stonecrandall Chapter 182 Good News
Chapter 182 Good News
Chapter 113 Good News
"We need to withdraw our navy!" A portly governor, his face flushed a deep purplish-red with excitement, suddenly stood up and slammed a thick stack of parchment ledgers onto a long table inlaid with ebony.
"Look here, my esteemed people of Reis! Take a good look at what this war has brought us!" he began his speech, spittle flying everywhere.
"First, there was the defeat at Delta Force! Our mercenary groups, which we hired at great expense, were utterly routed under the command of that idiot Mitrista! Their compensation, breach of contract penalties, and the huge commissions we paid in advance—all went down the drain!"
"Then came the massacre at Broken Sword Fortress! This battle fully demonstrated the weakness and incompetence of our allies! Even our esteemed Governor Lisandro nearly perished in the chaos!"
"Then, there's Wangbao, the three customs posts, and the entire Rieslan region!"
"How long have we in Rieslan cultivated this land? How much have we invested? How many lives have we sacrificed? And what about now?"
"All gone! Wealth, population, food, land—everything has gone into the pockets of the people of Valantis! It's become their victory celebration in the Senate!"
Wearing a purple robe, Lisandro leaned down and whispered to Rhaegar Hein beside him.
"This governor—if I remember correctly, he seems to have invested a lot in the Rieslan region. If I'm not mistaken, he himself, as well as his nephew, were both governors of the Rieslan region, and his son-in-law was once the lord of the Peninsula Port in the side corridor—"
"Yes, Lord Lisandro," Rega replied in a low voice. "His losses are probably even greater than what is shown on the books. Many of his 'undisclosed' investments have also vanished."
【No wonder!】Lisangzhuo understood.
Currently, there are two voices within Ries.
The first type, naturally, is the hardliners who take a hard line and continue the war, even if it means sacrificing Rhys's disputed colonies as a price.
This is not because of anger, or because of self-interest.
Those who sit in this position are all shrewd and calculating; the word "anger" has been erased from their political lexicon after years of immersing themselves in officialdom and being steeped in intrigue and scheming.
It's not because of interests. If it were, the losses would have been so great that even the most tolerant governor would yearn for true peace.
It's a matter of life and death.
As an island nation, the navy and merchant fleet are the lifeblood of Rees; but after losing the vast colony in the disputed territory, where can they find enough timber to serve as keel and ribs?
We can't possibly buy it from the Valantians, can we?
As for Tyrossi and Mill—they're lucky they didn't kick him when he was down.
The other faction, naturally, is the surrender faction.
In their words, the war has come to this point, so we should just surrender and maybe we can at least save some face.
Among them, Lisandro is undoubtedly the leader of the hardline faction.
The Battle of Stoneraven Town brought him unprecedented prestige. When news of the victory reached Ries, countless citizens gathered in the city center square to celebrate this "great victory," with some even shouting, "Lord Lisandro, where are you?"
This was a valuable political asset, and Lisandro made full use of it, gaining the support of nearly half of the governors through a series of maneuvers.
Conversely, the surrender faction...
Lisanzhuo looked up at Gasto Mario sitting opposite him, and at Governor Bambaro sitting silently on the stage.
[Two despicable people!] Lisangzhu cursed inwardly. [One pretends to be concerned about the country and its people, the other pretends to be fair and just; their shamelessness rivals that of the Black Wall of Valantis!]
"Gentlemen, it's time for us to consider surrendering," Gasto said, straightening his clothes with a smug look.
"What have we sacrificed for the Three Daughters Kingdom?"
"We paid the mercenaries and the money needed to hire them. What did we get in return? Death and exorbitant compensation payments. Now, Rhys's credibility has plummeted to rock bottom! The mercenaries are demanding more money as soon as they hear about Rhys's employment contracts!"
"Land! We haven't gained a single piece of land from the Valantis so far! Forget about New Valantis Port or the Isle of the Unhumans, which we were negotiating with Tyrossi and Myr before the war; we've even lost Broken Sword Fortress! What kind of logic is this?"
"What I'm about to say might sound harsh, but it's the truth—" he said, glancing casually at Lisangzhuo and the hardliners beside him.
"Some of us, who urge on the continuation of the war, have not seen the fallen rice in the plantations; who insist on holding on, have not seen that our glorious city-state is already in ruins—these are the real parasites of Ries!" he suddenly roared.
"It was they who dragged Rhys into the abyss of war! Make peace with the Valantis! Now is the time with the least cost!"
"The advantage of surrendering now is that you don't have to kneel; you can just stand up and raise your hands. In the future, surrendering will not only require kneeling, but also a proper kneeling posture. Otherwise, the beating will be even more severe. That's the biggest difference between surrendering now and surrendering in the future!"
"What the hell are you spouting?!" Governor Rega Hein couldn't hold back any longer and immediately stood up.
"In my opinion, the country has become this terrible state because there are too many parasites like you!"
It's pointless to say another word to a creature like you!
"Look! The treacherous minister has jumped out himself!"
"Who are you calling a treacherous minister?!"
"Whoever yells at me is the one!"
As the two sides began shouting at each other, the governors on both sides also started to stand up and launch into a full-scale attack on each other, from family matters to personal sexual prowess. They even started throwing on slippers and belts, escalating the situation into a full-blown brawl.
"Enough! Quiet down! Silence!" Governor Bambaro tried to maintain order, but unfortunately, his shouts were drowned out by the huge noise and were of no use at all!
"Enough, gentlemen, do you still remember why we came here?" Lisangzhuo stood up and gently persuaded his governor to sit down first.
【Damn it————】 Seeing those people who were still in a hurry, even heading towards a full-blown fight, sit down because of Lisangzhuo's words, an unnamed rage ignited in Bambaro's heart.
[Who do you think you are, Lisangzhuo? What are you showing off for? Are you trying to demonstrate your strength?] he thought darkly.
"What insightful opinion does Lord Lisanzhuo have?" Gasto bowed deeply, seemingly respectfully, but his words carried a hidden barb. "Do you believe there is any possibility of turning the tide of the war?"
"The allied forces led by 'The Keeper of Faith' Jule Mode and my son Lisanro Rogal went to the upper reaches of the Disputed River a few days ago. If they win, then we won't have to face Marcus and his Valantis Legion in the Disputed Lands. Through the upper reaches, we can send soldiers to the Rieslan region and completely cut off his retreat!" Lisanro said solemnly.
"They—ha!" Gasto sneered.
"Do you really think they can pull off any miracles? They're basically a lone army. How could they possibly stand against the Valantis?"
"Moreover, in order to achieve the strategic-level goal you mentioned, they must reclaim the most important stronghold upstream, Broken Spear City, as well as the Broken Spear River estuary, which connects the east and west sides."
"And how many of them are there, Lord Lisandro? Forgive my bluntness, but I recall the White Legion only numbered two thousand? Or one thousand?"
"The expeditionary force has nearly four thousand soldiers," Lisangzhuo said calmly.
"Hahaha!" Gasto couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"So it seems Commander Morde is really confident that he can defeat the Valantis with this small force, and even plans to take over the key upstream stronghold, Broken Spear City, and the Broken Spear River crossing—does anyone really believe he can do this?"
"Unless they are protected by the Seven Gods, or truly blessed by the King of Light!" Gasto laughed heartily.
This was impossible, Gasto believed. Even upstream, where their forces were relatively weak, the Valantis were well-prepared and had the strength to inflict a devastating blow on Le.
"Yes, how could that be?"
"The Valantis—once they number a thousand, they are invincible!"
"Yes, let's surrender quickly! Are we going to continue watching such loyal and brave men die on the battlefield because of this doomed war?"
Before the words were even finished, the bronze doors of the Governor's Council were flung open. A messenger, dressed in light armor and covered in dust, practically rushed into the council chamber, led by a guard. He knelt on one knee, his chest heaving violently.
"It's meeting time! No one is allowed in without a valid reason! What's going on?!" Bambaro was even angrier, yelling at the guards who opened the door. "Are you all tired of living? This is a meeting!"
"Please calm down, First Governor Banbaro," Lisanzhuo said softly.
"He has official intelligence in his possession, and he has the right to report to the First Governor-General immediately."
The last time a red-headed intelligence report came in was when the flank corridor was captured; the time before that was when the Three Taxes Pass fell; the time before that was when Watchtower fell; the time before that was when Broken Sword Fortress fell; and the time before that was when Delta Force fell.
Well, the amount of intelligence gathered since the start of the war is more than the total amount gathered in the previous ten years combined!
Ignoring all formalities, the soldier held aloft an urgent military report bearing a distinctive sealing wax mark, his loud and clear voice echoing through the suddenly silent hall: "Urgent military news! The allied forces led by General Jules Mod and young master Lisanro Rojaer have achieved a resounding victory at the ford area upstream of the disputed river!"
"Broken Spear City—has fallen!"
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