Throne of the North.

Chapter 535: Victory in the War, a Possible Way to Kill the Priest
Although his body was fighting with the enemy, his head was turned around, staring at the thousands of mighty cavalrymen who were eating the delicious food in unison.

It was not until one moment when the enemy's weapon cut their necks that the soldiers looked relieved and relaxed at the sight of death.

The pity is that they didn’t have a full meal before they died.

No matter how powerful the magic was, it could not boost the will and morale of the soldiers. With the extreme collapse of morale, the war became completely unpredictable.

Even the knights are like this, let alone those members of the Redemption Army who have no discipline and quality?

Their strength can be used on the battlefield or to escape, it is a sharp double-edged sword.

"attack!"

In the distance, Count Pascal ordered a charge, and the armies in the sky and on the ground rushed towards the Cross Redemption Army at the same time. The army without morale was almost scattered by the charge, and everyone was running for their lives.

Ryan did not order an attack. He did not want his knights and squires to be harmed in the process. They were all veterans who had experienced the Nidhogg War. They were extremely valuable and had a promising future.

Watching the gargoyle army and the almost irrational army of witches and ghosts rushing towards the noble territory of Gerald, Ryan also led his army across the battlefield and came to the side of the nobles.

"Baron Ryan, your army actually appeared here?"

Grand Duke Leta was shocked because there was no news in the Kingdom of Andara proving that Ryan's army had passed through this land. He was shocked how Ryan's army had hidden it from everyone.

"The North is full of opportunities, Your Excellency."

Ryan did not give a direct answer, but changed the subject and looked in the direction of Gerald's noble territory.

"I have cut off all resource supplies from the southern lands to Gerald's noble territory. They cannot win this war. As long as we can hold out against the counterattack of the Crusaders in the next few days, we will be able to win."

Grand Duke Leta frowned. They had been fighting for more than half a month, and there was still no result. Ryan came and told them that the war was over so soon?

"If nothing unexpected happens, they have run out of food."

"On my way here, I passed the edge of the territory of the Earl with Golden Eyes. There was no food in the farmland of a knight's manor. It was not even autumn yet. There were constant cries, and many people's families had already died."

"In the world after the North arrived, almost no one died of natural causes in the past few months. Even the elderly who were about to die would hold on until the end of the harvest because of their faith."

"Plus, there was no food growing in the cultivated fields, so it is almost certain that they starved to death."

"Gerald's two earls have no food. What can they use to start a war? Food is the lifeblood of war."

"The Holy See will find a way to provide it for them."

The one who spoke was Count Pascal. In terms of title, their titles were lower than that of Grand Duke Leta, but no one here cared about it.

Ryan was not worried about this problem at all.

"I intercepted five waves of supplies heading north from the south. Each wave was smaller than the last. Even if the Pope ordered it, the holy light of dawn would not drop food from the sky."

"Food needs a source. Now is the best time of the year, but because it is so close to the harvest, it is also the time when food is most scarce."

"The nobles need to prepare supplies. Not to mention the nobles, even in my territory, it will take some time to transport food for tens of thousands of people."

"People can die of starvation in three days, and they definitely won't be starving for only three days."

"My army has already cleared the plains, and I have driven all the beasts there to the south."

"In three days, you will either fight us to the death with all your might, or you will lose the war and the Crusaders will retreat after being defeated."

"But these guys... hehe, I'm afraid they don't have the courage or the idea to fight to the death."

The knights have to face even greater troubles. As for the Crusades? They are not a regular army, and it is impossible for them to have such military qualities.

A decisive battle is not something that can be won with just a few words; it requires a very high level of situation, but the most crucial thing is the morale and belief of the soldiers in this decisive battle.

Just like just now, the moment Ryan's army appeared and the fragrant aroma of barbecue spread, if these soldiers really had that kind of courage, they would not be discouraged so quickly.

"After winning the war in the east, the Kingdom of Sera will certainly not dare to continue attacking the Kingdom of Andara. This way we can report to our king."

Ryan smiled easily, he had suffered a lot on that plain these days, he didn't want to take the initiative to participate in this war between the Empire and the Church, so it would be better to end it as soon as possible. This land can be chaotic, but it cannot be a chaos between the Imperial Army and the Church Army.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be sure to suppress everything.

After hearing Ryan's explanation, Grand Duke Leta understood a lot. As a grand duke, he dared to lead the extraordinary army to participate in the war every time, which in itself was a test of his courage and ability.

But he still couldn't help being amazed. Ryan said it simply, but first of all, no one knew that Ryan's army appeared in the south of Gerald's noble territory. After all, if you want to cross to that grassland from the frozen land territory of the empire, you have to pass through the North Wind Avenue, and then enter the Kingdom of Serra and the Kingdom of Andara. In the end, there is no possibility of appearing on the battlefield between them and the Crusaders before you can get through.

With such a long journey, they would have been exposed just after entering Beifeng Avenue. A surprise attack on food and logistics? It would be impossible to succeed if the intention was so obvious.

It’s just… traveling from the north, taking a long detour to end up on that grassland?
Grand Duke Leta couldn't believe it, because that would bring more trouble. Crossing the northern border would be extremely troublesome, not to mention that the last section of the road might require going through the [forest]?

It's hard to understand, and that's why Ryan seems like a surprise force sent from heaven.

"In this way, the war will be over soon, and I will be able to give an explanation to the king."

"The Empire...will not let Noble Lord Gerald go, right? In the negotiations after the defeat of the war, I'm afraid Noble Lord Gerald will have to pay a huge amount of wealth, and it will be impossible for him to raise an army to attack the Kingdom in a short period of time."

They are all pawns, no matter whether they are kingdoms or noble lords, in the final analysis, they are all fish in the water in the struggle between the imperial monarchy and the theocracy of the church.

A clash between two giants determines the rise and fall of many nobles.

"If the war goes well, the Gerald nobles must show their sincerity to the Empire."

Ryan also said the same thing. The emperor would definitely treat the two earls Gerald like he did to the Andara Kingdom. The world and rules of the nobles were so simple and direct. In short, no matter how the war turned out, the nobles would not be killed because of the war.

Interests and the art of compromise are what aristocracy is all about.

But Ryan looked at Count Pascal. This gargoyle Count did not look like he was facing a victory in the war. He seemed dissatisfied with the result.

Feeling Ryan's gaze, Count Pascal raised his head.

"So, the end result of this war is to defeat and expel them, not to kill them?"

Ryan didn't know why the earl had such great hatred and murderous intent, so he could only say helplessly:
"My Lord Earl, this is the only solution. The strength of the Cross Redemption Army is obvious to all. They solved the problem of the Dawn Road and also showed terrible fighting power when facing the Gargoyle Legion and the Witch Ghost Legion."

"My way to win the war is to cut off their logistics. This method can starve many slaves in the Gerald noble territory and make their knights starve, but it is impossible for the extraordinary soldiers of the Crusaders to starve to death just because they don't get food."

"Hunting or plundering can keep them alive, and our strength is obviously not enough to wipe them out completely."

This time Ryan used means outside the battlefield to win the war, which should have been the best result.

Count Pascal had a gloomy expression and no one knew what he was thinking.

And the war went just as Ryan had imagined. The moment Ryan's army appeared, it also gave an answer to Lord Gerald.

"Were all the food supplies of the southern nobles intercepted by Baron Ryan?"

"The people we sent out failed to find where he hid the food. Not only that, but the beasts in the herds were all driven away. They used dragon dung to make the beasts flee to the south. We... couldn't run that far to hunt."

The two earls received the news almost at the same time. They had grim expressions on their faces, while the servants below looked pale and weak.

The nobles would not starve even without food. Even at this moment, the kitchen was still preparing rich and delicious food for the nobles at noon, but most of the food would be wasted again after the meal as before.

The other slaves in the territory will have a difficult time. Starvation to death is common, but this time many, many people will starve to death.

The slaves felt as if the world was falling just thinking about having enough food, while the nobles were helpless and terrified because they knew that the war would end in failure. Without food, the soldiers' fighting desire and combat effectiveness were greatly reduced. After all, they were the attacking party, but in just a few moments, they were complete losers?

[Moonlight] Knight Tiffany returned to his knight manor. Before he could send anyone to inquire, two earls rushed to him from their castles.

The legendary knight heard what Ryan had done in the south. Even the ancient knight who had lived from the last era to the present could not help but widen his eyes.

"How did he get there?"

The longer you live, the more you understand. This legend’s question hits the nail on the head.

If they had known the direction of Ryan's army early on, how could they have allowed their logistical supplies to be intercepted so easily?

"No, I don't know."

Count Mo Tong said in a listless tone, he only knew that the war was lost. If nothing unexpected happened, the earldom, which had already been hit hard by the orc war, would seamlessly enter the next winter of wealth.

Since they fled from the north to the south, their wealth has been decreasing almost every year. Even the numb earl is worried about how much wealth he will have left after the war fails.

That was the wealth of a kingdom that once dominated the Norris continent.

The three of them had no idea, and finally the legendary knight's sigh broke the silence. It was not the first time he had heard of the legendary baron noble in the northern border of the empire.

"The Northern Baron who killed the Silver Moon King easily changed the course of the war."

"What do you think now?"

Knight Tiffany looked at the two earls. The earls were uncle and nephew, but in his eyes, they were very young descendants. Their fathers and grandfathers were just children in front of him.

"Our army is unable to fight. The crusaders of the Holy See are hunting wild beasts in the mountains to fill their stomachs. However, as extraordinary beings, it is difficult for those beasts to keep them full all the time."

In fact, this is the most important thing.

The Crusader Redemption Army eats too much. The grain planting in the Gerald Noble Territory is already under great pressure every year. Their arrival forced the two earls of Gerald to harvest the wheat ahead of time, and they were still only able to barely sustain these tens of thousands of powerful extraordinary people.

Now that the food supply chain has been completely broken, the morale of the Crusaders has collapsed even faster than that of the slave soldiers under their command.

"There is another way."

Count Mo Tong is younger, and there is a gleam of unwillingness to admit defeat in his eyes.

"We can still sustain our food supply for a few days. If we can win the war against the kingdom during these few days, we can use the kingdom's food to replenish the food we lost and win this war."

There was a mad look in his eyes, the result of failure and victory would make the difference between heaven and hell for Gerald's bloodline, because this failure might completely destroy the former glory and splendor of the Gerald family, as well as the oath he made to return to his ancestral land more than a hundred years ago.

If the war failed and the compensation was compromised, they would never have the right to see the king ancestor again.

Gerald has wildness and romance in his blood, and this dark-eyed earl shows it to the extreme.

"impossible."

The uncle of the Golden Eyed Earl and the Black Eyed Earl said:
"Our army can't do that. That Ryan... do you know how he knew that our territory has run out of food?"

"He used animal meat to lure more than a dozen slaves from the knights' manors in my territory to leave their manors and become their captives. He then broke into the knights' granaries!"

The Golden-eyed Count Melan Gerald gritted his teeth. The knights were all outside participating in the war, and his house was easily looted by Ryan, and not much food was found.

"He only had to take out that meat on the battlefield and the soldiers would lose their courage."

"As for the Crusaders, they will not become stronger if they starve, because the enemy they face is not human at all."

If the army of the Andara Kingdom was made up of human soldiers, they might be scared off by their hunger, madness and cruelty, but what were they facing? They were extraordinary beings like gargoyles, and they were bloodthirsty and irrational witch ghosts.

They don't have those negative emotions at all, so how could they be scared away? Instead, they will find that the once powerful Crusaders have become weak because of hunger and lack of strength.

They will be more excited.

"Is there no way?"

All three of them fell silent.

……

"Is there no other way?"

On the other side, Count Pascal also found Ryan and asked about the future of the war.

Faced with the earl's questioning, Master Ryan, who had to purchase a large amount of grain from the Danube Province every year, could not show any annoyance.

"There is a way, but the decision is no longer in our hands."

"If the Crusaders do not retreat, then we will need to use the Church's methods to punish them and force them to choose between death and going to war with us. If nothing unexpected happens, they will choose the second one. No matter how terrifying we are, we are not stronger than the monsters in the abyss."

"As long as the Holy See is concerned, it should be Pastor Yawen, the commander of the Crusaders."

"He has decided that the Crusaders must fight us to the death, a war to the last man standing. Only then will it be possible to achieve your goal, Count."

"I have reason to believe that the Pope of the Holy Mountain also obeyed the orders of the Crusaders at all costs, and even promised them amnesty after the war. That's why I asked you to call the troops back to garrison here shortly after the two extraordinary legions came after us. We are invincible here."

"But the Pope cannot control the human heart and the thoughts of Pastor Yawen. The other members of the Crusaders are not puppets either."

"As long as we can hold on for these two days, the war will no longer be a foregone conclusion."

Ryan's words silenced Count Pascal. He suddenly felt a little regretful. He should not have revealed himself so early and exposed his thoughts and methods to Pastor Yawen.

The opponent was on guard against him. In the previous battles, the one facing him was the [Moonlight] Knight, while Pastor Yawen hid himself and entangled with the [Ivy] Ivan Magician.

The clash between divine arts and magic is the biggest culprit for the appearance of the rift beneath our feet.

In short, Pastor Yawen probably won't fight to the death for this war now. He is not afraid of the punishment of the Holy Mountain, and he has the means to silence the ascetic monk.

If he doesn't reveal his flaws, he won't be able to take revenge. And when they meet next time, Alvin Griffith will definitely have acquired more unknown divine arts, and he will have no chance to restrain him.

Count Pascal clenched his fists, unwilling to give in.

"Why on earth do you want to kill him so badly?"

Ryan finally asked, not out of curiosity, but out of helplessness. Count Pascal occupied more than half of the war, and the strength of the Gargoyle Legion was obvious to all.

Ryan was also worried about the initial events of the war that would happen in the next few days. The Gargoyle Legion would ignore the Dragon Legion, resulting in huge losses for the Dragon Cavalry.

The earl is now an uncertain factor in the war, and Ryan does not want the war to get out of control.

And no matter how you look at it, the Earl doesn't seem like he will calm down now, so it is very likely that he will lose control.

"I'm not sure about the grudge between you two, but if you just want to kill that priest... Actually..."

Ryan said hesitantly, he really had no confidence.

"It's not impossible."

Seeing the light in the earl's eyes, Ryan quickly added:
“I just said maybe.”

(End of this chapter)