Chapter 304

Most people had no hope for Aofina's proposal because of their stereotypes about the Northwest Bay.

Only a few people thought it was worth a try, such as the officers in charge of military logistics. They knew that a large part of the supplies and weapons in the kingdom's army now came from the Northwest Bay.

In terms of military rations, canned food from the Northwest Bay is welcomed by many officers and soldiers, especially in the south where the temperature is high and it is not easy to store food. When the troops march long distances and there are no towns near the station to buy or collect food, canned food can play a big role.

In terms of weapons, a weapons supplier named [Northwest Industry] occupies a large share of the source of weapons and armor for the kingdom's army. As for the quality, it can only be said to be average, but it wins in large quantities and low prices. The kingdom's army can suppress the rebels in terms of armor rate, and Northwest Industry can be said to have made an indelible contribution.

It's strange, where does the Northwest Bay get so much iron to make so many weapons and armor? Aren't the lords there fighting themselves?

But it is obvious that if the lords of the Northwest Bay equipped their soldiers with these weapons, then the war between them could not be simply described as a "peasant fight".

While everyone was discussing, Catherine winked at Aophina and asked her to discuss this issue with her in private later.

Since the Northwest Bay was raised, the topic of the meeting gradually turned to the usurper war that broke out at the beginning of the year.

"It is obvious that the line headed by Earl Parker will never recognize the legitimacy of Martz Kent's succession to the title."

"Really, the country is in danger, but they don't want to raise troops to serve, but instead fight in private. They are really ignorant of the overall situation."

"This is not without benefits. The lords of the former Northwest Duke line have always been disrespectful to the royal family. The Parker family is still loyal to the royal family. It is good to suppress those native lords."

"After all, it is for their own interests. I don't believe they are very loyal to the royal family. If there are any conflicts, you can ask His Majesty the King to decide! What's the big deal about solving it privately."

The royal representatives sent to the Northwest territories at the beginning had their own opinions. For example, Hansel Abbott stationed in Alda and Emerson Wilder stationed in Emden often agreed with the position of their own lords in the reports they wrote to Jingyao, and also reprimanded the royal representatives on the other side for confusing right and wrong, making trouble, and talking nonsense in the letter.

These conflicting reports made His Majesty the King and the ministers confused about who was right and who was wrong. However, most people in the court still tended to oppose the Duke's faction. After all, since the outbreak of the southern rebellion, the two earls of Alda and Bairdin in this faction have transported a large amount of food to the kingdom's army that was short of food due to the fire in the name of vassal, and the [Northwest Industry] established by the lords of this faction also provided a large number of low-priced weapons and armor for the kingdom's army.

Duke Dodge was thoughtful: "Which faction has the upper hand now?"

Ophelia: "The latest news is that the Duke's side has fallen into a slump, and it seems that they are planning to concentrate all their forces and go all out."

"Does neither side have the intention to stop?"

"There have been rumors of a truce, but it is obvious that no agreement has been reached."

Duke Dodge turned to Catherine and said: "Your Highness, after the disputes among the lords of the Northwest Bay have been settled, can you let them be responsible for guarding Veblen? Then transfer Walker's troops to the south to deal with the rebels."

Through secret channels, the high-level officials of the kingdom have basically determined that Duke Veblen in the East has turned to Giles, but has not yet raised troops to respond to Giles in public.

In order to prevent Veblen from raiding the rear, Catherine had to leave a team of up to 25,000 people to guard the east, and this team was led by Duke Walker.

The army of more than 20,000 people did nothing but guard against possible enemies, resulting in a huge waste of manpower. Otherwise, the main force led by Catherine would not have been blocked in the Fougère area and could not open up the situation.

Perhaps this is the effect Giles wanted to achieve? His allies only need to distract the attention of the kingdom's army.

Ophelia agreed with Duke Dodge's suggestion: "Among the lords who opposed the Duke of Northwest, Earl Graman played a key role. His family was exiled to Northwest Bay because of a court struggle a long time ago. In the process of collecting supplies for the army heading south, Earl Graman made a great effort. I believe he also wanted to make friends with the royal family. If the honor of the Graman family can be restored in the name of His Majesty, I believe this earl will be able to serve the country wholeheartedly and play a role in leading other lords."

From the meaning of her words, it seems that she is very optimistic about the faction that Graman belongs to.

Catherine was somewhat moved by what they said, nodded and said: "Now the dispute between the two factions in the Northwest Bay has not been settled, and it is not certain who will win the final victory. Let's send an envoy after the dust settles."

The princess said this, but she couldn't help but feel a little indignant in her heart. If there was no rebellion at the moment, she would send an edict in the name of the king, and the two factions would have to give Jingyao some face to sit down and negotiate even if they were bloodthirsty. Now they can only wait for the winner to appear and seek his support.

This situation is caused by the fact that the royal family's road power is tied up by the rebels in the south, and they have no time to take care of other things. If someone is sent rashly, mediation will fail and cause trouble, and the already declining royal power will be even more precarious.

Thinking of this, Catherine hated Giles, the traitor, even more.

At this time, Viscount Klein looked at her and said, "Your Highness, the Northwest Bay has always been relatively desolate. How can the power of those lords alone resist the rich East Territory?"

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Catherine smiled: "Judging from your expression, you should have thought of a solution a long time ago, right?"

Klein laughed: "Yes. We can recruit the Highland Barbarians to guard the East Territory together with the Northwest Army. It's time for Chief Jerov, oh no, it should be Count Jerov, to show his loyalty to the kingdom."

Jerov was a tribal chief who rebelled among the rebellious tribes when Catherine quelled the Highland Barbarian Rebellion last year. It was because of his internal response that Catherine was able to quickly quell the barbarian rebellion. Afterwards, Jerov was rewarded as the Count of the Highlands.

Catherine was very satisfied with Klein's suggestion. In recent years, she has been committed to promoting young generals to the top of the army. Klein and Lester are among the best. The former is modest and thoughtful, while the latter is silent and aloof, but has a natural intuition about marching and fighting. The two are her capable subordinates, just like Ophelia, and because of their similar age, they are easier to communicate with than those veterans.

"Let's do it!" The princess made the final decision.

After the meeting was dismissed, when everyone was saying goodbye, Catherine stopped Ophelia.

"Come to my room and tell me about the recent situation of Irene. Oh, and the thunder hammer you mentioned in the meeting just now."