Section 8 Enemy Arrival

"But he's in such a big danger to us right now. Almost made you ...... Kill us all!" Leo still couldn't let go. "There is one more thing, which is of Ashrufat. ”

"What did Ashrufat do?" asked Thomas. "Did he mess up something?"

"Nope. Leo replied. "He's done a great job, he's built up his authority in the army, he's got everything in order, maybe a little better than you do. But he's a completely different person than you! He's ...... like that."

"What's wrong with him?" asked Thomas.

"Ever since you were wounded, Ashruphat has looked like a man-eating tiger!" Leo replied. From that day on, his face became very terrifying. Not to mention the others, even William Daly and I felt numb all over our bodies at the sight of him. To be honest, I'm a little scared of the current Ashrufat. He wasn't like that in the past. ”

"Really...... It seems that he really is...... My good student. ”

"Did you take him as a student?" asked Leo in surprise.

"It seems like a long time ago. Thomas sighed. "In order to keep Ryan from getting upset, I didn't announce it to anyone. Thankfully, Ashrufat didn't mind. ”

"I thought he was just like me, just asking you for advice as a junior. But that's it...... I think he's a better fit for your student than Ryan's kid. Yesterday, during the contest in the barracks, Ashrufat showed his face widely. ”

"I think he didn't seem to like it. Thomas said. "He once said that he didn't like training with a sword. ”

"I also know that even some people laugh at him, and he doesn't mind. But it just doesn't seem like he doesn't like a lack of challenge. Yesterday he defeated thirty knights in a melee contest by himself. Now no one said that he didn't dare to do it. ”

A faint smile appeared on Thomas's face, but it was quickly replaced by deeper apprehension.

"I don't know what happened to Lane Lane. He must have disembarked by now...... The river is about to freeze...... He should be able to get the knights of Casilos to swear allegiance to Princess Irina and command them to form an army...... I hope he will be there in time......"

......

"Here we are!" With this sound, there was a clear vibration from the hull of the ship, which was characteristic of the impact of a ship on the shore.

The sailors began to set up a gangplank so that the men and horses on board could go smoothly.

Ryan looked at the land in front of him, the cold winter wind blowing on the land, and the traces of harvesting crops remained on the field. His future and dreams are pinned on this land.

"Raise the flag!" Ryan's order was carried out. A banner fluttered at the front of the procession, bearing the Sun Sword crest, the emblem of the Casillos royal family.

"Go, Duke Lane. Rook stood at the bow of the ship and said to his nephew. "Go to the lords of Casillos and ask them to swear allegiance to you!"

"I'm still a little worried......"

"Don't worry. Thomas is definitely much better than you think. He said it would be delayed for three months, but he would not say such a thing until he was sure that it would be delayed for at least five months. Rook reassured. "Rest assured, when you gather your army, first try to retake all the cities under the control of the Paros - the main force of the Paros has long been transferred to the border castle to confront the main forces of St. Jean, these cities have a limited number of troops, and victory is not a problem - and then wait patiently until Thomas and the Paros fight to the death. Even if the Paros annihilated Thomas, they were guaranteed to suffer heavy losses and were exhausted. When the time comes, you go and defeat the remnants of Paro, and you are eligible...... Claim the throne of Casilos!"

"Thomas......" Ryan wanted to tell his uncle that Thomas had been stabbed by him, and he didn't know how he would live or die. No, Thomas shouldn't die...... But the thought filled his heart with unease.

"What's wrong with Thomas?" asked Rook.

Thomas ...... For what would be personally carried out such a dangerous plan. The words came to his mouth, but Ryan found himself unable to speak.

"You'll see later that people in different positions have different pressures. For example, we have to spend time encouraging the 'temporary' Foreign Secretary, Duke Landwin. He's an idiot, but he can put a lot of pressure on Thomas. And the pressure can make people do things they don't want to do, such as such risky battle plans. Rukhhara smiled. "While you're with the princess, I'm trying to do something else...... It's just to make Thomas feel enough pressure!"

"Now, dear nephew, it's time for you to work hard. ”

Ryan nodded, looking ahead again. The lords of Casilos in this area are now leaderless. When a leader emerges who has power in the bloodline and is willing to lead them against the Paro, they will surely be loyal and follow the leader!

Now, the Paro frontier garrison has fended off the army of St. Jean, who is loyal to Princess Irina, and Thomas and the main force of Paro in Drake City are about to fight to the death, and both sides will be defeated. No one has the power to stop him, and he can gather his army with peace of mind and wait for his work. If he can take advantage of the opportunity to defeat the Paro, then the lord of Cassilos will surely elect him king! Irina will have no choice but to marry him......

"Long live Duke Lane!" he heard his retinue shout.

He used to be a mere knight, but now he can make himself a duke. Duke Ryan of Casilos!

Don't blame me, Thomas!!! If you hadn't treated me like that, I could have saved you—after your forces were all but wiped out, of course. But now...... Since you have chosen the lowly wandering mercenary of Eshurufat......

He jumped on his horse. "Let's go!" he shouted to his entourage.

......

The river froze earlier than expected. By the time the first light snow fell, large ice ridges had already emerged from the river from time to time. Even if the Paros wanted to transport supplies to the frontier castle by river, they would have to wait until spring.

The appearance of the Paro army was some time later than Thomas had expected. That's enough time to make Drake City more ready for battle.

But when the scout hurried into the gates, everyone knew that it was time to come......

......

As for Thomas's strategy at Drake City, it was initially considered an extremely clever card time tactic. Thomas captured Drake in early winter, with the intention of preventing the Paro people's painstakingly constructed border defenses from receiving winter supplies in time. In this way, in the spring, the castle of the Paro people will run out of food and grass, and naturally they will surrender without a fight.

In fact, after the complete removal of the green skins from the country, the number of saint-Jeans increased rapidly. This time, it showed an extremely powerful combat power, far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. In the previous invasion of the Greyhounds, St. Jean was only one of the least populated and most barren mountainous provinces, which was enough to defeat the Greyhound Knights with a total strength of tens of thousands in one fell swoop. And when the power of dozens of provinces is gathered under the banner of Princess Irina, its military strength is enough to make anyone daunted.

Once Princess Irina's army breaks through the castle defenses on the border between St. Jean and Casillos, it will inevitably take advantage of the momentum to sweep half of Casillos and drag the war into a war of attrition between them. This is exactly what the Paros people are trying to avoid.

In this winter, all eyes of those who care are on Drake City. Everyone knows that this is the place where the outcome of this war will be decided. The castle defense line and Drake City, which the Paro people painstakingly built, must not be able to support one of the two first.

The Paro people's determination to retake the city of Drake is unquestionable. Just a month after Thomas captured Drake City, Palo's general, Duke Rudolph, personally led an army of 60,000 to attack Drake City. It was he who had personally led the Paro army over the Sister Mountains and destroyed Cassilos in one fell swoop.

Many accounts point out that the duke actually had a vendetta against Thomas for killing his father. Decades earlier, the Duchess had commanded Paro's army against Cassilos' army under the command of Thomas. But it turned out that the old duke's military talent could not be compared with Thomas. In a swift and ingenious surprise attack, the old duke was defeated by Thomas, and his army was scattered, and he himself was killed in the chaos. This account is supported by official documents. Because of this, this battle had both public and private meanings for General Rudolph, and he regarded it as the most important battle of his life. This aptly explains why he spent so much time mobilizing all the troops he could muster in an attempt to swallow Thomas's lone army in one gulp......

—Excerpt from "History of the Styghian Wars"

When the scouts ran to Thomas's room, they found William Daley, one of Thomas's lieutenants, at the door of the room.

"Urgent, urgent! The Paros are coming!" the scout tried to enter, but William Daly stopped him.

"Isn't it the Paro's coming?" replied William Daly. "They're long overdue! We're all bored. ”

"I must meet General Thomas......"

"You shouted so loudly, and Lord Thomas is not deaf, he has already heard it! ”

There was obvious confusion in the scout's eyes. But he could not resist the order of the adjutant general, and he had to leave.

Seeing the scouts leaving, William Daly hurried into the room. Unfortunately, what he just said came true. Thomas had heard the scouts yelling, and he was getting out of bed.

"William Daly, bring me my armor!"

"Master Thomas, Miss Phil has emphasized, you must not move! or your wound is in danger of bursting. And once your wound cracks and causes inflammation, then her healing magic will no longer be able to help you!And you can't put on armor anyway!Ashrufat and Leo are already guarding the walls, you don't need to worry about ......"

"William Daley, this is my order!" Thomas commanded, but his tone immediately softened. "Don't worry, I know my own body, and it's not as bad as the prophetess said...... Well, I don't wear armor. Bring me a scepter, and I'll be careful to go up the walls and make a round. As long as I keep my pace under control, my wound will be fine. Are you going to let me, as a general, not show up in this situation?

He stared at William Daley, who found himself unable to refuse such an order.

"All right, Master Thomas. But I have to be there for you. ”