Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 359 Arrival
Morning light shone through the thin, misty ice flowers on the car windows, spilling onto the thick fur carpet inside the carriage.

Louis opened his eyes and touched a warm, damp blanket. The temperature inside the car was constant, and the fire in the stove was burning steadily.

Outside the window, the wind and snow were biting, but inside the carriage, it was as comfortable as a hall.

The specially designed lord's carriage was crafted by Red Tide artisans, with fireplaces embedded in the corners and copper pipes evenly distributing steam heat into the seats and beds.

Maps and battle plans hung on the walls, while several statistical books from various parts of the North were displayed on the bookshelves.

Louis sat up from the thick blanket, put on a coat lined with fox fur, and slipped into his fur boots.

"We've been gone for over ten days," he said in a low voice.

Frost Dragon Territory is not far away; we will arrive today.

He skillfully activated the daily intelligence system with a wave of his hand.

A pale blue screen silently appeared in the carriage, and lines of information slowly unfolded:

[Daily intelligence update complete]

[1: Viscount Bolton, Earl Harlow, Viscount Heman, Marquis Crane, and Earl Holmes have accepted funding from Prince Asta at the Frostdrake Territory and confirmed their participation in the new Northern Council, which aims to restructure the resource allocation system and weaken the Red Tide's influence.]

[2: Asta, using his status as a member of the Frost Dragon Territory royal family, lured the barbarian leader U with offers of grain, pastures, and imperial status in exchange for assistance. He ordered U to launch a harassment campaign against Red Tide within twenty days and encouraged him to attempt to storm Red Tide City and cause destruction.]

[3: The various barbarian tribes discussed their response and ultimately decided not to act according to Asta's orders, but instead to launch a preemptive attack on the location of the Frostdragon Territory's noble council, attempting to eliminate the lords throughout the North and trigger widespread chaos.]

Louis finished scanning, his eyes flickering slightly.

"The show is about to begin," he murmured, a hint of disdain in his voice.

The first piece of intelligence was clearly Asta's probe.

He is nothing but a puppet who holds power in vain. Now, by associating with a few greedy nobles, he is trying to reshape the landscape of the North.

Louis's lips curled slightly, but his eyes remained completely calm.

“The new council…” he repeated softly, as if chewing on some insignificant toy.

He had long anticipated that the old nobles of the North would not be content, especially those ancient nobles of the North.

But in this intelligence report, they finally dropped their pretense and wrote down their choices.

This is a declaration of war, and also a pledge of allegiance. Given this, retaliation is only natural.

He got up, paced a few steps, and paused for a moment in front of the combat map that was with him.

The names of these nobles flashed through my mind one by one. Some had sought help from the Red Tide Territory during the most difficult times, while others had expressed their loyalty after the Duke's death. Now, however, they were all secretly standing against me.

“Ridiculous,” Louis chuckled lightly, his tone indifferent.

[2: Asta, using his status as a member of the Frost Dragon Territory royal family, lured the barbarian leader, offering him food, pastures, and imperial status in exchange for assistance. He ordered the leader to launch a harassment campaign against Red Tide within twenty days and encouraged him to attempt to storm Red Tide City and cause destruction.]

The second piece of intelligence made Louis let out a soft hum.

Asta's ability to win over the barbarians was nothing more than a bluff, a self-indulgent fantasy.

How could those barbarians, these ungrateful wretches, possibly obey a prince who only has a title?

He was only interested in the relief grain and supplies.

Furthermore, given the military strength currently controlled by the Red Tide, 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 act according to Asta's orders, but instead to launch a preemptive attack on the location of the Frostdragon Territory's noble council, attempting to eliminate the lords throughout the North and trigger widespread chaos.]

The third one is really interesting.

Although the barbarians suffered heavy casualties in the war at Testu, almost breaking their backbone, when the remaining wolves truly gathered on the snowfield, they could still form a blizzard powerful enough to disrupt the order of the North.

Their wildness remains, not because they have forgotten their pain, but because they have never been convinced of their own worth.

Apart from the southeastern region covered by the red tide, many barbarian tribes in other corners were never truly incorporated into the ruling system.

Did that prince really think he could win the loyalty of these wolves with a few bags of grain and a few promises? How absurd and laughable.

Red Tide spent nearly two years adjusting its military and political structure and implementing new systems, but it still failed to completely subdue these tribes.

He attempted to lure them into serving him with promises of benefits, but in the end, he only brought trouble upon himself.

These barbarians suffered countless casualties, yet they never gave up their spies; they were not content with their current precarious existence.

Once the snowfield truly ignites, the first thing to be engulfed will inevitably be the foolish person who lit the fuse.

“As expected… the wolves have started to open their mouths,” Louis said softly, his voice as cold as ice settling on the ground.

A surprise attack on the Frostdragon Territory's noble council? Absurd, yet precise.

Louis didn't get angry; instead, he laughed.

This suggestion was indeed much more reasonable than harassing the Red Tide, but it was also... more to his liking.

The plan began to unfold in his mind.

If arranged cleverly...

Louis turned and pulled back the thick blanket curtain, saying to the clerk, "Summon Lambert; I have something to tell him."

…………

At dawn, as the sky began to break over Frost Dragon Pass, the fog had not yet dissipated, and the snow-covered mountain paths remained muddy and difficult to traverse.

The Red Tide convoy slowly drove in.

That was no ordinary lord's delegation, but an undisguised demonstration parade.

The army of thousands, like a silent steel behemoth, was pressing into this land where the remnants of imperial authority still existed.

Leading the way was a heavily armored carriage, resembling an iron fortress.

Heavy rivets and steam rails surround the vehicle, the emblem of the Red Tide is engraved side by side on the front, and a gold-edged sun flag hangs high, fluttering in the morning breeze like a rising sun in winter, announcing a new era.

Around the carriage were the main forces of the Red Tide.

Led by Lambert, the Vanguard Knights, clad in silver-red cloaks and clad in neat rows of crimson-black armor, stood in five columns, resembling the sheath of a blade.

The Red Tide's main force of over three hundred knights stood solemnly in formation, their horses' hooves steady as drums, their lances like a forest, their armor gleaming like mercury spilling onto the ground, forming the sharpest symbol of military power in the North.

Following the carriages, the carriages of the Red Tide Economic Affairs Bureau, the Council Office, and the Military Affairs Bureau were neatly arranged into the procession, each one a mobile administrative hall.

The clerk, political envoy, and council observers took their places, all dressed uniformly and with solemn expressions.

Accompanying them was a delegation of surrendered nobles from the southeast; they were not merely accomplices, but rather witnesses and disseminators of the Red Tide's power.

Eight swift frost-covered steeds rode side by side, their iron hooves pounding the snow like war drums, their armor clanging and clashing in a somber symphony. The streets of Frost Dragon Territory were already deserted.

Commoners were temporarily driven to the outskirts to prevent their emaciated figures from spoiling the scenery and offending the eyes of the noblemen.

On the city walls and below the welcoming area, the nobles of the North had been waiting for a long time.

Standing at the head was the sixth prince, Asta Auguste.

He tried hard to maintain that welcoming smile, but his gaze unconsciously followed the approaching torrent of steel, growing increasingly fixed.

Asta thought he was well prepared, having heard rumors that the Red Tide had soldiers, food, weapons, and equipment, but seeing it with his own eyes, a sense of fear arose spontaneously.

The Red Tide army, like a fortress coming from the south, is crushing the old order of the entire North into the mud and snow inch by inch with an emotionless yet unstoppable force.

Asta's reconstruction plan appears to be nothing more than a superficially grand courtly power struggle; an embroidered curtain cannot hold back the storm rolling in from the south.

His throat moved slightly, but no sound came out. His heart was ice-cold, and he didn't even dare to clench his fist, for fear that the cold sweat on his palm would betray his imposing manner.

Standing beside Asta was Camille, the Imperial Capital Inspector, whose expression changed drastically.

When he saw the chariot with the gold-rimmed sun wheel slowly approaching, the image of the lunchbox Louis had served at the dinner party came to mind.

There was not a single accusation, only a raised glass of wine and those expressionless eyes.

Now that they've met again, he looks at the young lord's army with nothing but dread.

Camille understood that he had lost the initiative and could only comply. He dared not refuse whatever Louis said.

He tried his best to maintain his posture, but his back was slightly bent, and his eyes lowered half an inch unconsciously as the Red Tide vehicle drove past him.

Further away, the Northern Old Nobles Alliance, including Holmes, Crane, and Bolton, were all on tenterhooks.

They were once the symbol of power in the North, and were preparing to join forces with the prince to suppress the Red Tide.

But looking at that advancing team, their morale was instantly extinguished.

Some gripped the scepter tightly, their faces pale; others cursed under their breath, gritting their teeth.

Before the agenda even began, they had already lost power, their thoughts were divided, and some were even reconsidering their choice of sides.

On the contrary, the southeastern nobles who had submitted to the regime and were at the end of the procession were brimming with pride.

“Lord Louis seems to be here to take over the territory, so we can also benefit from it.” The young baron glanced disdainfully at the mottled walls of Frost Dragon Territory. “This wretched place is not even as good as my territory.”

A duchess wrinkled her nose, covered her face with her handkerchief, and said softly, "The air is damp, and the paint on the city gates has all peeled off. It's like a rural village that has never seen a horse-drawn carriage before."

Her gaze followed the Red Tide's main vehicle. "This is what nobles should look like."

The surrendered nobles stood tall and proud, their eyes filled with undisguised contempt and disdain as they looked at the Frost Dragon nobles on either side.

"What do these people have left besides their bloodline?" a viscount from the southeast sneered quietly. "Compared to them, we are the ones who truly stand in the future."

The city here was completely crushed by Red Tide City.

At that moment, all eyes were focused on the main vehicle that roared past like a castle.

Louis didn't need to say a word; he had already crushed all his opponents with his mere presence on the field.

The Frost Dragon Territory's home ground slipped from the hands of the Sixth Prince into the Red Tide Caravan led by that young lord.

Louis's carriage came to a smooth stop in front of the nobleman, and everyone stopped talking and focused their attention on the carriage.

In the silence, the armored door slowly opened, a hand wearing a silver-patterned leather glove pressed against the edge of the door, and a young man stepped out of the vehicle.

He wore a long red cloak, his figure as straight as a spear, and without uttering a word, his aura already surpassed that of everyone else.

This is the true master of the North, as most of the nobles thought.

Asta turned his head and saw the expressions of the nobles, some in amazement, some shaken, some indignant, and some speechless.

A burning sense of humiliation welled up inside him, and he finally realized that he could no longer remain silent.

No, we can't let him continue to dominate.

So Asta suppressed his emotions, put on his signature gentle smile, took two steps forward, and said loudly, "Welcome, Lord of the Crimson Tide, Glory of the North, Earl Louis Calvin."

All eyes were on the two of them, and people began to assess the situation.

Asta continued to smile, gesturing to all the nobles: "This is the most important meeting in the North, and it is also the moment for my Ironblood Empire's sixth prince, the Northern Royal Reconstruction Envoy, to discuss the future with you all. Frost Dragon Territory welcomes you today in the name of the Royal Family, and we hope to join hands to build a new order in the North."

He emphasized the word "royal" to highlight his status.

As long as he retains this identity, he has not lost.

Louis smiled slightly and gracefully performed a standard yet dignified aristocratic bow.

His tone was gentle and courteous: "It is the Northern Territory's good fortune to be summoned by Your Highness. Red Tide is willing to do its utmost to discuss important matters with you all and work together to draw a new blueprint for the Northern Territory."

Louis spoke sincerely, with polite words and a gentle tone; every word perfectly reflected the respect and humility expected among nobles.

To an observer, this would be nothing more than a perfectly normal scene of flattery, and one could even sense Louis's deference to the prince.

But Asta felt a tightness in his chest as he listened.

His tone was so natural and composed, as if he were the host of the meeting, not a participant who had been invited.

Even more jarring was the phrase "a meager contribution," which seemed to subtly remind everyone that he was not attending the meeting on orders, but rather out of cooperation and goodwill.

Every sentence was impeccable, every word flawless, yet Asta felt as if he were being pricked by needles.

He maintained his smile, but his throat tightened, forcing him to cough lightly to cover his lapse in composure.

"Although the army will not enter the city, it can be deployed outside Frost Dragon," Asta added with a smile, trying to sound as natural as if it were just a routine arrangement for a meeting.

“Of course.” Louis nodded slightly, as if he had expected it. “Lambert.”

"Yes, sir." Knight Lambert bowed and accepted the order, leading his knights to quietly turn their horses around and circle the southern side of Frost Dragon Territory.

The clanking of armor and the clatter of hooves created a powerful spectacle. Over three hundred knights moved silently in the morning light, like a steel dragon retreating into the snowy forest, their presence weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

"This knightly order must be the most elite in the North..." a nobleman exclaimed in a low voice as he watched closely.

“Even every single vanguard is an extraordinary knight…” Another nobleman turned pale, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Everyone fell silent, and the silence conveyed not fear of the red tide, but a profound reverence for Louis himself.

Below the city gate, no one dared to whisper anymore.

In the air, only the fading echo of horses' hooves and the fluttering wind of the Red Tide flag remained.

(End of this chapter)