Imperial Crown.

Chapter 297: Sword to Eivor

Led by Eric, all the officers stood up and beat their chests with their hands, making a uniform muffled sound.

"Lord Baron!"

"Everyone, take a seat." Raven walked Simon to the conference table and pointed at the new map. "This is the result of Simon and others' work over the past six months."

"The overall map of the Principality of Eivor, one of the five member states of the Northern Nord Province and the Feydon City-States."

"Next, let Simon explain the situation of the Principality of Aivor in detail."

After more than half a year of exposure to wind and sun, Simon's skin became dark and rough.

Even so, there was still a hint of childishness in him, and his baby face made him look more like a shepherd boy than a knight.

But as he walked to the map table and saluted the officers present, his serious temperament was revealed, and his words were even more powerful:

"The Principality of Aivor is located in a basin-shaped terrain, bordering the Bloody Highlands to the west and surrounded by mountains to the north, east, and south. Overall, the southeast is high and the northwest is low, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack."

"The longest span from east to west is 430 miles, and the longest span from north to south is 490 miles. The total area is about 21 square miles, or 54 square kilometers, and the total population is about 1700 million."

"The principality has a total of 18 regions, which we call 'counties'."

"Its capital is 'Ivor County' in the center of the principality, and it's called 'Blue Castle'."

"In addition, the most important piece of land is Bolan County, southwest of Eivor County. There is a high-grade gold mine that has been mined for 300 years and is still being mined today. It is also the financial and tax center of the Principality of Eivor."

"In order to defend against the Empire and Insa, a fortress was built at the north and south ends. The one in the south is called the 'Wall of Sighs'. It is said to be an impregnable fortress. It is stationed there with two legions led by the Earl of the Principality 'Wanda'."

As Simon introduced, his fingers kept moving on the map, and his speech was clear and organized, showing that he had been well prepared.

Eric frowned in thought.

Every move the Baron made was well-intentioned, but this time, he was a little confused.

The Principality of Eivor is far away on the northern border of the Nord Province. Why are we taking out its map at this time?
Eric was not the only one who had such doubts, but without Raven's permission, they did not dare to discuss with each other and could only exchange suspicious glances.

Raven had no intention of letting them speak for the time being. He nodded and motioned Simon to take a seat. Then he clapped his hands, and immediately an attendant came in and presented a stack of documents to each officer.

Raven picked up his copy but didn't look at it. It was obvious that he already understood:

"In the Principality of Aivor, there are three people who hold the highest power."

"The highest one is, of course, the head of the duchy, Archduke Eivor VIII, the man on the first document in your hands."

"He is 43 years old now. He was chosen from a branch of the family to inherit the throne 13 years ago because the previous Grand Duke had no descendants."

"He was obsessed with art in his early years, and he never lost interest in it even after he came to power. He was full of artistic demeanor and was called the 'Grand Duke of Vanilla'."

The officers present burst into laughter. In their eyes, the so-called "artists" were nothing more than a group of playboys who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun. It was a joke that such a person could become king.

But Raven did not laugh with them. He waited until they finished laughing before continuing:
"The next person is the second one, the Prime Minister of the Principality of Aivor, Gatugen."

"He is 53 years old this year, in the prime of his life, and in high spirits. As the trusted minister of the previous Grand Duke of Eivor, he has been in charge of the principality for nearly 20 years."

"What's rare is that even when he holds great power, he has always been respectful to Eivor VIII. Although it is rumored that he is dissatisfied with Eivor's various actions, judging from his behavior, he mostly encourages and advises him."

"You can think of him as a younger version of old Gordon."

At this point, Raven picked up the cup and took a sip of tea: "As for the third one, the Duke Marshal Quentin, I won't introduce him in detail, you can just read it for yourselves."

Hearing this, Eric skipped over the second document he had not yet finished reading and his eyes fell on the third parchment.

The portrait depicted on it showed a man with a square face, a wide mouth, a thick beard, and a smile on his face. He looked like an extremely rugged and heroic nobleman.

But now he is 37 years old and still only at the second level, which is somewhat embarrassing for a marshal of a principality.

Moreover, the records also stated that he was originally just a knight heir of the County of Piershaw.

Because his sister married Eivor VIII, he was promoted to Marshal of the Duchy due to nepotism and took charge of the Royal Guard in place of His Highness the Grand Duke.

"Have you finished reading it all?" Lei Wenrun healed his throat.

Eric was the first to nod, and the other officers were a little slower.

Most of them were born as commoners or even serfs. They originally could not read. Although they were forced to learn to read at Raven's request, their level was quite average. Many of them could only read. As for writing - they could write their own names.

So when we come across unfamiliar words, we can’t help but whisper to each other and ask.

After the officers put down the documents, Lei Wencai said, "This last person, although he has average power in the Principality, is very important to us."

"That is Count Wanda who is stationed at the Wall of Sighs."

"He is 44 years old. Although he has never entered the core of the principality, he has the strength of the fourth level and is one of the top masters of the Principality of Aiwo."

"Although the two Iron Birch Legions under his command are nominally only Level 2 Legions, Count Wanda himself is a straight-laced person and his military discipline is quite strict, so there is no common practice of empty-handed soldiers."

"Therefore, the combat effectiveness of these two fully staffed Level 2 Legions should not be underestimated."

Eric looked at the document in his hand. Count Wanda was gentle and looked more like a scholar than a knight.

Thinking about Quentin before, he couldn't help but sigh that you really can't judge a person by his appearance.

"Okay, that's all I have to say for now."

Raven clapped his hands and drew everyone's attention to himself:
"Now that you have a basic understanding of the Principality of Aivor, it's time for you to speak."

"The last document in your hands is a bird's-eye view of the Wall of Sighs."

"Today, my question is how to conquer this fortress."

The officers were surprised at first, and then began a heated discussion - after all, they had been idle for too long, and this kind of sandbox-style discussion could be considered a form of exercise.

Gradually, various ideas collided and various combat methods were put forward one by one.

Some people said that they could set up dozens of catapults and bombard the city walls in turns, and as long as there was a gap they could rush in.

But someone immediately objected, sighing that the walls of this fortress were 8 meters high and there was a crossbow every 30 meters, so it would not be easy to deal with it with only catapults.

Others said that they could send insiders into the city, and once the siege began, they could open the city gates from the inside.

This has won the approval of some people.

But the problem is that as a military fortress, the Wall of Sighs has extremely strict inspections, and it is a problem how to sneak in with weapons.

Others said that they could throw rotten corpses into the city to create a plague and reduce the combat effectiveness of the defenders in the city.

Eric did not join the discussion, he just stared at the map quietly.

The defense of a fortress garrisoned by 10,000 people is almost as strong as that of Eagle City. It is not wise to attack it head-on.

He was wondering if there was any way to attack the outside of the city.

Just then, he saw the faint smile on Raven's face, and then he looked at the map carefully and flipped through the documents in his hand, and a trace of surprise rose in his heart.

"My Lord Baron, I have a question."

Raven's eyes showed a hint of appreciation, and he said, "Ask."

Eric swallowed.

Originally, in his opinion, the Baron raised this question in order to conduct a real-combat exercise to test the defense capabilities of Eagle City and effectively train the army. This was also the idea of ​​most officers.

But looking at the map of the Principality of Eivor, a new idea came to my mind.

There is a mountain range between the Principality of Eivor and the Nord Province.

If you want to attack the Duchy of Eivor, you either have to take a detour through the Bloody Highlands, travel thousands of miles, and break in from the west of the Duchy of Eivor.

Or, you have to face the Sighing Wall of Tiehua County.

Considering the documents Raven had given them, a bold guess emerged:
"My Lord Baron, do you want to attack the Principality of Eivor!?"

These words echoed in the conference room, and the entire room suddenly became silent. It was so quiet that even breathing could be heard.

That was the heavy breathing of everyone present.

The Duchy of Eivor is larger than the Nord Province, with a population of 1700 million and a permanent garrison of over 20. This is not a target that the Griffith family can conquer with its current strength.

But the officers were not surprised.

In the early years, Raven dared to charge up the bloody heights with only a hundred people. Now he has two legions in his hands, why can't he attack a country?
Raven nodded: "Yes, I want to conquer the Kingdom of Eivor!"

As he spoke, he looked around the room and asked, "Why, you don't have confidence?"

The officers exchanged glances with each other, some with hesitation, some with excitement, some with excitement, and some with fear, but no one backed down.

Led by Eric, they all stood up:
"I swear to serve the Baron till death!"

"Very good!" Raven said with a smile, "Then from today on, we will prepare for battle. In 17 days, on April 4st, we will set off on time!"

"Afterwards, a backup of the map will be sent to you. Don't stop thinking. I hope each of you can come up with a qualified strategy."

"The meeting is dismissed!"

The officers left with mixed feelings. They all knew that the Baron's orders could not be questioned, but the thought of attacking a country still felt unreal.

It was not until the map was handed to them that they realized that war was really coming.

Only Eric did not leave.

After everyone left, Eric quietly discussed logistical issues with Raven.

Two legions, 1 troops, including 1000 cavalry, would consume at least 4 pounds of food every day just for food for people and horses.

In order to maintain the supply of the army, at least 2 civilians must be mobilized. They also need to eat, and even if their consumption is less, 3 pounds of food will be consumed every day on transportation alone.

By this calculation, with 7 pounds of food consumed every day, Eagle City’s storage can only sustain it for 5 months at most.

At this point, Eric glanced at Raven's face and continued, "Besides, it is the busy spring farming season now. If 2 men are withdrawn at once, the entire territory will collapse!"

Raven said, "I know this."

"Don't worry about the food problem. I will find a way when the time comes."

"As for the logistics troops, we can't spare that many people, but the five northwestern counties do have them."

Eric was stunned: "Sir, you mean...?"

"We have to thank our King and the Governor." Raven smiled and took out a document from his chest pocket.

That was the governor's order letter. During the locust plague, Anthony appointed Raven as the director of Warning Zone No. 3, in charge of the military power of the five northwestern counties.

And this authorization has not been recovered!

Eric couldn't help but give a thumbs up:

"High, it is high!"

The war is about to begin, and Eagle City is operating like a machine.

The 1st and 2nd Corps of the Eagle Army canceled their originally planned exercise and rotation holidays, and no one was allowed to enter or leave the barracks.

Boxes of crossbow arrows were transported out of the underground warehouse in Eagle City and sent to the military camp for storage.

A group of craftsmen from the blacksmith workshop were transferred out to check and repair the key mechanisms of the catapult to ensure that there would be no problems.

The Riverside Workshop suspended the production of Angel's Tears and Angel's Kisses and began to stockpile "fire-clearing oil", or alcohol.

Ten days later, March 3th.

A statement appeared on the Skyhawk platform.

Baron Raven Ota Griffith, Sheriff of Snow Maple County and Director of Security Zone No. 3, issued a conscription order to the five northwestern counties.

The empire was losing ground in the northeast and was facing a difficult time.

In this difficult time, as a member of the Empire, Raven decided to respond to the King's call to "give full support to this war."

The city-states of Fitun had originally signed an alliance with the empire, but when the empire was in danger, not only did they not lend a helping hand, they even secretly provided intelligence to Insa, which was a heinous crime.

In order to punish the city-states of Fitun and to divert Insa's attention, Baron Raven decided to send troops from the five northwestern counties to attack the Principality of Eivor.

Use Aivor as a bridgehead to deter Insa and relieve the pressure on the Empire on the northeastern battlefield.

Nobles in the five northwestern counties, barons and above, need to provide 200 soldiers; viscounts and above, 500 soldiers, and provide their own armor and weapons.

Assemble outside Eagle City before April 4st.

If you fail to arrive on time, you will be charged with treason according to the Governor-General's order!

As soon as the news was released, it immediately caused an uproar.

The nobles in the five northwestern counties had just experienced a locust plague and were all recuperating. This order directly disrupted everyone's deployment!
No one expected that Raven would suddenly issue such a crazy order at this time.

Just when most people were in a state of confusion, Viscount Broca was the first to speak out and expressed his full support for County Mayor Raven's move.

He set an example by being willing to provide 2000 enchanted crossbow arrows for free, and organized three battalions with a total of 3 troops led by his son Knight Howell to support Raven.

Afterwards, Lady Doreen of Stonebreak and Baron Versassin of Kogar also expressed strong support for Raven.

Lady Doreen was willing to provide Raven with 1000 million pounds of grain, and Baron Versacem provided 500 pack horses.

After this, Saveryshire, Essex and Hampshire, two of the five northwestern counties, also began to respond.

Only Hippoc County remained silent for the time being.

Because the nobles of Hippok County were all watching the reaction of their county chief, the lord of Binziman, Little Flayed.

This county governor has always been moody and bullies the weak and flatters the strong. It will be difficult to deal with him if you offend him.

"These guys are obviously scared of me, and now they come to ask for my opinion!" Little Peeler sat in the study, shaking his fingers and counting the letters on the table, with a mischievous smile on his lips.

Knight Dalton coughed and said, "Master Little Skinner, the entire Hippoc County is waiting for your attitude."

……

(End of this chapter)