Chapter 16: Moonlight Like Water (II)

Miss Windsor was truly beautiful, especially those large eyes that seemed capable of speech. At this moment, she resembled a drowning person grasping at a piece of straw floating on the water's surface — her eyes, brimming with desperation yet carrying a faint glimmer of hope, were fixed intently on Lorist.

Even though Lorist had lived two lifetimes and had seen no shortage of beauties in his previous world, this delicate girl before him somehow made his heart skip a beat, leaving him momentarily dazed. He gulped down a mouthful of saliva and, somewhat awkwardly, averted his gaze from those big eyes that had him feeling flustered. Stammering, he said, "M-Miss, if you d-don't mind, I, I could help you analyze the Windsor Family's predicament and see if there's anything that can be done..."

Miss Windsor certainly didn't mind. Fatty Shi timely offered a cup of plain water. "Here, drink some water first. Look at how anxious you are — you're stuttering."

After gulping down half a cup of water in one breath and calming his nerves, Lorist looked at the frail, pitiable Miss Windsor wrapped in a blanket. Remembering that she hadn't had a single grain of food or a sip of water since last night, he felt a wave of sympathy. He brewed a cup of hot tea and set it on the table, then gestured for Fatty Shi to go fetch some small pastries like cakes and biscuits.

Pointing at the blanket wrapped around the girl, Lorist smiled gently. "Miss, have some tea to warm yourself first, then eat a little to recover your strength. We can talk after that, all right?"

When Lorist had fished this young lady out of Moon Lake last night, the girl hadn't drowned — she had merely passed out from exhaustion caused by prolonged mental and emotional strain. Although Lorist and Fatty Shi had quite a feast for their eyes, neither had the nerve to change the girl out of her wet clothes. They could only set up two braziers, one in front and one behind, and dry both the girl and her clothes together. In the end, worried that she might catch a cold, they wrapped her in a blanket.

Only then did Miss Windsor realize her situation. She tightened the blanket around herself and nodded with a faint blush on her cheeks. After the girl had eaten and drunk her fill, she borrowed the small washroom in Fatty Shi's office to freshen up a little. When she emerged in a new female student uniform that Fatty Shi had fetched, looking radiant and refreshed before Lorist and Fatty Shi, both men couldn't help but be struck by her beauty.

Lorist was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered. He noticed the corners of the girl's mouth curving slightly upward — she was clearly feeling a small surge of pride at having stunned both Lorist and Fatty Shi with her beauty.

Lorist picked up a blank sheet of parchment and began giving the big-eyed girl and the curious Fatty Shi a lesson in tactical analysis. "Based on the information Fatty has gathered, I'll analyze the Windsor Family's current predicament. Miss, you can fill in anything I might have missed."

Predicament one: The Windsor Family lost its territory due to the war. The former territory has already been carved up by four neighboring lords. The original territorial garrison and local administrative officials have all been dismissed and relieved of duty. Even Madame Windsor and the young heir were driven out of the territory. This shows that the new lords have no intention of allowing the Windsor Family to maintain any influence over its former lands.

Predicament two: Not a single noble in the Qigeda Kingdom is willing to extend a helping hand to the unjustly treated Windsor Family — not even the Grand Duke whom the Windsor Family had previously pledged allegiance to. Although, in terms of the kingdom's laws, that territory rightfully belongs to the Windsor Family, the nobles have tacitly accepted the four new lords' partition. Not a single person is willing to speak a word of justice.

Predicament three: With Viscount Windsor having died heroically on the battlefield, the family has lost the capable leader it needed, leaving behind only orphans, a widow, and a pampered young lady. The heir who could inherit the family estate is currently only seven years old — still in a state of naive innocence — so expectations for him can only be placed in the distant future. As for Madame Windsor, she's currently preoccupied with worrying about which knight or lord fathered the child in her womb. Apparently, the list of suspected candidates has already reached forty or fifty names, so she can't be relied upon for the time being. And as for the young lady — Lorist glanced at the girl who hadn't awakened her combat force and chuckled to himself, "Never mind, let's just skip over that."

"That's my stepmother, not my birth mother. Right now, I'm the only one in the Windsor Family who can make decisions." The girl flushed red, equal parts embarrassed and angry.

Only after the explanation did Lorist and Fatty Shi understand that this Madame Windsor had originally been a widowed baroness. She had met Viscount Windsor, and the two had gotten together. Later, when she became pregnant with the young heir, the viscount married her as his second wife, and she had been living at the estate in the royal capital. It wasn't until three years ago, after Miss Windsor's birth mother passed away, that she brought the young heir back to the territory. She was not yet thirty-five this year.

No wonder — when Fatty Shi had first heard the news that Madame Windsor's belly had grown big in the military camp, he had mocked those knights and lords for being so desperate, saying that judging by the young lady's age, Madame Windsor must be well over forty. For them to not even spare an old woman like that — they really were beggars who couldn't be choosers. So it turned out Madame Windsor wasn't even thirty-five. Well, well, that made it somewhat more understandable.

The emotionally agitated girl had no idea that the two men present had long since let their minds wander. With lewd thoughts, they were privately imagining Madame Windsor's blissful life in the military camp. The two even exchanged a knowing glance and silently snickered to themselves.

The big-eyed girl was delivering the Windsor Family's battle declaration: "...I will absolutely not allow them to trample on the Windsor Family's dignity like this. The territory will definitely be reclaimed by us. And I will never forgive those who stood by and did nothing. As long as there's an opportunity in the future, I will not let them off..."

"Miss, I'm afraid that's not entirely realistic," Fatty Shi interrupted honestly. "The situation is more dire than you think. In fact, many illustrious noble houses have fallen and vanished just this way. Losing territory and having no capable head of the family — these two fatal weaknesses alone are enough to doom the Windsor Family to utter ruin. I'd suggest the young lady try to look on the bright side. After all, your family still has a property and two shopfronts in Morant City. That should be enough to keep you well-fed and well-clothed."

Lorist knew that Fatty Shi was telling the truth.

Miss Windsor knew it too. She froze in a daze, and then those big eyes that seemed capable of speech began welling up with tears. She stood there without a sound, her shoulders trembling, utterly heartbroken...

Lorist couldn't bear it. He let out a long sigh, stood up, found a white towel, and handed it over. "Actually, there is a way for the Windsor Family to reclaim its territory..."

The crying stopped abruptly. The girl, her eyes red and teary, asked in surprise, "Really?"

Fatty Shi looked at the parchment in his hand with suspicion. "Impossible..."

Lorist picked up another blank sheet of parchment and a dip pen, and began writing briskly. One: Personnel. Two: Spies. Three: Targets. Four: Logistics. Five: Reinforcement.

Pointing at the five headings on the parchment, Lorist began explaining to the bewildered girl and Fatty Shi. "One: Personnel. Although Viscount Windsor died heroically on the battlefield, not all of his former subordinates perished. They've scattered and fallen into the surrounding towns and villages. Take this instance — Madame Windsor and the young heir traveled all the way to Morant City, and it was a former garrison captain and several former attendants who guarded them on the journey and saw them safely here. The Windsor Family cannot simply hand these people a few gold coins and send them on their way. These are people who remain loyal to the Windsor Family. Instead of abandoning them, you must organize them. Send them to infiltrate the former territory and continue rallying and contacting scattered subordinates."

"Gathering these people together means the Windsor Family will have a reliable fighting force. You can then raise the banner of resistance against the new lords, letting people know that the Windsor Family hasn't abandoned its territory and hasn't submitted. As long as a resistance force led by the Windsor Family exists in the old territory, the family will not be forgotten."

"However, the person sent to the former territory to organize the resistance must be bold yet meticulous, cautious in their conduct. If they hold some prestige among Viscount Windsor's former subordinates, even better. They must also possess sufficient ability to protect themselves. Of course, the most important thing is loyalty to the Windsor Family. Miss, does the Windsor Family have someone like that?"

The girl thought for a moment and nodded. "I think Uncle Som would work. He's our family knight, a Silver Knight of the second rank. He's always commanded the cavalry guard and was my father's most trusted subordinate. In the recent war, he was severely wounded in battle before my father fell. Father had his whole family sent to the estate in the royal capital to recover, and fortunately, they escaped the new lords' purge of the Windsor Family's forces in the old territory. One of the attendants who brought Mother and my brother here was carrying a letter from Uncle Som to me. In the letter, he said his injuries have improved, though he still can't ride a horse. In another month or two, he'll come to Morant City to find us. Oh, and Uncle Som's daughter, Lina, is my personal maidservant."

"Excellent. Based on what the young lady has described, this Sir Som is indeed the most suitable candidate to lead the resistance. Now let's move on to the second point: spies." Lorist looked at the somewhat dismissive expressions on the girl's and Fatty Shi's faces and asked, "Do you even know what spies are?"

"I do," the girl answered eagerly. "Aren't they just the people who gather intelligence for the lord? They loiter around taverns all day, keeping an eye on strangers in the territory. Whenever the commoners make any move, they report it to the lord in exchange for a pittance of a reward."

Fatty Shi nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the same understanding.

Lorist shook his head. "That's not the kind I'm talking about. They're too conspicuous. The best spy candidates are people like tavern owners, maids, servants, blacksmiths, fishermen, farmers, tailors, and guards. Only these people can become the all-seeing eyes of the former territory, watching the new lords' every move — they could even know exactly what the lord had for dinner..."

"But what good does knowing what the new lord ate for dinner do us? Wait — are you planning to poison..." the girl asked weakly at first, then seemed to figure something out and turned pale.

Fatty Shi, however, suddenly grasped it. "Of course! If all these people become our spies, what could possibly be hidden from us? No matter what moves or plans the other side makes, we'll be able to respond with ease."

Lorist looked at the big-eyed girl who still hadn't quite caught on and felt a twinge of frustration. "Miss, did you hear what Fatty said? Think about it — if all these people become the Windsor Family's eyes, then whenever the new lords make a move against the resistance, we'll get advance notice. We can relocate first, making it impossible for the new lords to find the resistance while they exhaust themselves chasing shadows. Only in this way can the resistance's influence grow stronger and stronger, and the impact it creates become greater and greater."

The girl nodded with a blush, showing she understood.

Lorist continued, "Those rallied former subordinates, the dismissed garrison members, and local administrative officials who once belonged to the Windsor Family's power structure — all of them are candidates to become the Windsor Family's spies. Choose the ones who remain loyal to the family and make them the resistance's eyes, watching the new lords' every move and identifying suitable targets for the resistance to deliver a fatal blow."

He paused and added, "Three: Targets. Transport convoys, supply depots, warehouses — that sort of thing. The goal is to turn the new lords into blind, deaf men who cannot effectively govern the territory. It's like in a duel — a wound here, a wound there, continuous blood loss. No matter how strong someone is, they won't last long."

"Four: Logistics. To maintain the resistance's long-term combat capability, you must establish safe and hidden camps where soldiers can receive adequate supplies and rest. The Windsor Family must also provide them with weapons and armor, fine wine and food, even women. And you can't have just one such camp — you need to set up multiple locations so the resistance can relocate quickly in an emergency."

"Five: Reinforcement. Building a resistance doesn't end with sending people out. The Windsor Family must continuously provide manpower support to ensure the resistance remains under the family's control. The best approach is to recruit Silver-rank mercenaries on short-term contracts, having them join the resistance for a few raiding missions before settling their pay. The benefits of this are twofold: first, it ensures the resistance has overwhelming firepower for its raids, and second, it reduces the resistance's own casualties."

"If this is maintained for a few years, the resistance will become a nightmare for the new lords. They'll regret ever carving up the Windsor Family's territory. And when the new lords come to view the old Windsor territory as a chicken rib — tasteless to eat but too painful to discard — the Windsor Family can then send intermediaries to negotiate. Offering to halt the resistance's operations in exchange for some material compensation to the new lords, there's a very good chance they'll agree to return the territory to the Windsor Family." Lorist delivered his final summary.

"So that's how it could be done..." Fatty Shi adopted a contemplative pose.

The girl's eyes lit up, brimming with joy.

"However, there are two drawbacks to this approach," Lorist said, dousing them with cold water. "First, the existence of the resistance will cause the new lords to impose harsh repression on the Windsor Family's former territory, reducing the people's livelihood to ruin. Even if the Windsor Family reclaims the territory, it will require immense financial resources and a very long time to rebuild and recover. Second, after the Windsor Family reclaims its territory, it will face the hostility of neighboring lords and will need to build an elite army to defend the family's lands, which also demands considerable wealth and resources. So, whether it's the five points written on this paper or the aftermath, there's one common prerequisite: gold coins. A great many gold coins. I've done a rough estimate — it would take a little over a thousand gold coins a year."

A little over a thousand gold coins a year — that was indeed a staggering sum. Lorist, for instance, had just been hired by the academy as a swordsmanship instructor, and his monthly salary was three gold Forde coins. Fatty Shi, as the enforcement captain of the Academy Enforcement Department, currently earned five gold Forde coins a month. But in the eyes of most residents of Morant City, they were already firmly in the high-income bracket. Maidov and his family, who had been running a small food stall in front of the academy before meeting Lorist, had been earning five or six large silver coins a month — enough for a family of five to get by and even save a small amount.

The question was: did the current Windsor Family have the financial resources and capability to reclaim its territory?