The royal capital of Severeb was much more depressed than before the war broke out. The flames of war that swept across the continent had not yet reached here, but almost every household in the city had people who were drawn into the war and joined the various forces.
As the war continued, not only did the number of residents and merchants in the city decrease, but supplies also began to become scarce.
In a secret room in the royal palace, Queen Laura and several of her most trusted ministers were holding a meeting. Present were her teacher and commander of the Royal Guard, Master Salmeron, Prime Minister of the Empire, Duke Francisco, commander of the City Guard, Duke Landines, Chief Royal Mage and Lord of the Sky Rift Tower, Julian.
As usual, Duke Landines reported the latest battle situation: "… Duke Hoval of Rock Castle suffered another defeat on the plains of the Legon River. His army was twice as large as Count Carlos's, and he had two marquises to help him, but he was still overwhelmed by the Count's berserkers. When he fled back to Bavaria, 40% of his troops were killed or wounded. Now he is hiding in the city and dares not come out."
Queen Laura rubbed her frowning brows with her fingers. She had been suffering from headaches since the war broke out and her forces were losing ground. Every time she heard someone lose the war, her brows would ache: "Should we support Barona, the eldest son of the Duke of Rock Castle? Although his younger brother is honest and easy to control, his military talent is really..."
Salmeron said: "Your Majesty, I want to say something fair. Even when the Berserkers broke up the main formation, he was able to gather the troops and escape to a city more than 30 kilometers away. This Hoval is quite capable.
You may not have seen a group of berserkers charging. That kind of scene is really not something that ordinary soldiers can bear. Even the beast army of the empire cannot bear it. In the past, the berserker army trained by the Arias family for the empire had fought against the beast army with a larger number of people many times on the eastern battlefield, and they won most of the battles. "
"So what suggestions do you have? Bavaria is not a big city. Once this city is destroyed, the Rock Castle behind will be in danger. If Count Carlos takes the Rock Castle, he can reach the capital in a week.
What's more, the army of the Earl's daughter is also having a great time in the south. Several barons and viscounts have been wiped out by them. If she is not stopped, she will soon break through Lagos City and join forces with the Alonso family."
Duke Landines said: "Well... According to the latest intelligence, the Duchess of Lagos, Josefina, is under siege."
"Can you tell me why? There aren't many berserkers in Serinda's army, right? Why was it able to defeat the Duchess?" asked the Queen.
Duke Landines said, "Your Majesty, they took many young and middle-aged residents along the way and burned their villages. They forced those people to join their army and then drove them to attack the next city. Many of them died without knowing why, but those who survived fought a few battles and could really kill people. So now Serinda's army has surpassed Count Carlos's army in numbers."
"How despicable! They treat my people like this. What good is it even if they conquer a piece of land? They are just a group of locusts." Queen Laura said.
Duke Francisco said, "That's why we suffer in many ways. The Arias family is crazy. Crazy people can be arrogant for a while, but they can't last long."
Duke Landines said, "Your Majesty, the good news is that on the northern battlefield, Count Bellano has won several battles in succession, pushing the battle line between us and the Empire more than ten kilometers northward."
Queen Laura said, "These days, good news has come from there. But Blackwood Pass has been lost. If Orgas could be as loyal and good at fighting as Belano, how could Blackwood Pass, which has not changed hands for hundreds of years, fall into the hands of the Imperials? Now the Imperials on the western front may attack Belano from the east, and then our battle will be difficult to fight."
Duke Francisco said: "Based on the intelligence we have received so far, this is unlikely. The Chinese have made the Imperials very alert, and the Imperials' troops on the western front may give priority to attacking Chinese towns. The Chinese are obviously not going to let the Imperials go. After all, the surprise attack on Heimu Pass caused them great losses. If these two great enemies can fight each other, it will really be a good thing for us."
"I hope the God of Nature can protect us in this matter." said Queen Laura.
After the two dukes finished telling all the information, Queen Laura found that the situation was getting worse. After everyone left, she left her teacher Salmeron alone. The queen sat in her seat, holding her chin with her hand and thinking for a long time, and then said: "If this continues, I really can only take the path of compromise with the temple."
Salmeron said, "You must think clearly. Once you allow the temple to interfere in the affairs of the kingdom, we will never have the chance to drive them away. Then you and your descendants will be like those kingdoms and empires in history, forever facing the interference of theocracy in royal power."
"But if I don't do this, I might be the one who gets eliminated. Each of these people has his own plan. When things become irreversible, I believe many of them will want to kidnap me and give me to the Empire or the Chinese.
Hum, you know what? Someone has been telling me that Emperor Alfred is a very handsome and powerful man, and if I marry him, we can create the most powerful country on the continent. "
"How did you respond?"
"I found a crime to exile him." Queen Laura sighed, "At least the Temple of Nature is much better in this regard. They are like a reputable businessman. As long as I am willing to pay the price, they are willing to help me win this war. At least the empires and kingdoms in history told me that I am not the first one, and the ending will not be too bad, right
Even the joining of the Temple of Nature will be very helpful for me to check those nobles who are unruly and have not obeyed me so far. I think the situation of the royal family will not be worse than it is now. "
Salmeron thought for a while, nodded and said, "I believe you will make the most appropriate judgment, my queen, please go ahead and do it. No matter what, I will always stand by your side."
"Wait a little longer. The timing is still a little off." (To be continued)