as "unfit to manage the Long River Town garrison."
Then, even in the best-case scenario, Oden's authority over Long River Town would be revoked, forcing him out of the contest for Long River Town.
That group of "bandits" entrenched in Fletcher Village had not done any other evil before, so this was probably their true goal.
The bearded officer seemed to have figured it out. Panicking, he asked, "Lord Li Ang, do you have a good solution?"
"Hurry and send the main force to wipe out those Gatu people. Try your best to capture them alive. If that's impossible, bring back all of the Gatu people's horses and equipment intact."
Li Ang began issuing orders without hesitation, as though he were the commanding officer here.
The bearded man nodded. "Naturally. But I'm afraid that won't solve Earl Oden's problem..."
What he cared about was the already established fact of "dereliction of duty."
"Of course it won't. But if you move fast enough and bring back all their horses and equipment, I have a way to solve the problem completely..."
Li Ang's face was filled with confidence. "While you're pursuing the Gatu people, I'll swiftly deal with those so-called bandits in Fletcher Village—I know people from the earldom aren't in a position to act. But I'll need some assistance..."
Seeing that Li Ang really seemed to have a solution, the bearded Ralph answered readily. "What do you need? I'll help however I can."
Li Ang looked at the map and stated his demands directly. "I need a detailed map—the more detailed, the better. I also need supplies, including bows, crossbows, and arrows, as well as some carpenters and building materials. I'll write down the exact quantities for you shortly."
The bearded man also looked over the map, his face full of confusion. "I understand the map and the bows and crossbows... But what do carpenters have to do with driving out bandits?"
Li Ang answered as though it were only natural. "You know that those so-called bandits aren't actually bandits, but nobles... To deal with this sort of unconventional trouble, we naturally need unconventional methods."
The bearded man was even more puzzled. "Could you be more specific? If necessary, I can also send some unfamiliar faces to join the operation."
"Of course... The problem facing Earl Oden and you is that Gatu people crossed into Long River Town and carried out raids. You'll definitely be held accountable, at the very least considered derelict in your duties or incompetent..."
Gesturing over the map, Li Ang began describing his plan to the bearded veteran.
Earl Oden's problem was troublesome, but not unsolvable.
Li Ang's method was to fight fire with fire.
North of Fletcher Village, near the territory Duke Alma's nephew was developing, they would build a Gatu nomad camp.
Then Ralph would send men disguised as Gatu people to ride south from the north into Lion Lake City territory—Duke Alma's land—and take a stroll around, perhaps even stage a raid.
Just like the Gatu people usually did: rob people, then run. Earl Oden's men would probably be delighted to take on that job...
That way, the Gatu cavalry's incursion could be explained as "a large-scale Gatu offensive, with raids everywhere"—with Gato Raiders appearing in everyone's territory, no one could claim it was solely another's responsibility.
Furthermore, a Gatu camp appearing in the territory of Duke Alma's nephew was far more serious than a squad of Gatu cavalry showing up...
Earl Oden might even be able to turn the tables because of it.
After explaining the plan, Li Ang had Sarah help write down the list of materials he required. Then he patted Ralph on the shoulder. "Ralph, you'd better write Earl Oden a letter first and inform him of the situation. This is no longer just a matter of fighting and killing."
Upon hearing that he should "write the earl a letter to inform him of the situation," the bearded Ralph no longer doubted him. He respectfully saluted and accepted the order. "Although I still don't fully understand your plan, since the earl instructed me to cooperate with you as best I can, I will obey. When will you depart for Fletcher?"
Li Ang looked at the sky. "I'll probably leave the day after tomorrow. I'll recruit some more people at the Adventurer Tavern. Once you've prepared the supplies, send them to the tavern."
"Yes, my lord."
Sarah had remained silent beside him, but as they left the garrison, she finally could not help smiling.
Only she had seen through Li Ang's true intentions.
"To trick them into giving you those carpenters and building materials, you really went to great lengths, Lord Li Ang..."
Li Ang raised an eyebrow, righteousness written all over his face. "What do you mean, trick? I'm solving their problem..."
"But your materials list for Ralph asked for twenty craftsmen, twenty cartloads of lumber, and tents enough to house several hundred people... Your so-called nomad camp probably wouldn't use even a tenth of that, would it?"
"Aha, Sarah, don't worry about such minor details... Besides, do you know how expensive those carpenters and building materials are...?"
Before you continue