Ironvine Territory (Thirty-Six)

Viscount Rusa was very dissatisfied with Suas's answer and stared at him intently, "Regimental Commander Suas, can you guarantee that what you said is true?"

Suas could tell that Viscount Rusa wanted him to answer falsely, but Suas had no intention of going along with it and continued, "Not only me, but there are also many nobles from Rusa here who participated in the Cornwall County Iron Vine Family's internal strife and handed over the Yalori Valley to Governor Dansol of Tyre City. They should all be familiar with the situation here."

Soon, several Cornwall County nobles also confirmed Suas's words, saying that they had never seen a river near the Yalori Valley, and the nearest major river, the Green Water River, was more than 80 kilometers away from here as the crow flies.

Even if the Iron Vine Family did dig an irrigation canal, the difference in elevation between the two locations was too great, making it impossible to draw water.

After these people finished speaking, the other nobles also subtly advised Rusa not to suddenly change the battle plan. After all, in their eyes, the Ironvine Territory Private Army in the Yalori Valley was already a military achievement within reach.

Even if Rusa was the commander-in-chief, he couldn't control these independent nobles of the duchy who were blinded by military achievements.

Seeing that his idea had been rejected, Rusa took a deep breath. "Very well, the plan will proceed, but the various units must strengthen information exchange. If anything goes wrong, it must be reported immediately."

Seeing that Rusa had compromised, the other nobles stopped provoking him and instead praised Rusa for listening to their opinions and responding to their demands.

Rusa was unwilling to continue the mutual flattery with these fellows and directly announced the end of the meeting. However, after the meeting ended, he called out to Suas.

"Regimental Commander Suas, I think the Independent Regiment can take on more important tasks. Even in this operation to pacify the Yalori Valley, we cannot do without your strength."

"Alright then, you will all move in with my central army tomorrow."

This is not a suggestion, it's an order.

Suas naturally wouldn't refuse. "Vice Viscount Rusa, I think our colleagues will be very happy to hear that they can fight alongside you, Your Excellency."

After saying that, Suas left with Portland. Once they were a distance away, Portland, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up and asked, "Old man, now that you've offended the Commander-in-Chief, are we going to be targeted?"

Suas glanced at him and said expressionlessly, "I'm just stating what I know. The rest is none of my business. Baron Portland, you're a nobleman, so you have many considerations, but I'm just an officer. My job is to command troops in battle. Everything else is irrelevant to me."

Portland made a disgusting gesture. "Stop patting yourself on the back. After all you've done, do you still have the nerve to call yourself a pure soldier?"

Suas remained unmoved, his words still cold. "I did what I thought was right. What others think is their opinion, and I can't control that."

But Baron Portland, you should be more proactive in expressing your thoughts. Always being so hesitant and indecisive might be seen as agreeing with me, which is probably the opposite of what you truly believe."

Portland shut his mouth after hearing this. He did sometimes appear timid in front of the upper nobility, but this was a habit he had developed over the years living with the Ironvine Territory of Count Lloyd, and it wasn't so easy to change.

Neither of them spoke after that, until they returned to their camp.

Suas summoned all the officers of the Independent Regiment and announced to them that they would be operating together with the central Coalition of Nobles.

At first, everyone was happy to hear the news. They thought it was an opportunity that Suas and Portland had fought for, and they all expressed their gratitude to them. After all, no one would complain about having less military merit.

As a result, Suas readily explained what had happened, and everyone realized they had been celebrating prematurely.

Although they could act alongside the central army, it didn't mean they would gain military merit, especially after offending the Allied Army Commander-in-Chief.

"That Rusa wouldn't be so petty, would he?"

"He might actually believe that the Yalori Valley poses a threat of flood attack."

"How could that be? Those nobles from other places don't know, but you're all locals. How could you not know about the possibility of being flooded?"

"Because it simply doesn't exist. We all know that the Yalori Valley is an old riverbed, but there are no water sources around this place. How can we launch a water attack?"

After discussing the matter again in a few words, everyone finally concluded that Rusa was indeed worrying too much, and there was no possibility of the area near the Yalori Valley being flooded.

"In that case, Regimental Commander Suas hasn't done anything wrong. If we're going to be punished for this, and since Rusa has asked us to follow the central army, we might as well just do what needs to be done."

Everyone reached a consensus: go for it, if you can get some credit, great; if not, at least you'll get to see what it's like.

Once everyone reached an agreement, they all left to prepare for the possible battle to come.

Portland then approached Lanko, asking, "What do you think I should do?"

Knowing that Portland might be feeling a bit frustrated, Lanko comforted him, "Baron, since Suas is the Regimental Commander, let him lead the charge. You're still young, and you can learn things gradually. Besides, less talk, less mistakes, and you've done nothing wrong in that regard."

After listening to Lanko's words, Portland didn't dwell on the matter. "You also know about the Yalori Valley, so do you think Rusa's concerns are justified?"

Lanko hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think we're worrying too much. In a sense, the Yalori Valley is indeed very suitable for a water attack, but there's no water here. It hasn't rained heavily in this area recently, so even if we dig temporary reservoirs, we won't be able to store much water."

"That's true, okay then."

Lanko that Portland had accepted, Lanco left as well. After walking a distance, he looked towards the interior of the Yalori Valley and silently prayed, "May everything go well."

With each bugle call, the entire Allied Army camp erupted in cheers, and troops began to advance along the pre-planned routes.

Dawan, Asur, and Melendo's troops also left the camp, marching in square formations.

Asur and Melendo were curious about the things that Dawan was carrying in some wagons. Dawan proudly pointed to the large wagons pulled by Mala and introduced them to the two of them, "These are all good things that we got from the East Sea Alliance. Scorpion Ballista and heavy ballistae, with a range of more than 300 meters. This time they will definitely help us break through the target camp."

I spent a fortune to get my hands on this; it's incredibly powerful. I'll let those guys with the Ironvine Territory see what it's all about."

As the main force of the Allied Army began to advance, the scouts originally scattered from the Ironvine Territory began to retreat one after another. With little room for maneuver on the battlefield, their role diminished.

Meanwhile, the central camp also received news of the Coalition of Nobles's deployment. Viscount Ferry and Victor looked at Lenster, as if waiting for him to make a decision.

Lenster hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "That's settled then. I'll have the waterway in the cave cleared in two hours. Before that, have the various camps hold off the main Allied Army."

Viscount Ferry nodded and offered a few words of reassurance. "We've rehearsed several times already, there shouldn't be any problems. Each unit has also prepared plenty of boats and rafts."

Victor knew that Lenster was somewhat worried about the soldiers in the cave. After the waterway was opened, the cave would be destroyed, and the soldiers would soon be trapped in the hollow area.

"Lenster, don't worry, you've left them plenty of supplies, enough for them to survive for several years."

"I'll help you get them out after the war."

Victor was confident that the hot air balloon in the Two Rivers Territory could enter the cavern from the mountaintop sinkhole with a little improvement, as he had previously explained to Lenster.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Victor, or I'll continue to feel guilty towards these loyal soldiers."

Victor patted Lenster on the shoulder. "Let's prepare for the battle ahead."