That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 59 The Western Border is in Crisis!

When the sun finally rose halfway up the sky, Victor met the army of Henry Frost, Duke of the West.

Judging from their slightly disheveled attire, they had clearly been ambushed by rebels during their journey. Henry, riding at the head of the group, looked solemn as he surveyed the devastation outside Rainbow Territory, his sharp eyebrows almost furrowed in a knot.

"Your Grace! You've finally arrived!"

Victor opened the city gates immediately—because the garrison was almost wiped out, so even something as simple as opening the gates had to be done by the esteemed count himself.

But at this moment he did not feel that doing so was beneath his dignity, and his actions could even be described as impatient.

After squeezing the city gate open a crack, he abandoned the wounded soldiers who had helped him open the gate and scrambled to Henry's horse.

"Sir, you certainly don't want to know what happened last night! Those guys burned, killed, and looted; they were demons from hell..."

With tears streaming down his face, Victor spoke in broken, halting voices, denouncing the rebels' actions.

"That's enough!"

Henry, already annoyed, shouted and interrupted him.

"I really didn't want to know—but it's obvious I already know! Isn't it? In just one night, six territories have fallen into the hands of the rebels, all marquises and earls! I've repeatedly ordered you to prepare for war, but none of you have taken it to heart. You all look down on Ronan, but you're far inferior to him!"

"The adult is right! The adult is right!"

Victor is like a fully automatic nodding machine.

"I really am..."

Henry didn't know how to continue cursing, because compared to the other territories that were attacked last night, Victor had performed relatively well. Although he was beaten up, at least he didn't lose his territory.

Apart from his Rainbow Territory, the other six territories have all been taken over by the rebels.

These territories are not small, peripheral territories like Thorn Territory; every single one of them is a core territory of the Western Frontier!

Not only did it possess a large population and industry, but it also controlled most of the major land and water routes. Now that it has all fallen into the hands of the rebels, it is as if the western border has been cut in two, making it extremely difficult to transport military supplies or mobilize troops.

Given the rebels' tactical style, they will undoubtedly launch a full-scale attack on the remaining strongholds in the heart of the West. Once Frostland falls, the fall of the entire West will be the only remaining issue.

"Your Grace, what do we do next?"

Seeing that Henry remained silent, Victor mustered up the courage to ask.

"I am willing to go through fire and water for you, my lord, without hesitation!"

After being glared at by Henry, he immediately added.

"What good is it? How many rebels can you even defeat?"

Henry sighed, looking up at the sky. "Don't even mention you, I'm not much better off. We might both starve to death."

Chief Knight Houston then suggested, "Sir, if all else fails, why not organize a breakout? As long as we're alive, we can always fight again!"

"No. The rebels are experts in open field battles. Moving the battlefield outside the city is tantamount to suicide. Don't forget how Dragon Fang Territory fell."

Henry immediately rejected the proposal.

"Scott initially held the city gates and gained a slight advantage; later, following the orders of the capital, he went out to meet the enemy and was routed in less than half a day. Our current strength is not even as good as that of Dragon Tooth Territory back then, and the rebels are just waiting for you to break out and die."

"That……"

"Let's adopt a scorched-earth policy and consolidate our remaining forces to hold Frost Territory. That way, we can hold out a little longer. Siege warfare is not the rebels' forte."

As if making a decision, Henry gritted his teeth and said, "Send a letter to the Thornlands requesting aid, promote Ronan to Earl, appoint him Commander-in-Chief of the Western Frontier, and grant him the corresponding documents, edicts, and banners."

Houston was shocked: "Sir! This—"

"Does this go against tradition?"

Henry's tone turned stern. "Damn it, the rebels are right across the river! Do you want your beard or your head?"

Houston lowered his head.

He understood that Henry didn't really want to relinquish power either, but now he had no choice. Looking across the entire West, only Ronan had experience in repelling rebels, and only Ronan was a reliable pragmatist.

As for those earls and marquises? They should be thankful if they don't cause trouble or turn against the rebels.

"But even so..."

Victor hesitantly raised his hand. "We need to send out the documents too..."

"Therefore, the target should be as small as possible to avoid attracting the attention of the rebels."

Henry looked at Houston.

"You and Tyr are responsible for escorting the envoy. I will feign an attack and break through to cover your escape. The rest is up to you!"

"yes!"

Houston straightened up and replied sternly, "I will escort the documents to their destination with my life!"

……

In the eastern border region of the western frontier, the people of Thorn Territory were unaware of what was happening in the far western heartland.

They had long since returned to their busy and fulfilling lives, and the arrival and retreat of the rebels had not actually had a significant impact.

If I had to pinpoint any impact, it would be that we eat better, dress warmer, and have a wider variety of things on our territory.

For example, the twelve "public toilets" built by Ronan's organization were officially completed a while ago, and a corresponding sanitation bill was also implemented.

It is said that the militia had such discipline, such as squatting in designated places and prohibiting urination and defecation in public places. This law extends it to the entire Thorn Territory.

The people initially thought it was simply outrageous—in their minds, the lord was a man of great talent and ambition, whose only concern was the affairs of the world, so how could he concern himself with such trivial matters as excrement and urine?

However, after the health bill was enforced for a period of time, the residents gradually went from doubt to understanding and even support, because streets without feces and urine were indeed pleasing to the eye.

Now, even without militiamen on duty supervising them, hardly anyone urinates or defecates indiscriminately anymore.

Just two days ago, the young lord seemed to have done something remarkable again.

According to vague rumors, it was some kind of machine that could produce a tremendous roar. It had no magic power, yet it could operate on its own like magic, unleashing a force powerful enough to shake the world.

Even the school gates have posted notices announcing that mechanic training will be put on the agenda in the near future.

The people were curious and expectant, but not surprised—they were used to the occasional surprises that Thornlands brought.

Rather, in the current Thorn Territory, surprises are the norm.

"Done."

In a warehouse on the outskirts of Thorn Territory, Maddale poked her head out from behind a machine tool and gave Ronan a thumbs-up with a serious expression.

After being brought back by Frost, she returned to her normal routine.

In addition to farming billions of iron points every day, cooperating with militia exercises, and eliminating high-threat evil beasts, she now has another task: processing the machines customized by Ronan.

To her surprise, Ronan didn't ask her to do the whole process from start to finish this time, but only to process some core parts with high precision requirements.

The remaining components were all handcrafted by his own blacksmith servants using the industrial machine, and the final assembly of the machine was also done entirely by manpower, with almost no use of Madell's magic power throughout the process.

"Great, it's ready for delivery and use now!"

Ronan looked at Bart beside him, "How's the enrollment for the mechanic training program going?"

"My lord, to be honest, this is a bit unexpected."

"Didn't you recruit enough? It's really difficult to promote things that are too advanced..."

"No, sir, I mean there are too many people signing up!"

Bart replied, both amused and exasperated.

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