Calamity Dragon, Starting with the Cultivation of Knight Families

Chapter 103 The Progress of the War, Swamp Territory Council (23)

The thirteenth day of the simulation.

Swamp Territory, Council Hall.

"Father, have you received any news from Gale Territory? How are my brothers doing?"

Early in the morning, York notified everyone to come to the meeting, and before the others arrived, York saw Baron Eric and spoke first.

Baron Eric looked much older and seemed listless.

Fortunately, seeing Yorke immediately cheered him up.

"We haven't received any news yet, but I imagine the situation isn't good."

"Because I am not in the territory, Berg, as the eldest son, will definitely be conscripted by the Duke's mansion. In the face of the beast tide, no one can be a deserter, otherwise their title will certainly be in jeopardy."

"However, the only good thing is that a few days ago, the bishops learned through the communication of the magic crystal that many commoners, slaves, and even noble families have completed the transfer of most of their families."

At this point, Baron Eric suddenly sighed.

“If a large-scale beast tide happens, all the accumulation of our Gale Territory over the past hundred years will be completely wiped out. I dare not have high expectations for whether the knights, squires, soldiers, or even Berg will survive this war.”

"Our Smith family rose from the beast tide in the West. If we fall in the beast tide, it will be our fate. I know that this day will come sooner or later, but... sigh..."

Baron Eric's expression no longer held the same high spirits he once had.

Fortunately, the swamp territory can remain uninvolved for now, and even has a glimmer of hope, which is some consolation.

At the beginning of the beast tide, Baron Eric did not choose to return to Galelands, and his thinking was actually quite simple.

That is, the Swamp Territory is now more important to the Smith family.

He had to witness everything here, and he also had to help his illegitimate son, whom he initially didn't have high hopes for.

Furthermore, even though he returned to Gale Territory before, it didn't have much effect.

Such a massive beast tide inevitably leads to the loss of territory and the fate of being conscripted by the Duke's mansion to fight against the beast tide.

Seeing Baron Eric's reaction, York was also somewhat displeased.

In recent days, the swamp territory, including the migrant population it has taken in, has exceeded eight thousand.

The food, drink, and sanitation of more than 8,000 people were managed to survive for half a month in the main fortress and outer fortress, which together covered an area of ​​less than 100,000 square meters.

If it weren't for the giant rat swarms secretly providing the Swamp Territory with a constant supply of meat, the Swamp Territory would never have survived.

After all, the beast tide broke out too suddenly, and the Swamp Territory had only been established for a little over four years. In terms of resource reserves, it could not keep up with consumption most of the time.

This is nothing like a small beast tide. Given the current scale of this beast tide, who knows how long the swamp territory will be trapped.

But now, with the help of the divine beasts and Bishop Amon, the Swamp Territory has been able to hide for so long, which is a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune, and York dares not ask for too much.

Thinking about all this, York felt somewhat helpless and sighed.

“Father, don’t think too much about it. No one can predict these things, and it’s not anyone’s fault.”

"Besides, my brother has always been calm and composed, he'll definitely be fine."

Baron Eric forced a smile: "I hope so."

"However, speaking of which, my child, are you sure about Viscount Callum's situation with your wife's family?"

Upon hearing Eric's words, York shook his head helplessly.

"The situation is unclear, but the Viscount was injured during the last civil war in the kingdom, so he should not be forcibly conscripted."

"But Lucia's brother, Layton, like Berg's brother, will inevitably have to participate in the conscription to fight against the monster tide."

"As for the territory, it's good enough if we can keep the people alive in this beast tide, how can we dare to think too much?"

At this point, York also sighed:

"Now, based on the bishops' analysis of the situation, the entire Silver Lion Duchy may have already lost more than half of its territory, and the Green Vine Duchy, after its civil war, is likely to be unable to hold its entire territory."

"I just don't know how the Kingdom's reinforcements are doing on the front lines, or whether the three great empires have already summoned a new coalition of nations to enter the Kingdom's territory."

"However, with the Eastern Frontier War preceding us and the Western Frontier Monster Tide looming behind us, I think all nations must exert their utmost efforts this time! The Empire absolutely cannot stand idly by and watch human territory be taken away by the monster tide once again."

"Perhaps the fighting on the front lines right now is extremely fierce."

Just as York was expressing his feelings, the six bishops stepped through the gate.

Upon hearing York's words, Bishop Oleg blurted out:
"My lord, the current situation is not as simple as you think."

"We just received news from Pope Tyr that the Orcish Empire in the North has also made its move just a few days ago!"

“Besides the sea creatures, the situation we are currently facing has deteriorated to the most deadly stage that has not been seen in thousands of years.”

"Therefore, with the country under attack from three sides, even if all the nations exert their full strength, this great war obviously cannot be easily eased."

Oleg and his entourage entered the conference room with solemn expressions.

"What?!" "Gods above, why has the situation deteriorated to this extent? Orcs and elves are not on good terms, how could they possibly help the elves?"

Eric exclaimed in surprise, while Bishop Eamon sighed:

"Although orcs and elves are at odds, that doesn't stop them from taking advantage of others' misfortunes."

"Moreover, three hundred years ago, the Storm God seized a considerable amount of territory from the Orc Empire during the Northern War. Given this situation, it would be strange if they didn't do anything."

"Our human nations have been powerful for a long time, and this situation of being besieged by three forces was bound to happen sooner or later; it was just a matter of time."

"Perhaps this time, our human nations will have to compromise with the three races and suffer heavy losses!"

"Otherwise, this battle would have resulted in the deaths of countless people! Millions, tens of millions? Thousands upon thousands? No one could have predicted it."

"The chaotic era has indeed arrived!"

York and Eric looked at each other, their expressions filled with heaviness and uncertainty.

"What should I do?"

"Isn't this war no less than a crisis of genocide?"

York's expression had become rather somber.

However, Bishop Eamon smiled slightly:
"Your Excellency, there is no need to panic."

"The confidence that we humans have in occupying the Central Continent does not come entirely from the great gods."

"The methods employed by the three great empires are beyond our comprehension."

"As long as the Empire goes all out, the crisis of annihilation will not come. After all, the three forces are fighting their own battles, and who would want to be the biggest loser under the wrath of humanity? Or even a race that is in danger of collapse?"

"In this world, all earthly creatures need is a place where they can live in peace and security. This applies to elves and orcs alike."

"As for the magical beasts, they will be no exception. Take the orcs, for example. Right now, they just want to take back their lost territory and also want to consume some of their overburdened lower-level orc population."

The theory of population depletion was not new among the nobility.

This is especially common among the orc and human races, since among the four major powers on land, humans and orcs are the most prolific.

Elves and monsters are not included in this category, since both monsters and elves can be considered long-lived species with a much lower birth rate than humans.

Ordinary wild beasts are just domesticated animals and are not considered magical beasts.

Most of the beasts that can be considered ordinary are domesticated by humans and orcs. As for the elves, they can still reproduce and live among many ordinary beasts, since elves are vegetarians and have an innate affinity and reverence for the primitive natural world.

Hearing what Emmon said, York felt much more at ease.

However, Emmon then changed the subject.

"Of course, there won't be a crisis of extinction, but this time we humans will definitely have to give up a lot of land."

"The North, the West, and even the East."

"Nobles are a group of people who cherish their lives, and aren't we the same? Long-term comfort has made many of the younger generation lose the spirit of ancient times."

"Just like the storm god's conquest of the North three hundred years ago, if it weren't for the divine intervention, and if it weren't for the strong appeal from the royal families and the upper echelons of the three empires, perhaps no war would have broken out in the first place."

"Too many nobles opposed the war. You are unaware of the situation back then, so you don't know."

"I don't think that in this great war, when all the tribes are a little afraid and wary of each other, they will sit down and negotiate."

"The mortal world has been without the guidance of the gods for too long, and many nobles no longer firmly believe in the idea that honor will be bestowed upon them after death and that their souls will return to the divine kingdom."

"Commoners and slaves, unaware of the inside story, may still firmly believe in their faith, but how much of a role can commoners and slaves play in such a war? In the end, it is the nobles and the extraordinary who will go to the battlefield."

“It is always better for the common people and slaves to suffer than for the nobles to bleed.”

At this point, Bishop Eamon couldn't help but sigh deeply.

York frowned upon hearing Bishop Eamon's words, and a thought also crossed his mind.

"So, Bishop Emon, have you heard something?"

Bishop Eamon nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Lord Tyr has received news from the kingdom that many nobles and even members of the royal family in the empire are discussing how to quell the anger of the various tribes."

"Fighting on three fronts is far beyond the limits that the three great empires can currently withstand."

"Take the capital city for example, some nobles think the same way, and the Blue Moon Empire's envoys, who were part of the initial reinforcements from the Empire, are already considering making peace with the Monster Mountain Range."

"The visitor is Ellis Barion, an elder of the ancient Barion family, one of the seven great dragon-blooded noble families of the empire."

"However, peace talks are not so easy. In general, a war of moderate scale is inevitable for both the monsters and humans. Only in this way can both sides obtain the greatest benefits and minimize losses during negotiations."

This?
York didn't know what to say.

Peace talks, even if it means ceding territory, would still be alright, right?
Anything that can end the war as soon as possible is fine. As for the bigger picture of humanity and whether the nobility is corrupt, these are no longer of any importance to York.

If the nobility were not corrupt, how could the Swamp Territory have had the opportunity to rise to power?
(End of this chapter)