Before leaving the "Wandering Gate", Lei Xiao left Xiao Huan here to meet Qin Qian and others, and then returned to the territory first.
Since there was still some time until evening, Lei Xiao began to deal with some scattered matters after the war, such as preparations for celebration banquets in various places, coordinating the distribution of supplies, and checking the commendation lists of each legion.
During this process, Lei Xiao received two important pieces of news.
First, we have successfully occupied the last two fallen noble cities, including Fort Ferro, across from Castle Castle, which is controlled by the fourth prince.
At this point, our counterattack ended successfully with a total of 10 northern cities and 10 peripheral cities in the central region, perfectly achieving Lei Xiao's expected goal.
Second, the Fourth Prince's side has begun to send a large number of troops to Kel'burg, apparently preparing for the next decisive battle.
"Fort Ferro and another city, Rob City, which we have just captured, are the two closest cities to Fort Kyle controlled by the fourth prince. They are also the only bordering points between my sphere of influence and the sphere of influence of the fourth prince."
"As long as I capture Kyle Castle, I can open the door to attack the four princes and the three wealthy families, and drive all the way straight to the neutral royal capital and the nests of the three noble families."
"And the fourth prince can do the same if he captures Fort Ferro and Robo City at the same time. In other words, the decisive battle between me and the fourth prince will definitely be between Fort Kele, Fort Fero and Robo City.
geographical expansion.”
Lei Xiao, who was pacing slowly in the territory, was thinking this while frowning, and ordered Orr and other commanders to assemble all the troops that could be mobilized in the direction of Ferroburg to prevent any unexpected events.
"Both Fort Ferro and Robo City are built against the mountains. Although they are not as large as Fort Kele, they are at the horns of each other, and the distance from Fort Kele is about the same."
"As long as I station heavy troops in these two cities, it will theoretically be enough to counter the Fourth Prince's army."
"Of course, with the current limited troop strength, I will naturally not distribute it evenly. Instead, I will concentrate most of the soldiers in Fort Ferro to prevent the opponent from defeating them one by one."
"As for Robo City, I will also ask Erza and Xiaohuan to create an illusory army to enter, making the two cities virtual and real, so that the opponent cannot easily figure out where my main force is."
Thinking about this in his mind, Lei Xiao frowned tightly.
If we just talk about the terrain, the opponent's Kelburg has a greater advantage.
After all, Kell Castle is a fortress city built on a pass, and it is an existence where one man can guard the gate and be invincible by ten thousand men.
As for our Fort Ferro and Robo City, they can only be regarded as sturdier ordinary cities.
"In other words, before the decisive battle has even begun, am I already at a disadvantage in terms of terrain and troop strength?"
Lei Xiao smiled helplessly, his expression becoming more solemn.
On the Stargazing Corridor battlefield that just ended, he could still rely on Stargazing City, which was basically the same geographical location as Kelburg, to block the opponent's forces. As long as he fought to the death, he would still have a glimmer of hope.
But this time, the geographical advantage is in the hands of the opponent, which will undoubtedly add more unpredictable variables and crises to the subsequent battle.
"That's all. With the blessing of all the soldiers under my command, the mobilization speed of our troops is significantly higher than that of the other side. Let's use this time to mobilize our troops as much as possible and make all preparations in advance."
After making up his mind, Lei Xiao returned to the door of his lord's mansion.
A total of 10 main subordinates, including Gracilaria, Hongye, Huzhang, Ariel, and Yecang, are already waiting here.
At this time, dusk has arrived.
Orange-red light fell on the ground, reflecting the resolute and awe-inspiring faces of the subordinates.
"Okay, let's set off now."
Looking at the main subordinates who were getting ready to go, Lei Xiao nodded slightly and nodded to indicate to Jiang Li that he could start teleporting.
There are also major commanders such as White Knight, Orr, Burt, and Benson sitting on the front line. Even if any emergencies arise, we can respond in time.
After receiving Lei Xiao's instructions, Jiang Li stroked her chest and saluted, and then with a light gray light flashing, the group of people disappeared from the spot.
After that, the group first went through the teleportation network to the nearest northern city, Ice Armor City, and then passed through Crystal Blue City, which was already waiting here, and headed towards their destination, Silver Snow City.
Just as Lei Xiao and his party started to take action.
On the other side of the northern border, Caroline has also summoned all 20 city lords who still remain neutral to Silver Snow City according to the planned plan.
Since Yinxue City is located in the center of the North, it can be said to be connected in all directions, so no matter which direction the city lord comes from, it is enough to arrive within one day.
After all, many of the city lords in the north are fourth-level powerhouses, and others are also at the peak third-level level, and they also have many convenient means of traveling in the snow.
In the banquet hall of the Yinxue City Lord's Mansion, a banquet of small or large scale was being held.
I saw clean and tidy long tables filled with hard bread, jam, butter, various kinds of bacon, and a lot of wine.
Compared with the aristocratic banquets in other regions that feature a wide variety of pastries and cuisines, the aristocratic banquets in the north are obviously much more simple and unpretentious.
In the center of the hall, Caroline, who was wearing a red dress and with thick, slightly curly hair shawl her shoulders, moved her starry eyes, looking at the city lords and ladies coming and going around, and gently shook the wine in her hand.
Goblet of red liquid.
In order for Lei Xiao to better achieve his goal, this banquet was naturally funded by Caroline.
"Since last night, I have visited these 20 neutral city lords one after another. Although I have a pick-up and drop-off from Crystal Blue City, it is really not an easy task to greet them 20 times in a row."
Caroline thought as she took a sip of red wine gracefully.
Under the illumination of the crystal chandelier, her fair and delicate face complemented the noble rose dress, just like a delicate red rose, exuding dazzling brilliance.
In comparison, the ladies and aristocratic ladies around who were also dressed up in attendance couldn't help but pale in comparison.
Even so, no one in the venue showed jealousy. Instead, everyone looked at her with admiration and admiration.
You know, the person standing in front of them is Caroline, the third princess of the royal family.
This princess, known for her bravery, is not only stunningly beautiful, but she also commands tens of thousands of border troops in the Fortress, protecting the tranquility of this land!
"Your Highness Princess, you can choose to hold the banquet here, which really makes your castle shine."
I saw a sassy woman not wearing a skirt, but wearing a light blue aristocratic costume, taking a step forward, caressing Caroline's breasts and saluting.
This aristocratic woman has a rather delicate face and looks to be about the same age as Caroline, probably not over thirty years old.
Her tone is crisp and her movements are not sloppy at all. She is completely different from the soft and frail aristocratic ladies around her, but she is somewhat similar to Caroline, who is a princess and general.
This person is the current lord of Silver Snow City, Countess Cilvini, who inherited the family business just a few years ago.
Since Yinxue City is located in the center of the Northern Territory, its comprehensive strength is enough to rank among the top three in the Northern Territory. In addition, Cilvini is diligent and pragmatic, so its reputation in the Northern Territory is quite good.
"You're welcome, Lord Cilvini, I'm just being entrusted by others."
Facing this important northern minister, Caroline smiled faintly and said bluntly: "You must have guessed it, right? The protagonist of this banquet is not me."
"Is that true?"
Another tall, middle-aged male noble with a thick beard came over, first bowed respectfully to Caroline, and then frowned and said: "Your Highness, the princess summoned us, it is really for another party."
The princess and the princess are your guests."
This middle-aged nobleman with furrowed eyebrows is the Lord of Drift Ice City, Lord Chester.
Drifting Ice City is the largest city in the western part of the Northern Territory, so Chester's prestige is no less than that of Zilweni in the center of the Northern Territory, and he can be considered one of the representatives of the Northern Territory city lords.
Noticing the conversation between the three, other northern city lords also gathered over and started whispering to each other.
The northern nobles who can be the lords of the city are naturally extraordinary people. Just hearing these few words, Caroline has almost understood the main purpose of holding this banquet.
"Your Highness Caroline, Your Highness Ariel is planning to win over me, right?"
Chester directly said what everyone was thinking and started talking.
"It is true that Her Royal Highness Ariel and the guest from another world have been on such an unstoppable journey, which is indeed very inspiring. It has also given a bad breath to the neutral city lords like me who can't stand the actions of those fallen nobles. It's really heart-wrenching.
It’s so refreshing.”
"But please don't forget, Your Highness Caroline, that the one we swear allegiance to is the Royal Family of Leng Yan, and His Majesty the Steel Wrist King who is still in power."
"In order to free the North from the clutches of demons, His Majesty the King of Steel, I waited until death without any regrets. How could I betray my oath and help a princess who has not yet ascended the throne?"
With a solemn expression on his face, Chester immediately spread his hands and said, "So, please forgive me, Your Highness Caroline, for our inability to join Your Highness Ariel's camp."
After Chester finished speaking, most of the city lords also agreed.
"That's right. The reason why the war has not burned our city yet is precisely because we wisely protected ourselves and did not join this power dispute!"
"Yes, those 10 northern cities that have joined the camp of the eldest prince and the second prince are the best examples!"
"The Northland is located in a remote area, so marching is very inconvenient. Although Your Highness Ariel is doing justice for heaven, we can only offer our support."
"You know, although Her Royal Highness Ariel and the guest from another world have won one after another, what they face next are three noble families. Those guys are enough to intimidate a country, how can we be able to compete with them?
The presence?"
"The most important thing is that the famine in the north is serious, and we can hardly even eat food. How can we still have the energy to challenge the three noble families with sufficient troops and food? Alas, I have more than enough ambition but not enough power, but I will definitely do it
I pray for Her Royal Highness Ariel day and night!”
While most of the city lords shook their heads and sighed.
There were also a few people from the city who held objections and sided with Ariel and Lei Xiao.
"You can't even eat food? Haven't you received food support from Your Highness Ariel and Your Excellency Ke Qing these days?"
"Your Highness Ariel and Your Excellency Keqing are facing three powerful families, but they still squeeze out food to help my people in the north. This shows how noble they are. Why do you still say such things without hurting your back while standing and talking?
Speech?”
"Yes, the eldest prince and the second prince at that time would rather see my people starve to death than refuse to give out food!"
…
"There is a lack of food and some people may not be able to survive this winter, but if Her Royal Highness Ariel fails, the three noble families will never let us go. We will surely destroy the city and people will die."
Zylvini frowned and pondered for a moment, then once again bowed to Caroline, caressing her chest.
"Your Highness Caroline, you must be very familiar with the current situation."
"With the three wealthy families gathered together, and the fourth prince gathering some of the fallen noble cities, it is not difficult to assemble a million-strong army."
"Although Your Highness Ariel has fought and won consecutive battles, she only has one hundred thousand usable soldiers left. This gap is self-evident, and even if we gather all the country-level powerful men from all human countries, we cannot make up for it."
Zylvini lowered her eyebrows and sighed softly, shook her head helplessly and said: "So I am very sorry, Your Highness Caroline, for the sake of the people of the North, we really cannot join Her Highness Ariel's camp.
"
"Things really didn't go that smoothly. Before I had a chance to express my opinion, these guys were already shaking their heads like rattles."
Looking at Zylvini's extremely embarrassed look and the unwavering expressions of Chester and others, Caroline sighed in her heart and looked helpless.
As the guardian of the North, she had frequent dealings with the city lords, so she clearly understood.
Although these neutral northern city lords have never succumbed to the degenerate nobles, they are also stubborn and stubborn people. Once they have determined something, it is difficult to change it.
Moreover, things were exactly as Zilweni said. Although Ariel and the young man from another world had won one after another, their situation was getting worse and worse.
"I can't do anything about these stubborn guys. Why doesn't my sister Ke Qing come?"
Facing the stern rejection from the neutral city lords, Caroline still maintained a faint smile on the outside, but she was already very worried in her heart.
"Your Highness Carolyn, now that the matter has been made clear, there is no need for us to stay here any longer. The North will only remain neutral and loyal to the real King Leng Yan. We bid farewell."
Chester touched his chest and saluted, and was about to turn around and leave with the other neutral city lords.
A tall figure was already standing at the door of the banquet hall, and a faint voice sounded.
"It is said that the nobles in the north are as fierce and fierce as lions in the snowfield, but in fact they are just a group of snowfield elk who can only look for the wind and flee?"