Cornflower Witch

Chapter 235 The Strange Changes in Creek Valley City
The melodious sound of a flute echoed through the woods, and under the clear blue sky, a line of soldiers on horseback were passing through the shade of the trees.

Their armor and clothing varied, and they had no uniform markings; their ages also varied.

These people were not carrying flags, and they rode forward in an orderly fashion, as if they were heading to a market that they had to go to, but which was not very important.

"The Valley City is just ahead."

After crossing a hill, the group stopped and stood on the slope, gazing at the valley and the city by the river.

“There, Prince Jobs has issued a summons, and we will go to his command to fight for the future of Regas.” The elderly knight in the lead turned to look at the crowd.

The people at the scene did not respond enthusiastically; their eyes were indifferent, showing some expectation, but not much.

These people are all descendants of the first Knights of the Kingdom of Regas. They were once granted land and were minor nobles in some rural area, or they were just ordinary commoners. The glory of their ancestors has long since faded and they have fallen into poverty.

For them, living under the rule of the Kingdom of Antioch was indeed somewhat difficult, but it wasn't to the point where they couldn't survive.

Everything would have just passed by slowly like this.

The withdrawal of the Kingdom of Antiy brought many changes to Regas. Their peaceful life, which they had thought they had, came to an end, and they received another decree from the royal family.

For these descendants of the original Knights, although they did not have high hopes for the royal family, out of their family oath and their longing for the belief and legend left behind by the former 'Knight King' Regard, some of them decided to believe in the Regard royal family one more time, which led to this gathering and reunion.

They will fight under the banner of the fir tree, just like their ancestors, and establish their own kingdom in the mountains.

"Are we almost there? I wonder if that brat prince is someone we can entrust our lives to." A middle-aged warrior in leather armor pulled his horse back and looked down at the valley plain below.

The members of this team had a mixture of anticipation and distrust towards the prince they had never seen before, which prevented them from making a firm decision.

“Since you’re here, why don’t you go and see him, Brother Hines?” A younger cavalryman rode up to him.

"Hehe, of course, I wouldn't have come if I didn't still have a sliver of hope." The other party chuckled, then spurred his brown warhorse forward again, following the group.

The main force of the Kingdom of Anti is currently struggling to hold off the iron cavalry of the Kingdom of Winter and is too busy to help itself. The garrison in Regas is also in a state of panic and has begun to expand its manpower and absorb local residents as soldiers. However, this has not appeased the high-ranking officers of the garrison. As newly appointed nobles, they have already sensed that the situation is not good and have begun to seek self-preservation.

“I met with the lord of Valley City yesterday.” Prince Jobs, wearing a deep red velvet-trimmed cloak, poured himself a large glass of red wine, a smug look on his face.

Inside the room, another beautiful woman in a black dress stood, her hands clasped tightly to her chest with some unease.

"Isn't it dangerous for you to meet him?"

"Hehe, sister, you're overthinking it." Jobs leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

“He’s incredibly worried now.” The prince’s shoe tip wobbled.

“City of Creek Valley is located south of Regas, far from the mainland of the Kingdom of Anti. If any unrest occurs, he won’t have many chances to run back.”

“The situation is not good now. Even if he runs back, if Antiy is conquered by Winter, he will lose everything.”

“So, he’s ready to pledge allegiance to me.” Prince Jobs picked up his wine glass again and swirled it gently.

"People are so weak and fickle, sister."

“The Regas nobles who surrendered with their legs weak before were like that, and these Antioch nobles are still like that now.” He shook his head slightly.

"Don't worry, I've always been safe. When I went to meet them yesterday, there were two 'magic practitioners' from different sects following me. With them there, the other side can't do anything."

“He said he actually greatly admired the legend of ‘Knight King’ Regard and believed that this land was naturally meant to be ruled by the descendants of that Knight King. He also gave me a lot of gold coins. I counted them and there were about 4000 of them. That’s no small amount.”

"With this money, it will be much easier for us to recruit soldiers and build equipment. Valley City is an important grain-producing area in the south, and it can easily supply an army of nearly 10,000 people."

"Look forward to it, Sister Musa. In two years, we'll be able to return to White Cliff City and reign supreme over Regas." Hearing this, Princess Musa, with her blonde hair and black dress, shook her head slightly.

"Will it go that smoothly?" She still had many worries, not only about the Kingdom of Antioch, but also about the Hundred-Eyed Cult.

"How is your chivalry progressing?" Princess Musa asked cautiously.

"The way of chivalry?" Jobs frowned slightly.

"Can't we just have the lower-ranking people learn that kind of thing? Do you expect me, the only member of the royal bloodline, to go to the battlefield?"

"As a king, the most important thing is to control the forces of all sides and possess a kingly demeanor that commands respect. Where can you find a monarch who personally goes to the front lines these days?"

"Even my father used to appoint generals or skilled noble marshals to lead the army in battle."

“Look at Antioch and Eagle Scorpion, which of the surrounding countries isn’t like this?” Jobs shook his head.

"Sister has read too many family poems and legends. Not everyone can be like our ancestor Regard. Besides, that was the pioneering period, when we had to put all our strength into it."

Hearing this, Princess Musa stopped trying to persuade him. She was also worried that her brother might encounter some misfortune on the front lines.

"I hope so," she thought to herself.

……

Over the course of several months, undercurrents were stirring in Valley City as more and more warriors came from all over Regas, some even gathering and discussing openly in the streets.

Faced with this situation, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Antiy in the city turned a blind eye. Even if a few were dissatisfied and prepared to teach them a lesson or arrest them, they would be held back by their comrades.

"No, no, we both know what these people are thinking, but now that the city lord has tacitly approved, if you try to interfere, you'll only make things worse."

"If that doesn't work, sneak away and go back to Antioch. Everyone is in a panic right now, and the city lord won't issue arrest warrants for deserters."

Under these circumstances, many of the Antioch Kingdom's troops, sensing the unfavorable situation, began to secretly withdraw.

In any case, it was the nobles who received the fiefdoms and rewards, and it had nothing to do with the commoners of the Kingdom of Antioch. They were already quite satisfied with the money they had plundered during the conquest war, so they might as well just escape back to their hometowns and enjoy it.

As one side gains at the expense of the other, the number of Antio soldiers stationed in Valley City decreased, while the number of troops gathered under the former Regas royal family increased, and their confidence grew stronger.

Such a situation could not be concealed at all. The situation in Valley City was quickly reported to the country by the secret envoy of the Kingdom of Anti. Even while busy fighting the harsh winter, the Kingdom of Anti still dispatched an elite team to go straight to Valley City and eliminate this emerging threat.

If Regas can be held, even if the Kingdom of Antioch falls, they will still have a place to retreat and recover. If even this place falls, then the Kingdom of Antioch will have nowhere to retreat and will be attacked from both the north and the south.

The deployment of this team was also noticed by the city lord of Valley City, as he was a long-established nobleman in the Kingdom of Antioch and still had various intelligence connections.

Upon hearing this news, the city lord began to lose his appetite and sleep, fearing punishment from the Kingdom of Antioch. So he once again took the initiative to meet with Prince Jobs and convey the message to him.

"Just one unit?" Jobs chuckled after hearing that.

"This is the perfect opportunity to establish my authority. Once I defeat them, I dare say that a large number of lords will pledge their allegiance to me the very next day."

"How could I refuse such a gift?"

Faced with the overwhelming force of the suppression elite, the warriors gathered in Valley City began to intensify their training, and the flags on the city walls were finally replaced with the dark blue flags of the Regas royal family.

A week later, they will head north to crush and bury that elite force that has traveled a long way, and restore the dignity of the royal family.

The Second War for the Founding of the Nation was about to break out.

(End of this chapter)