Blood Dragon

"This one……"

"It's still very difficult, isn't it? That's right. Our Count Ashurfate is really ambitious, but he seems to have forgotten one thing, he is a person without foundation. If it is Thomas, I It can only be said that all the little tricks are useless, but if it is him, maybe our victory can be accomplished without troops and swords, but with letters and emissaries. Dear nephew, I know what we are going to do next?"

"How to do?"

"Immediately mobilize troops to occupy the abandoned city of Derek. Then proceed cautiously and occupy the city as much as possible without conflicting with Thomas. We must expand the actual control area as much as possible. And give me a few Reliable person... Ryan, have you figured out what happened?" Luke noticed that his nephew still had a puzzled expression on his face.

"Don't be a fool, tell me quickly, uncle!"

"According to my speculation, this is how it happened—first of all, after you stabbed Thomas that day, and after I left, it was probably Ashuruffat's proposal to let the three of them hide the matter of Thomas' injury. Indeed In that case, Leo and William Daly had no other choice at all. So the three of them kept this secret until the arrival of Paro's army. At this time, Thomas' injuries had initially healed, so he accepted Rudolph's challenge... But it is conceivable that after the duel, Thomas, who had not fully recovered, lay back on the bed. But he also explained everything, and the three of them, Ashurfate and the others, followed Thomas's established plan. Battle plan for defensive operations."

"The situation of the Paro people is also very bad. Although Thomas' old injury relapsed, Paro's commander Rudolf was also injured in a one-on-one duel. The result of this situation proved Thomas' foresight - Thomas decided to But the Paro people did not. As a result, the Paro people were unable to break through the city, and instead suffered heavy losses! On the one hand, Rudolph did not have the treatment of the female prophet, and on the other hand, he commanded the battle bravely... Finally, he was hit by a stray arrow , or was slashed by a knight who dared to die and charge, or something else, in short, he lost his life!"

"Thomas also had some uncountable manpower. Thomas's wound was inflamed! The treatment of the prophetess was no longer effective, and there was no 'myrrh' in the city. As a result, Thomas could not heal, and the leading power of the army fell to Ashurfat's hands. Our Earl Ashurfat came up with a brilliant strategy, that is to go out of the city to pursue the enemy. He probably used the name of Thomas...maybe some other method. If the battle Victory, the whole army knows that he is the actual commander. If the battle fails...Thomas as the commander has to bear most of the responsibility. But even better, Thomas is not responsible. Because Thomas' plan is in Germany Rick blocked the enemy, and this plan has indeed succeeded! If you lose in the pursuit, it is just a small failure in a big victory, a small shadow in the glory, and no one will mention it...Thomas still has merit No fault. Do you understand now, my dear nephew."

"I see!" Ryan replied. "It's really a good idea. It's extremely clever. There are great achievements in victory, but there is no fault in defeat."

"Yes, our Count Ashurfate is a smart man, an admirably smart man." Luke smiled brightly. "In my opinion, a smart person is better to deal with than a fool. Because you can't guess what card a fool will play. Against our ambitious Ashuruffat, the effect of internal combat is far better than external."

"Internal warfare?"

"Use letters and emissaries! Ashulfat is the first to command the army, and he will definitely use force to suppress his subordinates to obey orders. So there must be some people in the army who are secretly disobedient...and many Casillas knights joined because of Thomas. To defeat his army, only to find that Thomas has only one breath left, so he will naturally be shaken. On the one hand, he lacks confidence in the future, and on the other hand, Ash Rufat is a man of unknown origin and arrogant attitude. These knights will inevitably have other ideas Just at this time, they received letters from other Casillas knights, telling them that there is a Duke of Lane who has the blood of the Cassillas royal family, and he is fighting against the Paro people, and he is victorious in every battle..."

Luke paused, and he began to think about another question.

"Dear nephew, maybe we should consider the issue of communication with the princess. Even if there is a border defense line guarded by the Paro people...Princess Irina should already know about our actions by now. I heard that our majesty the king's body' Discomfort', but I don't know how far the 'discomfort' is. If the little princess is completely in charge now, how will she deal with you, a duke who suddenly appeared? The border defense line of the Paro people is destined to not last long... ..."

Luke muttered to himself while thinking.

This imperial meeting is finally over.All the courtiers have already bid farewell and left.

Today was the happiest day in a long time, and that rambunctious Landwyn is gone.The expression on his face before he left was really heart-warming. It was really a mistake to give him the "interim" Foreign Secretary!One of the things he had to do every day was to babble about Thomas and make comments that even Irina thought were imbecile.The old man in black robe's comment "idiot" to Landwin is really an extremely appropriate comment.

To tell the truth, Randwin is indeed a fool who only performs simple tasks.But this idiot has the unique talent of Saint-Jean, taming Pegasus.

The clerk has also left, and Irina is the only one left in this conference room now.No, it should be said that there are only two people left.Irina walked behind the screen, where the old man in black robe was sitting on a chair, leaning on his strong wooden cane with both hands.

But the old man in black robe no longer had the same air as before.Even though his face was haggard and his cheeks were sunken, his frightening eyes were no longer as majestic as they used to be.He used to tightly hold the solid wooden cane hand, but now he can only rest on the cane lightly, even trembling slightly.

Irina could tell that just sitting behind this screen had exhausted all the strength of the old man in black.

The life of the old man in black robe has come to an end under the double attack of disease and aging.Even if he fell down immediately and couldn't get up again, it wouldn't be a surprise.

"Cough...cough..." the black-robed old man coughed in a low voice.Even coughing is weak now.

"You made many mistakes again..." the old man stopped coughing and said in the same weak voice. "Randwin is an idiot, but you acted so frivolously. Do you know why the others did that? Why did they kick Randwin out for you?"

"Of course it's because Randwin is so annoying..."

"It's half Landwin's own gaffe, and half they sense your partiality for Thomas!" the old man roared.Although it was roaring, the actual sound was not loud, because he had lost all the strength to roar loudly.

"When a subject loses their composure, the normal way is to scold them. The clever way is to use a joke that is not too much to make them realize their gaffe. The clever way is to make people understand their mistake immediately with their demeanor and gaze. And What you did, using your own power to forcibly suppress it, is the most stupid and incompetent choice."

This time the old man didn't swing the strong wooden cane furiously, because he didn't have the strength anymore.

"The opposite of courage and wisdom is violence and cunning. I have said that this is the difference between light and dark imperialism. It is best to have both, one can follow the path of goodness and glory, and the other can You are well versed in intrigue and deceit. I originally hoped that you could become that kind of real queen. The kind of queen that everyone adores. Both civilians and knights will worship before the queen. No one can not be in awe of the queen. Everyone will kneel before the throne , thirsty, eager to go through fire and water for the queen. Everyone will. But it seems, you can't do it."

"Bring the documents over there." The old man ordered. "You didn't read these in time before today's meeting, because you spent your precious time riding a horse... Now read it carefully, and then understand how far a courtier can deceive the king!"

Irina picked up the papers from the table.Although she did not read these documents, she remembered very clearly that they had been circulated by all the ministers, but no one mentioned them.This only shows that this item is not important, at least not urgent...

But not long after she opened the document, she immediately realized that this matter was very important.Wolf's Mouth Fortress... has fallen?This information was conveyed from a third country...why no one mentioned it?

Wolf's Mouth Castle is located on the border between Paro and Cassilos, firmly guarding the communication hub between the two countries, and it is a place that must be contested between the two countries.Ever since Cassilos took the castle from Paro, it has been the front line of defense against the invasion of the Paro people.As long as the castle is in the hands of Cassilos, it will be firmly stuck in the way of the Paro invasion like a sharp thorn.Without capturing the citadel, the Paro would not be able to penetrate into Cassilos, let alone pose a threat.

Because of a deep understanding of the importance of this place, the Casillas arranged for the most loyal and reliable generals, the most elite troops, and extremely rich material reserves in the castle.Even in the crisis when the entire territory of Cassilos fell, Wolf's Mouth Castle still stood firm.

But... this castle has also been guarded for two full years.There are no soldiers to save outside, and no city to defend inside.After persisting for two years, it fell, and there is really nothing to be surprised about.

Irina raised her head and looked at her grandfather.

"Do you understand now? The outcome is still early, and the outcome is unpredictable. Although Thomas defeated the main force of the enemy, he is probably at the end of his battle now. Since he let someone else write for him, his injuries are not easy. Although the Paro people were defeated and retreated, But the troops are still stronger than Thomas. In addition, they will put the army that had besieged Wolf's Mouth Castle into the main battlefield at any time. It's just that your servants obey your wishes and say something you like to hear. This is a very dangerous sign, because your eyes and ears may be blinded at any time."

"In this world, the most tragic monarchs are those poor people who indulge in flattery and think that their country is peaceful. They don't know that what they see and hear are all twisted and changed by others Maybe he won't see the truth until the moment of his final demise. It's just that it's usually too late at this time. The same is true of your father. In addition, the investigation on Ashurfate has come to a conclusion gone."

"In the entire Seven Kingdoms of Zhongyang, there is no knight named Aishuruffat with the blood dragon as his coat of arms. Where did he come from? Where did he learn etiquette and various knowledge? Is it true? Just a wandering mercenary who just learned something from a nobleman?"

"But... At that time... Didn't Thomas say... Ashuruffat came from something..."

"Irina, you are not a brainless girl. A girl without a brain has some intelligence compared to you. Do you believe what Thomas says? The Cyr that Thomas said did exist, but that is at least It happened 80 years ago. That country has only existed for twenty years!"