Chapter 586 - 359: The 18 Nobles’ Crusade Against Zog

Chapter 586: Chapter 359: The 18 Nobles’ Crusade Against Zog

When Zog learned that the old King of Sutton was dead, he wasn’t surprised.

It was something he had known would happen for a long time.

He had been waiting for the old King’s demise for months.

But Zog was confused. Now that the new King had ascended the throne and the proclamation to attack the Northern Domain had been issued, where were Loman’s forces?

Where was the great Duke Welton?

Wasn’t the plan for the Loman Army to attack from the outside while the Sutton Army attacked from within, a classic pincer movement?

The Northern Domain had already run several targeted drills. They had even come up with slogans like "Stomp the Coniferous Forest, Capture Welton Alive," but in the end, Welton never showed.

"Have you confirmed with 9527? Is Duke Welton really not making any moves at all?" Zog asked, unwilling to accept it.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Boss, this is the sixteenth time you’ve asked today. 9527 has confirmed it several times—there’s no movement. Isn’t it a good thing? You can’t possibly be hoping they’ll attack, can you?"

Hearing Elsa’s question, Zog blinked and said in all seriousness, "Yes, I am. Why else would I have produced so many bullets? That stuff has a shelf life. If we don’t use it, we’ll have to destroy it later, which is an even bigger loss."

In reality, according to 9527’s intelligence, the Loman side wasn’t completely inactive.

This former swindler was truly something else. He had managed to become one of the most favored servants in Duke Welton’s Mansion and was the inseparable playmate of the next Duke Welton, who was currently just a little kid.

At the same time, he was very popular with the entire Welton household.

One could say he had reached the peak of the Servant Realm, touching the threshold of the Steward Realm and was half a step from breaking through.

Do not underestimate the position of a steward in a traditional noble household. Although nominally still a servant, just as a leader’s personal chauffeur cannot be seen as an ordinary driver, a steward is a position of great trust and can learn many incredible secrets.

According to 9527, not only had Welton not marched towards the Northern Domain, but he had even started studying maps of other countries.

It seemed like he had suddenly stood up Prince Sutton—now the new King of Sutton—the big idiot.

This was consistent with reports from other spies planted in Loman.

Loman seemed to have suddenly slowed its war preparations, but they hadn’t stopped completely. It looked as if a war was still going to be fought, but the original plan had been drastically changed.

But how had it changed?

While Zog was puzzling over this, Elsa reminded him, "Figxin will be here soon."

"Good."

Figxin was coming to Deepwater City to discuss the defense plan.

Since the main attacking force had changed, the original defense plan for the Northern Domain naturally needed to be revised.

Bearing the title of Monarch Slayer, she was now a public enemy.

But no matter where the forces seeking to crush her came from, they would almost certainly come from the south.

As long as Sutton’s neighboring countries had any sense, they wouldn’t allow the Sutton Army to pass through their territory to invade the Northern Domain from other directions.

And to reach the Northern Domain from the south, aside from the sea route, the best path was through Deepwater City.

Thus, Zog’s base of operations had become the absolute key.

In the conference room, Zog met with Figxin.

The woman now known as "Sutton’s Greatest Traitor" seemed to be in good spirits, showing no signs of dejection or anger.

’It’s a good thing she isn’t angry. History is full of commanders who’ve made foolish decisions out of anger.’

Figxin went straight to her opinions on Deepwater City’s defense, not mentioning her own predicament once.

"Deepwater City’s production capacity is too important, and it has no walls for Defense. Therefore, we absolutely cannot let this turn into a siege, let alone urban warfare. The destruction of any Factory here would be an unacceptable loss. My recommendation is to intercept them outside the city. I am absolutely confident that I can prevent a single enemy from getting near Deepwater City."

Figxin’s voice held an unquestionable confidence and authority.

"The only issue is how many troops to deploy. The main strength of the Northern Legion is focused on defending against Loman, so we don’t have many soldiers to spare. If we must maintain the defensive strength of the North, we can pull two thousand men at most."

From the very beginning, the Prince’s Influence had never been Figxin’s greatest concern.

Zog had complete faith in Figxin’s abilities. "You are the commander in charge of this war. So, if you think two thousand men are enough, then it’s not a problem."

In truth, two thousand men was not a small number. The two thousand from the Northern Legion were pure, professional soldiers, with no filler.

In an old-fashioned army, that number, combined with several times as many auxiliary troops and various non-combat personnel, would amount to over ten thousand men.

To the outside world, they could claim it was an army of tens of thousands.

Figxin continued, "If it’s just a defensive battle, then two thousand men will be enough. However, my plan is to march south after we win and capture Delong Castle on the Said Plain."

She pointed to a city on the map, about two hundred kilometers south of Deepwater City.

"This is their most convenient staging ground for attacking the North. It was originally a pass designed to prevent enemies from breaking directly into the Central Plains Region if the Northern Domain fell. If we can take it, we can use it as a barrier to block the enemy’s advance north. Furthermore, this area is densely populated. If we want to end this civil war while still guarding against Loman, we must expand our forces."

Zog scratched his chin, understanding Figxin’s meaning. "So you want to defeat the invading enemy, then launch a counterattack in one fell swoop, build up our army, and wait for the right moment to take the Royal City."