"Brother Green!" Ashville, Lyra, and Mia called out in unison.
Green had just stepped out of the forest when three voices with different tones rang out in front of him.
Since Green's status in the castle changed, and given his frequent hunting trips, these three often appeared on his way back from hunting, hoping to get closer to him. However, there was competition among the three, and whoever had the advantage was often suppressed by the other two. So far, none of them had made any real progress.
But this time was clearly different from usual; the three girls running towards Green had obvious panic on their faces. Judging from their expressions, something serious had clearly happened. Green threw down the mountain bear he was carrying and quickly ran towards the three girls.
"What happened? Why are you so flustered?" Green asked the three girls in a gentle, concerned tone.
"Lord Green, something terrible has happened! Grand Duke Lotahan has rebelled and declared his allegiance to the Kingdom of Saladin. The entire Kingdom of Lodin is now in chaos. The Kingdom of Saladin has declared war on the Kingdom of Lodin, and we have been abandoned." With a sliver of reason left, Ashville quickly told Green what he knew.
"Let's go back to the castle first." Upon hearing this news, Green was initially shocked, but then immediately began to analyze the current situation.
[No wonder there was no news of Saladin's invasion in the kingdom. Grand Duke Lotahan, the border duke, actually betrayed the Kingdom of Lodin and joined the Kingdom of Saladin. As the first line of defense against Saladin, it's normal that the Baron's message went unanswered if Grand Duke Lotahan was intercepting the news.] Green thought to himself.
"Let's go back to the castle and find out the details." There's too little information; they don't even know when the Kingdom of Saladin will invade. They need to go back to the castle to gather information first. Having made up his mind, Green and the three girls quickly returned to the castle.
The news had already spread throughout the castle, and everyone inside wore expressions of panic, sorrow, and a hint of confusion. The maids were unable to concentrate on their work. Even the castle guards were listless, their minds elsewhere from guarding the gates.
[Is it already this chaotic?] Green thought to himself, looking at the messy castle.
Green quickly found Old Green, who had just returned from the Baron's room.
Old Green emerged from the Baron's room looking as if he had suffered a major blow, and sat dejectedly on the edge of his bed.
"Old Green, what's wrong? Why are you looking so dejected?" Old Green's condition was clearly not right.
Old Green looked at Green with a wry smile, then told Green the detailed information he had obtained from the Baron.
Grand Duke Lotahan did indeed betray the kingdom and revealed his reasons. Lotahan, as the first battlefield against Saladin, experienced a war almost every few decades. In the early days of the kingdom, the relationship between the king and the duke was indeed very good. The two worked together, with the king providing food and the duke providing military strength. They were able to resist the attacks of the Saladin kingdom every time and even conquer Saladin's territory.
With the change of the throne, a rift appeared between the king and the grand duke. The king wanted to reclaim the grand duke's territory, and in past battles, he constantly cut off supplies, even completely halting them during the last Battle of the Bauhinia. Had it not been for the remaining resources of Duke Lotahan, Lotahan would have already been conquered in the last war.
Betrayed by the kingdom, Duke Lotahan knew he could not withstand Saladin's next attack. If he didn't make a change, his entire family would perish. "You are unjust, I will be unjust too," he thought. Duke Lotahan secretly contacted King Saladin, expressing his intention to surrender. Saladin's kingdom readily agreed.
Lota Khan naturally relinquished his fortress Anserus, allowing Saladin's army to enter. With the loss of Anserus, the entire Lodin Kingdom had already fallen by one-third.
The most troublesome thing is that the Baron's territory is also within the area protected by Anserus. Now that this bridgehead has been lost, Saladin's army can reach the Baron's territory as soon as they break through the Annapurna Mountains.
As for why the baron's territory is so important, if Anselus Fortress still existed, then the baron's territory would be of no use at all.
With the capture of Anserus Fortress, the river originating from the Annapurna Mountains became extremely important. The Baron's territory was located upstream of the river, and once it was captured, it could serve as a stronghold. Ships could then sail downstream, utilizing the river to facilitate the rapid transport of troops and supplies.
Of course, besides the Baron, several surrounding territories also met the same fate, as there is more than one river originating from the Annapurna Mountains.
To attempt to fight against the army of a nation with a baron's territory is clearly futile. Coupled with the enemy army's relentless advance through the Annapurna Mountains, the baron has decided to flee.
Running away is not an option. The baron's value is not high. Even if the other party accepts the surrender, the baron's territory will be taken back and the wealth will be divided up.
It would be better to pack your belongings and valuables and flee to another country before the other party arrives.
With his wealth and the martial prowess of a baron knight, he could at least become a wealthy man.
The Baron didn't actually want to run away, but now he had no choice; running away was the best outcome.
As for why Old Green was so dejected, as a participant in the Battle of the Bauhinia, he had always taken pride in it and was proud to be a soldier under Duke Lotahan. Now that Lotahan had betrayed the kingdom, even under duress, it still dealt a significant blow to Old Green. Even Baron Clod and Captain Os of the Guard were in the same boat.
Green could certainly understand the devastation of having what he considered an honor reduced to worthless. In his previous life's scientific research career, Green had been targeted by countless rivals who attacked him from every angle, resorting to all sorts of media attacks and personal harassment.
[I wonder how happy these parasites of scientific research will be after I die on the operating table?]
"Are you planning to leave?" Looking at the dejected old Green, Green finally asked the question.
"I'm not that stubborn. I didn't want to leave back then because of the fortress. Now that I have no one to rely on, I naturally won't stubbornly choose not to leave." Old Green said this, but the disappointment in his eyes was undeniable. "The commoners throughout the territory have received the Baron's notice, and most of them have begun to move their families. The hatred between the Kingdom of Saladin and the Kingdom of Lodin has accumulated over hundreds of years. Once the Kingdom of Saladin enters the territory, it is very likely to launch a large-scale massacre, and the commoners may not be able to survive. Green, pack your things, and we will leave with the Baron in a couple of days."
Upon learning that his father was willing to leave, Green breathed a sigh of relief. If his father had really not wanted to leave, Green would probably have had to take force.
Now that there were no obstacles to leaving, Green packed his things.