Section 1: Situation

"This is the latest information we have. ”

Thomas put what he was holding on the table. Around the table, all the core personnel of the new court gathered. Princess Irina sat in the center.

"The situation now is that Paro divided the army into three parts. The first part is still besieging the Wolf's Mouth Castle. ”

"Hasn't it been taken yet?" said someone in disbelief. Now that Casilos' royal city of Floros has fallen for so long, the Wolf's Mouth Castle, which is at the forefront of the battle, has still not been captured by the Paro.

"It is said that it was because the Paros went too far in the city of Flos and burned almost all of Cassilos' courtiers. The guard of the castle at the Wolf's Mouth, like Dole, is a stubborn old fellow like me. He didn't believe in the capture of the city of Flores by the Parodians. Although the Paro showed him the seized court goods, Dore decided that they were all forgeries and were just petty tricks to trick him into surrendering, and he openly declared that such a foolish trick was fine to deceive the young man, and that it would not work for an experienced veteran like him. ”

At this, Thomas smiled. "So sometimes stubborn people also have the benefits of stubbornness. So the Paros had to leave behind a sizable army to continue the siege. The Wolf's Mouth Castle was well defended, the defenders were elite and well-supplied, and the Paros had to rely on the siege to slowly deplete their food. ”

"What about the second part?" asked the princess.

"The second part is centered on the city of Floros, where the main forces of the Paros are concentrated. They are currently trying to control the entire plain near the city of Flores. Cassilos' organized rebels have been largely wiped out, but there are still many lords loyal to Her Royal Highness who are engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Paro. The Paros have not yet completely conquered this place. As for the third part, it is the border area of Cassilos and San Jean. Paro's army was scattered in various castles, without any offensive momentum at all, but intensified to consolidate the city's defenses, and posed as if it was being beaten. It seems that their plan is very obvious, that is, to use the border fortress to build a fortress defense line to prevent our army from attacking. And in the rear, he stepped up to suppress the entire territory of Casillos and annexed Casillos in one fell swoop. As for St. Jean, after the fall of the Greyhound, they did not consider it at all. ”

With that, Thomas paused.

"I have to admit that the Paro people are very clever in their strategy. Simple, effective, realistic, no unnecessary ambitions, everything is under control. Even I can't think of a more clever strategy. ”

All the people looked at the map on the table. This map clearly shows the strong defensive lines built by the Paro army. These are not makeshift walled castles, but fortified castles.

Historically, Casillos was sandwiched between San Jean and Paro and faced the disadvantage of fighting on two fronts. In order to reverse this situation, Cassilos built a series of castles on the eastern side of the border with San Jean, according to the terrain, to prevent the invasion of San Jean. On the western flank, they had no danger to defend and could only gather a large army just in case.

However, as the relationship with St. Jean grew, the role of the fortress became weaker and weaker. By the time the royal families of the two countries became one family, this line of defense had completely lost its original meaning and was basically abandoned. All the military castles were given to the local nobles, and the garrisons were cut clean (so when the Paros invaded, the greyhounds followed in Princess Irina's footsteps and easily captured all the castles).

On the Western Front, Casillos captured and captured the Wolf's Mouth Castle, which originally belonged to Paro, and thus stuck the choke point of the Paro's attack. Since then, Casilos has disarmed the threat on both fronts at the same time, and the defense situation of the entire country has become extremely favorable. It's a pity that the favorable strategic situation paralyzed the vigilance of Cassilos's ministers, so he was finally caught off guard by the Paro people, leading to today's unfortunate results.

"General Thomas, I'm just a girl, I don't know anything about military affairs. Princess Irina spoke. "Please tell me what it takes to recapture Cassilos. ”

"There's no good way but to attack these castles one by one. But, Your Highness Princess, in my judgment, be prepared for war for three to five years. By then, I fear that the Paros have gained a foothold and are in complete control of the situation. ”

"Lord Thomas. I remember not long ago, you conquered Sedin without blood. Foreign Secretary Landwin spoke with a smile on his face. But the glint in his eyes revealed a deep hatred. "Why are you tied again? You just need to use your genius and cunning to conquer these castles. You must know that you now have almost all of St. Jean's army in your hands. Even the Prophetesses and the Knights of the Holy Grail have been invited by you. ”

Thomas didn't seem to notice the other meaning of the other party's words, and smiled slightly. "Lord Landwin, I'm not a god. The Paros will not be fooled a second time, and although our army has a certain advantage in numbers, it is still difficult to capture the castle. Don't you see that the Wolf's Mouth Castle has not been lost to this day?"

"I have seen that Master Thomas has been very successful in diplomacy. Having the Prophetess and the Knights of the Holy Grail join us is a remarkable achievement. Let me give up this post of Foreign Secretary to Lord Thomas. Since the position of the general is so troublesome to Lord Thomas, it is better to choose another high-ranking one. Isn't that what everyone needs?"

"The prophetess's affair is nothing more than unintentional flower arrangement. But Lord Landwin, it seems that there are no achievements worth mentioning in military affairs. ”

The two people looked at each other with a smile on their faces, but in the-for-tat gaze, it seemed that sparks were about to spark.

Irina coughed softly. Only then did the two men stop looking at each other and return to their respective positions.

"Is there no other way than to conquer these castles one by one?" Is it really so tiring to be a queen? she asked herself to herself. Even the first Imperial Council had to encounter these things?

"For now, we can only do this for the time being. Thomas replied. 'But I'll try to find weaknesses in their defence. In addition, I hope that Her Royal Highness will give me some authority to give me the appropriate commitment to negotiate and surrender the defenders when the time comes. ”

"Since there is no other choice, let us do as Count Thomas wants. Irina replied. She deliberately didn't look at the jealous look in Randwin's eyes. It was even the first time she had seen such a look in a man's eyes. But she knew that she would see many similar eyes in the future.

"Hand over the army to Thomas and he'll take care of everything for you. Don't believe that there is a second person who can do it better than him. If there is such a person, don't believe that he will be as loyal as Thomas. Irina recalled the old man's advice in black robes. She couldn't help but glance at the screen.

However, in the next round of topics, Thomas did not speak. The following is a survey of war taxes, the situation of fiefdoms in various places, and some topics of diplomacy and court affairs.

Finally, the Lord/Judge raised the matter of the Court of Honor. Nearly thirty knights had already questioned Thomas before he promoted the militia captain to knighthood. They believed that these two knights, who had been militiamen, did not deserve this honor at all.

This time Thomas finally spoke. He pointed out that he would be fully subject to the outcome of the Honour Tribunal, but that it was customary for the Honour Tribunal to "challenge" itself after the war had ended. It is only in those special events that are extremely dishonorable that tribunals are constituted and tried in wartime. Therefore, those knights who have been canonized should still have the opportunity to prove their courage and strength on the battlefield. When he said this, Thomas always looked at Landwin, intentionally or unintentionally, and the latter's face turned the color of pork liver.

This concludes the meeting. Everyone left, and now Irina was the only one left here.

No, not alone, because the black-robed old man walked out from behind the screen. From the very beginning, he had been hiding behind the screen to observe. But to be honest, the old man's low cough from time to time has long since revealed his existence. It's just that all the ministers are trying to pretend that they have not heard anything and know nothing.

"You made a small mistake, little girl. The black-robed old man poked Irina in the ribs with the wooden cane. But this poke doesn't seem to hurt as much as usual. Irina wasn't sure if she was numb to the pain or if the old man wasn't pushing that hard.

"You shouldn't have let Thomas and Landwin go toe-to-toe. Landwin is an idiot, but the courtiers are so presumptuous in front of you that it is a blow to your prestige. Reprimanding them harshly, or giving them a symbolic punishment, is the right thing to do. Thomas, in particular, shouldn't have provoked Landwyn like that. If he stirs up other people's scars like this, it will make the whole situation worse. ”

"Scars?" Irina asked, a little confused.

"Landwin's grandfather was once tried by the Court of Honor and stripped of the title of Duke for fleeing in fear of the enemy on the battlefield. That's why Landwin is so sensitive to the subject!" The old man whipped Irina's leg in such pain that she almost burst into tears. "I told you to read the biography of the nobles carefully!" he snarled angrily.

"That book...... It's too thick,......" she explained softly, in exchange for another whip.

"No reason is no reason!Just like any failure must be held accountable!Don't underestimate that book, you don't want some nobleman you have unintentionally humiliated to hold a grudge and be ready to take revenge! How many powerful kingdoms have fallen under betrayal!"

The black-robed old man's voice calmed down. "No one is perfect, and neither is Thomas......"

......

"He's actually raising a court of honor with me! He is humiliating me in front of the princess like this! If it weren't for the royal council, when no one is allowed to carry weapons, I would immediately draw my sword and ask him for a duel! I would rather die than accept such an insult!"

Randwin roared like an angry boar, pacing back and forth in his private room. It was his private room as "interim" foreign secretary. Although the room was in the palace, the right to use it belonged to him. In other words, the right of use belongs to the person who is dubbed "foreign secretary". All those who are eligible to attend the Pre-Council have a room in the palace that is entirely theirs.

"Your Excellency, you need not be angry at all. Ryan did his best to keep his smile on his face.