Chapter 1602 Prepare for Battle

"If you insist on bringing Shizhu Town into our camp, you can only count on Lord Custis to lobby." Baron Laval solemnly emphasized.

"Actually, that's what I thought too, Ben, would you like to accompany me out of town to visit Lord Custis?" Governor Nichols extended an invitation with a smile.

"Forget it, Your Excellency, my presence will only spoil the atmosphere of your meeting with the lord, and besides, I have more important things to deal with."

Baron Laval declined indifferently.

"More important things?" Your Excellency the Governor showed a curious look, "Can you tell me about it?"

There was a rare flash of throbbing on the marble-like stern face of Baron Laval, which seemed to reveal the fierce inner struggle of this man.

After pondering for a long time, he finally spoke.

"Your Excellency, please allow me to ask an impolite question. In order to protect our homeland and our compatriots living on this land, do you mind getting your hands dirty?"

Sir William Nichols paused for a moment, then shook his head and laughed.

"Ben, that's a silly question!"

"Answer me, Your Excellency."

"Ben, who do you think I am?" Your Excellency the Governor pointed to the tip of his nose, "The man standing in front of you is a politician! If I'm afraid of getting my hands dirty, if I'm a person with a moral cleanliness , I wouldn’t have chosen to go into politics in the first place!”

"Hearing what you said, I'm relieved." Baron Laval's face softened, "While you are seeking support from the aborigines, I will also try to recruit some mercenaries through my own channels—that group of mercenaries. Bad reputation, but sometimes we have to make deals with the devil for the sake of the bigger picture."

"I can understand your difficulties, Ben, you always make sacrifices in silence like this, but no one knows about it. I really wronged you."

Sir Nichols patted his old partner on the shoulder and sighed with complicated emotions.

"Not pursuing moral perfection does not mean doing things unscrupulously. In life, we still have to be in awe."

"Ben, you are still young, and sometimes you do things too radically, without even thinking about the consequences. As an elder, I want to give you some advice."

"Competitiveness and a strong sense of responsibility are all your strengths. However, if you are too persistent, you will overwhelm yourself. You are also an ordinary person with flesh and blood. It is enough to fulfill your obligations. No one is qualified to force you to take responsibility. If you take on responsibilities beyond your ability, I hope you will not put too much pressure on yourself."

"Whether it is for the glory of the soldiers or to live up to the expectations of our compatriots, it is not worth selling our souls to the devil. Only when you learn to face failure calmly will you be considered a mature man."

"Thank you for your advice, sir, I will definitely keep it in mind."

Baron Laval lowered his head, intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Governor Nichols' earnest gaze.

...

That afternoon, Governor Nichols changed into casual clothes, brought only two guards, and rode in an inconspicuous carriage to the Hermitage Manor outside the city to visit Lord Custis, who was recuperating here.

In addition to Governor Nichols and the owner of the manor, Sir Custis, the Great Elder Zigmun of the Walsong Tribe and his heir Logan were also invited to the Hermitage Manor to attend the dinner.

The dinner was just a pretense, and the four heavyweights met in secret to explore the feasibility of uniting against Fiend.

In this negotiation, Governor Nichols, who was asking for help, was in a passive position. In order to win the support of the Volsong tribe, he had to make concessions.

After some bargaining, finally, under the mediation of Lord Custis, Governor Nichols finally reached an agreement with Elder Siegmund.

The two sides agreed to use the line along the "Aosta Lake-Mijiu River" as the border between the Midgard colony and the indigenous territory. From now on, the colonists are not allowed to cross the border westward.

Correspondingly, the Volsung tribe also promised not to cross the border and plunder the settlements established by the colonists.

In addition, Logan Volsunger will lead 1,000 elite warriors of the clan to assist the Midgard army in the form of mercenaries in fighting against General Cornwallis' southward army.

Considering the deep grievances between the Volsunger family and Baron Laval and the lack of mutual trust, the mercenaries from Shizhu Town will never willingly obey the command of Baron Laval. In order to avoid conflicts on the battlefield, someone must be in the middle to coordinate.

This coordinator must have high prestige in the colonial military, otherwise it will not be enough to coerce the arrogant Baron Laval, and at the same time be respected by the Asa people, otherwise the coordination work will not go on at all.

Obviously, only Lord Custis could fill this key role in the entire city of Midgard.

Everyone can see that Lord Custis's health is not optimistic. Not to mention charging forward like he was when he was young, the arduous military career alone may cause his condition to deteriorate and even endanger his life.

Both Governor Nichols and Logan couldn't bear to trouble the former war hero to come out of the mountain due to illness, but they had to admit that there was no second person who could replace Lord Custis.

The Lord himself had expected this situation, just as he had confided to Joan and others not long ago, as a veteran, he was ready to go out again, and calmly told Governor Nichols: "Your Excellency, I am very pleased It is an honor to accept this appointment, you don’t have to worry about my health, my servant Heimdall can take care of my daily life during the march, and try not to hold back the young people.”

...

The campus of Midgard University cannot escape the shadow of war.

Since the beginning of May, the atmosphere on campus has become increasingly tense, and the vast majority of students have no intention of going to class.

In times of crisis, some people are wise enough to protect themselves and ask for leave to avoid the flames of war. There are also many young people who sign up to join the army with enthusiasm, eager to show their strengths in the war of defending their homes and the country.

At the end of May, among the more than 1,000 students at Midgard University, no less than 300 responded to the Governor's call, volunteered to serve in the military, bid farewell to relatives and friends, and packed their bags to go to the military camp.

Among the more than 300 young people who temporarily joined the army, spellcasters accounted for more than half, mainly from the seminary, knight academy, and arcane law academy.

The number is not large, but the military places high hopes on them. Positions are arranged according to their wishes and specialties. It is necessary to give full play to the talents of these young people and at the same time ensure their safety as much as possible.

If the status of ordinary spellcasters in the army is equivalent to a "tactical weapon", then the high level of the military's attention to Joan Vida, a "genius spellcaster", has even been raised to the level of a "strategic weapon".

Even the "Notice of Enlistment" that Joan received was different from others. It was written by Lord Custis, who served as the commander-in-chief of the Midgard and Volsung coalition forces, and invited him to report to the headquarters for an interview. appointment details.