Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 73 Intelligence
Duke Edmund sat behind his desk, reviewing thick battle reports while listening to the military officer's low-pitched report.

"The clearing of the Snow Oath's strongholds is progressing smoothly; five of the seven strongholds in Bingnan Ridge have been eliminated..."

He nodded slightly, not out of surprise, but as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The annihilation of the Snowsworn was a plan he personally devised, a strategy that mobilized all forces in the North to cooperate fully.

He even personally led a team a few days ago to kill a Snow Oath elder, whose head is still hanging on the city wall.

Everything is under control.

"These stray dogs are finally going to be wiped out."

Just then, a swift bird with blood-stained wings flapped its wings and crashed into the windowsill.

Along with the letter came a strong smell of blood.

He frowned; it was a letter from Snow Eagle City.

"Snow Eagle City? Didn't we receive a plea for help before? It said it was surrounded by two thousand Snow Oath warriors. Didn't I already send people to help? Why is it like this again..."

A sense of foreboding rose in the Duke of Edmund's heart as he unfolded the letter.

Upon reading the third line, he suddenly stood up, his face changing drastically, and the wine glass in his hand shattered with a crash.

"Snow Eagle City has fallen, Earl Frost has been killed in action, and the garrison has been completely wiped out..."

Duke Edmund paused for a moment after reading this, then roared.

"Are you kidding me?! Three thousand men defending the city, and it's only been three days?!" He slammed his fist on the table and stood up, burning with rage.

"Three thousand pigs piled up there would take three days to slaughter, and they couldn't even hold them off?! What was that old bastard Firth doing?!"

The military officer whispered a reminder: "Sir, old Firth has been dead for two years. The current Earl of Firth is his son."

“Hmph, no wonder…” Duke Edmund rubbed his forehead, his anger turning into a sneer, “If we don’t send reinforcements, the Snow Oathbringers will use Snow Eagle City as a springboard to continue their southward invasion, which will be very troublesome.”

The strategist said in a deep voice, "But a strong attack to retake it would require at least five thousand troops. Once the main force is withdrawn, the other battlefields will be left vulnerable."

“I know,” Edmund said through gritted teeth, “but we can’t just let it go completely. We have to think of a way.”

He tried to draw several reinforcement routes, but crossed them out one by one because none of them were very reasonable.

“Three thousand men defended the city, and it fell in three days. These useless bastards are less useful than a pack of dogs.” Unable to think of a solution, Edmund cursed again.

Just then, a cry of an eagle came from outside the window, and another swiftbird landed in the courtyard.

He turned his head and his expression tightened: "Another urgent letter?"

He grabbed it, unfolded the letter, and immediately began to read it.

He was stunned, then his eyes lit up with joy.

"Qingyu Ridge has been captured?!"

The letter clearly states that a young nobleman named Louis Calvin led over two hundred men in a surprise attack on Qingyu Ridge, breaking through the Snow Oath Warriors' defenses, beheading two hundred warriors, and capturing a key location!
“Louis?” he murmured the name, vaguely remembering it.

Isn't that the kid who traded fish for a knight?
"That Calvin kid, his cultivation isn't high, yet he's accomplished something so great at such a young age?! He's truly a talent!"

Duke Edmund gripped the letter tightly, threw his head back, and laughed wildly: "Hahaha! Well done, lad!"

At that moment, he had made his decision.

"Since we can't defend Snow Eagle City, then we don't need it anymore! Let them be trapped there and die!"

We'll surround them without attacking, cutting off their reinforcements! As long as Qingyu Ridge holds, their supplies won't get through, and the Snow Oath followers will starve like dogs sooner or later!

“Send this letter to Bond,” he said to his servant. “Tell that Louis brat to defend the passage at all costs! Not a single step back!”

"First, gather 1,500 knights as the vanguard, and have Gibson lead them immediately to Qingyu Ridge as quickly as possible to provide support."

…………

Bond received a letter from the Swiftbird at dawn.

It was an urgent military order from the Duke's personal office.

The moment he tore open the seal and unfolded the letter, his expression changed drastically.

Snow Eagle City fell, Count Frost was killed in action, and all three thousand defenders were wiped out.

Moreover, the enemy is advancing rapidly towards Qingyu Ridge, intending to retake it. "How could this be..." he murmured, his fingers trembling slightly.

He knew exactly what this meant.

Qingyu Ridge has become the last barrier to stop the main force of the Snow Oath Warriors of Binghai County.

It's easy to imagine how fierce the battle would be in this place!

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and strode towards the central command tent.

Inside the tent, Louis was scribbling something on a map.

“Sir, I must speak with you alone,” Bond said in a deep voice, his eyes serious.

Louis waved the others away, turned to him, and said, "Speak."

Bond handed over the letter, his voice low: "I am a secret envoy sent by Duke Edmund. I was previously ordered to observe you, and now I am officially delivering the Duke's war order."

He paused, his voice becoming increasingly heavy.

"Snow Eagle City has been destroyed and has now become the only barrier to block the main force of the Snow Oathmen of Ice Sea County."

The enemy is turning its main force towards this location. Your Excellency, the Duke's orders are to defend Qingyu Ridge at all costs.

He looked directly into Louis's eyes, his heart filled with trepidation.

He knew what kind of order this was.

A young nobleman, leading a force of over two hundred men, withstood the counterattack of the Snowsworn's elite forces...

This is almost a dead end.

But Louis only glanced at the letter before placing it on the table.

He nodded, his tone calm: "Understood."

Bond stood there, stunned, momentarily speechless: "Huh? You...aren't surprised? Aren't worried?"

“Worrying won’t help.” Louis turned around, his back calm and composed. “As long as we block it, that’s enough, isn’t it?”

"Aren't you going to ask anything else?" Bond couldn't help but ask.

Louis shook his head slightly: "No need."

Bond stared at him, his heart churning with turmoil.

What's wrong with this person?

With Snow Eagle City just fallen and enemy forces attacking, the situation was extremely perilous.

But the young man remained calm from beginning to end, without even frowning.

It was as if I was listening to something I had already expected.

Is this arrogance or confidence?
Of course, he couldn't have known that just yesterday morning, Louis had already foreseen the entire course of the battle through the "Daily Intelligence System."

This includes information on the gathering and movement of the Snow Oath's main force, and that Qingyu Ridge is about to become a new battlefield.

They even knew the exact number of enemy troops, their routes, and their arrival times.

Moreover, tactics have been prepared to deal with everything.

Therefore, starting yesterday, Louis began arranging ambushes, dispatching scouts, marking ambush points, and planning retreat routes...

When Bond brought the "urgent military report," he had already begun to replay the details of the seventh step of the plan in his mind.

The sheer size of the enemy force, consisting of eight hundred elite Snow Oath warriors, certainly put him under considerable pressure.

But Louis didn't want to confront the enemy head-on here, nor did he intend to gamble and wait for reinforcements.

They didn't want to waste their soldiers and knights here for nothing.

Because he has already found an opportunity.

An opportunity to wipe out these eight hundred elite Snow Oath warriors in one fell swoop.

(End of this chapter)