Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Count Fos Is Doomed

Louis shared the credit with Count Fos for his own strategic considerations.

Before arriving at Snow Eagle City, he pieced together Count Fos’s character from information obtained from the Daily Intelligence System.

Weak, vain, self-centered, and eager to claim glory without contribution.

A typical case of narcissistic personality disorder.

Such a person thrives on flattery and fears isolation.

Therefore, rather than letting him scheme secretly, it’s better to proactively share some of the war merits to earn favor and convenience.

After all, anyone with eyes can see who actually did the work.

More importantly, according to the Northern Governor’s Military Department’s summons, the various armies of Snow Peak County are under the command of the Fifth Legion.

And the nominal commander of the Fifth Legion is Count Fos.

This means that without Duke Edmund’s directive, no matter how much merit Louis achieves, he has to operate under this fool’s command in the end.

Although unreasonable, that’s the reality.

Louis is not ignorant of the rules among the nobility; he was born into one of the Eight Great Noble Clans of the Empire.

He grew up accustomed to the skirmishes at banquets and the sight of insincere flattery.

The art of sycophancy among the nobility is something he mastered long ago.

If a few smiles and words can secure him more authority, he doesn’t mind playing along.

The music resumed, servants discreetly cleaned the bloodstains from the floor, but the cold and ruthless atmosphere lingered in the air.

The Southern Nobles who had been mocking Louis earlier now donned smiles, holding their wine glasses as they approached.

“Master Louis, such achievements at an early age.”

“The battle of White Feather Canyon, just hearing about it is thrilling.”

Their words carried compliments, but caution hid in their eyes.

This young man, previously disregarded, now threw out a bag of heads, catching everyone off guard.

They had to guard against him, yet also please him.

After all, for now, Louis appeared to be the strongest among these Southern Nobles, making it wise to unite around him.

Unlike the Southern Nobles’ flattery, the Northern Nobles were more straightforward and candid.

An elderly gray-haired nobleman in simple attire raised his glass: “Back in the day, I lost an entire scout team because of Haskell.”

He looked at Louis intently: “Thanks, Sir Calvin.”

Another middle-aged noble nodded: “He died well, you’ve rid us of a great threat.”

They spoke little but with genuine tones.

Unnoticed, the night deepened, and the nobles left in a drunken stupor.

Louis stood by the window, watching the mountains gradually swallowed by the night sky.

Tonight was just an appetizer; the real feast begins tomorrow morning.

For tomorrow is the designated day for formal gathering.

The Empire’s Fifth Legion will complete its assembly by dawn, with Count Fos presiding over the announcement of the comprehensive strategy against the Snow Swearers and troop allocations.

Along with the military merit reward system Louis was most concerned about.

…

In the morning, muffled voices of soldiers and the clashing of knights’ armor were heard outside the tent.

The entire camp was beginning the preparations for a new day.

Louis opened his eyes and sat up. Having sipped only a few drinks last night, he felt clear-headed without any headache.

He donned his coat, yawned, and habitually called upon the Daily Intelligence System.

A faint blue light flickered in the air, and lines of intelligence slowly emerged:

[Daily Intelligence Update Complete]

[1: The Snow Swearers are gathering forces, and it is expected that they will deploy two thousand six Blood Boiling Warriors for a large-scale raid on Snow Eagle City in seven days, leaving their rear vulnerable.]

[2: Ten days later, Snow Eagle City falls, Count Fos is captured alive, and subsequently executed as a sacrifice.]

[3: There is a secret passage at the edge of the Qingyu Mountain Path that can bypass the frontline and directly penetrate the rear camp of the Snow Swearers.]

[4: Viscount Fisher is secretly providing intelligence to the Snow Swearers to protect his own fiefdom.]

[5: There are seven Governor’s Secret Envoys in the Fifth Legion, covertly observing the nobility’s conduct, including Bond, Kulan, Aizer…]

Today, five updates at once, all relevant to the war, and all immediately applicable.

“Tsk, as expected from the Intelligence System, it’s quite handy at times like this.”

Louis’s gaze swept through the intelligence content line by line.

However, upon seeing the first line, he immediately frowned.

Seven days later? Two thousand six Snow Swearers?!

This is not a harassment-level small-scale operation; this is a large-scale action aimed at swallowing the entire city.

He had no time to think further before the second line of intelligence seemed to seal his fate.

The city was breached on the third day of the raid!

This confirmed his judgment last night: this city is rotten to the core.

With upper echelon command chaos, nobles hindering each other, uncompleted city walls, and a muddled supply chain, not even a god could salvage it.

However, holding for just three days was beyond Louis’s expectations.

Once the city falls, not only military merits but even his life could be in jeopardy.

“Holding will only lead to dying with these fools; I need to find a way out.”

He knew well that he wasn’t a saint. Even if the people of Snow Eagle City cried for help, he wouldn’t throw his limited troops into a burial ground.

While his mind was swiftly calculating an escape, his gaze moved to the third piece of intelligence.

“A secret passage exists at the edge of the Qingyu Mountain Path that can bypass the frontline defenses and strike directly at the Snow Swearers’ rear camp in Snow Peak County.”

His eyes lit up as he leaned forward.

A path to survival! And an opportunity!

This secret passage means he can secretly maneuver to the enemy’s stronghold and launch a decisive raid from behind as they descend upon Snow Eagle City!

“Their rear is vulnerable… so that’s the answer.”

His mind began simulating the future battlefield:

Seven days later, the enemy attacks; ten days later, the city falls.

If he dispatched troops in advance, slashing into the enemy’s rear via the secret passage, he could strike precisely when the enemy is most exposed.

By delaying a bit, pretending to be slow on the march, the fall of Snow Eagle City would have nothing to do with him.

And he would become the hero who executed a brave raid behind enemy lines, albeit not timely enough to save the city but worthy of great merits!

As for the second piece of intelligence mentioning Count Fos being sacrificed…

“That’s a real pity.” He shrugged, showing not a trace of sympathy on his face.

“I’m here to lead soldiers, not to be a Savior. With my current strength, I can’t save an entire city.

If Snow Eagle City falls, the blame naturally falls on that pig.

On the contrary, I can retreat honorably in a ’timely counterattack and full military withdrawal’ stance.”

He then looked at the fourth line; Fisher had some impression on him, appearing honest and sincere, yet concealed deeply.

However, if the opportunity arises, perhaps he could be baited into usefulness.

Finally, the fifth line, seven Governor’s Secret Envoys. His eyes flickered slightly.

“Inspectors? That’s fine.” Louis chuckled softly and snapped his fingers.

“I’ll put on a good show for you, to show you what a young hero truly capable of turning the tide looks like.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep