Free Web NovelMorning light, filtered through the mist-like ice flowers on the carriage window, scattered onto the thick fur rug inside the carriage.
Louis opened his eyes, his hand touching a warm, soft blanket. The temperature inside the carriage was constant, and the stove fire was steady.
Outside, a biting wind and snow raged, yet inside the carriage, it was as comfortable as a great hall.
The specially designed lord's carriage was custom-built by Red Tide craftsmen. A fireplace was embedded in the corner, and copper pipes evenly delivered steam heat to the seats and bed.
Maps and battle plans hung on the walls, while a few statistical ledgers from various parts of the Northland were placed on the bookshelf.
Louis sat up from the thick blanket, donned an outer coat lined with fox fur, and stepped into his fur boots.
“It's been over ten days since we departed,” he murmured.
Frost Dragon Territory was not far; they would arrive today.
He waved his hand, skillfully activating the Daily Intelligence System.
A pale blue light screen silently appeared in the carriage, and lines of intelligence slowly unfolded:
【Daily Intelligence Update Complete】
【1: Viscount Bolton, Earl Haroff, Viscount Shiman, Marquis Cran, and Earl Holmes, five individuals, have accepted funding from Sixth Prince Aasta, at the Frost Dragon Territory garrison. They are confirmed to join his new Northland Council Hall, attempting to reconstruct the resource allocation system and weaken Red Tide's influence.】
【2: Asta, leveraging his royal identity in Frost Dragon Territory, enticed the barbarian leader Wu, offering grain, pastures, and imperial titles in exchange for assistance. He ordered him to launch raids against Red Tide within twenty days and encouraged him to attempt an invasion of Red Tide City to cause destruction.】
【3: The various barbarian tribes discussed their response and ultimately decided not to follow Asta's orders. Instead, they chose to proactively attack the Frost Dragon Territory Noble Council, attempting to eliminate the Northland lords in one fell swoop and trigger widespread chaos.】
Louis scanned the reports, his eyes subtly shifting.
“The show has begun,” he muttered, a hint of disdain in his voice.
The first piece of intelligence was clearly Asta's probing.
He was merely a puppet holding empty power, yet now, by gathering a few profit-seeking nobles, he dared to attempt to reconstruct the Northland's structure?
Louis's lips curved slightly, but his eyes remained unperturbed.
“New Council Hall—” He repeated softly, as if chewing on some insignificant toy.
He had long anticipated that the old Northland nobles would not be content, especially those ancient old Northland nobles.
But in this intelligence, they finally shed their disguise and made their choice.
This was a declaration of war, and a pledge of allegiance. Given this, a countermeasure was only logical.
He rose and limped a few steps, pausing for a moment before the battle map in the carriage.
The names of these nobles flashed through his mind one by one. Some had sought help from Red Tide Territory during their most difficult times, while others had expressed their loyalty after the Duke's death. Yet now, one by one, they secretly stood against him.
“Ridiculous,” Louis chuckled, his tone indifferent.
【2: Asta, leveraging his royal identity in Frost Dragon Territory, enticed the barbarian leader, offering grain, pastures, and imperial titles in exchange for assistance. He ordered him to launch raids against Red Tide within twenty days and encouraged him to attempt an invasion of Red Tide City to cause destruction.】
The second piece of intelligence made Louis snort.
Asta's ability to bribe the barbarians was nothing more than bluster, indulging in his own fantasies. How could ungrateful wolves like the barbarians truly obey a prince with an empty title?
At most, he was interested in the relief grain and supplies.
Furthermore, with Red Tide's current military strength, even if they wanted to come, they might not be able to cause much trouble.
【3: The various barbarian tribes discussed their response and ultimately decided not to follow Asta's orders. Instead, they chose to proactively attack the Frost Dragon Territory Noble Council, attempting to eliminate the Northland lords in one fell swoop and trigger widespread chaos.】
The third piece was truly interesting.
Although the barbarians suffered heavy casualties in the war with Tistu, almost having their spines broken, when the remaining wild wolves truly gathered on the snowy plains, they could still form a blizzard strong enough to disrupt the Northland's order.
Their wildness was not extinguished because they forgot the pain, but because they had never truly submitted.
Except for the Southeast region covered by Red Tide, many barbarian tribes in various corners had never truly been incorporated into the ruling system.
That prince actually thought that a few bags of grain and a few promises could buy the loyalty of these wolves? Absurd and laughable.
Red Tide had spent nearly two years, coordinating military and political affairs, and implementing systems, yet they had not fully tamed these tribes.
And he, on the other hand, foolishly attempted to make them serve him with mere bait of profit, ultimately only lifting a rock to drop it on his own foot.
These barbarians suffered countless deaths and injuries, yet they never gave up their covetous gaze. They were not content with merely surviving.
Once the snowy plains truly ignited, the first to be engulfed would undoubtedly be the foolish person who lit the fuse.
“As expected—the wolf pack has begun to open its jaws,” Louis said softly, his tone like falling snow.
Attacking the Frost Dragon Territory Noble Council? Absurd, yet precise.
Louis was not angered; instead, he smiled.
This proposal was indeed much more reasonable than raiding Red Tide, and it suited his intentions even better.
A plan began to unfold in his mind.
If arranged cleverly—
Louis turned and pulled back the thick blanket curtain, telling the scribe, “Call Lambert over. I have some things to instruct him.”
==============
In the early morning, the sky outside Frost Dragon Territory was just breaking, the mist had not yet dispersed, and the snow-covered mountain path still seemed muddy and difficult to traverse.
Red Tide's convoy slowly entered.
It was not an ordinary lord's envoy but an undisguised demonstration of power.
A force of several thousand people, like a silent steel beast, was pressing into this land where imperial authority still lingered.
Leading the way was a heavy armored carriage, like a steel fortress.
Thick rivets and steam steel rails surrounded it, the Red Tide emblem was engraved side-by-side on the front, and a golden-edged sun-patterned banner hung high, fluttering in the morning wind, like a winter sun rising, announcing a new era.
And around the carriage was the main military force of Red Tide.
The Vanguard Knights' Order, led by Lambert, wore silver-red cloaks and uniform black-red armor, in five columns, like the sheaths of blades.
The main Red Tide Knights' Order, over three hundred strong, rode in solemn formation, their horses' hooves steady like drumbeats, their long spears like a forest, their armor reflecting light like mercury spilling, forming the sharpest symbol of military might in the Northland.
Behind the carriage, the Red Tide Economic Hall, Council Hall, and Military Affairs Hall carriages were neatly arranged in the procession, each a mobile administrative hall.
Scribes, political envoys, and Council Hall observers were in their positions, uniformly dressed and solemn-faced.
Also accompanying them was a delegation of surrendered nobles from the Southeast, who were not merely followers but witnesses and propagators of Red Tide's power.
Eight frost steeds led the way abreast, their iron hooves trampling the snow like war drums, their armor clanking to form a symphony of Strictly kill.
The streets of Frost Dragon Territory had already been cleared.
Commoners were temporarily driven to the outskirts, lest their emaciated figures defile the scenery and offend the eyes of the noble lords.
Above the city walls and below the welcoming party, the various Northland nobles had long been waiting.
Standing at the forefront was Sixth Prince Aasta August.
He tried hard to maintain his welcoming smile, but his gaze unconsciously followed the approaching steel torrent, becoming increasingly frozen.
Asta had thought he was well-prepared, having heard that Red Tide had soldiers and provisions, weapons and a system, but seeing it with his own eyes, a feeling of fear spontaneously arose.
Red Tide's procession was like a fortress coming from the South, inexorably and emotionlessly crushing the entire old structure of the Northland inch by inch into the mud and snow.
It made Asta's reconstruction council plans seem nothing more than a superficially grand courtly power play, an embroidered curtain that could not block the storm rolling in from the South.
His throat moved slightly, but no sound came out. His heart was icy cold, and he didn't even dare to clench his fists, fearing that the cold sweat on his palms would betray his composure.
Standing beside Asta, the Imperial Capital Supervisory Envoy, Camille, showed an even more drastic change in expression.
When he saw the main carriage, engraved with the golden-edged # Nоvеlight # sun wheel, slowly approaching, he was reminded of the meal box Louis had sent him at that banquet.
There was no accusation, only a raised glass of wine and those unperturbed eyes.
Now, reunited, as he looked at the young lord's procession, his heart was filled only with dread.
Camille understood that he had lost the initiative and could only comply. No matter what Louis said, he dared not refuse.
He tried his best to maintain his posture, but his back was slightly bent. As Red Tide's main carriage passed him, his gaze unconsciously dropped half an inch.
Further away, the Northland Old Noble Alliance faction, Holmes, Cran, Bolton, and others, were all on tenterhooks.
They had once been the symbol of influence in the Northland, preparing to ally with the Prince to collectively pressure Red Tide.
But at this moment, watching the advancing procession, their spirits were instantly deflated.
Some clutched their scepters, their faces pale; others cursed in low voices, gritting their teeth.
The agenda had not even begun, yet they had already lost their momentum, their minds in disarray, even reconsidering their allegiance internally.
Conversely, the surrendered nobles from the Southeast, accompanying the end of the procession, showed obvious pride.
“Lord Louis seems to be here to take over the territory, letting us bask in his glory,” a young baron disdainfully glanced at Frost Dragon Territory's mottled city walls, “This wretched place isn't even as good as my territory.”
A viscountess wrinkled her nose, covering it with a handkerchief and softly saying, “The air is damp, and the paint on the city gate is all peeled off, like a rural village that has never seen a carriage.”
Her gaze swept past Red Tide's main carriage, “This is what nobility should look like.”
The surrendered nobles held their heads high, looking at the Frost Dragon nobles on either side with undisguised disdain and contempt.
“What do these people have left besides their bloodline?” a viscount from the Southeast quietly sneered, “Compared to them, we are the ones truly standing in the future.”
The city here was utterly crushed and humiliated by Red Tide City.
All eyes were now focused on the main carriage, rumbling past like a castle.
Louis did not need to speak; his entrance had already trampled all his opponents underfoot.
Frost Dragon Territory's home ground had slipped from the hands of the Sixth Prince into the Red Tide convoy led by that young lord.
Louis's carriage stopped steadily in front of the nobles. Everyone ceased their discussions, their gazes fixed on the carriage.
In the silence, the armored door slowly opened. A hand wearing a silver-patterned leather glove pressed against the doorframe, and a young man slowly stepped out of the carriage.
He wore a long red cloak, his figure as tall and straight as a spear. Without saying a word, his aura already surpassed everyone else's.
This was the true master of the Northland, most nobles thought in their hearts.
Asta turned his head and saw the expressions of the various nobles: some amazed, some wavering, some resentful, some speechless.
A burning humiliation welled up in his heart. He finally realized that he could no longer remain silent.
No, he couldn't let him continue to dominate.
So Asta suppressed his emotions, put on his characteristic gentle smile, stepped forward two paces, and said loudly, “Welcome, Lord of Red Tide, the glory of the Northland, His Excellency Earl Louis Calvin.”
Everyone's gaze focused on the two of them, beginning to assess the situation.
Asta continued to smile, gesturing to all the nobles, “This is the most important meeting in the Northland, and it is the moment for me, The Sixth Prince of the Iron-Blood Empire, Royal Reconstruction Envoy of the Northland, to discuss the future with all of you. Frost Dragon Territory today welcomes all of you in the name of the Royal Family. May we work together to build a new order in the Northland.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “Royal Family” to highlight his identity.
As long as he still had this identity, he had not lost.
Louis smiled slightly, performing a standard, dignified noble bow with elegant grace. freēwēbnovel.com
His tone was gentle and appropriate: “To be summoned by Your Highness is a blessing for the Northland. Red Tide is willing to contribute its humble efforts, discuss grand plans with all of you, and work together to draw a new map for the Northland.”
Louis spoke sincerely, his words polite, his tone gentle. Every word perfectly conveyed the respect and humility expected between nobles.
To an observer, this would simply sound like a perfectly normal exchange of pleasantries, even suggesting Louis's deference to the Prince.
But Asta felt a dull ache in his heart as he listened.
The tone was too natural, too composed, as if he were the host of this meeting, not a summoned participant.
Even more grating was the phrase “humble efforts,” which subtly reminded everyone that he was not obeying orders to attend but coming out of cooperation and goodwill.
Every sentence was impeccable, every word watertight, yet Asta found it as uncomfortable as needle pricks.
He maintained his smile, but his throat tightened, and he had to clear it softly to cover his lapse.
“Although the army will not enter the city, it can be deployed outside Frost Dragon Territory,” Asta added with a smile, his tone as natural as possible, as if it were just a routine arrangement for the meeting reception.
“Of course,” Louis nodded slightly, as if he had already expected it, “Lambert.”
“Yes, my Lord,” Knight Lambert bowed in acknowledgment, then led Knight Regiment to quietly turn their horses around and circumvent the south side of Frost Dragon Territory.
The clanking of armor and the synchronized movement of hooves—over three hundred knights, like a column of steel dragons retreating into the snowy woods in the morning light—moved silently, yet their presence weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
“This Knights' Order is probably the most elite in the Northland,” a noble exclaimed in a low voice, watching up close.
“Every single one of them is an extraordinary knight—” another noble's face turned pale, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Everyone fell silent. The silence conveyed not fear of Red Tide, but a profound reverence for Louis himself.
Below the city walls, no one dared to whisper any longer.
In the air, only the fading echo of hooves and the rustling wind of Red Tide's banner remained.
