The meeting between Count Gaston and Charlotte was no secret.
In fact, military movements of this scale cannot be concealed.
Not to mention that before Charlotte set off, the nobles in the North already knew that she was going to meet with the commander of the garrison in the Earldom of Tulip. On the Earldom of Tulip's side, there were also officers loyal to the Bold family who stayed behind.
However, Charlotte had no intention of hiding the meeting.
Not only that, after returning to North Port, she also announced the result of the meeting in a high-profile manner, that is, she will form an alliance with Count Gaston stationed in Tulip Territory, and go north together to eliminate Castel's rebels.
The same applies to the Earldom of Tulip.
Count Gaston returned to the fortress and quickly reorganized his armaments, announcing that he would assist Count Castel in going north to quell the rebellion.
This decision caused a stir among the garrison's top brass, and many commanders loyal to Bold expressed their opposition.
After all, the garrison in Tulip is named Bold. Even though Count Gaston is the commander-in-chief and the Gaston family has been operating here for ten years, they are ultimately unable to completely replace Bold's influence.
The commanders who opposed Count Gaston also had strong reasons.
That is, without the order from Bolder, the garrison cannot leave the Earldom of Tulip without permission, let alone help the nobles of the duchy to quell the rebellion.
For them, Count Gaston's decision to move his troops away from the fortress was already very dissatisfying.
For a time, the noble commanders of the Earldom of Tulip quarreled in the fortress over whether or not to assist Castel in suppressing the rebellion, with both the Bold faction and the Gaston faction refusing to give in.
However, this quarrel did not last long.
Because Count Gaston wrote an urgent letter and sent it to Bolder using the wizard tower in the fortress.
Not long after, the Mage Tower also sent back a reply from Bold.
Duchess Eleanor of Bold agreed with Count Gaston's decision and ordered him to send troops to assist Castel in going north to quell the rebellion.
With the consent of the Bolder side, the other commanders of the garrison naturally had no reason to object.
Although many commanders were puzzled as to why the Bold side agreed to Count Gaston's actions, orders were orders and they ultimately chose to obey.
At the same time, in Beigang, the returning Charlotte also announced that she would personally lead her troops north to quell the rebellion.
Charlotte will serve as the leader of the coalition forces, while Baron Angus will serve as the de facto commander-in-chief.
All the nobles who participated in the war could receive rewards based on their military exploits, and those with outstanding contributions could obtain the land of the Legris family, or even... the title.
When the order was issued, the northern nobles, who had been eager to take action, suddenly became excited.
In their view, the strength of the coalition forces was obviously superior to that of the rebels, and now with the assistance of Count Gaston's duchy's standing army, suppressing the rebellion would be as easy as strolling in a garden.
This was an almost easy victory, not to mention that those who made contributions could hope to obtain land and titles.
However, there are also voices of opposition.
For example, the old Viscount of the Roman-Fol family...
"My Lord, why did you agree to Count Gaston's proposal? It is well known that the Third Prince covets Castel, and you have also read the intelligence from Violet."
"Compared to the rebellion in the north, the biggest danger to us right now is the covetous Third Prince and the restless Violet Army."
"I don't think it's a good idea to lead the army north at this time, especially since you are going to go there in person..."
"Have you ever thought that this would very likely leave our south empty? Once the Violet side launches an attack, the consequences would be unimaginable..."
"Moreover, aren't you worried that Count Gaston will suddenly betray you when you are suppressing the rebellion? Or do you plan to deal with the rebels and the army of Count Tulip together?"
"I know you may want to resolve the civil unrest as quickly as possible and focus on dealing with possible invasions, but your choice... is too risky!"
Looking at the old viscount who ignored the guards' obstruction and hurried to the Earl's Mansion to advise him after knowing his decision, Charlotte's expression eased and she said gently:
"Your Excellency, I certainly know who our real enemy is."
"Don't worry, I won't take all the troops with me. Before the rebellion in the north is resolved, there won't be any problems in the south."
Viscount Roman Forge frowned:
"That's even more wrong and dangerous! You're risking your life!"
"Let's not talk about the rebels for now. The army of Earl Tulip is an extraordinary standing force that can form a magic array! Once our army faces their defection and pincer attack, the consequences will be disastrous!"
After hearing what the old viscount said, Charlotte smiled slightly:
"Don't worry, Your Excellency, the army of Earl Tulip is no longer a problem."
"Um?"
Viscount Roman Forge was visibly stunned.
Charlotte did not continue to explain, but gestured to Sebastian beside her. Sebastian took out a roll of parchment from his arms and handed it to the old viscount with a smile:
"Your Excellency, please take a look."
Viscount Roman Forge took it, and when he saw the contents clearly, he was stunned:
"This is... a secret contract between you, Lord Count, and Count Gaston?! Count Gaston is willing to support you in your rebellion against the Third Prince?!"
“This…this…how is this possible?!”
…
Viscount Roman Forge racked his brains but couldn't understand why Count Gaston would stand on Castel's side.
The contract Sebastian showed was real. It was a contract certified by the God of Contract. Violating it would be tantamount to becoming an enemy of the Holy Royal Court and courting one's own destruction.
But no matter what, since he had this contract in hand, Viscount Roman Forge had nothing to say.
As for why there was such a contract... naturally, Charlotte signed it specifically with Count Gaston.
Things like blood servants cannot be made public, but contracts can be.
Words alone could not dispel the doubts of nobles like Viscount Roman-Ford. She needed a more reasonable way to give the nobles an explanation.
After reading the contract, Viscount Roman Forge no longer opposed Charlotte's plan.
Although he was still confused, as a vassal he understood that every noble had his own secrets, and if Charlotte didn't want to tell him something, he couldn't ask.
At least... considering our current relationship, it's hard to ask.
So, three days after Charlotte announced her move north, the troops in Northport began their action.
Charlotte specially changed into a skirt and armor, and led a total of 25,000 people, surrounded by many nobles, and headed north in a mighty manner.
At the same time, the third prince in Boulder City also received a letter from Charlotte asking him to go north to quell the rebellion...