Late at night, the castle of Marquis Yang was still brightly lit, and a high-precision magic sand table was placed in the middle of the conference room, showing the terrain of the Bloodstained Land and the southern region of the Iron Triangle Empire.

Standing in front of the sand table, Sarenwell lit the sand table with the baton in his hand, said: "I think that Richard's troops will quickly break through the first hundred kilometers and build confidence in all the nobles in order to attract more people to his plan." Our army will be divided into three parts, and the lightly armed troops under Sir Al are to establish a defense in the Valley of the Blood Banner and hold out for at least three days to hold out Richard's onslaught! Once you spot reinforcements from the Redwood Kingdom, find a way to hold them back. ”

Sarenwell said as he moved the marker on the map to its location. Finally, he vigorously pointed at a plain in front of the Blood Banner Valley, and said in a cold voice: "When Richard arrives in the Blood Banner Valley, I will personally lead the Seventh and Eighth Legions, plus three knight wings, to the Dry Bone Plain, and start a decisive battle with him here! Sir Arr, your responsibility is very heavy, as long as you can stop Richard for three days, my army can annihilate him in one fell swoop!"

Sir Al was a taciturn middle-aged man, and he simply said, "I will not fail in my mission" and said no more.

It seems ridiculous to use lightly armed troops to block a fully armed army. However, the nobles present took this for granted.

Sir Al is a member of the Iron Triangle Empire, and is very good at fighting defensive battles. If it weren't for his slave-born mother, he would have been a viscount by now.

Sarenwell stared closely at the Plains of Dry Bones and muttered to himself, "Thirty thousand troops against ten thousand miscellaneous soldiers." Richard, I'd like to see how you fight this battle!"

The people in the conference room showed puzzled expressions, and one of the counts spoke: "Lord Sarenwell, Richard is just a small pioneer knight, is it necessary to make such a big effort to deal with him? Now that there is a stalemate between Li Shilongtu and the Dragon Cultists, we can completely follow the original plan to go east and annex a few independent nobles over there." This credit is much more conspicuous than the elimination of Richard, and the effect on His Majesty is even more significant. ”

The Earl was right. Sarenwell's greatest asset in the struggle for the throne is his outstanding leadership talent, but this is not just words, but also has a real record. However, in the last year, Sarenwell's record has not been very good. He led the coalition to conquer the invaders of the Otherworld, and was defeated by Sinclair. However, the latter was wiped out by an unknown baron in the Sequoia Kingdom.

The other princes seized the opportunity to attack Sarenwell for his incompetence in front of the emperor. Fortunately, he still had past records to support him, and Li Shilongtu suffered a few defeats under the hands of the Dragon Cultists, so the emperor retained Sarenwell's military power.

For the next six months, Sarenwell was busy expanding his forces, training warriors, and constantly trying to win over more nobles. With the mentality of investment, many nobles sponsored a lot of military expenses for him. Sarenwell exchanged a large amount of gold coins for warriors, equipment, and supplies, and his strength doubled in half a year. Originally, he intended to march eastward, annex some small states and independent nobles, and then break through the Andean promenade to extend the empire's territory to Walvis Bay, thus gaining an important outlet to the sea.

However, after hearing about Richard's plan for the Avenue of Wealth, Sarenwell immediately changed his original plan and prepared to annihilate him in one fell swoop!

And to the bewilderment of others, what is the benefit of eliminating Richard?

For the nobles of the Iron Triangle Empire, Richard was just an obscure small character. The title of pioneer knight itself represents the nouveau riche who has no background, and the bloodstained land is a land of four battles. If it occupies this place, it is difficult to say how much benefit it will get, but the subsequent maintenance costs are not difficult to predict, and a part of the buffer belt will be lost.

Everyone felt that this was a war with great costs and no benefit if it was won.

Looking at the faces full of doubts, Sarenwell's heart came back to the incredible set of numbers from the beginning: three thousand six hundred versus two hundred and eighty.

For this battle loss ratio, Sarenwell has always been puzzled. Even the two heavy defeats against Sinclaire and Reilly couldn't compare to the impressiveness that this set of numbers left on him. After all, he has summed up the reasons for his defeat to Sinclair and Reilly, and is confident that he can turn the situation around under certain conditions. But Richard was different. What if a ragtag army of sandmen, orcs, and barbarians could do so much under Richard's command, and what if he had a real army?

Therefore, after learning about the Fortune Avenue plan, Sarenwell finally made up his mind to eliminate Richard with an absolute superiority of forces!

"Everyone. Sarenwell said with a solemn face: "If you don't eliminate Richard now, he will definitely become the great enemy of the empire in the future! Compared with the safety of the empire, my personal merits are nothing at all." ”

Everyone was amazed, they had never seen such an expression on Sarenwell's face. These nobles followed Sarenwell not just because of his status as a prince, a genius commander, or a great magician.

Sarenwell was a far-sighted statesman with a profound strategic vision, and this was what the aristocracy really admired. Still, they felt that Sallywell had made a bit of a fuss about Richard.

The only person present was the strength Marquis Yang showed a thoughtful expression. During this time, the Red Cossacks who belonged to him suffered heavy losses in the Bloodstained Lands, with half of their core forces wiped out and as many as three million gold coins lost. Through these figures, he also has a personal experience of Richard's horror.

At this time, Richard did not know that a storm was brewing in the north.

The clock ticked to ten o'clock, and the vassals of Richard, Reilly, Fontaine, and Duke Blue Wolf left the barracks with their troops and disappeared into the night.

Soon, only a few thousand infantry on the periphery of the camp remained, and the nobles who had been set up were invited to the Chinese tent. A sumptuous meal had been prepared here, and Viscount Sim sat on the throne to preside over the banquet in place of the missing Richard.

Richard himself disappeared with his troops, and the nobles present knew about it. However, whatever Richard went to do, as long as he didn't have them on the battlefield. Soon, people were in the company of alcohol and good food, and the camp was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

By this time, Richard, Reilly, and Fontaine had already entered the intended location with their troops.