Year 791, 7th day of the 7th month on t.i.tan Empire"s divine Light Calendar, a quarter past midnight! It seemed like a commotion suddenly stirred up the quiet metropolis! Unexpectedly, numerous people poured out from the brightly lit Hamilton palace. Some of them were cabinet ministers, some were military men, and some of them were urgently recruited communications officials by the Royal Secretariat.
The streetlights on the Road of Kings shone on the distracted crowd that was flitting past. The people dispersed to their respective government offices from the wide avenue.
A communications official shoved a cabinet minister who was blocking him and paid no heed to the sound of cursing coming from behind him. This communications official continued to dash forward quickly. Those with a discerning eye would notice that he has a doc.u.ment grasped tightly in his hands!
Past the Road of Kings! Past t.i.tan"s Gate of Light! Past half of Victory Square! The communications official finally arrived at his destination that was a short journey this time. He caught his breath in front of a flight of stairs that was close to twenty meters high. After that, with wide quick strides, he ascended the flight of stairs built from marble with haste.
The Tower of Heroes! With a height of ninety-nine meters, the top of the tower was Dulin"s high ground. This tower, which rose up into the horizons, was built in year 511 on the Church"s Calendar. The tower"s name was Hero! This was because underneath the tower laid the loyal bones who have sacrificed themselves in the battle to resist the Persians.
The communications official arrived at the bottom of the tower that was on top of the stairs. This sealed building only has one tiny door at the tower.
The booming knock of the door woke the paladin who was guarding the souls of the heroes. This knight opened the door in amazement. Since he arrived at the Tower of Heroes, there has never been anyone who came to bother him.
The communications official handed over a doc.u.ment. His chest has been heaving vigorously since he stopped running. "t.i.tan... t.i.tan"s Emperor... Ah...Alfa, His Majesty the third"s orders!"
In a split second, the paladin"s pupils contracted to a slit!
"Fire beacon!"
The knight took the doc.u.ment. He closed the doors violently.
A few minutes later, at the highest point of the Tower of Heroes, with a torch in hand, the knight opened up the dust-covered wis.h.i.+ng platform. This was a place where His Grand Eminence the Pope valiantly wished and sang praises to the spirit, but only a handful of people knew of its other use. The paladin breathed in the fresh air brought in by the autumn night breeze deeply. In his eyes were the thriving citizens; beneath his foot was that great jewel of Westland, s.h.i.+ning with unlimited radiance.
The time was 25 minutes past midnight, Year 791, 7th day of the 7th month on t.i.tan Empire"s divine Light"s Calendar. The wis.h.i.+ng platform of the Tower of Heroes that has been silent for the past few centuries had a fire beacon ignited! The rolling thick smoke accompanied the raging flames and drifted into the moon-lit and star dotted night sky.
"Fire beacon! It"s a fire beacon!"
"Shut up! What are you hollering about in the dead of night? Why did you leave your post? Do you wish to peel potatoes?"
"Ca...Captain! Go and have a look! Oh heavens! It"s a fire beacon! The city of Dulin has lighted the Tower of Heroes! They have lighted the fire beacon!"
This was the mound that was at the closest distance to Dulin. A captain of the guards wearing shorts, dashed out of his camp quarters. Without having taken more than a few steps, he was already astounded by the scene he was witnessing!
"Oh goodness! Oh G.o.d of Light! Indeed! Indeed!" The captain suddenly twirled around on the spot. There was nothing else that made him feel so at awe other than the gigantic pillar of smoke in the distance, which rose over Dulin!
"Captain! What...What does that mean?"
The dumbfounded soldier on duty recalled the officer from his reverie. He kicked the confused chap out of the way. "Idiot! I feel ashamed for the Empire to have a soldier such as you! That is a fire beacon! That signifies war! Haha! The great Empire has allowed us to make full preparations for war! This is what it means! Nothing else! You blasted fool, aren"t you going to get up and light our fire beacon? Hurry!"
The sensitive hawk eagle was suddenly startled awake from its deep sleep! As a qualified warrior of the cliffs, it sensed that something unimaginable has taken place close by!
The hawk eagle soared into the sky, flying towards that fleck of light that suddenly emanated out from the pitch-black night sky. However, very quickly, it became confused! Flames were lighting up all directions, and those flames were gradually extending to the mountains under the sky in every direction.
Over the alpines, over the mountain range, over the plains, over the rivers; the fire beacons brought to the most ancient Empire in all Westland, an even more ancient message. t.i.tan beneath the heavens, foretelling that the smoke and fire of war was going to be like the stars that lit up the night sky. The warning, following the continuous burst of flames, was pa.s.sed on rapidly to all parties in the Empire.
"Ah..." Following his groan, t.i.tan Empire"s Royal Highness Prince O"Neil Andrew Morisette opened his eyes. "What has happened? h.e.l.lo? Anyone?"
The teen was woken by the noise outside the tent. He came down from the bed, wobbly. When he got up, he did not forget to equip himself with his machete. "Please let it not be another new attack!" The prince said to himself.
"What has happened?" Oscar was a little at a loss of what to do when being confronted by the chaotic state of the camp.
"We don"t know, Your Royal Highness! The camp is suddenly turned upside down. The soldiers were blurting out something about a fire beacon," Little G.o.dot who had been standing guard outside the prince"s tent all this while rubbed his eyes. Brother Balance was awake at long last and he could ask brother Ferry to take over his post.
The youngster scratched his head. He has forgotten that he had not taken a bath in days. His whole body was now currently itching beyond comprehension, but he dared not scratch for he was not sure whether he might touch the wounds.
"Little Oscar! Good morning! You are dubious about the quality of the mountain corps, am I right?" Snowstorm met the prince with a delighted grin.
"Oh yes! Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?" Oscar also smiled and greeted his bodyguard.
"Still alright! But I"m more interested to know, for what reason was I woken for," Snowstorm stood by the prince"s side idly.
"Hehe! Indeed! Look at those soldiers! What is this?" Ricky the Liar walked over to them. He also hurried over from his tent.
"Your Royal Highness! Your Royal Highness!"
Oscar turned towards the direction of the voice. Colonel Kamille Rayen came over, riding on his horse, with his hand grasping the ropes of another Raytheon.
"What is it? My paladin, why are those mountain corps suddenly in chaos? Can you enlighten us on this? One more thing, where is their commanding officer? I recall that that military division commander did not seem to be such an irresponsible man!"
"Your Royal Highness!" Kamille halted his horse. The Raytheon in his hand recognized its little master. This gigantic creature bowed its head, wondering whether the teen prepared for him any carrots.
"Can you ride? All the answers are on that mountain!" Colonel Rayen said urgently.
Oscar followed and gazed at the direction the Colonel"s finger was pointing at. However, from the surface, that mountain did not display anything out of the ordinary.
"Your Royal Highness!" "Your Royal Highness!" "Your Royal Highness!" The mountain soldiers on the mountain path knelt down on one knee as the little prince pa.s.sed. To them, standing before them was a member of the imperial household. Perhaps this would be the only opportunity for them in all their life to show their respect to t.i.tan"s highest ruling cla.s.s.
The prince, the colonel and a crowd of paladins on guard finally arrived at the peak of the mountain. The youngster did not understand what was going on. He saw that the mountain corps have a.s.sembled together and were loudly discussing who knows what!
"His Royal Highness has arrived!" An officer caught sight of the teen prince and his party. All the military officers instantly stopped their discussion. They performed a military salute to His Royal Highness.
"Skip the courtesies, my fellow brave guards! Who can tell me what has happened? What did everyone gather here for?"
The division commander of the mountain corps ordered the soldiers to open a path for the prince and the youngster immediately saw that both the northern and southern peaks were alight with flames and smoke.
"Oh my goodness! Who did it? This will initiate a forest fire!" This was the immediate response of the lad after seeing the fire beacons.
"Uhh... Your Royal Highness! There is no need for you to worry about this!" Kamille felt a little awkward. He understood that the youngster has definitely never seen a fire beacon. He kicked his horse to hurry a few steps so that he could stand level with the prince.
"Your Royal Highness, that is a fire beacon!" It has been ages since the fire beacon is lighted in the country! However, this plaything can be seen frequently in Narcissus County. If the Persians dared invade the border, the Narcissus Frontier Defense Unit will set ablaze a gigantic torch such as this, on the fire beacon platform situated on the top of a mountain.
"Yes, I see it!" Oscar"s understanding ability was superb. He already saw that the few mountains extending from the north to south were alight with pillars of smoke billowing rapidly into the sky. "This is indeed an effective means of pa.s.sing on intelligence about the enemy, both rapid and convenient."
"Yes, Your Royal Highness!" The respected Division Commander of the guards finally spoke. "However, Your Royal Highness, your understanding is still finite! Let"s take this time for example," the Division Commander pointed to the few torches in the distant mountains, "This morning around 6, the soldiers defending this high point reported to me that he realized the fire beacon was spreading from the mainland to the border. I have reason to believe that it is the capital, meaning to say that the Beacon Decree was issued by His great Majesty the Emperor."
"Beacon Decree? What is that?" The youngster was once again perplexed.
"Your Royal Highness, usually in these situations, there are two ways to pa.s.s on the fire beacon. One is to pa.s.s it on from the border to the mainland, like what the paladin, Colonel Rayen described, to inform the people of the mainland that enemies have invaded our borders; another method was to send it out from the center of the Empire to the surrounding borders and it is to request each military district to finish a.s.sembling and deploy for battle at the swiftest speed. We call the latter a Beacon Decree. It signifies that the Empire is about to initiate a war."
"War?" Oscar was astonished. He felt as if the incident of the princess and him being attacked by a.s.sa.s.sins has escalated to a degree where it cannot be contained anymore. Could it be that Alfa III cared that much about his precious daughter? "You are saying that the Empire wants to wage war, but it seems that there"s no need to mobilize the whole nation, is there? Moreover, you are a soldier; I do not know whether my asking you this may sound a little bold, but do you honestly think that the harm that Her Royal Highness princess and I suffered can initiate a war?"
"Your Royal highness!" This Division Commander actually displayed an awkward expression between laughing and embarra.s.sment. "My most respected Royal Highness Prince! The ambush of you and Her Royal Highness Princess was the most serious provocation of the enemies towards t.i.tan nation"s dignity. If t.i.tan"s central does not take the harshest, swiftest response, then the external hostile powers would be even more frenetic in annihilating t.i.tan."
"War!" The teen fell silent. He was somewhat entranced by the rolling fire beacons. To him, war was like what was written in the biographies and epic poems. Although he has taken part in a tragic battle, but that was not considered a war. What was war? It was a horrifying thing in which the Divine t.i.tan Empire mobilized the whole nation"s eight hundred thousand guards and millions of vibrant young adults from military reserve.
"Attention!" A soldier yelled the command and the sentinels behind him stuck out their chests.
"Welcome Lieutenant General Figg"s return to headquarters! Salute!"
Lieutenant General Figg Andrew Tibotty returned the salute of the head of the soldiers" chorus. He then dismounted his horse and soon after, a group of soldiers managing the horses guided the horses away.
Figg Andrew Tibotty, the second son of t.i.tan Empire"s Eastern border Governor, Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel, was a young lad who inherited his father"s black curly hair and cinnamon-colored eyes. His nose was settled down in a lump; on his forehead was a scar that was about ten centimeters long. This scar crossed his left eye and extended all the way to his cheek. Although this second son"s appearance can no longer be spoken highly of, this did not stop people from praising that he is the best future successor of Andrew.
"Wretched headquarters! Has it been four centuries? Even the vermins here have gone extinct while our old men have yet to actually stay long enough!" After dismounting the horse, the Lieutenant General muttered these in a low voice to the aide-de-camp beside him. His aide-de-camp wrinkled his eyebrows. This Lieutenant Colonel checked his surroundings; he felt that he should invite his senior inside as soon as possible.
Andrew Haila, the divine t.i.tan Empire"s capital of Narcissus County in Qurel Province. Four hundred years ago, these were ruins that were in the way of the Persian"s advancement. After these pagans retreated back into their border, the commander-in-chief of the Narcissus knights stood on these ruins and said, "Andrew shall establish a city here, set up a fort here, and also build a base here!" Under the cheers of "Andrew Haila", the city got its name!
At the Northern suburbs of Andrew Haila, in a part of a verdant oak forest about a distance of two kilometers from the city, stood a vast, imposing ancient castle, which the people of Narcissus referred to as "Shanvelor". After four hundred years of continuous renovation and expansion, the ancient castle became the Shanvelor Palace of today and the Narcissus knights and Eastern border Military district"s headquarters.
The Lieutenant General pa.s.sed through the patio and transcended the flight of stairs. Along the way, officers, in a hurry, stood on either side of the aisle and greeted him respectfully. He recalled that his father set that the officers at headquarters need not salute their superiors during their working hours, but these men just loved to stare at him with the gazes used to look at women.
Figg did not even return their salute since his father already set that they absolutely have no need to act that way. That way, he could save the trouble of having to raise his arm when he met people. However, when he pa.s.sed those female officers clothed in pure black military uniform, he would use a gaze full of meaning to greet them.
Yes, Andrew"s female officers! Westland"s only group to possess females. Although the knights who charged and broke through enemy lines on the battlefield were males, behind the front lines were many female soldiers who were allocated to their respective offices. The reason being no other than that the manpower in Andrew"s territory could never keep up with the army"s need, especially those proficient in writing in the army and administration officers who received good education. So under these circ.u.mstances, in history, a Lady d.u.c.h.ess of Andrew formed an advisory group that const.i.tuted of women. They started being responsible for the paperwork and secretarial jobs in headquarters.
Following the continuous stability of the front and borders, the territories under Andrew"s jurisdiction obtained remarkable growth, especially the population. This was highly related to Andrew"s policy of encouraging reproduction. Although Andrew never stopped war, at least the military manpower was no longer an intractable problem.
Females signing up for the military has became a glorious tradition. All the literate women took pride in joining the group of Narcissus knights even though those n.o.ble young ladies have to follow the army"s disciplinary restrictions. This matter was naturally considered extremely absurd in the eyes of most of Westland"s n.o.bles. However, Andrew was definitely different from any of the other territories. The local custom and spirit was built on the foundation of war. All the hard work and sacrifice for war were regarded with the utmost honor and the same goes for the women.
Just because of this, the female officers clothed in the black Lieutenant Colonel uniforms of the Narcissus knights had became a splendid sight in headquarters. Of course, even now the Andrew family refused to let females join the front line combat force. The elders of the family all the way down to the people of the Narcissus could not accept the blood and bodies of females being left behind in the warzone.
The second son stopped in front of an enormous fir door. A colonel was coming towards him, after an exchange of salutes, he pa.s.sed his saber to this Colonel. Just when the Colonel was about to open the huge doors for him, the second son could not help but hold onto the soldier.
"Peter! Hey Peter!" The Colonel stopped in his tracks. He looked playfully at the Narcissus hero who was talking with him.
"Peter! I remember that my father"s confidential secretary is definitely not you! Where is Miss Tracey?" The second son was a little crestfallen. If it weren"t for the alluring Tracey receiving him at headquarters, then he would not have travelled so far just to listen to his father"s criticism.
"Your distinguished Lieutenant General..."
"Forget about it! Don"t call me that way. Hurry up! Where is my Tracey?" The second son interrupted his friend"s sentence. More accurately, Peter was his close childhood friend.
"Very well, my dear Figg, firstly, let me correct you; Tracey is not yours. Secondly, hehe, I fear that you can"t accept this. It was because Miss Tracey knows that you are coming today, she requested a leave of absence from the Marshal!"
As expected, after Lieutenant General Figg Andrew TIbotty heard his friend"s words, it was as if he swallowed a fly, "That can"t be."
Colonel Peter did not pay any attention to the second son whose heart was shattered. He minded his own business and knocked on that humongous door.
Following two distinct knocks, all the officers outside the door became serious. Even the sloppy second son adopted a solemn expression as if he was about to enter the battlefield.
"Enter!" The voice that came from inside the door was extremely dull, but the officers outside the door puffed out their chests following the voice. They stood bolt upright at their original positions, motionless.
Colonel Peter opened the door. He was blocking the view of the officers but he immediately ducked out of the way and respectfully stood straight and saluted to the commander-in-chief inside.
"Reporting Marshal, Lieutenant General Figg Andrew Tibotty requests an audience with you.
"Let him enter."
"Yes Marshal!"
Peter retreated out of the door completely. After Figg pa.s.sed him, he closed the gigantic fig door from outside. Then only did the crowd of officers let out a sigh of relief.
Figg walked towards the only table inside the office without looking sideways. He could not see the Marshal behind the table. His father turned the chair around with his back facing him, as if he was welcoming the Sun that penetrated through the French windows while flipping through a doc.u.ment.
Standing still before the two-meter long table, the second son took a deep breath. "Reporting, Marshal! Commander of the Narcissus Knight Traisen Front, Lieutenant General Figg Andrew Tibotty, reporting!"
"Keep your voice down, I know it is you!" The Marshal behind the chair spoke and after hearing this, Figg promptly dropped his imposing manner. He was slightly relieved, as his father did not appear as if he wanted to stir trouble for him.
"Lieutenant General Figg Andrew Tibotty!" The Marshal"s chair under the sunlight, spun around. He stared at his second son, lost in thought.
Humph! Figg snorted in his heart. He despised the unfathomable look that his father, also the commander-in-chief, adopted.
Speaking of the Marshal, Figg was the only one among the Narcissus officers who has never spoken highly of him. Looking at his large bell-like eyes, and his small rosy lips, then looking at his merely 170 cm stature, and also that beard that was trimmed abnormally neat. Waahh... How could this look like a commander-in-chief of the four hundred thousand force Narcissus knight regimen? This was clearly just a lover sandwiched under the underarm of a Madame.
It was not known since when Figg felt like laughing every time he saw his father. However, naturally he dare not, even if he was given the courage of a bear, he still would not dare.
Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel instinctively knew what his second son was thinking. He knew this General whom he had nurtured too well. Marshal Andrew, who was at the prime of his life, was very pleased with his own appearance. He knew that his son did not feel the same, but he did not intend to argue with this brat about these.
"Have a seat!" The Marshal indicated the chair opposite the table.
"Thank you father!" Figg finally relaxed. Since his father invited him to sit, this meant that this was a conversation between father and son. The Marshal would usually not let the Narcissus officers sit when meeting them. This was a tradition of the Narcissus knight"s regimental commander long since. The Narcissus knights were a disciplined unit, which paid particular attention to tradition. Here, every operation has an exceedingly meticulous rule. For example, when meeting with the supreme commanding officer, one must stand upright.
"Do you still remember your younger brother?" The Marshal placed both of his hands on the table deliberately.
"Of course I remember. The last time I saw Cody was in February. That rascal was playing with mud, I really don"t know what new games he is interested in now!"
The Marshal raised his eyebrows and shot his second son a stare, "You better watch yourself a little. Me allowing you to sit does not mean that you can speak as you wis.h.!.+ You know that I am referring to your youngest brother."
"Oh..." Figg adopted a look of apprehension. "Little Oscar! Yes! You are talking about little Oscar! Hehe! You almost baffled me, how could I forget little Oscar? He is the younger brother that I love dearly. I remember the last time I beat him up was back in year 781!"
"Shut up!" The Marshal broke off his second son who was radiant with delight. "Very well! The meeting is over! Get out!"
"Father!" Figg was laughing even more happily. You could not count on him to know what was meant by serious. This lad always spoke to his father this way when he was not using his Marshal status.
"Father! You can"t be like this! I haven"t finish speaking!" Seeing the Duke"s sombre expression, he inadvertently suppressed his smile. Needless to say, the good-looking Marshal Andrew indeed had a manner that exuded power without having to anger. "What I meant was recently. Recently, you know? My little brother was recently beaten up ruthlessly, right? And the unfortunate Kamille even paid with half of his squadron!" Saying this, Figg deliberately emphasized his tone. It was evident that he was oddly furious about the loss of the Narcissus knight regimen. "Italia"s mercenaries? They are like bugs! If there was a change in the defending unit, my Traisen Front could a.s.semble within a day, then rapidly start advancing southwards the next morning. If all goes well, my Front will pa.s.s through the whole family territory and then at the area close to the Slovenian Empire"s borders, change course towards the mountain area in the west. If my calculations are correct, the first war will break loose at the entrance of the Moistrocca Mountain Pa.s.s of Italia. Once we have occupied this strategic gateway, then the rest will be easy, we..."
"That"s enough!" The Marshal waved his hand, "I know what you are going to say next. Your Front will take two separate paths; the infantries will circle the Alps and continue to wipe out towards the west, while the cavalry will head south and attack into the outback of Italia. Perhaps you could conquer Venice or Lumberton, but do you know? That is not what I hope for!"
"Why? Did the Emperor not issue the Beacon decree? This morning when I got up I was shocked to see the fire beacons being pa.s.sed on from the West! Do you know father, in all my life, I have only ever seen it arrive from the east. Since the Empire"s Majesty the Emperor already made such a huge decision, then why can"t we go to war for little Oscar? I think both of them are reasons; the Imperial household"s honor has been violated and more so us Andrews have paid with the lives of countless soldiers in this time"s incident! We should retaliate all the more!"
"No, no, no!" The Marshal waved his hands, "The situation is definitely not as simple as you think it to be. Italia is absolutely innocent. Do you really believe that the entire Royal family members of Italia who are weak can have such a huge change in heart overnight?" The Duke at last rushed towards his son, waving his hands. "The enemies emerged from within, right here in the southern part of the Empire. I believe that there will be a huge unforeseen event there."
"Father! Father!" Figg was perplexed; he has never seen his father kick up a racket, regardless of his image. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am not alright!" The Duke replied with surety. It has been so many days! The fury that he has suppressed all this while had finally erupted fully! "And very not okay that they openly attacked my son in the Empire"s territory and murdered my knights! Don"t tell me that you think these are all okay?"
Figg stood up, he felt that his father was a great danger at the moment. "Then very well, your distinguished Marshal, allow me to mobilize my Front immediately."
"Forget about it! Come and sit!"
The second son upon receiving the instruction, once again sat down. He watched his father who was close to hysteria, slowly regained his calm.
"Father!" After a long silence, Figg decided to feel out his father"s intent. "Father! You should be quite clear that your second son is not stupid. I know that the incident this time is exceedingly complicated. It not only involves the change in power of the three southern provinces, but may also lead to a new wave of unrest in the entire Western realm. So father, I feel that waiting is something necessary. Perhaps whatever move we make will give rise to negative effects. We cannot be like Alfa III, His Majesty issuing the beacon decree is most likely a move out of frustration. We should wait for further results on the investigation. The spies of the secret service are not all worthless, at least not the few who infiltrated our headquarters."
Dortmund glanced sideways at his son and nodded his head, refusing to make any comments. "Yes Figg! After half a day at last you correctly addressed an issue. I feel very gratified!"
Figg Andrew Tibotty rolled his eyes.
"Then very well! Get up!" The Marshal said in the end.
Lieutenant General Figg got up from the chair grudgingly. He stood to attention properly before his father. He was now a Lieutenant General of the Narcissus knight regimen while his father was Commander-in-chief of these troops. And he thought he could have escaped this!
"Lieutenant General Figg, if you feel that you are not qualified enough to attend the emergency military meeting held yesterday afternoon, I will abide to your wishes and demote you to Colonel or Lieutenant Colonel."
"No! Your distinguished Marshal, my status is the Commander of the Traisen Front!"
"Then why were you absent?"
"Reporting Marshal! After I received news that His Royal Highness O"Neil Andrew Morisette was attacked by a.s.sa.s.sins, I began to mobilize the Traisen Front and at ten yesterday evening, all preparations to dispatch troops were complete. Believe me, the communications official dispatched by the Traison Front to headquarters, have already reported these things to you."
"This reason cannot convince me. When you leave, stop by the Martial Law Bureau and after you"ve received ten whips, you may return to your mother."
"Yes Marshal!" Figg saluted to the Marshal. However, he was aware that there seemed to be something off about his father"s command. "Permission to speak, Marshal. I would like to verify, you asked me to return to my mother after I have received military penalty, and not return to my corps" station."
"Yes, the command is very clear, now come over and sit! I haven"t finished speaking yet!"
Figg rolled his eyes again. Sometimes he just did not know whether his father was fond of him or despised him. These two high-ranking military officers of the Narcissus knights once again resumed their father and son status.
Seeing that his son was seated, Dortmund removed his Marshal look. "Figg, if the Front does not have any big issues, why don"t you stay? Little Oscar is about to return and a family reunion is difficult to come by. You could spend your Army Day in Andrew Haila."
"Father, today is only the 7th, there is still more than ten days before Army Day. Could it be that you"re asking me to abandon my Front close to half a month?"
"Are you threatening me? Your military command center can still operate without you. Don"t tell me that the ten whippings are insufficient to make you lie down for half a month?" The Marshal shot back.
"Uhh... That"s right! There are still the ten whips!" The Lieutenant General fidgeted in distress. The number of times he visited the Martial Law Bureau had already broken the historical records. "So father, do you have any other plans in mind?"
"Of course I have plans, but it is unrelated to you or your Front." Dortmund laughed at his greatly disappointed son. He took up a large cigar. Figg had the sense to light it for his father.
"My son, do not only think about a.s.sault." The Duke spewed out rings of smoke with satisfaction. "I believe that you have the ability to lead the Narcissus knights and wipe out the Kingdom of Italia. However, do you know? The remaining western kingdoms will immediately organize a formidable and powerful army. They have always maintained a mutual relations.h.i.+p with t.i.tan. When the moment comes, t.i.tan will face besiegement from all sides. I reckon that other than making peace, Our Majesty had no other option, while you can only lead your troops and withdraw from Italia in dejection."
"It seems... What you said makes sense!" Figg understood this basis; the Western Kingdoms indeed have this mutual relations.h.i.+p. If they were to go at it alone, be it Faran, Italia or even Deiss and Ollier, none of them would even be a match for t.i.tan. Therefore, if t.i.tan were to threaten any of the nations, they would usually employ the form of an allied army to counteract the pressure of their allies. At that moment, t.i.tan would uncharacteristically cooperate to withdraw troops because this Empire had lost the strength and courage to contend against the allied army of five nations.
"If you can understand, that is best!" The Duke understood his second son more than anyone else. This rascal who enjoyed stirring up trouble and toying with the ladies undeniably had a mind of a military expert. However, his stubborn personality was.... Sigh! The Duke let off a long sigh in his heart. If this lad could be as obedient as his eldest brother, how great would that be? Thinking about this, Dortmund could not help but become solemn.
"Figg! Listen to me carefully; do not interfere with the incident of Oscar being attacked by a.s.sa.s.sins. I have already mobilized field armies from Krem and Lenzing."
The second son was completely stunned, "Father, you plan on taking actions against Italia?"
"No! Didn"t you just explain it before? Looking around is still ideal since the a.s.sa.s.sin is not that easily found! Currently our operation functions to intimidate Italia and any other possibly existing enemies. I reckon that the field armies of Krem and Lenzing have already left. Just as you said, their destination is the Moistrocca Mountain Pa.s.s. Their appearance will cause the northwestern part of the Kingdom of Italia to fall into complete panic and at the same time, the most crucial point in my point of view, which is also their most primary goal in that juncture - To deter the hostile activists who are stirring up a rebellion in the south.
Here, the Duke paused momentarily. He was a little hesitant. Speaking of which, his actions are undoubtedly using Andrew"s army to threaten one of the Empire"s territories; this just does not make any sense. "I hope you do not see it as ridiculous! However, I just have a bad intuition, I sense that the state of the three southern provinces have became exceedingly unfavorable to the Empire after this incident."
"In that case father, please allow me to ask one last question!"
"Go ahead son!"
"Just how many day"s leave did you give Miss Tracey?"
"No comment! Before I personally kick your bosom, get out!"