At this time, Sailerpes did not realize the subtle changes in the northwest. The court of Sant Roman was unstable, with internal and external troubles. The top priority was to stabilize the court.
Although four armies had retreated and relations with the beast race had eased, it did not mean the situation had improved, nor did it mean that the beast race's Winter would stop.
Sailerpes, while managing internal affairs, also held military power and closely monitored the movements in all directions. Regarding the northwest, although she had not taken action, she already had a plan.
This year, after consulting with Xiao Xun, Sailerpes granted Xiao Xun military authority, overseeing the emperor's personal army.
After Xiao Xun came to power, he promoted an unknown figure as a counselor.
This person had never met Xiao Xun and had no brilliant achievements, but when Xiao Xun heard that his name was Ge Lie and he was a light mage, he directly promoted him from a common soldier to a counselor, which could be considered a meteoric rise.
Sant Roman was given a respite and began to vigorously restore production, showing a flourishing scene.
However, regarding the three cities in the northwest, Sant Roman remained tight-lipped, and few people mentioned them. Although not explicitly stated, it seemed to have tacitly acknowledged their legitimacy.
Everything in Sant Roman was as quiet as night, yet it was like the calm before a storm.
The situation in the three northwest cities was more complicated than Jissed had imagined. He had tried his best, but Karul and Bijes still had their own intentions regarding this matter.
Bijes refused to leave his stronghold, and since so much time had passed without Sant Roman making any move, he believed it was an acknowledgment of his legitimacy.
Bijes originally just wanted to be a local emperor and never thought of dividing Sant Roman. He had this much self-awareness.
His forces were not large, and even expanding externally held little interest for him.
Karul, on the other hand, was determined to be the supreme leader. If he couldn't be the leader, he wouldn't form an alliance.
Karul's strength was the strongest among them, so his ambition was not surprising.
But when it came to attacking Sant Roman, Karul became quiet. They mind their own business; why should he offend the Guangyan family?
"What? He'll attack us sooner or later, so let's wait until he does."
Karul believed that Sailerpes was currently stretched thin and would not have the energy to attack the northwest.
And reality seemed to constantly affirm the ideas of Bijes and Karul. To this day, Sant Roman had taken no military action against the three northwest cities.
Therefore, the matter of forming an alliance to attack Sant Roman was shelved.
Zuan had waited so long for news of an expedition that his hair had turned gray. What puzzled him the most was Jissed's constant postponement of the expedition:
"Still waiting;"
"Still discussing details;"
"Progress has been made;"
"Karul has agreed to the alliance..."
Every time, the progress was breakthrough, but the problem was that the three northwest cities did not send troops.
No matter how Zuan urged, the opportunity was now! If they didn't send troops, there would be no chance! But no matter how Jissed promised him, the date for sending troops to attack Sant Roman remained uncertain.
In the long wait, the three northwest cities missed the best opportunity. It was precisely because of the mutual distrust among the Liches that Sant Roman was able to resolve its internal and external troubles and gradually recover from the disastrous defeat in Yiling.
"It's time to prepare to deal with the problem of the three northwest cities!"
Xiao Xun glanced at the sky and said with a faint smile, "It's also time for him to emerge!"
Today's Winter Noble Capital seemed livelier than usual. The streets were bustling with six carriages running side by side. All sorts of magnificent carriages were converging towards a manor in the center of the noble capital, and the occupants of these carriages were none other than the powerful figures of the court, from dukes and kings to civil and military officials.
No one knew who could attract so many prominent figures of the court, and even the carriages of the Grand General were among them.
Those who knew the destination of these carriages were even more puzzled. How could a mere General of Zhenwei stir up such a great storm?
But the fat man sitting in the Grand General's carriage knew very well that this Leisa had an unusually close relationship with the current emperor, Taidale.
Since Taidale ascended the throne, Leisa had been promoted to General of Zhenwei, but this position was still far from that of Grand General.
In terms of official position alone, Agamemnon certainly had no reason to attend his banquet. Moreover, Agamemnon was not only a high-ranking military official but also a noble scion of Winter. Regardless of his identity, he had no obligation to give Leisa face.
But this time it was different; Agamemnon had to go.
It was clear to everyone that Leisa's future was limitless, and based on his development, he was bound to enter the political arena in the future.
Before Taidale came to power, Leisa had been equivalent to Taidale's advisor, offering him strategies, many of which were unsavory.
Therefore, although Leisa had followed Taidale for a long time, in reality, Leisa had no outstanding political achievements for Winter, and his experience was shallow.
Thus, after Taidale ascended the throne, Leisa's official position was merely an insignificant General of Zhenwei.
But soon he was promoted to the governor of a prefectural government.
Everyone understood that this was just to polish Leisa's resume and gain experience points, paving the way for his future rise.
As everyone expected, as soon as Leisa returned to the noble capital, Taidale issued a personal imperial decree, ordering all high-ranking officials below the Grand General in the capital to go to Leisa's mansion to celebrate him, which was considered giving Leisa ample face.
It was precisely because of this that even distinguished figures like Agamemnon had to lower their status to come and celebrate Leisa. Agamemnon's state of mind at this moment could well be imagined.
Agamemnon was sitting in his carriage when he suddenly heard a light exclamation from within his entourage. Although the exclamation was deliberately suppressed, its tone was filled with envy. Even Agamemnon's calm and composed demeanor could not help but slightly lift a corner of the curtain and glance outside.
He saw a white jade carriage proceeding on the wide street. This carriage was exquisitely crafted and extremely luxurious, even inlaid with various pearls on its body. The escorts behind it were all dressed in brocade, no wonder they could make the escorts of the Grand General's mansion unable to contain themselves.
Agamemnon snorted and let go of the corner of the curtain, thinking disdainfully: "Just a General of Cavalry, and so ostentatious." Although he thought this, he couldn't help but feel envious in his heart.
Gautelega was adept at business, with shops all over the country and involved in various industries. He had also saved the previous emperor during the Battle of Xingyang, making him influential in both political and business circles.
Therefore, although Gautelega held an official position in the court, his accumulated assets were enough to rival the national wealth.
Gautelega's daily life was also extremely luxurious, but he used money he earned, not ill-gotten gains, so no one could say anything.
As he was thinking, Agamemnon's carriage had already arrived at Leisa's mansion. The entrance to Leisa's mansion was already crowded with celebrities, and most of the influential figures of the court had arrived.
As soon as Agamemnon alighted, these powerful figures of the court surrounded him, showering him with flattery. However, Agamemnon ignored them all and strode towards the entrance of Leisa's mansion.
Although Leisa was triumphant, he also knew to restrain himself. He personally greeted guests outside the mansion. Upon seeing Agamemnon approaching solemnly, he quickly went forward with a smiling face and clasped his hands, saying, "Grand General..."
Agamemnon did not even look at him and walked directly into the mansion. Leisa's clasped hands met empty air, making him quite awkward. He happened to see Gautelega, and the dark lines on his face instantly turned into a smile as he said, "General of Cavalry, honored guest, honored guest!"
Gautelega laughed heartily, "You are too kind, too kind!"
After saying that, they mutually invited each other into Leisa's mansion.
A banquet had already been prepared inside the mansion, and most of the powerful figures of the court had already taken their seats. Now that everyone was present, the feast began.
Leisa, returning from Bingzhou, had gathered some local dancers in Bingzhou, who possessed a strong northern charm. They performed a dance that earned rounds of applause from the guests, pushing the banquet to its climax.