novelhk Chapter 101 Lisangluo: The governors are now uneasy.
Chapter 101 Lisangluo: The governors are now uneasy.
The campfire crackled in the night, illuminating Lisanro Rogal's slightly uneasy face. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, he quietly approached Tiberius and quickly slipped a sealed letter into his hand, his voice barely audible:
"Tiberius, there's something...you need to keep in mind." He glanced around warily. "Find a chance to give Commander Jules a heads-up...the Governor's Council in Ries is very dissatisfied with the 'Guardians of Faith' and the White Legion."
"What could they possibly be unhappy about?" Tiberius asked, frowning. "We won a truly decisive victory, and besides, we defended the flank corridor quite well. What more could they want from us? They can't possibly drive the Valantis completely back east of the Controversial River, can they?"
"Besides, if it weren't for us, those Myr and Tyrothy who escaped from the Three Tax Depot would have been crushed by the Valantis's super-heavy cavalry, reduced to blood and bones. Has Rhys gone mad?"
Yes, just a few days ago, they escorted the troops that had been withdrawn from the Three Taxes Pass direction to the core area of the flank corridor.
The three tax gates ultimately failed to hold, and the Rieslan region on the left side of the River of Controversy has been completely taken over by the Valanthis!
The only good news was that the Tyrothy-Mill alliance that went to relieve the three tax gates was not completely wiped out, but its main force was preserved, which allowed the governors and nobles of Mill and Tyrothy to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Besides, Lord Lisandro wouldn't possibly agree to such an idea, would he?" Tiberius asked, quite puzzled. "He has indeed been to the front lines, and he should understand the situation there better than anyone else: before the arrival of a new batch of mercenaries, any rash action would be extremely unwise. What we should do now is hold the flank corridor, using our stronghold and abundant supplies in the rear to delay the Valantis' advance, waiting for the right opportunity to weaken their momentum."
Upon hearing this, Lisangluo's face fell even more.
"Stop talking. Although my father has gained unimaginable prestige, theoretically, our Rogal family should be the sole power in Lisbon now! But the reality is that, due to his injuries, it is unlikely that he will immediately gain full military and political power in Lisbon. The position of governor is nominally able to control military power in Lisbon, and it sounds like he is second only to the governor, but in reality, he is still subject to the constraints of many people. For example, my father is currently actively lobbying other governors to agree to mobilize the citizens of Lisbon Island to participate in the defense of the flank corridor and the garrison of the Lisbon colony."
"I bet this process will be very difficult." Tiberius smacked his lips, but there was no sympathy on his face. Instead, he immediately saw the purpose of Lisandro's actions.
"Rather than conscripting those Ries citizens who lack military training and are bound by commercial culture and debt, your father and the governors of Ries actually wanted to force middle-class and wealthy families to part with their money. Am I wrong?"
"How do you know about Tiberius?" Lisanro was truly shocked at this moment.
He knew perfectly well that his father's second proposed plan was to sell "exemption certificates" to amass wealth from the citizens of Rhys to hire mercenaries, or to inquire with Westeros about hiring local nobles and knights to join the battle.
Tiberius thought to himself, "Do you really expect those petty, calculating Riesles, all burdened with debt, to fight? Gods, when the frontline commanders see this fresh blood, they'll probably have a stroke themselves."
Putting everything else aside, can these soldiers even go to the battlefield? Do they have the money to prepare their own equipment? After all, they are citizen soldiers, and the Governor's Council won't issue them weapons uniformly.
"Actually, the real problem is something else..." Risang Luo said in a low voice.
"My father told me that the governors of Reese are under immense pressure! The Tyrossi and the Mill are terrified! They're even unwilling to continue defending the flank corridors! They're demanding that we in Reese make sacrifices!"
"Although my father is still trying his best to mediate and suppress those voices, but..." Li Sanlu made a knowing look.
"However, if we don't want to give up the entire flank corridor and hope that Myr and Tyrossi will still support us, it means we must achieve a great victory in a short time, preferably a strategic one. First, we must capture the Three Taxgates, then take Watchtower, and then recapture Broken Sword Fortress. After that, we can sail down to the Delta region and, with the cooperation of the army and navy, bring New Valantis Port and Taxpayer Island into Rhys's hands. After achieving such a great victory, we'll display Marcus's head along with the banners of those Valantis Tiger Robe Legions to our allies, won't we?" Tiberius laughed rather sarcastically.
"Lisanro, I'm not saying this to be mean, but this is just too outrageous! For a victory like this, you either need to get one of the Seven Gods, the God of War, to personally take the field, or you can only pray that a meteorite hits Volantis's camp squarely!"
Lisanro was also somewhat embarrassed, and could only continue his analysis: "But, Tiberius, putting aside the distant past, you know the character of those governors in the council. Our White Legion happens to be one of the few units in the allied forces that still maintains its full field combat strength and hasn't been decimated. The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows... What if the governor's council forces us to participate in the war?"
He took a deep breath and uttered the most crucial words: "On the Ries side, we need to see 'achievements,' we need a victory that can shut everyone up. Not a half-hearted tactical victory like at Raventown, but a real, genuine strategic victory. In short," he stared into Tiberius's eyes, "we must show everyone through our actions that victory doesn't necessarily have to come at the cost of abandoning the Ries colony! We must reverse this strategic impasse!"
Tiberius, clutching the heavy letter, found Jules, who was frowning as he studied a map. He combined Lisanro's warning with his own observations and proposed an extremely audacious plan.
"Uncle, we can't just sit here and wait to die!" Tiberius said bluntly. "The message from the Ries is very clear: if we can't immediately achieve a great strategic victory in the flank corridor, then our 'allies,' Tyrosi and Myr, will not provide any support to the flank corridor. They will 'advise' Ries to abandon the flank corridor and all of Ries's colonies in the disputed territory, and begin to implement the so-called scorched earth policy."
"And when that time comes, it will be our turn to take the blame! The governors of Rees have no virtue of gratitude! They won't care about our previous achievements; they'll only pin the blame on us for abandoning the flank corridor, which led to the destruction of the entire Rees colony in the disputed lands by the Valantis, making us the scapegoats for Mithridates and their weakness and incompetence!"
Jules jerked his head up, his eyes bloodshot, and growled angrily, "I know we can't just sit here and wait to die, we can't expect the Valantis to crash into the impenetrable walls of our defense zone. But what can we do now?! With Riseland gone, we're like we've had our legs cut off! We've been retreating non-stop! We lack fresh troops to fill the lines, and we lack the space to carry out strategic maneuvers!" He let out a cold sneer.
"And those governors of Ries, they're the biggest idiots of all, the absolute worst of the worst! A perfectly good flank corridor, and they're going to give it up just because of 'lack of support from allies'? When I heard that, I really wanted to shove Vito's crossbow into their mouths, which are only good for spewing filth!"
After venting his anger, he sat down rather dejectedly.
"But if we actually obey that idiot Mithridates's orders now and follow him on this 'strategic retreat'" (he mimicked the hypocritical tone of the governors), "we'll retreat all the way back to Rhys... Hmph, those governors might not even grant me a cup of 'Tears of Rhys' to save face. But from then on, 'The Keeper of the Faith' Jules and his White Legion will never be able to hold their heads high in the mercenary circles of Essos again! The blame for the loss of the flank corridor will fall on my head sooner or later! Not on the person who truly caused the failure!"
After Tiberius finished venting his anger, he calmly walked to the map. Instead of pointing to the fiercely contested Rieslan region, he swiped his finger upwards and pointed to an area upstream of the River of Dispute.
"Uncle, yes, if we hold this position, we're just asking for death, waiting for the Valantis or Mitristars to kill us. If we retreat, they can conveniently pin the blame for the loss of the flank corridor on us... So, my suggestion is—head north!"
Jules' brow furrowed instantly.
"Heading north?" Jules furrowed his brows tightly, like two intertwined ropes.
Yes, heading north.
The upper reaches of the Controversial River are a plateau, and its source, Controversial Lake and Lake Mil, share the same plateau and hilly region, except that one eventually flows into the Summer Sea and the other into Mil Bay.
Tiberius quickened his pace, explaining, "We'll march along the western side of the Broken Mountains, taking the main road day and night, straight to the upstream ford!" He looked directly at Jules. "This is our only chance! Staying here means either being pushed to our deaths by the reckless orders of the Mil general Mithridates, or becoming a scapegoat for the Reissians!"
"Besides, even if they stop spouting nonsense about giving up, if they issue stupid orders like holding the flank corridor to the death or going to retake the Three Taxes Pass or the Watchtower, it's like our White Legion is throwing eggs against Valantis's hammer! Only by going upstream! There, we have the greatest autonomy!"
He analyzed in detail: "Moreover, the upstream region isn't the main battlefield, so Valantis' main force is definitely not large! Even if there are garrisons, their size will be limited. This is because the upstream region is close to the edge of the disputed lake plateau, with complex terrain, and the crossing conditions are far inferior to those downstream, making it unsuitable for large legions, especially war elephants and heavy cavalry, to deploy and cross the river! Going there will not only allow us to escape our current doomed predicament and avoid being used as cannon fodder, but it will also shut up Rhys's accusations of 'passive avoidance of battle'!"
His eyes gleamed with a glint of adventure and ambition: "This is an opportunity, Uncle! An opportunity for us to take the initiative, escape the deadly game set up by others, and perhaps even... achieve extraordinary feats!"
Jules stared intently at the upstream region highlighted by Tiberius on the map, his expression grave, and he wasn't immediately convinced. He spoke slowly, his voice low:
"But... kid, you need to think this through. This plan is extremely risky! If, and I mean if, that Valantis commander Marcus isn't as greedy and short-sighted as you think, if he isn't blinded by the immediate victory and plunder, and instead of going all out to attack the flank corridor... he pretends to advance westward into the flank corridor while actually consolidating the front line, and then secretly moves the main force northward, completely sweeping through the entire Rieslan region along the Controversial River, taking control of all the crossings..."
He raised his head, his gaze sharp as an eagle, and looked at Tiberius: "At that time, our isolated army, deep in the north, will be trapped like fish in a barrel, with no way to retreat, completely surrounded and crushed by an overwhelmingly superior enemy!"
Tiberius met Leon's scrutinizing gaze without flinching; on the contrary, he appeared confident and composed.
"No, Uncle!" His tone was unusually certain.
Tiberius walked to the map and pointed heavily at the disputed colony beyond the Flanking Corridor, almost touching the coastline of the Steppe Islands. His voice carried a weight of history: "He can't afford to worry about so many things. If he can truly break through this impregnable defense of the Flanking Corridor in one fell swoop... then, perhaps, the legions of Valantis can really set foot on the coastline of the Steppe Islands! Because beyond the Flanking Corridor, there are no more natural barriers that can stop them!"
"This is the moment the people of Valantis have dreamed of since the War of Conquest! Let the Kingdom of the Three Daughters become history, and let Rhys, Tyrosi, Myr... all these divided city-states kneel once more at the feet of the eldest daughter of ancient Valyria!"
"The last time they failed, it was because of Aegon the Conqueror and his dragons! But this time..." Tiberius spread his hands, his tone resolute.
"This time there are no dragons! He absolutely cannot let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that will make him a legend! He will definitely focus his main force on advancing westward along the flank corridor, breaking through the defenses, and thus entering the entire disputed colony of the Three Daughters Kingdom!"
Finally, he pointed again to the upper reaches of the disputed river, concluding: "So, right here! Rather than staying here as cannon fodder destined to be sacrificed, or carrying out suicidal counter-offensive orders, heading north and seeking the initiative in areas where the enemy's forces are weaker, we have a better chance of survival and victory, and we can better control our own destiny!"
Jules stared at the map for a long time, then looked at his nephew, whose eyes were burning with determination and whose analysis was so logical.
A long silence fell over the tent, broken only by the crackling of the torches and the faint sound of footsteps of night patrols in the distance.
Finally, Jules took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his weathered eyes. He slowly raised his hand and pressed it heavily on the point on the map at the upper reaches of the disputed river.
"...Pass down the order." His voice was hoarse but firm. "The entire army shall secretly prepare, discard unnecessary supplies, and hand over the defensive line to other units. We...prepare to move north!"