Chapter 173: The Late Aid

The changes at the Barbarian camp did not just catch the eye of George and the other four; they also drew the attention of many defenders in Brandenburg. After all, at such a time, every move the enemy made kept the defenders on edge. With victory or defeat so close, no one wanted the enemy to suddenly unleash a hidden power and drag them down with it.

Ahuatan Knight, standing atop the tower, said to his comrade beside him, “It looks like the barbarians are preparing to retreat.”

“It’s a pity for this snow! Otherwise, those guys would have kept causing trouble for many more days!” The tall man with a bald head looked like a Knight as well.

“But this snow brings trouble not only to them but also to us!” Ahuatan Knight’s expression was not very good. “A lot of our winter clothes were destroyed by that landslide. Fixing them won’t be done in just a day or two. Even after fixing, there will be damage. There simply won’t be enough for all the soldiers in the fortress.”

“We don’t need to worry about that. Baron Abercrombie Cokele Garfield should handle everything. Otherwise, who would sign the damage reports he submits every year?” The bald man said while stretching his neck from side to side.

Ahuatan Knight frowned and said, “We can’t say that. Even if he has a way to get enough winter clothes, it will take time. I suggest that for now, officers and Squires above the Red Iron Rank should give their winter clothes to the common soldiers. They can’t just tough it out like we can. If things go wrong, people might actually freeze to death.”

“This is something we, the veterans, should lead by example. But let’s wait until the Round Table Conference tonight to propose this motion. I’m sure it will pass without any problem,” the bald man said, patting his shiny head.

The snow seemed to have grown lighter. It turned into small, fluffy snowflakes, drifting gently like willow catkins. The wind grew stronger and stronger, twisting tightly around the snow. Clumps and flakes fell everywhere, and in an instant, heaven and earth became one color. The wind and snow filled the entire plain…

The barbarians on the northern plains of Brandenburg were still spinning like a wind-up clock. They kept loading bundles of grain and barrels of weapons onto carts, securing them tightly with coarse hemp ropes. The cherry wood chests containing the leaders’ valuables were covered by layers of goods on top, as if they were hiding something.

In the nearby hospital camp, the elite barbarian soldiers were finishing off their own wounded kin. These were the barbarians who were too injured to move and couldn’t be taken back to the tribe’s base, or those whose treatment would take too long and they could no longer wait.

These barbarians had not died under Brandenburg’s Stone Shot, lime, arrows, or Fire Pots. They had not fallen to their deaths from the tall Siege Ladders. They had even survived the swords of the defenders. But today, they were to die at the hands of their own brothers. It was truly a tragedy.

The barbarians carrying out these killings seemed cold-blooded, ignoring the desperate pleas and wails of the wounded. With expressionless faces, they slit the throat of each one cleanly and efficiently, without any hesitation, as if they were used to this scene.

Facing the constant movements of the barbarians, the defenders of Brandenburg acted just like the two men from the Kingdom of Lucia had said. They all held their posts and showed no sign of preparing any response.

“Ring! Ring! Ring!” The bell rang six times with a clear rhythm. George frowned and asked, “What’s happening now?”

Before he could get an answer from the people around him, the deafening cheers from the Brandenburg defenders told him exactly that this was not bad news.

“Support from Karada has arrived,” Ben, who was most familiar with the situation, gave the correct answer to the group.

Aldred asked curiously, “Isn’t this just reinforcements? But the battle seems to be almost over. What use would they be now?”

“When Karada sent their troops, they didn’t know when our battle here would end. Besides, if not for this sudden drop in temperature and the blizzard, this war would likely have continued for a while longer,” Ben said with an expression of frustration, “Even in this situation, if those barbarians go crazy and launch a few more attacks once the snow lightens, we, who are already short on arrows, would have to fill the gaps with human lives. Although we look down on the barbarians’ fighting power, further casualties are inevitable. Having a batch of reinforcements as insurance is quite a good idea!”

George shook his head and poured cold water on everyone: “It won’t be reinforcements. The Duchy of Nohan is in no position to pull troops from other places to support Brandenburg. As for phased mobilization or full mobilization, it would seem like making a mountain out of a molehill when the threat is not yet certain. The most likely scenario is a supply convoy from the capital.”

Hearing George’s words, Chrispian immediately made a face as if he had seen a ghost: “No reinforcements? You even mentioned phased mobilization and full mobilization. Hasn’t anything major happened in the Duchy of Nohan recently? Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

“What George said is possible. When I was in Kalado, I felt the atmosphere in the city was strange,” Ben said, looking down with some uncertainty.

Green clapped his hands and then had an expression of sudden realization: “In fact, earlier in the Great Library, when George asked me about the Kingdom of Coruz, I felt things were not as simple as they seemed. Plus, my experiences within the Kingdom of Coruz gave me a feeling that something big was about to happen. Connecting this with George’s current statement, could it be that the Duchy of Nohan is preparing to take action against the Kingdom of Coruz?”

Green’s sentence immediately caught everyone’s attention. Quickly intrigued, everyone turned their gaze toward George, who was the most likely to provide answers.

Facing the four pairs of eyes that seemed almost green with curiosity and the wolf-like expressions of the group, George’s scalp began to tingle. Even in this cold weather, the biting north wind flowing through the valley could not stop the sweat continuously pouring down his forehead.

Knowing that the group would not give up until they got the truth, George could only force himself to organize what he could reveal.

Having made up his mind, George spoke: “You should know that just a few months ago, both the Kingdom of Coruz and the Kingdom of Lucia proposed a marriage alliance to His Grace the Duke.”

Hearing this news, Ben’s eyebrows twisted slightly: “I think I heard my family mention this.”

“Is that true?” Chrispian and Aldred asked in unison. Then, the two turned their heads to look at each other, as if acting out a double act.

Only Green’s eyes flickered. Although he didn’t speak, it seemed he had thought of something.

From this performance, one could see the difference in political sensitivity and interest among George’s friends. Green seemed to have some talent for this and had apparently put in some effort. Ben, although not currently very focused on politics, was not completely indifferent. Chrispian and Aldred, however, seemed somewhat insulated from politics.

Of course, this situation was closely linked to their respective statuses. Green, who had no right of inheritance, could not follow the honorable path of Military Merit as a Knight. As a Bard, he could most easily have a subtle influence on the people around him. Paths like a legal spy identity—diplomat—or certain social activists could complement his talents. Under these circumstances, it was not surprising that Green, who was interested in this path, cared about and spent time understanding such matters.

Ben was the only Count Heir in the Duchy, and the Markin Lordship held a pivotal position in the political map of the Duchy of Nohan. Under the influence of such a status, even if he himself had little interest in politics, he was destined not to stay away from it. So, he had received education in this area since childhood, but it seemed the effect was not very good. There is still a difference between active learning and passive acceptance.

As for Chrispian and Aldred, the sons of two Barons, they still had some time to temporarily escape the treacherous whirlpool of politics before officially inheriting their territories. Before reaching adulthood, they did not need to get too deeply involved. In most cases, young people still retained some innocence. For a life full of treachery and scheming, there seemed to be a natural aversion and sense of distance.

“So, it means the Kingdom of Coruz and the Kingdom of Lucia are the ones preparing for war?” Green looked up and reached the conclusion first. “It means they both want to drag our Duchy of Nohan into their respective camps. And the Duchy seems to have its own ideas too, otherwise, why would it be so tense?”

“George, do you know the Duchy’s intention?” Ben was really straight to the point. However, from his eyes that seemed to be burning with fire, George seemed to see his vision of achieving great deeds.

“The specific conclusion is not clear yet, but for now, the Noble Council has shown vigilance toward the Kingdom of Lucia.” Saying this, George snorted coldly. “During this time, the Kingdom of Lucia has really made a lot of moves within our Duchy of Nohan.”