Kadum City. Located on the east bank of the Namra River, it is the largest and most fortified city in the Tiers Mountains, and the plains within the territory are also the largest in the Tiers Mountains, and its richness is second to none in the Tiers Mountains.

The lord of the city, Count Jacob, is now six years old Chinese New Year's Eve, and has inherited the position of lord of the city for eight years. As a nobleman who was the de facto supreme leader of the Dils Mountains at a young age, he had a good opinion of him so far. Although he was a little hasty, he was clear-headed, lenient, and not as harsh on his slaves as other slave owners, and his reputation grew in the last eight years, and the obedience of many slave owners in the Dyres Mountains reached an unprecedented level. However, at the end of last year, a group of bandits openly took over the city of Essras, for which he also issued the first erroneous order in eight years: the 10,000 crusaders sent were almost completely wiped out, and his brother-in-law, the main commander Irenzar, was killed in battle. This result was something he did not expect, he originally thought that with the morale of the bandits, even if there were more than 10,000 people, they would definitely be a rabble, and the crusading army would definitely win with the strength of devastation. His sister almost fell out with him, and his reputation among the slave owners of the Dils Mountains was devastated. Originally, he planned to organize a second group of raiders immediately to earn back face, but just in time for the harvest, he had to dismiss this idea. He was not stupid enough to think that he could win the war without enough food reserves.

He was now in the council chamber stroking his pretty mustache while listening to the slave owners' arguments about launching a second crusade. The enthusiasm of the slave owners was high, but unfortunately the opinions put forward lacked practical workability. The more Jacob listened, the more unpleasant it became, the stakes between the various slave owners were already complicated, and if they were allowed to talk about it, it would be endless.

Thinking of this, he shifted his gaze to Noyuda, the lord of Helur City. This slave owner, who was in his early forties, was one of the few generals in this group, and if he hadn't wanted his brother-in-law to establish meritorious deeds, he would have been the commander of the first crusade army. Noticing Jacob's gaze, Noyuda coughed and stood up, and said loudly, "Everyone, please be quiet, I have something to say." ”

The slave owners fell silent. They all know that Noyoda has a bad temper, and he is not the type who only shouts like them, and he will really do it when he is upset.

Noyuda paused for a moment, waited for everyone to calm down, and then spoke: "I think that the reason why the last crusade army failed was because we were all too light on the enemy, and we felt that a small group of bandits was really not to worry. But it turns out that we all thought wrong, this bandit is quite strong in combat, and it is not something that can be eliminated by a random army. Therefore, I suggest that all of you present here contribute your own capital to your private troops, garrison troops, and slave soldiers, and that we gather some of them from the regular army stationed at the border, so that we can organize an army of more than 50,000 men. ”

When the slave owners heard this, they exploded: "Fifty thousand! Are you trying to drain us all? So that we will have no army in our own city! ”

"That's right! How much food does the 50,000 army have to eat in a day, if we fight for half a year, don't wait for the thief army to come, we will go bankrupt ourselves! ”

"To mobilize the regular army? And what about the defense of Palci? What to do with the Palchi army? ”

In the face of the gossiping slave owners, Noyuda shouted: "Shut up! Can't you stand it with such a little blood? If the thieves are not wiped out, His Majesty will personally mobilize the army to conquer them! When the time comes, what face will we have to continue to stay in our current territory! At that time, it will not be a matter of bankruptcy, but you will have to obediently hand over your territory and wait for His Majesty's fortune! ”

Noyoda's words calmed the slave owners. It was only then that Jacob came out to play a round and said, "It's good that Lord Noyoda said the seriousness of the problem. But don't just think about it like that, I ask you to think about it, if we send an army strong enough, we can end the war as soon as possible, and then the cost will be relatively small. Moreover, the actions of the thieves have killed almost all the lords in the eastern region, and if these territories are recovered, these lands will need to be reconfigured, and everyone can also get enough territories as compensation, wouldn't it be great? ”

When Jacob said this, the slave owners' eyes lit up, and their greed for the territory made them forget the price they were about to pay for a moment. Jacob hit the railroad while it was hot: "Since everyone has no objections, then it is decided." Next, let's talk about who will lead this army, and I personally recommend Noyuda-sama. ”

"No, no," Noyuda hurriedly bowed deeply, "With my ability, it is not enough to command an army of 50,000. If you want to win this war, I recommend that you appoint a general from Yagi's regular army. ”

Jacob raised his eyebrows, he was a little unhappy to be rejected by Noyuda, but if he thought about it, if Noyuda led the troops to win, his prestige was too high to be controlled, and it was actually better to appoint a general to command. "Then shall we appoint Leo, Emmanuel, Zaran, or Darf?" ”

"No, I think that although these generals are brave, in terms of their ability to command a large army, they are only comparable to those below."

"And who are you talking about? Isn't it possible to invite from the royal capital? "Jacob was a little upset.

"Of course not, my lordship, please think about it, five years ago, the Imperial Clerk of the Imperial Court attempted a coup d'état against Lord Usubu, and finally failed and was killed, and one of the generals in his faction was sent back to his hometown for residential surveillance, isn't this person here with us?"

Jacob spun his head and then said, "You mean Lord Gernas?" ”

"That's the man."

"But he's a man of sin, wouldn't he be unhappy with Lord Usubu by using such a person rashly?" Jacob's attitude towards Usubu is what Jacob is most concerned about, and you must know that there is no good fruit to eat if you provoke this old man.

Noyuda grinned, "Your Excellency doesn't know, this Lord Gurnas was involved in that incident in a daze, but he was not involved in it himself, and even His Majesty the King values this Lord's talent very much. Therefore, so many officials involved at that time were either killed or committed suicide by poisoning, and those who were exiled also died violently soon after, only this adult was unharmed. Even if we don't use this lord, once the war with Arubania is tight, I'm afraid that Lord Usubu will find an opportunity to let this lord out of the mountain again. ”

Jacob touched his mustache, thinking that although this Noyuda was a little short-tempered, his calculations were actually very clear, this person must not let him take the lead, otherwise he must be his fierce rival. At that moment, he showed a smile and said: "I have also heard of this adult's combat history, he should be a person who can take on important responsibilities, not to mention the recommendation of Lord Noyuda." I decided. Then I went and asked this lord to go out of the mountain and lead a large army to defeat the thief army. ”

In this way, the former Yaqui general who was placed under residential surveillance, Gurnas, became the commander of the second wave of the crusade without his knowledge.