Game of Thrones: From a deserter to a high-ranking official

Chapter 78 The Arrogant Kingdom of the Three Daughters

[Oh wow, time to pop the champagne!] He almost jumped up, but since Jules and Vito were still in their tents, he couldn't show too much joy.

[Mario, and your idiot father... your Ferrero family is my savior! By the Seven Gods, how can I possibly thank you?]

His previous worries and anger vanished at this moment.

What frontline charge? What head-on confrontation with Valantis's war elephant legion and super-heavy cavalry? To hell with it! He never expected the Lightning Legion to achieve anything on such a meat grinder-like frontal battlefield. In fact, it would be a miracle if half of them came back alive on such a battlefield.

His primary objective, from beginning to end, was to protect the team he had poured his heart and soul into, which was closely tied to the future of the Rojaer family, as well as the safety of Lisanro, an important "asset"; and the lives of his uncle Jules and the White Legion elders.

It must have been tough on them! I'm truly grateful that he managed to send all the people Tiberius most wanted to protect to the relatively safe second line, far from the main battlefield!

Tiberius had previously worried about whether Jules and his White Army might be sent to the front lines, but now that worry could be completely dispelled.

Because right now, let's all camp out in the second tier! Hahahaha!

[No need to face those armored giants, no need to charge into dense arrays of spearmen, just patrol and keep watch along this 'corridor,' and occasionally deal with small groups of infiltrating enemies...] Tiberius desperately suppressed the upward curve of his lips.

Good days are coming!

Of course, he would never reveal these thoughts. He looked at the still indignant Lisanro and Vito, a hint of seriousness and shared indignation appearing on his face, and said in a deep voice:

"They really don't want us to achieve anything because they're jealous of our abilities! Lisanro, they're not just jealous, they're also afraid of your father's influence!" He first tried to reassure Lisanro, but his tone turned firm.

"However, opportunities on the battlefield don't only exist on the front lines. Since they've placed us here, we'll hold this position. Let everyone see that even in the 'flank corridor,' the White Legion and the Lightning Corps remain a force to be reckoned with."

"That's absolutely right." A hint of approval appeared on Jules's usually impassive face. "Yes, we must let them know that the White Army is capable of fulfilling any military requirement!"

But he also started to have doubts in his heart.

[Something's not right. Why is this kid suddenly cheering us on... and even trying to tell us a story?] Alarm bells were ringing in his mind.

Because every time Tiberius started telling a story, someone was going to have bad luck!

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On a high point overlooking part of the camp, Tiberius and Jules stood side by side, gazing at the noisy, chaotic, yet blindly excited scene below.

The Tyrothian chapters are a special unit, mostly consisting of six hundred men per chapter. This is because Tyroth is a nation that loves extravagance and flamboyant decorations. Therefore, most Tyrothian soldiers wear brightly colored armor, shout loudly, and polish their overly ornate weapons, as if they were about to embark on a grand parade.

Mil's main combat unit was the centurion, who was subordinate to his superior, the chiliarch.

The centurions were the core of Mil's army; without them, Mil's fighting strength would be greatly diminished. At this moment, Mil's centurions and chiliarchs stood tall, accepting the flattery of their subordinates and sycophants, discussing how many slaves and treasures they would receive after the war. A restless, almost festive atmosphere permeated the air.

As for Ries... well, Ries is an anomaly because he doesn't even have a standing army. Ries's citizen soldiers are only responsible for the defense of the Ries Islands. When it comes to actual combat, they can only rely on mercenaries recruited during wartime and temporarily mobilized slave legions.

Therefore, it is conceivable that Rhys's army was even more uneven than the previous two combined.

From what Tiberius observed, the Reich army consisted of men from all corners of the land: Corhol's axemen, the Unsullied Legion, as well as infantry phalanxes from Gith and wandering knights from Westeros…

But most of them were temporary recruits, slave soldiers lacking armor and weapons, and wandering knights whose faces exuded a confidence bordering on ignorance.

Tiberius looked at them, his brow furrowed deeply. He pointed to the soldiers of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters below and asked Jules rather cautiously.

"Uncle, why are the soldiers of the Kingdom of Three Daughters so... why are they so lax? It's like this is an armed parade! Anyone who didn't know better would think that the Valantis have been beaten to their knees and begging us to take their wives and daughters as slaves and cede all the territory west of the Lorne River!"

An ancient wisdom from another world flashed uncontrollably through his mind: pride comes before a fall.

The expressions on the faces of these soldiers perfectly illustrated the meaning of those four words.

Jules crossed his arms, his bronze face revealing little expression, but his sharp eyes took in the restlessness of the troops below.

Upon hearing Tiberius's words, he let out a barely audible hum through his nose.

"Why? Because they're blinded by gold and slaves, boy." Jules' voice was deep, with the calmness of a veteran, even a hint of mockery. "The Kingdom of the Three Daughters has really gone all out this time! And those bards in the kingdom are portraying the Valantis as fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. These people..." He pointed to the noisy procession below.

"They only thought about rushing in to rob money, people, and gain merit, but forgot to consider whether they were tough enough to withstand the iron hooves and elephant legs of the Valantis."

He turned to Tiberius, his eyes deep: "Therefore, Tiberius, no matter what happens, a commander must not panic, but even more fatal is to appear arrogant! This is a commander's greatest taboo! Your soldiers will change their behavior because of their commander's emotions: when panicked, they will start to run away; when arrogant, they will let their guard down! This is something you must always remember!"

"As for why they're so 'arrogant'? The reason is very simple: it all stems from that so-called 'great victory' in the 96AC border war." Jules' voice carried a hint of bitterness. "The authorities will only tell you that our Three Kingdoms of Daughters won, that we achieved a great victory, and successfully drove Valantis back to the east side of the Controversial River. But they won't tell you what the price was!"

"Tiberius, let me tell you! The price was countless mercenary groups like our 'White Legion,' even larger and more historically significant than ours. Their banners and legends vanished forever into the yellow sands and pools of blood of the contested lands! And those long-established, renowned 'warbands' of Tyros: a full-strength warband of six hundred battle-hardened veterans, the true core of Tyros. Do you know how many were wiped out at once? Thirteen! A full thirteen! Afterwards, the Tyros's High Lord was poisoned in the palace by his governors! And the Mil army lost more than forty centurions. That's not forty ordinary soldiers, it's forty centurions! A quarter of the Mil's mid-level officers were wiped out! Tiberius, do you know that this means the Mil forces were crippled, wiped out?"

His voice suddenly rose, filled with suppressed anger: "But in the official propaganda, in the eyes of those fools who only remember the terrible victories of Valantis in history, but deliberately ignore that they too can fail and bleed, Valantis has become a paper tiger after that Pyrrhic victory! As if we could just send a random army there and scare them into a panic! I really don't know if the governors who spread this message have horse manure in their heads!"

"That's Volantis! The eldest daughter of the ancient Valyrian fortress! The undisputed ruler of Essos! Back then, the city-states of the Three Daughters Kingdom were merely vassals of Volantis. Apart from Tyrothy, Rhys and Myr were both defeated by Volantis. If it weren't for Aegon the Conqueror's dragons, even Tyrothy would have fallen!"

"And the result? It's as if we can simply send a random force over, bang on shields, brandish swords, and shout slogans, and scare the Valantis, who inherit the ancient Valyrian bloodline, possess war elephants, and have massive legions, into a panic! Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

"How long has it been? Only three years, right? But look, I don't recognize the flags of many of the battle groups and centurions!"

Finally, Jules delivered a verdict on these poor wretches:

"A group of poor recruits, arriving here with dreams of riches and heroism, swayed by embellished tales of victory and heroic legends. They thought they were about to become the protagonists of an epic, returning laden with glory… They thought they would become war heroes, but I think they're more likely to be turned into a bunch of corpses on the disputed wasteland by the Valantis, ultimately devoured by wild dogs and vultures!"

He paused, his tone becoming more serious, filled with worry: "ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh, but I really hope that general Mil, that guy named Mitrista, can lead the lads to victory... but if... if they get hurt on the front lines, even break their teeth..."

Jules didn't finish his sentence, but the unspoken meaning lingered in Tiberius's mind like a dark cloud.

If the front lines collapse, then this "reserve force," deliberately positioned at the rear, will likely face the onslaught of defeated soldiers and the pursuing Valantis. At that point, their "safe" flank will instantly become the most dangerous and perilous place.

"I understand, Uncle." Tiberius's voice turned serious. "We will guard the 'Flanking Corridor,' but... we must also prepare for the worst."