Giving In

The visitor was none other than Viscount Sonanda, commander of the coastal defense fleet of Great Oak Territory.

When Beck saw that it was him, he immediately stopped his subordinates; the two actually knew each other.

Before Beck became Legion Commander, he often attended the Noble Council as a viscount, but the Five-Pointed Maple family's seat was right next to the Hawthorn family's.

Both men inherited their family titles at a young age and were of similar age, but they did not get along well. Beck was arrogant because his family was a branch of the Ducal House and often caused trouble for lower-ranking nobles.

Sonanda, however, was free-spirited and disapproved of Beck's behavior, often criticizing him. Beck was a bully who preyed on the weak.

Although the Hawthorn family were vassals of Count Black, they were also proper viscounts. Their fiefdom size and strength were far beyond what the Five-Pointed Maple family, a high-ranking noble family, could match. Every time Sonanda appeared, Beck had to back down.

Later, after the Civil War ended, Beck, relying on his family's connections with the Ducal House, rose directly from Regimental Commander to Legion Commander.

Count Black was suppressed by Grand Duke Mora, and the two hadn't seen each other for several years.

Beck's status is not what it used to be, but he still has a psychological shadow when he sees his old nemesis, and he involuntarily takes a step back.

Then Beck realized that he was now the Legion Commander of the Duchy's Direct Legion, so why should he be afraid of Sonanda, an independent noble viscount? Even his lord, Count Black, was now struggling to protect himself under the Grand Duke's suppression.

Beck said, "So it was you, Sonanda. So you're saying my fleet can't enter the port because you're the one blocking it?"

Are you, Great Oak Territory, planning to betray the Duchy and surrender to the Northern Frontier Allied Army?

"If you don't want me to report this to the Grand Duke, you'd better let me through right now. If you try to stop me, my First Legion isn't to be trifled with!"

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and his guards immediately drew their swords and pointed them at Sonanda and his sailors.

Seeing this, Sonanda frowned. These soldiers of the First Legion were indeed elite. The moment they drew their swords, they lowered their bodies. Their grip on the longswords was very loose, with the tips pointing downwards, but they did not move. Their bodies were all close together, and each of their eyes contained murderous intent.

Looking at his own sailors and dock tax collectors, their numbers outnumbered those on the other side, and they were constantly brandishing their swords. His own sailors were jumping and leaping around as if they were on fire, used to fighting at sea and completely unreliable in land battles.

As for the tax soldiers at the dock, they were good at dealing with some tax-evading merchants, but forget about fighting a war. They were all bark and no bite, shouting at the soldiers of the First Legion, but their voices went quiet after being glared at by the soldiers opposite them.

Judging from this situation, Sonanda knew that he had no chance of winning if a real conflict broke out.

Sonanda sighed inwardly, waved away the soldiers, and stepped forward. "Legion Commander Beck, first of all, thank you for bringing the First Legion to support us. It was indeed our oversight that your troops could not land in time."

"But as you can see, my fleet is leaving port. Please be patient for a moment. Once you've disembarked, I'll arrange for someone to bring wine and meat to the brothers of the First Legion as an apology. How does that sound?"

Sonanda spoke while pointing in the direction of the dock.

Beck looked in the direction Sonanda was pointing and saw that ships were indeed leaving the harbor one after another, at least dozens of them, all with the Great Oak Crest on their sails, clearly warships.

It was rare for Beck to gain the upper hand against Sonanda. Although he knew that if he left port at this time, his troops would not be able to dock, but perhaps years of resentment made him want to continue to cause trouble for Sonanda.

"You think you can just say whatever you want? What about His Majesty the Grand Duke?"

We received news of the Northern Alliance Army' landing six days ago, and I immediately led my troops out to carry out His Majesty the Grand Duke's orders.

"And you, after all this time, why hasn't your fleet attacked the Northern Alliance Army's landing fleet? Don't you always say your Great Oak Territory the duchy's best Coastal Defense Fleet?"

Sonanda was so angry that his teeth were itching, but considering that Beck's First Legion was near the port, he couldn't provoke Beck.

We must not let him cause trouble for Count Black, lest it affect our subsequent plans.

"Legion Commander Beck, it's not as easy for the Coastal Defense Fleet to be deployed as it is for the army. Moreover, the Northern Alliance Army's fleet is powerful and more numerous than ours."

To achieve victory, we must gather the warships of all the nobles along the eastern coast, which will take time to coordinate and will certainly not be quick.

However, we have mobilized all the Army Department in the territory, and the first batch of troops has already set off.

Furthermore, a summons was issued to all independent nobles in the three noble counties in the east. Now, apart from the garrison still guarding the Golden Sunflower Territory, the other Noble Army have set off for the landing point of the Northern Alliance Army.

"Our Count Black has carried out His Majesty the Grand Duke's orders perfectly. Please don't speak carelessly; if you're wrong, neither of us can afford the consequences."

After being rebuked by Sonanda, Beck didn't dare to push his luck. He simply emphasized that Sonanda should make amends to them before leaving with his men.