Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 64 Pre-war meeting
Louis closed the intelligence panel, got up, washed up, and prepared to go to the operations meeting.

He changed into a nobleman's formal attire with dark gold embroidery, a sword belt slung across his shoulder, and boots polished to a shine.

For this kind of occasion, one should dress appropriately, at least to look like a young hero.

He pushed open the tent and headed straight for the military camp's central headquarters.

Along the way, many knights and young officers saw him, their gazes filled with either awe or curiosity, and they all bowed their heads in respect.

After all, his feat of killing the Snow Oath Elite Warrior at last night's banquet had already spread throughout the entire Fifth Legion.

A moment later, Louis arrived at the central tent.

Outside the tent, guards stood at attention, flanked by two rows of military flags bearing the insignia of various noble families from Xuefeng County. Familiar or unfamiliar faces were entering one after another.

The tent is spacious inside, with a circular sand table in the center filled with tactical maps and models, and several high-backed wooden chairs around it that are almost all occupied.

Because of his outstanding performance yesterday, Luis managed to secure a spot in the innermost circle.

At the very front, in the main seat, Count Firth slumped in his chair, his face flushed, his eyelids drooping as he dozed off.

Looks like they drank too much last night.

The meeting was chaired by an elderly man with a full head of white hair, but who was in good spirits.

He was dressed in an old-fashioned aristocratic military uniform with a black background and blue patterns. He was burly and had his hands behind his back.

He is Viscount Webster.

The most senior and powerful vassal of the Firth family was a true Northern nobleman.

He is also the only extraordinary knight in Snowpeak County.

Although he is now old, he is still much stronger than the elite knights.

His appearance immediately made the atmosphere of the meeting much more solemn.

"Distinguished nobles, officers, and secret envoys, welcome to this pre-battle meeting of the Fifth Legion to annihilate the Snowsworn."

The nobles present were clearly divided into several factions: the old nobles of the North mostly had cold and solemn expressions, while the southern pioneer nobles whispered among themselves.

There were also some officials and strategists whose purpose was unclear, mixed in with the crowd.

Louis recognized several secret envoys from the governor's party who were silently observing.

Viscount Webster surveyed his surroundings, his gaze settling on the faces of every nobleman and officer, before unfurling a scroll and reading aloud in a deep voice:

"Duke Edmund has established a special reward system for military merits in this campaign against the Snowsworn."

Anyone who slays an enemy leader or annihilates their main force will be awarded a first-class military merit. Reward: 5,000 gold coins and a fiefdom of 300 square kilometers in the northern border.

In an instant, the tent fell silent.

Webster continued reading in the same tone:

"Those who capture enemy strongholds and kill important generals will be awarded second-class military merit. They will be rewarded with two thousand gold coins and a fiefdom of one hundred square kilometers."

Those who effectively support the main battlefield or make meritorious contributions in scout operations will be awarded third-class military merit, and will be rewarded with 500 gold coins and warhorse armor, and will enjoy priority in resupply.

Of course, there's also a special prize, which will be awarded based on merit, but that's not something we need to consider so readily.

His voice turned colder as he said this:

"Those who retreat in the face of battle or who outwardly comply but inwardly disobey will be stripped of all military merits and rewards, and may even be held accountable and have their fiefdoms confiscated."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tent fell silent.

A murmur of whispers then began and spread around the conference table.

“A fiefdom of three hundred square kilometers in the north, that’s practically a baronial territory.”

"Five thousand gold coins, enough to support a baron's territory for a year."

"The Duke is really willing to spend money; this time he's really serious."

Many nobles had greed in their eyes, clearly already eyeing the spoils of war and the fiefdoms to be gained after the war began, as if it were all within their grasp. Louis sat in his seat, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, his expression unchanged.

But his heart was already in turmoil.

With a fiefdom of 300 square kilometers, the territory of the Red Tide Territory could be expanded by a factor of two.

If he could launch a surprise attack first and then create a situation that could turn the tide...

That would be at least a second-class merit, and if you add in the various battles that followed, getting a first-class merit shouldn't be a problem.

Viscount Webster put down the scroll and slowly began to speak: "Next is the intelligence report on the enemy forces."

He pointed to the sand table on the table, which had a map of Xuefeng County drawn on it.

The three locations on the map are highlighted in red, making them particularly eye-catching.

Viscount Webster raised his finger and tapped the sand table:
"These rats... no, these cockroaches, always hide in the shadows."

If you spot one, there's a good chance there's a whole group. The moment you reveal the slightest weakness, they'll crawl out from the ground and bite you.

He spoke calmly and slowly, but the metaphor was somewhat nauseating.

"At present, three major enemy activity points have been confirmed within the territory of Xuefeng County."

He pointed to three red dots on the map, located in the deep mountains to the north, the northeastern ridge, and near the northwest mineral vein, respectively:
"The first location is near Snow Shadow Heights, in the mountains, but it's unclear exactly which valley it's hidden in."

The second location is in the Qingyu Ridge area, where scouts often go missing.

The third location is near the Ice Tooth Mine. There used to be an old mine there, but unusual activity began to appear about six months ago.

He glanced at the people at the table as he said this: "That's about all the information we have about the Snow Oath People."

Unlike us, the Snow Oath people are not upright and honorable. They can survive even if they live in caves or tree hollows, and their spirits never leave.

Although there are no clear signs of a large-scale attack, they are active at night and play dead during the day, often using the trick of feigning retreat to lure the enemy deep into their territory.

To put it bluntly, they are few in number, but they always target weaknesses.

Moreover, because they used special techniques that risked their lives, each warrior was much stronger than a trainee knight, and some even approached superhuman strength.

Even if it's a fight to the death, it's not certain who will come out on top.

He slowly looked around, his voice low: "If you expect them to line up and fight you fair and square, you'd better prepare your own coffin first."

After the viscount finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the tent.

Several older nobles who had experienced the chaos in the North looked solemn. Some nodded slightly, as if recalling some past events they were unwilling to mention again.

The young nobleman from the south seemed somewhat dismissive.

"They're just a bunch of bandits, why all this mysticism?"

"Aren't they being overly afraid? A dignified legion, are they really going to be scared by a few lunatics who suddenly appear in the night?"

However, this dismissive attitude did not last long.

Because Viscount Webster, sitting in the front row, was scanning everyone who spoke with sharp eyes.

The whispers abruptly ceased.

In the silence, Count Firth's eyelids twitched, as if he were slightly awakened from a dream.

He raised his head and glanced around groggily. Although he still looked half asleep, he managed to pretend to be listening.

Louis looked at the second outpost on the map and recognized it as the one mentioned in the third intelligence report that morning.

He already had a vague plan in mind.

Qingyu Ridge is like a natural mountain pass, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

However, Louis could use the hidden mountain paths to avoid a frontal assault and launch a flanking attack on the Snowsworn's stronghold, and also ambush Snowsworn who were attacking and returning to defend.

(End of this chapter)