Ninth Royal Uncle, Everyone Wants You Dead

This final gamble—whether for Prince Terrence or General Warren Bailey—was a matter of life and death. Both sides knew this battle would decide their future, and their very survival.

"No grain, no supplies—if we're trapped here, there's only one outcome: death. Our only option is to fight, to drive back the troops from Eastlyn and Southlyn. There is no other way." The next morning, Prince Terrence made sure all 300,000 of his men were well-fed, then began the rallying ceremony.

"The rations in your hands are all we have left. If we ration carefully, they'll last two days. If you want to survive, you must fight, you must seize—kill the soldiers of Eastlyn and Southlyn and take their grain!" Again and again, Prince Terrence hammered home the pressure of survival to all 300,000 men.

At first, the soldiers were gripped by fear and uncertainty, glaring at Prince Terrence with resentment.

None of them wanted to rebel, none wanted to die alongside Prince Terrence. But as soldiers, their duty was to obey orders.

But when a few voices in the crowd started shouting that it was Eastlyn and Southlyn who drove them to this, that it was Eastlyn and Southlyn who stole their grain, and that if not for the attacks from Eastlyn and Southlyn, they could have gone home—those words shook the rest.

Yes, home. Even with Westlyn providing grain here, they still wanted to go home—back to Lyndaria.

Prince Terrence watched it all with satisfaction, not missing a single chance to stir up his troops.

"Fight! If we want to return to Lyndaria, we must fight—drive back the soldiers of Eastlyn and Southlyn, carve out a bloody path, and break through to Lyndaria!"

This was the first time Prince Terrence spoke of returning to Lyndaria. He knew perfectly well he could never go back, but right now, he had to give his soldiers hope. Only then would they fight with everything they had.