Paper Warfare

November 10, Heinrich, a day destined to be etched on the pillar of shame in the history of the Goldflower Kingdom.

The Prye City, the heart of the kingdom's power and glory, has entered its darkest hour.

The Sauron wolf flag, blotting out the sky, appeared on the horizon like a shadow of death.

Harald's main Sauron army, after nearly two months of trekking and plundering, finally arrived at the city's gates.

The Sauron made no attempt to conceal their arrogance and contempt.

They even brazenly set up camp just miles from the towering walls of Plai, raising a menacing black wolf banner representing their Great Chieftain, Harald.

It was as if what lay before them was not the capital of a kingdom, but an ordinary town that could be trampled upon at will.

The vanguard of cavalry, like hyenas that have smelled blood, began to approach the city walls, swaggering and showing off.

If it weren't for Friedrich's desperate defense, the Sauron ' iron hooves would probably have reached Prye City a month ago.

It was precisely because of this precious delay that the imperial court had the opportunity to hastily organize the evacuation of some of the people and property outside the city, thus preventing a larger-scale tragedy.

The Royal Palace Council Hall in Prye City.

The once solemn and majestic hall was now in complete chaos, like a hornet's nest that had been disturbed.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!" A scout, covered in dust, with tattered armor and bloodstains on his face, was practically dragged into the main hall by two guards.

With his last ounce of strength, he hoarsely cried out, "Sauron... the Sauron Barbarians... are here! Countless... their vanguard... has reached the north gate!"

After shouting, his eyes rolled back and he completely lost consciousness.

The guards quickly carried the unconscious scout away, but the hall was already in an uproar because of the news he had brought.

Heinrich XI, who was sitting on the throne, turned deathly pale in an instant.

In his hand, he still clutched a battle report from Old Osric Fortress, which had just been delivered at great risk by a messenger.

Only now did he realize that the Royalist Army he had placed so much hope in had been defeated by the Sauron more than ten days ago! An army of 50,000 men had been wiped out in an instant!

"Snap!"

The heavy battle report slipped from Heinrich's trembling hands and fell onto the polished marble floor with a crisp sound.

The sound was like a signal, completely igniting the long-suppressed panic within the hall.

"Heaven has forsaken my Broomflower!"

"Blackstone Pass... How could Blackstone Pass have fallen? What was Eisenberg doing?!"

"What's the use of saying all this now! The barbarians are already at the city gates!"

"Defend? How can we defend? How many soldiers do we have left who are capable of fighting?"

"Peace talks! Peace talks are a must! Your Majesty, send envoys immediately and agree to their conditions. Even if it means giving them more gold coins or ceding Northern Territory lands, you must first save the Royal Capital!" An elderly Duke pleaded tearfully, advocating for surrender.

"Nonsense! To negotiate with the barbarians is like asking a tiger for its skin! They are insatiable and will never be satisfied! We must fight to the death! Your Majesty, please issue an order immediately to mobilize the entire city's military and civilians, and vow to live and die with Plai!" a general in military uniform retorted sharply.

"Fight to the death? What are we going to fight with? The Royalist Army just suffered a crushing defeat! Where in the kingdom do we have any soldiers left to fight!"

"It's all Rochfort's fault for being incompetent! He possesses the city of Franjen and the Northern Border Iron Cavalry, yet he allowed the Sauron to advance unimpeded! He should be dismissed and investigated!"

"And Eisenberg! He lost territory and suffered a crushing defeat; he deserves to die!"

"What's the point of assigning blame now? The most urgent task is to defeat the enemy!"

The ministers were in an uproar, attacking each other and shirking responsibility. The pro-war, pro-peace, and pro-escape factions argued endlessly, creating a chaotic scene that was completely unbecoming of the kingdom's highest decision-making body.

"Enough!!!"

A roar like that of a wounded lion suddenly erupted from the throne, instantly drowning out all the noise.

Heinrich XI abruptly stood up, his body trembling slightly with extreme anger and fear.

His eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at the chaotic group of officials below, roaring hoarsely:

"Shut up, all of you! With a formidable enemy at hand, instead of thinking about how to repel them, you're just making a racket and shirking responsibility! Do you have any semblance of the behavior of subjects?!"

The King's thunderous wrath silenced the hall instantly; everyone was terrified and lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Heinrich gasped for breath, forcing down his panic, and with all his might, roared, word by word, "Issue the decree! Immediately issue my decree!"

"Summon Duke Schmidt and Duke Eichberg of the south, along with all their subordinate nobles, immediately, at once, assemble all their armies and march north! Travel day and night! To relieve the Sauron ' siege of the Royal Capital!"

With each name he uttered, he would slam his finger down hard on the armrest of the throne, as if trying to carve the name into it.

"And another!" he practically roared, his voice distorted with extreme agitation and fear, "Summon Earl Rochefort of Fran City! Send him here immediately! With his Northern Border Iron Cavalry! Tell him the Royal Capital needs him! Now! Immediately!"

"Summon Earl Eisenberg of Blackstone Pass! Make him emerge from that tortoise-shell-like Eagle's Nest Fortress! Tell him the kingdom is facing a life-or-death crisis, and he can no longer hide in the back to preserve his strength!"

"And there's Reinard of Old Osric Fortress. Now that the Sauron have lifted the Osric Fort, have him immediately lead his troops out of the city and attack the Sauron from the rear! With the Royal Capital's garrison and them attacking from both inside and outside, the Sauron will surely be defeated!"

Heinrich XI abruptly rose from his throne, swaying slightly with agitation, and roared at the Lord Seal Minister and scribes who were already paralyzed with fear on the ground:

"Quickly! Draft the decree! Use the fastest horses! Send the most loyal men! Deliver my decree to every single one of them! Tell them, this is the Royal Decree! The King's final order! Anyone who dares to delay, anyone who dares to outwardly comply but inwardly defy, I... I will exterminate their entire clan!"

"Hurry! If you're too late... it'll all be over! The Broomflower will die!"

A relatively calm minister had no choice but to step forward, his voice bitter as he reminded him, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst! Earl Rochefort is currently locked in a stalemate with the main force of Ulf's Sparrow Corps; he is barely able to protect himself, how could he possibly come?"

"Earl Eisenberg's Eagle Nest is heavily besieged, all communication has been cut off, and his fate is unknown! Old Osric Fortress... Old Osric Fortress has been silent for many days, and there are rumors that... that General Reynard... has surrendered the city!"

"Surrender!" Heinrich was struck dumb, staggered back a step, and slumped onto the throne, the last trace of color draining from his face.

Seeing the emperor's utterly despondent expression, the hall fell into a deathly silence; an atmosphere of despair, like an icy tide, engulfed everyone.

Just then, a young official standing in the corner, of low rank, perhaps out of youthful fearlessness, or perhaps out of quick thinking, mustered his courage, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty! Your subject... Your subject has something to say!"

Heinrich's unfocused gaze managed to focus on him, and he said weakly, "Speak..."

The young official took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, the kingdom in the Northern Territory seems... seems to still have an army capable of fighting!"

"What?" A faint glimmer of light suddenly appeared in Heinrich's eyes, like a drowning man seeing a straw. "Where? Whose army is it?"

"Does Your Majesty still remember the battle report from six months ago on the great victory at Carnford in the Northern Territory?" the young official reminded him. "Over a thousand Sauron barbarians were killed, and their Battle Group Commander Invag was captured! The one who performed this miracle was none other than Lord Karl von Schmidt, the second son of the Schmidt Family who rebuilt Carnford!"

"Karl ... Karl von Schmidt!" Heinrich suddenly remembered. That battle report had pleased him greatly, and he had even issued an imperial decree to commend him, although the reward was written as an IOU due to the empty treasury.

"Yes! It's him! I remember! Quickly! Send an imperial decree to Lord Karl, ordering him to immediately lead his army to the capital to defend the emperor!"

The young official looked slightly embarrassed, but continued, "Your Majesty, Lord Karl is far in the Northern Territory, and it is probably difficult for him to lead his army directly to Plai at this moment."

"However, I believe that he should lead his troops to launch an offensive behind enemy lines! Together with Earl Rochefort of Fran City, they can attack from both sides and first defeat the Sparrow Corps besieging Fran City!"

"Once the Sparrow Corps is destroyed, Earl Rochefort and Lord Karl can join forces and march south to defend the king! At that time, the Sauron will be attacked from both sides and can be wiped out in one fell swoop!"

This suggestion is entirely based on maps and ideals—a mere "armchair theorizing."

It overlooked the fact that Carnford was also besieged by a large army, the difficulties of a long-distance raid, and the strength of the Sauron Sparrow Corps.

But in this desperate situation, any straw will be grasped tightly.

Heinrich XI, as if grasping at his last hope, didn't have time to consider the flaws in the plan. He excitedly pounded the armrest of his throne, repeatedly saying, "Good! Good plan! Do it this way! Quickly! Draft the decree! Eight hundred li urgent! No! One thousand li urgent!"

"Issue my decree to Karl von Schmidt, ordering him to immediately raise an army, join forces with Rochfort to attack the Sparrow Corps, and then rush south to defend the King! If successful, I will bestow upon him the title of King of the Northern Territory! A hereditary title!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" The young official hurriedly bowed and withdrew, but his heart was filled with unease, wondering if this almost fanciful decree could truly bring a glimmer of hope to the kingdom.

Soon, several fast horses, carrying the kingdom's last hope, galloped out of the side gate of Prye City, risking being hunted down by the Sauron cavalry, and sped northward.

Surprisingly, the Sauron Cavalry did not pursue them too much, firing only a few arrows before letting the messengers go.

Meanwhile, the towering gates of Prye City slowly closed with heavy creaking, preparing to welcome the impending, brutal siege that would last for an unknown period of time.

The fate of the kingdom seems to rest solely on that small fortress far to the Northern Territory, also besieged, and on that young Lord who has repeatedly performed miracles.