Her Graceful War Song novel Chapter 1280

Tiberius had confessed, the "suicide soldiers" had been interrogated, and even Eleanor, before her death, had left a letter of repentance admitting her regret over aiding her brother's plans for rebellion.

These pieces of evidence together nailed Yuvan's treason firmly in place!

Salvador acted quickly. He issued a royal edict summoning Yuvan to return to the capital and face his crimes. Alongside this, a second edict was sent to Valken's governor, ordering Yuvan's arrest and transport to the capital.

At this point, Yuvan had no choice but to revolt.

But it wasn't the clean, decisive uprising he had envisioned. Instead, his hesitation and lack of resolve were laid bare before his allies, and whatever respect or authority he had was swiftly eroded.

In such moments, those conspiring alongside him began to hope for someone more decisive and capable to replace Yuvan as their leader. This wasn't mere wishful thinking—they knew there was such a possibility.

Wayne had planted that seed of hope. Both he and Harvey had been working behind the scenes, laying the groundwork for such a transition.

Before Yuvan raised his army, rumors began to spread. It was said that the Southern Frontier military officers were colluding with the people of Sandoria. They were allowing Sandoria soldiers to invade the Southern Frontier, and a war was on the verge of breaking out.

Almost simultaneously, bands of bandits emerged in multiple regions, seizing control of the mountains, killing indiscriminately, and sowing chaos. The court faced widespread criticism, with accusations of negligence and incompetence flying from every direction.

Amid this turmoil, Yuvan raised the banner of rebellion in a fit of anger. He issued a proclamation condemning Salvador as corrupt and inept, accusing his generals of cowardice and his ministers of treachery. Yuvan claimed he was acting in the name of justice and righteousness, calling for all those with a sense of purpose to join his cause.

After the proclamation was sent out and he raised his army, he discovered there were only a few bandits causing trouble—far from the large-scale disturbance he had expected. Also, his private army had been reduced to just 3,000 men. Even with the 500 household soldiers from Valken, they only added up to a little over 3,000.

Previously, there were about 35,000 private soldiers who had been moved out of Stonebridge County, led by Craig Morris. According to their earlier agreement, once Yuvan issued the proclamation, Craig would rally the private army and capture the three districts of Sableton, Montfield, and Glenmoor.

These districts were strategically chosen—they were the farthest from the garrisons in Ebonflow and could be easily taken with Craig's forces. Three districts and more than 30,000 men—it was supposed to be a guaranteed victory.

But there was no sign of Craig. When they sent people to search, Craig and the private army had vanished without a trace.

Originally, the private soldiers had been moved out of Stonebridge County in several batches, spread across these various districts. Most were hidden in the mountains, with supplies stockpiled in advance, awaiting Wayne and Harvey to deliver further provisions.

"You are a prince, and you have a rightful claim to it! I am nothing but a commoner. Even if I have control of the private army, that's only a few thousand people! I could never rally enough support to challenge the king!"

Yuvan stared at Wayne, his breath heavy.

The reasoning made sense—Wayne didn't have the influence to betray him on such a scale.

Even if Stone Village hadn't been destroyed, the forces there amounted to no more than a few thousand men, including the "bandits" scattered across the districts. Many of them were little more than an unruly mob, lacking proper weapons and armor.

That was exactly why their strategy depended on the "bandits" to create chaos first. By spreading rumors of an impending war and heightening the sense of crisis, they hoped to stir public resentment against Salvador's reign. The goal was to turn this unrest into support for Yuvan's cause.

But for such a plan to work, the leader of the rebellion had to be from the legitimate royal bloodline. Yuvan, the son of the late Augustus and the younger brother of Sigmund, had this pedigree, which made the rebellion appear just.

Without it, the common folk would have little reason to risk joining an uncertain cause. After all, there were too many people struggling just to survive in the world.