Emperor Marius seemed to know Livius a little bit. After receiving Livius' report, he guessed that this guy was going to execute first and report later, so he directly ordered a reprimand, saying that it was forbidden to expand the army "privately".
But Marius probably didn't expect that Livius would actually force conscription as soon as he took office...
Shieldwind Fortress is the castle farthest from the capital Siyuan City, which is truly a case of the emperor being far away.
Levius was not a law-abiding person, and his family was an important member of the Council of Elders of the Bacchus Empire. They were used to being rampant in their previous territories, and their style was always rather unrestrained.
Now that he has been exiled to the frontier, he still feels a little resentful. Originally, he wanted to create a fait accompli of military expansion first and get the military funds first.
But since Emperor Marius' response was that he was not allowed to "expand the army privately", the emperor's intention was very clear.
This was aimed at him. There was no intention to let him capture Bailu Fort. Probably they wanted to take away his military power in a year with an excuse like "leading a strong army but doing nothing".
Of course, Levius would not sit still and wait for death. He was just arrogant and domineering, but he was not a fool. Warlord families like his knew better than anyone the truth that "only when you have soldiers in your hands can you stand firm."
If there were no shadow infantry soldiers, he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant in the territory...
But he would not directly go against the emperor. After all, he knew that he was hated. If he were to be punished according to the law, he would have been hanged eight times already.
Therefore, he would never make a mistake of principle - such as openly disobeying orders or collaborating with the enemy to rebel.
Even Marshal Kyros, who was most opposed to reform, had been obeying the orders of Emperor Marius. Livius would certainly not disobey orders and had to endure what he had to endure.
We still have to fight for White Hart Castle, and we must take it.
But the problem is that Levius has already forcibly conscripted more than 2,000 civilians...
All the villages that should be offended have already been offended. We can't just let these young and strong people go back, right?
That's too bad...
So Livius changed the nature of the "Second Imperial Legion" with a stroke of his pen, turning it into a group of civilian laborers with a flag.
This matter is reasonable and legal.
A governor-general certainly has the right to conscript civilians, and he can owe them wages first and settle them later. After all, when the country is at war, local civilians do have the obligation to support the army.
Moreover, equipping a large number of civilians with flags can confuse the enemy's vision, which is also a normal combat behavior.
A 2,000-man legion of civilians, led by Lord Fabius, son of Livius, began to move towards White Hart Castle.
However, Livius did not let this army of civilians transport supplies or build city defenses. Instead, he asked Fabius to take these civilians to the Noldor Forest north of Shieldwind Fortress - that is, the area between Shieldwind Fortress and White Hart Fortress, and began to cut down trees and build a camp...
Because this can force Bailu Fort to send more troops.
The group of civilians he sent out was under the banner of the "Second Legion of the Empire". Although the logging area was in a forest about 200 miles away from White Deer Castle, it would not take too long for White Deer Castle to discover that a "large force" of the Bacchus Empire was building a camp.
In Livius's opinion, if the "large army" of more than 2,000 people were allowed to set up camp so close to White Hart Castle, White Hart Castle would definitely strengthen its armaments, so it would definitely send more troops for defense...
Then Livius could ask Emperor Marius to change the order or send reinforcements on the grounds that "there are too many troops stationed at White Hart Castle".
Yes, Livius was not a fool. He wanted to increase the garrison at White Hart Castle. He wanted to use this method to make Emperor Marius change the original order he gave him.
If Bailubao found out that the 2,000-strong "Second Imperial Army" was building a garrison, they would have to gather a large number of troops to defend themselves...
Then the order issued by Emperor Marius to "capture White Hart Castle within one year" would seem very unreasonable.
In this situation, Emperor Marius could either send reinforcements to Fort Shieldwind or ask Livius to expand his manpower, or even directly change Livius's mission from "capturing White Hart Castle" to "defending Fort Shieldwind".
As for whether the two thousand civilians would be killed by the people of Bailubao...
He doesn't care.
Levius still had many strengths, such as the ability to adapt to changing circumstances - otherwise he would not have become governor.
After sending out the laborers to cut wood and build the camp, Levius began to send scouts to White Hart Castle to investigate.
Then he discovered that Bailu Fort had lit the beacon fire without encountering any enemy.
At that time, the peasant army had just started to cut down trees and build a camp. Levius thought that this was because White Hart Castle had discovered his peasant army. He was still sighing at the high efficiency of White Hart Castle's reconnaissance, and that they had discovered it so quickly from 200 miles away...
In fact, it was only because after Leon was taken away by the Lion Knights, Amy lit the beacon directly according to Leon's instructions.
There were a lot of things going on in White Hart Castle at that time. Amy was only concerned about the safety of the lord during those days. She did not send scouts too far to the south and knew nothing about the civilian labor army two hundred miles away.
But Livius felt that his plan had succeeded. After all, according to common sense, the army from Changhe Town would soon come to support after the beacon fire was lit in Bailu Fort.
So he immediately sent another urgent report of 800 miles to the capital Siyuan City - this time he directly said that the military strength of Bailu Fort had increased to 2,000 people, and hoped that Emperor Marius would send him reinforcements, otherwise, let alone attacking, even defending the Shield Wind Fortress would become a problem.
This time, Levius did not directly mention expanding the army.
Because he knew that in this situation, it would be better to recruit new troops locally than to dispatch reinforcements from other places. Emperor Marius would most likely agree to his new "Second Imperial Legion" and would also let other lords obey his command.
After that, he continued to send more scouts to see the specific reaction of Bailu Fort.
But since then, none of his scouts have returned.
Of course, it is a good thing that the scout did not come back, as it means that White Deer Fort is indeed strengthening its defense.
Moreover, in Levius's opinion, continuously sending out scouts would also allow White Deer Castle to firmly believe that the Bacchus Empire was about to attack.
At least the beacon fire at White Deer Fort was always lit.
But it didn't take long for the governor to realize that something was wrong...
The spy sent by the Bacchus Empire to White Deer Castle has returned.
Those spies were Justus's men, and their original mission was to spread rumors about Leon.
Although the rumors did not cause any direct disruption in White Hart Keep, they did get the result they had planned - Leon was indeed arrested by the Fierce Lion.
Afterwards, the White Hart Castle lit a beacon fire, but the Kingdom of the Fierce Lion did not send any reinforcements to support it.
This also misled the spies - they thought that the rumors they spread had worked, and that there seemed to be civil unrest in the Kingdom of Sarleon.
Then, Amy followed the lord's instructions and brought Sir Roland to White Hart Castle to take charge of its defense.
Roland is a careful person, and he has spent half his life dealing with various heretics. He is very good at finding those mysterious people hiding in dark corners and doing things.
As a result, the spies sent to White Deer Castle by the Bacchus Empire suffered huge losses in a short period of time.
So the spies had to lay low for several days, not daring to show their faces, and naturally no one knew what happened during those days.
And then they found that Li Ang had returned.
As Leon came back, there seemed to be civil unrest in Bailu Fort - several troops started fighting in the city, and no one knew why.
Later, the spies got the result that it was Leon who launched a rebellion in Bailu Fort!
Li Ang really committed treason!
But the rebellion launched by Leon seemed to have failed, and he was expelled to the Cornish Territory by Godric's daughter - the soldiers of White Hart Castle did not follow Leon to rebel.
This kind of news must naturally be transmitted back to Bacchus as quickly as possible.
So the remaining spies returned to Bacchus as quickly as possible, and the nearest one was Shieldwind Fortress. Levius was the first Lord of Bacchus to receive the news.
However, after Levius got the news from the spy, he was in a dilemma...
Because of the internal strife in White Deer Castle, it was obviously the best opportunity to attack.
Although it is not certain how much damage Leon's rebellion caused to Bailu Fort, it is at least the best opportunity in decades!
But the problem is that Levius just sent back to Siyuan City the news that the White Deer Castle's military strength has increased to 2,000 people...
Originally, this was just an exaggeration of the enemy's military strength in order to obtain more military funds and manpower support.
But if Justus's spies spread the news of the civil unrest in White Deer Castle to Siyuan City, then the nature of the situation would change!
Livius described a great opportunity for attack as the enemy sending more troops. This was not just an ordinary false military report. It could even be considered an intentional deception of the emperor with ulterior motives. Emperor Marius would certainly be furious.
After all, Bacchus was founded by General Osa through war and conquest. People might understand that he took a small amount of empty salary, but this kind of falsification of military intelligence is almost unforgivable.
Levius didn't know how many spies Justus had, and there were also spies sent to other places, so he couldn't kill those who knew the truth.
We must seize this opportunity and capture Bailu Fort first, and then the false military report will become "This is a trick used by the enemy to deliberately frame this governor"...
Yes, Levius was very adaptable.
But this means that it would be difficult for him to cooperate with other lords, otherwise the false military reports would be untenable and difficult to explain.
But at present he only has 800 soldiers, and the 2,000 farmers don't even have equipment. The situation inside Bailu Fort is unclear, and it seems that he is not very sure to attack alone.
So Levius was a little confused...
However, just when Levius was struggling, he received some extremely good news.
…
When Lisadiran arrived at Shieldwind Fortress, the place had already been heavily guarded by Levius.
Levius still has many strengths, such as the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and to protect his own safety.
In order to avoid any disastrous consequences from his usual misbehavior, the governor always guarded his castle very well.
Even a high-level killer like Risadilan couldn't find a way to enter the city for a while, as there were many soldiers guarding almost every place.
Fortunately, the elf killer's mission this time was not to enter the city to kill people, but to deliver a letter.
Given that the lord's request was to deliver the letter as quickly as possible and that it did not need to be kept secret, Lisadilan used an unconventional method.
He did not enter the city, but hid in the forest behind the Shield Wind Fortress, sneaked up on the Shield Wind Fortress using the protection of the trees, and then shot an arrow into the castle.
To avoid misunderstanding, and because there was no way to retrieve the arrow, he did not use a Noldor arrow, but an ordinary cone-pointed arrow.
The archery skills and range of the Noldor elves were first-rate. The arrow with the letter tied to it drew a beautiful parabola and accurately shot into a small window in the middle of the Shieldwind Fortress tower.
The main reason for shooting at that window was that Lisadiran saw that there seemed to be someone there - someone had to see the arrow.
As a result, after the arrow was fired, a howl was heard from afar...
It looked like there was an accidental injury, but for Lisadilan, it didn't matter. The most important thing was to complete the mission quickly. Accidental injuries were nothing. They were all enemies anyway...
Moreover, since he had shot the person, the mission would definitely be accomplished, so Risadilan turned around and ran away.
The mission was indeed accomplished—the person shot by an arrow in the castle happened to be Levius himself.
Of course, his injury was minor, just a few scrapes.
It's just that the location is a bit awkward, the injury is right between the legs.
The Noldor elves are obviously not familiar with the structure of the Shieldwind Fortress...
Of course, only important people would live in the tower of this castle, and the small window in the middle of the tower, which is only one foot long and wide, is actually the ventilation hole of the toilet, which is exactly at the waist level of a person - this is so that one can face the window when squatting or sitting down.
Poor Governor Levius was using the toilet. He had just pulled up his trousers when an arrow flew in from the window, brushed past his crotch and pierced into the wall behind him.
He was almost castrated on the spot.
But fortunately, Levius did see the letter from the lord.
The content of the letter made him feel like a big pie had fallen from the sky and landed right on top of his head...
A secret letter was tied to the arrow.
The letter was written by Li Ang himself, and it looked a bit sloppy. It was probably because he was nervous and anxious when he wrote it.
The letter expressed his admiration for Levius and asked if Levius still remembered the kindness of the lord in letting him return home...
Leon said that he was persecuted by King Ulric and could no longer stay in the Fierce Lion Territory, so he asked if the Bacchus Empire was willing to give him a chance.
To this end, he could join hands with Governor Livius to capture White Hart Castle as a token of his allegiance to the Bacchus Empire, and hope that the title of "General of Changhe Town" awarded by Emperor Marius was not just empty words.
To show his sincerity, the lord was even willing to give the Wheat Ribbon to Levius first.
The most credible thing is that Leon said that he would arrive near Shieldwind Fort on July 30th to discuss with Levius how to attack White Hart Fort.
Livius watched and sighed, thinking that the plan of Emperor Marius and Justus was quite powerful.
Maybe Emperor Marius' letter worked?
Livius certainly knew that Emperor Marius was trying to harm Leon, and he also knew that Governor Justus had sent many spies to spread rumors.
It seems that the effect of these strategies is obvious...
According to the letter, and the news brought back by the spies, Leon was probably convicted by King Ulrich and escaped with great difficulty. He originally planned to rebel and establish himself as the king in White Hart Castle, but failed.
So now it is being attacked by the army of White Deer Fort.
Therefore, he had to cooperate with the Bacchus Empire, join forces with the Bacchus Empire to attack White Hart Castle, give the McShane Territory to Levius, and then he himself would occupy White Hart Castle as his home.
Even the reason was made clear: the Bacchus Empire must obtain the Maixiang Territory, and Leon himself could only be safe in Bailu Castle.
Levius thought that if it was just a secret letter, then it was possible that Leon was cheating.
But if Li Ang really comes here in person, it would be hard to believe it, and I can definitely catch him first.
Besides, the way Leon sent someone to deliver the letter was also in line with the situation - if this was a false surrender, who would send a letter in a way that could easily expose secrets?
An arrow shot in immediately, so hastily...
What if someone else sees it?
What if it had not been delivered to Levius?
This obviously means that Li Ang’s current situation is very dangerous, and there is no time to send an envoy to visit!
And July 30th is tomorrow.
So Levius sent troops to set up a temporary meeting place about ten miles north of Shieldwind Fortress.
He didn't want Leon to enter the Shield Wind Fortress, just in case. What if this was still a trick?
The lord did not cheat. He only brought a few dozen people to the agreed meeting place, waving a white flag to ask for an audience with Levius. He looked quite embarrassed, as if he had just been through a battle.
"Mr. Li Ang, I didn't expect you to actually come..."
Levius felt like a pie had fallen from the sky, and it was time for him to surrender.
"I can't help it. The Sarleon Kingdom is hunting me down, and your Emperor Marius is not a good man... But since he has given me the title of 'General of Changhe Town', I can't break my promise!"
The lord took out the letter from Emperor Marius and threw it to Livius.
"So how do you plan to capture White Hart Fort now? How many troops are left in White Hart Fort?"
Levius, of course, knew the contents of the letter, and his doubts were largely eliminated, so he began to ask directly about the plan.
"There are probably still three or four hundred people in White Hart Castle, but it doesn't matter. As long as I lead my troops to appear outside the city, the troops of White Hart Castle will definitely chase me, and then White Hart Castle will be an empty city! Governor Levius, it shouldn't be difficult for you to attack an empty city, right?"
Li Ang shook his head and spoke with gritted teeth, it seemed that he really wanted to occupy Bailu Fort.
Although this method is simple, it seems to be reliable given the current situation.
However, Livius still said cautiously: "I don't have many troops. Why don't I send people to your Maixiang Territory first to make sure that there are no reinforcements in Bailu Fort?"
Li Ang nodded and agreed: "Indeed, we need to stop the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Sarsen first. You'd better send more troops. I will send someone to lead the way for you."
As soon as these words came out, Levius's doubts were all gone - this would really turn White Hart Castle into an isolated city. It seemed that Leon was really going to surrender to the empire this time.