Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Chapter 114: Mission for Lydia

Lydia's left arm was in a splint and her face was pale. When she saw me, she immediately stood up and saluted. I helped her sit back on the bed and asked about her injuries.

"Lord Yilandul came to see me this morning. He said that my left arm needs time to recover, so I can only fight with my right arm for the time being. Fortunately, I am used to using the sword with my right hand."

I am very sure that the content after the word "so" was made up by Lai Mei herself.

"Lord Yilandul said you need to rest for six months."

Lai Mei didn't answer. She stared at the shield in the corner of the room. On the shield was my emblem: a horse with its front hooves raised.

"Lydia, you are my squire, right?"

"It is my honor to serve you, my Lord."

Lydia bowed slightly.

"If you are unlucky, you may have to serve me for decades. You also know that you are the most powerful one among my subordinates, so I don't want to lose a capable person for just a few months, understand? I will be going on a long trip recently, but I will ask Lord Yilandul to evaluate your injuries, and then he will formulate a recovery plan for you. You must strictly implement it, and I will arrange someone to supervise it."

Lydia's eyes darkened. Although I didn't mention my plan explicitly, she must have known that I was going to the Hafengarn Territory. This was a small team operation deep behind enemy lines, which should have been a good opportunity for her to show her skills, but now she had to give it up. But what Lydia didn't know was that I didn't intend to take her on this trip. Before, it was because I didn't trust her, but now it's because I have more important things for her to do, and I'm sure only she can do it well.

"In order to prevent you from getting bored, I plan to assign you some work. But I want to emphasize that these tasks should be prioritized after your recovery. If what I am about to say conflicts with your recovery plan, you should prioritize rest."

Lydia nodded in agreement, and I found a pen and paper and sat opposite her.

"I don't have a particularly clear idea, so let's take notes as we talk. If you have any opinions, feel free to raise them."

On the first sheet of paper I wrote the names Rockell, Lund, and Lydia side by side.

"You know, I'm just a farmer's son. I got to my current position purely because of luck."

"I have never looked down on your background..."

I waved my hand, interrupting Lydia who was busy expressing her loyalty.

"I say this to tell you that I don't have any family power to rely on. My current subordinates are just like you. They have only followed me in the past few months for various reasons. Let's take stock of the current personnel. I need you to help me examine their abilities and loyalty."

Lai Mei sat back on the bed.

"First, let's talk about Lund. His current role is my butler. He is from the same hometown as me and we grew up together as good friends. I trust him very much. He has been managing the territory all along. During the time I am away, you two must cooperate well and discuss things together. If you have any disagreements, don't quarrel, but be reasonable. If you really can't reach a consensus, go to the lord's wife or Miss Angie from Helgen Town to arbitrate.

"I will take Hayou and Aigis away this time, and let Jakir go with Lund. So the ones left for you are Hrata, Lachlan, and Ariana. Lachlan is Hayou's cousin, and is said to be the son of a big family. Jakir is his servant. As for the other two people, I don't know. During this period, you have to observe them carefully. If they don't commit serious betrayal, don't take any action. Wait for me to come back and report."

I wrote the names of Hayu and others under our names. I deliberately arranged Lahlan, Jakir and Ajith separately to prevent the three cats from getting together. Ajith was not clean, so I didn't dare to leave her where there were valuables, so I just took her with me.

"There are only a few people here. Now let me tell you about my business."

I pulled out another piece of paper.

"One is the Tiger Man Trading Post, located in the basement of Bloodthrone Castle. The person in charge is a Tiger Man named Zenabi. She may be Hayou's lover, but I don't know the customs of the Tiger Man, and I don't know whether the relationship between them is purely physical, or if there is a more... um... spiritual attachment. These Tiger Man are difficult to manage. During the time I took Hayou away, you should think about how to restrain them.

"The second industry is the mine outside the castle. I only own half of it. The other 40% belongs to Lord Danger, 10% belongs to Lord Horrick, and Lund is in charge. Now we only quarry stones. In the future, there may be iron ore and coal, but the reserves and quality are uncertain. This industry is very important to me. The reconstruction of castles in the territory depends on it to provide materials. So what I want you to do is to design a defense plan. Assuming that the imperial army passes through the Pale Pass, we have to defend the castle and the mine at the same time."

"Sir, may I interject a word?"

While I was looking down to draw the location of the Bloody Throne Fortress and the quarry, Lydia asked cautiously.

"We don't need to be so polite in private. If you have something on your mind, just say it directly."

Lydia has never seen me training in Helgen Town. The atmosphere at that time is really nostalgic.

"Sir, in my opinion, we cannot simply consider defending the castle and the mines. The Bloody Throne is too small, the supplies that can be stored are very limited, and the water source is relatively far away. If we encounter an attack, we must avoid being besieged and ensure that the supply lines are unobstructed, otherwise we will not be able to hold out for long. The situation in the mines is similar."

What Lai Mei said is exactly what is bothering me.

"According to Lund's intelligence, the Pale Passage is now blocked by an avalanche, but I don't know if it will be passable this summer. It is also unlikely that we will be able to build a wall strong enough to surround the mines and water sources within a few months."

"Yes, sir. Even with this wall, it would not be short, and we do not have enough troops to defend all the corners."

I frowned and added various details on the map. The people who built this fortress chose the bottom of a small valley. They neither occupied the commanding heights nor relied on the steep mountains to reduce the range of possible attacks. There was a well near the castle. The original idea might have been to take care of this water source. But now the well water has dried up. Lund opened a new well next to the pine forest, which is quite far away from the fortress. In addition, he arranged for people to collect snow and ice from the mountains as a supplementary water source.

The plan of full expansion is not feasible. The supplies around the Bloody Throne are very limited, especially food, which is completely dependent on the supply from the hinterland of Falkreath. It is difficult for me to quickly build a town in this small valley. However, shrinking the defense is equivalent to exposing the supply line to the enemy's attack, which is even more dangerous. In addition, the location of the castle makes it impossible for me to even be Ma Su.

The two people in the room fell into an awkward silence. Lydia was obviously thinking about a solution. I don't want to pin my hopes on the possibility that the Imperial Legion has not assembled in Bruma. As long as there is a possibility that the Empire can pass through the Pale Pass, this is the sword of Damocles hanging over Falkreath's head. Only by solving this problem can we concentrate our efforts on competing for Skyrim.

"My Lord, I think our previous thinking was wrong."

Lai Mei took the map and put it aside.

"The castle is undefendable. We should use the Bloody Throne as our base and place our defenses at Pale Pass!"

That's right! If the Bloody Throne is considered a fortress, then it does have problems from the location to the structure. But if it is considered as a supply station between Pale Pass and Falkreath City according to Lydia's idea, then it makes sense. This small stronghold was probably designed in this way, so it was built at the bottom of the valley where it is easy to pass instead of on the mountain.

But in this case, the workload is much greater than expected.

"I agree with you, but we don't know the current situation of the Pale Passage. So let's adjust the plan. You arrange for reconnaissance and then evaluate two things. First, whether the Imperial Army can pass through Mount Jerrol in an organized manner this summer; second, if we only have a small number of troops, where and how should we build a defense line; third, the materials, manpower and time required to build this defense line. I will make a call to Rund. If the situation is urgent, you two can handle it at your convenience without waiting for me to come back."

"Yes, my lord!"

Lydia stood at attention and saluted. I nodded, handed her two pieces of paper, and once again reminded her to take good care of her injuries.

"Sir, there is one more thing."

When I was about to go out, Lai Mei called me.

"My Lord, it suddenly occurred to me that since the Pale Passage has been closed, then by which route did Lachlan and the other tiger men come to Skyrim?"

hiss……

I have to say that Lai Mei is a quick-witted girl. Let's not talk about how Lahlan or Hayou came to Skyrim, let's talk about the old cat Reshad. How could he choose the Blood Throne as the place to store supplies when he knew that the Pale Secret Passage was blocked? This guy is as cunning as Danger, and is definitely at the level of a thousand-year-old fox. If you say that he doesn't have a thorough plan, I will never believe it. But if it weren't for Lydia's words, I really never thought about the twists and turns in this.

"What do you think?"

"There are many possibilities. They can indeed choose to take a boat, and it is not ruled out that they can enter from Hammerfell or Morrowind. But judging from the fact that they chose to set up a trading post in the Bloody Throne, I speculate that there may be other accessible roads in Mount Jerrol. If this is the case..."

"If that's the case, we can't just focus on Cangbai Pass, otherwise the Imperials can go around behind us and make a Ziwu Valley plan."

"What's the plan?"

"Ah... I mean... sneaking in through the small path and then attacking the rear base or something..."

Lydia showed a relieved expression.

"That's right, sir. Once the Bloody Throne is lost, the defenders of Pale Pass will lose their supplies and face being attacked from all sides. It will be difficult for them to even break through, let alone hold on firmly."

"So, you think the Khajiit might know this way?"

Lai Mei raised the corners of her mouth and revealed a sly smile.

"We'll know the answer if we ask. Please ask you and Lund to ask the other tiger people separately. I'm worried that they are not honest. Lachlan and Jakir seem to be a bit cunning, but that little cat girl..."

You are so good, Lydia, you are plotting against me.

"Are you teaching me what to do?"

The smile on Lai Mei's face became even bigger.

"I dare not, sir. It is just a small suggestion. We should ask them separately. The answers we get will be more credible. After all, the tiger people are too good at deceiving."

Lydia and I finalized the final plan. She arranged for people to explore the northern section of the Pale Passage and draw a map to find possible secret passages and locations suitable for building defensive positions. As for manpower, in addition to the three people including Lachlan assigned to her, she could also ask Lund for secondment, but it would be subject to strict review.

In principle, the Reachmen are the most trustworthy. They have no other foundations and no way to join either side in the civil war. Even if they join, it is difficult to gain the trust of the other side, after all, they have blood feuds with both forces. As for the Khajiiti, except for Lahlan, they will not be used unless it is absolutely necessary. The people in the caravan are businessmen, and I am worried that they will sell intelligence for money. As for the prisoners of the Imperial Legion, they cannot participate in this matter at all, no matter whether they are Nords or other races, and no matter whether they are capable of doing these jobs.

Skyrim now not only has a racial problem, but also a stance problem. If you stand on the opposite side, it doesn't matter whether you are of the same race or not. With Lai Mei's intelligence, she can naturally understand my caution on this issue. For her, this is the first mission I gave her, and neither of us naturally wants this to be messed up. For me, Lydia risked her life to save me, so her loyalty is naturally no longer in doubt, and the next thing to observe is her ability.

In terms of single combat, Lydia's level may be comparable to Riya's, but now Riya is the captain of the Reachman Guard, with a group of wolf-like subordinates. In my mind, Lydia's position is similar to hers. Not only must she be a strong individual fighter, but she must also be my guard captain and take on more responsibilities. Even though I only have three or four kittens now, it is inevitable that I will form my own army in the future. Since Balgruuf has given me the town of Loristed, I will definitely not tolerate Igmund occupying this place for a long time.

If I want to take back my hometown, I need to have enough strength. The two territories are far apart, one in the south and one in the north. I can't take care of both by myself, so I have to train capable subordinates. If Lund and Lydia can handle things on their own, I can focus on the parliament in Falkreath and deal with the nobles.

After talking with Lydia, I had a clearer vision for the future. What I had to do now was to go to Hafengar with Helgi as soon as possible to complete the two demon quests of Meridia and Clavicus Vere. Since Eric was going to take Angie back to Loristed Town to meet his parents, I no longer cared about this inseparable couple and took the others to the Bloodthrone Fortress.

Everything was back to normal at the Bloody Throne. Even the tiger people who had been causing trouble were much more obedient. This was certainly due to the stewed mushrooms with piglets, but it was mainly due to Lund's effective management. The quarrying and mining work were on track, and with the soldiers brought by Thoraf, Lund finally had the energy to comprehensively coordinate my entire territory. When I returned to the fortress, he was in his office checking the accounts with Lucia. The walls of the room were covered with various numbers, just like he did in Helgen Town back then.

When Lucia saw me come in, she knelt down and bowed, and then made a move to walk out of the house, but was pushed back into the chair by Lund.

"Where are you going? Check the accounts before you leave. Locke, you have to go to the guest room on the first floor first. Someone is waiting for you."