In the hall, Ronan was surprised to find Hogul there as well. Several others stood beside him, presumably officers who had originally been stationed in Fortress Three.
Seeing Xinteland's commanders led by Rexa arrive, Hogul spoke.
"Everyone has probably heard the terrible news. Prince Gaogen still refused to listen to us. He persuaded the officers in Terra City and secretly led half of the city's garrison—fifteen hundred men—out of the city. He was likely trying to retake Fortress One.
"However, Gino of Valantis noticed his movements and personally led troops to defeat them. He even sent back Prince Gaogen's armor, likely intending to shake the King of Terra's resolve. They all believe Prince Gaogen is dead, but that is not the case.
"The King of Terra possesses a Magical Artifact that can confirm whether the prince is alive or dead. At present, we can be certain that the prince is not dead. The body Gino found was likely someone else disguised as him.
"Intelligence indicates that they have imprisoned all the captives in Fortress One. But Gino is clever, and he must have his suspicions as well. If we mobilize a large force to attack, we will be confirming that the prince is alive. It would also achieve their goal of forcing us into a decisive battle ahead of schedule. If that happens, all our previous defensive strategy will have been for nothing.
"But we cannot simply leave them unrescued either. Valantis may sell those prisoners at any time, and it will be very difficult to recover them afterward. Therefore, we intend to form an elite squad to rescue the prince!"
"But the enemy has nearly a thousand soldiers stationed in Fortress One. Unless the elite force you assemble consists of a hundred high-level dragonmen, there is no way it