Clark, who is now in a dilemma, is very clear about his situation. He has fallen into the trap set by the Emperor, but he was the one who stepped into the trap. The grassland is so large that even if his 300,000 people were spread out, they could not fill it.

Looking up at the prairie sky, Clark was not as beautiful as described in his battle report.

His nerves became more tense with every day that passed. In the two months since the troops were deployed, non-combat casualties have caused more than 10,000 people to lose their combat effectiveness.

The diseases and insects on the grassland were a great suffering to the aristocratic officers who were accustomed to a superior life. Therefore, some discordant voices had appeared in the army, and some people believed that they had already obtained one-third of the grassland and could go back to enjoy it.

This idea was so stupid, but Clark couldn't curse it out loud. At this moment, what he hoped most was that those horse manures on the grassland would rush over to fight him.

"Your Excellency Duke, there are many mosquitoes at night, so it's better to stay close to the tent!" A voice brought a little warmth to Clark, who was filled with sorrow.

"It's Bartley! Why don't you go to bed so late? We still have to march tomorrow." As they said that, the two of them returned to the tent one after the other.

The weather on the grassland in August is still cool, and the temperature difference between morning and night is not very large. Karak's tent has already been lit with something to repel mosquitoes.

"My lord, there is something I want to say but I'm not sure whether I should say it or not." Bartlet looked at Clark hesitantly.

"You are my most valued junior and also my most important assistant. If you have anything to say, just say it without hesitation." It can be said that many aspects of his expedition plan this time were planned with the help of this assistant.

"Sir, we have been on the expedition for two months and have suffered countless casualties. Although these losses are still within the acceptable range for the empire, this is not a solution!"

"Yes! Bartley, I was too anxious and shouldn't have ignored your advice. I insisted on going to the battle at this time." Clark did not hide his mistake in front of his own people.

"Sir, the question now is not who is right or wrong, but how to deal with the direction of the war. According to my estimation, if we still fail to capture the main force of the grassland tribes within a month at most, I am afraid that the army will be in chaos."

"I know the seriousness of the situation, but you've also seen that the horse manure is now determined to drag us to death. What can I do?" Clark looked uncomfortable as if he had constipation.

"Sir, we don't have to focus on the grassland tribes. We can actually change our thinking." Bartley said carefully.

"Tell me what you think. My mind is a bit confused right now. Can you analyze for me how we should change our thinking?"

"Sir, we can't find the people from the grassland for the time being. It will be disadvantageous to us if we continue to waste time like this. So we will no longer target the grassland but change our target to another place."

"Just say it straight, why are you so cautious?" Clark said angrily.

Bartlett took a deep breath and tried to make his tone less heavy: "Sir, we have several targets. I think the most suitable one is the Maple Leaf Territory of Kurma."

Clark stared at Bartlet with his dead eyes, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Don't you know what's wrong, sir?"

"No, it's not something wrong, it's extremely wrong. The Kingdom of Kurma has always paid tribute to the empire. If we target it, the result will be worse than if we can't find the horse manure." Clark shook his head and felt that this plan was too crazy.

"Sir, we are now very close to Maple Leaf Territory. We can reach Maple Leaf Territory in 20 days if we continue to march at the current speed. As long as we block the army at the gate of Maple Leaf Territory, we can get some good rewards.

This is much better than looking for those nomadic grassland people. Even if we find the grassland people and capture them all as slaves, the result we get will be just that. The empire is big enough that no noble will come to live in the grassland.

But it’s different with the Maple Leafs leader. He won’t move anywhere and we can attack at any time. Of course, attacking is the worst option and our best option is actually negotiation.

We used the excuse that Maple Leaf Territory provided intelligence to the grassland, and as to where to deploy the army, Kurma and the Lord of Maple Leaf Territory needed to think about two issues.

First, if they go to war with us, they may be able to take advantage of the geographical location for a while, but as long as they dare to take action, the subsequent forces of the empire will definitely join in.

They will definitely not be able to withstand this, and by then we will need the military exploits and impressive gains to give you and His Majesty the Emperor an explanation.

The second possibility is that they dare not take action but choose to negotiate. I think this possibility is the most likely. According to the intelligence I have received, King Kurma is actually very dissatisfied with the existence of Maple Leaf Territory, especially now that Princess Aisha, who is the most likely successor to the king of Kurma, regards Maple Leaf Territory as a piece of fat meat.

At this time, with our troops on the march, we can actually achieve our goal of dividing the Maple Leaf Territory through negotiation with Princess Aisha.

In this way, we can get enough benefits and some technology, and they can also get what they want, and then we can turn around and find the grassland people for a decisive battle. There is absolutely no problem with this situation. "

"Your idea is good, but what if our army turns to the grassland people to harass our food supply?" Clark has been a soldier for many years and naturally knows some military common sense.

"Your Excellency blames me for not explaining it clearly. What I meant is that we should send 100,000 troops to head straight to Maple Leaf Territory, and the remaining 200,000 troops will stay on the grassland. This will prevent the grassland people from attacking the food supply route, and also provide manpower to support the branch of Maple Leaf Territory."

"Can the plan you mentioned really succeed?" Clark was already tempted, but he was still a little unsure about some of the operations involved.

After years of getting along, Bartlett had already seen through his boss: "Sir, I am 70% sure that we can complete this plan. Even if we really can't complete the plan, it won't be a loss for us.

It can be said that this plan will not have any disadvantages for us. What do you think, sir?"

Clark's heart became more confused as he turned around the map. On one side was the enemy who had no clue, on the other side was the fat sheep waiting for him, and behind him was the emperor who was waiting for him to return empty-handed. Clark knew that it was time for him to make a decision.

"My lord, do you want me to go out and let you think about it carefully? After all, there are still some risks involved." At this time, Bartlet cleared himself of all charges.

After looking at the intelligence from the Empire on the table, Clark called out to Bartlet who was walking to the door: "Wait, Bartlet, if we divide the troops, who do you think would be the most suitable person to guard the grassland?"

"Sir, you are actually the most suitable candidate, but if you don't want to be here, I think the best candidate is the deputy commander-in-chief, Marquis Harry. His prestige and ability are enough to complete the next task." Although he failed to achieve the best result, Bartlet also understood that many things are not what he imagined.

"Well, tomorrow morning I will go to Marquis Harry and ask him to lead the army to guard the rear for me. We will lead an army of 100,000 and head straight to the Maple Leaf Territory of Kurma."

With the outbreak of war, the development of Maple Leaf Territory was not affected. On the contrary, because those guys who collected tolls on the grassland were driven away, everyone transported more goods.

Since hearing the news of the outbreak of war, although the Maple Leaf Territory has not said that it has entered a state of war, it has also increased some inspections.

Cartloads of goods were leaving the territory, and also cartloads of goods were pulled into the territory. Some merchants with quick minds and courage pulled cartloads of food to sell to where the imperial army was stationed, and what they pulled back were cartloads of cattle and sheep that gave the army a headache.

As long as these things were brought to Maple Leaf Territory, they would become truckloads of goods that could be snatched away at any time. A caravan returned to Maple Leaf Territory and brought back a piece of news that made everyone panic.

The imperial army rushed towards Maple Leaf Territory. After receiving the news, Evelyn found Green immediately, and then Luke sent a large number of scouts to gather information.

The Maple Leaf Territory was also not idle. A large number of personnel were armed and all sentry towers were put into a state of emergency.

The once bustling street became deserted. Avril and Anna sat in the carriage, looking at the street outside the window, with anxious looks in their eyes.

"Don't be anxious. The most important thing for you now is to stay calm. You can be the leader of our Maple Leaf Territory. If you panic, what will happen to the others?" Anna comforted Avril. She didn't seem to be afraid of the current situation at all.

"Anna, why do you think they would come to us from the grassland?" Avril said gritting her teeth.

"Why else? Of course it's for profit. I heard that they have been wandering around the grassland for two months without even a decent battle, so they are naturally getting anxious.

Naturally, we, the fat sheep, have caught the eyes of these hungry wolves, but whether they can take a bite out of us depends on the strength of their teeth. " Anna said this with a hint of coldness in her eyes.

"Is there something you know that I don't know?" They are all sisters and they usually go out together. It is impossible for Anna to know something that she doesn't know.

"Avril, it's not that you don't know, but you just overlooked it. Our Maple Leaf Territory has been implementing a universal military service system over the years. It can be said that as long as we are willing, we can mobilize an army of 100,000 people within ten days.

Perhaps these 100,000 men are not as elite as those of the Empire, but we just need to defend against their attack. If we delay them, they will be the ones to retreat.

I don’t know who came up with the plan to attack us, but I know that this person definitely didn’t expect that our territory would have such a system.”