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

Chapter 77 Gastol's Little Secret

Bambaro Bazan watched as the Mil general Mitrisda spoke eloquently about the map.

"Here! The 'Broken Sword Fortress' east of the disputed river, this is the throat of the Valantis' supply line! As long as we capture this crossing, my legions will have unimpeded access into the heart of Valantis! Unimpeded access! Therefore, we must drive the hardest nail here! Tyrosi has deployed twelve warbands, and Myr will also provide thirty centurions as the core; and my Rhys allies, I need your most capable mercenary groups, such as the Second Sons, the Cat-Blowers, the White Legion, etc. that you have hired..."

"Your Excellency General Mithridates!" A slightly frivolous yet deliberately emphasized voice interrupted the speech. Gasto Ferrero rose from the audience, his face displaying humility and politeness, but a glint of malice flashed in his eyes. He bowed deeply to the governors of Reis seated at the head of the table.

"Your Excellency the First Governor and His Excellency Mitrista, please forgive my abrupt interruption of your brilliant plans," Gasto said respectfully.

"As a member of Reese, I also think day and night about how to bring the greatest victory to the league." He started with a compliment, then immediately changed the subject.

"However, I have some thoughts on the deployment of the White Legion: As we all know, Jules and his White Legion are renowned, but in reality, the White Legion only numbers a few thousand, which is far fewer than established mercenary groups like the Second Sons and the Cat Blowing Legion. Is it... a bit ill-considered to place them directly on the front lines of a meat grinder like 'Broken Sword Fortress'?"

"My lord, do you mean...?" Mitristar asked, frowning.

"My suggestion is to let the White Legion guard the rear. They don't have enough men to participate in the battle as an independent unit, but they're not so few that they can't hold a defensive line!" He showed just the right amount of worry on his face.

"My lords, please look at the map." Gasto walked toward the map, his finger tracing the map of the River of Controversy.

"As you can see, the source of the entire Controversial River is actually the Mil Hills and the Controversial Plateau region. In this area, two streams were born, which subsequently gave rise to lakes: Lake Mil and Lake Controversial."

Gasto Ferrero raised his long pole and began to talk at length about the map on the table.

For someone who started out as a businessman, geography, language, information, connections, and arithmetic are the lifeblood of a businessman.

"Look, gentlemen, these two lakes ultimately take different paths: Lake Mil's waters flow out of the hills through a gap on the western side of the Mil Hills, across the entire Mil Plain, and finally into Mil Bay. Overall, it runs east to west. The lakes and rivers nourished the whole of Mil, making it the most powerful of our three city-states."

"The Controversial Lake, on the other hand, flows directly down from the north, from the highland lake region into the entire Controversial Land, and finally into the Summer Sea. The river generally runs north-south, and we and the Valantis divided the eastern and western regions; they controlled the eastern part of the river, and we controlled the western part."

"If that's all there is to it, we simply cannot contend with the Valantis. At their peak, the Valantis had nearly thirty Tiger Robe Legions, and countless war elephants and warships. We cannot resist them. But!" He pointed proudly to a small peninsula along the Summer Sea, and on the map, to the narrow strip of land running north-south between the mountains and the river west of the River of Controversy.

As seen on the map, near the Controversial River region, there is a mountain range and hills running parallel to the river, resembling a spine. While not exceptionally high, these mountains are densely forested and experience rapid elevation changes, making them difficult for large armies to traverse. This effectively divides the Ries colony into two parts.

However, near the coastal plain and the delta of the disputed river, the southernmost part of the Broken Mountain Range gradually flattens out. Finally, it disappears into the ocean, leaving a small peninsula on the flat coastline.

"We own this region, the flank corridor! And our pride, the great Lysland!" Gasto said with no small amount of pride.

"This area is the 'Flanking Corridor'; it may seem barren, but it is crucial! It connects the richest colony in the heart of the disputed lands to our front line—the narrow colony of Rieslan near the River of Dispute. We in Ries have built smooth roads, markets, and outposts along this short, flat peninsula region! Furthermore, we have ports and fortified fortresses to protect our naval support. If this area falls, we will be forced to retreat to a more rear area for defense, which will bring us incalculable losses!"

He straightened his back, his voice carrying a seductive passion: "Such a strategic location cannot be defended without loyal, reliable, and experienced elite troops! I believe that deploying the 'White Legion' and the 'Lightning Regiment' here is the best choice! With their strict discipline and Commander Jules's superb command skills, they can ensure the safety of our rear, allowing the soldiers on the front lines to have no worries! This is truly using the best resources where they are most needed!"

He looked at Lisandro and the other governors, his tone sincere: "Young Master Lisandro's first battle certainly requires experience. But directly confronting the Valantis war elephants and heavy infantry phalanx head-on is far too risky. Guarding the flank corridors ensures safety while allowing him to fulfill crucial responsibilities and gain experience—isn't that the best of both worlds?"

Mario sneered inwardly: [Lisanlo! Tiberio! You think you're so tough? So eager to make a name for yourselves? I'll send you to some godforsaken rear area to guard warehouses and back roads! Let's see how you achieve anything then! When the battle reports come back from the front, when my son becomes Rith's number one hero, when our Mario family tramples on your heads after the war, you'll be listening from behind! Your names won't be on the list of heroes!]

A murmur rippled through the room. Several governors whispered among themselves, seemingly agreeing with Mario's point.

Lissandro frowned slightly. He knew, of course, that it would be safer for his son to go to the rear, but this contradicted his original intention of hoping that Lissandro would make a name for himself in this battle. However, Mario's reason for "protecting key logistical points" was so plausible that it was difficult to refute directly.

After all, Lisangluo is his eldest son. It's always better to be safe.

Ultimately, at the urging of the Ferrero family and their allies, and after some debate, the deployment plan was modified. The markings for the "White Legion" and the "Lightning Legion" were moved from the forward position of "Broken Sword Fortress" to the rear "Flanking Corridor".

When the news reached the White Legion's camp, Vito was so enraged that he kicked over a bucket of water and cursed, "That treacherous bastard Mario! He's trying to dry us up like salted fish!"

Jules' face was ashen; he understood better than Vito what this meant—not just a matter of military merit, but also being excluded from the core of the war, a huge blow to the legion's reputation.

After all, it's obvious they intend to bench you.

Lisanro was even more direct, practically hurling insults at Mario's family, calling them damned idiots and short-sighted villains.

Tiberius listened in silence, his finger slowly tracing the location of the "flank corridor" on the map.

In fact, he was almost cheering inside.