Inside the Royal Palace of Kingsbia, arguments raged in the Council Hall while the king sat on his throne, rubbing his forehead over and over.
"Your Majesty, should we... should we head south? The Royal Capital will soon become the front line! Your Majesty..."
"Shut your mouth! A toady like you is useless in ordinary times, and the moment the kingdom faces a crisis, your first thought is saving your own skin!"
"What? I'm thinking of His Majesty!"
Two ministers began arguing, while among the military officers, some were still making their case.
"Your Majesty, Lord Chancellor, the Royal Capital still has thirty thousand royal guards, and there are other garrisons nearby. We can also conscript able-bodied young men and use civilian laborers for support. We absolutely still have the strength to fight!"
"Exactly, Your Majesty! The Dierjia forces are exhausted after one fierce battle after another. We can face them with fresh troops. We still have a chance!"
One of the ministers sneered.
"Really? That's what you said before. Hundreds of thousands of the kingdom's elite troops were thrown away amid grand declarations like these."
"Do you military men still have any grounds for such confidence? Perhaps we can raise troops, but what about weapons? Do we have enough to equip them all? All our heavy firepower was sent north in the previous campaign. How many cannons do we have left? Even counting the rusted bronze guns on the old city walls, do we have a hundred?"
The minister responsible for finances knew the current state of their military stockpiles very well. It was deeply worrying.
Another minister seized the chance to attack.
"Marshal Gauss, didn't you say the front could hold for at least another month? You even offered to face military punishment if you failed. How is