Despite the short distance from Xia Lvcheng, he received a reply in less than two days.
For the efficiency of the Leia Army, this was an unimaginable speed.
That's why Count Dretta was sitting behind the desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table, frowning at the ssenger in front of him.
"Lord Earl?" The ssenger looked at Dretta in confusion.
"So fast?" He squinted his eyes, a hint of suspicion on his lips.
Incidents of ssengers and guards being attacked by those mouse-like Defenders were commonplace, though rare, the possibility of disguise couldn't be ruled out.
Dretta does not make the mistake of underestimating the enemy.
Perhaps in the eyes of Gottfried or Heinzman, these Thousand River Valley People are still peasant militias.
But in the eyes of an elite commander like Dretta, Thousand River Valley is undoubtedly a respectable and formidable enemy.
"Yes, sir, it was urgently delivered from Xia Lvcheng, relayed along the stables en route." The ssenger realized and quickly presented the family crest and wax-sealed letter.
Both Dretta and Raffel are from the noble elite of the Leia Kingdom, having received exceptional elite education from a young age.
Unlike Gottfried or the Duke of Wing Nest, who handle things ssily, their ways are textbook classical warfare.
The most prominent point is that Raffel and Dretta set up a "warti stable" every thirty to fifty kiloters along the main roads.
These warti stables were guarded by an Extraordinary Knight and several attendant knights, usually knights of humble origins doing this job.
For ordinary ssaging, attendant knights would ride regular horses to deliver letters.
For urgent ssages, an Extraordinary Knight would ride a warhorse enhanced with a potion, relaying the ssage at peak speed, resulting in incredibly fast communication.
The Herald verified that the crest and seal were correct before Dretta reached out and took the letter.
His gaze fell on the bright red wax seal, which clearly bore the emblem of Knight Commander Raffel.
He used his index finger and thumb to rub the wax seal, confirming it hadn't been tampered with, then deftly drew a small knife from his waist and carefully sliced open the seal under the candlelight.
As the wax cracked open, he swiftly extracted the letter, unfolding it and reading it quickly.
At first, his brow slightly furrowed, but as his eyes moved downward, his expression beca increasingly focused.
Reading and reading, Dretta's eyes gradually widened, and finally, upon reading the last sentence, he suddenly patted the table and exclaid:
"Brilliant! Brilliant!"
This sudden excitent drew the attention of the nobles in the room, especially Baron Marchelov, who was curious.
He craned his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the letter's content, and couldn't help but ask, "Sir, what happened?"
Count Dretta did not imdiately respond but instead scanned the letter again.
After confirming he misread nothing, he then raised his head, eyes shining with excitent.
"Lord Raffel not only agreed to our plan." He handed the letter to Marchelov, rose, and looked at everyone in the room, his tone filled with excitent, "He even expanded the attack into a full-scale assault!"
On hearing this, the roomful of nobles showed looks of surprise, and Marchelov imdiately lowered his head to read the letter.
"Lord Raffel ntioned that we should fully utilize our superior forces..." Count Dretta spoke slowly, as if digesting the letter's content, "...We can't wait any longer; we must launch simultaneous offensives from five directions to bog down the Thousand River Valley People.
Using Haji Castle as the main attack point, we will ultimately swallow the entire Hotam County; this is a true full-scale assault ahem—"
Clearing his ticklish throat, Dretta frowned, pointing at Marchelov, signaling for him to speak.
Straightening his collar, Baron Marchelov, existing as a strategist, began to loudly articulate his understanding.
"Lord Raffel's plan is very clear: Kenke Town, Xingshi Castle, Shuyun Castle, Fandar Castle, and Haji Castle will simultaneously launch offensives, forcing the Thousand River Valley Army to spread their defenses thin.
Nevertheless, the true main attack direction remains at Haji Castle, centered around the grand battle at Haji Castle." He took a deep breath and continued, "This isn't just a local assault, but a major action concerning the entire Thousand River Valley campaign.
We must fully secure Hotam County before His Highness Ginijis arrives! Otherwise, it would completely betray His Highness's trust!"
Marchelov closed the letter, gently tapped the table, and remarked:
"Indeed, Lord Raffel is so decisive... I think Thousand River Valley cannot withstand such a large-scale offensive."
However, Dretta was stroking his chin in thought.
Seeing it this way, the situation in Thousand River Valley had been progressing slowly, and Raffel was also growing anxious.
Seizing upon a flaw exposed by the Thousand River Valley Army, he decisively and swiftly designed this plan.
If left to those nobles to discuss in a military eting, who knows how long they would debate.
It must be Raffel's announcent to bear all the consequences that resulted in such efficiency.
The other nobles in the room nodded thoughtfully, though many didn't really understand and were just muddled.
"I get it." A knight casually said, "Just like hunting wild boars back ho, surround them from all sides."
Marchelov's previously reverent expression collapsed, while Count Dretta couldn't help but chuckle, "You could say that too."
Count Dretta slowly surveyed the room and finally made up his mind as he stood up:
"Prepare yourselves, in three days, we set out!"
...
"The Defenders lurking near Adan Castle sent intelligence, detecting signs of troop movents from the Leia Army…"
"Based on the warti stable transmissions, we speculate the Leia Army near Adan Castle may launch an attack on us in the coming days…"
In the Thousand River Valley's Haji Castle, Commander Dass stood in the hall of a Knight's Mansion, listening to the report of the accompanying scribe, McGowan.
Unlike his forr dark, disgruntled youthfulness at Frick Middle School, McGowan had matured considerably after experiencing war and schooling.
The once short, chubby lad had beco tall and strong, almost unrecognizable.
Listening to McGowan's report, Dass nodded slightly, his face showing no panic but rather an uncontrollable excitent.
This was his first independent command, and he had to make it a good battle.
"From mobilization to formal assault," he said, suppressing his excitent, "with their efficiency, they'll need at least two to three days to prepare. In other words, we have at least one day of leeway."
McGowan frowned, still sowhat worried, and asked, "Should we imdiately adjust our defenses?"
Dass chuckled softly and didn't answer.
He walked to the window, pushed open the heavy shutter, and looked down at the camp outside the mansion.
Outside, under the setting sun, the camp was bustling with activity.
Groups of soldiers, under the artisans' command, were busily digging trenches.
Moist earth was turned up, with shovels and hoes clashing in a muffled rhythm, as trenches gradually took shape.
Beside the trenches, soldiers reinforced the breastwork with sandbags and mortar.
Piles of sandbags were transported in, stacked layer upon layer behind the trenches, constructing simple fortifications.
Artisans skillfully fixed wooden stakes with mortar, hamring in bent nails to ensure the fortifications could withstand cavalry charges.
In the nearby blacksmith's shop, blacksmiths swung hamrs to repair armor, the clang of striking tal echoing throughout the camp.
Dass observed it all, his gaze profound, slowly curling his lips into a smile.
"If they want to co, let them co…" he murmured to himself.
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