章節 425: Four fronts
"Uncle, you know the elder council the best. Do you think the alliance between the Li Family and the Imperial Council will last?"
"There's no such thing as a lasting alliance, only lasting benefits. Lord Foshan and Lord Fengji are smarter than the both of us. They won't tie their boat too closely to the Imperial Council's. What I assume they're planning to do is to step back and allow the council and the kingdom's forces to fight and weaken each other. They want to reap the benefits of the fight and build their strength at the same time."
"That's it!" Ming said with sparkling eyes. "The Imperial Council wouldn't want a third party to interfere in their fight against the Alzar Kingdom, especially since they're entering the Samfeng Province now. They would be flanking themselves. This means that they must defend against two fronts simultaneously."
"We reached the same conclusion too," General Petra added. "Against the Li Family's potential two hundred thousand strong army, they can't be too relaxed. If I were Unit Commander Haea, I would station a significant force to deter the Li Family. At the very least, thirty to fifty thousand. They would also have to hold the Quiton Gates, which could take anywhere between ten and thirty thousand. That means their effective numbers against the kingdom could range between two hundred and twenty thousand and two hundred and sixty thousand."
"Two hundred and sixty thousand… Considering the kingdom's forces are fatigued, and the council's forces are at full strength, it could be a difficult fight," Ming analyzed.
"There's also the Featherwind Sect to worry about," Xiuying pointed out.
"I can take care of them. You don't need to worry," the Sword King confidently declared. However, everyone else had uncertain expressions. Certainly, he was strong, but was he strong enough to best the Featherwind Sect? It was hard to say. His personality and loyalty were questionable too and there was no telling what he might do. Placing their hopes on a single man seemed reckless. Although he could sense their reservations, he shrugged them off. His sword would prove everything!
"What about the other three Great Nobility Families? I seem to recall that their forces are mixed into the council's," Ten Dawn Yvonne thought aloud.
"Of the three hundred thousand, two hundred are the Xingyuu Empire's Tai Feng Army, and the remaining one hundred is formed from the Jun, Jian, and Shui Family armies. The Jun Family has fifty thousand, the Jian Family thirty thousand, and the Shui Family twenty."
Chang sighed. He personally knew many people from the Jian Family's army, many that he was close with. To hear that they were being sent to the frontlines in this pointless war, he clenched his fists. His brother and father had taken this too far! Would they not stop until their ambitions burned everything to the ground? Enough was enough!
"Protector Chang, you're the young lord of the Jian Family. Is there anything you can tell us about the Jian Family's army?"
"General Petra, this question is too insensitive. We won't be answering it," Ming said sternly, after noticing Chang's discomfort.
"Is that so? What a shame," the woman shrugged off.
Elizabeth decided to change topics. "We believe the upcoming battles will be divided into four major fronts: one north, one south, one west, and one central. The western front involves the Imperial Council and the Li Family along the Tailong River, so we can expect little to no fighting there. The northern, southern, and central fronts will be our main focus, and of the three, we believe the central front involving Guanhuang will be the most important one. It will likely decide the direction of this war."
"Could Your Highness elaborate?" Ten Dawn Yvonne asked.
"It's the ease of access it has to the rest of the province," her partner, Ten Dawn Rosemary, answered. "For example, our logistic network uses the Yunyun Stronghold's pre-existing roads. Roads are the lifeline through which our armies can thrive and Guanhuang, the provincial capital, has the most roads out of any settlement in the province. You could reach the entire province from there."
"Ten Dawn Rosemary is correct. Guanhuang will be our highest priority to capture," General Petra said. "The Imperial Council will think the same, so we believe they will deploy the bulk of their forces to the central front. Estimates may exceed a hundred thousand alone!"
"So, how will the kingdom respond? Guanhuang is well-fortified and easily defendable. Once they settle in, it'll be difficult to siege unless… the kingdom plans to reveal the Ten Dawns survived? But I believe that would interfere with our overall plan," Imperian Qiang mused.
"I agree. That's why… Sword King Sin, we will have to ask for your help here," Elizabeth said.
"Not interested. We agreed that I would handle the Featherwind Sect for you, not fight your wars for you. That's outside our original agreement."
"You can't think about it this way, Sword King Sin," General Petra interrupted. "Seeing how important the central front is, it's highly likely the Featherwind Sect will make an appearance there. I believe it would be in your best interests to go as well."
The man narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I would watch my words if I were you. You should know that I despise schemers the most." His threats were not empty either, as he radiated a strong killing intent! And unlike Lady Mingyu Loon's, his killing intent was far more refined and sharper. Like a knife cutting into their skin, everyone instinctively felt afraid. He was not someone they could control! However, he suddenly retracted his killing intent, allowing everyone to breath again. "I will go to Guanhuang and intervene if the Featherwind Sect appears. Nothing more. Understood?"
"That is more than acceptable," Elizabeth exhaled.
General Petra nodded. "With that said, here is what I have in mind…"
The discussion continued for the better part of a day, and when it finally ended, the moon was already high in the sky. Shirley sighed emotionally and leaned out a window, feeling the cold spring breeze on her face. Somehow, that meeting seemed to go on and on! She thought it might never end! Thanking the heavens for finally escaping that nightmarish world, she rolled over lazily and noticed Freon lying like a dead dog. He looked more miserable than she did, which was surprising, because she thought he would have liked those meetings. The answer revealed itself soon enough though.
Freon's stomach rumbled loudly, making him mumble, "These people aren't normal… If Elizabeth had told me there wasn't going to be any food, I would've eaten more beforehand… Damn her…"
"Here, you can eat this," Shirley said. She shoved a piece of bread in his face.
"Where did you get this?"
"I swiped it from a maid just as we left. I don't think she minded."
"…Thank you." He held back his remarks and accepted the bread.
While they dined, Shirley said, "I never realized Elizabeth had to go through this every time… I get her complaints now. I certainly wouldn't want to do this again either."
"I agree. It's a bit too nerve-racking…"
Freon felt his sore tense muscles and groaned. Just Ten Dawn Rosemary was enough to set him on pins and needles, much less everyone involved. Compared to the high and lofty positions everyone wielded, he was just the brother of a Ten Dawn… It felt like an affront to be there at all. Honestly, he wanted an excuse to leave, but he felt too scared to breath loudly, much less say anything stupid. Pretending to be a statue was the best decision he made, except his fatigue and hunger had a different idea in mind. He was constantly fighting the urge to fall asleep or let his stomach rumble that he almost went crazy counting the minutes pass by. It had to be the most agonizing ten hours of his life! Like Shirley, he thanked the stars for getting out alive.
"Where's Benedict by the way?" Shirley wondered.
"He's over there," Freon pointed.
"I deeply apologize for my master's behavior! I'm sure he didn't mean any of it!" He bowed sharply towards General Petra and the others, baffling them. They were unsure what to do. Some of them were amused though, thinking he was like a diligent son apologizing on behalf of his drunken father. Regardless, their moods improved.
"Stand, Sir Benedict. You don't have to apologize," General Petra said.
"But…"
"That's an order, soldier."
"Understood," Benedict saluted wryly.
"Good. Eat some food and get some rest. We will reconvene another day. Everyone is dismissed."
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