This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

In comparison, the two Joans under Dick's command looked a bit too "otaku-friendly".

At this moment, Reinhard was negotiating with Princess Lilia. The little girl looked young, but she was not intimidated at all in front of the big, burly man, and showed remarkable negotiation skills.

The kingdom's initial demand was for the Second Legion to "surrender with dignity," with the Maple Dew royal family promising not to harm them and to grant them treatment commensurate with their status.

Reinhardt rejected these conditions without even thinking about them.

Want to make the proud Imperials surrender to the enemy? Dream on!

Reinhardt thought so, and he replied loudly, but as soon as he finished speaking, a burly man behind the princess let out a disdainful sneer.

Saint-level experts hold an extremely high status in various countries, so they speak quite casually.

"Quite a few of you proud imperialists surrendered recently!"

The brute was referring to the other three disgraceful army groups, whose more than 300,000 men were all defeated in less than seven days, with the routed soldiers running away like frightened rabbits all over the mountains and fields.

Upon hearing this, Reinhardt's face clearly showed a hint of anger, while the burly man was nudged by his companion with his elbow, which silenced him, but his eyes were full of mockery.

From the Kingdom's perspective, although their two previous attacks had failed, they still held the initiative on the battlefield and had a greater advantage than the Eastern Second Army Corps, which was stubbornly resisting in a corner. Their willingness to negotiate and persuade them to surrender was a gesture of respect to these imperialists who still had some guts.

For this reason, none of the kingdom's experts gave her a friendly look, but the lovely Princess Lilia remained gentle and continued to negotiate with Reinhard.

"Ha! They're quite clear about who plays the good cop and who plays the bad cop."

Throughout the negotiations, Dick listened silently, knowing full well that what couldn't be obtained on the battlefield, couldn't be expected at the negotiating table! The main reason for agreeing to negotiations was to buy time; the Imperial Army needed time, and the Kingdom Army seemed to need it too.

The negotiations lasted for two hours. Reinhardt realized that he was not quite able to win against the seemingly harmless young girl, so he suggested that they take a break.

Soon after, servants from both sides came up and brought tea and food.

At this moment, Joan of Arc from the kingdom suddenly walked over. Everyone became wary when they saw her approaching, but Joan of Arc said that she had no ill intentions and just wanted to greet the opponent she had fought a few days ago.

In the previous Saint-level battle, the historical Jeanne d'Arc faced off against the Black and White Jeanne d'Arc. Jeanne d'Arc already had an inexplicable sense of déjà vu with the two, and then she was completely confused by Black Jeanne d'Arc's words, "We are also Jeanne d'Arc."

At the time, I thought the other party was unwilling to reveal their identity, but the more I thought about it afterwards, the more concerned I became.

"Are you... also from Earth? Are you French?"

Without any probing or beating around the bush, Joan of Arc directly asked her guess, which was tantamount to revealing her origins and identity, completely confirming Dick's previous suspicions.

Before Black and White could speak, Dick asked a question first.

"It sounds like you are a summoned being from Earth. I have met many Earthlings and heard stories about Joan of Arc. But how come you possess strength comparable to the peak of the Saint rank?"

"It was Her Highness the Princess who summoned me, and she also saved my life. To repay this kindness, I must fight for the Maple Dew Kingdom."

Joan of Arc did not hide her origins, but avoided mentioning her powers.

According to her, she was summoned to this world by Princess Lilia when she was being sent to the stake by the English. Joan of Arc was a devout believer; she believed her rescue was God's will, and that Lilia, who saved her, was an angel.

After learning that the Kingdom of Maple Dew had long been threatened by the military power of the Hessian Empire, she thought of her long-suffering homeland, France. She believed that the Hessians were just as bad as the English. Therefore, in order to repay her debt of gratitude and to uphold the justice she believed in, Joan of Arc volunteered to fight for Maple Dew.

The familiarity she felt with Black and White Jeanne made her think that these two might be like her, fellow Frenchmen summoned to this strange world, but who had mistakenly stood on the "side of evil." Therefore, she hoped to have a good talk with them and stop aiding and abetting evil.

Joan of Arc's words were tantamount to poaching Dick's women right in front of him. She was trying to persuade Black and White Joan of Arc to abandon their evil ways and side with the Maple Dew Kingdom.

Furthermore, Joan of Arc believed that both of them possessed Saint-level strength, and the slave contract theoretically could not bind truly extraordinary powerhouses like them. As long as they were willing to come, even if the Empire wanted to stop them, they would have to consider whether they had the ability to do so.

However, in response to her persuasion, Jeanne Alter only responded with a disdainful sneer.

Are you out of your mind?!

The author says:

Author's note: PS: It is said that Joan of Arc in history was somewhat mentally disturbed.

Chapter 265: Encirclement and Reinforcements

As a dragon witch born from hatred, Jeanne Alter is a natural-born French black, filled with resentment towards France for betraying her.

Therefore, when she heard Joan of Arc ask if she was French, Jeanne Alter was already very unhappy. Then, when Joan of Arc tried to poach her from her Master, Jeanne Alter immediately retorted with a foul mouth.

When Jeanne Alter swore and flashed the "international friendship gesture" at her, Jeanne d'Arc of the Kingdom was visibly taken aback. Jeanne d'Arc Alter, standing nearby, merely pulled Jeanne Alter back, telling her to be mindful of the situation, but judging from her attitude, she didn't seem to have any intention of pursuing freedom.

Joan of Arc knew that this world would use contract magic to enslave the summoned Earthlings, with the Black Forest Empire being the worst. They didn't treat Earthlings as human beings at all; those with technology and ability would be cruelly exploited, while women and the useless weak would only be reduced to playthings.

In contrast, while the Maple Dew Kingdom also summons Earthlings, its methods are more civilized and friendly.

In the Maple Dew Kingdom, the royal family explicitly forbids unauthorized summoning by civilians. All related resources are managed by the Summoning Court, which is directly under the royal family, and the summoning is carried out by the Queen herself. Regardless of their abilities, the summoned Earthlings are well taken care of and live in a special "Earthling Community".

In this way, even if all the summoned Earthlings are bound by slave contracts, they are still the slaves of Queen Maple Dew, and their actual status is even higher than that of ordinary civilians.

Those with outstanding abilities and remarkable contributions may even be granted the title of nobles in the kingdom.

The kingdom did this to contrast with the barbaric and brutal empire. Many Earthlings who had managed to escape from slave owners would try to escape to the kingdom, even if they still had some doubts, after learning that the kingdom would treat them kindly.

Having come into contact with these refugees, Joan of Arc felt that if the twins in front of her were truly from Earth like herself, or even fellow French, she would have to help them escape the clutches of the evil Empire. Moreover, they were so beautiful that falling into the hands of the Empire would be even more dangerous.

If Dick knew what Joan of Arc was thinking, he would surely jump up and down in protest.

"Damn it, I'm the one who's in danger every night, okay?"

In short, Joan of Arc's persuasion hit a brick wall. Even though Jeanne Alter was being held back by Jeanne d'Arc, she couldn't stop her from continuing her attack. Her little mouth was as venomous as honey!

Their commotion naturally attracted the attention of others around them.

"Who is that half-elf dwarf?"

"Dick Best, the youngest Saint-level mage in the Empire and the world. He was the one who clashed with me with magic before. He doesn't look very big, but his magic is powerful and long-lasting. I almost lost!"

The kingdom's experts were whispering among themselves. They had all heard Joan of Arc trying to persuade him, but since she was unwilling, it was normal for her to be rebuffed.

At this moment, Black Lancer Alter walked to Dick's side and used her Heroic Spirit ability to communicate directly with her Master telepathically. Her teasing voice appeared directly in Dick's mind.

"If you ask me, that woman is incredibly stupid. She should have come directly to persuade you, Master. If you were willing to switch to the Kingdom, all the sisters here would naturally follow, and we could have taken them all. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"What's the point of changing jobs? You're still just working for someone else. What I want is to start my own business!"

As expected, the negotiations ended in a breakdown, with both sides retreating to their respective positions.

Back at the fortress, Dick met the Kasumi and Ayane sisters in his tent, who had returned from a reconnaissance mission. Dick sent the two sisters out to scout behind enemy lines.

Just as Dick had guessed, the Kingdom's army did indeed make other moves. Some of the enemy forces on the front lines quietly left their camp last night, numbering around 20,000, and headed straight north.

In addition, they discovered a large army near the main road that was marching from the kingdom to the front lines.

Dick thought to himself, "As expected, after two probing attacks, the Kingdom's army found that the Second Eastern Army Corps, which was prepared for a desperate battle, was not easy to defeat. So they immediately changed their strategy and left about 60,000 troops here to confront the Second Eastern Army Corps in order to keep an eye on them."

Meanwhile, other troops are heading to the border to assemble, most likely to intercept reinforcements sent by the Empire.

Hmm, that's got that "encircling the enemy's stronghold and attacking their reinforcements" feel to it!

However, a new problem arose: where did the reinforcements come from?

Dick had just read the intelligence Rita sent from the capital yesterday. The "otherworldly Donglin Party" in the cabinet was still arguing endlessly. The capital's army hadn't moved at all, and the southern nobles were expanding their army to prepare for defense. Unless a major noble stepped forward to take the lead, they couldn't muster many troops.

Moreover, the local private armies were poorly organized, and their mobilization efficiency was abysmal.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the Crimson Eyes figured out the situation. It turned out that Prince Heinz and the Dragonsleeping Valley family behind him had made their move.

As an ancient clan that received gifts from the dragon race, the Dragonsleep Valley family's territory, though located within the empire, holds a status equivalent to the royal family. Therefore, their territory is essentially a country within a country, possessing considerable strength.

When the imperial army marched into the Linzhao Basin, the Longmian Valley family did not participate. However, after the situation deteriorated rapidly, they decisively took action, raising an army of 20,000 and calling on all the imperial people in the south, whether nobles or commoners, to join forces to form a united army to fight against the kingdom.

Given the influence of the Dragon Sleep Valley family, many people in the southern region responded, and the strength of the allied forces expanded rapidly like a snowball, exceeding 100,000 troops in just two days.

The empire's population was much larger in the south than in the north, which Dick, a northerner, greatly envied.

It must be said that Prince Heinz chose to step forward at an excellent time, just like what Dick did when the northern region was invaded by orcs. He made full use of a crisis to win people's hearts and minds, while also weakening the empire's influence.

It should be noted that in the northern regions today, due to the capital's repeated inhumane actions, local areas have begun to show signs of independence.

This is the case in the North, and if the South continues to develop at this pace, it will likely be soon as well!

The Confederate Army is currently advancing towards the border and has made contact with General Malcolm, who is gathering his defeated troops in Charles City. Once the two sides join forces, they will form a large army of over 200,000 men, enough to pose a renewed threat to the Kingdom's forces.

This forced the Kingdom's army to readjust its troop deployment, besieging the Eastern Second Army Corps, which it could not defeat in a short time, without attacking, stabilizing them through negotiations, and then concentrating its superior forces to intercept reinforcements.

After figuring out all the details, Dick felt much more at ease, because this situation was extremely favorable to him!

Chapter 266: The Demon Queen's Ambitions Are Vast!

Mousse Harbor, Lagog Trading Post.

After reviewing the sales report she had just compiled, Hongyu Zhitong handed it to the head of the supply fleet, asking him to pass it on to Dick, who was on the southern front.

Over the past 28 days, the Laguge Chamber of Commerce has sold enough weapons and equipment to arm 30,000 regular troops to the south, with more than two-thirds of the sales being pre-sales.

The sheer volume of orders was so overwhelming that the production line at the local arsenal was running at full capacity. The factory undertook a massive expansion, implementing a three-shift system with machines running non-stop. They were so busy that even the dwarf technicians, who were in charge of production, started to get tired of forging iron!

However hard work it is, the arms business is also very lucrative.

With the gold coins she earned, Hongyu Zhitong purchased large quantities of industrial raw materials needed for various light and heavy industries from the south, transporting them north by the ship to support her people and industrial system.

Laguger established his own "Labour Protection Law" early on when Dick took office. Dick was never stingy with rewards and bonuses for his people, so the workers worked hard and earned a lot.

Real money that you can actually get your hands on is always the best stimulant!

The workers, whose incomes have increased significantly, will then spend more to improve their lives, which directly drives the development of other sectors of the local economy, creating a virtuous cycle.

The locals can clearly feel that their lives are getting better and better.

In contrast, life was much harder for the common people in the south of the empire.

When the front lines suffer defeats, the nobles will try every means to shift the cost onto the common people. One way is to increase taxes, and the other is to (force) conscription, which makes the people suffer unbearably. As a result, a wave of refugees inevitably begins to emerge, and anyone with connections is heading north to make a living.

During this period, Ruby Eyes also followed Dick's instructions and targeted the population in the south. Since the southern region has always been dominated by plantation economy, the textile industry here is extremely developed. Therefore, Ruby Eyes poached hundreds of related technical talents with minimal effort, enough to support the framework of a category.

Of course! This blatant poaching quickly alerted some forces, who felt that the Northerners were overreaching and wanted to teach these "stinking outsiders" a lesson. However, the well-prepared intelligence agency "Forget-Me-Not" countered their moves and blocked them all.

It's worth noting that Forget-Me-Not's intelligence agents first learned espionage skills from Tia and Lily, and then went into the mountains for ninja training, making them both literate and skilled in combat, and adept at ambushes.

These ninja spies displayed remarkable combat prowess. In non-direct confrontations, a combat team of three genin (lower-ranking ninja) could easily wipe out over a dozen lower-ranking warriors. These unfortunate foes died without ever figuring out where those poisoned "shuriken" came from.

After several covert clashes, seeing that the people sent out were like meat buns thrown to dogs with no return, the troublemaking nobles realized that something was wrong and had to temporarily stop, which also deterred some of those who had ill intentions towards them.

As it turns out, if you don't have the ability to protect yourself, you're just a piece of easy prey in the eyes of others.

Laguge has made a fortune recently, and many people are envious.

Even worse, some lecherous individuals dared to plot against Hongyu Zhitong and her companions. While they dared not openly seize Dick's women due to his status and power, some self-important spoiled brats believed they could win the hearts of beauties with their looks and connections.

Hongyu Zhitong found these self-proclaimed dashing and debonair chickens, who deliberately came before her to pretend to be peacocks displaying their plumage, utterly an eyesore.

Thinking of this, Crimson Eyes couldn't help but sigh, leaning on the table.

"Young Master, when are you coming back?"

Missing me?

"Huh?!"

Suddenly hearing Dick's voice coming from behind her, Ruby Eyes jumped up in surprise. Turning around, she saw Dick leaning against the window, smiling at her.

"Young Master, why are you back?"

"Things have stabilized on the front lines for now, so I took some time to fly back."

As Dick spoke, he walked straight to Ruby Eyes and put his arm around her.

A blush immediately spread across her face, and she obediently offered her red lips, her heart overflowing with tenderness and love.

"I'll ask you one more time, did you miss me?"

"think."

Hongyu Zhitong's voice wasn't loud, but her answer was without any hesitation. A gentle, almost lingering kiss filled her eyes with a deep, unyielding warmth.

Hongyu's body had already been half-demonized under Dick's care, which made her almost instinctively crave Dick's favor. So she obediently let Dick push her to the desk and sit on it.

"Does it have to be in the office again?"

"Then...how about somewhere else?"

"At least draw the curtains... Don't forget to lock the door."

With a blush, Hongyu made two "small requests," and Dick immediately used his telekinesis to close the window and lock the door.

Hearing the door click shut, Hongyu Zhitong felt much more at ease. Her original intellectual and composed expression was replaced by a bewitching and seductive smile.

Following her heart, Ruby Eyes wrapped her thighs around Dick's waist, reached out and unbuttoned her front, presenting her pair of fragrant and soft breasts to Dick, allowing her beloved master to play with and savor them at will.

"Young Master, may I...may I make a request of you?"