Warhammer Divine Throne

Laine furrowed his brows; was Aurora trying to make an issue out of this relationship?

"Mother!" Teresa quickly intervened to ease the relationship between her man and her mother: "I volunteered; Laine didn’t force me."

Aurora chose her words carefully and intentionally paused for a moment before speaking: "However, since Teresa volunteered, I won’t say much, but remember this: if my daughter ever returns to the council to complain to me, you will never see Teresa again, never."

"Rest assured, I will treat Teresa well." Laine’s expression softened as he held Teresa’s small hand: "I won’t make hollow promises; I’ll prove my sincerity with actions."

"Good, very good." Aurora finally let Laine off the hook and said to him: "I will leave before the Green Grass Festival; go and discuss with your allies what to do."

"Alright!" Laine walked away with a wine glass in hand, heading to the corner of the banquet hall. He found the Dark Elf Ollica, dressed in a black and white lace maid dress with a headscarf, hiding in the corner observing the guests’ every move: "Master?"

"Open that room and have Her Highness Mogiana, Francois, Bodric, and Belgar meet in the small room." Laine instructed the Dark Elf.

"Understood!" Ollica nodded to show she understood.

Twenty minutes later, at the winery, in the small room.

This room was located behind the study, without windows, with two sides facing water. The table was filled with various fruits, snacks, and fine red wine. Lake God Witch Mogiana, Duke of Winford Francois, Duke Boldro Bodric, King of the Angland Clan Belgar, and Laine gathered to discuss the attack on Musillon. Besides these five people, the Dark Elf Ollica also stood by to serve.

Laine informed everyone that Aurora wouldn’t stay long and said with a frown: "We are now facing a dilemma; if we proceed with the original plan to attack the Sharp-Top Palace, we won’t get Lady Aurora’s help. If we want Lady Aurora’s help, we must launch the attack early."

"Ah hey~ Just attack early then! The warriors of Angland are tired of waiting! As long as Laine’s brother gives the word, I’ll lead our clan’s army to join you!" Belgar popped half his head from under the table, jumping around to get everyone’s attention. The King of Eight Peaks had drunk a lot today, appearing very excited: "Why think so much! Those annoying undead don’t even have long-range weapons. Our cannon battalions and organ cannon battalions can flatten the Sharp-Top Palace in less than two days!"

Laine nodded, understanding Belgar’s point, but he knew that Belgar only considered the siege issue. For the Dwarfs, completing a combat mission was all that mattered, but for Laine, attacking Musillon involved numerous factors such as kingdom politics, territorial human resources, army morale, and the changes following the siege of Sharp-Top Palace.

"My son Fidmund will lead Boldro’s main forces to join you." Duke Bodric, however, didn’t seem to mind: "The timing of the attack is up to you."

"Same here." Mogiana also expressed her stance.

Laine couldn’t help but feel a bit hesitant, as both choices had their pros and cons, and the situation was so sudden that making a decision was difficult for him. From the bottom of his heart, Laine preferred to proceed as originally planned.

He finally turned his gaze to his father-in-law, the refined and wise Francois.

Francois was in high spirits recently. He stroked his long goatee, thought carefully for a moment, and then spoke: "Laine, I just need you to confirm one thing: is your territory ready for war?"

"Yes, we’re prepared. Supplies are allocated, and the army is reorganized." Laine nodded.

"Since you’re ready, why not strike early?" Francois said slowly: "As long as the conditions are ripe, we can attack Musillon. Winter weather tests the soldiers’ stamina and energy, but the undead will also move more slowly in the cold climate. If we can leverage the power of the Holy Sanctuary Witch Aurora, we should seize the opportunity."

"Hmm... but if we act early, even if we seize Sharp-Top Palace, our army would soon face spring plowing, and we’d have to disband some troops to let them return for farming." Laine voiced his concern: "This could easily lead Sharp-Top Palace to be besieged by the undead forces..."

"Laine, you focus too much on pre-planning." Francois shook his head and earnestly said: "In war, opportunities are fleeting. When you have such a good chance, you should seize Sharp-Top Palace early and build defenses there. Since it’s an excellent chance to achieve our Phase One objective, you should grab it immediately. You value thorough preparation too much, but even according to your plans, we can’t predict the undead’s movements. Better to surprise them with an attack. During spring plowing, we just need to station enough troops to guard Sharp-Top Palace."

"Attack first, then defend, right?" Laine mused over the pros and cons while rubbing his chin: "I have quite a few semi-professional soldiers who can stay to garrison; just that, the duration is relatively long, making it easy to get into a protracted battle with the undead."

"No, it won’t." Francois shook his head sharply: "Don’t forget, there’s another army also looking for an opportunity to attack Sharp-Top Palace."

"Lorne and his Northern Knight Alliance Army!" Laine’s eyes lit up, immediately understanding Francois’ meaning: "You mean once I start attacking Musillon, Lorne might also launch an attack, simultaneously attacking Musillon from the north via Leonais?"

"Not might, but definitely." Francois said with great certainty: "Even if Lorne didn’t plan it, Richard would ensure he does. I’ve known Richard for decades; that’s his way of doing things, so no need to hesitate. Once the Winter Festival ends, immediately assemble and prepare for war. Our Allied Army will set off to camp north of Charon Forest in February, ready to attack Sharp-Top Palace by March before the spring plowing!"

"This war is crucial to deciding whether you can solve the nearly three-hundred-year-old menace of Musillon for the Kingdom, whether you can obtain a duke title, and whether you can become king!" Francois earnestly said: "I’ll send Jerald to lead Winford Duchy’s main forces to join you; even for Surya and the child in her womb, you must come back victorious! Under these circumstances, acting early isn’t bad at all!"

"I understand!"

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