"Your Highness, why don't we continue marching?" Brighton Nosk, son of Duke Nosk, hurried to the newly built tent and asked Aledo, who was drinking tea: "We just captured

We have arrived at a small town in the north, and now the road to Maryburg has been completely opened. Michael's side must not have received the news yet, so it is better to take advantage of them before they have made any preparations..."

"How about it? Storming Mariencastle?" Aledo put down the milky black tea and pointed to the map on the table in front of him and said: "When we endured the fatigue of the forced march and arrived at Mariencastle,

What we have to face is the entire army and people of Maryburg who are highly motivated to fight. If we include the reinforcements brought by the principality from other places, it is estimated that the population of Maryburg will reach a base of 100,000 by then..."

"So what?" Brighton waved his hand and said indifferently: "They are just a group of ignorant civilians. As long as we can use force to coerce..."

"In that case, even if we capture Fortress Maria, we won't be able to stand there." Aledo frowned slightly and then said with an expression of dissatisfaction with Brighton: "The people over there are different from the civilians in the kingdom.

, if you use powerless force to suppress them, they will command to resist even more intensely, and even desperate resistance is not impossible."

Aledo put down the tea cup and pointed at the map on the table with his riding crop and continued: "Don't forget, the real purpose of our attack on Mary's Castle is not to destroy but to occupy. Only by taking Mary's Castle can we safely conquer Barr."

The plains are in our pocket. As for the resistance of the civilians, we must adopt passive methods to appease and guide them, and use good words and benefits to seduce them. When we take over the entire Bar Plains, then this group of civilians can only appeal to the owners.

It is not impossible for us to get close to us if we need food, or even take the initiative to surrender to us."

"Is it really that simple? Just rely on a little food?" Brydon asked in disbelief.

"You have been used to having enough food and clothing in the past, and you have never experienced the pain of hunger..." Aledo looked at the tea cup on the table with his hands behind his back and said thoughtfully: "That kind of pain can easily destroy any firm will...

That kind of pain, like tens of thousands of maggots constantly eating away at the internal organs...despair...coldness...to the final madness..."

Aledo's last words were like some kind of crazy babble, and even that indifferent expression and cold smile were as if a stranger was standing in front of him. If Brighton hadn't clearly understood

If he remembered that the cousin he had played with since childhood had never been hungry, he might really think that the Aledo Solis in front of him was someone else pretending to be him.

"Hey... Aledo... are you okay?" Brighton went up and shook Aledo, who was a little distracted, and asked: "What were you talking about just now? Is it a new torture caused by the crazy woman next to you?

means?"

"Hmm...ah, that's right." Aledo was shaken by Brighton and instantly returned to his former self. And just when he was about to say something to cover up, an official walked in from outside the tent.

The servant was drinking hot soup, and then Aledo quickly pointed to the servant and said: "Would you like something to eat? We haven't eaten anything since last night."

Brighton looked at the crude wooden tableware in the servant's hands and couldn't help but feel a little unhappy, but as Aledo said, from the beginning of the attack on the eastern fortress of Salanca Pass last night to now, the entire army has been

He never stopped to rest. Brighton just smelled the aroma of the delicious hot soup and inevitably felt a little more saliva in his mouth, so after a brief struggle, he decided to put aside the integrity of a noble child first, and then

Pretending to be angry, he threw away his riding crop and sat directly next to Aledo, signaling the servant to get him a portion as well.

Aledo just smiled understandingly at this, and then he ordered his servants to quickly add some hot soup, and then he sat down to eat without any scruples.

While waiting for the meal to be served, Brighton watched Aledo tearing into pieces of bread and rudely drinking hot soup from a wooden bowl without any aristocratic temperament, so he complained a few times again.

"You are a prince after all, can't you eat more elegantly?"

"Elegance?" Aledo put down the bread in his hand and picked up a napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth. Then he picked up the bread again and gently tore off a small piece and dipped it into the hot soup before putting it into his mouth. After passing

After chewing slowly for a while with a stiff expression, Aledo picked up the cup and took a sip of water before saying to Brighton: "Is this what you mean?"

Brighton obviously knew that he was being sarcastic, but just when he was about to say a few words, he saw Aledo's face turned sideways, and then pointed to the outside of the tent and said: "This is a battlefield, how elegant is this place? It's just for a meal.

Kung Fu can allow the army to move forward for nearly one kilometer. If you encounter an enemy attack during meal time, do you plan to go out to take command after eating?"

Aledo's tone of responsibility was very rude. If he was in a normal social situation, he would probably be regarded as an immoral act by other nobles. But although Brighton is a dandy, he is not stupid, because he has also done it in the past.

He had been on the battlefield, even though he was only at the rear, but he also understood some military matters. In his opinion, what he just said was indeed inappropriate, and he did not hold on to save face, but agreed with his cousin Aledo's point of view.

And nodded. However, he did not dare to fully agree with Aledo's rude eating gesture just now, so he still put forward some opinions after apologizing.

"The posture of a superior?" Aledo said to himself disapprovingly: "But this kind of thing will not allow us to win..."

"But it will allow you to control your subordinates more smoothly." Brighton also pointed to the outside of the tent and said: "In addition to soldiers, there are many nobles here. At least you have to maintain the image of a prince in front of them...

…After all, some of them will join you in the future.”

"But they are vassals of the Duke of Nosk..." Aledo asked in confusion: "Is this what your father...the Grand Duke of Nosk meant?"

"Yes, we can't let you start from scratch, can we? Based on the way you have been squeezed out by the noble circle in Kasegen, how many nobles do you think you will have to support you when you rise in the future?" Brighton asked.

He said mockingly: "I'm afraid it would be good to have ten meritorious barons, or do you plan to let the civilians under your command provide you with political support?"

"This... I really didn't think of this problem..." Aledo looked at the cousin for a while and then said shyly: "The kindness of the Nosk family..."

"Shut up!" Braton knocked on the table dissatisfied and said without hesitation: "Aledo, I have never regarded you as the prince of the Solis family! You are my brother, and you have

As a descendant of our Nosk family, you have never been an outsider to us! So don’t talk to me in that deceptive way!”

"...You're right..." Aledo showed no anger at Brighton's words. Instead, he continued to smile and said: "I've been hanging out with that group of people too much lately, and I'm almost used to it.

Think about things in terms of interests.”

Brayton clearly understood who he was referring to by "that group of people", but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, Aledo's matter was indeed inseparable from the help of this group of organizations that specialized in black work, so even if it was

No matter how dissatisfied Bryton is with these people, he will not express his attitude openly. But then again, Bryton is still rude when it comes to Morana, who often follows Aledo, especially

Morana was not here now, so he took advantage of this opportunity to talk to Aledo about her again.

"That woman...how long do you plan to stay?" Bryton followed Aledo's example and drank soup from a bowl and said, "Don't tell me that you really plan to stay with her?"

"...Such a private matter...isn't it suitable to talk about?" Aledo suppressed the shyness in his heart and said as calmly as possible: "Why do you reject Morana so much? Does she have any grudges with you?

"

"Grand grudge? How could I have anything to do with that kind of woman?" After finishing the soup, Brighton put down the bowl and wiped his mouth and said, "Although I am very slutty in private, at least my taste in women is not too bad.

.That woman is quite extraordinary. When I first saw her, I thought she was a venomous snake, and a venomous snake that can eat people."

"Viper? You mean her dagger called 'Fang'?" Aledo said, deliberately changing the subject.

"It seems that you can't listen anymore... Anyway, I will keep an eye on her." Brighton understood that he was implicitly indicating that he did not want to talk about this topic anymore, so he picked up the plane and stood up and said: "Listen to me.

I mean, never have anything to do with a woman who uses daggers and poison..."

"It's not that...besides, don't the women you've come into contact with use weapons?" Aledo was still thinking about things and said, "Aren't you worried about them?"

"How could it be..." Bryton walked to the tent door with his riding crop in his hand and then turned around and said cynically: "At least I won't worry that the other party will pull out a whip full of poison from under the pillow when we are in bed.

The dagger..."

Aledo just smiled awkwardly at the other party's cryptic expression, and after Brighton left, he quickly called a servant and asked: "Has there been any news about Morana in the past few days?

?”

"No...but Your Highness, the Brotherhood received orders from the Shadow Mistress before dawn." The servant replied respectfully.

"Oh? An order?" After hearing this, Aledo suddenly became interested and asked, "What's the content?"

"It is said that a large number of assassins were dispatched to sneak into the southern part of the principality...the purpose was not explained."

"Is it... the south... the south?"

"Yes, the south. It is said to be an unknown small town..."

"Welsk City?"

"Yes, this is the place."

"Hmm...Okay, you go down. By the way, I need to take a rest. If there is no urgent report, don't disturb me..." Aledo stood up and asked the servants to put away the tableware and then hung up the tent.

There was a curtain on the door, and several guards with muskets stood guarding the door.

Aledo is still very relieved about the two soldiers at the door. After all, these two people have been specially treated with magic to strengthen the soldiers and their loyalty is absolutely no problem. Moreover, there are many such soldiers arranged around his big tent.

We were on guard together, so Aledo wasn't worried about anyone hiding near the tent to eavesdrop or peep.

After confirming the safety, Aledo silently took out a large metal box from his luggage, and after unlocking it with several keys in a specific order, a bunch of tied scrolls suddenly appeared inside.

Aledo brought a bunch of drawing tools from elsewhere, then took out one of the half-open scrolls from the box and opened it.

As the scroll was slowly pulled open, the contents were clearly revealed in front of Aledo. The contents turned out to be some kind of mechanical drawings, and there were three types of characters on the labels of the drawings.

The first one is in Anno language, and the second one is in dwarven writing that Aledo cannot understand, but the third one is in printed English, and the content is "1870 Gram Generator".

At the bottom of the label, there is also the handwritten English words "Drawer: William Drucker".

"Technology... promotes the upgrading of civilization... With you, I have the power to intimidate the world..." Aledo looked at the drawing in his hand, then at the other drawings in the box, and finally

He then fixed his gaze on a coat of arms on the inner cover of the box and muttered to himself: "Damn Council of Sages, your treasures are really not to be underestimated... I might as well wait until I destroy the principality and annex you as well.

, these technologies from the earth fell into the hands of these indigenous people... As for the so-called god... Humph, so what if it is real? He has just watched with cold eyes during the human wars for thousands of years, I just

I don’t believe that He will favor the Principality of Michael this time!”

At around 10 a.m., Erica finally took Diana to Welsk City.

Before that, the two of them took a trip to Drahem Village. In addition to visiting Liz and others who spent the night there last night, Erica also needed to double-check the safety of the village. Although she was going out

Before, Erica had already gotten a general idea of ​​last night's commotion from Elena. At the same time, she also saw the mythical sunbird left by Elena in the forest. But she faced the one that was still there.

Erica, who is not as big as a magpie, cannot think of the huge firebird that Elena mentioned, and this subtle feeling is very similar to the situation when she and Shanier first met.

.

This little bird, said to be condensed from the fire of the sun, was placed around the village. The purpose was to help Erica keep an eye on the safety of the village. As for the villa, Elena did not intend to overstep it. After all, that place

It was really not her turn to intervene.

When Erica was in the village, she also visited Aram who had just recovered. However, the little guy didn’t know what thoughts were instilled by Liz. Anyway, he expressed himself in a subtle way when he saw Erica.

I also wanted the idea of ​​a gun. Erica did not agree to this on the spot because she needed to think carefully about it. However, Erica did think about the idea of ​​equipping the children with guns, because compared to them
To be continued...