Gospel of Blood
Chapter 287: Preemptive Strike

“Master, the entire battlefield has been cleared, but we haven’t found the body of Chait de Lagrisse…”

“Some captured nobles confessed that the commander of the Lagrisse family did not directly participate in the battle. It seems he fled among the retreating Northern lancers when he saw the situation turn against them.”

In the occupied camp, Sebastian reported respectfully to Charlotte after tallying the battle gains.

“He escaped quite quickly…”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow but didn’t dwell on it.

The main elite force of the Lagrisse family had been annihilated in one battle, so the escape of their commander wasn’t a major issue.

The rebels didn’t have a deep foundation, and standing armies weren’t easy to come by. Even if the Lagrisse were not maintaining extraordinary army like those of the Borde Duchy, replenishing their forces in a short time wouldn’t be easy.

In other words, the Castell rebels were no longer a threat. It was inevitable that Charlotte would dispatch her troops to pursue and reclaim lost territories.

“What about the Northern lancers? Why did the Northern troops side with the rebels?”

Charlotte asked another question that puzzled her.

Sebastian had a peculiar expression.

“Master… the captured Northern nobles confessed that they were heavily bribed by the Lagrisse family.”

“Heavily bribed?”

Charlotte was momentarily stunned.

Although she had heard that Northern nobles liked to work as mercenaries, pulling together eight to nine thousand hired cavalry seemed excessively expensive for the Lagrisse family.

“What did the Lagrisse family offer them as payment?”

Charlotte asked.

Sebastian answered honestly.

“Mithril, a lot of mithril.”

“A lot of mithril…”

Charlotte narrowed her eyes and chuckled.

“It seems more accurate to say that the Northern lancers were hired not by them but by the Blood Demon Cult behind them.”

In the North, the only significant source of mithril was the Castell Mithril Mine.

Over the past decade, the Castell Mining Workshop had likely been infiltrated by the Blood Demon Cult. Only the Blood Demon Cult could procure so much mithril at once.

Considering the intelligence provided by Viscount Roman-Four and Count Gaston about the Third Prince, Charlotte was almost certain that the Third Prince was cooperating with the Blood Demon Cult.

“Master, what should we do with the captives?”

Sebastian continued to ask.

Charlotte pondered for a moment and said,

“As for the nobles, detain them first. Bring them back to Northport for custody and deal with them uniformly after the war.”

“As for the Northern lancers, confiscate all their horses and equipment. Keep the cavalry as laborers and negotiate their fate with the Northern Grand Duchy after the war.”

“For the rebel soldiers… those who can be incorporated into the coalition forces will be dispersed and incorporated. As for those who cannot, disarm them and give them some travel expenses before sending them away.”

The Holy Code already had clear regulations on handling rebellious nobles.

Apart from nobles loyal to the Lagrisse family, Charlotte had the right to strip same-rank nobles and Lagrisse family nobles of their titles and reclaim their territories.

Charlotte planned to follow these conventions but would wait until the war ended to do so. She didn’t yet know the full role of the Blood Demon Cult in the rebellion or how deeply Northern nobles were entangled with them.

If there were indeed entanglements, Charlotte had the right to strip them of their titles and reclaim their lands, no matter who they were.

As for the Northern Grand Duchy… Charlotte didn’t have time to deal with them now. She would temporarily detain the captives and demand a hefty ransom later.

Regarding the rebel soldiers, most were conscripts— essentially farmers.

Charlotte didn’t intend to trouble them. The rebellion was incited by nobles and had nothing to do with these commoners. They were simply following noble orders, and they were still Charlotte’s subjects.

Charlotte quickly formulated a plan for handling the captives.

“Countess Castell, what are your plans next?”

Count Gaston asked from the side.

Charlotte pondered for a moment and looked at Baron Angus, who immediately understood and said,

“Countess, the rebel main force has been destroyed. We don’t need as many troops for the remaining pacification.”

“I suggest splitting our forces: one group defends the south against possible attacks from the Third Prince, while the other continues north to eliminate the remaining rebels.”

After hearing Baron Angus’ suggestion, Charlotte nodded slightly.

She pondered for a moment and said,

“Baron Angus, I appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the pacification forces. Lead 1,500 cavalry and 8,000 infantry north to completely quell the rebellion in the North.”

“Sebastian, accompany Baron Angus and act as his deputy for now.”

With that, Charlotte gave Sebastian a meaningful look.

“Sebastian, if you encounter strong enemies during the pacification… you know what to do.”

Sebastian understood immediately, knowing Charlotte was hinting that if they encountered the Blood Demon Cult, he should call upon her for assistance.

“Master, I understand.”

He bowed respectfully.

Charlotte then looked at Count Gaston.

“Count Gaston, please accompany me. We’ll take the remaining troops and captives south to prepare for possible invasions from the south…”

After hearing Charlotte’s orders, Baron Angus placed his right hand on his chest and respectfully saluted. Count Gaston also nodded slightly, indicating his compliance.

“In addition…”

Charlotte paused, squinting with a smile.

“Publicize all the information we have about the Third Prince’s conspiracy. Spread it widely and draft a proclamation to officially declare war on the Third Prince in the name of independence and resistance against tyranny!”

Upon hearing Charlotte’s words, the surrounding nobles were slightly taken aback.

Baron Angus hesitated and said,

“Countess, are we… proactively declaring war? Isn’t it too early?”

Charlotte shook her head and said,

“It’s not too early.”

“The Third Prince will undoubtedly act against us. Even if we don’t declare war on him, he will soon declare war on us.”

“In that case, we might as well take the initiative and seize the moral high ground.”

…

After Charlotte issued her orders, the Castell coalition forces began to split their troops.

Five days after the battle by the Dorn River, the Third Prince Philip received news of the total annihilation of the Castell rebel main force…