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Chapter 401 401: A Vicious Ploy
The lord of Shabad City watched the Hengfors army that had halted far from the castle walls, his brow furrowed in confusion. He, too, could not fathom their intentions.
Fortunately, the army stopped at a distance. Shortly after, a single knight galloped out from the main force and approached the base of the city wall.
The Lord of Shabad cleared his throat and shouted down to the knight below. "Our nation has no quarrel with the Hengfors League. Why has the Hengfors League army come to Shabad City?"
The knight returned the shout just as loudly. "Lady Bénédicte is a cursed child of misfortune who has heavily persecuted nobles and common folk alike since taking office, engaging in widespread terrorism. She is unfit to rule Targo! My Lord, King Nedamir, has answered the desperate pleas of your country's nobles and marched on Targo to exact justice for those who have died!"
"My Lord has promised that if you open the gates and surrender, Shabad City will not be harmed. But if you cling stubbornly to ruin, Shabad City will be reduced to ashes. You have one hour to consider."
The hour passed in an instant.
Seeing that the gates of Shabad City remained untouched, showing no sign of opening, Nedamir, who was personally leading the army from his position in the central formation, did not seem surprised. He simply waved his hand and gave the order.
"Begin the siege."
Outside Targo City, in the witchers' camp.
A messenger entered the camp and was led to Lynn.
"My Lord, Lord Istrad urgently requests your presence in the city for a council."
"Very well, I shall go immediately."
With a sense of confusion, Lynn entered the Lord's Hall in Targo City. He was surprised to find that this was not a private meeting between him and Istrad. All the nobles of the restoration army were present.
When they saw the cat eyes in Lynn's gaze, they were visibly shocked but said little. They were clearly aware that a witcher would be fighting alongside them. There was no scene, common in the web novels Lynn had read in his past life, where "an arrogant noble, conscious of his pedigree, sneered at the protagonist, only to be humiliated and stunned by the protagonist's display of power."
Soon, Istrad arrived. His expression was grave. Clearly, he had not summoned everyone for good news.
Indeed…
After a brief exchange of greetings, Istrad got straight to the point, stating the reason for the gathering:
"The Hengfors League has attacked."
This brief sentence stunned the nobles present. It took a while for them to process the information, primarily because the news was so shocking and utterly unexpected. The Marquisate of Targo and the Hengfors League had no history of territorial disputes, and Lady Bénédicte and King Nedamir had never met, making a feud impossible.
Why would the Hengfors League suddenly march on Targo? And why now, of all times?
As there were no native Targo nobles present, Istrad spoke frankly.
"In the past few years, King Nedamir of Cangorn has used means ranging from strategic marriages to military conquest to gather the disparate city-states that broke away from Kovir, uniting them into the Hengfors League."
"As for Lady Bénédicte, having suffered greatly from the Curse of the Black Sun, she summarily executed those who harmed her after taking power, hanging them on the gallows."
"However, a few managed to flee Targo."
"Now, King Nedamir is using the name of those remnants to demand justice against Lady Bénédicte."
A noble scoffed, "What justice? He clearly intends to annex the Marquisate of Targo."
No one present was a child; who still talked of justice or righteousness, save for the rambling knights of Toussaint? King Nedamir's rapid rise in recent years had allowed him to establish a nation larger than the Marquisate of Targo in just a few years. If he were to annex Targo, the territory under his rule would become comparable to Kovir and Poviss.
This was likely the true motive of that King. Nedamir was young, even younger than King Foltest of Temeria. If he truly succeeded in incorporating the Marquisate of Targo into the Hengfors League, it was difficult to predict how far he might take his new nation in the future.
Another noble asked, "My Lord, have you summoned us because of Lady Bénédicte's plight?"
Istrad nodded.
"Shabad City, on Targo's eastern border, fell yesterday. To make an example of them, King Nedamir executed all the nobles in the city, but left the common people completely unharmed."
"Now the League army is besieging Ironwood City (Panhu Cheng). If Ironwood City falls, this city of Targo will face the enemy army directly."
The Marquisate of Targo was a small country, only marginally larger than the province of Velen in Temeria. Therefore, after the Hengfors League army captured Shabad City on the eastern frontier, they drove deep into Targo territory, with no local resistance capable of slowing their advance until they reached Ironwood City.
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped. One noble voiced the shared thought of all present.
"King Nedamir only executing the nobles upon the city's fall—that is a truly vicious ploy."
Had Shabad City resisted the League army and been brutally sacked after falling, it would have provoked fierce resistance across the entire Marquisate of Targo. But now, the League army had only executed the nobles, leaving the common folk untouched.
This was a critical move for the coming conquest. King Nedamir's action effectively severed the bond between the nobles, the soldiers, and the commoners of the Marquisate of Targo. He had twisted what should have been a "war of resistance against invasion" into an "internal feud between nobles—why should we common people bleed and die for them, since the identity of the noble ruling us makes no difference?"
It might even provoke a more dangerous sentiment within the Marquisate of Targo: "If the Hengfors people truly rule Targo, this new land will still need nobles to manage it. Who will be the new nobles? Why can't it be me?"
"Lady Bénédicte showed me kindness. When she is in her greatest need, I cannot abandon her. Therefore, I have decided to first help Lady Bénédicte repel the attacking Hengfors League before moving to restore our own kingdom."
None of the nobles objected to Istrad's decision. Lady Bénédicte had not only sheltered the Tisson family when they were in exile in Targo but had also poured all her resources into supporting Istrad's restoration efforts. Regardless of the perspective, abandoning Lady Bénédicte now was unthinkable.
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