Chapter 84

After Elara asked to leave the capital, Lord Gregory informed his key allies. Before dealing with Imani, a pawn that hadn't been useful, he had already told the three of them what had happened and told them to gather at this villa to wait and discuss.

Now that Lord Gregory finally arrived, the heads of the Zhu, Yan, and Lin families, who had been arguing, quickly stepped forward.

"Lord Gregory! Elara and General Qi are definitely hiding more secrets between them. They may have already reached some sort of agreement. We must not let them leave the capital together. Otherwise, how is this any different from letting a tiger return to the mountain?" said the Lin family head with a small mustache.

Behind him, the Yan family head snorted in disdain. "Hah! Lin, if this were ten years ago and you called the Qi family a tiger, I might agree a little. But now, they only have a mere hundred thousand troops at most, more like a big cat. And that fool Elara is no threat. If anything, she's holding General Qi back. I believe their journey will only lead to losses. They're not worth worrying about."

Lord Gregory walked between them in silence. He didn't speak until he sat in the main seat. Then he picked up his tea and looked at the Zhu family head, who was frowning in thought.

"Zhu, what do you think?"

Zhu's brows were tightly furrowed. "I originally didn't agree with Elara and General Qi leaving the capital together either. But... since Elara has already informed Commander Shu through an official letter, if we stop them now, we might attract attention from the northern borders."

"I thought the same," Lord Gregory's tone was sour. For the first time in years, he felt like someone was leading him by the nose.

And that person was none other than the long-time fool of a princess he'd always dismissed.

Lord Gregory gripped his cup tightly, rubbing it roughly. Then he looked at the Zhu family head. "Are the reports from the northern border confirmed?"

At the mention of Commander Shu, even the Lin and Yan family heads quieted down and listened with varying expressions.

Zhu nodded. "Confirmed."

Lord Gregory's frown deepened. That was also why he hadn't taken action since Elara mentioned Commander Shu.

According to their earlier assumptions, after Elara was seriously injured, there should've been a reaction from Commander Shu's side. He might even be affected and need to retreat into seclusion to heal.

That was the outcome they had most hoped for.

But the news from the northern border these past two days said otherwise. Not only was everything in the north running smoothly, but Commander Shu had personally led troops to station along the northern boundary. After easily repelling the enemy troops that had plagued them for years, he had gone even further, seizing two major cities from the enemy and forcing them to beg for peace. Because of this, Plumera's northern border had expanded significantly.

So... had all their previous assumptions been wrong? Was the Plumera royal bloodline not connected to Commander Shu's well-being? Were Elara and Shera not his weaknesses?

Then why wouldn't he let anyone touch them?

And if Elara was that badly injured, how was Commander Shu still able to lead attacks and take cities without being affected at all?

Lord Gregory couldn't make sense of it. Neither could the Zhu, Yan, or Lin family heads.

The weakness of Commander Shu that they thought they had grasped was now more confusing than ever.

The hall of the villa fell into silence.

After a long pause, the Zhu family head spoke again. "Lord Gregory, if our guesses were wrong, and Elara and Shera truly aren't Commander Shu's weak spots, then we must not act recklessly for now."

Lord Gregory hadn't replied yet when the Yan family head burst out, face red with frustration.

"Hold back again? We've held back for how many years already, and now we're supposed to keep holding back? I don't get it! Even if Commander Shu is powerful, he only operates in the north! He never meddles in the southern part of Plumera. And even if he does decide to intervene, are we still the same weaklings from ten years ago? He has, at most, three hundred thousand troops! And what we have now is about the same!"

"Yan!" Zhu interrupted him sternly.

Lord Gregory listened to them argue but looked at the Yan family head instead. "Yan, how many troops do we currently have around the outskirts of the capital?"

The Yan family head glared at Zhu, then scoffed and turned back to Lord Gregory with a bow.

"Lord Gregory, each estate holds between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. Altogether, we have nearly a hundred thousand stationed around the capital."

Lord Gregory finally showed the first hint of a smile in days. He stood and looked toward the back area of the villa. "How many troops are here?"

"There are about fifteen thousand soldiers here. Please follow me."

The Yan family head led the way, with Lord Gregory and the Zhu and Lin family heads following.

They took many winding turns behind the villa before arriving at a wide open area surrounded by mountains.

On the flat land, rows of well-equipped soldiers stood in perfect formation, conducting training with great force and precision.

The narrow mountain valley echoed with their powerful shouts, creating a mighty atmosphere.

Lord Gregory stood on a high platform, looking at the packed formations below. His smile deepened.

"Yan, speaking of which, I had to punish your second son recently due to the situation. Is he holding any resentment?"

The Yan family head had also been watching the drills with satisfaction. When he heard Lord Gregory ask, he remembered Ermo Yan's emotional response from yesterday. He frowned slightly but didn't seem too concerned.

"Lord Gregory, rest assured. Sacrificing for your grand plan is an honor for Ermo Yan. I've made it clear to him. When your goal is achieved, credit our family first. He wouldn't dare hold a grudge."

Lord Gregory nodded with satisfaction, then asked as he looked back down at the training grounds.

"Besides the one hundred thousand near the capital, how many troops are elsewhere?"

The Yan family head grew more enthusiastic. "Apart from those near the capital, in the southeastern cities adjacent to it, we've stationed several groups of thirty to fifty thousand soldiers. All together, that adds another two hundred thousand!"

His voice grew louder and more energetic. "Together with the capital's hundred thousand, we now have three hundred thousand troops!"

"Three hundred thousand, Lord Gregory! That puts us on equal footing with Commander Shu! That's why I keep saying we don't need to fear him anymore! Whatever he has, we now have too! Maybe even more! We don't have to be afraid like before!"

He threw a contemptuous glance at Zhu, who ignored him and stepped forward to advise Lord Gregory.

"Lord Gregory, even though we have three hundred thousand soldiers, they've never seen real battle. They can't compare to the seasoned veterans under Commander Shu. We must not become careless."

"Ha! Zhu! You've grown more cowardly over the years! Why are you crushing your own morale before the fight even starts? You only see how experienced Commander Shu's troops are. But can't you see how well-equipped ours are?"

Just as they were about to start arguing again, Lord Gregory spoke while still watching the soldiers below. "Enough."

The three fell silent, each shooting the others a glare, then turning back to Lord Gregory.

He stared at the vast training ground below. After a long pause, he spoke in a deep voice.

"Elara wants to leave the capital. I will allow it this time. General Qi taking his troops with her will give us time to develop and prepare. As for Commander Shu... we really can't keep waiting."

The Yan family head lit up with excitement. The Zhu family head stepped forward, still worried. "Lord Gregory."

Lord Gregory raised his hand to stop him. "I've made this decision after careful thought."

Even though they now had three hundred thousand soldiers, Commander Shu had already commanded over two hundred thousand elite troops when he marched north years ago. Since then, he had only grown stronger through constant war.

Commander Shu was a military genius. If he stayed uninterested in the southern regions of Plumera, there would be peace. But since he insisted on protecting Elara and Shera, not allowing anyone to harm them, then Lord Gregory's ambition to control Plumera would inevitably bring them into conflict.

Commander Shu was the kind of person who only became more dangerous the longer you allowed him to hide in the shadows. Lord Gregory could feel it in his gut. The longer they waited, the more powerful Shu would become.

Besides, the recent events in the capital had started spiraling beyond Lord Gregory's expectations. If he didn't act now, things might continue moving toward an outcome he absolutely did not want to see.

So he could wait no longer.

They had made all kinds of preparations over the years, and it was more than enough.

Lord Gregory turned to the heads of the Zhu, Ermo Yan, and Lin families. "The letter Elara wrote to Commander Shu told him to return during the year-end ceremony. We absolutely cannot wait for him to come back. Everything must be settled before Commander Shu returns to the capital."

"There are still seven months until the year-end ceremony. Now that Elara has left the capital, her next return will be for the small ceremony in four months."

"Four months... speed up all the original plans. I want all preparations completed within four months. When Elara comes back, we'll take over the entire southern region of the Plumera State in one move."

The three who had been secretly competing with each other felt a wave of excitement in their hearts.

Even the head of the Zhu family, who had been the most worried, looked at the firm look on Lord Gregory's face and finally let out a deep sigh. He then bowed deeply to Lord Gregory together with the heads of the Ermo Yan and Lin families.

"Yes. We wish Lord Gregory great success in this grand mission."