"I never thought I could hide anything from you, Master."
"On the surface, King Jiang trusts you immensely. He even bestowed upon you the Jiang surname and made you Grand General of Jiang Territory, commanding a third of the army. But for those in power—especially a king—trust does not truly exist in their eyes."
James Grant understood well King Jiang’s attitude toward him. It was only because of his abilities that King Jiang seemed to place such trust in him. In reality, James was nothing more than a tool in the king’s hand—something he had realized long ago.
"Once you’ve accomplished what you can, what awaits you likely won’t be pleasant. So if you go to Grant Domain early and bring the war to an end, you and the Grant Family could become allies. That way, even if a major problem arises, you’ll still have a way out—instead of having no escape at all."
James Grant seemed to come to a realization, stood up, and nodded.
Startled from his sleep, James Grant's eyes snapped open. Tan Tian stood rigidly in front of him, the room shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the cold, clear moonlight.
"Master, don't just appear out of nowhere like that."
That was always what James Grant found strange. His sense of alertness had been sharp since childhood—even when exhausted and sound asleep, the slightest noise would wake him. But Tan Tian never made a sound when rousing him; every time James awoke, his master was already standing before him.
"Prepare the troops, James. And make sure they have cold-resistant supplies."
King Jiang immediately rejected James Grant’s proposal.
Right now, Bella Liang desperately wished for a rough map of the area around Grant Domain. Nearly a thousand scouts had been sent out, but none had returned.
Cyrus Sage swept his gaze around the room as he spoke. The generals nodded, and a large sheepskin map was spread out in the center of the shelter, propped up on a wooden frame. The generals stood, and Bella Liang walked over, pointing to Grant City on the map.
"I've confirmed there are some small paths here. The terrain is complicated, but these trails connect to the two main roads. We must move quickly—within one week of spring’s arrival, we need to encircle Grant City to prevent any surprises. The area around Grant City is like a maze: the main roads seem straightforward, but the forested paths are extremely well hidden. I don't want these secret routes slowing our campaign."
"Now that the Zou Tribe’s soldiers have mostly arrived—and we hold command—we can give them some cold-resistant supplies and have them do the transport. The weather’s been clear these past days; even if there are complaints, they’ll have to comply."