Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

Chapter 251: Chapter 23: Prince Odoruo

The northeast of the kingdom is, by and large, comprised of five provinces. In the early days of the Frank Kingdom’s founding, it once held the upper hand in the war.

The northeast, bordering the kingdom’s heartland, was always developed as a rear area for the front lines. At that time, the northern-based inland faction, led by the Fengman and Beiken Clans, was formed. They were the kingdom’s first true power brokers. However, due to the first Knight King’s firm hand, they were never able to advance to the rank of Marquis.

The four provinces of the northeast, after a discussion in the Kingdom Council, should now be referred to as five.

This region is sharply divided into two parts, demarcated by the pass guarded by the Fengman Clan: the lands within the pass and the lands beyond it.

Thanks to the long-term stewardship of the Fengman and Beiken Clans, the lands within the pass have become one of the kingdom’s more prosperous regions. The lands beyond, however, are a different story, having long been subject to harassment by the Beastmen. It’s not that the outer lands are completely undeveloped, but there is a considerable gap.

The territories currently occupied by the Beastmen were located in these northeastern lands, beyond the pass.

Ehrlich Province, Clichy County.

Perhaps even Robson himself hadn’t realized that his own strategic assessment inadvertently aligned with that of the Beastmen’s Second Prince.

The only difference was that the Beastmen had chosen a campsite in the southwest, while Robson had chosen one in the northeast.

At this moment, the main Beastman army was encamped southwest of Clichy County, on the right bank of the Largus River in the Somme Plain.

Compared to the Western Front, where Prince Kase’s encampments stretched for miles and his banners blotted out the sky, the Beastman forces on the eastern front were far more sparse.

This couldn’t be helped. The eastern front had little impact on the overall war, and past Beastman offensives here had always been merely symbolic.

Even though they had captured three of the enemy’s provinces this time, the Beastman Imperial Court had no intention of annexing them.

This was not the first time the Beastman Empire had captured the three northeastern provinces, but they had never once been able to secure their footing. The area was too close to the powerful northern clans of the Frank Kingdom, making any deeper advance extremely difficult, and there were no short-term gains to be had.

Inside the grand command tent, candlelight burned brightly. Prince Odoruo was hunched over his desk, reading dispatches from the front.

Prince Odoruo was rather frail, and compared to the other princes, his aptitude for cultivation was not high. This was precisely why he had never been in favor.

Even though Prince Odoruo had made a name for himself on the eastern front this time, he still failed to attract the Beast Emperor’s attention.

"The humans are already making their move. Mola reports that the enemy’s mountain pass has been reopened, and their Rangers have begun to scout the roads. Rumor from the Human Kingdom is that an army is already assembling, led by Valentino of the Fengman Clan—a mere greenhorn of a girl..."

"A greenhorn girl?"

Prince Odoruo drummed his fingers on the tabletop, his expression pensive.

"Your Highness, what should we do now?" his second-in-command, Castro, asked, looking at Prince Odoruo. He was a Centaur, and his presence beside the prince was slightly jarring.

Prince Odoruo pondered in his chair for a moment, then stood up, walked over to a chest, and pulled out a map.

This was the sum of all the various information and materials Prince Odoruo had gathered in recent days about the lands beyond the pass, most of it coming from the two great clans of that outer region.

Prince Odoruo selected one document from the pile and spread it out on the table.

"The humans... Castro, which pass do you think they will attack from?" Prince Odoruo asked, staring at the map.

"Which pass?"

Castro thought for a moment.

"I believe Feiying Pass is the most likely," Castro said.

"Oh? And why is that?" Prince Odoruo asked, his interest piqued.

"In the war between the Empire and the humans, while we may have the overall advantage, that isn’t the case on the eastern front. Just beyond Feiying Pass is the Largus River. The enemy can use this to their advantage, reaching the battlefield quickly, driving out our main force, and securing a swift victory. Then they can retake Jinma Ferry, Golden City, and Sun City. Once that’s done, they can begin to mop up our scattered forces." Castro laid out his reasoning.

"And how do you know the enemy wants a swift victory?" Prince Odoruo asked, looking at Castro with a smile.

"How do I know? Isn’t it obvious? We’re continuously moving in goblins and Kobolds, and those creatures are rampaging through the farmland and roads the humans left behind. If this drags on for a few more months, I’m afraid even the ancient roads will be utterly destroyed by these lesser creatures," Castro explained.

"And just because everything is being destroyed, does that guarantee they will cooperate?" Prince Odoruo said with a smile.

"You must be wondering why I’m still keeping our troops stationed here, aren’t you?"

"Castro, you’re just like your brother. You see things far too simply.

Then again, you’ve never had to deal with these humans. If you had taken part in the great war thirty years ago, you’d know that humans are foolish creatures, capable of anything.

If I had deployed our forces at Feiying Pass or the other passes, they might have actually joined forces, at least for a while. But I am currently positioned deep in the rear. And according to my informants, the Frank Kingdom hasn’t given that Count Valentino any real authority to command.

Without the authority to compel them, why would they use their own troops to reclaim another’s lost territory?" Prince Odoruo said.