Chapter 1235: Chapter 1235

After a series of discussions and negotiations, an agreement was finally reached by both internal and external parties. It was then that those nobles, who were unwilling to dispatch their high-ranked experts, finally relented, and over a thousand tier-five experts were gradually gathered in the north to bolster their numbers.

Moreover, after the last incident, these tier-five experts, despite still not being particularly fond of the orders from the eldest prince, had become somewhat restrained. For the sake of their own lives, they started to set up various precautionary measures.

Externally, the Lion People agreed to cede the prosperous territory of the White Fox to the Divine Flame Empire. The Lion People coveted the land as well, but now the priority was to deal with them first. The displayed strength of the White Fox had instilled fear in the Lion People Clan. If an attack of that scale were to occur within the Lion People’s capital, they could be crippled in one fell swoop.

Simultaneously, the Lion People also agreed to let the White Fox become a slave race for humans, and other Fox People must return. The Rabbit people clan had to cede territory to humans as well, and humans were allowed to capture slaves within a certain range in the north.

In essence, for the sake of their rule, the Lion People Clan had really put themselves on the line. If these agreements were exposed, the reputation of this branch of the Lion People would be utterly ruined.

Internally, the Empire explained that the Divine Flame Empire would occupy the territory of the White Fox clan. Because the White Fox land was prosperous, it could be divided up according to contribution after being conquered; many nobles could receive new territories.

It was because of the territories that these nobles relented. Their families had developed to a point where it was difficult to advance any further without more land resources, even if they had experts. For any family to advance further, new territories were crucial, especially prosperous ones. The territories established by the White Fox were perfect.

When the time came, to enslave the White Fox clan and take over their buildings and industries would allow the humans to develop rapidly.

Had it not been for such significant benefits, the northern nobles would not have been so eager to contribute so many high-tier experts. But now that Elsa knew, she didn’t care. Another month’s worth of troops had appeared, ready to be directly integrated.

As for the agreements reached between humans and the Lion People, Elsa had no interest. To fulfill the agreement, they had to conquer the Holy Fox Kingdom first. Currently, in the Holy Fox Kingdom, almost all the fighting power was solely provided by the White Fox.

Other branches of Fox People and some weaker races were protected, at most doing logistics work. Very few were capable of participating in battle; however, with their propaganda efforts, the reputation of the White Fox clan continued to grow.

On the other hand, Du You received the internal agreement not from someone else, but from the Third Prince. After all, it was the Lion People who would suffer a bad reputation, not him. Official source ıs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝔫𝔢𝔱

Once the agreement was leaked, the northern eldest prince would be in trouble. Of course, Du You had no intention of leaking it, at least not for now. Elsa was using this opportunity to slowly gather those strong Beastman clans. The Beastmen who could no longer hold on were slowly gravitating towards the Fox People King, gradually pledging allegiance to Elsa.

"Your Majesty, those old nobles have secretly run off to the Divine Flame Empire. It’s said that they’ve started forming an army, preparing to counterattack us, and have listed all kinds of our brutal crimes."

Du You sneered: "The common people won’t believe it, will they?"

"Most won’t, not just because of the influence of our territorial citizens but also on their own accord. After all, when they compare their past and present lives, they will choose. But there are some fools with bad brains, and what they do can be quite unexpected."

"Don’t mind those idiots; there’s always a few like that in a crowd. But now that they have betrayed us, we can move on to the next step of our plan. Hitting the Divine Flame Empire’s face, they probably hope we do just that."

Shaliya nodded slightly, a smile on her face. The plan began to unfold. Those old nobles had no idea what kind of role they were playing, recklessly rushing forward.

Though the army they formed also included experts, they were all supported by the Divine Flame Empire. Their goal was to reclaim their territories and regain their noble status. However, the establishment of this army relied on the gains from the Shenghai Kingdom. Otherwise, with their previous lifestyles of luxury, the income from a single territory would never suffice.

Of course, these noble fools were full of thoughts about their own benefits and interests, not considering anything else nor whether they could do it without Shenghai Kingdom. They were very confident.

But in a few days, Shenghai Kingdom suddenly erupted, deploying a large number of elite and assassination units. In just one day, all the old nobles were assassinated, and their forces suffered heavy losses.

Now, the conflict between the two sides was irreconcilable. The Shenghai Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that those old nobles were their own citizens and needed to be dealt with for their crimes.

The Divine Flame Empire, however, claimed that these nobles were still noble and should not be treated brutally. Moreover, Shenghai Kingdom had not sought approval before sending people to their national territories, which amounted to invasion.

As the verbal conflict continued, the clouds of war had already gathered over the border. All civilians began to evacuate en masse, and it goes without saying for the nobles and merchants, none of whom wished to stay in such a place. The border soon cleared into a vast, unpopulated expanse.

In the north, the large army of the Divine Flame Empire began to march this way, and in the south, the forces of the Shenghai Kingdom also gathered, the war ready to erupt at any moment; just a spark was needed.

"Is it really Duke Moriyun, then? The eldest prince indeed has tremendous influence. Even if the northern war is setback, he can still have his lineage control the army," Du You remarked, reading the report.

"It’s quite normal. Duke Moriyun has always been the governor of the south. Shall we deal with him next? He has brought over five thousand tier-five experts this time, his military force is very strong. It includes many from the upper class of the southern noble families; eliminating them would mean the Empire’s south would lack resistance."

"Of course we must eliminate them. How else would they continue the offensive without presenting a scenario of mutual destruction? We need to keep bleeding them. Besides, I plan to draw out their tier-six experts."

Du You smiled slightly; as long as the final plan was completed, the so-called Divine Flame Empire would be meat on the chopping block, theirs to carve up as they please.