Yun Zhe glanced at the scroll in his hand, then at the smug Serena, and suddenly realized that this was all part of what the girl in front of him had planned long ago. She had already decided to do this.
"Won't the existence of such a mercenary group cause unnecessary tension? Although we do have good intentions, what if these things affect..." Yun Zhe didn't finish his sentence, but Serena interrupted him.
“I will inform the others myself, so you don’t need to worry about that. There’s just a small problem,” Serena’s speech suddenly slowed down. “I’ve redrawn the boundaries of the territory. The newly expanded lands to the east and south of Dorgnitzburg have been given to Philby. Your territory is the area west of Dorgnitzburg and the original Valley Village area. It is indeed very unfair to you, but in order to balance everyone’s opinions, I took the liberty of making this decision.”
Yun Zhe nodded. Although the land south of Dorgnitzburg wasn't peaceful, it already covered nearly a third of the Earl's territory. And that didn't even include Dorgnitzburg's original territory. Such a large area, plus these mercenaries, was something no one would allow. As for why Serena hadn't told Yun Zhe beforehand, he could guess a thing or two.
"Your arrangement is very reasonable, and I fully accept it." Although he still felt a little awkward, Yun Zhe accepted the order.
Serena breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Yun Zhe accept her orders so easily. The suggestion to weaken Yun Zhe was made by Black after their long magical discussion that night. He had previously suggested handing over the entire Dorgnizburg to Philby, but after learning that Yun Zhe was already expanding the castle, he withdrew this proposal, dividing the territory in two and sending Yun Zhe and Philby to the south bank of the river to keep each other in check. As for the enclave south of Dorgnizburg, Black had initially intended to completely relinquish it, but at Serena's insistence, he still gave it to Philby. Even so, this meant ceding nearly 70% of Yun Zhe's land, and both were pessimistic about the success of the plan. Black even proposed some outlandish ideas, such as a three-step approach, exchanging control for territory.
In truth, Serena didn't realize how brilliant her impromptu persuasion had been. This made Yun Zhe sigh, realizing that even when a woman is still a girl, she is indeed a born politician.
"Yun Zhe, will the war really turn out as badly as you say?" With the matter settled, Serena immediately dropped her solemn expression and asked with a worried look.
Yun Zhe did not answer immediately, but instead asked, "Does Your Excellency think it's not that dangerous right now?"
Serena shook her head. "To be honest, Yun Zhe, I don't think there's anything wrong with what you said, but I just really find it hard to believe that it's true. Sigh, sometimes I wish you were wrong, but whenever I think that, a voice in my head tells me that you are right."
Yun Zhe was naturally aware of this situation. When people accept things they find difficult to accept, they often resort to this method to protect themselves. However, Yun Zhe could not explain these psychological analyses further; it was too troublesome and ineffective.
"So we're preparing for both possibilities. In reality, everyone is just taking it one step at a time. But for me, it's hard to see all this as too simple. After all, I risked being shot to get back to Donic. At the very least, I have to find out who's behind this. Otherwise, I can't give those who died an explanation."
Serena was taken aback. Yun Zhe's words made her feel ashamed, as she had indeed forgotten about this matter recently.
What did you find out?
Yun Zhe smiled, pondering how much to reveal to Serena.
"Not much, but surprisingly, this matter seems to be related to the Vampire Hunter Association, and it also seems to be related to Sind."
“Sind, if you put it that way, the Duke does have some reason to deal with you. But wouldn’t that be an admission of guilt?”
“When the opponent has absolute strength, they can naturally do whatever they want.” Yun Zhe paused. “Or, when they think they have absolute strength.”
Serena immediately thought of the two recent border clashes and couldn't help but smile.
"Yun Zhe, have we really surpassed Duke Field in strength?" Serena asked, her tone lacking confidence. "I heard we won both battles very well."
"The main problem is that the other side abandoned their strengths and chose to engage in small-scale battles. If they had deployed a force of several thousand men, it would have been very difficult to deal with them."
Serena tapped the table with her fingers after hearing this and pondered for a while.
"Yun Zhe, I believe you're telling the truth. Go for it. Just let me know if you need anything."
Having obtained Serena's permission, Yun Zhe was satisfied and bowed before leaving. Although Yun Zhe knew that this trust was merely a temporary psychological effect, he figured that gaining it now was better than losing it entirely.
Yun Zhe walked out of Serena's room, feeling much lighter. He thought for a moment and decided to go to the blacksmith to see how the repeating crossbows were being produced.
Just then, Yun Zhe saw through the window that Ji Ding was hurriedly trying to enter the castle, but was stopped by the guards. A dispute clearly ensued.
Yun Zhe hurried downstairs, and the guards, recognizing him as an acquaintance, immediately released him. Yun Zhe then restrained Ji Ding, who was demanding an explanation, and asked, "Why are you here?"
"My lord, something terrible has happened! Look!" With that, Gidding pulled a letter out of his clothes. The letter was wrapped in a black envelope, which was quite unusual.
Yun Zhe opened the letter and then understood the source of Ji Ding's worries.
The Aruru people are indeed about to make their move.
This letter was a message for Giddings to return. Besides subtly mentioning the impending attack, it also advised Giddings to take some provisions or supplies with him when he returned...
Yun Zhe was stunned for a moment. So fast?
"Do you have food? You're going to attack?" Yun Zhe handed the letter to Ji Ding, then asked, "Does the other side have food? You're going to attack?"
Jiding was stumped by Yunzhe's question. "No, no, I don't know. There should be food, right..."
"Yes? If you have something, why would you take some grain back with you?" Yun Zhe snorted. "Can't you even wait for the autumn harvest?" Yun Zhe suddenly realized that asking Ji Ding these questions was just a simple emotional outburst and couldn't really solve the problem.
"You can go, but don't forget to tell Cyrus what I just said. He'll understand what I mean, and maybe he can salvage something."
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