After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

Things suddenly took an interesting turn.

After reading the letter, Luna sat cross-legged on the chair, pondering how to end the war.

There's no rush to send troops; she currently occupies wealthy towns with well-trained soldiers and ample supplies. After happily strangling those nobles and distributing land and resources to the people, there hasn't been any major unrest.

To be honest, as long as Frank doesn't withdraw his troops, even if she's cut off from supplies and other logistical resources, she can still develop peacefully and steadily in this territory.

With her strong financial resources, Luna ordered Division Commander Kate to recruit young men everywhere, and now more than three thousand new soldiers have been recruited.

Luna originally wanted to buy some horses, but after all the cattle in the Southern Territory died of an unknown disease, the locals had to use horses to plow the land.

With the Southern nobles preparing for war, large livestock are now unable to circulate in the Southern markets.

The frustration of having money but not being able to spend it greatly impacted Luna's worldview, making her realize that tangible resources were far more important than money itself.

Luna picked up the map on the table and had only glanced at it twice when her personal guards came to report that Commander Kate had arrived.

Kate entered the room and, before she could even bow, hurriedly took the letter from the young lady.

"The royal city wants us to cooperate with their attack plan. You should take a look. Once your elder brother's letter arrives and the intelligence is confirmed, we will immediately send troops to attack the next city."

Kate read the letter over and over again, offering no comment, but his increasingly furrowed brow betrayed his inner unease.

The royal city dispatched a special force to infiltrate the southern capital, Fengrao City, to carry out a decapitation operation... Such a crucial step was not only omitted from the plan in the slightest, but was even described in a vague manner.

The Northern Army is currently in a position where it can advance or retreat as needed. Kate is confident that she can lead her soldiers to a safe withdrawal before the Southern Army can mobilize its main force.

But the royal city's demand was not to advance even a small step, but to allow them to continue their advance, like a scimitar piercing the back of the southern territory.

To put it simply, if the special forces of the royal city fail in their operation, or if there is a time difference between the actions of the two sides, the Northern Army is in danger of being surrounded.

Being surrounded on enemy territory... this is a nightmare that no military commander would want to face.

Kate strode over to the military map on the wall, remained silent for only a few minutes, and then precisely pointed her finger at a town located on a hilltop.

"Guanhai Town, Miss, if we don't occupy this town, all subsequent military operations are out of the question."

"Should we split up our forces again?" Luna sat up straight, holding the map in her hand, and found the exact location of Guanhai Town as well.

During this time, she and Kate crammed a lot of military knowledge and learned that the reasons for the establishment of towns are not all the same. Some are because of fertile land, and some are because of commerce or transportation hubs, but what they should be most wary of are those military towns.

There is no doubt that the town of Guanhai was established for military purposes. The town is located on a high ground between two plains, backed by the southern territory and facing the coastal plains, which is the area where Luna and the Northern Army are located.

The Northern Army could indeed ignore Guanhai Town and continue its advance, but if the plan failed, the Southern Army could easily cut off their retreat through this pass, trapping them between the mountains and the sea.

However, Guanhai Town is also a springboard for attacking the southern territory, so it cannot be left undefended. Even if the northern army can conquer it, it will suffer continuous attacks from the southern army.

Realizing this, Luna's excitement faded. When those above make a decision on a whim, those below have nothing to worry about.

Military and political work is indeed a highly dangerous field.

Kate pulled a cigar from her bulging pocket and said seriously, "The Northern Army has more than 5,000 men, more than 3,000 newly recruited soldiers, and 7,000 men that can be mobilized from the Imperial Guard, so the total strength is about 15,000 men."

"The army assembled in the heart of the southern territory, not counting the city's garrison soldiers, numbers at least forty thousand. Not to mention the number of high-ranking troops in the enemy army; the mages alone will probably give us a run for our money."

Luna put down the map and rubbed her face vigorously.

"We cannot divide our forces; doing so would be far more dangerous. In my opinion, we should gather our troops to attack Guanhai City, occupy the area, and then defend it firmly until the planned time. From there, we can launch an attack and disrupt their territory."

"Then we can't wait." Kate lit a cigar, took a deep drag, and reiterated her plan: "Young Miss, we should act immediately upon receiving the Duke's orders!"

As darkness fell, a warhorse from the northern territory once again propelled the war forward.

Federico donned his heavy armor, raised his hammer, and the cool sea breeze failed to dispel the heat in his heart.

The brothers beside him, their eyes gleaming fiercely in the firelight of the night, had forged strong bodies and spirits in the flames of war, and were vaguely touching upon some kind of threshold.

The only way to become stronger is through endless battles and carnage.

"Set off!"

Kate gave the order, and Federico immediately strode forward, leading the sword and shield formation to clear the way for the entire army.

The plan was simple: after capturing the town 25 miles away, the entire army would turn and infiltrate the mountains and forests, and at dawn, launch a general attack on Guanhai Town on the mountaintop.

Fire dragons stretched out along the road, their reflections shimmering on the moonlit sea.

The earth was awakened from the silence of the night. The soldiers guarding the city initially complained that the birds were too noisy tonight, and that the noise was annoying.

By the time they spotted the advancing army in the distance, it was too late; the weapons in their hands were already trembling uncontrollably from the heavy armored soldiers' frantic march.

Without any intention of concealment, the Northern Army surged out of the mountains and forests, launching an attack even faster than the defending troops. The hastily started night battle began amidst a dense rain of arrows.

The attack, as fierce as a raging storm, stunned the garrison who were used to drinking, chatting, and enjoying the scenery every day.

The most terrifying thing about people is their ability to comfort and deceive themselves.

Months ago, when news of the continuous fall of cities ahead came, they trained and reorganized their troops like madmen, wishing they could pick up all the martial arts skills they had lost.

Not long after, when they discovered that the Northern Army had stopped advancing, they became disheartened and gradually returned to their previous leisurely lives.

Some soldiers firmly believed that the Northern Army would launch an attack, but all they received was ridicule and sarcasm from their comrades.

One month, two months...

The longer it goes on, the fewer people persist in training, and the more ridicule they suffer.

The defenders, who gave up early, were like far-sighted prophets, tirelessly boasting of their incredibly accurate judgment.

As the two iron hooks slammed into the battlements and the ladder was set up, Federico charged forward, deflecting several arrows with his elbow. He then ascended the city wall almost unimpeded, meeting the gaze of the prophet who had just turned red in the face and raised a stone.

With a snap, the skull shattered, and soft material splattered everywhere.

Why not just surrender sooner? What are you still holding on to?

Federico swung the hammer in his hand, sneered, kicked the prophet's corpse aside, and charged towards the attacking defenders.

In just a short while, ladder after ladder was erected, and with Federico's help, the swordsmen and shieldmen quickly opened up attack routes.

The chaotic battle on the city wall quickly turned into a one-sided affair. The vanguard troops were assembled, Federico wiped the blood from his hammer and let out a chilling roar.

"Kill them! Kill them all!"