The nobles in the council hall were divided into two distinct groups, arguing fiercely over whether the southern noble families should surrender.
Until Viscount Len-Castell shouted angrily:
"That's enough! It's already this late and you're still arguing here?!"
As one of the three most prestigious viscount families in the North, the old viscount still has considerable say among the Castel nobles.
And this roar was accompanied by the extraordinary aura of the second-level Silver Moon.
The pressure that was above all the nobles except Charlotte was released, and the noisy meeting hall fell into silence. For a moment, almost all the nobles' eyes fell on the old viscount.
The old viscount looked around and sighed:
"Everyone, we are facing a powerful enemy. The most important thing for us now is unity. The Third Prince is definitely not a good leader. I think everyone knows this..."
"The fall of the South is force majeure, and no noble family can fight the enemy alone. Only by uniting around the Earl can we win this war."
"Win? Lord Viscount Ryan Castel, the combined forces of Bold and Violet are as high as 50,000, and 30,000 of them are elite standing troops. We currently have less than 30,000 troops in North Harbor, and the only elite standing troops are Tulip's friendly troops... and they can't go into battle yet. With such a gap, how can we win?"
A noble couldn't help but ask.
Viscount Len-Castell shook his head and replied:
"No, as far as I know, even if all the standing troops of the Violet Principality and the Bolder Principality are added together, the number of troops will never reach 30,000..."
"Not to mention, whether it's Violet or Bold, the nobles in the two principalities are not completely loyal. Whether it's the Buwat-Lint family or the Bold family, it's impossible for them to send all their standing troops to participate in the war."
"The Third Prince claims to have 50,000 troops and 30,000 standing troops, but theoretically, it would be pretty good if he could gather 30,000 troops and 10,000 standing troops."
"My Lord Viscount, even if we have 30,000 troops and 10,000 standing guard, that is still a very formidable force. How can we... win?"
Another noble asked.
After hearing the questions raised by the other party, the old viscount looked a little hesitant.
He swept his eyes across the room and saw that the nobles' gazes were all on him, with many of them glancing vaguely at Charlotte who was silent behind him.
The old viscount knew that although the nobles seemed to be asking him questions, what they really wanted was the answer from Count Castel.
The old viscount hesitated for a moment, thinking about how to respond, but at this moment, a personal guard suddenly broke into the meeting room:
"Report! Lord Earl! New battle reports have been delivered!"
The personal guards quickly presented the battle report, and Viscount Ryan Castel, who was the host of the meeting, was the first to take the report.
He just glanced at the contents of the parchment scroll and his expression suddenly changed.
This instant change in expression naturally caught the attention of the nobles.
For a moment, the nobles' eyes were focused on the old viscount again:
"Your Excellency, what happened in the South?"
Viscount Ryan Castel couldn't help but look back at Charlotte. After receiving the other party's signal, he sighed and said:
"The fleet of the Roman Forge family has returned to port."
"They sent news that they ambushed the fleets of two principalities in the Star-Moon Strait a few days ago, but they were unsuccessful. The fleets of the two principalities are now heading straight for Beigang."
After saying this, he hesitated for a moment and sighed again:
"In addition, Delburg... also fell yesterday."
As soon as these words came out, the nobles in the meeting hall were suddenly in an uproar:
"What? Delburg also fell?"
"Delburg is the gateway to North Port. Wouldn't it be possible for the Principality's army to reach North Port in a few days?"
"We lost the naval battle as well? Doesn't that mean we will also lose control of the sea?"
"Without sea control, wouldn't Beigang become a sitting duck?"
The new battle reports once again threw the nobles into turmoil, with panic and anxiety spreading almost uncontrollably in the meeting hall.
This time, no matter how loudly Viscount Ryan Castel shouted "Silence", he was unable to control the chaos in the meeting hall.
Viscount Ryan-Castell had no choice but to look to Charlotte for help.
Charlotte didn't say anything.
She picked up the fruit milk from the maid's tray and took a sip. Her clear blue eyes looked around, then she slightly tilted her body and released her extraordinary aura.
An aura far beyond that of an ordinary silver moon spread out, and a heart-pounding feeling of oppression instantly spread to every noble.
Feeling the aura that was much stronger than that of Viscount Ryan Castel, the nobles stopped arguing almost at the same time.
At this time, Charlotte slowly retracted her gaze and spoke softly:
"Have you quarreled enough? If you have, then be quiet for a while. If you haven't quarreled enough, then continue quarreling..."
No one among the nobles answered and they all lowered their heads.
Powerful supernatural powers are always awe-inspiring.
Although Charlotte is still very young, her strength as a second-level Silver Moon warrior, her status as a lord, and the reputation she had accumulated from leading the army to a great victory over the rebels some time ago are enough for her to control the situation.
Charlotte turned her gaze away from the nobles and looked at the guards:
"How many ships are left in the Roman Fowl family's returning fleet?"
The guard saluted respectfully and replied nervously:
"Reply... Reply to the Earl, there are three three-masted warships and more than a dozen galleys, but many of them look badly damaged."
"More than a dozen ships? It seems the main force is still there."
Charlotte muttered to herself as she recalled the fleet intelligence about the Roman Forge family.
After a pause, she smiled and continued:
"Don't worry, everyone. The Roman Forle family's main fleet was able to retreat smoothly. This shows that although the navies of Bold and Violet are powerful, they do not have an absolute advantage."
"Our Beigang coastal defense force is still very strong. With the addition of your troops, it will not be easy for the enemy to capture Beigang."
"My Lord Earl, do you mean... that we should use North Harbor as our base to resist the combined forces of Bold and Violet?"
A noble couldn't help but ask.
Charlotte nodded slightly, which was considered as an admission.
"My Lord Earl, but... what's the point? The gap between our military strength and the enemy's is too big. Even if we resist, once the enemy surrounds us and loses external supplies, failure is only a matter of time..."
"Beigang... is just an island after all!"
One noble said worriedly.
Charlotte glanced at the other party and chuckled:
"Oh? Is it a matter of time? Sir Tyras, do you think that now that we have already made public the crimes of the Third Prince, can he afford to waste time, or can we?"
After hearing what Charlotte said, the nobles were stunned for a moment, and then they all understood.
They were not stupid, and they naturally figured out the trick after Charlotte just gave them some pointers.
Castel has already handed over the Third Prince's handle with a letter of challenge. As long as they can delay long enough, the Third Prince's other enemies in the kingdom will naturally take action.
"Not to mention... I should have said that we also have reinforcements."
Charlotte paused, then continued.