Chapter 1457: Chapter 1455: Never Betray
Reef Rock Castle, City Lord Mansion, Command Room.
Military God Saron had just finished laughing lightly when another staff officer hurried in from outside and reported, "General, latest intelligence."
The staff officer who had initially been reading the intelligence to Saron gave a puzzled glance at the newcomer, frowned slightly, took a step back, and stood aside to listen to what the other had to say.
The new staff officer cleared his throat and said, "General, about an hour ago, the garrisons of several territories and special stationing areas successfully formed the first layer of encirclement around Shalin, closing in on the border within thirty miles, and continued to shrink and advance. Then, after advancing for about ten minutes, they encountered a proactive assault by Shalin’s army, suffering heavy losses and resulting in a large retreat backward.
Shalin’s forces seized the opportunity to pursue, causing the entire first layer of the encirclement to collapse completely, and the subsequent troops attempting to build a second layer of encirclement were also attacked. The Nast Territory garrison suffered fifty percent casualties, the Bam Special Stationing Area garrison nearly sixty percent, and there is no news from the Gray Rock Territory garrison yet, but the results are not expected to be much better..."
The staff officer who had stepped aside showed some change in expression after hearing this.
The newcomer looked at Saron intently and asked, "General, it is anticipated that a substantial number of routed forces will flee towards our Reef Rock Castle under Shalin’s army’s pursuit. If we pay attention, we are bound to engage in a direct conflict with Shalin; if we ignore them, our constructed multiple defense lines are at risk of being disrupted. Moreover, although the routed forces are not directly ours, they are nominally our allies, and completely disregarding them seems unreasonable. What do you suggest we do?"
Saron didn’t speak; he merely laughed softly and then returned to silence, continuing to stare at the air in front of him, unmoving.
He was contemplating; indeed, he was contemplating, but no one knew what exactly he was pondering, or what decision he was going to make.
In the room, the two staff officers and the office clerks exchanged eye contact with each other, somewhat confused and unsure of what to do, choosing to stand quietly in place to wait.
In the silence, footsteps echoed from outside the door.
"Tap tap tap..."
The door creaked open with a squeak, and Wizard Abu Yule walked in, as always, dressed in a blue robe, holding a letter in hand, his brows furrowed.
As Saron’s confidant, he walked straight to Saron, shook the letter in his hand, and exhaled, "General, it’s a letter for you, delivered from Shalin, reportedly written by that person himself. The content inside is an explanation of that situation, saying he hopes you’ll act rationally upon reading it and make a wise choice."
Saron supported his chin with his right hand, as if he hadn’t heard at all.
Yule deeply furrowed his brows: "General?"
Saron remained motionless.
Yule raised his voice: "General?!"
"General!"
Finally, Saron moved, raising his head to glance at Yule, standing up and walking forward.
As he paced, he spoke out loud, seemingly to no one in particular: "You know, I’ve thought a lot in the past few days, both about that person and the incident in Shaya. I believe that person isn’t crazy. I’ve interacted with him; I’m quite sure he’s not a lunatic; on the contrary, he’s very intelligent. I’m certain that since he did that in Shaya, there must be some reasons, reasons even compelling enough, thus he attempted to persuade me.
I’m also trying to persuade myself not to be too impulsive. After all, Shalin is different from other territories; the power it displays on the surface is already enough to make us wary, and its real strength behind the scenes could potentially change the entire continent’s situation. If it weren’t like that, that person shouldn’t have done things so decisively in Shaya — Shalin is what he spent years building, he wouldn’t easily give it up, definitely doesn’t want it destroyed in war."
Saron reached the wall and turned around, continuing to pace and talk.
"Moreover, the aspect of Sika must be considered. The war more than three years ago indeed dealt them a heavy blow but wasn’t fatal; it didn’t harm them fundamentally. Over three years of recuperation have allowed them to recover considerably, and more importantly, the failure in the war has made them place higher emphasis on the army, significantly enhancing their combat power. If our Reef Rock Castle power launches an attack on Shalin, the border will inevitably become vacant, whether Sika takes advantage by moving in, or waits until the dust settles to deliver us a fatal blow, it would be extremely dangerous.
Also, the in Shaya’s court, for all these years, has been comparatively disappointing to me. From Emperor Byron, I haven’t seen the hope of the Prosperous Alliance; to speak boldly, perhaps Emperor Byron’s death isn’t entirely bad for the Alliance. You must know, Emperor Byron’s ability to succeed to the throne was strange; the sudden power he acquired, the forces behind him, are hard not to worry whether they are good for the Alliance or not."
The people in the room displayed awkward expressions, not daring to speak, for Saron’s words were indeed enormously bold, almost rebellious. Yet, as they pondered, what Saron expressed also seemed to be the truth. They continually exchanged glances, their expressions filled with intrigue.
At this moment, Saron walked back to Wizard Abu Yule’s side, Yule extended the letter in his hand and asked, "General, why not take a look?"
Saron did not take the letter, just scrutinized the envelope seriously for several seconds, then suddenly sighed softly, "What a pity."
"Hmm?" Wizard Abu Yule was puzzled.
"What a pity, what a pity!" Saron shook his head and said repeatedly, his expression becoming step by step solemn, "Truly a pity. He killed the Alliance Emperor after all, and in front of many watching in the Imperial Palace. If he had killed a court minister instead, or if he had merely imprisoned the Emperor, actually there could have been a discussion, but this time he really overdid it.
Emperor Byron may have had many unbecoming aspects, may have had many measures unbeneficial to the Alliance, but as the Emperor, he represents the Alliance; killing him means declaring war on the Alliance. I may not be completely loyal to Emperor Byron, but I am absolutely loyal to the Alliance. To be an enemy to the Alliance means being an enemy to me; I will use all my ability to eliminate him.
If not doing so, it would imply the alliance’s impotence in punishing enemies, then how could it still be a normal country? How could it still qualify as a nation? If one ignores the murderer of the former Emperor, how could the next Emperor legitimately inherit, unless the country changes its name, or splits apart. And I absolutely cannot tolerate such a situation happening."
Facing Saron, Wizard Abu Yule showed a few traces of astonishment, opened his mouth: "Then General, this letter..."
Saron reached out and took the letter, smiled softly at the envelope, then clamped the sides with both hands, exerting force, with a "tear" sound tearing it into two. Then repeated the action several times, shredding the letter into fragments.
"No need to read, there’s no point in reading." Saron discarded the shredded paper, sternly said, "I can guess there are ample reasons persuading me within, but no reason can make me betray the Alliance."
"Then next, shall we..." Wizard Abu Yule’s eyes flickered as he asked.
"Sound the horn." Saron replied deeply.
Wizard Abu Yule’s eyelids twitched, froze for a whole second, then lowered his head, said, "Yes, I understand, General."
...
