Chapter 533: Chapter 4: The Marshal Rebelled?

The Bronze Plains.

An army hundreds of thousands strong streamed through Bronze Pass and made camp here.

There were men from every kingdom, every family, bearing every kind of insignia.

It was estimated that even the world’s most accomplished Herald would be unable to recognize so many different family crests.

That night, Marquis Oscillate was in his command tent, reading a newly arrived battle report.

"Excellent, excellent..."

A smile spread across the Marquis’s face.

"They handled this matter exceptionally well."

"My Lord, was His Highness the Prince victorious?" asked Earl Lu Wen.

Earl Lu Wen was a figure among the Northern Nobles, but his younger sister had married Marquis Oscillate’s younger brother.

Back when the Beast Emperor marched south, the North was thrown into chaos. During the subsequent rebuilding, many Northern Nobles had no choice but to borrow money from the southern faction.

The sums were enormous, and to this day, few had even paid back half. Furthermore, under the deliberate guidance of Marquis George, many northern families had actually decided they weren’t going to repay their debts at all.

They felt that since they were the ones who had stopped the Beastmen for the southern nobles, it was only right that they receive some payment.

Of course, Earl Lu Wen’s family was not among them. Marquis Oscillate had already inherited the title of Marquis from his father when he was in his twenties.

The Edward family hadn’t lent money to any other family. The Edward family had numerous descendants—over a hundred unmarried men and women.

Marquis Oscillate’s assistance to other families was mostly delivered through strategic marriages. The ones lending the money were typically the wealthy merchant families of the south, classic examples being the Guterres Family and the Geman Family.

As a result, many northern families, despite belonging to the northern faction, held immense respect for Marquis Oscillate. Because of the Marquis’s non-confrontational political style, even Marquis George found it difficult to move against him.

Moreover, Marquis Oscillate had been of great help in arranging Marquis George’s marriage. Marquis George’s wife was the elder sister of the current king of the Vidos Duchy, and King Rowe V of Vidos was Marquis Oscillate’s nephew.

Marquis Oscillate handed the battle report to Earl Lu Wen.

"We old timers..."

"Heh heh..." The Marquis chuckled with relief.

The Marquis had recently heard that Louis III’s health was failing. It seemed his end was near.

Hearing that his old friend could pass away at any moment, the Marquis couldn’t help but feel his own age.

Earl Lu Wen took the report and began to read.

The report bore the seals of Prince Noah and General Robson.

It roughly stated that under the correct leadership of Prince Noah, the brilliant command of General Robson, and with a tiny bit of help from international friends, the evil Beast Emperor had met a violent end on the spot.

"Prince Noah is exceptionally skilled, and General Robson is a hero in his youth. The kingdom is secured for at least another sixty years of peace.

Perhaps our Franks will see the rise of another Sun King," Earl Lu Wen said with admiration.

Earl Lu Wen was also getting old, and old men enjoy watching the rise of outstanding younger generations. Many of the Franks’ veteran commanders were aging. The Beastmen’s southern invasion had kept them all holding on, not daring to die.

He wondered how many old friends would pass away now that this battle was over.

"It’s time to have Valentino and Robson marry.

You had better not be absent when the time comes," Marquis Oscillate said with a smile.

With the war ending, many things had to be put on the agenda.

They had to get this done while Louis III was still around.

"Of course," Earl Lu Wen chuckled.

With the Beast Emperor dead, both Marquis Oscillate and Earl Lu Wen felt a great sense of relief.

Kemal had been a sword hanging over the heads of this generation of Franks. With him dead, the rest of the war seemed almost uninteresting in their eyes.

As the two were talking, a sudden commotion erupted outside the tent.

"Move aside! I need to see the Marquis!"

"The Marquis is in a meeting with Earl Lu Wen."

"This is urgent! Get out of my way!"

A short, blond-haired man burst into the tent.

"Kevin?" Marquis Oscillate looked at the newcomer in confusion.

The man’s name was Kevin Edward, the captain of the Edward family’s Griffin Knight Order.

Captain Kevin’s face was a mask of anxiety, an anxiety that was even tinged with terror.

"Kevin, what’s happened?"

"It’s... some news from the rear..."

Captain Kevin glanced at Earl Lu Wen.

Earl Lu Wen was puzzled. ’Is there something I’m not supposed to know?’

"Just say it," the Marquis said.

Despite receiving the Marquis’s permission, Captain Kevin still hesitated for a moment before approaching the Marquis and whispering.

"My Lord Marquis, they’ve rebelled," Captain Kevin said.

The cold sweat covering his brow revealed his nervousness.

"Rebelled?" Marquis Oscillate was confused.

"My Lord, the Marshal has rebelled."

Oscillate was still trying to figure out what had been "rebelled".

Captain Kevin’s words struck like a thunderclap, setting off an explosion in Marquis Oscillate’s mind.

"The Marshal has rebelled? Grantham? Are you sure?" Marquis Oscillate cried out in shock.

"The Marshal has rebelled?" Earl Lu Wen was also stunned, his eyes wide.

"Kevin, this is no laughing matter."

"Where did you hear this?"

Seeing that the Marquis still didn’t believe him, Captain Kevin grew even more frantic.

"It’s true, it’s true! The news came from the rear.

Marshal Grantham gathered commanders from the merit-based faction—no one knows where he scraped them together from—and assembled an army of over fifty thousand men."

"He used his authority as Marshal to trick his way into Riliman Fortress. By the time we received the news, his army was already marching on Bronze Pass..."

"Bronze Pass!"

Earl Lu Wen exclaimed.

"Has Bronze Pass fallen?"

Bronze Pass had a garrison of over ten thousand soldiers, and with the main Frankish army right behind it, it should have been impossible for anything to go wrong.

But their opponent was Grantham.

Even the ever-composed Marquis Oscillate’s eyes widened.

"Bronze Pass still holds," Captain Kevin said.

He thought for a moment, feeling his statement wasn’t precise enough.

"When I received the news, Bronze Pass was still holding. The defending commander had sensed something was wrong."

"BANG!"

Earl Lu Wen slammed his fist on the table in fury.

"That Grantham! What is he trying to do! Is he trying to trap all two hundred thousand of us here to die on the grasslands?" Earl Lu Wen roared.

Earl Lu Wen was truly afraid. Fear led to terror, and terror was followed by rage.

"Grantham..." The Marquis’s eyes also revealed profound bewilderment.

The Marquis had previously considered that Grantham might be harboring resentment.

But during that time, everyone was focused on invading the grasslands; no one paid any attention to the rear.

He never expected Marshal Grantham to pull such a massive stunt on everyone.

"Marquis, we can’t wait any longer."

"We have less than a week’s worth of rations. He’s taken Riliman Fortress now. We must act immediately!"

Riliman Fortress, like Bronze Pass, was a vital stronghold on the central front that could not be lost.

To return from the north, one had to pass through it.

"Send word to Prince Noah. Tell Lumian Knight Commander and the others to return quickly," Marquis Oscillate said.

’I calculated every possibility...’

The Marquis truly never imagined that Grantham would actually dare to rebel.

It wasn’t that the Marquis was simple-minded; in the eight-hundred-year history of the Franks, no one had ever heard of a high-ranking noble rebelling.

Even if you lost a political struggle, it wouldn’t cost you your life. This was the unspoken agreement among the upper echelons of the Franks.

"What a disaster, what a disaster."

The Marquis thought, his hand clenching into a fist.

The Beastman Grassland would not be so easy to fight in during the winter.

’This hard-won opportunity...’

Even if they did manage to suppress Grantham’s rebellion, the window of opportunity would be lost.

"This is trouble, real trouble."

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