Chapter 1454: Chapter 27: Negotiation (Part 4)
The four-wheeled carriage sped along the road. Major Lanco Boyle, the special envoy of the southern front of the Allied Army, sat inside, oblivious to the situation outside.
Except for a small window opened at the top for ventilation and light, all other windows of the carriage were boarded up, with even the gaps sealed with strips of cloth.
In the battle of River Valley Village, the Red Rose not only lost the infantry main force of the Fifth and Sixth Legions but also the cavalry unit they had painstakingly rebuilt.
In the Kingdom of Galloping Horses, with vast lands sparsely populated, settlements were often far apart.
To lose the cavalry meant losing control over the vast plains outside the fortifications.
So Major Lanco Boyle’s party was discovered by rebel scouts before they even passed Birch Fort and intercepted by rebel cavalry as soon as they entered Westwood Province.
It wasn’t that Major Boyle lacked counter-reconnaissance awareness; he never intended to hide, nor could he.
The last bit of cavalry Red Rose had left now only dared to hover near Kingsfort.
The scouting cavalry of the New Reclaimed Land Rebel Army moved freely in Westwood Province, with some daring individuals already approaching the outskirts of Kingsfort.
Moreover, both sides coincidentally chose to blockade the roads, almost eradicating commerce and travelers between Kingsfort and Maplestone City.
Therefore, anyone still daring to travel the roads at this time was either a spy or a messenger.
Lanco Boyle was both.
—————–
Sunlight slanted through the skylight at the top of the carriage, casting a trembling spot of light on the wooden boards sealing the windows.
But in fact, it wasn’t the sunlight trembling but the jolting of the carriage.
“How many days has it been?” Major Boyle stared at the light spot, pondering silently.
After some time, he remembered, “Oh, it’s the fifth day.”
“Is the carriage still heading west?” Major Boyle thought.
He struggled to awaken his sluggish mind and, after a moment, deduced from the angle of sunlight, “No, it has already started heading north.”
Being confined in an enclosed space for too long can cause a person to lose their sense of direction and time.
Since being ‘captured’ by the rebels and confined in this carriage, Major Boyle had not been able to step out of this mobile prison, with all life’s necessities addressed inside the carriage.
Fortunately, the one-eyed rebel captain responsible for escorting him showed basic respect to a schoolmate, changing the toilet frequently, preventing the carriage from turning into a sewage cart.
Of course, in front of the one-eyed captain, Major Boyle resolutely refused to admit he was a captive, but this couldn’t improve his situation.
“The carriage started going north,” Major Boyle muttered to himself, “which means we’re almost there.”
People always speak of a thousand-mile journey, and the distance from Maplestone City to Kingsfort was about a thousand miles.
Since being put into this carriage, Major Boyle endured over ten hours of jolting on the road every day, starting before dawn and not stopping until after dark. Besides necessary horse changes and repairs, it never paused.
Calculating, they should be nearing their destination.
With this thought, Lanco Boyle took a deep breath, invigorated his spirit, and closed his eyes to meditate.
Jansen Cornelius’ figure reappeared in his mind.
“At any time and place,” the Minister began slowly, “politically dismantling the enemy is more effective than military striking.”
As the concentration grew, the voice of the Minister became clearer in Boyle’s mind:
“Efficient decision-making and swift actions are the most easily overlooked yet the most formidable abilities of the rebels.
“When Kingsfort was still secretly plotting, and Guidao City hesitated, the rebels had already made up their minds and moved with lightning speed.”
“This is the most crucial reason they triumphed in the River Valley Village battle.”
“However, the rebels have now lost this advantage,” the Minister thundered, “Kingsfort hasn’t fallen yet, and that’s proof!”
Jansen Cornelius’ piercing eyes cut through the mists of memory, fixed firmly on Boyle:
“So, your mission is of unparalleled importance.”
“You must find the cracks within the rebels, divide them, dismantle them, and drive a wedge into the gaps.”
“The victory or defeat of South Paratoo will depend not only on the success on the battlefield,” Jansen Cornelius’ hand reached through the mists of memory, resting on Boyle’s shoulder, “but also on the fruits of your labor.”
Suddenly, the carriage jolted violently, coming to a halt with a loud neighing of horses.
The figure of Minister Cornelius burst like a bubble and dissipated in Major Boyle’s mind.
Dense footsteps sounded outside the carriage, and immediately after, the door was pulled open, revealing the face of the one-eyed captain outside.
The dazzling sunlight outside made Lanco Boyle instinctively cover his eyes.
“Get off, Major,” said the one-eyed captain, “We’ve reached Maple Fort.”
—————–
The bag covering his head was removed, and Lanco Boyle wanted to rub his eyes, but his hands were strapped to a chair, immobile.
So, he could only blink, trying to adjust to the light in the room.
There were stones all around, no windows, stifling air, and a pervasive chill—Boyle judged he was in some basement;
Three officers and a junior officer sat behind a bloodstained long table, scrutinizing him—unsurprisingly, these were the four leaders of the rebels;
Behind the junior officer stood a man dressed as an Ascetic Monk, serving in the corner of the room, his face hidden under a hood, obscured in the dim light.