Chapter 1100: Chapter 1087: One Mountain Cannot Contain Two Tigers Chapter 1100: Chapter 1087: One Mountain Cannot Contain Two Tigers Not long after Muria had discussed with Ferdinand, Stream Mountain Country indeed sent envoy corps to negotiate the alliance. Although these envoys pretended to be composed, their urgency was utterly irremovable, because on the battlefield, they were being defeated step by step by the troops under Michaela’s command.

Under such circumstances, Muria, who was already thick-skinned and hard-hearted, and additionally backed by Ferdinand, naturally, was not willing to agree to Stream Mountain Country’s alliance so readily.

Muria ordered the minister conducting the negotiations to procrastinate as much as possible and, as the envoy corps from Stream Mountain Country grew increasingly anxious, took the opportunity to propose various conditions.

This act of taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune made the negotiation delegation from Stream Mountain Country grind their teeth in anger but left them helpless. After all, they were the ones seeking assistance, and if they wanted others to help, they had no choice but to swallow their pride and bear with it.

And in the final stages of this negotiation about the alliance, the minister from Gai Nation even tentatively proposed that Stream Mountain Country cede territory as payment.

But such a demand touched on Stream Mountain Country’s bottom line. The members of the delegation who had come for the negotiations were furiously indignant and formally rejected the Gai Nation minister’s demand.

Their nation’s territory was already continuously lost under the iron hooves of the Crimson King’s army, diminishing every day. Now they had even lost the Wild Land, which was supposed to be their route of retreat. Under these circumstances, their national territory had directly become their inviolable bottom line.

The negotiation minister, having probed the other side’s bottom line, took his winnings and withdrew, extracting vast resources and various privileges within their country before smoothly signing the treaty, which had been meant to be torn up from the beginning.

After the treaty was signed, Stream Mountain Country incessantly urged Gai Nation to dispatch troops to help them combat the Crimson King’s army.

And the Gai Nation’s army, following Muria’s directives, dragged their feet waiting for Stream Mountain Country to deliver all the resources promised as payment before they sluggishly set out.

This army, which crossed borders to assist another nation, moved at breakneck speed on Gai Nation’s highways, but once they crossed the border, the army’s pace slowed to a crawl.

The sudden change in speed left the accompanying members from Stream Mountain Country’s delegation dumbfounded, as the contrast before and after was stark.

The generals in charge of the expedition, faced with the prodding from Stream Mountain Country, fobbed them off with one excuse: “Your country’s roads are really terrible. We have never walked on such poor roads in our lives and need time to adapt.”

Stream Mountain Country, receiving such a reply, was naturally not satisfied. They wanted to spur on Gai Nation’s army to reach the battlefield as quickly as possible, but the poor state of their own roads made them feel extremely embarrassed.

In the end, Stream Mountain Country came to understand that they had no choice but to offer additional conditions to persuade the King of Gai Nation to order his army to increase their marching speed.

After Gai Nation’s army arrived at the battlefield, following Muria’s instructions, they immediately engaged in a large-scale war with the troops of the Crimson King.

Then, something happened that left Stream Mountain Country utterly astonished. The Crimson King’s Legion, which had once driven them to flee in disarray and to continuously retreat, finally stopped for the first time, blockaded.

This outcome led the entire nation of Stream Mountain Country to celebrate for three days. It also dissolved all the previously accumulated resentment towards Gai Nation, as they felt the resources they had paid to Gai Nation and the conditions promised were very worthwhile.

But what the group of people in Stream Mountain Country could never imagine was that this seemingly magnificent victory had, in fact, been predetermined. It was the result of a consultation between a husband and wife.

Strictly speaking, this was not a war at all, but a military training exercise, masquerading as a tragic battle to the third-party observers. The soldiers on both sides were all actors, and Stream Mountain Country, who had asked one party of actors to come and fight, was the audience, deceived into believing everything they saw was real.

Of course, there were still soldiers who died in this war that was able to deceive, as even in a training exercise there are mortality indicators, but the number of soldiers who died was so negligible compared to a real battle.

After this “war,” Stream Mountain Country became even more dependent on Gai Nation. They were well aware that their own soldiers were no match for the Crimson King’s troops.

Thus, the way the war was conducted started to become strange. With the “assistance” of Gai Nation, Stream Mountain Country, finally able to resist the advance of the Crimson King, began to adjust its strategy, centering on Gai Nation’s troops and supplementing with their own.

Under these conditions, Gai Nation’s army started taking over some of Stream Mountain Country’s strategic fortresses. Of course, some vital strategic locations were still tightly held by Stream Mountain Country, not handed over to Gai Nation’s army.

However, because they wanted to rely on Gai Nation’s army to confront the Crimson King, these fortresses were inevitably penetrated.

As time gradually passed, Gai Nation’s army, following Muria’s orders, was sent continuously to Stream Mountain Country to engage in “battles” with the Crimson King’s troops.

At this point, Gai Nation’s army was seen by Stream Mountain Country as a life-saving straw. Therefore, during the battle, Gai Nation’s army commanders often made various unreasonable demands to Stream Mountain Country’s Royal Court, demanding all sorts of resources.

To the ruling class of Stream Mountain Country, such an army seemed no different from mountain bandits who liked to ambush and rob with no credibility, but these fellows were indeed very capable fighters, which was extremely vexing.

Expert in extortion and adept in all manner of demands – this was Stream Mountain Country’s view of Gai Nation’s army, a veritable band of marauders.

…

“Has your army had its fill in Stream Mountain Country yet?”

“You should ask them that, I didn’t take anything.” replied Muria’s avatar, worn by his own wife.

“Isn’t that all coming from what’s yours?”

“This is different,” Muria corrected.

“How is it any different when you are their king and all that they have belongs to you?”

“That’s true, but each person is an independent living being; they all have their own thoughts and ideas, and I can’t control them.”

“So, do you want to keep things going as they are now?”

“Do you think it’s time for a change?”

“At this point, the Stream Mountain Country should be so infiltrated by your army that it’s like a sieve, it’s time to lay your cards on the table; there’s no need for secrecy anymore.”

“…Isn’t it a bit too early for that now?”

“There’s no need to waste too much time on this country. The world is vast, and there are many more countries that we need to conquer.”

“I understand,” Muria acknowledged.

…

“Prepare to pick the fruit!” Within the Royal Court of the Gai Nation, Muria issued an order.

The commoners of the Gai Nation, immersed in their tranquil and peaceful lives, noticed no changes while the country was in a time of recovery.

However, in Stream Mountain Country, an enormous shift took place within the Gai Nation army, which was “battling” there. Quietly, some plans that had long been in the making began to be implemented.

“After waiting for so long, we’ve finally received this command from the king.”

“Indeed, the wait was too long. Playing a role is something actors, those unproductive in other matters, should do, yet I, a brute who knows only killing, have been playing this part for far too long.”

“Heh, my friend, don’t sell yourself short; ordinary actors couldn’t handle this kind of job.”

“Now that we’re taking action, it truly is a pity.”

“What’s there to pity?”

“I’m lamenting the fact that we won’t have these good days where you could easily swindle food, drinks, and training resources anymore,” a general accustomed to such deception in Stream Mountain Country lamented.

“When we’ve taken Stream Mountain Country, you can try the same thing when you go back home,” someone suggested.

“Cut the crap, if I did that back home, the king would have my head kicked around like a ball,” the general retorted.

“Good that you know it.”

“There’s nothing to regret about the obliteration of Stream Mountain Country; soon, everything they have will be under the control of our Gai Nation, and we won’t be short of perks.”

“Everything under the rule of our Gai Nation? I doubt that’s entirely the case. Don’t forget, there’s still the Crimson King. Although we’ve never directly clashed with his troops over the years, the difficulty of dealing with his forces is something I believe you’ve all experienced,” one remarked.

“If possible, I wouldn’t want to clash with those madmen. A couple of madmen is one thing, but dealing with an entire army, all mad, is another—who can bear that?”

“No one wants to clash with them, but if it really comes to battle, then it’s inevitable. As commanders, we must first be mentally prepared; we can’t fight unprepared battles,” another stated resolutely.

“Don’t be too pessimistic; it’s not certain that we’ll clash with the Crimson King. We’ve been getting along with the king’s forces for some time now. Haven’t you noticed? Our sovereign seems to have some unclear relationship with that king.”

“I’ve heard rumors that the Crimson King is a woman. If the rumors are true, then perhaps our king might make a move, considering he hasn’t taken a queen or consorts yet; it would be quite fitting.”

“Stop talking nonsense; that’s just an unconfirmed rumor. I’ve also heard the rumor that the Crimson King is a demon king with an extreme thirst for killing and warfare.”

“There’s only room for one tiger on a mountain, unless it’s male and female. If the Crimson King is a man, then we’re done for, and we’ll need to prepare for war against those maniacs.”

A general sighed with a shake of his head, but before he could finish, he got a kick in the behind, “What nonsense are you spouting? Are you begging for death? Is our king someone you can just speculate about?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read