Court Council

After delivering the two messengers, Victor instructed Foss to continue the expansion of the army, saying there was still time and there was no need to rush.

Victor also wrote a letter and asked Foss to deliver it to Holmes, the Border Captain at Green Oak Ridge. He said that Holmes would fully cooperate with him after seeing the letter.

After doing all this, Victor immediately led his men back to Stone Castle, where he still had some work to do on his way to Suffolk County.

In Silver Maple City, within the Milan County, Maple Leaf County, Grand Duke Mora, along with Count Lagos and Viscount Borey, listened to a report from the Silver Maple Guards.

"... Investigations have shown that Alex, the son of the rebellious Count Colt Iron Birch, spearheaded the attack on the messenger from the Raine Kingdom. Baron Rossi is currently missing, Baron of Woven Fern has died out, and the participants in the attack include Victor Viscount Golden Sunflower Golden Sunflower."

After the internal guard finished his report, he withdrew immediately.

After hearing the report, Mora's face turned ashen, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hands, with bulging veins, gripped the armrests of the chair so tightly that they creaked as he squeezed them.

Suddenly, he stood up, drew the short sword hanging at his waist, turned around and slashed at the chair, saying as he slashed, "They're all a bunch of useless trash. That old Colt only sent a little over 100 men and he made us run around like crazy. Baron of Woven Fern is also a piece of trash, how come his castle was taken down by so few people? If he's not dead, I'll kill him too."

Count Lagos and Viscount Borey dared not speak. Mora was arrogant and conceited, so it was better to let him vent his anger at this moment.

After a while, the chair, made of mahogany and inlaid with gold and gems, had been hacked beyond recognition by Mora. Mora finally dropped the short sword, which was already too heavy to bear, and kicked the chair over.

Mora took a breath and looked at Count Lagos, saying, "The Count Carter you recommended isn't very capable either! Wasn't Carn City supposed to be impregnable? How did that group of Northern barbarians manage to cross the Carson Mountains and appear in the Central Region?"

And why didn't they send troops to pursue them after their whereabouts were revealed in Haiden City?

Count Lagos wiped his sweat and took out a report, "Your Majesty, I have a report from the Second Legion, which summarizes the results of the subsequent reconnaissance and the judgments of the Cavalry Regiment commanders who were in charge of the pursuit."

Mora grabbed the report, flipped through it, and after quickly reading it, let out a sharp laugh, "Oh, Count Carter sent out a reconnaissance team to investigate and found that they crossed the Carson Mountains via mountain trails. Now troops have been stationed at the intersections of the discovered trails, so this problem will not occur again."

The Regimental Commander Enlek and deputy Regimental Commander Sodak judged that the force that captured Haiden City was an elite unit of 300 to 500 men. After leaving Haiden City, they split into two groups. At the time, they were worried about insufficient manpower, so they did not split up to pursue.

"Okay, so you're saying everyone did a great job, without any problems? Then whose fault is it, mine or yours?"

Count Lagos wiped his sweat, speechless. He knew that the more he spoke, the worse it would be. He thought to himself, "I have to gloss over the matter of Haiden City. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain myself after already taking money from Viscount Enlek and Count Kimberly."

Just as the Count Lagos was pondering what to do, Viscount Borey suddenly spoke up, "Your Highness, I have also read this report. I also think that Count Carter's handling of the matter and the Cavalry Regiment commander's judgment were indeed correct."

The blame lies solely with that traitor, Colt. He was scheming and plotting for a long time, not only discovering the shortcut across the Carson Mountains but also planting assassins within Haiden City, which allowed them to succeed so easily. I suspect even Barony of Woven Fern was taken because of an internal traitor.

After hearing this, Count Lagos, though unsure why Viscount Borey Old Count spoken up for him, immediately said with his seasoned experience, "Yes, this certainly proves that the traitors from the Northlands, led by Colt, have long coveted the Silver Maple Ducal House."

This time, all our responses were correct. Whether it was the relocation of the Second Legion, the dispatch of supporting troops, or the arrangement of the mission's route, everything was meticulously planned. It wasn't that we made mistakes, but rather that the enemy was too cunning.

Viscount Borey continued, "The Cavalry battalion dispatched by the Imperial Guard Legion is the most elite First Battalion. They have been traveling day and night without delay. It can only be said that Baron of Woven Fern was too careless and did not prepare any defenses. The enemy was able to launch a surprise attack, which is why our reinforcements did not even see the enemy."

Grand Duke Mora gritted his teeth. "Damn Colt, damn Iron Birch Family, I will make you wish you were dead. Viscount Borey, I want you to send troops immediately. I will order all my direct legions to march north and completely crush the Three Counties of the Northern Frontier."

Count Lagos hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this matter needs to be considered carefully. We cannot raise an army out of anger. We should proceed step by step according to the previous plan."

We must expose Colt's true colors as a traitor in the Noble Council, raise funds from the nobles loyal to you, and replenish the missing units in your direct legions before we can send troops.

Viscount Borey also offered a reminder: "New recruit training also takes time, Your Majesty. The Imperial Guard Legion can crush all enemies for you, but winter is coming soon, and it will be too late to send troops."

After listening, Mora felt that what the two said made sense, and her emotions had calmed down. "Alright then, in that case, I'll let that traitor Colt go for now and let them stay in this world for a few more days. After everything is ready, I'll send them to hell."

Mora raised his fist to show his determination, then suddenly remembered something and turned to his two close advisors. "What's the background of that Viscount Golden Sunflower? I remember there are a few Sunflower families in the eastern Boler County."

Upon hearing this, Lagos thought to himself, "Didn't you sign the Golden Sunflower Family's viscount promotion order last year? How could you forget so quickly?"

However, the Count Lagos did not dare to speak his mind directly. His reply was, "Your Majesty, this Golden Sunflower Family was originally a baronial family in the eastern Boler County. During the Civil War, they followed the traitor Jorah in fighting against you."

After Jorah was defeated, thanks to Your Excellency's magnanimity in imposing only a small fine on their family, they were forced to exchange part of their territory for North York County in the Northlands under pressure from the Northern Frontier nobles.

Golden Sunflower Baron later stayed in the Northlands. Last year, during the battle against the Barbarians, he achieved great merit and was commended by Colt. With your permission, he was promoted to viscount.

I never imagined this family could be so heartless. Despite receiving such great favor from the duchy, they've betrayed the duke and sided with their enemy. Such treachery is utterly despicable.

Mora nodded in agreement, finding the Count Lagos's words quite reasonable. "In that case, let's start with them. I remember there's Fifth Legion garrison in Sextus County. Send them to raze this family's territory in Boler County and let them know the fate of traitors."

Count Lagos quickly intervened, saying, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? The Fifth Legion's garrison still needs to be recruited and trained. It would be better to arrange for the nobles in the eastern counties loyal to the Duchy to send troops to wipe them out after the noble council begins."

Using this family's territory as a reward for the nobles who sent troops will serve as a good deterrent to other nobles, including that old Count Black.

"Okay, we'll do it your way."