novelraw Chapter 234 - 10: The Duke of the Northern Territory’s Decision
Chapter 234 - 10: The Duke of the Northern Territory’s Decision
Seeing the determined look on Kuge’s face, Qin Feng didn’t want to dampen his spirits, but he still felt compelled to offer a reminder.
"You definitely can’t do it alone."
He paused, his tone growing more solemn:
"There are three Hero Level beings stationed on this Great Wall."
"And they have skills and Talents that can take your life in an instant."
Qin Feng’s voice deepened as his gaze swept toward the depths of the Great Wall:
"On top of that..."
"In the partitioned residential areas built inside the ramparts below..."
"...at least a hundred thousand soldiers of the Gulad Army are also stationed there."
Kuge was instantly astonished.
"Your Majesty!?"
"You... You can actually see that far!?"
"You can even see what’s inside the wall!?"
Qin Feng gave a noncommittal nod.
As "Eagle Eye" was the top-tier starting skill of the Ranger Profession, every time he demonstrated its effect, it drew gasps of amazement from everyone around him.
So, Qin Feng had long since grown used to it.
"Incredible!"
Kuge couldn’t help but exclaim, a reverent light flashing in his eyes.
"Truly the Divine Power bestowed by the heavens!"
As he finished speaking, an indescribable shock surged through Kuge’s heart, and he grew even more grateful for his decision to swear allegiance to Qin Feng.
The power of this Divine Chosen Monarch before him was far greater than that of Galukasa, the Flame Emperor.
What was even rarer was his meticulous approach to governing, which always kept the morale of the people in his territories at its absolute peak.
Qin Feng ignored Kuge’s nearly worshipful gaze and simply began to analyze the situation in a calm tone.
"Since you knew nothing about the three Heroes stationed on the Great Wall, nor about the Gulad Army soldiers hidden inside it..."
"...that means..."
"...the Duke of the Northern Territory has secretly stashed away troops."
Qin Feng said slowly, grasping the reins on the Winged Dragon Beast’s back.
"He didn’t answer Flame Emperor Galukasa’s call to send all the Northern Territory’s main forces to the southern battlefield."
"Instead, he secretly kept back at least a hundred thousand regular troops, plus several hundred Extraordinary Soldiers."
"And three Heroes..."
Hearing this, Kuge frowned deeply, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the handle of his spear as he pondered the implications.
The one hundred thousand regular troops weren’t a major concern.
After all, no matter how numerous, such cannon-fodder troops were just ordinary combatants with minimal impact on the overall war effort.
But those several hundred Extraordinary Soldiers, combined with three Heroes who had reached the Extraordinary Realm, formed a terrifyingly powerful core force.
The Duke of the Northern Territory had hidden them deep inside the Great Wall.
Instead of sending them to the southern front.
Clearly, this cunning Duke of the Northern Territory was not entirely loyal to Flame Emperor Galukasa.
In other words, he fundamentally disagreed with the Gulad Empire’s strategy of launching a war of foreign aggression before the Evil God disaster was even contained.
That was why he had deliberately kept this formidable Extraordinary Force in reserve.
That way, if the Evil God disaster in the Northern Territory were to escalate, he could quickly dispatch this hidden Extraordinary Force to suppress the Void Creatures rampaging through his domain.
Conversely,
If the Duke of the Northern Territory were a truly "loyal" man,
he would have blindly sent all the imperial troops from the northern towns—especially those powerful Extraordinary Forces—to the southern battlefield.
Then, if Evil God Believers opened another Void Gate in the Northern Territory, the land would be left completely defenseless, and countless villages and towns would devolve into Death Zones, impassable for the living.
Moreover,
the Duke of the Northern Territory couldn’t count on the Lord Players in the northern towns.
After all, these players had only recently finished the "Strongest Lord" event, and most of their Divine Chosen Teams were still at the Zero-star (Purple) and Zero-star (Gold) stages.
They completely lacked the ability to clear the Void Bosses from the core of the Death Zones on their own.
At this thought, a flash of excitement crossed Kuge’s eyes, and he eagerly volunteered:
"Your Majesty Tingfeng!"
His voice was filled with eagerness.
"Let me go talk to them first!"
"These Gulad soldiers from the Northern Territory are hiding in the Great Wall, refusing to obey Emperor Gulad’s orders. That’s practically an act of treason!"
"Perhaps we can take the entire Northern Territory of the Gulad Empire without losing a single soldier!"
Qin Feng nodded slightly, then looked at Kuge, his instructions laced with caution.
"Mm."
"Go."
"Be careful."
"And remember, do not dismount the dragon."
"If they show any sign of attacking..."
"...fly straight back here."
In truth, if Princess Amilia had handled the negotiations instead of Kuge, a Royal Dragon Rider, the chances of persuading the soldiers to surrender would likely have been higher.
However, when the young princess swore her allegiance, she had one condition: she would never raise a hand against the people of the Gulad Empire, nor would she use her royal status to force her former compatriots—men who had sworn to defend their homeland—to surrender.
For this very reason, Qin Feng hadn’t brought her on this expedition at all, leaving her in the Minotaur Kingdom to help Fenrir manage the various affairs related to its integration.
This itself was a massive undertaking, one that not only consumed a great deal of time but also required someone with political savvy to oversee.
After all,
The Minotaur Kingdom was in no way comparable to the scattered Sub-human Tribes of the Northern Forest.
It was a true national power with a complete, established system.
To be sure, the Minotaurs’ willingness to submit so quickly to Qin Feng’s Holy Empire was due to his own formidable strength and the looming threat of the Gulad Empire’s Dragon Cavalry Team.