Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 3362

Only Atticus and a few of the Cavendish royal family's senior elders exchanged subtle glances.

In terms of sheer nerve and presence alone, Andrew clearly outclassed the younger two generations of the Cavendish royal family. Even setting martial strength aside, just his boldness and ruthlessness were beyond Cormac, the one the Cavendish family had placed their highest hopes on.

Andrew released Jakob and let him stumble back to his seat.

Without even sparing the man a glance at his thoroughly humiliated expression, Andrew swept his gaze around the room and spoke in a low, firm voice. "Right now, Holtrien is up against all three of the Western Empires at the same time. And that's not all, we've also got the Dark Trinity to deal with. Any one of those threats alone could be fatal to us."

After everyone in the room gave a nod of agreement, Andrew pressed on, "It's pretty clear that Holtrien is outmatched, both in numbers and overall strength. So if we want any shot at keeping the enemy from crossing our borders, there's only one way to do it."

No one spoke, but every single person in the room, including Jakob, straightened up and locked in, waiting for what Andrew was about to say next.

Andrew explained calmly, "It's simple: we strike first. Instead of handing the initiative over to the enemy, we take it for ourselves. The moment we do that, we flip from being reactive to being in control, and the odds start tipping in our favor."

Everyone in the room frowned at the idea.

Jakob, still seething from earlier, let out a cold laugh. "I get what you're saying; you want us to go on the offensive. But have you actually thought this through? We'd be doing well just to hold our ground as it is. With a gap this wide in strength, what kind of shot do we realistically have at attacking?"

Andrew glanced at him and said calmly, "Opportunities don't just show up; you build them."

Jakob scoffed again. "Then explain how you build one. An offensive push doesn't match where our strength actually is right now. This has never been done, not in ancient times, not now, not ever."

Andrew's voice went cold. "Who told you it's never been done? Valerius Lloyd, the founding ancestor of the Lloyd family, did exactly this. He led Holtrien's Eight Ancient Sects and its warriors straight into the Western Continent, and he made sure the final battle was fought on their soil, not ours.

"First, we pull some additional forces from Azure Gate and send them north to reinforce Cliffside Gate. Second, the Cavendish royal family puts together an elite strike team and hits the joint military camp of the three empires in a surprise raid. Even if it only works once, the chances of holding Cliffside Gate go up dramatically."

Asher and the others went quiet for a moment, thinking it over, and then slowly began to nod.

Atticus asked seriously, "Mr. Lloyd, when would be the right time to launch that strike against the allied forces of the three empires outside the gates?"

Andrew answered, "The sooner the better, ideally within the next 24 hours. Right now, the allied forces have only launched one offensive. Both sides haven't really dug in yet, and things haven't turned into a full-blown, no-holds-barred war.

"However, Azure Gate is a different story. Philip and his men are already deep in a bloody fight with the dark races. By the time things get to that point here, it'll be too late, and the enemy will be on guard around the clock.

"Right now, the northeast front is still in a watch-and-wait standoff. This is the Cavendish royal family's best window, the perfect strategic moment to strike hard, build real momentum, and break the enemy's formation. Once this drags into a drawn-out war of attrition, we won't have the luxury to pull elite forces for a raid or take any kind of risk."