Pre-Battle Conference (2)

Count Colt continued, "I don't think they lacked a way to communicate with their territory."

"Father, are you saying that they already knew about the fall of the fortress?"

Count Colt nodded. "That's right, they shouldn't be able to keep this news from us. After all, when Viscount Albert led his army to the defensive line, he would definitely prioritize speed and wouldn't consider concealing his whereabouts."

"Then why are they still doing this?"

"Why are they so calm? It's simple: how many legions do they have?"

Count Colt's words startled Alex, but he quickly remembered that the Second Legion of the Northern Frontier Allied Army was led by Viscount Benjamin and was defending the Carson Mountains on the western front; the Fifth Legion was moving there to support the western front; and the other three legions were stationed on the northern border to monitor the Barbarians, and the other two, commanded by Viscount Edmund and Viscount Hawke respectively, were on the main battlefield.

In other words, on the main battlefield, the only forces truly controlled by the Northern Frontier Allied Army were the legions of Viscount Edmund and Viscount Hawke. Their private armies accounted for 60% of these two legions, with the remainder being the private armies of other noble territories.

On the main battlefield, there were also four legions of the Iron Birch Family, which had an absolute numerical advantage. To put it bluntly, even if these nobles had any ideas, they could not shake the army at all.

"However, we have come this far thanks to their support, so we cannot ignore them. Therefore, we should make things clear to them at the pre-battle meeting and let them keep it in mind so they can focus on the battle."

Moreover, the Allied Army Fifth Legion has already set off for the Carson Mountains defense line on the western front. Even if the Duchy's army is powerful, the western front should be able to hold out for at least a month.

Alex nodded, agreeing with his father.

Count Colt then instructed Hawk to gather his men to prepare for a pre-battle meeting, which included all Regimental Commander commanders and all independent nobles going into battle.

Just after Hawk left, Alex was about to leave when Count Colt called out to him, "What's wrong with Hawk?"

Why did it suddenly turn out like this?

In Count Colt's memory, Hawk was as fat as a ball, but now he was dressed like a fierce general, which was a huge difference, and he was very curious about it.

Alex stroked his chin and thought for a moment. At the end of last year, he had joined Viscount Hawke in seizing White Earth City from the Fifth Legion of the Duchy. Hawk had already lost some weight then, but when they met again, he had indeed lost even more weight.

"It must be a second growth spurt!"

After all, Hawk is about my age, so it's normal for him to suddenly grow taller and thinner.

This explanation did not satisfy Count Colt, but he could also tell that Alex was clueless, so he did not ask him any further questions.

"Have you stopped paying attention to the Intelligence Chamber of Commerce lately?"

Alex nodded. "Yes, I've been busy leading troops in battle, so I haven't had much time to manage the intelligence guild. However, I've arranged for someone to compile and summarize information from various sources and send you a report every day. Is there a problem?"

"No, you did a great job, I was just asking."

Upon hearing this, Count Colt remained silent for a moment before brushing the matter off. Although Alex found it somewhat strange, he was too busy to inquire further and simply left.

Count Colt sat back down, took out a letterbox, and sighed, "Let's keep it a secret for a while. After all, it's wartime now, so it's best not to let him know."

Early the next morning, all the commanders of the Northern Alliance Army began to move to the main camp, with only a few commanders and troops on duty remaining on alert.

To ensure the success of this impromptu pre-battle meeting, Alex led a team to set up the venue overnight. After all, there were too many attendees this time. There were 30 Regimental Commander from just 6 legions, and with the nobles and higher-ranking officers, the entire conference room would hold more than 100 people. Without prior preparation, it would be impossible to accommodate them all.

When Count Colt entered the hall, it was already full of people. Perhaps it was Alex's intention, but everyone was dressed in military uniform, or at the very least, with a leather armor over their armor. Everyone was sitting neatly in their chairs, with their helmets on the table to their right.

The moment Count Colt entered, all the officers and nobles who were already seated stood up and shouted, "Count, Your Excellency!"

The sound startled Count Colt, and while he was still stunned, Alex leaned over and whispered, "Father told them they had worked hard and to sit down."

As Count Colt spoke, everyone returned to their seats, and the armored guards around the hall stomped their feet on the ground with a loud "thump," which blended with the sound of the officers taking their seats, creating an extremely imposing atmosphere, as if a thousand troops were present.

This was something Alex had learned from a conversation with Victor. According to Victor, although this approach was somewhat of a bluff, it would leave a deep impression on people who saw it for the first time, and it would help boost their morale.

Just as Victor said, the nobles and officers were also attending such a meeting for the first time, and they were also infected by the atmosphere of the meeting. Their faces were flushed, as if they were about to go into battle at any moment.

Looking at the nobles and officers before him, who were brimming with enthusiasm, Alex couldn't help but nod. Victor's method was very effective. It could be said that the morale of the army was now in good hands. Even if the situation on the Western Front was explained, probably not many nobles would be worried.

After Count Colt introduced the Carson Mountains defense line and the current situation of the garrison, the meeting room immediately became lively again. In fact, just as Count Colt said, many Northern Frontier nobles already knew about the situation on the western front, and they were not surprised by it.

Count Colt also explained that the Fifth Legion of the Allied Army was rushing to the scene. At least the nobles of Durham County were very happy with Count Colt's arrangement, since whether the western front could be held was a matter of life and death for these people.

However, the other nobles and officers were somewhat uninterested, but when Count Colt announced Victor's achievements in the east, everyone cheered in unison.

After such a long stalemate on the main battlefield, everyone was exhausted. Although they did not believe that the Northern Alliance Army would be defeated, they were still looking forward to news that could boost morale.

The news of Victor's victory at Rotten Tree Beach dispelled the previous somber atmosphere in the room, and many people began to inquire about the specific details of the battle, fearing that their hopes might be dashed.

But Alex had already compared Victor's battle report with the information he had obtained from other sources, and he also believed that Victor had not exaggerated, but rather that it was very true.

Based on this detail, everyone concluded that Victor had indeed achieved a great victory. Everyone began to cheer and loudly praise Victor's outstanding achievements. Some people even slammed their fists on the table. Looking at the table shaking under them, Alex was worried that they would break it.

Count Colt made a few gesturing gestures with his hands until everyone quieted down.

"Soon Viscount Victor will lead his army north to support the main battlefield, but he needs time to rest and reorganize his troops. After all, the battle was a great success, but his own troops also suffered heavy losses and cannot arrive as soon as possible. So we all need to hold on a little longer."

"Very good!"

"With Viscount Golden Sunflower here, we will be victorious!"

"I told you the Duchy Army was no good. Look how well Viscount Victor did!"

"Come on, we all know whether the Duchy Army is any good or not! It's just that Viscount Victor is too outstanding!"

Alex discovers that what his father revealed about Victor's next move has nothing to do with his actual actions.

However, judging from the conversation among these nobles, Alex believed that Count Colt was right to do so. Telling them at this point that Victor's eastern troops would go to support the southern Ironvine Territory first might cause their morale to plummet.

Thus, based on Count Colt's words, many people believed that as long as they waited a little longer, Viscount Golden Sunflower's eastern army would arrive, and the two sides could join forces to defeat the main force of the duchy, and the Northern Frontier Allied Army would finally win.

By the time Count Colt announced the end of the meeting, everyone had returned to their pre-war state, full of confidence. Alex believed that the morale of the troops was still usable for the time being, and he could take this opportunity to launch several more raids on the Duchy's camp, believing that he could achieve good results.