Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 333 It's just one or two prefectures; His Majesty's heart is set on the entire Ceylon!

(Thanks to readers "The Cat Who Can Type", "The Sword of Patience", and "20210703000736001" for their generous donations! Thank you so much!)
The claim that Prince Airo was left out for two days was actually due to Cohen's own selfish motives.

Having finally returned to China, how could one night be enough to fully appreciate the charm of the mainland's number one beauty?

After three days of communication, Cohen finally released all the emotions that had been building up in his heart, and only then did he have time to see Prince Airo, who had been eagerly waiting for him.

In the state guest room, Prince Airo, upon seeing Cohen arrive, finally showed a relieved expression. He quickly stepped forward to greet him warmly, saying:

"Your Majesty Corleone, it's so good to see you again!"

Cohen wore the same enthusiastic smile:
"It's been a long time, Prince Airo. I've been so busy lately, making you wait so many days."

Prince Airo said with a smile:

"It's alright. His Majesty's affairs are important. Before I came, my father specifically instructed me to learn from His Majesty. His Majesty is undoubtedly a role model for our younger generation. If I had even one percent of His Majesty's ability and courage, Ceylon would have been defeated by us long ago."

Prince Airo immediately launched into a barrage of flattery, showering praise upon the young man, making even Cohen, with his thick skin, feel slightly embarrassed.

He coughed lightly to stop the other person's flattery, and said with a smile:

"Your Highness, I heard from the Queen that you have new ideas about how to wage war against Ceylon?"

Seeing that Cohen had gotten to the point, Prince Airo immediately became much more serious and said:

"Yes, Her Majesty the Queen should have told you that our Windrise Kingdom plans to use the Princess of Windsor's connections to send troops to Ceylon."

This matter requires the consent of Her Highness the Queen and the Winged Elf Clan, and of course, the support of His Majesty as well.

Cohen appeared to be deep in thought, and after a while, under Prince Airo's slightly apprehensive gaze, he spoke:
"This matter isn't too difficult. I can work on the Queen and the Winged Elf tribe, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

However, Your Highness would appreciate it if you could clarify the specifics of this military deployment.

Prince Airo took out a document, handed it to Cohen, and said:
"The initial estimate is 2,000 'elite' level and 30,000 'regular' level."

In addition, there are five legendary-tier individuals, a varying number of gold-tier individuals, three complete superhuman combat teams, and a high-level mage corps.

Cohen took the document, but before he could even look at it, Prince Elo added in a low voice:
"This is the first batch of troops to be deployed."

Cohen's hand trembled slightly, his eyes becoming much more intriguing, and he said calmly:

"His Majesty Horn is truly determined this time!"

Airo's expression changed slightly, and his voice sounded a little weak:
"Yes... yes, that's a bit too much, haha, but Your Majesty, rest assured, we will absolutely not interfere with Your Majesty's plans. All actions in Ceylon will still be in Effie's best interest."

Seeing the heir to a kingdom speaking so humbly, Cohen decided to give him some face.

He accepted the document and said:
"Approximately how long will it take to complete the preparations?"

Prince Airo's face immediately lit up with joy:

"Ready to go at any time!"

I can't wait!
Cohen chuckled and asked:

"Where do you set your first strategic goal?"

Airo chuckled awkwardly and said:

"Northwest Ceylon is Gavin's territory, and the surrounding areas will sooner or later become His Majesty's domain, so we won't get involved."

If possible, we would like to launch a direct attack from the Fengxi border and penetrate into southeastern Ceylon.

Upon hearing that the Windbringer Kingdom's first target was southeastern Ceylon, a knowing look appeared in Cohen's eyes.

Sure enough, the Kingdom of Windbreak still couldn't forget those two "golden lands" of Ceylon.

The Ash Plains and Ebony Hills in the southeastern part of the Kingdom of Ceylon possess a unique geographical location and abundant natural resources.

Since the first war between the Kingdom of Windbreak and the Kingdom of Ceylon, this area has always been the core region contested by the two countries.

Since the Windblow Kingdom first launched the "Ash Expedition" three thousand years ago, the two sides have fought 17 large-scale battles around the southeastern border.

In the late ancient period, before the authority of the five great empires had penetrated the hearts of the people of each country, wars between the two countries were commonplace.

According to the observation report of "Cobalt Soul Academy", during the most intense period of the battle between the two sides, an average of 10.6 armed conflicts occurred daily on the southeastern border of Ceylon, consuming an average of 1200 magic scrolls, 18 arrows, and 5000 standard bottles of healing potions per month.

The seventh expedition was the most devastating. With the support of the Northern Empire, the Kingdom of Ceylon constructed the most advanced three-dimensional defensive fortifications on the Ash Plains. The Kingdom of Windbreak, unable to respond in time, launched a reckless attack.

They were surrounded by the well-prepared Ceylon garrison and the border legion that had outflanked them from the border.

The daily casualty rate reached as high as 80%, and the most elite Windrise Iron Guard officers were almost entirely wiped out.

This turned the entire Ash Plains into a notorious battlefield meat grinder.

In retaliation, the Kingdom of Windbreak used meteor magic during the rainy season to destroy the Holy Spring River dam in the southeast region, causing hundreds of Ceylon towns and villages downstream to be submerged by floods, resulting in countless civilian deaths and injuries.

According to military records from both sides, in this expedition alone, the total number of soldiers killed in the Southeast Theater reached 100,000, and more than 2000 low-level mages died from mana exhaustion.

The reason why the Windrise Kingdom is willing to go to such lengths to target it is because of the rich mineral resources underground in southeastern Ceylon.

Beneath the Ash Plains lies the largest thorium mine in the entire Northwest Continent, covering approximately 12 hectares. Its proven reserves account for 23% of the continent's total production. The light armor forged from it combines defensive and mobility features, directly determining the equipment quality of a nation's heavy cavalry.

The Ebony Hills region is covered with a magical tree species known as "Ebony," whose wood has excellent natural energy conductivity and is the core material for building mage towers and magical equipment.

The Holy Spring River, which runs through the Ash Plains and Ebony Hills, contains liquid magic essence at a concentration of 0.3%, which is the core ingredient for alchemists to make high-level recovery potions.

It is no exaggeration to say that these two areas are the golden land and divinely bestowed land of the Kingdom of Ceylon. However, this golden land is less than 300 kilometers away from their sworn enemy, the Kingdom of Wind and Breath.

Both countries maintain a large military presence along their border in this region year-round.

To this day, the Kingdom of Windbreak still maintains more than 30 standing legions on its borders, while the Kingdom of Ceylon maintains the densest chain of magic crystal turrets in its territory, with the nearest turret only one kilometer away from the Windbreak outpost.

The grudges and feuds between the Kingdom of Ceylon and the Kingdom of Windbreak, besides the grudges between their founders during the war between gods and demons, also stem from this fertile land of gold.

Cohen stared into Airo's eyes and said bluntly:
"It seems King Horn is preparing to launch his eighteenth expedition!"

Prince Aurora replied frankly:
"We are doing this to relieve the pressure on Her Highness. If we start a war, it will be tantamount to hitting Gaius's sore spot. He will definitely send a large force to defend against it, which will be able to tie down most of the elite troops in Ceylon."

The princess can then more calmly plan the restoration of her kingdom.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Cohen's mouth:

Is it really that simple?

"Wasn't it because Her Highness the Princess tied down Gaius's attention that you had the opportunity to launch a new expedition?"

Prince Aurora readily admitted it:
"Your Majesty is not wrong. Indeed, since Her Highness the Princess raised the banner of punishing the usurper in Guimian City, the will of many nobles in the southeast region to resist has not been as strong as before."

Without the support of the local nobles, the border legions are like water without a source; they will eventually run out of steam.

A mocking glint appeared in Cohen's eyes as he said indifferently:
"I'm afraid it's not as simple as just losing the will to resist, Your Highness. Aren't there a few nobles in southeastern Ceylon who are already preparing to become guides for the Kingdom of Windbreak?"

Airo looked slightly embarrassed, a stiff smile appearing on his face:
"As expected, nothing can escape His Majesty Corleone's eyes. Indeed, there are a few nobles with a strong sense of justice who will provide us with the necessary assistance."

However, ultimately, the kingdom's soldiers still need to fight for each position one by one.

A meaningful look appeared in Cohen's eyes. The reaction of the Windrise Kingdom was not unexpected. As expected, the other party still wanted to cause trouble in the southeastern region of Ceylon.

That's good. Just as Prince Airo said, the southeastern region is of great strategic importance to Ceylon. If it is attacked fiercely by the Windrise Kingdom, it will definitely tie down most of Ceylon's forces, which is an opportunity for them.

The only thing to worry about is that it's easy to invite a god but hard to send him away. If the Wind Breath Kingdom attacks in the future and stays in the southeast, that would be bad.

This vast piece of gold has been coveted by the Windrise Kingdom for over a thousand years, and Cohen naturally wants it too.

Abundant mineral resources and magical materials are extremely important war preparations for any major upheavals that may occur on the continent in the future.

Cohen looked at Airo for a moment and said calmly:

"Your Highness, there is something I need to remind you of."

Ceylon ultimately belongs to the people of Ceylon. Now is the time to take advantage of their internal strife and settle scores.

However, when the legitimate bloodline ascends the throne again in the future, quells the rebellion, and unifies Ceylon, the Kingdom of Windbreak must be aware of the situation.

Don't forget, the Windrise Kingdom's military intervention is under the guise of helping the legitimate royal family restore their kingdom. If the legitimate royal family succeeds in restoring their kingdom, you won't be able to stay and refuse to leave.

Southeastern Ceylon is the southeastern region of Ceylon!

Prince Airo paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and replied after a brief silence:
"It seems His Majesty Corleone has a lot of confidence in this princess who is restoring her kingdom!"

In Ailo's view, a princess with little real power would be lucky to even maintain her current position and avoid being sidelined by the nobles, let alone unify Ceylon and quell the chaos.

He never imagined that Ceylon would have another chance to be reunified.

Cohen said calmly:

"This has nothing to do with whether or not you have confidence; it has to do with the rules."

When things are not in turmoil on the mainland, we should still follow the rules and bottom lines.

Unless the Windrise Kingdom currently possesses the strength to challenge the authority of the five great empires!

Prince Airo raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and replied:

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty. Once the princess successfully restores her kingdom and unifies Ceylon, we will make the right choice."

Cohen glanced at Airo with a half-smile, and his reply was equally ambiguous:
"hope so."

……

After seeing Prince Airo off, Cohen convened another royal meeting in Florence, reiterating the recent key tasks to the ministers and high officials. Cohen tapped the throne with his sword sheath, his steady, powerful voice echoing throughout the palace:
"Please take your seats, gentlemen."

The ministers bowed respectfully and sat down, their expressions unusually solemn.

It's quite rare for His Majesty the King to personally convene a royal meeting.

Although the above statement sounds strange, shouldn't the royal council be convened by the king? Otherwise, what's the point of calling it the royal council?
But in Effie, this is a common occurrence.

It is well known that the probability of His Majesty the King appearing at a royal council meeting is lower than the probability of guessing heads or tails of a magician's coin.

Her Royal Highness the Queen has always presided over royal council meetings on behalf of the King.

His Majesty the King is present today, which everyone naturally regards as an unusual sign. They attach great importance to this meeting and are on high alert.

Cohen's gaze swept over the group of high-ranking officials who stood ramrod straight, and he said in a deep voice:

"Today's imperial council meeting is convened solely to clarify the nation's core strategy for the coming year—"

A comprehensive military, political, and economic campaign was launched to suppress Gaius Cromwell and his faction, the usurpers of Ceylon, in order to respond to the legitimate request of the Ceylon royal family with concrete actions and provide strong support for Her Highness the Princess in her campaign against the rebels and the restoration of the kingdom.

Effective immediately, all administrative bodies of the Kingdom must handle war-related matters with the highest priority!

Cohen's speech at the Imperial Council was like a battle horn, instantly plunging the entire Effie into a tense state of war preparedness, much like a sophisticated and massive war machine.

After his meeting with Cohen, Prince Airo returned home immediately to prepare for the expedition.

Cohen contacted Windsordale and the Winged Elves, and quickly completed the procedures for recruiting private guards, giving the Windrise Kingdom a legitimate reason to send troops.

The frequent actions between Efein and the Kingdom of Windbreak naturally did not escape the notice of others, especially after the Kingdom of Windbreak submitted a proposal to the Northwest Alliance and the Charter Agreement Organization to form a private guard for Princess Efein to go on an expedition to aid the legitimate royal family of Ceylon.

This completely reignited the long-dormant border situation between the two countries.

Before long, a report on the trade between the two countries was placed on King Gaius's desk.

Gaius's worst fears came true: Ceylon's sworn enemy, the Windrise Kingdom, which was also the greatest threat to its power, finally couldn't help but make a move.

Quissaon, the royal palace, the royal council.

All of Ceylon's top military and political leaders gathered in His Majesty the King's office to express their opinions.

Prime Minister Merrick looked extremely indignant and said angrily:
"How could Horn come up with such a despicable idea, what kind of private bodyguard for the Elf Queen?"

Who has a private guard of twenty legions?

How could such blatant fraud pass the review of the Northwestern League and the Charter Agreement Organization? Were those bureaucrats blind?

The fact that the usually mild-mannered Prime Minister uttered such a vulgarity speaks volumes about how despicable the excuse the Windblow Kingdom had come up with.

Foreign Minister Joel Ritchie also looked somber. With the Prime Minister's anger flaring, he, responsible for foreign affairs and international relations, had to step forward and express his stance.

"On the day the proposal was submitted, I had Minister Moen (Ambassador of the Kingdom of Ceylon to the Charter Agreement Organization) express a strong protest and firm opposition to the committee."

However, the Windwalker Kingdom produced an ancient covenant with the Winged Elves and revealed the connection between their royal ancestors and the Windwalker family.

When other races are involved, especially the elves who have the closest relationship with humans, the committee members' attitudes are very ambiguous.

According to the rules and regulations, we simply cannot find any clauses that can effectively refute the proposal.

With the help of the various factions within the Windrise Kingdom, the proposal was successfully passed.

The other side was well-prepared; we were too slow to act.

I bear responsibility for this. I failed to detect the Windrise Kingdom's intentions in time, and I also failed to stop them afterward.

I am willing to take full responsibility for all consequences.

King Gaius waved his hand slightly, his expression remaining calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, his voice powerfully penetrating the eardrums of everyone present:

"Now is not the time to assign blame. We were prepared for the Windrise Kingdom's interference and military intervention."

Given the temperament of the Wind Riders family, they would never give up this opportunity.

It's just a matter of time.

In my opinion, it's better to do it sooner rather than later. At least the situation in China is not out of control yet, and we can still devote enough energy to dealing with them.

Even if we prevent their proposal this time, they will definitely find another opportunity.

Knowing Horn as I do, even if he were to disband his entire army and hand it over to Effie as mercenaries, he wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Gaius's voice eased the atmosphere in the conference room somewhat.

After a brief pause, His Majesty the King turned his gaze to a middle-aged man in military uniform:

"Since our old friend has made a move, we should also reciprocate."

Chief of Staff, what's your opinion?

Ceylon Army Chief of Staff Orphene Barrett stood up and said:

"Under normal circumstances, the standing forces of the Southeast War Zone would be sufficient to withstand the invasion of the Wind Breeze Kingdom."

But now, with the existence of the fake princess and the rebellions of the northwestern princes and nobles, I doubt that the nobles in the southeast will stand firmly on the side of the royal family as before.

This would create significant resistance and disruption to our defenses, leaving us beset by internal and external troubles. Commander Willard in the southeast might not be able to withstand it.

A shadow crossed Gaius's eyes, and he said in a deep voice:

"Just state your opinion."

Then Chief of Staff Orpheus said:

"My opinion is that, if conditions permit, I would like to transfer five heavy corps from the Northern Garrison to the south to supplement the defense forces of the Southeast Theater."

After all that buildup, everyone was somewhat prepared for Chief Orphene's suggestion, but many were still surprised when they heard him actually say that troops were to be transferred from the Northern Garrison.

Upon hearing the Chief of Staff's suggestion, Prime Minister Merrick's brow furrowed deeply, and he said in a low voice:
"Transfer people from the North?"

With winter fast approaching, what will happen to the barbarians if so many troops from the Northern Garrison are transferred away?

The northern border of Ceylon is adjacent to the famous permafrost of the northwestern continent, which is covered by a layer of permafrost and has extremely harsh geographical conditions.

However, it was precisely these harsh living conditions that gave rise to the Frostwolf tribe, a barbarian race that caused Ceylon great trouble.

The Frostwolf tribe of barbarians is known for taming giant Frostwolf wolves, and their high barbarian priests are skilled in the Ice Storm Summoning spell, which can create a blizzard zone with a radius of 50 meters within 30 seconds.

They often use blizzards as cover to launch surprise attacks, especially in the depths of winter, which is the peak season for barbarian raids on the border.

Chief of Staff Orpheus replied:

"That's exactly what I wanted to say. Given the current situation, I think it would be better to give up on the North for a year or two."

The barbarians only came in to plunder some food and people; compared to the Windrise Kingdom's ambition to conquer the entire southeast, they were ultimately just a minor threat.

The Prime Minister's voice carried a clear questioning tone:
"Does the Chief mean to abandon the people of the North?"

Chief Orpheus replied calmly:

"It's not about giving up, it's just about temporarily tightening the defensive line, not about transferring all the troops away."

Prime Minister Merrick couldn't help but raise his voice:
"Mr. Chief of Staff, what's the difference?"

Faced with the long and rugged northern border, the existing forces of the Northern Garrison could only defend about 70-80% of the area.

If we withdraw five more legions now, wouldn't that be equivalent to giving away the entire northern border?
"Mr. Chief of Staff, to put it bluntly, you are suggesting that His Majesty abandon his people!"

Chief Orpheus's tone became much more somber:

"Sacrifice is inevitable, but matters should be prioritized according to their importance and urgency."

"It's just one or two prefectures; His Majesty's heart is with the whole of Ceylon."

When Gaius was mentioned, Prime Minister Merrick's momentum noticeably weakened. He stopped arguing and instead looked at the silent Gaius.

The struggle between the two powerful figures in the government and the military meant that the other ministers and officials naturally dared not interfere and could only wait for His Majesty the King's final decision.

Suddenly, the king once again became the focus of everyone's attention.

Gaius sighed softly, looking at Chief of Staff Orpheus:

"Chief, is there no other way?"

Chief Orpheus answered firmly:

"Your Majesty, when we received news that the Windrise Kingdom was preparing to launch eighteen expeditions, my staff, the commanders of the major military regions, and I held several rounds of discussions and planning."

To ensure the safety of the southeast region and prevent the false princess's faction from launching a major rebellion, the most effective and simplest solution is to remove the elite northern garrison.

No matter how fierce or brutal the barbarians are, they will eventually retreat to the permafrost tundra after spring. But if Horn's army breaks through the southeastern defenses, they could turn the Ash Plains and Ebony Hills into two provinces of their Windbreak Kingdom.

Chief Minister Orpheus's last words were addressed to the assembled ministers.

Gaius's sigh was heavier than before, and his meaningful gaze swept over each minister one by one—only moving on to the next one after a slight nod.

With everyone's attitudes clear, Gaius finally spoke slowly:
"Then we'll just have to make things difficult for the people of the North for now!"

(End of this chapter)