I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 316 Is Baron Rhodes dead?

……

……

Frosthold.

The howling wind, carrying snowflakes like goose feathers, pierced into the council hall through the gaps in the ventilation windows.

The firewood in the fireplace crackled and popped in the flames.

The hall was deathly silent; you could hear everyone breathing.

Winnie sat in a high-backed chair to the side of the long table, her fingers gripping the armrests tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

It almost tore a piece of wood off the handrail.

The long table was filled with noble lords on both sides, each with a different expression on their face.

Or perhaps their brows are furrowed and their gaze is sharp.

Or they would fidget with their fingers, restless and anxious, glancing every now and then at the door at the end of the hall, as if trying to stare a hole through it.

Everyone is waiting for the final result.

They await news that will decide the fate of the Hanren family.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Every moment felt like an eternity.

The wind and snow outside the window grew stronger, and a sharp whistling sound came from the ventilation gaps.

Suddenly, a chilling draft swept into the hall.

The door was suddenly pushed open.

"Oh!"

The sound of the door hitting the wall was particularly loud in the quiet hall.

Everyone's eyes were focused instantly.

The guard strode in, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement.

"Your Excellency! Good news!"

Winnie jumped up from her chair, her voice trembling, her eyes filled with expectation as she stared at the guard.

"Speak! Speak now!"

Her voice trembled.

The guard took a deep breath and reported very quickly.
"According to reports from scouts at the front, the army in Bailu Territory is retreating!"

"The troops on the border of Eagle Ridge are also retreating!"

"The retreat was extremely rushed and chaotic; the camp was simply abandoned!"

"The tents are still standing there, the campfire has just gone out, but everyone is gone!"

"Our scouts say that someone saw them retreating in the direction of Black Pine Ridge to the north!"

Winnie was stunned for a moment, her mind racing, and the gloom on her face was quickly replaced by surprise.

"Something must have happened while they were retreating!"

Her voice was shrill, "Have our knights succeeded?!"

"That must be it!"

The tall nobleman slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly. "Only when that Rhodes dies will the army fall into chaos!"

The old nobleman sitting in the corner slowly opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Even if Rhodes isn't dead, he must have been severely injured."

"Otherwise, the army wouldn't have retreated in such a hurry."

"An army commanded by a clear-headed commander will never abandon its camp and flee in panic."

The old nobleman's words were immediately echoed by the others.

The nobles exchanged excited glances, nodded repeatedly, and smiled with relief.

Some people even started talking in hushed tones.

The oppressive atmosphere in the council chamber, which had been building for so long, finally eased, and the gloom that had been hanging over it gradually dissipated.

This solidified Winnie's judgment, and she clenched her fist, a confident smile spreading across her face.

Rhodes, the dragon tamer who swept through Eagle Ridge and White Deer Territory, has been eliminated!
The crisis facing the Hanren family was nipped in the bud!

All of this is due to my own wise decisions!

Thinking of this, Winnie puffed out her chest, her eyes filled with sharpness and arrogance, and her gaze swept over every noble present.

Even though many of the nobles present were her elders, Winnie the Pooh remained unmoved.

She has proven with her actions that she is not a woman who needs to depend on others.

On the contrary, the present and future of the Hanren family depend on themselves!

Soon everyone will realize that they are the rightful heir to this family!
Winnie's mind raced, and new ideas quickly popped into her head!

"Winnie, quickly bring me all your best wines!"

The tall nobleman interrupted Winnie's thoughts and shouted loudly,
"That savage Rod is finally dead! We must celebrate!"

The tall nobleman's face beamed with excitement, as if he could already see the dawn of victory.

"Now is not the time to drink."

Winnie quickly regained her composure from her excitement, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice,
"This is a very good opportunity."

"We must seize this opportunity to pursue them and reclaim all the lost territory!"

Winnie's eyes sharpened, like those of a predator eyeing its prey.
"Yes! Pursue them!"

The old nobleman nodded forcefully, his wrinkled hands slamming on the table to draw everyone's attention.
"Eagle Ridge is currently at its weakest point."

The old nobleman's voice was laced with greed: "If we seize this opportunity, we will surely be able to tear a huge chunk of flesh from Eagle Ridge!"

"good idea!"

The other nobles chimed in, and the council chamber became lively once again.

"Now that Black Pine Ridge has lost its lord, it must be at its most vulnerable."

One of the nobles exclaimed excitedly, "Who knows, we might even be able to take Frostleaf Town!"

Another nobleman's eyes lit up.
"Seize the opportunity to launch an ambush from the flank, capture more slaves, and let us have a prosperous winter!"

"Viscount Winnie, your idea is brilliant!"

Some people started to flatter him.

The nobles chatted amongst themselves, as if they could already see vast tracts of land and countless slaves.

Just as greed was written all over everyone's face, a middle-aged nobleman in a dark gray robe slowly stood up.

"Wait, everyone."

The middle-aged nobleman frowned and waved his hand.
"I have a question."

The noise in the hall gradually subsided, and the excited discussions slowly faded away.

All eyes were on him.
—There was also a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes, as if he was blaming him for interrupting the feast.

"If our knights really succeeded, why haven't they returned to report yet?"

The middle-aged nobleman spoke slowly, his voice calm and rational.
"Such important news should have prompted us to return immediately."

"At least one person should be sent to relay the message back."

His words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads, leaving the nobles slightly stunned.

The once bustling hall fell silent once more.

The nobles exchanged glances, their earlier excitement fading, and their gazes involuntarily fell on Winnie and the old nobleman, seeking answers.

Winnie's brow furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed.
"I think they must have been seriously injured."

Winnie explained slowly and deliberately:
"Rhodes' ability to tame a dragon must mean he's quite powerful."

"And there should be high-ranking knights with him as well."

“Even if Vagri leads the team, those knights cannot complete the mission unscathed.”

Winnie raised her head, her eyes filled with a confident "it must be like this."
"They must have been severely damaged during their retreat and are now looking for a place to hide."

Winnie's explanation sounds reasonable.

And many people prefer

"Yes! That must be the case!"

The tall nobleman immediately chimed in, seemingly quite willing to believe this explanation.

"We should send people to search for them and bring them back!"

"The most important thing now is to seize the opportunity!"

The old nobleman nodded vigorously, his face full of agreement.

"In any case, only if Rhodes had been severely wounded would the Blackpine Ridge army have retreated in such a hurry."

The old nobleman's gaze swept over the others present.

"Now is not the time to hesitate."

"Opportunities will slip through your fingers if you don't seize them in time."

He paused for a moment, then his voice became even more firm.

"I've decided to send troops in pursuit. Who among you is willing to come with me?"

No sooner had the old nobleman finished speaking than others responded.

"We, the Black Ice Territory, are willing to join forces with you!"

"Twin River Valley will also send troops!"

"We'll also go to Wolf Pack Ridge!"

The old nobleman was very prestigious, and several nobles excitedly raised their hands in response.

That slight doubt from just now seemed to have been completely forgotten.

Winnie stood by the long table, watching all this, a slight smile playing on her lips.

This is the scene she wanted to see.

"But it's winter now, and fighting is very difficult."

Someone hesitated and said, "The soldiers' bodies will freeze."

Winnie sneered.
"That's why the enemy would never have imagined we would attack."

"Making decisions that the enemy doesn't expect is the key to winning a war."

The old nobleman nodded in agreement. "If we don't attack now, we'll never have another chance once Black Pine Ridge recovers in the spring."

After some discussion, the nobles' confidence was further strengthened.

Winnie's eyes were full of confidence as she looked at the map on the table.
"In that case, let's discuss how to wipe out Rhodes' army."

……

……

Thirty miles outside the border town.

Deep in a snow-covered valley, in an unnamed cave.

Rhodes sat beside the roaring fire, fiddling with the glowing embers, the orange-red light illuminating his handsome and composed face.

The cave was packed with soldiers.

They sat side by side on the ground, all staring at the embers in Rhodes's hand with curiosity in their eyes.

Everyone wants to know the answer to one question.

Is it that the lord is truly unafraid of fire, or is he using magic to make the charcoal fire less hot?

One soldier, driven by extreme curiosity, secretly touched the embers that Rhodes had thrown away.

"hiss!"

The burning pain made the soldier cry out and pull his hand back, immediately drawing laughter from the other soldiers.

But this also proves that the lord is truly not afraid of fire.

It is worth mentioning that the effect of the "Tide-Born Body" attribute has made many soldiers no longer afraid of the severe cold.

Especially the knights of the Winter Knights.

The fires burning inside the cave now are mainly for lighting and heating the dry rations.

The cold wind howled incessantly at the cave entrance, like the howling of wolves, echoing through the valley.

A few snowflakes were swept in by the cold wind, swirling in the air before landing on the cave floor and quickly melting into water stains.

Soon, the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow could be heard coming from the cave entrance.

Gala strode in.

The soldiers struggled to move their bodies and make way for each other.

Gala squeezed in front of Rhodes and knelt down on one knee.
"My Lord, there's been some activity at Frostholdt and the military camp."

Gala reported in a low voice.

Although the sound was not loud, it was still clearly audible in the quiet cave.

"Their army is advancing toward White Deer Ridge and Falcon Ridge."

"The procession was very long and looked quite impressive."

"Based on our observations, the number should be over eight hundred."

Upon hearing this, a hint of excitement flashed in the eyes of the surrounding soldiers.

The fish is hooked.

Rod stopped poking at the embers.

"What about the border town?"

"I ask," Rod asked, a hint of anticipation hidden in his calm voice.

"Army troops have also left the border town."

Gala answered earnestly.

"However, they are heading towards our Frostleaf Town."

"Two teams, not very large, probably around two hundred people."

Rhodes nodded slightly.

Only two hundred people were dispatched from the border town.

So at least six hundred people remained in the city.

The main purpose of the scene "The retreat of the Black Pine Ridge army" is to make the border town lower its guard, mobilize the garrison, and leave the city defenses empty.

It now appears that the Hanren family was indeed fooled.

But they weren't completely fooled.

They did not send out all their troops; they retained a considerable number of soldiers to defend the city.

However, Rhodes was already quite satisfied with the result.

After all, the nobles of the Hanren family are not fools.

This result is enough.

"Let the people of Eagle Ridge keep going in circles."

Rhodes commanded, "Maintain a safe distance and don't get caught."

"If all else fails, we'll hide inside Eagle Town."

The retreating army consisted of only a few dozen veterans and army instructors.

The rest were all militiamen and newly recruited soldiers in disguise.

They were originally led by Salia and were training during the winter, but now they have become bait in this grand drama.

The falconers of the Eagle Feather Clan will monitor the pursuers' movements in real time.

This allows the team to feel the pressure and maintain a realistic retreat posture.

But without facing any real fatal risks.

If the Cold Blade family's army dared to launch an attack after they had taken refuge behind the walls of Eagle Town, they would be committing suicide.

The arrows, stones, and grease that Eagle Town had stockpiled for defense will teach them a lesson about reality.

Gala nodded vigorously.

"Understood, Holy Lord!"

"Also, notify the rest to assemble immediately!"

Rhodes stood up. "Move towards the border town as quickly as possible!"

Rhodes's voice echoed in the cave.

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers around him were overjoyed, their eyes filled with excitement.

Following a common lord to attack a town is a deadly matter, and many soldiers are uneasy or even fearful.

But the soldiers of Black Pine Ridge knew that their lord would not let them risk their lives to build the city gates; he would surely find another way to pry them open!

This way, everyone will have a fair fight against the defending soldiers!
If you are still afraid, then you are not worthy to be a soldier of Black Pine Ridge, not worthy to receive such high salaries and rewards, and are only fit to go to the mines in the north to mine!
So now, the soldiers, crammed into this narrow, cold cave, have only one thought in their minds.

—Charge into the border town and turn the nobles' property and slaves into their own work points!

……

……

border town.

The city wall, over ten meters high, is made of tightly stacked gray-white stone bricks, so sturdy that it seems capable of withstanding any impact.

Every thirty meters along the city wall stood a square arrow tower, its arrow slits like cold, sharp eyes, always on alert for any approaching intruders.

At the foot of the city wall is a wide and deep moat, four meters deep and eight meters wide.

The bottom of the ditch was covered with a thick layer of snow, but it still couldn't completely conceal the sharp wooden stakes.

A huge suspension bridge made of thick pine wood, covered with heavy iron sheets, spans the moat.

Four arm-thick iron chains connect the drawbridge to each side, with the other end of the chains fixed to a winch inside the city gate.

As the sun gradually sinks into the western valley, the guards in the city work together to turn the winch, and the heavy drawbridge will slowly rise, cutting off the road to the border town.

At this time, the number of people on the streets of the city gradually decreased, and the cold weather made people go home to rest early.

The skinny rat wrapped himself tightly in his tattered cloak, and with two companions, crouched low and slipped into a dark corner.

The drainage ditches here are secret passages used by smugglers to evade city entry taxes.

The skinny mouse glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then waved to signal its companions to get to work.

His companions cleared away the snow and removed the stone slab blocking the entrance, only to find that the hole was filled with muddy gravel.

"Boss, the guards have sealed off this place."

After his companion finished speaking in a low voice, he tapped the surface with his hand and said, "It's as hard as iron."

"Damn it."

The skinny rat cursed and waved his hand, "Let's go."

After covering the stone slabs and smoothing out the snow, the companions followed in the footsteps of the lean mouse.

They turned and disappeared into the city's slums, heading towards the garbage pits filled with all sorts of waste and excrement.

There are also tunnels leading outside, allowing dirty sewage to flow out of the border town.

However, the passage was narrow and filled with a nauseating stench.

Even beggars wouldn't want to pass through there.

Before it even got close, the lean rat saw several fully armed soldiers wandering around the edge of the pit.

"It's unbelievable that someone would be guarding such a disgusting place."

The skinny mouse complained in a low voice, a hint of annoyance flashing in its eyes.

His sharp teeth clenched, making a grinding sound, as if he was suppressing anger.

"Boss, even if there's no one here, we still can't get through."

His companion pointed to the pit filled with all sorts of garbage and whispered a reminder.

The lean mouse glanced to the side and saw that the droppings inside had solidified, so the hole must be blocked.

"What do we do next?"

"My companion asked in a low voice."

The skinny mouse frowned, took a deep breath, and was immediately choked by the stench, which made him cough.

He awkwardly covered his mouth and turned his head away.

"There's no other way but to fight it out!"

　This is a rewrite from last night. Although I was on the road yesterday, I actually wrote enough last night, but I felt it wasn't suitable, so I deleted it and rewrote it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)