"Master, have you found anything?"
Looking at Charlotte who was lost in thought, Sebastian asked curiously.
Charlotte frowned and nodded slightly, but soon shook her head:
"No... I'm just a little confused about the significance of the rebels stationed on the banks of the Dorne River. Our Castel Territory has developed maritime trade and many water systems. As long as the nobles are near the sea or the river, almost every family has a ship..."
"The Legris family is one of the three viscount families, so it is impossible for them not to have a fleet. The Dorne River is the largest river in Western Unat, and it is also the main waterway for trade between the North and Eastern Unat. Now, the upper reaches of the Dorne River are controlled by the Legris family."
"The upper reaches of the Dorne River can directly reach the East Unet Blacklands, which is a paradise for mercenaries. As far as I know, there are many mercenary ships that travel between East Unet and Castel via the Dorne River..."
"The Legris family... really has no means of crossing the river?"
Viscount Len-Castell explained:
"My Lord, the Dorne River is too wide, and there are too many rebels. The only bridge is close to the North Harbor, and the coast is heavily guarded. Even if the rebels organize a fleet, it will be difficult to cross the river. Not to mention that Castel has a fleet. The fleets composed of nobles from various families are already patrolling the coastline and the estuary."
Charlotte thought for a moment and asked again:
"What about extraordinary means? As far as I know, some powerful magicians should be able to freeze the river for a certain period of time? It's winter now, and the weather may be even colder in a few days, which is more suitable for the use of frost magic."
"What do you think... Could it be that the Laiglis family is planning to hire a high-level magician to help them cross the river?"
Sebastian hesitated for a moment and said:
"Master, although this possibility exists, it is probably not very likely. Extraordinary powers are indeed common in wars, but if you want to cast a spell that can allow tens of thousands of people to cross the Dorne River, you need a wizard of at least the rank of Blazing Sun to take action..."
"Moreover, maintaining such a large-scale magic is much more difficult than directly destroying a town. Even a Blazing Sun Mage will have a considerable consumption. If another Blazing Sun strongman takes action to interrupt the magic during this process, the loss... will not be a small amount."
Viscount Ryan Castel also nodded in agreement:
"Mr. Sebastian is right. Unless it is time to fight to the death, I am afraid that no Blazing Sun Mage would be willing to cast such a large-scale magic. It would consume too much energy and make the Blazing Sun Mage weak."
"Not to mention that the Mage Association has always opposed high-level mages participating in secular wars, especially wars between noble lords under the kingdom. Even if they participate, it is often high-level mages against high-level mages."
"The Legris family doesn't have any Blazing Sun professionals. Hiring a high-level mage to freeze the river... I'm afraid it's difficult."
"Unless it is a national war of a higher level and scale, or the lord himself is a blazing sun, otherwise, there is almost no high-level magician willing to take action in the war between lords in the kingdom."
Charlotte frowned.
"Then I'm even more puzzled. If that's the case, then unless they come directly to the North Port where I go to the sea, then the Gris family will have no way of reaching this side of the Dorne River? What are they doing stationed on the upstream shore? Or... what are they waiting for?"
"No matter from which angle you look at it, it should be the best choice for them to head straight to Beigang, right? Even if they want to station there, they should station there downstream. Aren't they afraid that we will surround them from downstream?"
Baron Angus sighed:
"My Lord Earl, I'm afraid we can't get around it."
"Oh why?"
Charlotte was a little surprised.
Lord Angus explained:
"Because there is the enclave of Earl Tulip between us... Earl Tulip just separates Viscount Beigang and Viscount Legris. If we want to go around, we must pass through Earl Tulip."
"The Duchess of Boulder has declared that she will remain neutral in this rebellion and refuse entry to our armies..."
Charlotte: …
Damn it! She almost forgot that next to Castel County there was the insignificant Bold enclave of Earl Tulip County!
The Third Prince, that bastard, has no good intentions at all!
"The Bold family really knows how to choose an enclave... Now take a closer look, this enclave almost cuts off the Castel territory on both sides of the Dorne River."
Looking at the Tulip Earldom on the map, which was like a huge rock pressing down on the waist of the Castel Earldom, Sebastian couldn't help but mutter.
Baron Angus nodded:
"Yes, so the successive earls of Castel wanted to take back the Earldom of Tulip from the Duke, and were even willing to exchange it for the rich lands in the south. But the successive Dukes of Bold have always refused, even though the Earldom of Tulip is not as large as the Viscountdom of North Harbor..."
Viscount Len-Castell sighed:
"This is also normal. After all, the Duke of Bold relies on the Earldom of Tulip to check and balance our Castel. The Earldom of Tulip is the military fortress of the Principality of Bold in the north."
"For so many years, the neighboring lords in the kingdom have not dared to take action against Castel, and that is because the Bold family has stationed a standing army in the Earldom of Tulip. As long as the Earl is still a vassal of Bold, the Bold family will never let go."
Hearing this, Charlotte's heart moved:
"Wait... What did you say? The Bold family has a standing army stationed in the Earldom of Tulip?"
The old viscount nodded:
"Yes, my Lord."
"How many people are there in this standing army? Are they all extraordinary people? What about their equipment?"
The old viscount thought for a moment and said:
"If I remember correctly, there should be 3,000 people, maybe a little more. I don't know the proportion of extraordinary people, but it should be quite high. As for the equipment... The former Duke of Bold once served as the military chief of the kingdom, and it is said that he obtained a lot of standard armor of the kingdom..."
After hearing what the old viscount said, Charlotte frowned even deeper.
She carefully studied the map of Castel, and the more she looked at it, the more she felt that the Earldom of Tulips, which was embedded in the middle of the Castel Territory, stood out.
The Castel territory, which should have been a perfect isosceles obtuse triangle, seems incomplete because of the Bold enclave in the middle. It is really enough to drive people with obsessive-compulsive disorder crazy.
"Sebastian, is there any other news from the south recently?"
After thinking for a moment, Charlotte asked.
"Are you referring to the Principality of Bold? Apart from declaring neutrality in the Castel Rebellion and refusing entry to the troops of both sides, there is no other news from Bold for the time being."
Sebastian said.
"What about the other nobles of the duchy? Have they sworn allegiance to the new duke?"
"That... I'm not sure, but it is said that except for us, most of the nobles of the duchy attended the inauguration ceremony of the new duke."
After hearing what Sebastian said, Charlotte nodded slightly.
The Third Prince was considered one of the most popular heirs to the Crescent throne, so it was normal for the nobles of the duchies who wanted to make further advancement in the kingdom to compete to curry his favor.
After studying the map of the earldom for a while, Charlotte said:
"The main force of the coalition forces does not need to rush out. Let them train on the spot first. Beigang has sufficient supplies and the logistical pressure is not too great."
"Since 3,000 men are enough to defend the front line, let's send 3,000 men to defend the Dorne River first. Oh, no, to be on the safe side, let's send 5,000 men. Your Excellency, please recommend other capable commanders to lead the troops for defense. As for Baron Angus, please let him stay in North Harbor."
"The main force will stay in Beigang?"
Viscount Ryan Castel was stunned for a moment and said hesitantly:
"My Lord Earl, are you sure? We should not delay this rebellion for too long..."
"Although the Earldom of Tulip has blocked our route to the north, it has also blocked the rebels' route south along the coastline. Although North Port seems to be closer to the front line, it is actually the safest. There is no need to leave so many troops to defend it."
"Safe? Oh, that's not necessarily true."
Charlotte sneered and shook her head slightly.
Looking at Charlotte's meaningful expression, the old viscount's eyes twitched.
As if he had thought of something, his expression changed slightly:
"Mr. Earl, do you suspect... that the Duke will take action against us?"
After hearing the old viscount's words, the nobles in the meeting hall all changed their expressions:
"Duke? Duke of Bold?"
"The lord intervenes in the civil war among his vassals?"
"This... is impossible?"
Even Sebastian looked surprised:
"Master, this... shouldn't be the case, right? Even if the Third Prince wants to obtain the Castel Territory, he needs to have a legitimate reason... Otherwise, who would dare to support him in his fight for the throne in the future?"
Charlotte sighed:
"If you want to find an excuse, you can always find one. No matter what, we must always be on guard against that guy with inflated ambitions."
After hearing Charlotte's words, Sebastian fell into deep thought, and Viscount Ryan Castel pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:
"My Lord Earl, I understand. In that case... I recommend Baron Sharon to defend the banks of the Dorne River."
Charlotte looked at Baron Angus again, and Baron Angus nodded:
"My Lord, Baron Sharon is also an excellent commander. I also think he is capable of doing this job."
"That's settled. Although this rebellion cannot be delayed for too long, we must stay long enough to train the coalition forces. Also, we must be on guard against our neighbors."
Charlotte said.