Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Chapter 145 If I Hadn't Met You

Lydia rushed into the house, only to see the calm old fox pouring her a cup of tea.

"The injury on your leg hasn't healed completely yet, so you'd better be careful."

She straightened the chair I had knocked over, bowed slightly, and slowly walked out. Danger pointed at my teacup.

"It will get cold if you don't drink it now. This happened almost a month ago. I calculated the date and you should have been in Hafingar County at that time. General Tullius made such a big fuss, and you didn't hear about it?"

According to Danger, Tullius and Skade had been dealing with each other for nearly a year. The Stormcloaks started the uprising in the spring of 201E . Tullius arrived in Solitude two months later and immediately began a tentative attack on the Cangyuan Territory. Just as Ulfric was mobilizing his troops and preparing to fight the Imperial Legion, the Lord of Falkreath, Danger, suddenly announced his abdication due to health reasons, and his nephew Sidgeir took over as Lord. Of course, this was because the warlord Skuna sent by Tullius conspired with Sidgeir to force the emperor to abdicate, and they took over this southern territory without bloodshed.

The sudden change completely disrupted Ulfric's deployment. Falkreath is just to the west of Riften. The Stormcloaks rely mainly on the two southern territories for food and wood, while the three northern territories are relatively poor. After losing Falkreath, Riften cannot afford to lose anything. Ulfric had to shrink his forces and sent Vignar Greymane's son to be the governor of the southern military to monitor the movements of the imperial army. At this time, Tullius increased his offensive against the Plains, forcing Skade to recruit more soldiers to fight against him.

Danger believes that Tullius's repeated tugs may have confused Ulfric, making him mistakenly believe that the Imperial Legion had shifted its main attack direction back to the north. In order to regain the initiative, Ulfric decided to let the Cangyuan Lord fight the Legion alone, while he led a small number of elite troops through the Hrothgar Pass and attacked Falkreath Lord. It was the Seed Moon at the end of 201E . Tullius predicted the Stormcloaks' actions and ambushed them at the Blackwater Crossroads, capturing Ulfric in one fell swoop. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of the dragon Alduin, Tullius's mission to quell the rebellion would have been a success. It was at this time that I traveled through time and took over the body of Rocker.

Ulfric and Tullius both suffered heavy losses in Alduin's attack, which gave us the opportunity to disrupt the situation. With the formation of the Talos Alliance, the situation of the civil war completely deviated from the plot of the two major factions in the game. However, all this did not change the dilemma faced by Skade. The Imperial Legion's offensive in the north did not weaken, and with the appearance of a dragon in the area of ​​​​Anchor Mill, Windhelm's support for the Cangyuan County became weaker.

"Two months ago, when I met Lord Skade in Morningstar City, he seemed very confident about the battle situation. How could he be defeated so quickly?"

Danger raised his teacup and realized it was empty, so I quickly filled it for him. The old fox sighed.

"General Tullius was very cunning. He gradually increased the number of troops on the border, pretending that he could not sustain the situation. Lord Skade thought that as long as he made a little more effort, he could defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, so he was determined to achieve his goal in one battle even if he was willing to drain all the men in his territory. Who could have imagined that General Tullius would take advantage of the weak defense of Morningstar City and personally lead his troops to attack from the sea. In addition, the spies in the city cooperated with the outside forces and directly captured Lord Skade. Now the person in charge of Morningstar City is a veteran of the legion named Brina Morillis."

It turned out to be the case.

In this way, everything I encountered in Haafingar can be explained. Helgi was summoned to the sky by Meridia and saw many large ships in the sea. I didn't pay attention to this detail at the time, but now I think that this is the troop transport ship that Tullius used to attack Morningstar City. In Solitude, Rikke hesitated and refused to ask Tullius to come out to meet, because the general had already led his troops to the sea. As for the spy in Morningstar City, it is most likely that Brina Morillis. Skade had previously suspected that she was a traitor and had monitored her letters. This guy complained for a while. I also thought that Skade had gone too far, but now it seems that not only was it not excessive, but it was actually very insufficient. In the end, she took advantage of the loophole.

"How many spies has General Tullius planted in Skyrim? I feel like his people are everywhere."

Danger smiled and waved his hand.

"These methods are not the right way after all. If we do what we should do, he will not be able to take advantage of us."

I don’t agree with what the old fox said. You’ve been cheated twice, and you still have the nerve to say “leave him no chance to take advantage”?

"Such a big thing happened to our ally, but Your Excellency doesn't seem to be in a hurry."

"Why should I be anxious if other lords are in trouble? Besides, the Imperial Army has only occupied Morningstar City. The territory south of the Danstad Fortress is still under the control of Lord Skade. You have been to Cangyuan Territory several times, so you should know that the farms and lumberyards are all in the south."

“But we lost the iron ore.”

"It's not us, it's Lord Balgruuf. As far as I know, the iron ore in Morningstar is mainly sold to Whiterun. But it doesn't matter, when the iron ore production in Bloody Throne increases, we will make up for it. Oh, by the way. General Tullius proposed to exchange Lord Skade for his nephew Lucius and two other officers, and I agreed."

My goodness, even at this time, the old fox is still making plans.

In fact, according to the plot of the game, the progress of the civil war has always been driven by the players. Whichever camp the Dragonborn chooses to join will win the final victory. But the situation in the other world is obviously different. Tullius's actions are very active. He has launched heavy attacks in the north, center, and south. Except for the Lucius Legion in the south, which was defeated by us, the other two fronts have been victorious. However, this is also expected. I analyzed it a long time ago. The Empire has a great advantage. If Tullius does not choose to take the initiative to attack, he will be a real mediocrity.

Danger knocked on the table and motioned for me to have some tea.

"My child, I have just said so much, and now I want to hear your opinion. What do you think General Tullius will do next?"

The current situation is turbulent, and my mind is confused. I don't know what to say. Tullius's move was very ruthless, hitting both the Talos Alliance and the Stormcloaks.

Seeing that I didn't say anything, the old fox stood up and went out. Not long after, he returned to the table with a handful of stones in his hand, and leisurely took out a map of Skyrim from his bosom. I have seen this map before. I copied a copy to determine the route to enter Hafengar Territory. Danger calmly placed stones in Solitude, Markarth, Morthal, Morningstar, Snake Cliff Ridge and Loristed Town to mark the control area of ​​the Empire camp.

I held the seventh stone upside down in my hand, and moved my fingers gently along Tullius's control line from north to south.

At the northernmost end, he captured Morningstar City, which not only had iron mines to supply military supplies, but also a port. The only port of Windhelm City controlled by the enemy camp was on the east side of the continent, far away from his hinterland, so his sea supply line was completely safe. From Morningstar City to the east is the Winterhold Territory of the Stormcloak camp. Although this place is barren, there is no shortage of minerals in the southern mountains. Most importantly, it has the only Mage Academy in Skyrim. Although the academy has declared neutrality to the outside world, I am still very worried about General Tullius's "money ability". If the lord can be bribed, why not hire a few mages?

If you go south from Morningstar City, you will reach Dunstad Fortress, which controls the pass between the Ansor Mountains and the Stone Mountains and is the last barrier of Whiterun in the north. Thanks to Lord Skard's previous deployment of heavy troops, the Imperial Army was not allowed to march straight in from here. When I passed by here for the first time, there were Stormcloak soldiers to assist in the defense, but since the Angar Mill was attacked by a dragon, Ulfric withdrew his troops, so when I went to Morningstar City for the second time, I found that only the people of the Cangyuan Territory were left here.

To the west of Dunstad Fortress is the Stone Mountain Range that stretches between the Cangyuan Territory and the Whiterun Territory. Helgi and I had entered the Yar March Territory along the northern foot of this mountain range. I know there is a Dragon Cult site in this mountain called Labrinthian, but it is not marked on Danger's map. The Yar River passes through the low land on the westernmost side of the Stone Mountain, cutting out a fragmented hill. Directly south of the hill is the town of Loristed. To the north of the town is a narrow valley where Lund built his hut. The east and south sides of the town are flat, and the west side is a gentle slope leading directly to the Snake Cliff Ridge, which is the snake-shaped defense position in the game. On the map, these two strongholds are placed with stones, indicating that they are already under the control of Tullius.

Further south from Loristed Town is Sunny Garden Fortress, which is the border between us, Whiterun Territory, and Rich Territory. I hesitated for a moment and placed the stone in my hand here.

Danger smiled.

"Can you tell me your reasons?"

"My idea is simple. General Tullius has the upper hand at the moment, and his mission is to suppress the rebellion, so he must attack. And he has three options."

I clicked on the city of Winterhold on the map.

"If he attacks Winterhold, the battle line will be too long. He will also have to use the already scarce food to supply this barren territory. Winterhold is located at a high altitude and there are many floating icebergs in the nearby sea. He cannot replicate the tactics he used in Morningstar City. In addition, he may not be able to win the support of the Mage Academy, so even if he succeeds in taking this place, the gains will not outweigh the losses."

My fingers slid across the Anthor Mountains on the southern side of Winterhold and stopped at the Dunstad Fortress.

"The terrain of Dunstad Fortress is narrow, which is not conducive to the deployment of a large army. If the Imperial Army attacks this place, Lord Balgruuf and Lord Ulfric will definitely put aside their personal grudges and reinforce Lord Skade with all their strength. This move may even lead to the merger of the Talos Alliance and the Stormcloaks. I think this is not a situation that General Tullius would like to see."

Danger held the teacup and signaled me with his eyes to continue.

"Moreover, considering that the Empire is unwilling to provide too much help to General Tullius, he must raise the materials needed to quell the rebellion on his own. Among all the resources, food and iron are undoubtedly the most important. The territory controlled by the Imperial Legion is mostly mountainous, and they have just acquired Morningstar City, so there is no shortage of iron ore, but the only place that produces food is the town of Loristed. The terrain here is open and easy to attack but difficult to defend. If I were General Tullius, I would definitely find a way to seize the nearby strongholds and consolidate the defense here. The nearest one is the Sunshine Garden Fortress."

"So, what happens after this?"

"Without the aftermath, we wouldn't have let him succeed."

Danger laughed.

"I mean, assuming General Tullius is able to capture Sunny Garden Fortress, what do you think he will do next?"

I picked up the last stone and placed it on Whiterun.

"Whiterun. Lord Balgruuf is the leader of the Taros Alliance, and Whiterun is the main grain producing area in Skyrim. Taking Whiterun will mean the disintegration of the Taros Alliance, and Dunstad Fortress will be attacked from all sides and will definitely not be able to defend. Moreover, it will be difficult for our army to fight against the Legion on the Great Plains. If Sunny Garden Fortress is lost, the situation will be very dangerous."

"I have a slightly different opinion than you do."

The old fox gently picked up the stone from Whiterun and placed it at the location of Falkreath.

“I believe that General Tullius will never accept Falkreath being out of his control, and he will surely come back.”

"But, attacking us is much more difficult than attacking Snowman Territory."

"Your analysis is brilliant, my child, but there is a small flaw. You are only limited to the situation in Skyrim. I hope you can stand higher and think about this issue from the perspective of the entire empire."

The old fox is about to give a lesson! I quickly sat up straight.

"Please give me some advice, sir."

"It's not really advice, I'll just give you my own opinion. The reason for this judgment is because of the special status of Falkreath in Skyrim. It is the node connecting the three provinces of Skyrim, Cyrodiil and Hammerfell. Admittedly, land transportation is not the first choice of the Empire. The capacity of livestock is limited, and it is severely restricted by the terrain. In the case of long-distance transportation, water transportation is obviously a more economical choice. Under the same distance, the cost of land transportation can even be dozens of times that of water transportation. But the Empire needs to consider more than just cost. The peace between them and the Ancestral Continent is temporary. Once the war breaks out again, the sea route will no longer be safe. If the Empire wants to maintain its rule in High Rock, it must open up land transportation routes, which requires it to at least control Falkreath, Reach and Haafingar. As for Whiterun, it is enough to control the town of Loristed in the west."

Danger took a sip of pine needle tea and looked at me with a smile.

“You see, my child, this is not just General Tullius’ doing. After the Reachmen launched a rebellion, the Empire was unable to suppress it, but still authorized Lord Ulfric to raise a militia to quell the rebellion, which ultimately plunged Skyrim into greater chaos. They can sit back and watch Lord Balgruuf sit on the fence, but they will not give up Falkreath.”

"But, according to your analysis, aren't we destined to become General Tullius's primary target? If so, why is your Excellency still fighting against the Empire?"

Danger looked me in the eyes.

"If I hadn't met you, my child, I would never have provoked an opponent like General Tullius. But now..."

He raised his hand and stroked his beautiful beard.

"I really want to see how much more I can do with my old bones. Even if I don't live to see the day when Tianji regains his freedom, with a young man like you around, I can let go with peace of mind, right?"