Lord: I can see loyalty.

The main camp of the Northern Allied Knights Army, the central tent.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as the sky before a storm.

The candlelight on the long table flickered in the draft, casting shifting shadows on the faces of the people whose expressions were constantly changing.

Marcus Whitehorse sat in the main seat, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest, producing a monotonous and dull sound.

Before him lay the battle report that had just been delivered from the Black Forest. The handwriting on the parchment was messy, but every word felt like a knife stabbing into his heart.

"One hundred and thirteen men were killed in action... and eighty-seven were captured." He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the people on both sides of the long table, his voice hoarse, "Two hundred elite knights, gone just like that."

No one dared to speak. The Silver Fox representative lowered his head, staring at the wine glass on the table, while the Iron Hammer representative clenched his fists.

Leon sat in the corner, expressionless, but the weariness in his eyes was even deeper.

Rand, who proposed the attack, leaned back in his chair, one eye half-closed, as if dozing off, but everyone knew he was thinking.

"We didn't take Blackwater City, and we didn't take Blackwood Fortress either," a captain from the Silver Fox Clan couldn't help but say. "We lost this battle in a truly humiliating way."

"Cowardly?" Marcus sneered. "Not cowardly, but stupid."

"We underestimated the Earl of the South and overestimated ourselves. They were well-prepared. Blackwater City was just bait, and Blackwood Fortress was not easily captured. We plunged in headfirst and were left with nothing but bones."

Rand opened his eyes, his single eye gleaming in the candlelight. "There's no point in saying this now."

His voice was calm and unhurried. "The most urgent thing is to figure out what to do next. The Earl of the Southern Border will not give us a chance to breathe; he will retaliate soon."

"A counterattack?" The Hammer family representative scoffed. "He's just an earl; where would he get so many troops? Our Northern Allied Army has 30,000. Does he dare to counterattack?"

"Thirty thousand? Don't fool yourself." Rand's voice remained calm. "In the battles of Blackwater and Blackwood, we lost two hundred elite knights and countless militiamen, while the Southern Territory only lost a few dozen men... This is not a matter of troop strength, but a matter of morale and tactics."

"Moreover, your own intelligence coverage is too limited. The military strength in the Southern and Western territories is far greater than you think."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" The captain of the Silver Fox family stood up, looked at him, and said, "If you have a plan, then tell me."

Rand paused for a moment, then slowly spoke. "My method is to wait..."

"Wait?" The Silver Fox captain's eyes widened. "Wait for what? Wait for the Southern Earl to attack?"

"We can only wait for news from the capital." Rand stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location of the Northern Capital.

"His Majesty Cedric is already gathering the armies of the great families—the main forces of the Golden Saddle Horses, the Black Serpents, and the Golden Mane Griffins. Each of them commands a formidable army, and they are better equipped and more well-trained. As long as they can assemble..."

"I don't think the Earl of the Southern Border could cause any trouble, even if he had three heads and six arms."

The tent was quiet for a moment.

Marcus looked at the map, his brow furrowed. He knew Rand was telling the truth, but why were these small and medium-sized families fighting this war?

It was all for military merit, for rewards, and for a share of the spoils after the war.

If they wait until the powerful families' armies arrive, the credit for the war will go to those families, and they'll only get scraps.

“We can’t wait,” Marcus shook his head. “We can’t afford to wait. His Majesty Cedric sent us to be the vanguard, not to wait. If we just sit here and wait, what will he think of us? What will the other families think of us?”

"So the commander means..." Rand looked at him.

Marcus stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the twilight outside. "There's more than one way. If we can't take Blackwood and Blackwater, we'll try another."

The crowd exchanged glances, some with a hint of worry in their eyes, others with a hint of excitement.

Rand was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"Another route? Commander, you mean...?"

"By sea or by mountain road."

Marcus turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "Let's take the sea route from the west, bypass the main defenses of the south, and attack the southern homeland directly."

"Their main force is all at the front line, leaving their rear vulnerable. As long as we can break through the southern border, the morale of the southern army at the front will be unstable, and then we can attack them from both sides."

He paused, then said, "Another mountain route, through the high mountains of the eastern border, can also circle around to the enemy's rear... but the route through the eastern border is too dangerous, and no one can guarantee the safety of the march."

Silence returned to the large tent.

Some people gasped, some looked excited, and some looked worried.

"By sea?" The Silver Fox family captain frowned. "What about those pirates? Although there aren't many native pirates in the North, there are still quite a few remnants in the West. If they—"

"Don't forget, those pirates haven't shown their faces in a long time," the Iron Hammer family representative interrupted him.

"Especially Timothy, who used to harass us. We haven't heard from him since the war started. He might be dead. Anyway, going by sea might actually be feasible."

Marcus nodded, his gaze falling on Rand. "Rand, what do you think?"

Rand remained silent for a long time, staring with his one eye at the winding coastline on the map.

The sea route is indeed a feasible one.

Whether they launch a direct attack on the western border or a flanking attack on the southern border's rear, they have a good chance of winning.

The western border has a long coastline and numerous, disorganized ports, while the southern border is vast and sparsely populated, making it impossible to defend it entirely.

Moreover, that sea area has been calm for a long time since the Earl of the South wiped out the pirates of the West.

The guard in the southern border should also be lowered...

"The sea route is indeed feasible," he finally said, "but two problems need to be solved."

Which two?

"First, ships. We don't have enough warships and need to requisition merchant ships from various families for conversion. Second, manpower. We need an elite force that can quickly break through the southern border's defenses after landing and seize ports or checkpoints."

Marcus nodded. "I'll figure out how to handle the ship issue; as for the people..."

His gaze fell on the representatives of the Silver Fox family and the Iron Hammer family. "You two families will send people. I've heard that the Silver Fox family is good at naval warfare, while the Iron Hammer family is good at siege warfare. Each of you will send five hundred people, making a total of one thousand, led by the captain of the Silver Fox family."

The captain of the Silver Fox family stood up and clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "Yes, sir!"

The representative from the Iron Hammer family also stood up and nodded.

Seeing this, Marcus turned around and glanced at everyone. "We'll set off in three days. This time, success is the only option; failure is not an option."

"If we fail, we might as well not come back and just die in the sea..."

"Yes, ma'am!" everyone replied in unison.

The twilight outside the tent had deepened.

In the distance, wisps of smoke could be faintly seen rising from the southern border.

In the west, the seas of the Kingdom of Rovia, which had just calmed down, are about to be stirred up by a new storm.

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Marcus nodded, his gaze falling on Rand. "Rand, what do you think?"

Rand remained silent for a long time, staring with his one eye at the winding coastline on the map.

The sea route is indeed a feasible one.

Whether they launch a direct attack on the western border or a flanking attack on the southern border's rear, they have a good chance of winning.

The western border has a long coastline and numerous, disorganized ports, while the southern border is vast and sparsely populated, making it impossible to defend it entirely.

Moreover, that sea area has been calm for a long time since the Earl of the South wiped out the pirates of the West.

The guard in the southern border should also be lowered...

"The sea route is indeed feasible," he finally said, "but two problems need to be solved."

Which two?

"First, ships. We don't have enough warships and need to requisition merchant ships from various families for conversion. Second, manpower. We need an elite force that can quickly break through the southern border's defenses after landing and seize ports or checkpoints."

Marcus nodded. "I'll figure out how to handle the ship issue; as for the people..."

His gaze fell on the representatives of the Silver Fox family and the Iron Hammer family. "You two families will send people. I've heard that the Silver Fox family is good at naval warfare, while the Iron Hammer family is good at siege warfare. Each of you will send five hundred people, making a total of one thousand, led by the captain of the Silver Fox family."

The captain of the Silver Fox family stood up and clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "Yes, sir!"

The representative from the Iron Hammer family also stood up and nodded.

Seeing this, Marcus turned around and glanced at everyone. "We'll set off in three days. This time, success is the only option; failure is not an option."

"If we fail, we might as well not come back and just die in the sea..."

"Yes, ma'am!" everyone replied in unison.

The twilight outside the tent had deepened.

In the distance, wisps of smoke could be faintly seen rising from the southern border.

In the west, the seas of the Kingdom of Rovia, which had just calmed down, are about to be stirred up by a new storm.