"The first choice is that Ms.Violette has to announce to the public that she is giving up her position as a member of the Merchant Union. After that she can decide to stay here or go elsewhere as free person. If you do that, I will not have to harm you guys when I liberate the Merchant Union territory. This way, the people you want to kill will be dead without us even forming any kind of alliance and in a way, you can get your revenge."
"The other choice is the similar as the first. Ms.Violette will have to first give up her position as a member of the Merchant Union and then agree to become an honest citizen of the nation that I am going to build on this island, if she wants to stay back and live here on this island"
"If she continues to be a merchant while doing her business properly and also obeying all laws set for the public, she is more then welcome to come here. Don't worry, she will be treated fairly just like other citizens. This way, I will be obliged to help her as she will be my subject. One way or another I am going to deal with the Merchant Union and the Frey's. It's your decision entirely if you want to take the first choice or the second one. There is no talk about the alliance at all as you have nothing to offer that I want."
Alex's attitude was quite apparent at this point. But right now, no one knew what he was planning except him.
Norman heaved a sigh of relief internally at Alex's clear-cut attitude.
To be honest, he had been rather stressed out by the decisions he'd made lately, and had pushed through purely on the basis of his own daring and resolution.
He could tell that his choices had been correct based on the boy's attitude.
Alex then also added "I am not forcing you to choose anything. Treat them like a suggestion. You can go and discuss it with Ms.Violette...But you might need to hurry because the battle has started already."
"What!!" Norman suddenly jumped out of his seat.
"The Merchant Union should have sent their reserve forces and some reinforcement from their north border to take back the five villages by now that my men had seized from them. Also don't ever enter my city in your animal form without first informing me." Alex said with a serious face.
"...It won't happen again. I will then first take my leave. It was nice to meet you , Lord Alex." After saying that Norman showed his shapeshifting ability again as he quickly turned into a bird. Maybe because it was night time, he chose the form of an owl.
"Hoot Hoot" The bird cried one time towards Alex and then with a different tone towards Master Clayton before unfurling his wings and taking flight into air while exiting through a open window.
Alex's mouth twitched in annoyance because he felt that Norman might have insulted him using bird language.
Seeing Norman fly away, Master Clayton turned to Alex and asked him "Alex, what now. Do we have to go to the battlefield at the border?"
"Yes, but it's not to join the main battlefield. That's just a diversion. Let go, I will tell you the plan en route." Alex laughed as he thought his plan couldn't be any better.
Alex informed both his aunts about him and Master Clayton going out. This time there was no need for the ladies to participate therefore he only asked his aunts and Anna to look after the manor and take care of Selena.
Now there were only seventy puppets in total that are left in the city. Some two hundred puppets are scattered all over the Seashell island, Greenedge Island and other small islands near them. They were the nodes that either made up the spy network or they were leading some groups that can be used in the future like the ten puppets stationed on the Greenedge island managing the town development project there.
But for his plan, Alex only needed around thirty shadow/assassin puppets to make it work. So with some pocket money, Alex purchased fifty shadow puppets has he had decided to leave twenty puppets here in the manor to buff up its security when he is not home.
Soon after with Master Clayton, Alex headed towards the port where a ship was already waiting there to transport them straight to the Merchant Union City.
...
The commanding officer of the Merchant Union who was keeping a tab on the movements of the Frey's was sweating bullets right now. After following Frey's troops for an hour while keeping a safe distance from them, he thought that they will just march on straight and enter the territory of the Dorbanks. Because it was dark due to it being night time, the Merchant Union was able to follow the Frey's from a distance as the enemy's militia had lit numerous flaming torches to make their way forward visible in the dark.
But just after an hour after, they saw the long streak of orange light had suddenly changed its direction towards the right that is in the west direction. Then that long streak of light suddenly increased its speed.
The commanding officer of the Merchant Union was shocked first but then he adjusted his breathing while shouting to his men to intercept the enemies before they can bypass their defences and into their territory.
As there were no horses on this island, every army was entirely composed of militia that would march on foot.
Only the commanders and prominent figures like the Lord would sometime use a carriage pulled by normal bulls as a transport vehicle. When speed mattered in the war then even they had to run on their feet. Just like the Freys and the Merchant Union troops were doing now.
When both the armies got near to each other they started firing arrows and then in a short time they crashed into each other. The Freys were three thousand five hundred strong militia and the Merchant union army was just around two thousand five hundred in number.
Also, from the Merchant troops, the same number of soldiers had left earlier as reinforcement to join the reserve troops that had started matching south to take back the villages that they had lost to the unknown enemies.
If we compare the armies of the three territories before Dorbanks civil war in terms of size and overall strength, then the territory with the largest number of soldiers on duty would be the Merchant Union having around seven to eight thousand soldiers active or in reserve. On the second number comes the Dorbanks with five to six thousand soldiers and then the Freys with only around four thousand five hundred standing military. But in term of over all strength, the freys came out on top as their soldiers are all elite and fierce, comparably stronger than their counterparts.
"Retreat, Retreat" The commanding officer of the Merchant Union had to shout because his side was losing very quickly.
After breaking off from the brutal battle and regrouping together, the Merchant Union soldiers could only watch the Freys getting further into their territory.
