188: Chapter 188 Payne's Analysis

Chapter 188: Pine's Analysis

"What did you say!"

"Left Black Stone Fortress? Camped not far from our army camp?"

In the main tent of Prince Asa's army, Asa, who was sitting in the main seat planning the next move with his commanders and guards, stood up in shock.

The next second, anger, almost burning, erupted from deep within him and flooded his brain.

*Bang!* He slammed his right fist heavily onto the high-quality wooden desk, his face flushed. "Those weak Cat-Ear tribesmen, how dare they!"

The boundless anger seemed to manifest; the cold tent, caused by not being able to take the stoves after the last defeat, seemed to warm up instantly.

Most of the people present stiffened, bowing their heads in silence, fearing they would become the target of Prince Asa's vent.

Seeing this, the Soldier reporting the military situation swallowed hard. "Prince Asa, I... I have one more thing to report."

"Speak!" A voice so cold it could kill came from Prince Asa.

Suppressing the fear in his heart, the Soldier continued: "According to the intelligence department Soldiers who risked their lives to investigate, Pioneering Lord Lister Howard and his Knight Squad have left Black Stone Fortress and returned to their territory."

"Left!"

The anger on his face froze. Prince Asa rushed to the Soldier in two or three steps and grabbed his shoulder with one hand. "Is the intelligence confirmed?"

The pain in his shoulder made the Soldier's face pained, but he endured it and said respectfully: "I would never dare to deceive Prince Asa. This is information obtained at the cost of several Soldiers from the intelligence department."

"To ensure nothing went wrong, Commander Malachi also verified it personally. He is still keeping a close eye on the movements of the White Cat-Ear Tribe."

Hearing that even Malachi had verified it personally, the anger that had just risen in Prince Asa's heart dissipated.

After the previous defeat, he had ordered Malachi to find out the origin of Lister's team immediately.

Malachi did have some ability and quickly found out their information.

Knowing that Lister was a Pioneering Lord from the Pedan Kingdom, he was honestly very shocked at the time.

Because in his inherent impression, most of those Pioneering Lords in the Western Frontier were abandoned noble children with extremely poor abilities.

Of course, there were a few lords with good abilities, such as Cronin and Primo, but they did not make him feel too concerned.

But Lister was completely different. Not only did he become a Silver Knight at such an age, but among the knights who came to support him, there were four other Silver Knights.

Among them, Red, who killed his subordinate Intermediate Totem Warrior last time, made Boris, the strongest in the army, feel terrified.

It can be said that this force was the most powerful he had ever seen since dealing with the Western Frontier Pioneering Lords.

And he didn't know if there were more Silver Knights in Lister's territory.

Therefore, the army's silence these past few days was not only for recuperation but also because he was wary of Lister.

But now the wariness in his heart dissipated completely with the news reported by the Soldier, even making him laugh out loud in joy.

"Haha, good! Without the help of Lister Howard, I want to see what else Chief Lin Mu and the others can use to fight me."

Boris, who had been silent for a long time, quickly reminded: "Prince Asa, I think we should still not be careless. What if this is a facade they deliberately created to deceive us?"

"If we rashly send troops, we will definitely fall into their trap. If we suffer heavy losses, we will have no chance of a counterattack."

Prince Asa's smile stalled. Although Boris's words were a bit of a damper, it was indeed not impossible.

After all, even if intelligence gathering is verified many times, there is still a possibility of error.

But from the urgent desire to break through Black Stone Fortress from the bottom of his heart, he was unwilling to believe that this intelligence might be wrong.

At this moment, one side was the certainty verified by Malachi, and the other side was the cautious reminder of Boris.

The tug-of-war between the two sides left him not knowing what to do for a moment.

At this time, an inconspicuous small commander in the crowd said respectfully: "Prince Asa, I don't think you need to worry or be tangled about this matter."

"In my opinion, the actions of Chief Lin Mu and the others have almost indicated the authenticity of this intelligence."

"How so?" Prince Asa immediately turned his head and looked at the small commander with confusion.

With a subtle flash in his eyes, the small commander replied: "Prince Asa, our purpose in attacking the White Cat-Ear Tribe this time is only to capture the strategic location of Black Stone Fortress."

"Chief Lin Mu and the others, whose goal is opposite to ours, are trying to defend Black Stone Fortress and delay until the battle between the Flame Tiger Tribe and the Frost Lion Tribe ends."

"Judging from the previous battles, Chief Lin Mu and the others have never thought about fighting us head-on, always cowering in Black Stone Fortress for defense."

"Only when our army approached the stone walls and gates of the fortress were they forced to send troops out of the fortress to engage in close combat with us."

"This is not because they are not afraid of us, but precisely because they are afraid of us."

"From the bone, the White Cat-Ear Tribe is a cowardly group. Last time it was just by relying on the help of that Pioneering Lord that they showed a moment of might."

Swallowing hard unconsciously, he continued: "But such a cowardly group now has a completely different attitude, daring to confront us so far outside the fortress."

"Even with the help of that Pioneering Lord, it is absolutely impossible to change so much all of a sudden."

"Moreover, their actions are too ostentatious, practically telling us there is an ambush and to be careful."

"With the brains of Chief Lin Mu and Scott, it is absolutely impossible to do such a stupid thing."

"Even taking a step back, even if they really have an ambush, we have a way out to retreat."

"Then their approach would not work at all, at most it would be to scare people."

"Compared to our Black Wolf Tribe, the White Cat-Ear Tribe has more pressure to face and would never take such a big risk."

"The most important thing is that I heard the Pedan Kingdom's Northwestern Pioneer Territory is in fierce battle with the Beast Tribe and has fallen into a huge disadvantage."

"Facing this critical situation, Count Theodore will definitely issue a military conscription order. As a Pioneering Lord, Lister Howard naturally would not dare to delay even a little."

"Then the intelligence that Commander Malachi found can be accurately verified."

"I dare to guess that Prince Asa, you must have been too focused on the battle at hand these few days and ignored the news of the war in the northwest. Otherwise, you would have figured it out faster than me."

After listening to the small commander's detailed analysis and the flattering words at the end, Prince Asa not only did not feel unhappy but felt pleasantly floating.

The commanders and guards, including Boris, all showed a look of sudden realization, apparently accepting the small commander's statement.

"Good analysis!"

After praising him happily, Prince Asa's eyebrows flew up unconsciously: "I was wondering why I felt something was wrong. It turns out I was too focused."

"Now it seems that Lister Howard must have responded to the military call and hurried back to his territory."

"Chief Lin Mu and the others saw that there were no helpers, so they put on such a posture of bluffing. They are really a group of cunning guys!"

After mocking with disdain, he looked at the small commander and asked: "By the way, what is your name?"

"Replying to Prince Asa, my name is Pine." The small commander's eyes lit up, and he replied respectfully.

Nodding slightly, Prince Asa encouraged: "Not bad, keep it up, work hard, and this Prince will definitely not treat you badly."

"Tch, not even a promotion? Good thing I had the foresight."

Seeing Prince Asa painting a pie, Pine felt a burst of disdain, but still showed infinite gratitude.

"I will definitely continue to work hard and not live up to your trust, Prince."

"Haha, good!"

Black Wolf Tribe encampment, Third Prince's residence.

"Prince Montague, are you really certain that Prince Asa will believe that rhetoric, that the Pedan Kingdom Pioneering Lord will help Chief Lin Mu set up an ambush?"

As Montague, known in the tribe for his easygoing nature and dislike of fighting for power, his residence was also different from the luxury of other princes.

The residence was located on the outermost edge of the tribal aristocratic circle, a small-sized two-story building with a very low-key appearance.

At this moment, in the prince's office on the second floor, which was also simple and plain, a sturdy middle-aged man with eyes like a beast looked confused.

The place he was looking at, a young man with delicate features and a well-proportioned figure, was watering the potted plants in front of him.

Hearing the sturdy man's inquiry, the young man smiled faintly: "Don't worry, Alvart, Second Brother will not let us down."

"As for that Lord Howard—I believe that as long as he is not a stupid person, he will definitely not participate in the war on the northwestern front."

"The situation there is too chaotic now, and the Beast Tribe is aggressive. The death and capture rate of Pioneering Lords is too high; it is not a good place."

"Rather than consuming military strength in vain, it is better to stay in his own Pioneer Territory and preserve his strength."

"Didn't that Lord Howard help the White Cat-Ear Tribe for no reason just to reasonably refuse the military conscription?"

"But—" The words were on his lips, but Alvart didn't dare to say it.

Understanding his inner thoughts, Montague, while skillfully pruning the beautiful flowers, said: "You are afraid that if that Lord Howard didn't do that, right? It is indeed possible."

"But even if I really overestimated him, with Second Brother's current military strength, it is very difficult to take down Black Stone Fortress alone."

"Of course, he also cannot take down Black Stone Fortress!"

Meeting that smiling face, Alvart felt a chill for no reason, and then respectfully retreated and left.

Withered petals drifted onto the windowsill, and Montague whispered, looking at the scene outside the window.

"Lister Howard, don't let me down."

The long cold night came, and the ink-like night sky was covered by thick clouds.

At the pitch-black gate of Black Stone Fortress, Lister led the team out quietly from the inside, and then disappeared into the wind and snow on horseback.

Along the periphery of the woods in the northwest direction, a line of people moved through them like ghosts, looming in the hazy wind and snow, without a sound.

Until the second half of the night, the knight team, which was traveling at full speed, appeared silently behind Prince Asa's army.

Riding on a small dirt slope, Lister looked at the scattered fires in the distance, his bright eyes as deep as the stars.

"It will be dawn in a while. Spartacus, you are responsible for reconnaissance and vigilance. Others, follow me to dismount and rest for a while."

As Spartacus's order was given, Lister took the others to rest under a winter tree that was still lush with branches and leaves.

The thick branches and leaves of the winter tree blocked most of the strong wind and snow blowing from the sky above everyone's heads.

Taking out some steaming pastries and food from his storage ring, Lister asked Red to distribute them to everyone one by one.

Listening to the whistling sound in his ears, he and everyone enjoyed it quietly.

According to the combat strategy he discussed with Chief Lin Mu, Chief Lin Mu's troops would harass Prince Asa's army camp while he led the team to go around the back.

It was both to help them attract the attention of Prince Asa's army and to anger Prince Asa so that he would initiate an attack.

If Prince Asa didn't take the bait and remained holed up in the camp until noon, Chief Lin Mu's troops would initiate a full-scale attack.

It would be best if Prince Asa's army met them head-on; the chaotic battlefield would allow them to charge and kill from the rear unscrupulously.

If Prince Asa's army retreated, they would be a solid barrier blocking their retreat.

The ultimate goal of this battle, Chief Lin Mu was not to destroy Prince Asa's army's vital forces, so they could no longer carry out large-scale counterattacks.

Chief Lin Mu did not dare to expect to kill Intermediate Totem Warriors, but he planned to kill as many Junior Totem Warriors and ordinary Soldiers as possible.

Lister's purpose was different. He wouldn't bother with ordinary Soldiers; what he wanted was to kill all the Intermediate Totem Warriors except Prince Asa.

As long as he succeeded, he could make Prince Asa suffer, and after he fled back to the tribe, he would definitely be punished by Chief Howell.

But because of his own strength and the fact that there were still many forces in the tribe supporting him, coupled with Howell's feelings for him, the result would inevitably be thunder and little rain.

However, in the short term, Prince Asa would definitely not lead troops to counterattack again, after all, he had just experienced a defeat and morale was sluggish and needed to recover.

And there was also the Third Prince Montague who had just risen, who would also have a significant impact on him.

In this way, he could fully deal with the subsequent invasion of the Beast Tribe.

Of course, the Shadow Leopard Tribe was also an unstable factor that could not be ignored. After he led the team back to the territory, he must firmly press their focus on the southern border.

After enjoying some hot milk and pastries, everyone soon warmed up, and the trace of cold in their bodies dissipated.

The night gradually receded, and the dawn arrived.

Spartacus, who was on guard duty, suddenly ran quickly to Lister, his face full of excitement: "Lord Lister, Prince Asa's army and Chief Lin Mu's people are fighting."

"Couldn't hold back already?" Lister's face was stunned, and then a look of joy appeared.

Although he didn't know why Prince Asa couldn't hold back so quickly, it was very beneficial to him and Chief Lin Mu.

Without time to think, he immediately ordered: "Everyone, quickly organize equipment and horses, prepare to pincer attack!"