Chapter 262 - 31: Emergency
Chapter 262: Chapter 31: Emergency
"Absurd! This is utterly absurd!"
Robson walked into the tent, holding letters from the front lines.
This was news delivered by griffins from the front, regarding Earl Uman’s marching route and his current situation.
Robson had dared to send out several armies to fight on their own because he believed that, however poor the Franks were, they had to have some military foundation.
He knew from the start that Earl Uman was likely incompetent in military affairs, and Robson had also intended to use this opportunity to suppress some of the disobedient southern upstarts.
But he never expected Earl Uman to be *this* incompetent. His deployments and arrangements couldn’t help but remind Robson of that fellow Ma Su from his past life.
Robson was truly at a loss with this Earl Uman. He had only miscalculated twice since coming to this world. The first time was with those rumors in the Royal Capital.
At the time, Robson had been busy with other matters and hadn’t had the time to bother with them.
The second time was now. Earl Uman had just dropped a giant mess in his lap, truly leaving Lord Robson dumbfounded.
"This is a joke! He’s gambling with the lives of our soldiers!" Robson said furiously.
"Given the situation... what do we do now?" Valentino asked, looking at the letters.
To be honest, she couldn’t understand them. She even felt that what Earl Uman had done didn’t seem to be a problem.
Like Earl Uman, she had graduated from King’s University, having studied politics and literature. Both were clueless about military matters.
The only difference between her and Earl Uman, however, was that Valentino was well aware of her lack of military skill, and so she never had any intention of meddling.
The troops under Valentino’s command had always been managed by Knight Commander Elon and would be handed over to Robson after their wedding.
"Uman is incompetent, and now the entire army is in peril. It seems I have no choice but to strike...
Will you be alright here?" Robson looked at Valentino.
Robson’s original plan had been to wait things out with the Fengman Clan, as the armies would be returning in a few days.
But with the current situation, he really had no choice. Who could have predicted that Earl Uman would pull a stunt like this?
"Don’t answer just yet. I need the Fengman Knight Order to help me," Robson said.
Valentino frowned and began to ponder.
It wasn’t that Valentino was reluctant to part with them. She was genuinely considering if there were any potential troubles she might have overlooked, any situations she couldn’t handle on her own.
These past few days, Valentino had made rapid progress in internal affairs, fundamentally because Robson’s Standing Army was maintaining order.
Otherwise, with that bunch of useless louts in the City Guard, the whole of Fengman City would have descended into chaos long ago.
Having spent some time together, they had both become familiar with each other’s habits.
Valentino knew that Robson was genuinely asking her if she could hold on.
"No problem.
Fels and the others will be back in three days...
No problem," Valentino said.
"Julian! Julian!" Robson called toward the door.
Lady Julian had always stayed by his and Valentino’s side. Robson knew why—it was to prevent the young couple from getting too impulsive and consummating things ahead of time.
The Frank Kingdom was a society that followed old customs, not as open as the nobles in the south.
"Viscount." Lady Julian entered the room and was about to curtsy but was interrupted by Robson.
"Forget the formalities. Go find Knight Commander Elon immediately. Tell him to assemble the Fengman Knight Order. We’re setting out tonight," Robson said.
Lady Julian looked to Valentino. Only after receiving the Countess’s approval did she exit the room to carry out the order.
"Ais!"
"My Lord."
Ais came in. Robson had always kept Ais by his side. Now, Ais led Robson’s Personal Guard Team and was a pivotal figure in the army.
"Go to the barracks at once. Tell all the soldiers to hurry and prepare to move out," Robson commanded.
"As you command, my Lord." Ais wasted no words and turned to leave.
"Valentino, I need you to write a letter in my name as commander-in-chief and give it to Count Sriphine. Tell him to head to Ehrlichland..."
"Will he go?"
"He will," Robson said.
Count Sriphine was a genuine, battle-hardened general who fought his way up the central front. His military achievements were well-documented and among the best.
Robson didn’t believe Count Sriphine would fail to see what would happen if Earl Uman was defeated at Ehrlichland.
Robson himself could still pay a price and pull reinforcements from his home territory. But Count Sriphine would have nothing left. As far as Robson knew, Marshal Grantham had invested a great deal in Count Sriphine.
Hearing his confident answer, Valentino nodded.
After speaking, Robson was about to go upstairs to get his armor when he heard Valentino’s voice from behind him.
"Lady Julian isn’t here right now..."
"Aren’t you going to say goodbye to me?" Valentino asked with a smile, leaning against a silver desk.
Hearing her words, Robson froze in place. He was about to step forward for a farewell hug, but Valentino stepped forward first and gave him their first kiss.
It happened so suddenly that Robson didn’t react. He touched his face, looking at Valentino in disbelief. After the kiss, Valentino leaned back against the silver chair.
"Robson, come back safe."
Robson nodded.
"I will."
...
Robson and Valentino were currently in the honeymoon phase of their relationship.
After this farewell, it was certain the two would not see each other for a long time.
Valentino needed to manage the Fengman Clan’s internal administration. Even if Robson won the war, he would then have to throw himself into the development and construction of his territory. The next time they saw each other would probably be at their wedding.
If this were a cliché movie or a trope from a storybook, what might follow would be a love scene, foreshadowing a tragic ending.
Unfortunately, the reality for lovers in a time of war was far less dramatic than a tragic story.
Right now, their allies on the front lines were in dire straits. Allied soldiers were dying every minute, every second. Time waited for no one.
Robson had to assemble his army and rush to the battlefield immediately. Valentino had to write to Marquis Oscillate at once, then begin arranging logistics to supply Robson’s army with provisions.
Originally, the provisions could only support Robson during his stay in Fengman City, but after the changes of the past few days, Valentino had gained a preliminary grasp of the city’s logistical situation.
After donning his armor, Robson called to Huang Na, who was asleep by the window. He led his warhorse out from the Fengman Clan’s backyard, then summoned his personal guards and immediately rushed towards West City.
The nobles still remaining in the city were basically Lord Robson’s loyal followers, old comrades who had been with him since Qimo Fortress or even Sunset Fortress.
They were all housed in the villa district in West City.
.....
"What’s going on? What’s that noise outside?"
When Robson arrived, Claude was playing this world’s version of a card game with a group of nobles from Qimo Fortress.
Although the other nobles had long since departed for their fiefs, the nobles from Qimo Fortress, trusting Robson, were having a grand time here. They played without a care in the world, not worried about their fiefs in the slightest.
"Who cares? It’s not like there aren’t guards at the door. Hurry up and play! You got the Pope Card," Viscount Jeffrey said anxiously from behind them.
That’s right, Viscount Jeffrey was here too. Robson himself would never have imagined that Viscount Jeffrey could get along so well with this bunch of soldier-thugs.
"No... wait. That’s... the sound of an army," Bo Yang realized from the side, putting down his wooden card.
"An army? The density of that marching... It’s the Lord’s personal guards!" Claude realized, slamming the table and jumping to his feet.
"The Lord is here!"
Claude was just about to have someone put the cards away when the villa’s main doors burst open.
Armored soldiers poured in continuously. Robson strode in, holding a letter.
"Urgent military intelligence! The situation has changed! Everyone, drop what you’re doing and assemble your men! Immediately!
Assemble at the North City gate at six this evening!" Robson stood at the doorway, using his Golden Tier power to project his voice in all directions.
After speaking, Robson left the villa. He still had many things to do, such as dealing with that batch of carriages from the Gauss Clan...
After Robson left, the room was silent for a moment.
"Is the war on?" someone suddenly asked.
"We’ve got work to do!" Claude immediately threw down his cards.
"To arms! To arms!" Bo Yang shouted to the nobles around him.
The moment Bo Yang’s words fell, the entire villa burst into a flurry of activity.
Then, Viscount Jeffrey witnessed the most dramatic scene he had ever seen in his life.
The group of nobles, who had just been playing cards and joking around, had, with a single command, simultaneously dropped what they were doing and vanished somewhere.
When they rushed out again, every single one of them was fully equipped and ready for battle.