It seems that the villain is targeting me.

"We're leaving today," the system said. "Are you planning to leave this afternoon? Have you decided where you want to go?"

"Well, I'm leaving for the Riverlands."

"That's the most fertile and richest land in the empire," Xiao Niao said, holding onto the edge of the windowsill. "It's also the country's most important granary. Taking over the Riverlands will simultaneously strengthen the lord and weaken the enemy."

The capital is located in the north, while Highgarden is in the south. They are physically far apart and both are defended by strong fortresses. If they march and attack all the way, the supply lines will become a big problem for both sides.

Therefore, it is very important to win over a friendly lord in the central region.

It is just that the central region has a flat terrain and open topography, which is very beneficial for developing cities and the economy, but it also makes it very vulnerable and passive during wars.

The lords of the Riverlands will be easily attacked, and the defense that the castle can provide is limited. Once attacked from all directions at the same time, the Riverlands will definitely not be able to cope with it relying solely on their own military strength.

"The Lord of the Riverlands is William Gardener of the Gardener family. He is a man of generous and kind character. In terms of his talents, he is more inclined to be a builder than a conqueror."

Simply put, this person is also an avid farming enthusiast.

And unlike Xiaoniao's hobby of farming, which is like "I have to go to this B class", this guy really likes to dig in the mud.

Not only does he often personally lead his subjects to open up wasteland, but besides actively organizing farming, he is also obsessed with philosophy and meditation. In private, he is a mix of highbrow and lowbrow.

To be honest, Xiao Niao felt that if this guy had not been born into a lord's family that ruled the Hejian area, he would probably be a happy and hardworking farmer.

Xiao Niao recalled this man's past deeds and had a certain degree of confidence in his heart: "...William and I have a close relationship even before I became Prime Minister. If we can make a significant enough promise, then he will be easily won over to our side."

The system knew that Xiaoniao had already made up her mind about this matter, so it did not bother her any further to avoid interfering with her judgment.

The system can share the host's vision. Tongzi followed Xiaoniao's gaze and looked down. Many people were busy preparing for departure. The horses had to be prepared with hay and fed with enough water, and the knights in charge of escorting had to wear armor.

Gwyneth was obviously concerned about the safety of the bird. She selected the most elite members from her own knights and appointed an experienced knight commander to lead them.

[This girl is absolutely amazing with you,] the system muttered. [You humans have a saying... If you just walk away, wouldn't that count as playing with her feelings, you idiot?]

When Xiao Niao heard this, his body stiffened for a few seconds, and then a strong feeling of grief and indignation surged from his chest.

Xiao Niao thought: Huh, huh? Playing, playing?!

Who's playing with whom? I'm the one being played with!

The little bird thought sadly and angrily.

But these words cannot be said to Tongzi, because the system actually does not understand the inside story.

Although the system can share the host's vision, due to the "Field System Database Health Protection Regulations" set by the main controller, when Gwyneth did this or that to the bird, the system was blocked the entire time.

She was very thin-skinned and didn't want to expose herself, so she said something vague and quickly passed over the topic.

"Ah, it's up to you," the system said nonchalantly, lacking any notion of morality. "Be careful not to get hurt again. While the aftereffects will disappear when you return, don't abuse your body too much..."

Xiao Niao nodded, not really listening: "Okay, I know."

"Don't take it lightly," the system said, a little annoyed. "The poison you were infected with last time would have killed you in two or three minutes. Although you took the antidote in time, the injury was on the left side, and your heart was corroded by the toxin at that time."

The system continued: [Remember when you suddenly developed a fever and fell unconscious? That was myocarditis caused by heart damage.]

Xiao Niao was stunned for a few seconds. Although she was quite poor in terms of physical strength and power, in terms of health alone, this half-human body was still very powerful and much more durable than ordinary people. Even if she stayed up late for consecutive nights, she would not experience too many discomfort symptoms.

She hasn't even had a cold in recent years.

Xiao Niao couldn't help but feel a little frightened by the system's words. She subconsciously pressed her hand on the left carotid artery to feel the rhythm of her heartbeat.

Xiao Niao has indeed often felt weak and tired in the past few days, and has also experienced palpitations after waking up.

But she thought it was just because she was too tired during this period... plus she and Gwen had been messing around a lot before, the two combined to cause that.

Symptoms.

The result was heart damage?

There was a vibrant bounce in her fingertips, and her heart was beating slightly faster than normal as usual.

I don’t know if it was a psychological effect, but the bird really felt a sudden chest tightness and pain, and its heartbeat seemed to become heavier and more uncomfortable.

Xiao Niao was not a professional doctor, and he did not have the ability to determine what was wrong with the body just by pressing the pulse. After feeling for a while, he could only put his hand down helplessly.

Xiao Niao thought bitterly: If I can't complete the mission and return home as soon as possible and remain trapped in this world, I probably won't live long even if I don't encounter any danger, right?

It's not just because of her half-human physique, she probably won't even live to half the average human lifespan.

But it is actually Xiaoniao's own responsibility that his body has become like this.

At the beginning, she never thought that she would stay here for more than 20 years, and she didn't care about her own health at all. It was like people nowadays who overdraw their bodies early in their youth to make money, and end up with a lot of illnesses when they are old.

But Xiao Niao's reason for squeezing her potential in this way was not out of some kind of masochistic tendency: she knew that as long as she returned to reality, all the physical injuries she had suffered in this world would disappear, even broken hands and feet would not matter at all.

It doesn’t matter, Xiao Niao held his beating heart and comforted himself, I don’t need to live to the end of my life... I just need to hold on until the mission is completed.

She is now working in the right direction, and there is only a little bit left on the progress bar, about 6 or 7 percent.

Maybe it will really be as the system said before. As long as Gwyneth successfully ascends the throne, this last bit of progress bar will reach the end, ending this long journey that has lasted for nearly twenty years.

She is going home.

------

-

She suddenly felt a palpitation.

It felt so sudden, like... something bad had happened.

Gwyneth instinctively touched her chest, trying to calm her heartbeat. Her eyes were a little straight and her breathing became rapid.

The windows on both sides of the house were open, and Gwyneth subconsciously looked towards the north: the bird had set out for the Riverlands two or three days ago, and she was now looking at the direction the bird had set out.

Gwyneth is now in the meeting room of the family castle.

In front of her was a huge table, on which were carved all the rivers and mountains within the empire's territory, showing the terrain and the sphere of influence of the area in a three-dimensional way.

Several grand secretaries and staff members were gathered around the table to discuss how to march. When they saw Gwyneth suddenly stop talking and turn to look out the window, they all stopped as well.

After a while, someone tentatively asked, "Master, are you okay?"

In fact, Gwyneth's first reaction was that something might have happened to the bird, but this unlucky idea was quickly rejected by her - Gwen was even unwilling to assume such a possibility.

Don't think too much. I have arranged the most elite knights to protect her safety. What's more, the Red Moon Knight is also with Levi. She should send a letter back soon.

Gwyneth frowned, trying to suppress the uneasiness in her heart and refocus her attention on the map in front of her.

"Nothing," she said simply. "Let's get on with our discussion, my Lords."

The conclusion drawn from the discussion is actually very simple, which is the most basic principle of war: speed is the essence of war.

The key to applying this principle is to seize the opportunity, and in the eyes of those present, that opportunity has now arrived.

According to the latest news that came back not long ago, the emperor sitting on the throne in the capital is now the fourth one, and the lords loyal to the Hamilton family have also split into factions in twos and threes.

The members of the Hamilton family had already suffered heavy losses in the battle for the throne, and the dozen or so people who were left had formed four or five groups, the relationships of which were even more complicated than those in modern female college dormitory rooms.

In terms of the size of the army and the number of heavy cavalry, Gwyneth's current power is actually no match for the royal family.

But the power in her hands is very pure. All the members of the Tudor family are now closely united around her, and once an order is given, it can be implemented quickly.

The Hamilton family has a complex network of interests, and many of its orders have far-reaching consequences. Even if the royalists want to send troops quickly to quell the rebellion, it is difficult for them not to be affected by other factions around them.

A deep foundation has its advantages, and a weak foundation has its advantages. No one can simply say that one side has an absolute advantage.

Gwyneth didn't hesitate for long before deciding to send out her troops first and quickly raid the city closest to Highgarden. This was a relatively dangerous traffic route for her rear, so it would be best to take control of it as soon as possible.

Gwen has already mapped out a route from Highgarden to the capital, passing through plates belonging to different lords. What follows is a very simple coloring game. As long as you color most of the map with your own colors, then things will become very simple.

As long as you can

If she rebels against more lords, then the gods will be on her side: throughout all history, the gods have always been on the side of those who have the larger army.

After she wins the war, she will be able to free up her hands to slowly solve the remaining problems. It will only be a matter of replacing soldiers and defenses, appeasing the lords, and winning over the hearts of the people.

Gwen didn't actually have to worry too much about this. Xiao Niao had started building momentum for her two months ago, spreading the news along the banks of the Three Forks River to every territory of the empire and distributing it to towns everywhere to win the hearts of the people for her.

Oh, by the way, we have to hurry up to do the spring plowing after the war, Gwen thought again. Butcher has always cared about this matter. She has mentioned it to me twice.

On the map in front of Gwyneth, small green flags were painted to mark the troops that were still loyal to the royal family. Soon, these green flags would be replaced by red representing the Tudor family.

She is confident about this.

However, the strange feeling of palpitations she had just experienced still gave Gwen a bad feeling.

Although she tried to comfort herself that it was just an illusion at the time, she could not completely calm down afterwards. This incident was like a small thorn piercing the back of her hand. Although it did not hurt or itch, it was really an eyesore.

So, after discussing the matter of sending troops with her counselors, Gwyneth quickly returned to her study, took out letter paper from the drawer, and prepared to write a letter to Xiao Niao.

To be honest, it would be a bit of a waste of precious carrier pigeons to send a letter to inquire now. Xiaoniao has only been on the journey for less than four days. Logically, it is still far away from its destination and is probably still on the way.

But she could no longer wait calmly for the other party to report that she was safe. Gwen wanted to know her condition now.

When the tip of the pen touched the letter paper, the words flowed down smoothly like flowing water. She wrote those sentences without thinking much at all - missing someone will have such an effect, because you will rehearse in your mind over and over again what you want to say to the person you miss.

Soon, Gwyneth finished writing the letter. She rolled the letter into a small bundle and prepared to take it to the dovecote to mail it.

Just then, Gwen suddenly saw something on the floor near the window.

She walked over and picked it up gently.

It was a light feather. Judging from its length and the color of its pattern, it must have been dropped by Butcher accidentally.

Gwyneth's breathing paused for a moment, and then she carefully put the feather away.

Chapter 103 Generals: This round, the advantage is mine! (Please give me a monthly ticket)

Sometimes Charles would wonder when things had become like this.

How did all this happen?

It seemed to have started from the time he rejected the engagement with Tudor's eldest daughter. Ever since that dinner party, everything around him had been going downhill.

But it seemed to have happened even earlier than the broken engagement.

Before the empire was established and Charles was still a teenager, his father asked Butcher to teach him his studies.

But he hated the man so much at the time that he only agreed respectfully on the surface. When his father left, he openly called the Shrike a "lowly slave boy" - a few days later, Butcher politely resigned from the job with his father.

It seemed that the roots of everything that happened afterwards had been laid at that time.

Now Charles looks back on the past and realizes sadly that he has lost everything he once had.

He is no longer the emperor, and that supreme authority will no longer have any connection with him. In fact, because of that identity, he has become a prisoner under house arrest in a tower.

Charles didn't even understand why he was still alive - several other uncles who tried to compete for the throne but failed were all pushed directly into the square and beheaded.

Now, for him, just being alive is a blessing.

Naturally, he received no special treatment, cold food, perfunctory servants, and the only thing that remained the same as before was the guards standing guard at the bottom of the tower.

Charles knew that the guards standing there were not there to protect him, but were sent by his uncle to monitor and watch over him.

The days in the tower were extremely closed and boring. Charles received almost no news from the outside world. The servants who came to deliver food and clean the room also received orders from the emperor, and almost no one dared to talk to Charles.

In this gloomy tower, he didn't even have anyone to chat with. He could only talk to himself in front of the fireplace or flip through the old books whose covers were about to fall off. He became completely neurotic.

But what Charles didn't know was that in the original trajectory of fate, if Xiao Niao had not intervened, Gwyneth would have ended up being imprisoned in a high tower, facing the cold walls day after day.

Now that he has ended up like this, it seems like fate is deliberately playing a trick on him.

The days of being imprisoned in the tower were extremely difficult, but in recent times, Charles had vaguely sensed that something was changing.

He first noticed that the types of food brought into the tower began to become monotonous, and the bread gradually began to taste the texture of sawdust mixed in. Charles looked at

The guards were eating the same food as him, so he probably didn't mean to mistreat him.

In addition, he also heard two guards complaining while they were on duty: the food for those guarding on the city wall has been getting worse and worse recently. For a week in a row, they have been eating dry flatbreads smeared with lard and watery cabbage soup.

No matter how little he knew about government affairs, Charles realized that the capital's food reserves were beginning to run low.

The servants who came to clean the tower appeared less and less frequently. In contrast, the frequency of their slacking off began to increase sharply, and their attitude towards themselves was no longer as cautious as it was at the beginning.

Charles didn't think that his cheap uncle would suddenly have a change of heart and relax his control over him.

He guessed that this might be because the person sitting on the throne was busy with other things and had no time to pay attention to him.

Charles then plucked up the courage to bribe a servant who had entered the tower with a gold coin he had hidden with great difficulty, just asking the servant to tell him something about the outside world.

The servant who came to clean the tower hesitated and looked at the shining gold in Charles' hand, but finally couldn't resist the temptation.

He took the gold coins from Charles and quickly stuffed them into the inner pocket of his shirt. He looked around like a thief, then took the broom, lowered his head and pretended to sweep the floor while talking to Charles in a low voice.

"Hurry up, what do you want to hear... a decree? I don't understand that, but His Majesty recently sent troops south to suppress those rebellious traitors... Who are they? I don't know, but it should be quite a lot."

Maybe it was because of the unexpected income, but the butler worked much harder. He swept the floor while talking and asked Charles to lift his legs.