"That is a problem. The Imperial Regular Army is rather strong... Compared with House Bersuvi's private army, I mean."
Auguste rubbed his temples. "I put those useless fools through special training, but ten-odd days isn't enough to make them a match for the Imperial Regular Army. And there still aren't enough monsters emerging from the Underworld to fight it."
"Exactly. So first, we have to pull out the nail the Empire has driven into West Desert Province," Andre said.
"You mean Count Danton?"
Auguste laughed. "That's easy. House Bersuvi's private army may be weak, but they'll do as cannon fodder. Once I use Breakthrough Charge to kill Danton, the Imperial Vanguard Army will fall apart."
That tactic worked when the enemy commander was weak. It would be impossible if Nicholas IV led the imperial forces: Auguste knew he could not charge in and kill a lord.
"Defeating Danton won't be hard. He's only a Rare Boss. But how do we make him useful?" Andre shook his head.
"Make Danton useful?" Auguste scratched his chin. "Then let's change tactics. We kill him quietly, have a Shapeshifter impersonate him, and catch Nicholas IV off guard just after he arrives! If Nicholas IV is severely injured, I'm confident I can crush the Imperial Legions."
"No," Andre said, shaking his head.
"Why?" Auguste welcomed advice like any good ruler. From what he had read in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, rulers who listened to their advisers succeeded, while those who ignored them met ruin.
His favorite, Sun Bofu, had died young precisely because he ignored his advisers' warnings.
Andre explained, "First, when the Gorseflower Empire searched Central Province for Shapeshifters, it widened the checks to include heirs. They're clearly wary of Shapeshifters. Count Danton would probably face close scrutiny when he first joined them,