A month later, when Stormwind took turns to attack the four remaining central prefectures, Claude was met with a strong protest from Reddragon. They demanded that one of the central prefectures be left to them.
To Reddragon, that was worth two to three million crowns. They could return home after plundering it.
They didn't suffer many casualties in the war, but they earned close to ten million crowns. It was a great journey.
However, Claude naturally wouldn't encourage their desire to rob. He told them bluntly that it was their fault for being so slow. If it was gone, then so be it. Stormwind Legion wouldn't give up their food to them.
Just as he was tangling with Reddragon, he received a reply from the Duke of the North and the Duke of Sunset River.
Duke Pillag Si Feriot's reply was simple. He said that if the region didn't come to the eleven northern prefectures, he wouldn't send his troops out of the north either. His mission was to protect the eleven northern prefectures.
But at the same time, he strongly condemned the region's forces for plundering and capturing Shiksan's northern prefectures. His tone was furious. Along with the reply was a list of nearly a thousand names.
"This is a list of the nobles in Shiks who are related to Duke Pillag Si Feriot and House Feriot, as well as their blood relatives. The duke hopes that we can return them to him," Borkal explained.
"I've checked and most of them are in our captive camp. Only about ten of them are missing …" explained Borkal.
"Then pick them out and hand them over to the duke. We're feeding them for nothing anyway. They won't work for us anyway.
Let those who want to go with them go. There are more than two hundred thousand people in the captive camp, so a few thousand won't make much of a difference.
Since the Duke of the Northlands gave us this list, it means that he has no intention of going against us, nor is he willing to send troops to attack us. Our goal has been achieved … "Claude made up his mind.
"Alright. I'll go to the captive camp tomorrow and pick out the names on this list and send them to the north," Borkal replied.
"By the way, what about the duke's reply?" Claude asked.
Borkal shook his head. "I don't have the letter with me. The Duke of Sunset River sent someone to act as a special envoy, and the letter is with him. He wants to meet you …"
"Alright, I'll give the emissary half an hour at ten tomorrow morning," Claude said, "You've seen the emissary. Do you have any idea what he's here for?"
"I think he's a bit hesitant. After all, your offer is like a pie falling from the sky to the Grand Duke of Sunset River.
I'm sure anyone would be suspicious of your intentions, "said Borkal with a smile. He didn't think the guild would get what Claude wanted.
"Let's see the envoy first," Claude muttered, "Since the Duke of Sunset River sent an envoy to see me, it's obvious that he's tempted.
The problem now is that he can't guarantee that I'm not lying to him. Of course, it's possible that the envoy has other intentions and wants to know more about us. "
The next morning, Claude met the envoy sent by the Duke of Sunset River. He was an old man in his sixties with a fashionable long beard.
It was obvious that he took care of his beard more meticulously than his hair. At the very least, it was smeared with fragrant oil and looked much better than his sparse, balding hair.
"Esteemed Marshal Claude, my master, Duke Niltuze se Shiks of Sunset River, pays his respects to you," said the old man with a standard half bow.
"Take a seat." Claude waved his hand to dismiss the formalities. "What's your name?
By the way, do you want black tea or fruit wine? "
"Oh, thank you. I'll have black tea."
The old man remained standing respectfully. "Esteemed Marshal, I'm Kaiki Biphank. I'm my master's butler."
"Captain Fachselin, get him a cup of black tea."
Claude pointed at the sofa. "Since you're the butler of the Duke of Sunset River, you must be someone he trusts. No wonder he asked you to deliver a letter."
"Here's the letter. Please take a look, Esteemed Marshal." The old man took out a letter and placed it on Claude's desk respectfully.
"Have a seat. We'll talk after I finish reading it." Claude picked up the letter and checked that the wax seal was intact before opening it.
The Duke of Sunset River's letter was just as Claude expected. One and a half sheets of paper were filled with compliments on Claude's calm command and invincibility. Another and a half sheets were filled with his grievances, such as how he was bullied by the Duke of the Northlands and how he was forced to leave his family's fief. Only the last sheet was the real topic.
The Duke of Sunset River was very interested in Claude's proposal, but he wanted Claude to prove that it wasn't a trap.
"Hehe …" Claude shook his head and chuckled. "How does your master want me to prove that I didn't set a trap for him?
Honestly, I can't prove anything.
Your master, the Duke of Sunset River, is our enemy. I only made a suggestion. Since your master isn't willing to believe me, there's no need for me to ask for it.
You can go back and tell your master that he still has more than a month to eat more good food and play with more women, because in more than a month, the Storm Legion of our autonomous military area will sweep the six counties in the west that you have occupied. "
"Oh, no …" The old man jumped up. "Esteemed Marshal, please give us a little more time.
I believe if you were my master, you'd be doubtful of such a proposal as well. We need more time and patience to understand and trust each other. "
"You're good with words, but we don't have much time. We're going according to plan. That's what we've planned."
Claude looked at the old man. "Let's put it this way. Your master has always been within our range of attack. It's his fault for being so loud about chasing us out and reviving Shiks.
I don't care about those slogans, but getting rid of the threat behind our backs is something we have to do.
I didn't write to your master on a whim, nor was it because I was afraid of your master. I just happened to find out that he might be the person we need. That's why I made such a suggestion.
It's fine if you don't understand. You can suggest to your master to take a good look at Shiks' power map. To be honest, the six western prefectures he occupies don't have much of a future.
It's not just us who are going to attack your master's territory. Even the neighboring kingdoms, the Kingdom of Montero, the Principality of Tumaco, and the Kingdom of Isabella, are eyeing the ten western prefectures covetously.
After all, the ten western prefectures of Shiks were taken from them. This is the best time for them to reclaim their lost territory.
If your master doesn't listen to my suggestion and stays there, not only will he have to face our attacks, he'll also have to fend off the invasions of the three neighboring countries.
Don't be fooled by the number of troops your master has gathered. They're nothing more than a motley crew and won't be able to help your master seize the kingdom's future.
Even the grand duke of the Northlands won't tolerate your master developing a faction that can threaten him.
That's why I suggest you persuade your master to accept my suggestion. I can only guarantee that I have no ill intentions towards your master, but I can't prove anything to make your master believe me.
This is a huge gamble for your master. It's up to him whether he dares to bet or not.
You can go back now and relay my words to your master. Let's see what his choice is. "
Claude pointed at the old envoy and gestured for Fachselin to bring him out.
Fachselin hurried to the old envoy's side and gestured for him to leave.
The old envoy wiped the sweat off his forehead and bowed to Claude before following Fachselin to the door.
Just as the old envoy left, Borkal pushed open the door and entered.
"Are you done with your business?" Claude asked.
Borkal nodded. "I've given the Northlands duke's name list to Colonel Myhardt of the captive camp. He'll get his men to find the people on the list, but it'll take three days. That's way too slow."
"I just met the envoy of the Duke of Sunset River. He actually asked me to prove that my suggestion wasn't a trap," Claude mocked, "I really don't know where he gets his confidence from. Does he think he's so thick-skinned?
He wants me to give him face.
I told the old envoy he sent that it's fine if he doesn't believe me. I don't know who he is anyway. The reason he made such a suggestion was because he was more ambitious and much stronger than the character you recommended for the National Defense Front. That's why I gave him a chance … "
Borkal picked up the letter from the Duke of Sunset River and read it. "Actually, the duke wants you to send a few people as hostages to ensure that he won't fall into your trap."
"I know what he wants," Claude said unhappily, "But I don't want to agree to his request.
Since he doesn't believe me, forget it. Who cares if he dies or not? At most, we'll just pick a suitable person from the captive camp. "
At the mention of the captive camp, Borkal recalled something. "Right, Colonel Myhardt of the captive camp asked if he could release some of the local garrison forces and standing corps soldiers.
The families of the captives came to the camp and surrounded it every day. It's like a crowded market.
He feels that the captives aren't much of a threat to us, so we might as well release some of them. That way, they won't waste our food reserves by eating and drinking for free. "
Claude scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I think I've seen this document somewhere. It was submitted by the captive camp. Its meaning is similar to what you said.
But I don't know where I put it. I seem to have approved it before. Did I forget to send it out?
Oh, it's in that stack of documents. There's a dark red leather folder. "
Borkal searched for a long time on the table Claude pointed at and finally found the dark red leather folder.
He flipped it open and saw that it was indeed the document submitted by the captive camp.
There were three main types of captives currently held in the camp.
The nobles of Shiks were naturally the ones with the highest status. The royal captives were sent to the royal capital as soon as they could.
The second highest-ranking people were the wealthy merchants and local gentry who had their properties confiscated, as well as the local officials and military officers.
Those with the lowest status were the soldiers of the local garrisons.
Bleyotte and Northbay's Skri each took fifty thousand captives from the captive camp for labor. However, the hundred thousand captives were Shiksan soldiers and resistance fighters, which helped lighten the burden on the captive camp.
But as Thundercrash swept through the nine eastern prefectures and Stormwind swept through the four central prefectures, the captive camp gained another hundred thousand local garrison forces.
The head of the captive camp, Colonel Mehade, was right when he said that the captives posed no threat to the autonomous military zone. This was because most of the local garrisons were farmers, craftsmen, fishermen, small merchants, and so on. There were all kinds of occupations.
Some of the captives from areas closer to the royal capital had their families sent to the camp. They huddled outside the camp every day looking for their loved ones with tears in their eyes. It was quite a pitiful sight.
Colonel Mehade said in the document that many of the local garrison forces were the main source of labor for their families. Without them, it would be a disaster for their families.
The region had no intention of occupying a single inch of Shiks' land anyway. With so many captives locked up in the camp, it would be better to just let them go.
At worst, they could just stab them in the thighs like they did in Nasri and let them go. If they were caught again with a wound on their thighs, they would be executed on the spot.
The 200,000-strong captive camp required two Shiksan homecoming folk to keep an eye on them, and the rations they consumed every day weren't a small sum either.
If the local garrison forces were released, they would be able to reduce the number of captives by a third and the pressure of looking after them wouldn't be as great.
There were two major problems with the region's expenditure at the moment. One was the military families and the other was the captives. Both of them were freeloaders.
Fortunately, Shiks was wealthy and had a sufficient supply of supplies to keep up with the wastage.
Claude had already signed the document and read it. Borkal said disdainfully, "No wonder Colonel Mehade asked me to ask why there wasn't a reply.
What kind of reply is that? It's up to you to decide whether or not to agree to the captive camp's suggestion.
You just said you read it and didn't mean anything else. They thought you hadn't thought it through, so they left it with you. "
"It's my mistake. I mixed it up with the documents I was given." Claude felt a little awkward, but he had to admit his mistake.
He took the document from Borkal and was about to sign it when he recalled something else.
"Wait, has the bureau settled on the distribution of the ten central prefectures?" Claude asked.
That was a plan Claude had asked the bureau to consider a month ago when he decided to hand over Saint Cyprian and the royal capital to the Duke of Sunset River.
As the Kingdom Defence Front's guides weren't very useful, Claude believed that instead of handing over the ten central prefectures to them, it would be better to pick ten leaders and have them form ten smaller groups. Then, each of the ten central prefectures would be given to one of the smaller groups. That would be more reliable.
Once the region retreated from Shiks, the ten central prefectures would be left to their own devices. Whether they fought each other or formed an alliance would depend on how capable they were.
It would be like raising a bug. All sorts of venomous bugs would be stuffed into a jar and they would fight amongst themselves to determine the final victor.
Claude believed that such a competitive environment would allow the guides to grow faster.
"The distribution has been completed.
"However, Reddragon and Stormwind are still sweeping through the five central prefectures, so they've only established a small group and assigned ten prefectures. They're waiting for the handover."
Claude quickly wrote a reply on the document. "Take this document to them. Have them recruit soldiers from the captive camp and form a garrison line each. All equipment will be paid for with the Shiksan weapons and supplies we seized.
Make sure they only recruit locals from the prefectures they're assigned to. That way, they'll be able to control them. As for the rest, let them go with a stab to the thigh like Colonel Myhard said.
If they're caught again with a stab wound on their thigh, they'll be executed on the spot! "
Borkal nodded. "I understand. I'll get to it right away."
"Wait, there's one more thing.
Go look for the Duke of Sunset River's emissary. There are some things I can't say, but you can give him some pointers.
Tell him about our strategy. We're trying to reach a balance in Shiks after we leave. That's why it's the best chance for his master to take over the royal capital.
I can't prove it, but his master can bring his personal forces to the prefectures closest to the royal capital before we leave. I'll send a folk to keep an eye on them just in case.
Once we leave, his master can immediately take over Saint Cyprian and the royal capital. We'll leave some equipment for his master in the city. "