Lord of the Frozen Winter: Starting with Daily Intelligence Reports

Upon waking, Louis habitually opened his Daily Intelligence System.
The recent Daily Intelligence hasn't been very useful; hopefully, the great intelligence system will provide some good information this time.
Daily Intelligence Update Complete
1: Due to the increasingly frenzied Snowsworn organization, Duke Edmund has decided to summon his vassals and eradicate the Snowsworn in one fell swoop.
2: Knight reservist Weil has activated his bloodline and officially become an Apprentice Knight.
3: A group of Ice Armor Bears will pass through the northern part of Red Tide Territory tomorrow afternoon.
Louis's gaze swept across the intelligence screen; today's updates ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) seemed quite useful.
The first piece of intelligence immediately caught his attention: Duke Edmund had decided to eradicate the Snowsworn in one fell swoop.
This news made Louis somewhat happy, yet he also felt a faint sense of worry.
The Snowsworn, as the largest and increasingly rampant terrorist rebel organization in the North, had been causing significant trouble.
Recently, they had not only attacked several small territories but also kidnapped nobles and knights for horrific evil sacrificial rituals.
Although these riots were still some distance from Red Tide Territory, what if their reach extended to Red Tide Territory?
The sheer scale and fanatical methods of the Snowsworn organization filled Louis with apprehension.
His own forces were simply insufficient to deal with such a rebel organization.
For Duke Edmund to take action and eradicate this organization in one fell swoop was, by all means, good news for the North.
However, his gaze darkened again.
According to “The Northern Frontier Territories,” he was nominally a vassal of Duke Edmund, or rather, the entire North was his vassal.
“I will certainly need to answer the summons,” Louis murmured softly to himself.
The situation in the North was unstable, and as a vassal, he had to send troops to quell the rebellion at the Duke's summons.
Red Tide Territory had just stabilized, and his own forces were still very weak.
If he were to go out to suppress the rebellion, there would inevitably be losses.
But Louis suddenly thought of something—he had the Daily Intelligence System.

This powerful tool had already kept him safe through many crises.
Through the system, Louis could foresee potential threats on the battlefield, avoiding direct conflict.
He could even allow Red Tide Territory to seize the opportunity to gain more resources from the turmoil and enhance its strength.
“When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth.” With this thought, his mood relaxed considerably.
Louis continued reading the intelligence, his eyes stopping at the second update.
“Weil has officially become an Apprentice Knight, activating his bloodline.”
He paused slightly, then a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes.
With the help of the Daily Intelligence System, he had long foreseen this moment.
Moreover, Weil’s future was not just that of a simple Apprentice Knight; he would be one of the strongest forces in Red Tide Territory in the future.
“He truly lives up to being a future Peak Knight,” Louis couldn't help but exclaim, nodding with satisfaction.
He then looked at the third piece of intelligence: “Ice Armor Bears have awakened from hibernation and are expected to pass through the northern part of Red Tide Territory tomorrow afternoon.”
Adult Ice Armor Bears are extremely dangerous magical creatures.
They stand up to 7.2 meters tall, and their skin is covered with a natural layer of ice crystals, making them almost impervious to any attack.
Their forepaws have evolved half-meter-long cold iron claws, capable of releasing low-temperature pulses when hunting, instantly freezing the blood of their prey.
There was no hint of worry on Louis's face; instead, a faint smile appeared.
“This, for me, is actually a good thing,” he murmured softly to himself.
Although the Ice Armor Bear was powerful and fierce, it wasn't much of a threat to his current combat strength.
Moreover, its meat was extremely valuable, capable of enhancing a Knight’s flesh and fighting spirit.
This was precisely an excellent reward for his Knights and the eight Knight reservist children under his command.
Furthermore, these Knights had not engaged in actual combat for a long time, and the presence of the Ice Armor Bear could also stimulate their fighting desire and training enthusiasm.
He immediately summoned Lambert: “Lambert, gather all the Knights and archers; prepare to head north for a hunt.”
Lambert did not ask further; he acknowledged and withdrew, quickly going to arrange the relevant matters.
...
An urgent report quickly reached Duke Edmund’s study.
“Report, a territory in the North has been attacked by the Snowsworn; all civilians were killed, and nobles and Knights were abducted.”
These few brief lines were like a massive bomb, exploding instantly in the Duke's heart.
This was the sixth such incident in the past two months.
The atrocities of the Snowsworn were becoming increasingly rampant, and every inch of the North trembled in unrest.
“Damn the Snowsworn!”
Duke Edmund stood up abruptly, scattering the documents on his desk.
The Snowsworn were once surviving forces of Snow Country, gradually transforming into desperadoes with the Empire's conquest.
Now, this organization, deeply mired in hatred, was igniting their flames of vengeance across the land of the North.
“These are no longer mere bandits; we must strike hard!”
Flames of anger burned in the Duke's heart; this threat had to be completely eradicated for the North to regain peace.
That evening, the Duke summoned senior members of his family—strategists, advisors, and important generals—for an emergency meeting.
“We cannot wait any longer. Dispatch all vassals, gather the armies, and divide our forces to surround the Snowsworn strongholds. We must annihilate them in one fell swoop!”
Under the Duke's instruction, all family members began to discuss in detail how to deal with this storm.
The meeting entered a tense phase of strategic discussion, as the strategists began to formulate specific battle plans.
“We will divide our forces to encircle and suppress the Snowsworn strongholds, ensuring no effort is spared in each location. At the same time, heavy troops will defend the borders to prevent northern tribes from taking advantage of the situation…”
The Duke instructed: “Notify all vassals to gather and prepare for the attack; they must depart on time.”
As the meeting neared its end, a strategist asked: “Duke, should we include those newly arrived frontier lords from the South in this operation?”
Duke Edmund sneered, his eyes filled with disdain: “All of them! Frontier lords from the South?
These people are nothing but useless noble offspring; even if they die, those big figures in the South won't feel any pain. Let’s just send them all to their deaths!”
His tone carried a sense of contempt, clearly showing his attitude towards the southern frontier lords.
Originally, the Emperor's “Northern Frontier Edict” had intended for southern nobles to send some of their disciples to develop the northern territories, using their strength to stabilize the North.
As it turned out, those imperial bloodsuckers merely sent some scraps to perfunctorily satisfy the Emperor.
Since that was the case, he might as well take advantage of this expedition to eliminate these useless troubles.
After the meeting, the Duke immediately began to implement the plan.
Knights moved swiftly, delivering orders to every vassal, ensuring all armies could gather on time.
The entire North, like a sleeping beast, slowly began to awaken, preparing for the impending bloody battle.
Duke Edmund stood on the high tower of Frost Halberd City, coldly overlooking the land that was about to burn.