Chapter 409 Next Move (2)
"You are all finally here." A brown haired female stepped forward. Although Leon was not familiar with this face, he already knew that Vera was the one behind the disguise, albeit not in her true body, but a clone.
"I have called for a joint meeting for a very particular purpose." She began, her eyes drifting over the various figures present. "Our momentum in the war has been constant. The morale of our troops remain as high as ever with our continuous wins, while the morale of the empire's soldiers are on a declining trajectory.
"That said, this is not enough. We have cut off multiple essential lines of trade and materiel transportation for the empire, but even without those, we all know that the Empire will be able to last for many months more without faltering. At that time, the shock would have worn off and we will face the true brunt of my the Emperor's forces. Already, the Beast Knights and Colossuses have been ordered to move out." She said seriously.
"Then what do you propose we do? Hit the capital of the Empire?" Someone said jokingly.
"Exactly." Vera nodded.
"W-what?!" The man was stunned and stuttered when he heard the princess' response.
"Yes, we must hit the empire's capital wit full force. If we can take it by storm, then my father will be forced to send out his hidden cards. If they are exposed, then we will have a lot more leeway to plan our next moves without worrying about too many more hidden cards. I already know a few, but not everything."
"I see. This is quite risky. If the force that the empire brings against us is too much to handle, then the rebellion will be crushed." Leon held his chin.
"That is where I expect you to come in, Your Excellency. I want you to reveal your army, as only then will we have the strength to roll over the forces that the empire will use to push us back at that time." Vera said. She had thought of this thoroughly.
As Crown Princess, and the future Empress of Rivera, Vera naturally knew a lot about the military composition of the army at her father's beck and call. The only uncertainty she had was concerning the trump cards and Demigods that served the Empire. There should be at least five of them in active duty, while the others had secluded themselves due to their old age. A couple of them might have even died already!
All this top information was classified and only her father was privy to such information. She might be the crown princess, but until the time neared where her father had to step down from his position, he would not tell her anything.
"I understand. You can count on me to handle that." Leon nodded. He listened as Vera addressed some other issues that had to do with the war and the rebel army. As for their move on Nylenor, it would be happening in a few days' time. The army that was currently gathered at this cliff would be the one that handled the forward strike at the capital. A few more magic airships would join them to add more buffer for them, but that would be it.
The meeting continued for a few more hours as more extensive plans of action were hashed out. No one wanted their efforts to go to waste, so they took it as a matter of utmost importance.
Leon listened intently even though not many topics pertained to him anymore. Eventually, the meeting came to an end and he exited the tent with Nedra at his side.
"Finally, we get to go all out!" Nedra grinned widely, her red eyes glistening in the light. "I'm sure Kaladin and Nero will be happy. Especially Nero. He can't stand being on the sidelines like this." Nedra chuckled.
"He certainly has been much gloomier since I refused to allow him participate in the war." Leon also laughed. He passed the news to his Undead Army within the Abyss of the Undead. At once, it was as if a burst of life had been pumped into them and Leon felt their eagerness resonate in his core.
Whoosh!
A few wisps of black flames manifested around Leon as his elite summons that had followed him to Rivera revealed themselves.
"Get ready for battle." Leon instructed them and they bowed and went to do as told. There was not much for them to do, as they had always been prepared, though.
Leon folded his arms over his chest and looked over the army that was spread out in the distance. The rebels were strong. They had been gathering strength for a long time before launching their all out offensive, and with Vera leading them, they were able to stay ahead of the curve.
Of course, the strategists and planners of Rivera were not sacks of potatoes. They had long since noticed that not all of the plans they tried to implement against the rebels worked. Several plans that should have turned out to cause heavy losses to the rebels had somehow been worked around, which should not have happened.
Sometimes, the rebels presented an exact counter to whatever plan the defenders had made, which would have only been possible if they possessed inside information. This had led to a thorough investigation of all the possible posts that could have leaked this information. Although no important secrets seemed to have been leaked yet who knew when something like that would happen.
No one even suspected that the very princess that they treasured in their hearts was the one that was leaking their secrets. In fact, if someone were to bring up that suggestion, then the Emperor himself would do away with their heads!
Right now, the target of their inspections and searches did not go as high up as the most important officials of the Empire, and only revolved around the commanders and generals of the Elven Armies.