Throne of the North

It was impossible to do it alone, so Ryan quickly conveyed the news of the orcs' appearance to all the nobles in the North Wind Province.

Then the Marquis' mother in the Marquis's residence reported the matter to His Majesty the Emperor in the south.

"Not only are there traces of orcs in our northern border, but also in the north of the Kingdom of Serra and the Kingdom of Andara. And what's different from before is that this time the orcs no longer appear on a large scale."

"Perhaps they will become the norm."

Ryan finally concluded that this was a guess of his.

"Why are the orcs so close to us?"

When the nobles gathered at the Marquis's residence in Leiyun Mountain, the Marquis' mother asked directly. She didn't know much about the orcs in the north. She only knew that there was a buffer zone between humans and orcs.

"We don't know yet, but my scouts didn't find any large-scale orc army. They exist scattered to the north of us."

"The answer is nothing more than two, those who appear on their own initiative, and those who are forced to appear."

"There are two possibilities. The north is getting colder and colder, and the orcs will not be able to stop it, or we have encountered a more powerful enemy, and the orcs will move south as a whole, and they will inevitably come into contact with our territory."

In the parliament, Ryan once again mentioned the Xiangshan Plain.

"No matter what, we need a fortress against the orcs, no matter how they appear."

"We can no longer allow orcs to appear unscrupulously in our territory."

This proposal received the first support from Viscount Landa. Hanshan City County is the closest to the Xiangshan Plain. The last time it was looted by orcs, it would probably still be miserable if it happened again.

"In that case, let's get ready."

Marquis's mother said, and then smiled coldly.

"In the thirty years before the empire, one million gold coins were distributed every year, and a total of 30 million gold coins were distributed to allow you to build the Xiangshan Plain Fortress."

"Now...the emperor will not give you any more money, you can only rely on yourselves."

These words made the nobles hesitate, and in the end not many nobles supported Viscount Landa and Ryan.

With a cold snort, Ryan stood up and was about to leave.

"Baron Lane."

Earl Winter stopped him, and the nobles began to relax.

"The fortress in Xiangshan Plain may not require so much money to build. Each of our families owns mines, so we can prepare a lot of materials ourselves, right?"

"Otherwise, this time we don't care about money, and everyone pays some land resources."

In the end, the proposal of Xiangshan Plain Fortress was approved.

"And what about the army?"

Ryan asked.

"As for the army, Baron Ryan has to decide. After all, you are the best commander in Beifeng Province."

Ryan nodded and said:

"Draw back some of the population from the forest world and station them in the Xiangshan Plain. The nobles will form an army of 3,000 people and station them in Lingdu City to ensure that the orcs will not fully invade Beifeng Province and appear in your territory."

"us?"

Some nobles were puzzled because he had just returned to Beifeng Province not long ago.

"No matter what, the troops of Beifeng Province can't help me defend outside the tundra territory, can they?"

Ryan said this, and this is also true. Everyone knows the terrain and situation of the Tundra Territory. Putting the army there, let alone whether it can be defended, will definitely not be able to rush to the aid of several counties in the North Wind Province.

"I need you to support me with a batch of supplies. I don't need anything precious, just stones and wood."

The nobles did not refute Ryan's words. Now Baron Ryan's status in the Northwind Province has faintly surpassed the two earls due to the benefits brought by the kingdom's war, and they are not willing to refuse Baron Ryan's request.

After all, if there must be a noble in the Northwind Province to face the invasion of the northern orcs, then isn't Baron Lane the best choice?

If the orcs fought against Ryan's territory, they wouldn't invade other nobles' lands.

"Don't worry, Baron Ryan. Fighting against the orcs in the north is not just a noble's responsibility. If you need anything, I will send someone to the Tundra Territory."

"Then thank Viscount Hogg in advance."

After Ryan finished speaking, he looked at the Marquis' mother. This woman from the Meyers family didn't know what she was thinking about. She felt Ryan's eyes looking over and winked at him.

"The empire won't give money to build the fortress in the Xiangshan Plain, but it is necessary to provide some supplies to help Beifeng Province fight against the orcs, right?"

"It all depends on what His Majesty the Emperor wants. The nobles in the south all know that His Majesty the Emperor has always been dissatisfied with the Beifeng Province that Archduke Mayes conquered. He thinks it will hinder the development of the empire."

"The empire already has many provinces facing the northern border."

This is true. The empire has a huge territory of more than 20 provinces. Apart from Beifeng Province, there are also five provinces adjacent to the northern border.

Those places were the territories that the empire had fought with the orcs for a long time. The emperor would not give up there, so the North Wind Province might be the only place to relieve the pressure.

For the emperor in the south, the only important thing here may be the experimental field of light faith. But now that he will order the spread of light faith within the empire's territory, it means that the interests of Beifeng Province in his eyes are getting smaller and smaller. .

Ryan no longer asked for anything. Even if there was no support for Beifeng Province in the name of the empire, there would be nobles supporting it.

It is not without benefits for the nobles of the North Wind Province to integrate into the circle of the southern nobles, and this is one of them.

The virtues demonstrated by the nobles have made the nobles in the south more or less inclined to resources.

On Thunder Cloud Mountain, Ryan has not waited for the specific resource commitments of the nobles, nor has he waited for the decision of the Southern Emperor, but has waited for another thing first.

In the Thousand Lakes Province, the war between the Empire and the Church... has stopped.

With the arrival of a letter to all the nobles of the Empire, Ryan realized that it was not only the northern border of the Andara Kingdom, not only the northern border of the North Wind Province, but also the entire northern part of the Empire. There were traces of orcs. Maybe the number of single appearances was not large, but there were traces of orcs all over the densely packed thousands of miles of borders, which was terrible.

In the history of more than 100 years after the Pan-Plane War, the Empire only encountered a full-scale pressure from orcs once. That was the second year after the end of the War of Gods. Humans occupied the warm south. The orcs were extremely angry and wanted to snatch this warm land. They launched a comprehensive attack on humans.

That time, the empire held out for two months before the five provinces adjacent to the north fell completely. The orcs broke into the heartland of the empire and even approached the imperial capital several times.

With the help of the entire southern continent, including the Church, which was relatively harmonious at the time, the empire's commander, Les, led a million troops and began to continuously annihilate the orcs heading south, constantly retaking the empire's land, and finally drove all the orcs back to the north. At that time, the north was not too cold.

After that, the orcs never made any full-scale invasion again, that is, the six royal orc tribes all appeared on the battlefield with humans.

This piece of news made Ryan understand why the empire was so anxious to withdraw its troops from the Thousand Lakes Province in the south, because in the war in the Thousand Lakes Province, most of the troops belonging to the empire were transferred from the five northern provinces.

As soon as they left, the northern defense line was empty, and the orcs just appeared at this time.

"The shameless Dawn Church colluded with the orcs in the north. They are the betrayers of mankind!"

The emperor was absolutely unwilling to suffer a loss. The last time he was framed in public in the imperial capital, he was already extremely angry. In the face of the failure of this withdrawal, the emperor put the blame on the Dawn Church.

The orcs in the north oppressed the Church, which was at war with the empire, and it was indeed the biggest beneficiary. So this black pot would be covered with dust.

"Has the struggle between royal power and divine power reached this point?"

Lian was shocked. He also knew about the emperor's angry frame-up. The Church refuted it at the first time and even expressed that it would help the Kingdom of Serra in the north and some noble territories in the east to fight against the orcs in the north.

In short, the result was that the empire withdrew its troops from the Thousand Lakes Province, and in order to demonstrate the justice it represented, the Church did not take advantage of the situation and break into the Thousand Lakes Province, and withdrew its troops back.

This war, which lasted for more than ten months, finally subsided at this moment under the threat of the orcs. The struggle between the empire and the church for royal power and divine power may begin to extend to other places.

"The empire today is no longer the empire of a hundred years ago. We will never allow any orc to enter the empire's territory."

The emperor declared loudly in the imperial capital, and what he said was true.

A hundred years ago, the empire's extraordinary legions could be counted on one hand, and the church's orders were the main force at that time. A hundred years later, the empire has become stronger and is no longer the same as before. The empire that dares to challenge the church can say that it is not afraid of any foreign invasion.

So... Beifeng Province unexpectedly received a large amount of material support, including food, magic potions, slave armies, and even magical metals created by alchemists to help Beifeng Province build the Xiangshan Plain Fortress.

A lot, but that's all. These things won't help the North Wind Province much. What they need is a large army, but the slave army of 10,000, let alone Ryan, Baron Hatton can also see their uselessness.

"If the North Wind Province fails in front of the orcs again, the empire will give up here. If nothing unexpected happens, the emperor will give the North Wind Province to a wandering royal family or even a member of the royal family on the grounds of helping others to restore their country."

"Don't be surprised. In the south of the empire, there are many wandering nobles with ancient blood flowing in their bodies. They are always looking for the hope of restoring the glory of their families. There are exchanges and transactions between them and the emperor."

"Even the empire needs the knowledge inheritance from other kingdoms and even other worlds. For the royal family, those things are more precious than gold."

This was conveyed by the former governor, Earl Winter. The emperor seemed to know that it would be ineffective to pass the message to the woman Shaya.

Ryan understood this result. His frozen land territory was the best example. Those craftsmen, those skills, and those bards were all inherited wealth from another world.

"So, we don't have any more support, right?"

"Flying Wing Canyon may arrange military support depending on the situation, but the Dragon Legion and the Violent Elephant Legion can't be considered. The emperor will never give orders to the Dragon Legion. The Violent Elephant Legion suffered heavy losses in the kingdom. Not to mention the emperor, Legion Commander Farrell should be worried about how to restore the Violent Elephant Legion to its peak."

Under Ryan's request, the nobles of Beifeng Province prepared very quickly. There was no need to choose too many 3,000 soldiers. Just pick a group from those who had followed the kingdom before.

Supplies and other supplies could not be transported in a short time. This was a long-lasting process, so Ryan took the three thousand soldiers directly back to Lingdu City.

Beifeng Province, for the first time, does not need to worry about food. Among the emperor's orders, the most food support was given to Beifeng Province. The emperor actually knew that Beifeng Province was short of food?

Ryan was surprised, but he also expressed his understanding. After all, Columbus III stood out among the three emperor electors of the previous generation. It is impossible to say that he is incompetent.

"It will take some time for the food from the south to arrive. These days, just eat whatever you want."

The three thousand soldiers are all carrying dry food, and the nobles will also come to support some daily supplies later. This army will guard Lingdu City, guarding the Beifeng Province on the left and right like the Xiangshan Plain, ensuring that the orcs went south last time. The tragedy will not happen again.

Ryan was a little busy, but he didn't know what he was busy with, because so far, everything... was of no help to the Tundra Territory.

If the orcs arrive, the food will be useless, and the three thousand soldiers guarding Lingdu City? Ryan didn't know what to do with these people. He could only say that they were a way out for himself out of instinctive nervousness.

If nothing can be done, he can bring the population of the Tundra Territory into Lingdu City for defense. Relying on the city's defense, he can feel confident that these three thousand soldiers may be used by then.

Of course, he could also let his people take refuge in another world, but in that case... it would be doomed that the war in the Tundra Territory would not be successful. People's hearts no longer cannot win the war, and secondly, time may not be enough.

The plane gate is so big. There are tens of thousands of people in the frozen land. If they all want to pass through the plane gate, I am afraid that the orcs will appear in front of the unarmed people first.

In Ryan's view, the gate of the plane has never been a retreat, not even an option. The only option is Lingdu City.

Only in this way can the people of the Tundra Territory unite and let them understand that they are the people of the Tundra Territory, not the descendants of another world far away.

"Hopefully, things won't come to that."

Ryan didn't have any experience in this area, so his nervousness was inevitable, but as a lord, he couldn't show it.

All the people of the Tundra Territory knew that their lord was a great nobleman who was invincible and could solve all difficulties.

The glory that belongs to Ryan lets the flag of the Tundra Territory wave.

The atmosphere in the Tundra Territory has not changed much. After all, the orcs are fully close to human civilization. At present, they are only communicating among nobles. How can ordinary people know what has happened and what is happening in this world?

But slowly, the production in the tundra territory moved away from daily life, and some keen people noticed that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

The tension among these people will gradually spread from top to bottom to ordinary people.

"We have not come this far to lose to the orcs. No matter whether it is the black goat man or the werewolf, we cannot fail."

Ryan summoned the core people in the tundra territory and said:

"The Tundra Territory is my territory. If you give up your territory, it will be a shame for the Lane family. What is the difference between them and those wandering nobles?"

"I will be here, watching the infinite prosperity of my world."

On this day, Master Lane stood on the top of Rhinohorn Mountain for a whole day.

Everyone will grow, especially him.

The construction team of the Tundra Territory began to build a simple defense line in the north outside the territory, using the indigenous villages as nodes.

The defense line is not too formal, nothing more than two.

Let human legs adapt more to the land beneath their feet, allowing orcs to fall into human traps at an unexpected moment.

After waiting for five days, the orcs, who were getting closer and closer, finally began to have their first direct contact with humans.

Twenty miles away from the north of Rhinoceros Mountain, there is a rift valley. Between the two foothills, it is a rare place without wind and snow. It has become a resting place for many wild beasts. Of course, there are also people from the tundra territory. Show up here and try to find traces of the beast.

The orcs can also feel the heat and cold. After they appeared here, there were not many beasts anymore, and a passing team of human soldiers attracted the attention of the orcs.

"Human!"

The werewolf transformed into a strong gray wolf and shuttled between the trees, attracting the attention of the human soldiers.

"It's okay, just a wild wolf."

The leading patrol soldier breathed a sigh of relief and said that when he received the order this morning, he was very nervous...

The sharp claws fell on the last person in the team. The wild wolf in his mouth turned into a ferocious werewolf the moment he swung his claws. The huge force dragged the soldier into the dense forest.

"Defend, defend!"

By the time the remaining four people reacted, the surroundings were already quiet. Not even the beasts made a sound, and there was no trace of the werewolf anywhere.

The orcs who are most familiar with humans are still the most cunning enemies of humans.

The four soldiers stood back to back looking around with cold sweats. Everything here was so strange, as if enemies would emerge from any corner.

In the distance, a wolf ran by. The nervous soldier looked over there, but the fierce shadow appeared again in his blind spot.

"Now is... hunting time."

When the voice fell, the remaining three people only saw a huge tail in their vision.