The Frost Castle meeting lasted for two hours, most of the decision-making content had been decided, and the meeting came to an end.
Seeing that the time was almost up, the old man sitting in the chairman's seat tapped the mahogany mat with a mallet, and everyone in the venue immediately sat upright and kept quiet.
"Then please perform your duties in the coming days, complete your respective tasks, and be loyal to the empire."
At this moment, there was still no hint of twilight in the old man's spirit.
"His Majesty gave us one month to recover the lost territory."
The old man's sharp gaze swept over the faces of these military leaders and local dignitaries, looking down upon the common people like an eagle on a mountain peak.
"That is to say, before His Majesty's birthday next month, we must give this 'birthday gift' to His Majesty."
It is an arduous task to take back all the territory that the orcs have occupied within a month.
Although the large orc army has retreated, there are still a certain number of defenders in the towns they captured. The orcs are powerful and defend the city. This battle to retake the territory will be fierce.
"You should understand what you should do, right?"
However, there is no choice in this task. In this war, the face of the Noah Empire was beaten to pieces by the orcs. If the lost territory cannot be regained with the power of lightning, the strength of the Noah Empire will definitely be questioned. This will make the entire
Something that brought shame to Noah and even mankind.
So the old man's question was immediately responded to, and the people at the table stood up in unison and shouted:
"Yes! Long live the empire! Long live our emperor!"
"Okay, let's break up the meeting!"
The old man clapped his hands, and the two male attendants in black tuxedos behind him walked to the old man, carefully raised the old man's arms on the left and right, and smoothly lifted the old man to the seat. A car was driven by a woman in a white dress.
In a wheelchair being pushed by a waiter.
During this period, everyone sat in their original positions and waited patiently for the old man to leave before leaving their seats.
Who is this old man who can make these powerful people so respectful and even fearful?
This old man with disabled legs is the Commander-in-Chief (Commander-in-Chief) who is currently in charge of the battle in the Northern Territory. He has 300,000 troops in the Northern Territory and is currently the undisputed ruler of the Northern Territory.
And he is also the only grand duke canonized in the Noah Empire today, that is, the famous--Grand Duke Bauhinia, Rodbar Cordylan.
He is the younger brother of the leader of the Empire's four major legions, the leader of the Bardafenr Legion, Veracodo Cordylan. Unlike the "Golden Lion" Veracodo, who is known as the strongest warrior in the empire, Archduke Rhodes of the Bauhinia Flower
Barr accidentally fell off a horse while hunting with his father when he was young and broke both of his legs. He has had to use a wheelchair since then.
Although Rodbar lost the power to stand, he was not willing to accept his fate. He began to study various classics around the world and published many works on ancient Noah. His unique insights amazed the academic community. From Rodbar
Barr's "The Rise and Fall of the Four Families of the Ancient Noahic Dynasty" is still regarded as a classic. Rod Barr, who was physically disabled and strong-willed, successfully made himself a giant in thought.
However, his brilliance was completely overshadowed by his elder brother Venacodo. In the Noahic Empire, which valued martial arts over literature, a noble swordsman who became famous at a young age was far more likely to become famous than a young scholar.
After the death of the previous Grand Duke of Bauhinia, the position of Grand Duke of Bauhinia was supposed to be passed to his eldest son Vera Cordo, but Vera Cordo took the initiative to give up the throne to his younger brother Rodbar who did not seem to be very outstanding.
.
However, after Rodbal assumed the position of Grand Duke of Bauhinia and the head of the Bauhinia family, Rodbal's talent gradually emerged, which also proved that the choice made by Venacodo was correct.
Clean up the border residents, reorganize the armed forces, eradicate banditry, improve farming...
Under the governance of Rodbar, the Redbud Family's territory, the Principality of Cordilon, became the most prosperous among the Noah Empire's tributaries in just ten years. In the three major battles against the Kingdom of Stiva,
, the army of the Principality of Cordylon is recognized as a powerful army second only to the Noah Empire Army.
It can be said that the victory of the Noah Empire in several wars is inseparable from the strong support of the Principality of Cordylon, and the Noah Emperor Baroni II also gave Bauhinia Archduke Rodbar the "real Noah nobility"
of high praise.
It may be necessary to explain here: the Principality of Codron is not actually an independent country. Although it has an independent army, political system, and even a "Duke Court" and independent laws, the Principality of Codron is still considered a part of the Noah Empire.
.
After the disintegration of the ancient Noah dynasty, the human world was divided into six kingdoms and eighteen small countries. Among them, the Noah Kingdom in the east, which inherited the blood of the ancient Noah royal family, successively annexed the Black Marsh Kingdom in the south through merger wars and marriages.
and the Fengchi Kingdom in the north, and conquered the Sidna Federal State in the center, thus establishing the Noah Empire.
The Noah Empire, which acquired nearly half of the territory of the ancient Noah Dynasty, due to its vast territory and inconvenient management of some areas, referred to the management system of the ancient Noah Dynasty and enfeoffed part of the land and territorial residents to some relatives of meritorious officials.
These enfeoffed territories were the initial tributaries of the Noah Empire. Later, through war, some small neutral countries became tributaries of the Noah Empire.
According to Noah's regulations, the laws and regulations of the subject countries must not conflict with the Noah's constitution. Palace officials who accept their orders must also seek instructions from the Noah's court. The number of royal guards and national troops must also be increased or increased in accordance with the relevant regulations promulgated by Noah.
Crop.
In other words, the so-called Principality of Cordyron is actually just a highly autonomous province of the Noah Empire.
The Bauhinia family has always been the most trusted surname family of the Noah royal family. The treatment standards of the Grand Duke Bauhinia are the same as those of Prince Noah.
However, the geographical location of the Principality of Cordilon is not good. It is close to the west of the Noah Empire and is invaded by barbarians to the north. To the west is the Kingdom of Stiva, the mortal enemy of the Noah Empire, and to the south is the hiding place of rogue bandits and pirates.
A rocky mountainous area filled with monsters.
In addition to the dangerous situation of being surrounded by enemies on three sides, the local residents also had strong customs and difficult to control. At first, most residents of the Cordyron Territory did not recognize their rulers and did not obey the law. Intuitively speaking, the newly established Cordylon Territory
It's just a roasted half-cooked leg of lamb. It looks delicious but is hot to the mouth and hard to chew when you take a bite.
Of course, if this fertile territory stretching from the Blade Snow Mountain in the north to the Heihe River in Tezhou in the south was so easy to control, then it would not be enfeoffed by the empire, let alone be enfeoffed to a family with a foreign surname.
The Bauhinia family (also known as the Cordylon family) has spent four generations managing this land, and finally there has been some improvement. The national power of the Principality of Cordylon has also continued to grow, and now it is the right-hand arm of the empire.
This time the orcs invaded the northern territory of Noah in large numbers, and the Principality of Cordylon also quickly sent troops to reinforce it. Moreover, after hearing that the Badafenir Legion had suffered heavy losses and that the life and death of the leader Wei Nakodo was unknown, as a compatriot of Wei Nakodo
His brother's Redbud Grand Duke Rodbar personally led the army to the front line against the orc invaders.
After Noah's Emperor Baroni II learned of the incident, he immediately ordered Rodbar to be named the commander-in-chief of the Northern Territory, allowing the highly respected Grand Duke to mobilize all the troops and resources in the Northern Territory to integrate the Noah Empire.
The command strength of the army and the Cordylan army provides the greatest convenience for the soldiers of both sides to fight against the orc army.
After three months of brutal offensive and defensive battles, the orcs finally retreated north after paying the price of tens of thousands of casualties.
Although Noah finally won the victory, the northern territory of the empire was in a mess. In order to restore the economy of the northern territory, Emperor Baroni II ordered the four major territories in the northern territory that were severely affected to be tax-free for three years.
Since then, the Northern War has basically come to an end.
At the Frost Castle Observatory, the red-armored "Red Dragon Wings" stood straight on both sides of the stone guardrail like sculptures. There were no extra movements or even any expressions, but they exuded an aura that made Xiaoxiao scared.
pressure.
However, these "Red Dragon Wings" guards gathered here just to protect this old man in a wheelchair.
There was a knife-like chill in the wind in the north, and the sky was dark at this time, and snowflakes like broken stars were slowly falling from the top of the clouds.
"Alas, my brother...have your soul returned to the Hall of Valor?"
The old man let out a long sigh, and his hands, which were leaning on the armrest, were clenched tightly.
The young maid pushing the wheelchair heard the old man's sigh, hesitated for a while and then argued: "Master, I don't think Lord Veracodo will fall so easily. No one, not even the orcs, can do anything to that Lord."
"The fact that no body has been found and no one has witnessed your death in battle proves that you must still be alive."
"But...if he is still alive, it's time to come back."
Rodbar knew his brother very well, and he saw this matter more thoroughly than anyone else. If Veracodo successfully broke out of the encirclement, he would definitely join up with other troops instead of disappearing until now.
Of course, some extremely unlikely exceptions cannot be ruled out, allowing Weinako to give up showing up and hide himself.
But Rodbar is not the kind of person who believes in miracles.
His elder brother, Venacodo, would not just watch the destruction of the Batafir Legion that he had spent half his life leading. Facing a tight siege, there was a high possibility that Venacodo would lead the soldiers to fight to the end.
"What if the lord is really still alive?"
"I'm not going to have any delusions, Bai Ling, don't mention this matter again."
"yes."
Bai Ling nodded respectfully. She had followed Rodbal as a maid for many years, and knew that although Rodbal could not hear anything unusual from his tone, he was already feeling a little depressed at this time.
"Grand Duke Rodbar, I didn't expect you to come here to enjoy the scenery."
A gentle yet somewhat high-pitched voice suddenly intervened, and the eight "Red Dragon Wings" guards on the field also subconsciously grasped the hilts of the glazed swords at their waists.
"Haha, don't be nervous. Although I came uninvited, I am not a dangerous person."
Facing the guards who were ready to attack, the visitor just laughed twice without any sign of fear. Although there was no hostility in the man wearing a robe with pockets, the guards did not dare to be careless. After all, before this man appeared,
, they were completely unaware of this man's aura.
"Your Excellency Lulundo Moka, as a Holy Knight, why do you condescend to ask me, a secular Duke, for what purpose?"
Rodbar turned the wheelchair, and the maid behind also held the armrest to make Rodbar face the uninvited guest.
The man standing in the bunker smiled and said: "You seem to have held an interesting meeting here, but it seems that you didn't notify us? Is it because the support of the Illuminati Religion for you is not enough to qualify for the stage?"
"No, the 'Pegasus Walker' summoned tens of millions of thunderbolts to defeat the Behemoth Army in the Ghost Mountain Fortress, and the power and contribution of your 'Shining Star' Shattering Star sword to break through the barbaric formation, I think everyone present can see it."
Rodbar showed a polite smile on his face, and then explained: "The problem is that our meeting is a strategic plan to settle the disaster and retake the lost land. The content has little to do with the members of the Guangming Sect, so we did not invite the priests to come.
.”
We still don’t know the purpose of this paladin, but from what he said just now, we can tell that the other party intends to launch an attack.
Rodbar knew that he was at a disadvantage now. The guards around him did not have the ability to resist the paladin. If the paladin suddenly attacked, he would be in danger.
The man seemed to be aware of Rodbar's thoughts and smiled:
"Haha, Grand Duke, don't be nervous. I am here just to deliver some items to you."
Indeed, there is no possibility for the Holy See of Light to be detrimental to the Bauhinia family.
The Holy See of Light has always been a part of Noah, and this has been the case since the ancient Noah dynasty.
"Which friend commissioned it?"
"His Majesty the Pope."
"this?"
The person the man mentioned was something Rodbar had not expected. He was not familiar with the current Pope of Light. Why would the other party send a paladin to deliver the gift?
"Please accept it."
The man gently tapped the ring on his hand, and a long object wrapped in white cloth appeared in his hand, and then he walked towards Rodbar in the wheelchair.
This mysterious man was about to approach Rodbar, and the attendants and guards suddenly became nervous.
"Wait a minute..."
Bai Ling wanted to step forward to stop her, but a skinny hand blocked her way first.
"No need."
Rodbar shook his head, put his hands on the armrests again, and looked up at the object in the man's hand. Although he didn't know what it was yet, he already had a vague answer in his heart.
At this time, there was no frivolity on the man's face anymore, but he held the tightly wrapped item with both hands solemnly and handed it to the old man in the wheelchair.
Rodbar also stretched out his hands and took it steadily. Just when he was about to transfer the item to Bai Ling behind him, the man said: "I think the Grand Duke can take a look at it now. This is what His Majesty the Pope wishes."
.”
"Oh? If that's the case, then I'd rather be respectful than obey."
Everyone present is trustworthy, and if this item is really related to something secret, the other party will not suggest that he open it now.
Rodbal took a deep breath, and with slightly trembling hands, he slowly untied the white cloth strip wrapped around it. However, just after he had untied a corner, Rodbal's originally rosy face suddenly turned pale.
"this?!"
The old man's unhurried movements immediately became faster, and all the strips of cloth tied to the object were torn off.
This is a scabbard, a dark, bright and scarred scabbard.
The scabbard is not just for placing the sword. After the sword is unsheathed, some swordsmen have the habit of holding the scabbard in their hands for defensive purposes. From the pits and depressions on it, you can see what the scabbard has experienced.
Such a fierce battle.
But if that were the case, it would not surprise the well-informed Grand Duke of Bauhinia.
"Is this something that belongs to Lord Veracodo?"
Rodbar did not speak, but Bai Ling beside him had already expressed the shock in his heart.
The three fresh and tender redbud flowers engraved on the scabbard are the gilt engravings of the redbud family emblem.
The use of the Bauhinia family emblem is extremely strict, and only direct members of the Bauhinia family can use items engraved with the Bauhinia family emblem.
The current direct members of the Bauhinia family are only the Grand Duke of Bauhinia Rodbar and his three sons, as well as the "Golden Lion" Wei Nakodo, whose life and death are unknown.
How could Rodbar, the head of the Bauhinia family, not know that this scabbard belonged to his brother Venacodo?
In fact, Rodbar already knew who he was from the moment he took this thing in his hand, but he didn't want to believe the result.
"Your Excellency Lulundo Moka, where is the sword in this scabbard and its owner?"
Rodbar exhaled a breath of white air, seeming to notice the chill in the air, and shrank his somewhat rickety body towards the backrest.
"I am only responsible for delivering the items, I don't know anything else."
The man bowed slightly to Rodbar and handed him another object.
"What is this map?"
Rodbar reached out and took the sheepskin map, but the man just smiled and said nothing. Rodbar looked at the map, frowned for a while, and immediately relaxed his brows.
"It's interesting. Please excuse me for making a special trip."
If Rodbar wanted to investigate the issue on the scabbard before, this map immediately left him no room for other thoughts.
"Then I'll take my leave."
The man bowed again, and when he straightened up, his figure suddenly became distorted, and then disappeared without a trace like spring snow melting in the sun.
This man's strange way of leaving surprised everyone, but Rodbar didn't take it seriously. He put down the map in his hand and ordered to the guards of "Red Dragon Wings":
"Send the order to reorganize the route documents of the orcs' invasion of various provinces, especially the wolf-headed man incident in Cross Province, the second line of defense, must be thoroughly investigated!"
"yes!!"
...
"well......"
In the Frostburg Stand, Grand Duke Rodbar of Bauhinia, who was sitting in a wheelchair, looked at the snowflakes floating in the air and sighed thoughtfully:
"The world has always been moving, and it has been like this for thousands of years. It has not changed since ancient times."