Chapter 255: Nobles' Conference

As the nobles largely arrived at the Wushan Fortress, a grand mobilization assembly was formally convened.

Rulans made an appearance, but after exchanging only brief greetings with everyone, he took his seat above, leaving the rest to Viggins, seated in his wheelchair.

Viggins seemed thoroughly accustomed to such mobilization assemblies.

He began with a stirring speech—painting the peril of the border, the fallen Hahn, the misfortunes of countless knights, and the villainy of the enemy—before finally outlining the objectives of this war.

In short, though forces were split in two directions, they must reclaim Chi Mountain Town in the southwest and crush the Black Gold Brotherhood’s recent troop buildup in the southeast.

He no longer spoke of retaking Kassir Town or eradicating the Polant Bandits—lowering expectations.

Of the two factions, the Black Gold Brotherhood was stronger and more ambitious; if even slightly neglected, it would continue to invade deeper into the Wushan Ridge.

It is easy to summon a god, hard to send him away—once they entered, expelling them would demand far greater effort and cost heavier losses.

Thus, the greatest number of troops were allocated to the southeastern front.

After heated debate, the allied force tasked with subduing the Black Gold Brotherhood would be commanded by Captain Kabir of the Second Knightly Order, with Barrington as deputy.

Yet the Hyde family was clearly dissatisfied—they believed Barrington, as the border-county noble who contributed the most, ought to lead the southeastern campaign.

For hours, Yalan and Nigen argued with Viggins and others, until finally they agreed: Yalan and Kabir would duel, and the victor would assume command.

Ronin could scarcely believe that assigning a commander had descended into a duel—wasn’t this equivalent to fighting each other before even facing the enemy?

What if, in the heat of combat, both were wounded and unable to fight? Would they not cripple themselves before harming a single foe?

Ronin found it incomprehensible, yet others seemed to regard the arrangement as perfectly reasonable.

So halfway through the meeting, the crowd spilled out of the fortress to watch the duel.

Thankfully, the outcome was favorable.

Kabir defeated Yalan, claimed the command, and neither sustained serious injuries—leaving them fit for the coming war.

Still, Yalan and Nigen clearly resented the result; one could only wonder what mischief they might stir later.

Compared to the southeastern front, matters on the western side were far simpler.

By tradition, whenever a member of the Wushan family led an expedition, he bore the title of commander—and now, with Ronin leading, he naturally assumed command.

The key lay in selecting the deputy.

Rulans had previously planned for Toru, Kabir, and Marvin to assist Ronin—essentially as deputies—but now that Kabir and Sandro had been dispatched east, only Toru and Marvin remained.

Fortunately, one was the commander of the First Knightly Order, a Golden Knight, sufficiently powerful; the other, one of the few viscounts in Wushan territory, sufficiently experienced, and no slouch in strength either.

No one objected to their appointment as deputies.

Once command was settled, the next matter—detailed troop allocation—proved equally contentious.

The nobles all recognized that the southeastern front, facing the Black Gold Brotherhood, would be a brutal struggle, compounded by the bitter dispute over command.

The western front, though Ronin lacked battlefield experience and appeared little more than a greenhorn, had Toru and Marvin to aid him—and considering Ronin’s recent conduct, he might prove no worse than Viggins.

Thus, in overall comparison, most preferred to join the western front against the Polant Bandits.

After all, soldiers sent to war—no matter their quality—were noble property; who wished to suffer greater losses?

And if fortune smiled with victory, perhaps even gains might follow.

Debates over troop distribution raged from morning until afternoon, only finally settling as twilight painted the horizon.

The forces were roughly divided seven to three between east and west, with the most formidable knights concentrated on the eastern front.

Ronin’s contingent, aside from Toru, had not a single other Golden Knight.

Had Corien not mentioned that the enemy possessed one, Toru himself might not have been assigned.

This arrangement clearly failed to account for battlefield unpredictability—what if the Polant Bandits suddenly fielded two Golden Knights?

At the meeting, Ronin raised this possibility.

But Viggins had few Golden Knights to spare: of the five knightly commanders, only Toru and Melonika were truly Golden, and Kabir, though capable of dueling a Golden Knight, was already commanding the eastern front.

Melonika guarded Rulans’s safety—neither could be reassigned.

Reluctantly, Viggins dispatched two Silver Knights to the western front.

After all, Golden Knights were not invincible; a coordinated group of Silver Knights stood a fair chance of overpowering one—even if they could not win, they could at least hold their ground.

“Marvin, Philip, Solstan, Corien, Vittorino…”

Ronin counted: on his side alone, five Silver Knights were officially assigned.

Add to that the possible Silver-level vassals under other nobles’ command—if they too were brought to the field—the number would be considerable.

Coupled with Ronin’s own men—Rydal, Elron, and Macken—even if the Polant Bandits produced two more Golden Knights, they could still be managed.

With high-end strength secured and over a hundred professional knights, plus cavalry, infantry, and archers, the total force likely reached two thousand.

Beyond the main army, there were also the camp followers—grooms, craftsmen, transporters, and engineers—bringing the total to perhaps ten thousand.

Ronin had become commander of a force numbering ten thousand.

“Ronin, don’t forget our agreement!”

That night, Viggins found Ronin and gave him a direct warning: “Though the plan has encountered unforeseen complications, the men I’ve assigned you are more than sufficient—reclaiming Chi Mountain Town should be no problem!”

His thoughts remained fixed on the iron mines of Chi Mountain Town.

“Rest assured, Father,” Ronin replied with confident assurance, “I will spare no effort to retake Chi Mountain Town.

But Father, to win this war, I’ve even pulled out my lone knightly squad.

I’ve assembled the troops, yet I lack provisions—grain, fodder for horses—your aid is urgently needed.”

“This is easily arranged!”

Viggins agreed without hesitation. “Logistics will be handled by Galiel. I’ll instruct him—this campaign’s grain, fodder, and all logistical needs for the northern Wushan domain shall be borne by Wushan Castle.”

Typically, vassals accompanying their liege into war bore their own supply costs; though occasional support was provided, it was rare.

But for Viggins, who anticipated immense profits from his son’s future exploitation of the Chi Mountain iron mines, such logistical expenses meant nothing.

It suited Ronin perfectly.

Had he been responsible for supplying his northern Wushan knightly squad himself, he would have had to conscript serfs and procure grain from outside—since northern Wushan’s harvests were meager.

Now, with Wushan Castle bearing the burden, countless headaches and labors were spared.

Thus, the lively noble assembly concluded smoothly.

The next day, the nobles hurriedly departed Wushan Castle, returning to their domains for final preparations.

As the end of June neared, the forces dispatched by the nobles set forth in great numbers, marching resolutely toward their respective battlefields.

(End of Chapter)