Chapter 270: Everyone Has Their Own Agenda
Three days later, Sarleon's throne room.
At this time, Ulrich was listening in surprise to the military report sent back by a knight from the front line.
"Your Majesty, Count Leon led his army three days ago and occupied Eshkoman, the largest port in D'Shar...Gavan Khan of Turda Fortress and Bahaman, the lord of Eshkoman, did not dare to stop the Fierce Lions. Bahaman has decided to cooperate with the kingdom to deal with Kadan. He and Gavan Khan returned to Turda Fortress to ensure the retreat of the kingdom's army. Count Leon originally decided to attack Toba City as quickly as possible before Kadan organized the D'Shar army, but..."
The knight was eloquent and reported the matter clearly, but he obviously did not finish.
Just when he said this, Ulrich on the throne stood up, so the knight looked at the king and slowed down his words.
Ulrich stood up because he was a little excited and nervous. He didn't expect Leon to be so efficient. It had only been half a month since he declared war on Desha, and Leon had already taken down Ashcomb! This progress was incredibly fast...
Ulric also understood Leon 's tactics. Bahad Khan Kadan suffered heavy losses outside the City of Sarleon, so Leon marched in at the fastest speed before Kadan could replenish his troops or summon the D'Shar lords to form an army.
In fact, when Leon marched to Turda Fortress, Kadan had probably just crossed the desert and returned to his territory of Toba, and he certainly didn't have time to react.
This means that the kingdom's army can form a situation of outnumbering the enemy along the way. Most Desha lords probably dare not stand in front of the army, so some Desha lords can be forced to retreat or even cooperate with the kingdom.
But Ulrich knew that although he could understand why Leon quickly took down Ashcomb, he would never dare to do the same as Leon.
Or it can be said that most people dare not do this - this kind of thousand-mile raid is a gamble. If you are dragged down by a brave enemy and give the enemy's main force enough time and space to react, you may be trapped and killed in the enemy's territory, and it is normal for the whole army to be wiped out.
So Ulrich was a little nervous, especially after hearing that Leon was going to continue to quickly attack Toba City, he couldn't help but stand up and said, "Has Leon already marched to Toba? Montvo, you came back at this time, is there something wrong with the army?"
"Not yet, Your Majesty... After the army entered Ashcoman, they found that the fleet of the Bacchus Empire was advancing towards Ashcoman, so Earl Leon had to deal with the Bacchus fleet first to prevent the army from being attacked from both sides. It was after I discovered this situation that I decided to come back and report to you - Earl Leon's plan to quickly attack Toba could no longer be implemented, and I was worried that the army would be trapped in Ashcoman..."
This knight named Montvoy was obviously not Leon's subordinate, and everything he reported came from what he had witnessed himself.
In fact, Monteverde is the son of the former Lord of Eagle Claw Castle, Kaedron.
Kaedren charged into the army of the Kingdom of Ravenstern alone. King Gregory IV of Ravenstern thought he was a rare warrior, so he brought Kaedren back to Ravenstern.
Duke Brunus came back and reported to King Ulric that "Kedren died bravely in battle" - this was the opportunity he gave to Kedren. Kedren had committed treason and only by dying in battle could he save his family.
Therefore, Kaedren's family only lost their original baronial title and territory, but they did save the lives of the whole family and other property. Kaedren's son Montvoy also retained his knighthood, but he could no longer be called "Lord".
In fact, Ulric even reused Kedren's son Montvo because of this - after all, Kedren died heroically in the face of national crisis...
Now Montvoy was sent by Ulrich to Leon's army to monitor the movements of the army. He can be regarded as the king's confidant.
"Bacchus... It's normal for Emperor Marius to have his eyes on Ashcombe..."
Ulrich muttered to himself when he heard Monteverde say that the Bacchus fleet had been discovered.
He now actually understands Emperor Marius very well - they both experienced a domestic rebellion, and both suffered heavy casualties when encountering foreign enemies while dealing with the rebels, and Emperor Marius' losses were certainly much greater than his.
After all, the Sarleon Kingdom was only half in chaos, and tax revenue in most areas was not affected, while the entire Bacchus Empire was plunged into war, and there must have been no harvest last quarter.
Now that Ulrich is extremely poor, Emperor Marius must be even poorer, and may even have gone bankrupt.
Therefore, Ulrich immediately understood the purpose of Emperor Marius sending the fleet - Eichkoman could solve Emperor Marius' economic crisis.
Likewise, Ashkorman can solve the problems Ulrich himself faces...
"So, the kingdom's army may indeed be trapped in Ashcombe... Leon can definitely handle Bacchus's fleet, but Bahad Khan Kadan may take the opportunity to organize the Desha army to counterattack... Monteverde, go and tell Leon the king's order, asking him to hold on to Ashcombe. I will personally lead the army to support him..."
Ulrich gestured to the clerk to write the king's order while giving instructions to Montvoy at the foot of the stairs.
"Your Majesty is wise. Earl Leon will certainly be able to stop Bacchus's fleet, but this will inevitably delay the march to Toba, which will give Cardan time to summon the Desha army..."
Montvoy lowered his head in satisfaction.
Today, King Ulric seems to have returned to his former ambitious and wise self.
On the side of the throne room, the clerk who was writing the king's order frowned.
The clerk was a young and handsome nobleman.
This is Brennus' son, Lord Malbert, who is now Ulric's designated future son-in-law.
It's just that this prince consort has not had time to get engaged to the little princess - Ulrich's little daughter is only ten years old this year, and was born when the Order of the Lion was rebuilt.
And before either Brunus or Ulrich died, Ulrich would not officially announce the engagement...
Ulrik is in good spirits now, and perhaps he can have another son. After all, he is only in his early fifties, and his new princess is young and beautiful, so there is probably still a chance for him to have a legitimate heir.
Malbert hesitated for a moment with a pen in his hand, but still said nothing. He wrote down the decree according to King Ulrik's instructions and stamped it with the king's golden seal.
His current status and responsibilities allow him to only listen to government affairs and not speak.
Today, King Ulric never convenes a royal meeting. All matters are decided by his own words. He cannot serve wine and water in the royal meeting as a cupbearer, but can only appear in the throne room as a secretary.
Cupbearer and clerk are two positions often held by younger generations who are regarded as the successors of the ruler. According to the law, these two positions can only listen to politics and not speak, but they can learn how to govern the country in the process of listening to politics.
However, when Malbert handed the king's order to Montvoy, he instructed: "Knight Montvoy, please hand it to Count Leon in person and bring back Count Leon's signed receipt for His Majesty."
When receiving a king's decree, it is usually necessary to sign the reply, which means to confirm receipt.
Of course, a marshal leading troops outside might sometimes refuse to accept the king's order due to a sudden change in the war situation. But in this case, he must also reply to the king and inform him of the reason for not accepting the order.
"Malbourne, do you have any concerns? Just tell me. We don't need to follow such strict rules..."
Ulrich noticed Malbert's abnormality and began to encourage his future son-in-law to break the law.
But Malbert seemed reluctant to break the law. After hesitating for a moment, he put down his pen, took off the clerk's hat on his head, and then spoke.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid Count Leon will not obey your order."
Malbert spoke hesitantly, but his words sounded confident.
"Why? He is a smart man. He should know the price of disobeying me..."
King Ulric asked.
"Because he is most likely not in Ashcombe anymore. Lord Leon is very efficient in using troops... That's why I have to remind Lord Montvoy to have Count Leon personally sign the King's Order."
Malbert gestured to Montvoy.
Ulric waved Montvoy out of the throne room.
"Now that there's no one else around, what do you want to say?"
Ulrich saw that Malbert had something else to say.
Malbert said softly, "Your Majesty, Count Leon's Changhe Town is much more valuable than Desha's Ashcombe... You can go to 'support' more slowly, after all, the journey is long..."
Ulrich was stunned for a moment, then looked at Malbert hesitantly, but at the same time he was relieved - Malbert's words meant that he was really thinking about the king wholeheartedly.
But when Malbert bowed his head to salute the king, when Ulrich couldn't see his face, he quietly revealed a complicated and incomprehensible expression.
At that moment, he had a humble smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with a light called ambition.
…
The capital of D'Shar, Toba.
Toba is geographically located in the south-central part of Desha, dividing the Chavannel Desert into two halves, north and south.
This is a fairly large city, with a population even larger than that of Boshi City - the city was built in the place with the most abundant water resources in the entire Dexia, at the foot of the Wusu Mountains.
The Usu Mountains are huge snow-capped mountains that run diagonally between D'Sha and Firdsvain. It is a mountain range with extremely high altitudes. Although it is located in the south, it is still covered with snow all year round. The entire southwest of D'Sha is surrounded by this mountain range.
It is the existence of the Usu Mountains that creates a natural dividing line between D'Shar and Firdsvain.
This mountain range is the source of almost all fresh water resources in Desha, but at the same time, it is also the root cause of the formation and continuous expansion of the Chavannel Desert.
A large part of the Chavannel Desert is plateau Gobi, which is the part in the west of Desha near the Usu Mountains.
The Gobi Desert near the Wusu Mountains is at a very high altitude and is a plateau desert with a very large temperature range. The maximum temperature difference in a year can even reach more than 70 degrees, and it is quite extreme - either extremely hot or extremely cold.
At the same time, the temperature difference between day and night is also very large. It is normal to have 40 degrees during the day and a few degrees below zero at night.
This kind of environment makes it difficult for plants to survive in this place. Without plants, it is difficult to retain moisture in the soil, and gradually a large desertified plateau is formed.
However, the Wusu Mountains are not a complete mountain structure. There is a gap in the middle of it. In the middle of the two huge mountain ranges, there is a valley mouth, where the Firdsaway people have now built the "High Pass Fortress".
A huge wind vent was formed at the mouth of the valley. The humid sea breeze from the west coast had a higher air pressure, so it 'blew' from west to east through the huge wind vent into Dexia all year round.
This one-way warm wind that persists all year round brings long-term snow to the Usu Mountains and turns the plateau Gobi on the east side of the mountains into a sandy desert.
The desertified Wusu Plateau is swept eastward by wind and sand year after year, and every year is accompanied by huge sandstorms, which continuously expand the boundaries of the desert.
Therefore, the entire east side of the Usu Mountains is covered with desolate Gobi and desert, while the area of Firthsvallagh to the west of the mountains is mostly covered with green hills, which are clearly divided like two different worlds.
Almost the entire Savannah Desert is affected by this sandstorm - except for the city of Toba.
A mountain range extends horizontally from the Wusu Mountains. This mountain range is also the source of the 'Gazi River', the largest river in Dexia, and Toba City is located upstream of this river.
The abundant water resources have resulted in the growth of tall, deep-rooted trees along the riverbed. In addition, the horizontal mountains block the sandstorms coming from the high pass fortress, making the area around Toba the most livable area in the entire Desha.
There is abundant water, trees that can block wind and sand, large grasslands, and the export of goods can go directly to the sea along the Ghazi River. The 'Narda City' at the mouth of the sea is also a big city, but it does not have as many excellent natural ports as Eshkoman.
This is why Toba became the capital of Desha - the honorable Bahadur Khan naturally wanted to occupy the best territory in the entire country.
But the situation in Toba City is a bit tense now.
After Bahad Khan Kadan returned to Toba, he immediately planned to reorganize the army and tried to secretly kill Emir Xerxes to ensure his own position.
But before he could recruit new troops, he heard that Leon had entered the country with a large army from the Sarleon Kingdom.
And his brother, Amilexerxes, suddenly disappeared after this.
This made Cardan quite panicked for a while - what he was most worried about was that the hostile country would support Emir Xerxes as a puppet.
As for Emir, he was missing. It was easy to guess that his brother, who had always claimed that he wanted to "divide D'Shar", had gone to the Sarleon Kingdom to divide D'Shar.
A few days later, Cardan received news that Aishkorman was occupied by Leon, and it was said that no war had taken place.
This made Cardan's heart sink to the bottom - the thing he was most worried about seemed to have happened.
Bahaman was probably forced into a desperate situation, and Kadan could understand that.
But the sudden disappearance of Emile Xerxes must have taken the initiative to surrender to the enemy...
In this situation, Eshkoman must be recaptured as soon as possible to show that the current Bahadur Khan Kadan is still the strongest in the entire D'Sha, otherwise many people will definitely turn to Emir Xerxes...
But it is said that Leon's army has more than 10,000 people and is very powerful, so Cardan must organize a strong enough force.
Moreover, if Bahaman surrenders, then the other lords may naturally become unstable.
So Cardan sent messengers to various places and began to summon the armies of the D'Shar families. He also went to Sinjar himself to ensure that the powerful Caliph Tahir, who had not suffered any losses, remained loyal to him.
Yes, not loyalty to D'Shar, but loyalty to Cardan, which is different.
Although Caliph Tahir, the lord of Sinjar, had always supported Cardan, Cardan himself understood that Tahir must have been wavering.
If I don't show up, Singal, an already unstable place, will probably be out of control.
With his troops, which had not yet been fully reorganized, Cardan rushed to Singal at a very fast speed, just in time for Ramon to announce the auction of the Lord of Ashekman in Singal.
