novelraw Chapter 494
Chapter 494
On that day, a headline in an information publication sent shockwaves through the Imperial capital.
'Today, the meeting between the Bardia and Grandek families broke off. On the same day, the Foxmen began their invasion.'
Many nobles were jealous of the Bardia family's single-handed development and took up the issue of the Bardia family and the Grandek family with only mild harassment.
Still, few of them thought that the Grandeks would really invade.
However, this information confused the nobles and slowed down the initial response of the empire.
The reason was that there was a considerable distance between the Bardia territory and the imperial capital.
Even if the Grandeks were to invade, it would take time for the information to reach the capital.
It was impossible for an event that occurred in Bardia territory to be reported so quicklyi in the newspapers.
Either that, or someone was intentionally spreading false information.
Soldiers in the Imperial Capital immediately investigated the trading company that had published the magazine in order to scrutinize the information.
However, the source of the information remained unknown, as the reporters had disappeared, perhaps fearing capture.
Emperor Irwin called an emergency meeting of the nobles and stated that he would immediately dispatch imperial troops to investigate the information.
However, the conservatives objected to this.
Even if it is for the purpose of information inspection, dispatching the "Imperial Army" with a large force will provoke Zubera,
At worst, it could lead to an all-out war between the two countries.
No matter how much it was for the purpose of saving Bardia, it would be a complete disaster if it turned into an all-out war between the two countries.
First of all, the scouting party should be kept in place to confirm the information.
On the other hand, the revolutionary faction fully supported the emperor's opinion.
If a large army is prepared and dispatched after the scouting party confirms the information, it will be too late, and the Bardia territory will fall into the hands of the Foxmen.
If this were to happen, the unity and authority of the Imperial nobility would be weakened, and diplomacy with other countries would not be able to proceed in an effective manner.
The opinion was that we should show our resolve ...... not to resign ourselves to an all-out war.
The meeting was extremely chaotic due to the division of opinion between the conservatives and the innovators, and the time was getting shorter and shorter.
In the midst of all this, the Marquis Berluti came up with a compromise.
"Oshin fears an all-out war with Zubera. The heart that considers the empire and the Bardia territory. Both,
We both have the same feelings for the Empire. How about we take your feelings into consideration and dispatch an army ...... at a slightly different time?"
His idea is to first dispatch a small force of highly mobile advance troops.
Then, every few days, he would dispatch a company with greater mobility.
The advance squadron would conduct a close examination of the information, and if the information was false, it would be passed on to the following squadrons, which would then withdraw.
If the information was true, the subsequent imperial forces would be assembled in front of Bardia territory to confront the Grandeks.
In this way, a large force could be dispatched with minimal irritation to Zubera .......
"What do you think, Your Majesty? With this plan, we can send a large army to save Bardia while preserving the face of the Empire."
Hmmm. ......
Various opinions were exchanged, but in the end, the emperor accepted the Marquis Berluti's proposal.
and decided to dispatch an army to Bardia.
However, although the information was brought to him in the morning, by the time the meeting was over, it was dark.
On the night of the day after the meeting was held at the imperial castle.
Again, a violent earthquake strikes the imperial capital, which is hurrying to prepare for the dispatch of the troops.
The Christie Trading Company, which has close ties with the Bardia family, distributed an issue of a newspaper with the headline, "The Battle of Fortress of Narrow Gap is Overwhelming Victory for the Bardia Family," throughout the capital.
Gareth Grandek, the chief of the Foxmen tribe, led an army of 60,000 men to invade the Bardia-controlled Fortress of the Narrows.
At the same time, his son, Amon Grandek, rose up to save his people from the oppression of the current government.
Rainer Bardia and Rid Bardia, the heads of the Bardia family, cooperated with Amon and defeated Gareth Grandek with an army of about 9,000 men.
Their eldest son, Elba Grandek, who was considered the chief of the Foxmen tribe at the time, and his second son, Malbus Grandek, who had been assisting him, were both defeated.
In addition, the majority of the Foxmen, including Rafa Grandek, the eldest daughter, announced their support for Amon Grandek as the next tribal chief.
The battle of Fort Narrow ended in a dramatic victory for the Bardia family that would go down in history."
This information immediately reached the ears of the Emperor Empress and the nobles, and "Emma," who had been staying at the Christie Trading Company in the Imperial City, was summoned to the Imperial Castle to investigate the information.
Surrounded by the imperial aristocrats, she explained the circumstances to the emperor and empress in front of them, telling them that the contents of the newsletter were true.
According to her, Emma left the Bardia territory in a charcoal truck immediately after the "Battle of the Narrow Fortress" was settled.
It took a whole day, but she managed to arrive at the imperial capital by the end of the day and announced the newsletters.
Those present were stunned by her ability to act and the speed at which the information was transmitted, which overturned conventional wisdom.
However, what surprised them most of all was the fact that the Bardia family, led by Amon Grandek, had defeated an army of approximately 9,000 men against an army of 60,000 Fox people led by Gareth Grandek.
It is a common practice to exaggerate the results of a battle in order to awe foreign nations, but there was no exaggeration in the results of this battle.
Elba Grandek, a member of the Fox tribe who was defeated, was a well-known candidate for the next Beast King who rules the Beast Kingdom of Zubera.
He was more famous among some people than Gareth Grandek, the current tribal chief, and was a big man who demonstrated not only his military prowess but also his political power, and was connected with the nobles and executives of many countries, with black rumors abounding.
The emperor and empress were overjoyed when they heard all the explanations, and the imperial nobles were also delighted at the great results of the war that had raised the prestige of the empire.
Emma reported the news in the imperial capital.
The report she made to Their Majesties and the nobles undeniably had a great impact on the reputation of the Bardia family and "Rid Bardia.
However, those in the Bardia territory had no way of knowing this, and it would be some time before they would realize it.
â—‡
A few days after the end of the battle at Fort Narrows.
In a room with flickering candles in a mansion, a group of people were gathered in black robes and hoods, their faces hidden by masks.
They were gathered around a round table, the air heavy with gravity.
"...... I never thought in my wildest dreams that Gareth would be killed and Elba Grandek would be defeated."
A figure with an undecorated white mask spoke out bitterly, and a figure sitting in a chair at the far end of the room nodded his head and said, "Oh, absolutely.
His mask is divided into two colors, black and white.
'The plan to awaken the nobles, who had been so lukewarm about the idea of peace that they had even lost their minds after seeing the Bardia territory being overrun by Gareth and Elba, has ...... collapsed."
The black-and-white mask cowered his shoulders and shook his head, "But ......" he said, his voice rising.
"This will be a good thing for us."
Everyone in the room twists their heads and looks skeptical at his words.
"What do you mean?"
White Mask raised his hand as if to represent the others.
"I'll explain the details after I've worked out the plan a little better. Well, let's just say that 'they' have value to us. We're going to need them to do something for us."
Our ......?　I don't think 'they' would agree with our ideology?"
The people in the room nod in agreement to the white mask's answer.
However, the black-and-white mask shook his head.
"I do not believe they are like-minded either. But we have to look at the bigger picture. Even if they don't intend to do so, it is all right if the result is in line with our intentions."
"Oh, ......, I see. So you will be relying more heavily on them from now on?"
The white mask nodded slowly as if he had guessed something.
"That's what I mean. Well, we have planted many seeds. Let's all enjoy the harvest together."
When the masked man opened his arms, the people in the room nodded their heads, creating a suspicious atmosphere.
When the meeting was over and the black-and-white mask remained alone in the room, there was a polite knock at the door.
"May I come in, my Lord?"
"Oh, it's Robe, isn't it? It's all right."
"Excuse me."
Upon entering the room, Robe approached the black-and-white mask, got down on one knee, and bowed his head.
I'm sorry ......, sir. The battle of Fortress of the Narrows is as announced by the Christie Trading Company.
I see. But this will move public opinion in the right direction for us. Thank you for your hard work."
"It's a tremendous thing, sir."
Robe was awed, "But ......," he muttered regretfully, which was unusual for him.
I am sorry about Meldy Bardia. We had a great chance to get Meldy Bardia in our hands, but Elba reneged on his promise that he would only give it to us after we defeated Bardia, and Rafa prevented us from taking her.
"Well, it was indeed unfortunate about Meldy, but we had to give up the matter gracefully, saying that we had no chance this time. Instead, we now have a good, albeit hard to deal with, pawn."
The black-and-white mask answers with a smile, and Robe shakes his head.
'...... I disagree. I've told you before, I don't think he'll listen to what the Lord says. In fact, a 'precedent' has already been set.
"He will be a force to be reckoned with, even with that included. Well, you will need to rest for a while."
As he said this, the black-and-white mask suddenly started coughing.
"Is everything all right, my Lord?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have caught a bad cold recently, I've been feeling a little under the weather. I'm fine now."
The black-and-white mask sat up and said with deep emotion, "Even so, .......
"You've opened up a 'new path' that I thought was most unlikely. Hmmm, they are going to continue to entertain us in the future."
They left the meeting place and disappeared into the darkness of the dark passages.
T/n . This is finale chapter of arc 5