Since the ceremony at the castle that day, Yun Zhe noticed that everyone seemed unusually loyal to him, the baron. Even the surrendered soldiers from Kurman were expressing their loyalty to him one by one. Yes, one by one, bowing and even offering to kiss his feet whenever they met him. To be honest, Yun Zhe was very uncomfortable with this kind of behavior, but considering everyone's feelings, he didn't show any disgust, only refusing their requests to kiss his feet.

Having gained this loyalty, Yun Zhe's more important task was to manufacture defensive equipment for the city. These were weapons designed by Yun Zhe himself, who then instructed the craftsmen to create a variety of highly innovative weapons. Examples included redesigned spears with hooks, chains with hooks, enlarged crossbows, and seven or eight other weapons. In addition, Yun Zhe ordered the felling of trees near the castle and the installation of numerous traps and mechanisms in the surrounding woods.

Everything was ready, and they were just waiting for the enemy to attack. However, the attack was delayed, which made Yun Zhe somewhat embarrassed. His embarrassment was mixed with some doubt.

Did they just advance straight in and attack the capital?

Yun Zhe's worries came true a few days later. A letter from Donic City informed Yun Zhe of the recent events.

Just as Yun Zhe was busy with construction work in preparation for the impending attack, the first wave of Imperial troops, which, although defeated, had managed to tie down the main force of the Belvalid army, failed to truly hold back the attacking Belvalid forces. They quickly appeared near the capital and launched a pincer attack, defeating Doran Domingo's reinforcements. Now, by the time Yun Zhe received this letter, the capital was probably already under siege.

Yun Zhe put down the letter in his hand, rubbed his temples, and then handed the letter to Gao beside him.

"Let everyone see..." Yun Zhe said weakly. The way things were unfolding had indeed exceeded Yun Zhe's expectations. Were they really not afraid of a surprise attack on their supply lines? Did they not intend to deal with their flanks first before brazenly heading straight for the capital? Were they truly indifferent to us, or was there something we didn't know?

Yun Zhe leaned more towards the latter; something must have happened that they didn't know about, allowing Belvaldo to besiege the capital so recklessly.

Is it possible that the Kurman family wasn't the only one to betray the country? Are they all already plotting to divide up this land, while the Kurmans remain here, determined to defend it to the death and fight to the bitter end?

Yun Zhe tapped the table with his fingers and looked around. Everyone had finished reading the letter, and their expressions were all surprised and astonished.

"What do you all think about this?" Yun Zhe asked in a low voice.

The group looked at each other, but remained silent. It wasn't that they were ashamed to speak, but rather that they felt lost and unsure of what to do next, hence their collective silence.

Yun Zhe frowned slightly. "Starting today, we need to go out and take a look. Just scouting the surrounding area and listening isn't enough. We need to figure out the course of the war ourselves; we need firsthand information." Yun Zhe paused. "Then it might be tough on you cavalry brothers." Yun Zhe looked at Blaze. "I'll build a base in Hekla village outside the castle. The villagers there have all fled, so it'll be a good opportunity to renovate it."

Yun Zhe's words elicited frequent nods from everyone. Yun Zhe knew they were simply confused and unsure of what to do, and he had just explained the task to them. That was why they nodded. Once they realized what was happening and each had their own ideas, it would be troublesome to arrange things later if their ideas differed.

Yun Zhe, of course, wouldn't reveal his true intentions to those present. After finishing that, Yun Zhe continued the discussion. It was about reorganizing the troop structure, establishing a merit-based system to incentivize soldiers and constrain commanders. The current point of contention was what kind of new title should be added to command a force of over one hundred but less than one thousand men, and whether this number should be fixed or flexible. The debate raged. For example, non-direct subordinates like Blaze and Morrison were mostly ambiguous in their stance and statements. Gao, however, firmly stood by Yun Zhe. The other commanders were roughly divided, with half supporting a fixed number and the other half a flexible one.

"How about this? This position can lead a force of no less than three hundred men, but no more than five hundred. This takes into account the requirements of both sides. Wouldn't that be great?" Elke finally said what Yun Zhe really wanted to say.

Seeing Yun Zhe nod repeatedly, everyone agreed to the number of people this position would manage. As for the name, everyone looked to Yun Zhe; naturally, whoever proposed the position should name it.

"Let's call them Battalion Commanders. That's settled for now: Squad Leaders, Centurion Captains, Battalion Commanders, and Thousand-Man Captains." Yun Zhe paused. "As for the army's rewards and the rules for promotion and demotion, I need to think about that some more. Meeting adjourned, everyone get back to work." Yun Zhe waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave, then stood up and went to Blaze's side. "Arrange the troops immediately. I'll go out with you all today."

Yun Zhe's words, though not loud, startled the people around him.

"My lord, you mustn't! If you leave here... I..." Gao wanted to say that without him, no one could coordinate everything, and the castle might fall into chaos. But he glanced at Blaze and ultimately didn't say it.

"Don't worry, they won't be attacking the city anytime soon, and I won't be going far either. I'm just going to Hekla Village. To be honest, I also want to go out for a walk."

Gao stopped speaking, but his eyes were still filled with denial.

Yun Zhe smiled and patted Gao on the shoulder.

"Sir, how many men should we take out?" Blazer asked.

“One hundred, exactly ten teams. You will divide them into three groups. Each day, one group will scout in three directions: Gularburg, Ordorf, and the capital. The scouts will be equipped with two horses, carry maps, mark the routes, and report back on all their observations along the way each day. They will set off at sunrise and can only begin their return journey after sunset.” Yun Zhe’s tone suddenly became serious when he said the last sentence.

Blazer was taken aback; this was an order he had never seen before. Reconnaissance soldiers typically covered a hundred-day journey, but Yun Zhe was clearly doubling the reconnaissance area. This would not only leave the soldiers extremely exhausted but also greatly increase the risk of danger.

Just as Blazer was about to say something, he heard Yun Zhe say:

“Gao, write a letter to Serena and tell her that I have a solution. Also, poet, please make a trip to the Elven Kingdom,” Yun Zhe said, taking a beautiful elven short sword from his pocket and placing it in the poet’s hand.

"When the elf sees this dagger, he will take you to Tandras. Tell him the words 'The wind is rising,' and he will understand."

Seeing the bewildered poet, Yun Zhe smiled and comforted him, "It's very simple, just pass on the message."