Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 153 Huge Ambition
The underground stone chambers of Frostspear Fortress were damp, cold, and filled with the smell of scorching iron and blood, resembling some kind of twisted purgatory.

Karan was hung upside down from the execution post, his body covered in blood and grime. His once tall and strong body was now just a skeleton convulsing from torture.

The torturer pressed a red-hot iron needle into the nerve junction in his calf, and a heart-wrenching scream immediately followed.

He screamed in despair, his voice like the whimper of a trapped beast, repeating the words he had already uttered: "It was Joseph! It was Joseph Carradi! He contacted us first... He offered the map of his own accord!"
He even provided a defense map of the empire's southwest! He wrote down the changing of the guard schedule for the empire's southwest watchtowers…”

Duke Edmund stood quietly before the torture rack, flipping through the Silver Disk Guild's ledger and notebook.

The pages were slightly curled due to the bloodstains, but the writing on them was clear, and even Joseph's signature was illegible and authentic.

His gaze was fixed on the words, lost in thought.

Karan gasped for breath: "I... I was just a transit point... transporting, allocating, sending people and medicine as needed... Joseph is the one... he wants to be the Federation's 'bridgehead'..."

He said he was marginalized by his family and wanted to take advantage of your empire's mess to rise to power... Please, please let me die... Give me a quick death..."

His once cold and stern eyes were now yellow and bloodshot, and his sobs and whimpers were mixed in his throat, making it impossible to tell whether they were pleas or curses.

"Why didn't you kill me..." he whispered, his voice trembling, "You Imperials are even more vicious than the Federation..."

Edmund didn't speak, but slowly turned to the next page of his notebook.

The list of nobles' needs was presented there using strange abbreviations:
"12 Giant Yang Potions, 18 beautiful female slaves of suitable age (13-17), Xiling private salt, Demon Marrow, Soft Gold..."

He slowly closed the notebook, took a deep breath, his anger churning in his chest, but his expression remained surprisingly calm.

“It seems to be true, Joseph Carradi… You’re incredibly audacious.”

He turned to the silver-masked executioner: "Seal his throat, stop the bleeding, and keep him alive. I want him to live, to live long enough to vomit up every single word Joseph said and every single picture he drew."

"Yes."

Karan broke down and whimpered, like a hound whose bones had been torn apart, forced to bite out the name of its companion in despair.

Edmund's figure had already stepped into the long corridor at the end of the stone chamber, his voice low, like a command, or a judgment:

"Prepare a secret letter to the Emperor! If this is true, it's not just treason! It's a grave crime that shakes the very foundation of the empire's southwest!"

The Duke of Edmund returned to his office, silently picked up his wine glass, and the wine swirled gently in it, reflecting a dim light.

He took a sip, and the aroma of the wine slightly eased his inner anger.

Those sharp gray eyes pondered for a moment, then slowly exhaled, their gaze filled with indescribable fury.

"This madman..." he murmured softly, his voice low and filled with disbelief and resentment.

This young man not only participated in the financial transactions involving collusion with the federal government and infiltration of the military, but he also dared to openly record these crimes in black and white.
He understood why they did it—it was simply to show loyalty—but their audacity was astonishing.

Duke Edmund gently stroked the cover of the ledger, his fingertips slightly cool, but a raging fire was burning in his heart.

And then there's the other young man who came back with this evidence...

Duke Edmund's lips curled slightly, a deep light gleaming in his eyes. His gaze was fixed on the table, and his tone carried a hint of smugness:

“Louis… truly lives up to my expectations. He was able to solve such a major case, and he obtained every piece of evidence he was supposed to, captured every prisoner he was supposed to, and even kept every single piece of gold he was supposed to, sealing it all up and sending it over.”

He picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and the wine left a faint sweetness in his mouth. His gaze passed over the candlelight, as if piercing through the vast northern border, and landed on the distant Crimson Tide Territory.

"Steady, decisive, clean and efficient... He even knows what he can and cannot do." He muttered to himself, a deep smile on his face, even with a sense of having found a bargain. "Once this kid grows up, his future is unimaginable. It's good that I struck first."

After finishing his drink, his gaze sharpened again, as if shattering all his gentle facade, and his aura suddenly became heavy.

“As for Joseph…” He slammed the ledger shut, his eyes sharpening. “Someone come here.”

The servant immediately pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully, seemingly sensing the Duke's anger.

"Go to Red Tide Territory and bring Joseph Carradi here immediately. No accidents are allowed," the Duke coldly ordered.

"This case is too big for us to try directly. We should send it directly to the capital for His Majesty to decide."

He paused, his tone laced with a cold laugh and deep contempt: "Let His Majesty see for himself whose mess this southwestern swamp has been swept away from the northern border."

…………

A person stood atop a mountain in the northern border region, gazing at the sky.

His name was Joseph Carradi, the sixth son of the prestigious Carradi family of the Empire.

Not a waste, nor a neglected outsider.

He displayed exceptional intelligence and courage from a young age, and at nineteen he was appointed to assist in managing the finances and taxes of the southern border. He even served as the trading agent for the Guan family in five provinces.

Within the strict, hierarchical system of the Carradi family, he was a person who was truly trusted and empowered.

But he knew that none of this ultimately belonged to him.

In this ironclad family tradition, titles, honors, and the position of family head were out of his reach from the moment he was born.

"I am the sixth son. I was born to be used, not inherited."

All the glory ultimately went to the eldest brother who sat in the highest seat, all show and no substance.

Even if I conquered the entire empire for him, I would still be nothing more than a useful steward.” So he took the Northern Expedition Order, a generous sum of aid funds, and only two hundred knights, and volunteered to go to the North.

The territory near Qingyu Ridge is desolate, remote, and bitterly cold.

However, strategic locations are places where one can achieve great things.

He chose this place, like a gambler betting his last chip.

If he wins, he can rise to prominence and force the entire Carradi family to take him seriously again.

However, the snowstorms in the North were far more brutal than he had imagined.

Before winter even arrived, the ground was frozen solid, making it difficult for oxcarts to move. The night wind outside the tent was like a knife, and even breathing carried the smell of blood.

Of the "capable craftsmen" he brought from the south, half of them fell ill within three days, and the rest either ran away or cried while warming themselves by the fire.

Joseph stood in the wind and snow, wearing a gray cloak, but there was no sign of retreat in his eyes.

He had anticipated the difficulties.

The North is not a greenhouse; it is a place of numerous factions, harsh and wild conditions, and governing a region is not an easy task to control.

But he was not a rash person; he never thought of taking a gamble and making multiple contingency plans.

A week before his departure, he secretly met with representatives of the Silver Plate Guild.

It was in the backyard of a family spice shop, in a very secluded place.

A simple map was slowly unfolded, outlining the locations of the fortified outposts along the empire's southwestern defense line, the frequency of troop movements, and the detailed routes of supply trains.

This intelligence naturally brought a substantial reward.

Moreover, he had already made ample preparations for the worst-case scenario.

If the situation gets out of control, he can cross the border directly to the Federation, where he will be met by someone.

On the federal side, he already has a new territory, a new identity, and two high-ranking Emerald officials willing to protect him.

They promised that if he succeeded in instigating unrest in the southwest, they would recommend him to the Federal Noble Council, granting him permanent protection as an "outsider elite."

Of course, he did not intend to submit to the enemy country.

With his intelligence and the strong support of the Silver Disc Guild, he believed he could make a name for himself in the northern border of the Ironblood Empire.

Going to the Federation was his last resort, a way out when all else failed.

He still hoped to establish himself in the North through his own abilities and opportunities, becoming a powerful figure rather than willingly becoming a puppet of the enemy nation.

He had planned all of this for a long time, and the meticulousness of his plan was enough to amaze even the most cunning old fox.

Of course, this wasn't betrayal; it was foresight. He constantly told himself this:

"If the empire can't see my value, then I'll let others recognize it."

He even felt that... those nobles who laughed at him for "falling out of favor" would one day regret it.

Just as he stood atop the Imperial Council, looking down upon them.

Just then, a snow-white invitation was handed to him. The sealing wax on the seal was still wet, and the paper was as clean as new.

The guard carefully presented the letter, saying, "Louis, the governor of Snow Peak County, invites you to a banquet in Red Tide Territory."

Joseph raised an eyebrow, his eyes slowly lifting.

"So you've arrived. A new broom sweeps clean."

He opened the letter, his gaze sweeping over the smooth and elegant handwriting, but a disdainful smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"He thought this banquet was a stage he controlled? Too bad, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

He has already won over the pioneering nobles from the south who are newly rich, as well as some northern border nobles who are eager to rise in rank.

These people, like him, held the so-called "young prefect who rose through the ranks of military merit" in contempt.

In their eyes, Louis was nothing more than a nobleman who had risen to power by chance, skilled in warfare but completely ignorant of politics.

They believed that Louis was fundamentally incapable of controlling people's hearts and minds. All they needed to do was quietly erode his inner circle and undermine his power…

Soon I will be able to become the true master of this territory.

Of course, all of this depends on the strong support of the Silver Plate Guild.

Based on the timeline, their resources should be arriving soon.

An eagle that loses its claws and teeth is nothing more than a beautiful bird.

Joseph fastened his cloak, which billowed in the wind, and a cold, sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

“Louis, I’ll show you with my own eyes that your position is nothing more than a stepping stone for me to climb to.”

(End of this chapter)