Chapter 413: Turning the Tables - Part 2

"No! I vehemently oppose this plan!" General Haas stepped forward passionately, only to be blocked by more than ten fully armed royal guards. "I won't agree to this! The soldiers of Alterac won't agree either!"

"Then use the excuse of repositioning them, move them away!" King Aiden coldly suggested.

"No! I still oppose!" Haas, restrained by several guards, roared in struggle. "This is a blasphemy against all of humanity!"

"Silence! Haas! You swore loyalty to me, even unto the ends of hell!"

General Haas was stunned.

"Can we trust the Warchief of the Horde?" a low-ranking nobleman named Valand asked. His question represented the concerns of many nobles. Seeing many people nodding in agreement, Aiden breathed a sigh of relief. If they were asking this, it meant they had already accepted the agreement in their hearts—the only thing holding them back was doubt about its execution.

"We have no choice," Aiden slowly replied. "Unless they want to abandon all of Alterac, they can destroy us and everything we have. Of course, if they betray their promise, we are still doomed. But if they keep their promise—Alterac will survive. No matter the cost. Now, make your choice, gentlemen!"

With a wave of his hand, over a hundred royal guards rushed out from the side door, surrounding all the generals and nobles.

No one knew what the consequences of refusing to sign the contract would be, but it was clear it wouldn't be anything pleasant.

Clearly, the king had already informed his loyalists in advance. On the spot, over a third of the nobles and generals signed the contract, agreeing unconditionally to the king's policies and strategies against the Alliance.

They signed their names and stamped their seals.

Once they boarded the king's war chariot, it meant that once Aiden officially broke with the Alliance, they would also bear the responsibility.

The remaining two-thirds hesitated. The neutrals and those connected to Lord Barov all turned their eyes to the second most powerful man in the kingdom—Lord Barov, whose power was only second to King Aiden.

The silent Lord Barov, his neck like a rusted machine, slowly lifted his head.

"The Barov family opposes!" Perhaps due to fear, his voice was clearly trembling, unlike his previous tone.

Aiden didn't mind. Anyone's voice would change under extreme anxiety and panic.

Aiden stroked the hilt of his sword at his waist, sighed deeply, "My old friend, I'm sorry I didn't consult you in advance. In my view, when you sent little Jandice to that boy who stole the high position of the Alliance, you made your choice. Your heart is no longer in Alterac. You plan to join those damned refugees, steal Alterac's land and throne, don't you?"

Like a bolt from the blue, Lord Barov was completely stunned, looking at the king but unable to utter a word.

"I'm sorry, you can no longer represent the Barov family." The king clapped his hands, and two young men came out from the side hall.

Lord Barov's eyes widened in shock.

The 15-year-old Weldon Barov and Alexi Barov, the only two heirs of the Barov family. Now, they had actually gone over to the king's side!

Weldon sneered, "Father, you're old. It's time for the Barov family to be handed over to us."

Alex had undisguised anger, "Father, you've gone mad! You actually plan to hand over the family to

Jandice, even give it to that bastard Duke, rather than leaving the family business to us!?"

Lord Barov raised his right index finger, shakily pointing at the king, a lump in his throat, yet unable to utter a word.

The game was set.

Nobility values bloodline above all else.

No matter how much the old Lord Barov struggled, he couldn't escape the bonds of blood. As the old duke fell to his knees in despair, almost all the nobles and generals stepped forward, signing their names and stamping their seals.

The Duke's two good sons, smugly, did the same in front of their father.

King Aiden, having garnered the support of everyone except Haas and the old Lord Barov, was clearly in high spirits. He showed everyone his superior political skills.

He demonstrated what it meant to turn the tables.

"Gentlemen, I didn't mean to force you. If there were a choice, I certainly wouldn't serve those terrifying beasts. The contracts you signed are just insurance. Insurance! Understand?"

Everyone stared blankly at King Aiden.

Finally, Aiden showed his true colors: "In fact, I've also informed that guy, Terenas, about the Horde's main force's attack. I told him that if he doesn't send reinforcements, I'll abandon defense and let the Horde rush through my territory to parade in Lordaeron. As a result, Terenas, like a cat on a hot tin roof, sent his last court mage group and accompanying high-ranking knights. I plan to let these guys destroy the Horde's advance through the mountains."

General Haas, who had been kneeling in despair, suddenly looked up, his eyes full of hopeful light. "Your Majesty, were you just deceiving us? You don't plan to fulfill the treaty with the Horde? Right! We don't need to keep promises to those despicable beasts."

Aiden waved his right index finger smugly, "No, I've already informed Orgrim about the arrival of Lordaeron's reinforcements, including their numbers and types of troops."

"..." The entire hall suddenly fell into dead silence.

Aiden's face was filled with unparalleled indifference and cruelty. He held up the contract signed by all the generals and nobles: "Let them fight each other to the death. If Terenas's elites win, then I'll secretly burn this contract, no one will believe the evidence provided by those beasts."

Many people visibly breathed a sigh of relief when Aiden said this.

"If the Horde is really that powerful and wipes out Terenas's elites, then we, who informed Orgrim in advance, have naturally fulfilled our duty as allies. We can then join the Horde with peace of mind."

If the Horde wins, wouldn't that mean wiping out Lordaeron's last elite guard? What's the difference between Lordaeron and a vulnerable young girl who can be violated at will?

"Hiss——" In the hall, there were countless gasps.

They suddenly realized that this was the king they knew, the cunning and scheming king!

No matter what the situation, the only winner would be Alterac.

For a time, the hall was filled with heated discussions, and almost every noble and general had a smile on their face.

"Only King Perenolde could turn such a crisis into a guaranteed victory!"

"Indeed, this is the way of survival for us in Alterac!"

A bunch of people were nauseatingly flattering King Aiden.

At this moment, Aiden suddenly received a message: the envoy of the Horde had arrived.