Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 352: -105- Charlotte’s Judgment

Chapter 352: -105- Charlotte’s Judgment

"Master, have you found anything?" Sebastian asked curiously, looking at Charlotte lost in thought.

Charlotte frowned slightly, nodding her head, but she quickly shook her head again,

"No... I just find it curious why the rebels are stationed by the Don River. In my Castel Territory, sea trade is prosperous, with numerous waterways, and almost every noble family, if situated by the sea or a river, has its own ships..."

"The Legris Family is one of the three Viscount families; it is impossible for them not to have a fleet. Moreover, the Don River is the largest river in Western Yonette, as well as the main waterway for trade between the Northern Land and Eastern Yonette. And now, its upper reaches have fallen into the hands of the Legris Family."

"The upper reaches of the Don can lead directly to the Black Land of Eastern Yonette, which is a haven for mercenaries. As far as I know, there are not a few hired merchant ships traveling between Eastern Yonette and Castel using the Don River..."

"The Legris Family... do they really have no means to cross the river?"

Viscount Lien Castel explained,

"Lord Count, the Don is too wide, and there are too many rebels, while the only bridge is near North Port, where the shore defenses are tight. Even if the rebels organized a fleet, crossing the river would be difficult, not to mention that we in Castel are not without our own fleet, as the fleets formed by the various noble families are already patrolling along the coastline and at the river mouths."

Charlotte pondered for a moment, then asked again,

"What about Transcendent methods? As I know, some powerful magicians should be able to freeze rivers for a certain period, right? It’s winter now, and in a few days, it might get even colder, more suitable for casting frost-related magic."

"Could it be... that the Legris Family plans to hire High Order Mages to freeze the river as a way to cross?"

Sebastian pondered for a moment and said,

"Master, while that possibility exists, it’s probably not large. Transcendent power is indeed common in wars, but casting magic that would allow thousands to cross the Don would require at least a Great Mage of the Blazing Sun rank..."

"Besides, maintaining such large-scale magic is much harder than simply destroying a town, and even a Blazing Sun Mage would be significantly depleted. If another Blazing Sun Strong were to interrupt the magic during this process, the losses... would be substantial."

Viscount Lien Castel nodded in agreement,

"Lord Sebastian is correct. Unless it’s a desperate situation, I’m afraid no Blazing Sun Mage would be willing to cast such large-scale magic, as it would cause great exhaustion and leave them weakened."

"Not to mention the Mage Association has always been against High Tier magicians getting involved in mundane wars, especially those between noble lords in the Kingdom, and if they do participate, it’s typically High Tier Mages against High Tier Mages."

"The Legris Family has no Blazing Sun Professionals, hiring a High Order Mage to freeze the river... would be very difficult."

"Unless it’s a higher-level and larger-scale national war or the lord himself is of the Blazing Sun, otherwise, in wars between lords within the Kingdom, it’s almost impossible to find High Tier mages willing to step in."

Charlotte frowned,

"That makes me even more curious. If that’s the case, unless they’re coming straight for North Port at my outlet, wouldn’t the Legris Family have no way of reaching this side of the Don River? What are they doing stationed on the upstream bank? Or rather... what are they waiting for?"

"From any perspective, coming straight for North Port should be their best choice, right? Even if they are to station troops, they should be stationed downstream. Aren’t they afraid we’ll surround and envelop them from downstream?"

Baron Angus sighed,

"Lord Count, I’m afraid we can’t get around to their rear."

"Oh? Why is that?" Charlotte was somewhat surprised.

Baron Angus explained,

"Because we are separated by the Tulip Count Domain enclave... The Tulip Count Domain enclave perfectly separates North Port Viscount Domain from Legris Viscount Domain. If we were to go around, we would inevitably have to pass through the Tulip Count Domain."

"The Duchess of Bold has already announced her neutrality in this rebellion and has refused the passage of our armies from both sides through her territory..."

Charlotte: ...

Damn it, she had almost forgotten about the Tulip Count Domain, that irritating Bold enclave right next to the Castel Territory!

"The Bold Family really knows how to pick their enclaves... Now that I take a closer look, this enclave nearly cuts off the Castel lands on both sides of the Don River at the waist."

Looking at the map, where the Tulip Count Domain lay like a heavy stone upon the waist of Castel Territory, Sebastian couldn’t help but grumble.

Baron Angus nodded,

"Yes, that’s why the historical Counts of Castel have all wanted to reclaim the Tulip Count Domain from the Duke, even offering to exchange it for the richer lands to the south. But generation after generation, the Bold Dukes have always refused, even though the area of the Tulip Count Domain is not larger than North Port Viscount Domain..."

Viscount Lien Castel sighed,

"It makes sense, after all. The Bold Duke relies on the Tulip Count Domain to check our Castel, and given that it’s also a military stronghold for the Bold Duchy in the north."

"For years, neighboring lords in the Kingdom have not dared to lay a hand on Castel, and it’s also because the Bold Family has stationed a standing army in the Tulip Count Domain. As long as the Count remains a vassal of Bold, the Bold Family will never let go."

Upon hearing this, a notion struck Charlotte,

"Wait... what did you say? The Bold Family has a standing army stationed in the Tulip Count Domain?"

The Old Viscount nodded:

"Yes, Count."

"How many men does this standing army have? Are they all Transcendents? What about their equipment?"

The Old Viscount thought for a moment, then said,

"If I remember correctly, it should be around three thousand men, perhaps a little more, I am not clear about the proportion of Transcendents, but it should not be low. As for the equipment... the former Bold Duke once served as the Military Chief of the Kingdom, it’s said that he acquired quite a few sets of standard-issued armors from the Kingdom..."

Hearing the Old Viscount’s words, Charlotte’s frown deepened.

She carefully scrutinized the map of Castel, the more she looked at it, the more the Tulip Count Domain embedded in the middle of Castel Territory caused an eyesore.

What should have been the perfect isosceles trapezoid of the Castel Territory was now rendered incomplete because of that Bold enclave; it could truly drive someone with OCD mad.

"Sebastian, has there been any other news from the south recently?"

Charlotte pondered before asking.

"Do you mean the Bold Duchy? Other than declaring neutrality in the rebellion in Castel and refusing entry to the military forces of both sides, there hasn’t been any other news from Bold."

Sebastian replied.

"What about the other Duchy Nobles? Have they sworn allegiance to the new Duke?"

"That... I’m not certain, but it is said that most of the Duchy Nobles, aside from us, attended the new Duke’s inauguration ceremony."

Hearing Sebastian’s words, Charlotte nodded slightly.

The Third Prince is also considered one of the hot contenders for the New Moon Throne, it’s normal for the Duchy Nobles to curry favor with him in hopes of furthering their position within the Kingdom.

Continuing to examine the map of the Count Territory for a while, Charlotte said:

"The main force of the Allied Forces doesn’t need to hurry to set off, let them train on the spot for now, North Port here has plenty of supplies, and the logistical pressure isn’t big."

"Since three thousand men can hold the front line, then first send out three thousand men to defend the Don River, oh no, to be safe, five thousand men. Viscount, please recommend other capable Commanders to take charge of leading the troops in defense, as for Baron Angus he will stay here in North Port."

"Keep the main force in North Port?"

Viscount Lien Castel was stunned, hesitatingly said:

"Count, are you sure? We shouldn’t drag out this rebellion for too long..."

"Although the Tulip Count Domain blocks our path northward, it also blocks the rebels’ route southward along the coast. North Port may seem close to the frontline, but it is actually the safest place, there’s no need to station so many troops for defense."

"Safe? Heh, that’s not necessarily the case."

Charlotte chuckled and shook her head slightly.

Seeing the meaningful look on Charlotte’s face, the Old Viscount’s eyes twitched.

It seemed he had thought of something and his expression subtly changed:

"Count, do you suspect... the Duke might take action against us?"

Hearing the Old Viscount’s words, the Nobles in the council hall changed their expressions:

"The Duke? The Bold Duke?"

"Would a Lord intervene in a vassal’s civil war?"

"That... can’t be possible, can it?"

Even Sebastian looked surprised:

"Master, that... surely it can’t be? Even if the Third Prince wants to take over the Castel Territory, he still needs to maintain some semblance of just cause... otherwise, who would dare support him in his bid for the throne later?"

Charlotte sighed:

"If someone wants to find an excuse, they will always manage to do so, in any case, we always need to be wary of that ambitious fellow."

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Sebastian fell into thought, and after a moment of contemplation, Viscount Lien Castel nodded and said:

"Count, I understand. If that’s the case, then... I recommend Baron Shalon to defend the banks of the Don River."

Charlotte then looked towards Baron Angus, who also nodded:

"Count, Baron Shalon is indeed an excellent Commander, I too believe he is up to the task."

"Let’s settle on that then. Although indeed this rebellion shouldn’t be prolonged too much, we also must leave enough time to train the Allied Forces, and moreover, we must be cautious of our neighbor."

Charlotte stated.