Chapter 459 - 207: The Kingdom is Shaken
Chapter 459: Chapter 207: The Kingdom is Shaken
With that settled, Robson ordered his men to slaughter cattle and sheep so the Jackal Wolfman Warriors could recover quickly. There were still hard battles ahead; Robson had yet to deal with the Tiger Race Warriors. After the affair with the Centaur King City, Robson had come to love the feeling of annihilating a nation.
If he could keep the Tiger Race forces contained within Centaur territory, Lord Robson figured he might just get a look at the royal palace of the Tiger Race afterward.
Meanwhile, Robson embellished the report of his victory and sent it overnight to Valentino.
This was the annihilation of a Royal Court! If Robson remembered correctly, this was the first Royal Court to be destroyed since the war began—and it was the Centaur Royal Family, a clan that had not suffered a major blow in hundreds of years.
When Valentino received the news, she was both astounded and overjoyed. She immediately relayed the message to the Royal Capital through the Fengman Clan’s Magic Tower. Ever since Robson’s arrival, the Magic Tower in Fengman City had seen frequent use.
....
By the time the message reached the Royal Palace, it was the middle of the night. The official who received the report stared at it, scarcely believing his own eyes!
’What is going on? The Centaur Clan is gone?!’
The official dared not delay, immediately taking the message and rushing into the Royal Palace in the dead of night.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! A great victory! A great victory!"
Shouting as he went, the official rushed all the way to the Crystal Palace under the escort of the palace guards. A guard immediately went to Louis III’s bedchambers.
At that moment, Louis III was spending an intimate moment with the Queen. The string of victory reports over the past several days had greatly improved his spirits, and his physical health had even seen some improvement.
Though his hair was still completely white, he had surprisingly found himself in the mood.
Hearing the commotion outside, the interrupted Louis III felt a surge of anger.
"Your Majesty, it must be an important matter of the kingdom. You should attend to the kingdom’s affairs."
Although the Queen was also quite vexed, she knew that anyone disturbing Louis III this late at night must have an extremely important reason.
Louis III lovingly stroked the Queen’s head and nodded.
After letting the handmaidens help him dress, Louis III reappeared majestically in the Crystal Palace.
’He was going to hear for himself just what matter was so important that someone dared disturb his pleasant evening.’
By now, it was not the messenger who stood below the dais, but Chancellor Daniel. His face, too, was written with excitement.
"Daniel? What on earth has happened to make you this happy?"
Daniel’s expression made Louis III rather curious.
In Louis III’s eyes, Daniel was a characteristically taciturn minister whose every word struck at the heart of the matter. This was precisely why Louis III had appointed him as his Chancellor.
In any case, Louis III had rarely seen Daniel in such a state.
Daniel handed the envelope to a nearby guard and began to explain with great animation.
"Your Majesty, a victory report from the Eastern Front!"
"General Robson has successfully breached the Centaur King City!"
"The Centaur Royal Court... has fallen!"
Daniel said, his voice brimming with excitement.
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Louis III’s expression was one of equal astonishment.
’Robson destroyed the Centaur Royal Court?!’
’If this is true, the political implications are immense!’
After all, how much time had passed? It was only July! In a normal year, humans would still be locked in combat with the Beastmen on the central front in July, and indeed, that was largely still the case.
Normally, news of a Beastman Royal Court being destroyed wouldn’t arrive until next year, or this winter at the earliest. This was also why the Algeria Kingdom didn’t want the rest of the Human World to rush to the Frank Kingdom’s aid. Once that happened, the full might of the Human World would be thrown into the conflict! And at that point, who would have the attention to spare for the Algeria Kingdom’s war?
And yet, right at this moment, Robson had quietly accomplished something monumental! He had actually destroyed the Centaur Royal Court!
"Good! Good! Good!"
Looking at the letter in his hand, Louis III repeated the word "good" three times.
"I knew that boy had potential! I just didn’t expect him to surprise me so soon!" Louis III said with a laugh.
Right now, the foreign allied forces were all bogged down on the central front. There was no movement on the Western Front, and the Human Alliance Army had made virtually no tangible progress. And yet, on his own side, his own man Robson had quietly taken down the Centaur Royal Court!
What did this prove? Louis III didn’t even need to say it aloud. This was about far more than just reputation. The Human Alliance Army was, in name, deploying troops out of obligation. But if Louis III, as ruler of the Frank Kingdom, actually believed that, his reign as King would be over.
Once everyone had secured their own benefits on the plains, they would surely come to him, King Louis, with their hands out.
At that time, Louis III would only need to produce a single battle report and ask: Who was it, exactly, that was first to destroy a Beastman Royal Court?
’This one move would be enough to shut up many within the Human Alliance Army. You promised to support us, but in the end, my Frank Kingdom acted as the main force. And you still have the nerve to ask for money?’
Daniel, of course, understood what Louis III was thinking.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, perhaps you are still underestimating the significance of this victory."
If this victory were merely about shutting up the Human Alliance Army, Daniel wouldn’t be this excited.
"Oh? What else is there?" Louis III asked, puzzled.
Like Prince Noah, Louis III had few military accomplishments to his name; in fact, he was even less accomplished than the prince. His past success in driving away the Beastmen was entirely due to the large number of men at his disposal and the great efforts of Marquis Oscillate.
"Your Majesty, do you have a map?" Daniel asked.
Louis III beckoned. Guards on either side quickly entered a side hall, returning moments later to the main hall with a large scroll map.
The map was unrolled. It was a map of the three fronts, a full ten meters long and three meters wide. Daniel stepped forward, gesturing at the map with his hand.
"Your Majesty, look. Here is the Centaur Royal Court, here is the Tiger Race Royal Court, and here are the Gray Dwarves. I’ve heard the Gray Dwarves are already acting in opposition to the Beastmen..."
"Now, General Robson has broken the Centaur Royal Court without suffering significant losses. Next, his blade will be pointed at the Tigerman Royal Court. The Beastmen on the central front are also starting to crumble. Your Majesty, have you ever considered... if Beast Emperor Kemal and his forces are defeated, which route will they take to retreat to Madar Palace...?"
"You mean to say!"
Upon hearing this, Louis III’s pupils dilated, and his heart began to pound faster than ever before.
Even with his abysmal understanding of military matters, he understood Daniel’s meaning.
’Intercept and kill Beast Emperor Kemal!’
This would be a monumental achievement! In all of history, the only one to accomplish such a feat was Louis III’s own grandfather: King Louis, the Sun King, Louis I. Why did he have so many titles? Because during his reign, King Louis had killed Beast Emperor Gors VII! He had made the name ’Gors’ extinct!
This was an achievement that even the legendary Knight King had failed to accomplish!
"Your Majesty, perhaps we could order General Robson to intercept Kemal at the opportune moment. Then, Prince Noah and his forces could seize the chance..." Daniel suggested.
Louis III swallowed hard.
"Relay my decree! Enfeoff Robson as a Court Count! Grant him the fiefdom of the southern Julian Province and bestow upon him Willia County! Tell the Archbishop to give his blessing to the marriage of Count Valentino and Earl Robson!"
"Allocate eight thousand troops from the Standing Army to Viscount Robertson..."