Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 63 The Death of Count Firth
Louis had his own reasons for giving credit to Earl Firth.

Before arriving in Snow Eagle City, he pieced together Count Firth's personality from information he obtained from the daily intelligence system.

Cowardly, vain, extremely self-centered, and likes to claim credit even when they have made no contribution.

A typical case of narcissistic personality disorder.

The kind of person he is most susceptible to being flattered and most afraid of being isolated.

Therefore, rather than letting him secretly do things, it's better to take a share of the battle credits and in return gain favor and convenience.

Anyway, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that it was who actually did the dirty work.

More importantly, in accordance with the summons from the Northern Governor's Military Headquarters, all the troops in Snowpeak County were placed under the command of the Fifth Army Corps.

The nominal commander of the Fifth Army was Count Firth.

In other words, without the Duke of Edmund's orders, no matter how many merits Louis made, he would ultimately have to fight under this incompetent man.

It may seem unreasonable, but that's the reality.

Louis was not ignorant of the rules among nobles; he was born and raised in the mansion of one of the eight great noble families in the empire.

I grew up hearing about the battles at banquets and seeing the hypocrisy and flattery.

He was already intimately familiar with the flattery techniques among nobles.

If he could gain more control over the situation by smiling and saying a few words, he wouldn't mind doing so.

The music started playing again, and the servants carefully cleaned up the bloodstains on the ground, but the chilling atmosphere in the air still lingered.

The southern nobles who had previously mocked Louis now wore smiles and approached with their wine glasses.

"His Excellency Louis is a young man of great talent."

"The battle in Baiyu Canyon is so exciting to hear."

Their words were full of flattery, but their eyes held a wary edge.

This young man hadn't taken anyone seriously before, but now he threw out a bag of severed heads, catching everyone off guard.

We can't afford to be careless, but we also have to appease them.

After all, it seems that Louis is the most powerful among these nobles from the south, and it is a good choice to unite around him.

Unlike the obsequiousness of the southern nobles, the nobles from the north were more frank and direct.

An elderly, simply dressed, gray-haired knight raised his glass: "I lost an entire scout team because of Haskell back then."

He gave Louis a deep look: "Thanks, Mr. Calvin."

Another middle-aged nobleman nodded: "It's good that he died. You've rid us of a great threat."

They didn't talk much, but their tone was sincere.

Before they knew it, the night had deepened, and the nobles left, drunk.

Louis stood by the window, watching the mountains on the horizon gradually being swallowed by the night.

Tonight is just an appetizer/dessert; the main course will be tomorrow morning.

Because tomorrow is the designated day for the official assembly.

The Fifth Legion of the Empire will be fully mobilized by tomorrow morning, and Count Firth will preside over the release of the comprehensive battle plan and troop allocation for the Snowsworn.

And the military merit reward system that Louis paid the most attention to.

…………

At dawn, the sounds of soldiers talking in hushed tones and the clanging of knights' armor drifted from outside the tents.

The entire camp has begun preparations for a new day.

Louis opened his eyes and sat up. He had only had a few drinks last night, and he was now clear-headed and didn't even have a headache.

He put on his coat, yawned, and, as usual, summoned the daily intelligence system.

A faint blue light emanated from the air, and lines of intelligence slowly appeared:

[Daily intelligence update complete]

[1: The Snow Oath Warriors are gathering their forces and are expected to launch a large-scale surprise attack on Snow Eagle City in seven days, deploying 2,600 Boiling Blood Warriors. Their rear is undefended.] [2: Ten days later, Snow Eagle City falls, Count Firth is captured alive, and subsequently executed as a sacrifice.]

[3: There is a secret canyon passage on the edge of Qingyu Mountain Road that can bypass the front line and directly reach the Snow Oath Warriors' rear camp.]

[4: Viscount Fischer secretly provided intelligence to the Snowsworn in an attempt to protect his own fiefdom.]

[5: Seven secret agents of the governor were in the Fifth Legion, secretly observing the behavior of the nobles. Their names included Bond, Kuran, and Aizel...]

Five updates were posted today, all related to the war and immediately applicable.

"Tsk, as expected of an intelligence system, it's quite reliable at times like this."

Louis's gaze swept over each message.

However, he frowned sharply as soon as he saw the first piece of information.

Seven days later? Two thousand six hundred Snow Oath Bearers?!

This is not a small-scale operation at the level of harassment; it is a large-scale operation aimed at swallowing up the entire city.

Before he could think it through, the second piece of information was like a final conclusion.

The city fell on the third day of the surprise attack!

This proves his judgment from last night: this city is utterly rotten.

With chaotic command at the top, nobles hindering each other, unrepaired city walls, and disorganized supplies, even a god couldn't save the city.

However, the fact that they only stayed for three days was still beyond Louis's expectations.

If the city falls, he might lose not only his military achievements but also his life.

"Holding out will only lead to our demise along with these idiots; we need to find a way to escape."

He knew very well that he was not a saint. Even if the people of Snow Eagle City cried out for help, he would not throw his small force into the fray to perish with them.

As he was rapidly searching for a solution, his gaze fell upon the third piece of information.

“There is a secret passage in the canyon along the edge of Qingyu Mountain Road that can bypass the front line and go straight to the Snow Oath Warriors’ rear camp in Xuefeng County.”

His eyes lit up, and he leaned forward.

A way out! An opportunity!
This secret passage means that when the enemy forces march south towards Snow Eagle City, he can quietly bypass them and launch a surprise attack to strike them from the ground!

"The rear is empty... So this is the answer."

In his mind, the future battle situation began to unfold:

Seven days later, the enemy attacked, and ten days later, the city fell.

If we send out our troops ahead of time and sneak into enemy territory through the secret passage, we can strike when the enemy is most vulnerable.

If he stalls for time and pretends to be traveling slowly, the fall of Snow Eagle City will have nothing to do with him.

He will become a hero who sacrificed himself to raid behind enemy lines, and although he was unable to provide timely rescue, he was still a hero of the war!

As for the second piece of intelligence mentioning that Count Firth would be sacrificed...

"That's a real shame." He shrugged, his face devoid of any pity.

"I came here to lead troops, not as a savior. With my current strength, I cannot save the entire city."

If Snow Eagle City falls, the responsibility will naturally fall on that pig.

On the contrary, I was able to retreat unscathed by launching a timely counterattack and a full-scale withdrawal.

He then glanced at the fourth one. He had some impression of Fischer; he was a seemingly honest and simple young nobleman, but he hadn't expected him to be so cunning.

However, if the opportunity arises, perhaps we can lure him out and use him.

Finally, there was the fifth item: seven secret envoys of the governor. His eyes flickered slightly.

“An inspector? Fine.” Louis chuckled and snapped his fingers.

"I will put on a great show for you, and show you what a young hero who can turn the tide really is."

(End of this chapter)