That didn't stop them from welcoming Lorist and his party. The two barons circled the cross with the corpse of Great Swordmaster Garinan nailed to it, marveling at the sight.
Lorist had gotten hold of a four-wheeled carriage, mounted a cross on it, and nailed Great Swordmaster Garinan's corpse to the cross, parading it through the streets the whole way. In any case, the dead swordmaster's body had been treated with preservative agents, so there was no need to worry about rot for another two or three months.
"Locke, isn't this going a bit too far? He was a third-rank Great Swordmaster — known as half a step from the peak, just one step away from becoming a Sword Saint. Nail his corpse to a cross for public display? That's not exactly appropriate…" Baron Philim said, looking at Great Swordmaster Garinan's body.
"
Baron Philim's full name was Philim Charvord, and his nickname was Chuck.
"Your family forces took heavy casualties, didn't they?" Baron Shahin asked. He had met Great Swordmaster Garinan twice and knew the old man was far more powerful than his junior martial brother, Great Swordmaster Ruintz. It was said that Great Swordmaster Ruintz couldn't last a hundred exchanges against Garinan. Back in the day, when Shahin had been a Golden Knight under Duke Lukinz, he had been toyed with by Great Swordmaster Ruintz twice. In the end, he could only swallow his pride and endure it.
Lorist let out a long sigh. "That old man killed nearly five hundred of my family soldiers, along with eleven Silver-rank Family Knights. Both Bodofenger and Josk were gravely wounded. I myself spent over two months recovering from my injuries. That is why I will absolutely not let the Second Prince go this time. I nailed that old man's corpse to the cross precisely to publicize the despicable act of the Second Prince ordering a Great Swordmaster to assassinate a lord, so that people will know he has no qualifications to be king. That way, even after we capture him, no one can accuse the Norton Family of staging a rebellion."
"And what are you going to do after you capture him? Killing a prince doesn't exactly sound great…" Baron Philim's concern was not without reason. Even if the Second Prince had no qualifications to be king, the crown was still on his head. In Galentea, murdering a king was not exactly a reputation any noble house would want.
"It's fine. I'll have him locked up for a while, and when the opportunity comes, I'll hand him over to the Second Highness of the Kingdom of Andinak. Let them judge and deal with him as the legacy of the former Krisen imperial family — it's their own house matter." Lorist had already worked out his plan well in advance.
Both barons gave a thumbs-up simultaneously.
"That's a brilliant move. It shuts everyone up while getting you your revenge. The Andinak royal family hates the First and Second Princes to the bone. If not for them raising the banner of rebellion, how would an entire empire crumble and shatter into pieces? If the Second Prince falls into their hands, even hanging him could only be called a merciful end." Baron Philim nodded in admiration.
Baron Shahin pointed at the Great Swordmaster's corpse and asked, "Locke, are you planning to head to the royal capital Windbury just like that? Is there anything we can help with?"
Lorist sighed. "Henned, Chak, you two idiots — I came here specifically to remind you to deploy your armies..."
Baron Shahin's full name was Shahin Henned. He had no nickname. He had formerly been Knight Henned, one of the five Golden Knights under the Northland Grand Duke. He had been dispatched by the Grand Duke to lead an army against the Norton Family, only to be captured alive by Lorist, which changed his fate entirely.
Baron Shahin was stunned. "Deploy our armies for what?"
"The three of you were complaining just last time that our family's forces had swept the Northland clean, leaving you with land but no one to work it. Now an opportunity is sitting right in front of you and you're still blind to it — what am I supposed to say? Our family is sending troops this time to capture the Second Prince, and all we want is the royal capital Windbury. Who else in the Province of Winston can stand against our forces? Instead of seizing the chance to fish in troubled waters and grab a share for yourselves, what are you doing standing on the shore watching? Send your armies and take what you can! You fools — men, money, grain, it's all yours for the picking!" Lorist said in exasperation, furious at their inability to see potential when it was staring them in the face.
"Um..." Baron Philim already understood what Lorist meant, but he blushed slightly. "Locke, it's not that we don't want to deploy our troops, it's just that..."
"Forget it, I understand your concerns. You're worried about the two border garrison divisions at Pidro City, aren't you? I hear the last two times you sent troops into Winston Province, you took a bit of a beating?" Lorist said with a grin, then waved over Schward, who was standing at attention nearby. "Schward. Go bring me a map of the Kingdom of Iberia."
"This is Schward, my apprentice just like
"Of course, of course," the two barons said. Henneed drew a jewel-encrusted short sword and pressed it into Schward's hands when he returned with the map, a meeting gift.
She was a little over a year younger than Schward. Although she was his illegitimate daughter, she was still recorded in the Philim family genealogy.
Baron Philim grew more and more pleased with Schward the longer he looked at him. Unlike Redi's rough and taciturn demeanor, Schward had refined features and carried an air of scholarly elegance. Baron Philim had always told his precious illegitimate daughter that he would find her a good husband, and upon seeing Schward, he had found an excellent candidate. The boy's father was a Golden Knight, and he himself was Lorist's apprentice — with such outstanding looks and bearing, his future prospects went without saying. Marrying his precious daughter to him would surely be a fine idea.
Schward was dumbfounded — he'd gone to fetch a map and come back with a wife. Baron Philim had left him flushed red to the ears, at a complete loss for words. It was Lorist who finally bailed him out: "Alright, Chuck, there's no rush to find a son-in-law this very moment. After this affair is settled, go talk to Bodfing yourself. Schward and your daughter are still young anyway. If they're fond of each other, they can get engaged first and marry when they've turned twenty — that won't be too late."
Baron Philim said, "Not young at all — when my daughter was born, her mother was only sixteen..."
Henneed and Lorist both flipped him the finger simultaneously, meaning he was an absolute beast for bedding a fifteen-year-old girl. Baron Philim fell silent...
Lorist unrolled the map of the Kingdom of Iberia and tapped the two provinces held by Grand Duke Fissablen: "Grand Duke Fissablen was originally the second son of a Viscount in the Muyeyen Province. He later joined the army and, through military merit, was appointed commander of the Border Defense Legion. The Border Defense Legion was originally a ranger corps established by the Krisen Empire to defend against the grass barbarians on the northeastern steppe, with an authorized strength of twenty-five thousand men. After Grand Duke Fissablen took command, he expanded it aggressively. Thirty-four years ago, he inflicted successive crushing defeats on the grass barbarians, conquering a thousand miles of territory for the Empire and establishing the Eastern Wasteland Province. For this merit, he was enfeoffed as a Duke, and the Eastern Wasteland Province became the hereditary domain of the Fissablen family..."
"Because the Border Defense Legion under Grand Duke Fissablen's control had been expanded to a force of seventy-eight thousand — comparable to the former Empire's White Lion Legion — the Grand Duke had always been deeply distrusted by the imperial court. He could do little more than carefully manage the Eastern Wasteland and Muyeyen provinces to protect himself. During the imperial civil war, the Second Prince personally traveled to the Eastern Wasteland to meet Grand Duke Fissablen and married his daughter, finally securing the Fissablen family's support — laying the foundation for the establishment of the Kingdom of Iberia."
"After the Kingdom of Iberia was established, the Second Prince, heedless of the people's exhaustion, insisted on launching an invasion of the Duchy of Melaine. In the end, the Melaine Grand Duke led the duchy's forces and the Gale Legion in a devastating counterattack. The Second Prince suffered not only a crushing defeat but saw his southern provinces reduced to ruins. Under these circumstances, the Second Prince borrowed three ranger regiments from Grand Duke Fissablen and, seizing the opportunity while the Kingdom of Andinac and our family's caravan headed north to attack the Duchy of Madras, tried to profit from the chaos. Under the pretext of supporting the Duchy of Madras against Andinac's invasion, he attempted to swallow the Dremuk Province of the Madras Kingdom."
Unexpectedly, the battlefield situation changed abruptly. The Grand Duke of Madras simultaneously made peace with the Kingdom of Andinac and turned against the Second Prince, engaging in open conflict. At the Battle of Kerbo City, he defeated the Second Prince's army. Left with no choice, the Second Prince withdrew from the Dremuk Province. Taking advantage of the moment when our Norton Family's forces had just defeated the Northland Grand Duke, he seized the Northland Grand Duchy.
Only after seizing the Northland Grand Duchy did the Second Prince finally possess territory under his direct control. Thus, he neglected the southern provinces of the Kingdom of Iberia—the three southern commanderies and Winston Province, where the royal capital was located. The three commanderies had already been reduced to ruins; restoring production would require massive investment, and he would also need to guard against constant invasions by the Duchy of Melaine. For the Second Prince, the cost far outweighed the benefit, so he abandoned this province.
As for Winston Province, where the royal capital stood, apart from the capital city of Windbury, all the other territories had long since been sold off by the Second Prince, leaving him utterly incapable of supporting a large army. It was only after occupying the Northland Grand Duchy that the Second Prince finally settled there, refusing to return to the royal capital. Using the provisions extorted from the Northland and the spoils plundered from the Dremuk Province, he reorganized his military, established the Kingdom of Iberia's First Legion, and prepared to rejoin the game of vying for dominion over the realm.
What a pity the Second Prince made the one mistake he absolutely should not have made—provoking our Norton Family. In a single battle, he lost everything he had painstakingly built. He himself could only flee back to the royal capital, Windbury, with a few dozen guards. And to add insult to injury, he despicably sent a Great Swordmaster to assassinate me. Truly shameless.
Now, let's examine the military deployment of the Border Defense Legion commanded by Grand Duke Fissablen. Although he lent three ranger regiments to the Second Prince, Grand Duke Fissablen had long since replenished the troop deficits. The Border Defense Legion is once again a full-strength force of seventy-eight thousand men. According to our intelligence, the Legion has thirty-five thousand men stationed in Muyeyen Province and forty-three thousand in the Eastern Wasteland Province.
As the primary battlefield for resisting the grass barbarians, Grand Duke Fissablen has deployed two ranger regiments along the border between the Eastern Wasteland Province and the Great Northeastern Steppe. Further back, at the Eastern River Fortress, he has stationed one regiment. These three regiments form the main force against the barbarians. Another regiment is positioned at the junction between the Southern Province and the Eastern Wasteland Province. The moment the Duchy of Melaine invades the three southern commanderies, this ranger regiment will immediately move out, attempting to delay the enemy until reinforcements arrive.
The thirty-five thousand troops Grand Duke Fissablen has stationed in Muyeyen Province are under the command of his adopted son, Viscount Kristoff, who is also a Great Swordmaster. Since Muyeyen Province is not currently the main theater against the grass barbarians, only one ranger regiment is deployed at its border with the Eastern Wasteland Province, serving as a strategic reserve to support the main front. The remaining twenty-five thousand men are stationed in Pidro City, which juts into Winston Province. Upon receiving a warning beacon from Winston Province, the two Border Defense ranger regiments in Pidro City can deploy urgently and reach any location within the province in four or five days..."
"I hear your two families twice launched expeditions into Winston Province and both times suffered some losses at the hands of these two Border Defense ranger regiments. Is that true?" Lorist concluded his lengthy explanation and asked the two Barons before the map with a smile.
Baron Felim reddened and nodded. "The first time, our family dispatched a regiment to besiege a manor castle. We didn't expect that after four days of siege, just as we were about to take it, we were ambushed at midnight. Of our two thousand five hundred men, only half escaped..."
Baron Hennerd picked up the thread, unwilling to be left out. "The second time, Chuck and I pooled our forces. We captured two territories and were preparing to press on when we ran into these two Border Defense ranger regiments. Our combined fifteen thousand men versus their roughly twenty thousand from the two regiments—we wouldn't have feared them in a straight fight. But those two ranger regiments refused to engage us in open battle. They kept ambushing our camps and blockading our supply lines for logistics and baggage. Relying on the mobility of their light cavalry, they shadowed our flanks, struck once, and immediately withdrew. They forced us to consolidate and retreat. Eventually, seeing our supplies were about to run out, we had to abandon the plundered goods and baggage, retreating quickly with light packs. That time, our two families lost nearly three thousand men..."
"Although our two families also inflicted two or three thousand casualties on the Border Defense ranger regiments, both times they were the ones who handed us a crushing defeat. That's why we gave up on any plans to strike into Winston Province. Until we deal with those two Border Defense ranger regiments in Piedro City, we won't be able to move freely through Winston Province," Baron Felim said bitterly.
Lorist slapped his hands together. "Exactly. That's why I came to discuss this with you — to figure out how to pluck this thorn from your side. Our Norton Family forces are dispatching twenty-four thousand men to the royal capital of Windbury to capture the Second Prince. I'm certain those two Border Defense ranger regiments will mobilize once they hear the news. While our family forces are locked in a tangle with them, your two families can send your troops to close in from behind. If we catch them by surprise, we're guaranteed to deal them a devastating blow. Once those two Border Defense ranger regiments are crushed, Winston Province will be ours to roam as we please. You'll be able to take whatever you want..."
"Fine, I'm in. I'll start marshaling my troops right away," said Hennerd.
"Hold on," said Lorist. "The key to dealing with the Border Defense ranger regiments is mobility. You've seen the twenty-four thousand men our family forces are fielding — apart from the war chariots, every last one is cavalry. First, it ensures rapid movement. We want to reach the royal capital before word leaks or the enemy can react, catching the Second Prince off guard so we can seize him. Second, it lets us withdraw without getting entangled by those two Border Defense ranger regiments.
But after giving it some thought over the past couple of days, I figure we might as well just wipe out those two ranger regiments outright. It'll avenge your losses, put Fisaburon the Grand Duke in his place, and stop him from looking down on us, the four great families of the Northland. A couple of days ago I received a letter from that fellow Kenmace — the snow salt trade keeps running into trouble in the Eastern Wasteland Province and Muyei Plain Province. So I think we need to teach Fisaburon the Grand Duke a lesson and show him what we're capable of."
"Very well. I'll commit eight thousand cavalry — all elite troops, outfitted with our newest standard-issue equipment." Baron Felim made his decision. He currently had a total of fifteen thousand men under his command, and these eight thousand cavalry represented the entirety of his family's elite fighting force.
Hennerd considered for a moment. "Then I'll contribute twelve thousand. Also equipped with the newest standard-issue gear, though I don't have quite as many cavalry..."
Hennerd had already expanded his former Northland Legion to twenty-four thousand men, but only one of his regiments was cavalry.
"That does it — twenty thousand troops between you two. We'll wait another couple of days. I've already ordered the Family Knight Order and a war chariot battalion to march here, and combined with the two thousand-plus bodyguards currently at my side, we'll have upwards of twenty-eight thousand men. When the time comes, we'll slam the door on those two Border Defense ranger regiments and beat the dog inside. Even with their superior mobility, they'll have nowhere to run. Oh, and for the next few days, send out plenty of scouts and keep a close eye on Piedro City's movements. The moment those two Border Defense ranger regiments mobilize, we follow right behind and give them a taste of what it feels like to be ambushed." Lorist slapped the table, his decision made.
…(To be continued.)