Two days later, Earl John returned to Heimu Pass, bringing with him the intentions of the Emperor.
In the last meeting, Earl John said solemnly: "His Majesty Emperor Alfred has decided to withdraw troops from here. The first batch of troops to withdraw were already in action yesterday. However, due to the urgent military situation, we do not have time to waste time here to complete the signing of the non-aggression treaty. A few days ago, I listened to your introduction to this kind of treaty and found that it is not quite the same as the common alliances on the continent. It also involves the issue of third-party forces."
"In fact, the core of the treaty is very simple, which is not to invade each other's territory and not to intervene in wars launched by each other or a third party." Xiao Chen said.
"For us, any treaty is a sacred thing witnessed by the God of Nature. Therefore, His Majesty the Emperor attaches great importance to this treaty. After all, there is no such precedent on this continent. It takes a long time to formulate the terms and discuss with the Senate." When Earl John said this, he looked very solemn. When he mentioned the God of Nature, he stood up straighter. The name of God is a very serious matter for people with faith on the continent. "Your Majesty means that when this war is completely over, we can have enough time to consider the details, and then sign this treaty to improve the relationship between you and the Empire."
"We understand your choice. Please rest assured that whether a treaty is concluded or not, we will not take the initiative to provoke trouble." Xiao Chen said.
"That's good." Count John said, "There is no doubt that you have the upper hand in Heimuguan. So the risk of this operation is actually on the Empire's side. It can be said that we have borne all the possibilities of accidents. But His Majesty the Emperor believes that you are a group of far-sighted people who will not destroy the balance at this time and will not disappoint his expectations of you. I hope that this withdrawal operation will be the beginning of mutual trust between us."
"Of course, we Chinese always keep our word," said Shi Hao.
"The Empire always rewards those who trust it generously," said Earl John.
Earl John came and went in a hurry. He met with Xiao Chen and others for less than half a day before leaving Heimu Pass.
After Earl John left, Xiao Chen, Huang Zheng, Zhang Hong and Orgas came to Shi Hao's office to discuss the matter.
Xiao Chen asked, "What do you think the Imperials meant? They actually compromised so quickly?"
"This matter is indeed a bit weird. I thought they would put forward more conditions. Whether it is supplies or items, it is not strange at all that they ask for us, right? But they don't want anything, which makes me very uneasy." Huang Zheng said.
Shi Hao said: "I think their choice is not wrong. From a military point of view, what's the point of staying here and wasting military rations? If it were me, I would make the same decision quickly. Master Orgas, what do you think?"
Olgas stroked his mustache and said, "I don't think it's necessary to look at this from the perspective of logistics. The little emperor in the north has been preparing for a new war for quite a long time. The harvest in the north has been good in the past two years, and they are not short of food. And even if you Chinese did not bring cannons into Heimuguan, it would take more than ten days or half a month to attack this pass. They must have prepared enough food and grass to go on such a personal expedition. Therefore, staying here for five days, ten days or twenty days is not the ultimate motivation for their action."
"That makes sense." Huang Zheng agreed. "I've read a lot of war history on the continent. It's normal for many sieges to last half a year or a year. What's more, it's an ancient pass like Blackwood Pass. The enemy must have been prepared for a protracted battle."
Zhang Hong had been silent until he suddenly realized that this was the opportunity that Earl John had been talking about. The time he had been waiting for had come. He suddenly felt his palms getting cold and his heart began to beat fast.
However, although he was considered to have a higher level of practice among the consultants, he seldom spoke, and the people present did not pay too much attention to his silence.
Huang Zheng said: "The most likely possibility is that something happened on the Eastern Front, which led to their action."
Olgas sighed and said, "In fact, if there is no civil unrest in the kingdom, the Empire will not be able to invade. The two dukes on the eastern front are both quite powerful, and their troops are elite troops who have fought against the Empire for many years. Moreover, the battle line over there is close to the capital. If Queen Laura sends reinforcements to the north, it will be difficult for the Empire to fight on the eastern front."
"But we don't have any intelligence from there." Huang Zheng said, "We can only guess."
"It's a guess." Orgas said, "And there is another guess, that the problem lies in the north. The northern border of the empire borders the orc tribes, and the pressure they face is much greater than our southern part. Although now is not the season for orc invasion, who knows
I heard that Saint Celia, the Glacier Walker who guards the northern border, has not appeared for nearly two years because of training. Maybe the orcs will take this opportunity to launch an attack. So the emperor may have transferred the troops back to the north."
"As long as the situation is one of these two, then there will be no problem with their actions this time." Xiao Chen touched his chin and thought for a while, then said: "But is it possible that they are hiding a conspiracy to deal with us? If they are targeting us, what tricks will they play behind the scenes?"
"No way? We just need to hold the checkpoint. Whatever they do outside will be useless." Zhang Hong swallowed and said, "If you are worried, you can go and investigate. As long as they withdraw, there will be no trouble."
"You're right." Xiao Chen agreed, "We should go investigate. We can't just wait here passively."
Huang Zheng said: "More than ten days ago, they used fog to cover the sky above the camp, and actively searched for invisible Mage Eyes. They shot down more than a dozen Mage Eyes every day, and we couldn't observe the situation inside their camp. It's no longer feasible to observe them using Mage Eyes, so we can only go and see for ourselves."
"I'll go." Xiao Chen said.
"You must be joking. Of course I'm the one who sends people. With our guards here, why do you, an administrative head, need to serve as a scout?" Shi Hao said.
"Just guard Heimu Pass well. You all know that I never fight alone. I am most likely to burst out my fighting power in any situation."
Shi Hao thought about it and it made sense. "If that's the case, your strength alone is too weak. Ask Master Orgas to go with you. He is familiar with the various situations of the Imperials. Bring Roger and Evelyn with you. This will not only be safer, but also give you a better chance if a combat operation is needed." (To be continued)