NOVEL NEXT Chapter 122: Bullet Projectile
"Wait, Brother!"
"They came to help us in this war," Hannah explained, trying to reassure her.
Lubert took a long breath and let it out slowly. The handsome man with shoulder-length blonde hair turned and looked at his sister who had just arrived from the West on his orders.
"I clearly remember the basic rule of the round chamber that women are not allowed!" Lubert insisted.
"You too. I would listen if you had managed to hold Sisyla's forces in the West. But what was the result? You lost, many of your men died."
"You are tarnishing the kingdom's reputation!" Lubert snapped.
Hannah fell silent. Besides the fact that what Lubert said was true, she could not argue with his orders because he was the Crown Prince, the future king who would inherit their father's power.
This war, he used as a proving ground to show he was worthy of the title of King. He would show that he was a great hero who saved the Moko Kingdom from ruin.
That arrogance was indirectly what caused many defeats on Moko's two fronts. The northern front in particular was disastrous, thousands of soldiers had fallen, many villages were ruined, and major cities were taken.
Gideon watched Lubert berate Hannah in front of all the commanders, including the King of Moko himself.
He turned to the side and ordered Lena to take Hannah away because the situation inside the round chamber was not conducive.
"Of course, we will go, Crown Prince Lubert," Gideon said.
Lena convinced Hannah and they left the round chamber, arriving in the palace corridor. Hannah hung her head, her brother's words still echoing in her mind.
"Is what he said true?" Hannah asked, sadly.
Gideon was silent. They walked back toward the palace front area because Lubert opposed Gideon and his team being there to discuss strategy together. Gideon could not press the issue since his current rank was only Baron.
Hannah suggested they wait in the garden. Gideon had earlier met Norton; his reason for going north was indeed to meet him and confirm the information he had sent.
Gideon and his team had no objection to that. Hannah also asked a servant to summon Queen Anastasya to join them. The two women were already close to Gideon and his team.
"Norton is in the palace. Shall we wait for him?" Luke asked, and Gideon agreed.
Soon, Queen Anastasya arrived with two personal attendants. But because the people in the garden pavilion were children and friends she trusted, she dismissed her attendants.
They left, leaving Queen Anastasya with Hannah and Gideon's team. She immediately asked why they were not in the round chamber.
"My brother is stubborn. He refuses to listen to me," Hannah replied curtly.
"He is your brother, it's natural he is stubborn," Anastasya joked.
"And you, Baron Gideon. Is there something important that brought you here from the distant south?" the queen asked.
"Yes. There are matters I need to discuss with Earl Ashfield, and of course it relates to the war."
"War, huh? I have never liked war. War affects so many sectors," Anastasya said.
Gideon agreed with that statement. Besides the soldiers, human resources were reduced, food supplies decreased, but taxes increased.
They were fortunate that each city was well managed by its rulers. Otherwise, Gideon feared many new rebellions would arise that the kingdom would not be able to control.
"According to your analysis, how will this war unfold, Baron Gideon?" Anastasya asked.
"The Moko Kingdom can last quite a while if they do not go on the offensive. That means they must hold their strongest fortress!"
"If that is so, then many villages and towns will fall to the enemy," Anastasya explained.
"That is already the risk. If they go on the offensive and attack, once their army is defeated, there will not be enough soldiers left to guard the strongest fortress."
"You seem so pessimistic about our soldiers, Gideon," Hannah complained.
"This is about soldier morale. Tell me, how many battles have taken place during this war? And how many of those have we actually won?" Gideon asked.
Hannah fell silent. So did Anastasya. Gideon let out a sigh. He had already guessed that many battles had been lost.
That was enough to thin out the spirit of thousands of soldiers, making them pessimistic and losing the will to fight.
"That is the reason. Losing too many battles makes the soldiers lose their fighting spirit, because they know they will just lose again," Gideon answered.
"The only way to raise their morale is to win battles or have Lubert fight on the front lines!" Gideon stressed.
"That is impossible. The king will never allow Lubert to fight on the front lines," Anastasya explained.
Gideon fully understood. The King of Moko surely did not want to lose Lubert, his heir. In Gideon's view, the king probably thought the death of commanders was more acceptable than the death of his successor.
"Then an offensive plan when the army's morale is low is nothing more than sending them out to die," Gideon added.
"I knew it! You are smarter than Lubert!" Hannah exclaimed, slamming the table and pointing forward at Gideon.
Lena and Luke smiled. Hannah might have only realized it now, but Lena and Luke had long known Gideon's talent and ability to read the battlefield.
Military strategy from the modern world was complicated, but since Gideon already had a solid foundation, he could still apply it in this era.
"Lubert will regret turning you down earlier," Hannah said.
"I am sure Crown Prince Lubert already has a fixed plan for this. If he believes it is the best choice, I will support him," Gideon replied, not wanting to argue or create bigger problems.
Day turned into evening, and Gideon and his team were still in the garden pavilion with Hannah.
Queen Anastasya had already gone back inside the palace to continue her duties, but she left a message with the guards at the round chamber door to tell Earl Ashfield to come to the garden pavilion.
When the meeting ended, Norton was informed immediately. He quickly left the round chamber and hurried to the garden, unwilling to keep Gideon waiting.
Passing through several palace corridors, he clearly saw the wide garden laid out to the east of the palace. When Norton arrived, Gideon and the others turned to greet him.
"You look thinner, Norton," Gideon joked.
"Captain Gideon!"
To everyone's surprise, Norton knelt in front of the pavilion. Gideon was shocked and quickly ordered him to stand upright.
He did not want to spark any wild speculation about Norton's gesture that might make others suspicious.
"Stand up, do you want to get me killed?" Gideon joked.
"Forgive me, Captain Gideon. I was just happy and did not expect you to be in the capital."
"I actually had many matters in Rockvalley, far more important than your kingdom. But your message forced me to come," Gideon explained.
"You received my message?"
"Was it true?" Gideon asked firmly.
"It was true. They were special forces mixed into Luthe's archer division. Our soldiers were wounded and their armor was pierced in exposed spots," Norton replied.
Gideon went quiet. It reminded him of something he had seen before. He had once tried firing 9mm rounds at soldiers' armor.
Some armor could be punctured, but for the royal army, their armor used strong steel that could deflect small rounds like the 9mm.
One of the weapons that used that caliber was the M17. That made Gideon even more certain that someone from his team had sold their weapons to Luthe.
"Where are the soldiers who were shot?" Lena asked.
Norton turned quickly. "The wounded were taken straight to Highwall Fortress for treatment. But because the metal was coated in poison, not many of them survived."
"You kept the projectile?" Gideon asked, and Norton nodded.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the iron bullet, handing it to Gideon. Gideon looked shocked, and so did Lena and Luke.
"That is impossible… their technology is more advanced than it should be," Lena said.
"Who was it? I will shoot that traitor if I ever meet him!" Luke snapped.
"No doubt about it. The one who handed this technology over to Luthe was a member of the SOF team."