"It's time," Kayal confidently concluded. "The whole of Scotland is currently in turmoil. I've received intelligence and deductions proving that the King of Scotland and the rebel leader, Joan, both want to quickly eliminate each other, so they've tacitly agreed to set the battlefield here..."
Kayal pointed to the plains of Tarach.
"They are right in the middle of the two armies' border, so they've probably already started moving their main forces, haven't they?" Kayal said with a mysterious smile. "If we march our army now, what do you think the King of Scotland will do? Fight Joan to the death, or turn back and let Joan and our two armies sandwich him?"
"Given the King of Scotland's personality, he will fight Joan to the death, and then, bolstered by the momentum of victory, he will come to fight us," Kayal said, certain of victory. "In other words, if we start our advance now, what we'll face then will be a Scottish army largely depleted domestically and crippled."
"Wouldn't that be an unfair victory?" Galahad stepped forward and asked hesitantly.
"Galahad! You are not a soldier charging at the front now! You are a leader! A leader's duty is to reduce casualties among his subordinates, no matter what! I'm telling you now! If I see anyone charging at the front when we fight the King of Scotland, I will send all of you to the military academy for remedial classes! To teach you how to wage war!" Kayal's face hardened as he lectured, making Galahad look miserable, realizing he had stuck his neck out.
The others also felt a chill in their hearts, worried about Kayal's warning. If all of them, the Knights of the Round Table, had to go to the academy for remedial classes and study with those little brats, how embarrassing would that be! How could they keep their subordinates in line then?
Among them, Beowulf, who prided himself on his bravery, muttered, afraid that he might forget himself when he saw the scene and charge forward, only to have to attend remedial classes afterward. That would be truly humiliating!
Kayal smiled as he watched, then dismissed everyone, telling them to immediately prepare for the expedition.
After everyone had left, Artoria smiled as she stepped down from the throne. "How is it? Is the country in order?"
Kayal stepped forward, put his arm around her waist, and smiled, nodding. "Yes, that child Mordred has agreed to be your stand-in. After the betrayal of Morgan and Merlin, it's really been hard on that child."
"Sigh..." Artoria let out a long sigh, leaning on Kayal's shoulder, lost in thought. It had truly been difficult for her recently.
Kayal had left for three months, leaving all matters for her to handle. It was only then, without Kayal, that she suddenly realized how heavy the burden on Kayal's shoulders was.
Although Kayal's fifteen favorite disciples managed everything in an orderly fashion for her, many necessary decisions and signatures still required her. Just signing documents was exhausting, let alone Kayal managing so many affairs by himself.
Just thinking about how Kayal had managed Red Leaf Ridge and the entire country so meticulously filled her with deep admiration for Kayal and a sense of her own powerlessness.
Now, seeing Kayal return, she naturally showed her vulnerability on his sturdy shoulders.
Kayal rarely saw Artoria with such an expression. Although he didn't know what had happened, as a good man, he closed his eyes and gently patted her back, comforting her.
Feeling incredibly secure in Kayal's warm embrace, Artoria recovered her spirits in less than five minutes.
"So, where have Teacher Merlin and Sister Morgan gone?" Artoria asked, her eyes wide.
"If I'm not mistaken, those two should have gone to Rome, taking a large amount of detailed information about Camelot with them," Kayal said with a slight cold smile, his words indicating he didn't take them seriously.
"And Queen Guinevere has probably gone into hiding," Kayal said, with an expression that everything was under his control, which utterly captivated Artoria. "When the opportunity arises, they will use Rome's military strength and their own prestige to invade Camelot, won't they?"
Kayal gave a slight cold laugh, an expression that they were too weak. "But they don't pay enough attention to the overall situation of the world! Why would I dare to use the entire military strength of Camelot to invade Scotland? Carthage, under Rome, is in an uproar, and judging by the intensity, it's likely that Rome, in its own internal strife, can't suppress it, can it? And looking further north, the two Mesopotamian kingdoms (Uruk is the capital) and the King of Illyria have been fighting fiercely for decades, haven't they? Alexander has just ascended the throne; he's formidable, but still a bit too green, and no one knows his true power yet." Although Kayal spoke highly of Alexander, it was clear that everyone was currently in a period of accumulating strength or building up momentum. If they didn't take advantage of the current chaotic state of the continent, which had no power to look this way, would they wait for the continental situation to stabilize and for the Romanian Empire's attention to turn here?
Kayal intended to consolidate the British Isles into a single, unified entity amidst the chaos. If there was enough time, he would then seize a base of operations and dominate the seas, and the Romanian Empire would have even less time to bother him!
Kayal continued to sneer, "Look at which country now has the strength and leisure to bother us? Perhaps Nero would take them seriously..." Kayal couldn't help but recall Nero, who had wanted to directly capture him. "But it's clear Nero doesn't have time for them!"
"Who is Nero?" Artoria's question made Kayal suddenly freeze, then he remembered that the titles of emperors and kings were all honorifics, such as King Arthur of Camelot, Emperor Claudius II, Alexander the Great, and so on. There really weren't any anomalies like him who directly called people Artoria, Artoria, Nero, Nero, Iskandar!
With an apologetic smile, Kayal explained, and after they discussed the arrangements again, they went straight to bed.
By the next morning, banners were unfurled, and countless knights stood ready.
Artoria was still the protagonist on this occasion. She drew the sword in the stone, swung it, and with a powerful voice, shouted, "Advance the army!"
Immediately, the desolate sound of ox horns echoed through the army. With fluttering banners, fifty thousand cavalrymen galloped forward...