Preparing for winter

Elizabeth personally handed off her aunt's letter to the local officers under General Petra's command. Apparently, the general had arrived a few days prior, so this worked in her favor. She and the others continued their guise as normal laborers and eventually rested in a nearby inn, while waiting for the general to make her move. At around midnight, Elizabeth was woken up by knocks on her door. The knocks were soft but rhythmic using the army's coding system. This ensured that there was no mistake about the knocker's identity. Just to be safe, Elizabeth fetched her bow, donned a cloak, and opened the door cautiously, but her worries were unnecessary. Four Royal Guards knelt before her, and the final person, General Petra Tourelle, bowed. The general had come herself!

"Welcome back, Your Highness. I'm glad that you're safe," General Petra said.

General Petra Tourelle was an elderly woman with a full head of white hair; however, she maintained a powerful presence and charisma that was hard to ignore. Her posture, actions, and even her voice showed her boundless vitality. She felt like a young woman in her thirties, not someone approaching seventy! She was a famous war hero from the First Great Kingdom War, the first woman to receive two Golden Snapdragon Awards in the past century, the highest honors in the Alzar Kingdom! The number of recipients of the Golden Snapdragon Award in the past century could be counted on two hands alone, which spoke volumes about her unimaginable contributions! Although she had aged since then, her abilities remained as sharp as ever.

"Thank you for coming all this way, General Petra. Have you prepared what I asked of you?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Right this way, please."

"The rest of my companions are in these rooms. Please notify and gather them without alerting the other patrons, if possible." She handed over a rough breakdown of who was in what room.

"Understood. We shall have it done right away," General Petra said, gesturing to her subordinates.

After Elizabeth boarded the carriage outside, they travelled to a secure location where she could finally freshen up. Her grimy hair returned to a lustrous glossy crimson red, her skin was rubbed sparkling clean, and her face was revitalized to a healthy state. When she changed out of her filthy work clothes and into a clean set of lavish clothes, even her aura transformed into a dignified and regal one. She was like an entirely different person! Princess Elizabeth had made her reappearance! An ensemble of excellent physicians then carefully examined her condition to ensure that there were no lingering issues. For the heir apparent, they took everything seriously and thoroughly explored every possibility. They prescribed many expensive medicines and treatment options with prices high enough to startle anyone. Even if there was no problem, they made a show that there was a problem, for liability's sake. When all was said and done, the morning suns were half-way up and approached noon. She ate a filling meal and summoned General Petra after.

"Please sit. We have a long discussion ahead of us," Elizabeth said.

"As you wish, Your Highness."

The conversation went much the same way as it did with her aunt. Elizabeth narrated the Battle of Liguang from start to finish and explained her plans with the Imperial Princesses and Imperian Qiang going forward. General Petra was more thorough than Commander Christina, and she asked countless clarifying questions about the situation in Liguang. She wanted to get a comprehensive picture of the Imperial Council and the Featherwind Sect's combat capabilities. Although she heard about the Battle of the Maelstrom Gulf, hearing about it firsthand was naturally different. She was particularly surprised about the Featherwind Sect's unbelievable feats in destroying the town or the Imperial Council's army of Perception Realms wielding Martial Energy. It had completely shattered her decades of experience and military theory. She could tell that the Battle of Liguang had far larger implications than anyone could imagine. Like the discovery of Arcania or invention of the glider, warfare had taken another massive step forward!

"What do you think, General Petra?" Elizabeth asked after the general's long silence.

"We will have to adjust our strategy to account for these new threats. The Featherwind Sect is cause for concern, but the Imperial Council is the larger threat. This battle suggests that the Imperial Council has a method to systematically nurture and train Perception Realms. Left unchecked, they could refine and perfect the process, deploying it on a large-scale throughout their armies. We could be entering a new era where the main combatants are not regular Fundamental Realm grunts, but Perception Realm monsters. The Alzar Kingdom would remain one step behind in this war. We cannot allow that to happen."

"That isn't all. It brings into question our intelligence network. The Featherwind Sect I can understand since their numbers are small, but the Imperial Council amassing an army of thousands of Perception Realms, especially as they entered the Samfeng Province… Our informants should have noticed something. The fact that we did not suggests that our intelligence network is either incompetent, malicious, or both."

"Your Highness raises a valid concern," General Petra grew thoughtful. "However, it appears that Your Highness has more reasons to believe so. Could I hear why?"

"This is something that has been bothering me for the past year. How did the Xingyuu Empire know that I was the heir apparent or that I would appear in Port Silic? How did Emperor Lianghu intercept Lord Korogin's plans to invade? There are more examples, but these are the most glaring ones. I'm sure that you've heard the rumors that there's a traitor in the Royal Assembly."

"I have, but I paid it no mind. Jurisdiction over the kingdom's intelligence network falls under Lord Kendrick, the Master of Information. Pardon my saying so but accusing someone on the Royal Assembly of treason requires more than circumstantial evidence. At best, I can request an investigation into their failure to report on the Imperial Council's movements. Anything against Lord Kendrick is however unreasonable."

"Please do so. Too many people died in the Battle of Liguang and we cannot let something like this happen again. Our success in this war hinges on it."

"Understood. I will prepare a formal request tomorrow."

"How are our preparations for the winter? Do we have sufficient supplies?"

General Petra nodded. "This year's harvests have been better than expected. Lord Joseph, the Master of Resources, has done a splendid job in funnelling resources across the kingdom. Pelangi Fortress is projected to receive enough supplies to support the northern theatre for the next four to six months. And with the Zino Kingdom's new experimental fleet to facilitate transport across the Maelstrom Gulf, we should receive a consistent flow of goods throughout the winter months. Our current stockpile in the Yunyun Stronghold is approximately three months worth or around half that during the winter."

Elizabeth sighed. This upcoming winter would be the real test whether they deserved to stay in the Xingyuu Empire or not. Supporting a force exceeding two hundred thousand in foreign territory was a tall order. Adding onto that the complexities of a logistics network, the threat of enemy invasions, and the harsh weather conditions, and it multiplied that difficulty. The Imperial Council, the Li Family, and the Featherwind Sect would also undoubtedly prey on their time of weakness, raising the pressure significantly. This was why she wanted to ally with the Li Family, aside from her aspirations for peace; however, rather than allying with the kingdom, the Li Family decided to ally with the Imperial Council instead. Things never seemed to go her way!

"I understand. Keep up the good work."

"Your Highness, as shown by the Battle of Liguang, there are situations beyond our control, and our armies may be inadequate for your protection. I recommend returning to the Alzar Kingdom for now."

"I've had the same conversation with General Dennis and Admiral Aura, and my answer remains the same. I respectfully decline. There are things that only I can do here, and I don't intend to sit back either. Not to mention, I've made an agreement with the Imperial Princesses and Imperian Qiang. I cannot leave yet."

"In that case, Your Highness, please stay here in the Yunyun Stronghold. The army will strive to ensure Your Highness's safety at all costs."

"No, it would be best if my status goes unreported," Elizabeth said. "This is why I asked my aunt, Commander Christina, to stay in Liguang. I want our enemies to think that I am dead."

"I understand that Your Highness is keeping in mind that a traitor may be on the Royal Assembly," General Petra quickly deduced. "But this decision will…"

"I know what the repercussions are, and I will take full responsibility for everything."

"…As you wish, Your Highness."