No one dared to stop Thundercrash's advance. The so-called lords of the dozen or so noble territories in Nasrian that they had to pass through were nowhere to be seen. There wasn't a single butler who came to protest that the army had damaged anything in their territory.
The poor peasants, on the other hand, stood numbly by the side of the road as they watched the army pass through their dilapidated town, leaving behind a trail of horse dung.
"I thought some blind noble would jump out and make an example out of us. Looks like they're all smart people. What a shame," Claude muttered from his horse.
He truly hoped that some nobleman would come and loudly accuse Thundercrash's soldiers of passing through his family's hereditary territory, causing damage to his property, and demand compensation.
That way, Claude could hang him on the gallows and let all the nobles know that a noble's territory was nothing in the face of military might.
Even His Majesty the King's orders and decrees were nothing, let alone the life of a small noble …
Adjutant Mason Hughes exchanged a few words with the three scouts before turning his horse around and trotting back to Claude's side. "Lord Marshal, there are a few lords who wish to see you at the pavilion by the national highway. They've even set up a banquet and requested to see you."
Oh, they're finally here?
Claude perked up. They're just trying to stop me from marching to the royal capital using the righteousness of the kingdom.
If I'm not willing, they'll curse at me or something to provoke me. In the end, they'll just fight to the death and leave a good name for themselves in the history books as loyal and courageous, while I'll become a villain who slaughters loyal and righteous people … ….
"How many men did they bring?" Claude asked.
"Men?"
Mason Hughes was confused for a long time before he snapped out of it. "No, Lord Marshal. The lords didn't bring any men. They only brought a few attendants from the pavilion.
The scouts asked about their intentions, and it was said that they wanted to meet you to discuss business with you … "
Business?
Claude froze. What kind of business did a few nobles want to discuss with him?
"Show me," said Claude.
Of the six, the one with the highest status was a hereditary count, just like Claude.
They were really there to do business with Claude. As for Thundercrash attacking the imperial capital, that had nothing to do with them. What they cared about was their territory, not the kingdom.
So, if they wanted to do business with Claude, they could only discuss it with him. No one else had the right to make the decision.
They hoped that the overseas autonomous region would sell them new rifles so that they could form a family armed force capable of guarding their territory.
"I won't hide it from you, Lord Marshal," Count Thibras said bluntly, "His Majesty has almost all the nobles in the kingdom settled in the Nasrian region. This place will only be stable for four to five years at most.
Soon, a war would break out between the nobles in Nasri. The kingdom's army couldn't interfere in a war between lords. This was a matter for the nobles themselves. Even the king couldn't send troops to stop it.
We want to form an elite military force to protect ourselves, and the most elite forces in the kingdom are the Thundercrash and Monolith armies commanded by Sir Marshal.
So, we hope that Lord Marshal can agree to sell us the military equipment of the region so that we can have an elite armed force to protect our territory. We are willing to pay any price for that. "
Claude didn't think that the nobles would really want to do business with the region. However, he could only say that the matter in the imperial capital hadn't been resolved yet and he couldn't make the decision on his own.
However, he also agreed to discuss the sale of the new weapons and equipment when the region held a meeting in the future. He would inform them as soon as there was a decision.
When they set up camp that night, Claude asked about the territory wars. It turned out that Adjutant Mason Hughes really did know a thing or two.
He told Claude that it was a war between two noble families. The winner would annex the loser's territory to expand their own territory.
When two neighboring territories had disputes over the water supply of a small river or a small wooden hut, it was only natural that they would clash and end up in a territory war.
The lords of both sides would gather their men and call for reinforcements. The winner would take it all.
In ancient times, both sides would hold a trial by duel. Each side would send out a knight to duel in the wargod's temple.
The winner would take away the loser's territory or become the victor's vassal. They would swear loyalty to the victor in front of the wargod and not be allowed to defy him.
It could be said that a territory war was a war between nobles to annex each other to strengthen their own power.
So that's how it is. Claude came to a sudden realization. However, he had no interest in the so-called territory war. It was nothing more than a fight between a few thousand people.
He turned to ask Mason Hughes, "How did the heavenly kings react to the news that three of Thundercrash's divisions are heading towards the imperial capital?"
"Did Reddragon and Gryphon make any moves?"
"No," Mason Hughes replied, "We didn't receive any reply to the eagle message we sent to the imperial capital.
The Reddragon and Gryphon troops stationed at the border between the kingdom and Nasrian are still holed up in their camps. They haven't made any strange moves, nor have they mobilized their resources. "
"What's the current situation of Monolith's army in Polivisia?"
"Monolith's 1st Folk left Polivisia three days ago and was led by General Birkin to Odin Mountain Range.
Before the operation, he sent an eagle message to the army command, saying that Amis City is still under the control of the Dominion's local garrison forces.
He has already ordered the 17th garrison to send two battalions to occupy Odin Mountain Range until 1st Folk arrives.
According to our calculations, even if 1st Folk uses all their carriages to transport their troops, it will still take them 16 days to reach Odin Mountain Range.
In addition, General Birkin also inquired in the letter whether he would lead the first division of the Monolith Army and Gryphon Army to directly attack the royal capital if the royal capital mobilized the Crimson Dragon Army and Gryphon Army to intercept the advance of the Thundercrash army at the border of the kingdom. Would he lead the first division of the Monolith Army and directly attack the royal capital, or would he attack the rear of the kingdom's border and cooperate with the Thundercrash army to completely annihilate the Crimson Dragon Army and Gryphon Army? "
Since everyone was on the march, communication wasn't convenient. They were all using messengers to pass on information.
The biggest problem with eagle messengers was that they couldn't confirm whether the troops on the ground were the targets of the messengers. They could only communicate between garrisons.
Claude pondered for a moment. "I suspect the royal capital will use Reddragon and Gryphon to intercept our advance. If His Majesty and the prime minister are clear-headed, they should understand that those two corps won't be a match for Thundercrash's three folk even if they join forces.
The eagle messengers we sent to the royal capital made it clear that any movement to intercept us would be seen as a declaration of war against us.
The royal capital wouldn't dare to start another war at this time. They don't have the confidence to defeat Thundercrash and Monolith either.
If Reddragon and Gryphon really do come to intercept us, it would mean that something has happened to the royal capital.
Our captured councilors and nobles might really be in danger.
So, send someone to the capital of Polyvicia and send a messenger hawk from there to the city of Amis. Then let the orderly there take the messenger hawk hawk to General Birkin.
If war really breaks out, order him to lead 1st Folk to the royal capital.
Crush the royal guard stationed in the royal capital. Don't give the royal capital time to prepare for war or evacuate. "
The closer they got to the kingdom's border, the more nervous Claude got.
The moment Reddragon and Gryphon set out to intercept Thundercrash's three folk, it would mean that the royal capital had made up its mind to fight the war.
Even if Claude was confident that he could easily wipe out the two corps in front of him, he would still be labeled as a traitor to the kingdom for the rest of his life.
In an era where the monarchy reigned supreme, even if the king made a mistake, a subject shouldn't go against him. That would be considered a true traitor.
Even if Claude used the excuse of escorting the 30,000,000 crowns and councilors and nobles back to the kingdom, many people still saw it as an open rebellion to invade the royal capital without the permission of the king and the ministry of the army.
Claude had already made up his mind. The winner was always right, and it wasn't a big deal.
If the royal capital was really going to go to war, he would uproot the entire royal family and destroy the kingdom.
As for what he would do in the future, things would eventually sort themselves out. When the time came, he would gather the councilors and nobles to discuss it. A republic wasn't that bad after all.
Without the royal family, he wouldn't have to bear the burden of being a traitor anymore.
A hundred years later, his descendants might even praise him as the gravedigger of the old dynasty or the founder of the republic.
Just like the overseas autonomous territories, no one was a king, and no one was above anyone else. No one was nobler than anyone else, and decisions were made on equal footing. This autonomous parliamentary system could already be considered a kind of republican and democratic system …
"Report!"
Mason Hughes interrupted Claude's thoughts. "General Eiblont sent a messenger saying that we passed the border smoothly. Reddragon and Gryphon are still in their camps. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened."
Hmm?
Claude was delighted at first, but then he felt a little worried.
He had been prepared for a big battle, but he didn't expect this.
What was going on with Reddragon and Gryphon?
Was it because the royal capital didn't want to start a war and didn't give them any orders? Or was it because the royal capital had already sent an order to intercept them? But the two corps knew they couldn't win and didn't want to follow orders to attack. That was why they didn't move.
If it was the former, the royal capital didn't give them any orders. That meant the royal capital wanted to resolve the matter peacefully and tacitly accepted Thundercrash's excuse.
Perhaps by the time Thundercrash reached the royal capital, the captured councilors and officers would've been released and the 30 million crowns would've been returned.
That way, Thundercrash would be able to turn around and leave the royal capital.
If the royal capital had already given Reddragon and Gryphon the order to intercept Thundercrash, but the two corps didn't move, that meant that they would just sit back and watch the royal family fall.
This meant that if a battle were to break out outside the capital, the two armies would watch as the Stellin royal family was annihilated without doing anything.
This meant that the so-called direct rule of the Stellin Royal Family was just an empty promise. There was another mastermind and controller behind the two armies …
Claude thought about it for a long time, but he still couldn't figure out what was going on with Reddragon and Gryphon.
But since the army had already passed the border, he didn't have to worry about it anymore. Reddragon and Gryphon were already a thing of the past.
All that was left was to see if they would meet resistance from the royal guard when they reached Ibnister Plains.
"Let's keep going!" Claude said.
Two days later, Thundercrash's fourth folk arrived at Ibnister Plains and stopped.
Eiblont sent an urgent message that the prime minister, Marquis Blancarte, was there to welcome Thundercrash and arrange a camp for them.
"What does that mean?" Claude was confused. What was going on in the royal capital?
The Prime Minister of the kingdom came to welcome the arrival of the troops. It sounded very strange.
After asking the messenger and confirming that there were no signs of the royal guard, Claude began to suspect that the royal capital had admitted defeat from the start and didn't want to start a war with Thundercrash.
"Take me to see Prime Minister Blancarte," Claude said. He decided to meet the prime minister and find out what was going on.
Thundercrash's fourth folk had already set up camp. Claude brought the guards to the main tent.
As soon as he lifted the curtain, he saw General Eiblont and several senior officers of the Fourth Division chatting and laughing with a tall man with a ruddy face and a mustache in civilian clothes.
The moment Claude entered the tent, Eiblont and the other high-ranking officers immediately saluted.
General Eiblont reported: "Marshal, we were just about to go to the headquarters after dinner to request an audience with you.
This is the prime minister, Marquis Blancarte. He claims to have something important to discuss with you. "
Claude nodded at the tall man and took off his cloak, tossing it to Mason Hughes and rubbed his hands together. "I was just about to come and find out about tomorrow's march into the royal capital. It's my honor to be able to meet the prime minister here.
But let's put that aside for now. I'm really hungry and cold after being blown by the wind for so long. I think it's best if you give me some hot soup first. I'll talk after I'm full. "
A big bowl of stewed beef and potato soup was placed in front of Claude, along with four steaming pieces of black bread.
Claude didn't mind it at all. He munched on the bread and drank the soup in big gulps. He told the prime minister that the food in the army was simple and crude and that they were neglecting their esteemed guest.
Ten minutes later, Claude, who was full, signaled for the food to be taken away. The high-ranking officers stood up and left, leaving only Claude, Blancarte, and Eiblont in the tent.
Mason Hughes placed two bottles of fruit wine in front of Claude before retreating out of the tent.
Claude opened the lid of the wine and filled three glasses. "This is the first time we've met, Mister Prime Minister. I've heard a lot about you.
I'm especially impressed by your five-year plan to revive the kingdom's economy. It's really in line with the kingdom's current situation.
If it can be carried out, the kingdom will become the strongest nation on Freia in ten years. "
"You flatter me, Lord Marshal. I'm not worthy of your praise."
Blancarte took a sip of the fruit wine and slowly swallowed it. It was obvious that he was an experienced wine taster. "In fact, you're a wise man. My five-year plan to revitalize the kingdom's economy is largely based on the economic development strategies of the autonomous territories.
You've played a huge role in the autonomous region's success today, Lord Marshal. "
Claude laughed heartily. "I'm just a warrior. I only know how to fight. Everything else is made up by others.
Alright, Mister Prime Minister, there's no need for us to flatter each other.
Let's get straight to the point. We want to know how you intend to resolve this matter. "
Blancarte didn't think that Claude would be so direct and ask about the final solution to the problem.
He froze for a moment, but quickly snapped out of it and slowly sipped the fruit wine in his glass.
Claude and Eiblont didn't rush him and watched him finish the wine in silence.
"Actually, the kingdom has already shown us the greatest kindness.
His Imperial Majesty has tacitly approved of the excuse you used to send troops to the royal capital and didn't order Reddragon and Gryphon to stop you.
You should know that many officers in the Ministry of the Army and the three main armies were furious when they saw the announcement you issued. They thought that the overseas autonomous region did not respect His Majesty at all and sent out troops without permission. They all applied to stop you from approaching the capital, but all of this was suppressed by His Majesty's orders … "
Claude smirked. "So, we were able to reach the Ibnister Plains because of your benevolence?
Enough with the nonsense. Let's be honest. How did this happen?
Why did we send troops to the royal capital?
Don't you know what that stupid queen of yours has done?
You should be thankful that we didn't exchange fire. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a royal family left after this war. "