The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Anjou's army was currently conquering and seizing territory on the southwestern border of Cape. Because they had planned to attack together with the demons, Anjou had been spreading rumors about a coup in Cape, claiming that Her Majesty the Queen had stepped down and a new Queen had been born, in order to persuade the southwestern army of Cape to give up resistance.

This tactic worked very well because of the delay in information from Capet, and because Anjou's intelligence system had always been far ahead of Capet's capital. The generals on the southwestern border believed it to be true, and surrendered immediately as soon as the situation turned slightly unfavorable. This allowed Anjou to make rapid progress from the start and directly penetrate Capet's southwestern border.

And now, an army of Anjou is on its way to the next city.

"Hey, you know what, things from Cape North are really useful!"

An Anjou soldier was joking with his superior officer.

He also twirled the ray gun in his hand with dazzling skill, showing no signs of being someone handling a firearm for the first time.

The reason this soldier dared to speak to his superior in such a relaxed and joking tone was not only because the Anjou army had recently won a series of victories and captured a large number of Capet army weapons, but also because this soldier had repeatedly made meritorious contributions in previous battles, and his skill with the ray gun was superb. He had even discovered many hidden functions of the ray gun and was able to adjust its parameters.

Promotion is a done deal.

The officer replied with a relaxed expression, "Yes, I heard that the supplies in the rear are no longer tight thanks to the equipment from the northern region of Cape. However, we owe so many complete northern weapons to that princess of Cape. Look, these ray guns are almost fully charged, they haven't been used much at all. I wonder if that princess of Cape has successfully usurped the throne and restored order."

"Who cares? This land is ours anyway."

The two men exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. This was a microcosm of the current state of the Anjou army. Because of this opportunity, the Anjou army, which had obtained a large amount of northern military equipment, was bursting with confidence. After all, even when this batch of military equipment was in the hands of the Cape border army, the other side could not defeat them. Let alone now that they had this batch of troops.

"If Capet's southwestern border army is like this, I think Capet's northern army is no better. They're just holding on with the equipment they have. When they actually fight us, I don't think we'll necessarily lose."

"Isn't that right? A large amount of equipment has already been sent back to His Majesty. I heard that His Majesty is already researching how to replicate it. I estimate that it won't be long before we can use the equipment we made ourselves. Then we'll storm Cape, capture that former queen alive, and present her to His Majesty."

"I don't know why His Majesty is so fixated on that former queen of Capet. I've seen the portraits that the merchants sent over, and she didn't look like she was good at having children."

"Maybe big shots just like that kind of thing. Look at the Capetian royal family, they really like that queen, don't they? But if you ask me, when we're looking for a wife, we should look for one who can bear children."

The two exchanged a smile. Anru's military discipline was relatively strict, so they could only vent their frustration verbally. However, at that moment, the Anru army felt the earth tremble slightly, and a series of unprecedented roars came from afar.

A tank unit trampled the dirt road and charged straight toward Anjou's army.

Staring at the terrifying steel monster, the soldier opened his mouth wide and said, "This one has a big butt, good for childbirth."

......

Capet's information was quickly relayed to the Anjou palace through Cassius's bards.

"Hmph, just as I expected."

Alberto casually slammed the intelligence report on the table. He had always thought Claire Augustine's coup was unlikely to succeed, and even if it did, she wouldn't last long.

When Alberto received Claire's letter, he already guessed that the coup would not end well. Claire Augustine had gone mad and had thrown out too many bargaining chips in order to sit on the throne. Even if the coup succeeded, the best outcome would be to only control a royal city and become a queen in name only.

But Alberto did not refuse Claire's invitation. In any case, it would ultimately harm Capet's interests. Alberto only needed to take advantage of this time to annex more of Capet's southwestern border territory.

Things were progressing smoothly. Although the weapons in the North were very powerful, even the most powerful weapons are still used by people. With Alberto constantly spreading the news that the Capetian capital had already fallen and the new queen had handed over the southwestern border, most of the soldiers on the southwestern border did not have the will to put up a strong resistance. They abandoned the city and ran away at the slightest sign of trouble.

However, Alberto was not in a good mood, because Claire's coup ended in a way that Alberto found most unacceptable.

Not only did they fail, but the demons' greed allowed the governor of the North to legitimately enter and take over the capital.

The demons were indeed unreliable. For the sake of a little territory, they handed over their great cause to others and were beaten and forced to flee in terror.

According to the latest intelligence, the demons have been defeated by the newest steel monsters in the North and retreated back to the East. The new king, Cliff, has become nothing more than a figurehead, and the entire capital, or rather the entire kingdom, is now under the control of the governor of the North.

For this reason, Anjou's speed in obtaining information from Capet has slowed down considerably. Cassius's companion has begun to gradually take over the capital's intelligence network, and it is no longer possible for the meeting report to appear on Alberto's desk as soon as the Capet Round Table meeting ends, just like before.

The strength of the North has far exceeded Alberto's initial expectations.

Fortunately, Alberto wasn't completely idle. At least the production facilities in the North were now operational in Anjou. Thanks to these facilities and Alberto's protective policies, many wealthy merchants and nobles emerged in Anjou to support Alberto in a short period. These merchants and nobles could provide Alberto with a steady stream of financial support in order to crack and acquire more production facilities in the North.

With the help of these people, the reverse engineering of the Northern devices is progressing smoothly, and they have even developed a device similar to the obelisk. However, the finished product is still quite immature. Alberto believes that given enough time, he will be able to catch up with Cape Northern.

But before that, Alberto must find a way to acquire more leverage to stall the governor of Capet in the north.

"Cassius, how is the excavation of the ruins of the Old Empire's research institute going?"

"Your Majesty, everything is going smoothly. You are truly the chosen one. Even the secret places of the old empire have been opened for you. I believe that Anru will soon regain the glory of the old empire!"

"However, Your Majesty, apart from the research related to the old empire, the research on transcendental magic has received a warning from the Tower."

Hearing this, Alberto's slightly improved mood turned gloomy again. He said, "Explain to the tower that we know, but we should stall for time as long as possible. We don't need to really drive away the guests from the other side of the continent. Although we may not be able to use super-level magic, we must learn this technique and be careful when dealing with those guests from the other side of the continent."