Chapter 84: 48.1

Chapter 48-1: The Dilemma of Xeto (1)

The next day, General Gilgen of the Skycourt Kingdom sent someone to issue a challenge. The challenge was worded in an extremely respectful and polite way without any hint of provocation. The letter began by praising King Cameron's courage for leading his troops to the front lines in person, followed by an expression of genuine admiration from General Gilgen. At the end of the letter was the challenge, inviting Cameron to a showdown on the Marrod Plain on the 15th of February.

Cameron didn't pay much heed to the issued challenge, which was sitting on his desk. After all, this was something that he had already anticipated. However, there was an urgent report from Newen that had Cameron feeling very concerned. The report had arrived early in the morning, and upon receiving the report, Cameron immediately summoned all of the high-ranking officials of the military to discuss this matter. Due to the early hour, all of the military officials had to skip breakfast and were instructed to wait in the hall in the main tower.

The highest-ranking military official present was naturally Prince Lazaar, followed by Count Friar and Governor Jenkins, who were the generals of two of the three branches of the regular army. After that came around a dozen legion commanders, such as Duke Nandoon and Duke Shreesan.

A sand table had already been placed at the center of the main hall. All of the bases and major cities were clearly labeled, as well as the current positions of the Skycourt Kingdom and the Effer Kingdom's troops. There were even magically generated images of soldiers advancing along the marching routes for both sides, so the sand table was essentially a perfect simulation of the entire battlefield.

"Take a look, everyone," Cameron said as he pointed a finger at the sand table, and a battle immediately erupted around the city of Xeto on the east coast. The Effer Kingdom's soldiers that were guarding the city were locked in a fierce battle against the Skycourt Kingdom's troops on the city walls.

"What? The Skycourt Kingdom's troops have already reached Xeto on the eastern front?" Duke Nandoon was shocked to see this.

Many of the other military officials present displayed much the same reaction as Duke Nandoon. It was clear that they hadn't anticipated the mercenary legions of the Skycourt Kingdom to make such rapid progress.

"Not only have they reached Xeto, they have the city completely surrounded! There are 50,000 to 60,000 Skycourt Kingdom mercenaries surrounding Xeto as we speak," Cameron announced with tightly furrowed brows.

All of the military officials immediately erupted into hushed chatter upon hearing this.

"Xeto is the largest city on the south coast, and there's a provincial road extending out of the city that leads directly to Newen. If Xeto is conquered, those greedy mercenaries will undoubtedly travel along the provincial road to attack the wealthy city of Newen in the northwest. If Newen is conquered, then our path for retreat will be completely severed," Count Friar analyzed.

"Newen is a major transfer station for our army's supply line, so we absolutely cannot allow it to fall," Duke Shreesan said, and some of the military officials present immediately chimed in in agreement.

"Prince Lazaar, I recall that you vowed that Burmen wouldn't lose any more territory after your return, but the Skycourt Kingdom's troops have swept down the east coast like wildfire. How do you explain yourself?" Governor Jenkins asked as he cast his gaze toward Prince Lazaar.

Everyone in the hall fell silent upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm shirking my duties in guarding the eastern front, the problem is that there's no way to defend the territory north of Xeto. If we send troops to protect the small citadels on the way to Xeto, that would be no different to sending them to be killed by the Skycourt Kingdom's troops as cannon fodder. Hence, I made a decision to only send troops to guard the city of Xeto," Lazaar explained.

"But now, Xeto has also been surrounded, and it looks like it won't be long before it's conquered," Jenkins said in a grim voice.

"At the time, Gilgen had arrived at the foot of Illingburn Fort with over 100,000 troops. I only have 70,000 soldiers, and 5,000 of them were sent to defend Xeto, while several thousand more are warding off the magic creatures on the southern side of the mountain ranges. So I pose to you this question, Governor Jenkins: should I have sent more men to Xeto at the expense of losing Illingburn Fort before His Majesty even arrived? Is that what you want to see happen?" Lazaar countered in a cold voice.

Jenkins immediately bristled at Lazaar's confrontational attitude. "What are you saying, Prince Lazaar? Are you..."

Right as he was about to retaliate, Cameron stepped in to cut him off.

"That's enough!" Cameron interjected in a furious voice. "Is this the time to be bickering with one another like immature children? We need to work out a plan!"

Everyone in the entire hall fell silent upon hearing this.

"How long will those 5,000 men in Xeto be able to last?" Cameron asked as he cast his gaze toward Lazaar.

"Your Majesty, Xeto's defenses are very solid, and its terrain makes it easy to defend and difficult to attack, so there's no way a ragtag bunch of mercenaries could conquer it even with their significant numbers advantage," Lazaar replied in a calm voice.

Despite what he was saying, most of the people present weren't convinced by his words. Even Cameron was of the opinion that Lazaar was overly optimistic in his assessment of the situation.

Jenkins gave a cold harrumph upon hearing this, but he didn't go any further than that in fear of incurring the king's wrath again.

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"Your Majesty, while Prince Lazaar's assessment is not to be ignored, the fact of the matter is that the number of enemy troops attacking Xeto exceeds our troops by over tenfold, so I think it would be best to exercise caution. I believe the best course of action would be to send a group of troops to reinforce Xeto," Duke Shreesan suggested.

Many people immediately chimed in in agreement with this suggestion from Duke Shreesan.

Seeing as most of the people in the hall were in approval of the idea of sending reinforcements to Xeto, Lazaar didn't say anything further.

"I was wondering why that Gilgen was waiting until the 15th of February before staging our final showdown, but it's all clear now. He's waiting for his mercenaries to sneak around and cut off our supply line so they can sow panic among our ranks before the showdown. I can understand his thought process, but he's being far too naive here," Cameron said with a cold smile.

"Who would be willing to lead troops to reinforce Xeto?" King Cameron asked as he swept his gaze across all of the military officials present.

No one stepped forward to answer King Cameron's call. None of the military officials were idiots. If they were to travel to Xeto at a time like this, even if they could decimate all of the Skycourt Kingdom's mercenaries there, they'd have to split their accolades evenly with the troops that had already been sent there by Prince Lazaar. In contrast, it would be far easier and more rewarding to stay in Illingburn Fort and face the Skycourt Kingdom's regular army.

"Is there no one willing to go?" a frosty tone had crept into Cameron's voice.

The entire hall remained completely silent.

"How about we send our mercenary legions to reinforce Xeto?" a representative from the department of military affairs suggested in a tentative voice.

Everyone fell into deep thought upon hearing this, and after some careful contemplation, many of the people in the hall felt this to be a good idea. The city of Xeto was being attacked by the enemy's mercenary legions, so it made a lot of sense for them to send their own mercenary legions in retaliation.

Thus, many of the people in the hall began to nod in agreement while turning to the representative of the department of military affairs with approving expressions.

Only Prince Lazaar, Count Friar, Duke Shreesan, and Duke Nandoon were able to retain their critical thinking skills in this situation, and all of them remained silent.

"Nonsense!" Cameron slammed a palm down onto the redwood column on the edge of the sand table. "Has skipping just a single meal turned all of your brains into mush? Those mercenary legions pursue self-interest above all else! Do you think they'll just happily follow our orders and reinforce Xeto? If we're counting on them, we might as well tell the soldiers of Xeto that they're all on their own!"

The entire hall fell silent again in the face of King Cameron's wrath.

"I am willing to lead troops to reinforce Xeto." Finally, Duke Nandoon stepped forward after taking a glance at everyone around him. Many of the military officials in the hall were stunned to hear this, and they immediately turned around to see who had spoken so they could offer the selfless speaker expressions of gratitude.

"I am also willing to go." Duke Shreesan stepped forward as well.

A contemplative look appeared on Cameron's face at the sight of the two volunteers, and after some thought, he decided that they were suitable candidates. Neither of them were exceptional generals, but they were very experienced and calm individuals, so there shouldn't be any problem if they were sent to reinforce Xeto.

However, Cameron still cast an inquisitive gaze toward Count Friar, in response to which Count Friar gave a slight nod.

"Alright, then I'll send you two to reinforce Xeto. Nandoon will be the main commander, while Shreesan will be the deputy commander. Each of you will lead 5,000 troops and travel to Xeto right away. Xeto cannot be allowed to fall no matter what, do I make myself clear?" Cameron asked in a stern voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty. We'll be sure to fulfill our duty." Nandoon and Shreesan accepted the order before departing.

...

Meanwhile, the Four Winds mercenary legion was still advancing northward along the coastline, traveling toward Xeto. They were only traveling throughout the day and resting at night, so the entire Four Winds mercenary legion was still full of vigor and raring to go. Upon arriving at a point around five kilometers away from Xeto, they could already see clouds of smoke and dust rising up in the distance, and the smells typically associated with battle permeating through the air were already quite pronounced. After traveling for about one to two kilometers further, they could already see Xeto up in the distance, nestled beside a mountain. They could see dense smoke rising up from the city walls, and if one were to listen carefully, they'd already be able to hear the sound of war drums and war cries.

"Georgina, take 20 assassins with you and scout out the situation up ahead. Make sure to keep yourselves safe," Larwood instructed as he turned to Georgina.

Thus, Georgina set off from the Four Winds mercenary legion with 20 men accompanying him. They rode along a small path and entered a sparse forest on a mountain. Meanwhile, the rest of the Four Winds mercenary legion had been instructed by Larwood to come to a halt, and he also made a hand signal up toward Erwin in the airship, indicating for them to stop as well.

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