In the first month of the 1773 year of the Galinthea calendar, the war between the Ford Commercial Union and the Trombo Kingdom over the formula and production of glass caused headaches for the military historians who wrote the history of the war on the Galinthea Continent. They had no idea where to start, and there were even arguments about whether they should record the war as the Glass War.
A war historian criticized the Ford Commercial Union for forgetting how to fight a war after only twenty to thirty years of peace. As for the performance of the Tellimbo Kingdom's army, it was even more of a joke. In the eight months of the Glass War, the performance of both sides was like a village brawl. There wasn't a single formal attack, defense, field battle, or large-scale battle. The entire war was filled with betrayal, surrender, robbery, trade, and intrigue.
In the end, the description of the Galinthea War was that in this glass war that changed the situation of the entire continent and forced the rise of the Ford Merchant Union, even though it lasted for eight months, leading to the destruction of the Telimbo Kingdom and the disappearance of seven neighboring kingdoms, the truth was that the war was just a chaotic party without any organization, discipline, strategy or purpose. To be more precise, it was a feast of conspiracies, a carnival of carving up the spoils of war.
Looking back at some of the details of the war from the beginning, it was truly hilarious.
For example, Earl Edmund, the commander of the fifty thousand strong army of the Trombo Kingdom, who had received the order from Trombo VII to march towards Morent City, ordered his troops to assemble and march in formal attire towards Brovic City on the Mana Hill Plain controlled by the Commerce Union. He also ordered the military band to play along the way.
It would be acceptable if this was a surprise attack to confuse the enemy, but the problem was that in Lord Edmund's mind, marching was supposed to be like this. In the end, the marching formation confused the Commercial Union's City Defense Force patrol team. They wondered if the Commercial Union had reached some sort of agreement with the Trombo Royal Family.
The City Defense Force patrol team, who did not see the Trombo Kingdom's army as enemies, began to stand by the side of the road or follow the marching army to watch the military band perform. They even notified the captain of the City Defense Force to come out of the city to welcome them. The captain of the city defense forces was also confused. He thought to himself, I didn't receive any orders or notices.
So, he ran to the top of the city wall and confirmed that the army of the Telimber Kingdom was marching peacefully. They didn't even send out any scouts. It was as if they were marching in the home of their ally. The captain of the city defense force cursed the messenger for not receiving the message because he was drunk somewhere. He packed his luggage and went out of the city to welcome them. He wanted to ask the commander what was going on.
The Trade Union's first city was lost just like that. Earl Edmund ordered the troops to continue to the next city, Riet, and occupied it in the same way. If Earl Edmund now understood that it was his army's parade that had confused the enemy and allowed him to quickly occupy two cities, then before the enemy could react, Earl Edmund would definitely enter the ranks of the continent's famed generals.
Unfortunately, Earl Edmund did not realize that even the two commanders of the City Defense Force who had come out of the city to welcome them had surrendered to him out of fear of his army. That was why he did not meet the two commanders. Their names sounded like commoners. What was there to see? He had the soldiers lock them up first.
Earl Edmund was now focused on the afternoon tea time. He was already satisfied with taking down two cities in a day. It seemed like he could host a grand banquet at night to reward himself, especially since there were a few noble widows and young ladies living in Riet. The earl felt that if he let them get to know him, a famed general, there might be a pleasant encounter waiting for him.
With an order, the Telimber Kingdom's army took over the city's defenses. They were strictly forbidden from entering or leaving the city. While a sumptuous banquet was being prepared for the earl, the Telimber Kingdom's soldiers who had let their sheep out went out into the streets to harass the commoners of Riet. It was only then that the Trade Alliance's City Defense Force outside the city reacted. Damn, they're enemies, they're here to attack us …
The Trade Alliance's City Defense Force couldn't be blamed for their carelessness. It was mainly because they had been brainwashed too much. They had always believed that the Telimber Kingdom was the Trade Alliance's staunchest ally. Even after the Mayflower Merchant Guild attack, most of the City Defense Force still insisted that it was just a business conflict that the higher-ups would quickly resolve.
Another reason was that it was currently winter. Although the Mana Hill Plains was warmer than the North, they did not have the habit of fighting in winter. Most of the City Defense Force had gone home to spend time with their wives and children. When the Telimber Kingdom's army marched in, they confused the City Defense Force teams who were on patrol duty. Who had ever heard of marching in parade formation to attack?
In the evening, the news that the Telimber Kingdom had launched a war against the Trade Alliance and taken down two cities in a row spread to Moronte City. Compared to the city's citizens' cries of battle and counterattack, the seven heads of the highest Trade Alliance looked solemn. Since when did the Telimber Kingdom's army become so powerful that they could take down two cities in a day?
After all, the Commerce Alliance's City Defense Army was an extremely powerful defensive force that had experienced countless cruel battles. It was no wonder that the stubborn King Trumbo the Seventh dared to issue a war threat to the Commerce Alliance. It seemed that he was relying on the powerful combat power of this army.
However, since they were already at their doorstep, they couldn't just be cowards. Soon, the Trade Alliance made the decision to declare war that very night. Considering the cruelty and drawn-out nature of the war, the seven heads decided to launch a war of resistance against the Telimber Kingdom's invading army. They also promised that when the new system of nobility was implemented this year, the people who contributed to the war would be taken into account, and they would be granted titles and fiefs according to their contributions.
William Camberlet, the president of the Twin-Headed Dragon Merchant Guild, took over the heavy responsibility of being the commander-in-chief of this war. In view of the Telimber Kingdom's powerful army, he carefully made countermeasures and prepared to lead the Trade Alliance's temporary army to Creedor City in three days. It was the third city that the Telimber Kingdom's army would face, and also their next target.
President Camberlet had already sent a message to the City Defense Force of Creedor City that very night, forbidding them from participating in the war. No matter how the enemy tried to pick a side, defending Creedor City was their top priority. As long as Creedor City was defended, the Trade Alliance's army would use it as a barrier and a stronghold, just like when they faced the Chrisen Empire's invading army a few decades ago. They would drag it out until the enemy collapsed, and this war of self-defense would be won.
To be honest, the Ford Trade Alliance did not pay much attention to military strength. Even though they had been at war with the Chrisen Empire for more than a hundred years, their standing army had never been large, even less than a small duchy. Sitting on the rich Mana Hill Plain, Creedor Hills, and the unique Hidden Gold Bay, the Trade Alliance only had three regular armies: the City Defense Force, the Patrol Force, and the Invincible Fleet.
In addition to Moronte City, there were seven other cities in the Mana Hill Plain, but each city only had a City Defense Force of two thousand people. Moronte City was slightly better, with two City Defense Forces of four thousand people. Creedor Hills and Mana Hill Plain were about the same size, but there was only one Light Cavalry Patrol Force, which patrolled once a month.
The richest was the Invincible Fleet, which was mainly responsible for defending Moronte City from pirates, so the allocation of funds was quite straightforward. After all, it was a matter of life and death. However, some members of the Trade Alliance's parliament suggested that it would be better to hand over the Invincible Fleet to the Chikert Trade Alliance. After all, they were the overlords of the sea, so they would be responsible for the safety of the sea in the future. This would save a lot of military expenses for the Trade Alliance.
However, this proposal was rejected by the Chikert Trade Alliance. Their fleet was competing for supremacy on the sea because they wanted to do business and monopolize the sea trade routes. They didn't raise a fleet just to look good in the Hidden Gold Bay.
The most miserable was the City Defense Force. There were more than two thousand people in one city, but the members of parliament refused to let them go. They thought that the former Crisen Empire was gone, the threat from the north was gone, and the surrounding kingdoms and principalities were on good terms, so there was no point in raising the City Defense Force. It would be better to disband the City Defense Force and let each city organize its own Defense Force to defend the city, so that military expenses could be reduced.
The problem with the merchants in power was that they hated all expenses that couldn't bring them profits. Every year, there would always be countless arguments when discussing the administrative and military expenses of the Trade Alliance. This was the shortsightedness of the merchants and the sorrow of the Trade Alliance's soldiers. However, the seven giants of the Supreme Trade Alliance were still clear-headed. For five years in a row, they rejected the resolutions of the secondary Trade Alliance that called for disbanding the City Defense Force and reducing the size of the Invincible Fleet.
Just look at the Counterattack Force of the Trade Alliance organized by President Cambert of the Twin-Headed Dragon Trade Alliance. The City Defense Force from Moronte City and the light cavalry patrol team from the Christos Hills were the main force. The rest were the seven armed brigades formed by the seven major Trade Associations. These were the elites. Then there were the militia provided by the second and third rate Trade Associations, the mercenaries, and the citizens of Moronte City who volunteered to fight the enemy on the frontlines. In three days, President Cambert had an additional fifty thousand soldiers under his command. However, these fifty thousand soldiers were just a motley crew.
President Cambert didn't care if these fifty thousand soldiers were a motley crew or not. The Trade Alliance was used to fighting wars of attrition. For a hundred years, it was this motley crew that had stopped the advance of the mighty Crisen Empire. With this kind of confidence, it should not be a problem for them to stop the powerful army of the Trombo Kingdom.
What gave President Cambert the most confidence was that although his men were messy and had no formal military training, they were extremely powerful. The mercenary leaders were basically all Gold-ranked mercenaries and swordsmen. The seven armed brigades organized by the seven major Trade Associations had all awakened combat aura, and each of them had a master swordsman.
It was bad for such a team to stay together, but once they were separated, they could form strategic points that would be difficult for the enemy to conquer. To conquer such a point, it was almost impossible to do so without sacrificing several times the number of elite soldiers. This was the key point of the Trade Alliance's defense against the invasion of the former Crisen Empire for more than a hundred years.
However, the change in the battlefield was unexpected. Just like how the experts after the war had commented, the Ford Trade Alliance's army was a motley crew, and the Trombo Kingdom's army was a joke.
When President Cambert led the fifty thousand Alliance Self-Defense Counterattack Army towards Creedo City, preparing to set up a sturdy defense line against the Trombo Kingdom's army, a piece of news came from Rietl that left everyone speechless. It was as if they had heard a legend from a novel …
Earl Edmund had been in Riet for three days. The main reason was that he had met two extraordinarily beautiful socialites. The three of them had shared the same bed and pillow, and were in the midst of their intimacy. Unwilling to part so quickly, the Earl had reported to his king that it was winter, with wind and snow intertwining. The roads were piled high with snow, and it was not easy to travel. Therefore, he had to stay in Riet for a period of time and wait for the snow to melt before marching …
Trombo VII thought that Earl Edmund's words were very reasonable, and easily believed the famed general who had taken down two cities in a day. He stayed in the royal capital with peace of mind, waiting for the news of the Trade Alliance's surrender. He did not think that it was as Earl Edmund had said. How could a messenger make a round trip in a day?
On the night before President Camberlet's army arrived at Kredo City, the Deputy Captain of Riet City's City Defense Force, the Gold-tier Swordsman Jasbon, had returned home for the winter. Out of the eleven hundred and forty-eight City Defense Force soldiers who had fled due to the city's occupation, more than four hundred of them had been captured by the Tromp Kingdom's army. More than three hundred of them had died in the resistance. Most of the rest were here.
"Brothers," Jasbon said, "our city defense force has always been unloved," he said. "The councilors of the Chamber of Commerce have always been eager to disband us to save on military expenses, but they have forgotten how much our ancestors sacrificed for the freedom and independence of the Alliance against the Crimson Empire.
The city defense force is a force with a glorious history and honor, but we have given them a shameful record. We have lost Rietl in our hands. I'm not willing to let the people who are still alive lose their defensive positions. That's why I'm going to attack the enemies who are occupying our city tonight. Is there anyone else who wants to fight to the death in their own positions with me? "
The eleven hundred city defense force soldiers were all fired up. They all said that they would die on the battlefield. So, under Jasbon's lead, they snuck into the city through a secret tunnel and launched a suicidal attack on the city guard's mansion.
In the hundreds of years of war against the Krisen Empire, the City Guards of the Commerce Union had learned a lot. For example, every city had three or four secret tunnels that led to the outside of the city. These tunnels were not only the way to escape, but also the way to counterattack. As long as there were secret tunnels, even if the enemy took over the city, the city walls would not be able to be used as a defense. The City Guards would always be able to attack the enemy from behind through the secret tunnels and take back the city and kill the enemy.
This time was no exception. The attack of more than a thousand city defense force on the city guard's mansion was a huge surprise to the Tellimbo Kingdom's army. Earl Edmund, who was in the middle of a candlelit conversation with two of his best friends, jumped out of his bed when he heard the battle cries coming closer. He reached out, but did not find any clothes. All he found was a belt that was worn diagonally outside his formal attire.
Count Edmund, without batting an eyelid, he hung his medal belt over his naked body and rushed out of the room. He turned to the stables in the backyard and pulled out a fine horse. He didn't even need a footstool to mount it. In the blink of an eye, the city guards had just rushed into Count Edmund's bedroom. They were so stunned by the sight of the two naked beauties on the bed that they forgot to ask where the enemy chief was. On the other hand, Earl Edmund had already whipped his horse and rushed out of the city guard's mansion, galloping away …
The soldiers of the Tellimbo Kingdom heard the battle cries coming from the mayor's mansion. They were just about to form up and go to the rescue when they saw a strange sight. The naked Earl Edmund galloped over on his horse with only a ribbon around his waist. In a flash, he arrived at the city gate and shouted, "I'm Earl Edmund, open the gate and let me out …"
The gate had only opened a crack when Earl Edmund forced his way out. The sound of horse hooves faded into the distance …
Who would play with their own lives when their commander had run away? Everyone, run …
And so, one of the strangest and most unbelievable battle results in the history of Galinthea's wars was born. More than one thousand one hundred city guards from the Commerce Alliance had launched a suicide attack on Riet City, which was guarded by forty-five thousand soldiers of the Tellimbo Kingdom. In the end, the commander of the Tellimbo Kingdom, Earl Edmund, fled on his horse naked. The forty-five thousand soldiers of the Tellimbo Kingdom collapsed on the spot. More than ten thousand of them ran away, and the remaining twenty-seven thousand laid down their weapons and surrendered. It was said that these soldiers were sitting orderly on the streets with their weapons piled up together, waiting to surrender …
The vice captain of the city guard, Jissbon, cried. He had so many soldiers to watch over these twenty-seven thousand captives! There were less than nine hundred who could stand, so the urgent message President Camberlet had received was for him to rush to Riet City at top speed to receive the captives …
Earl Edmund had taken two cities in a day, and lost two cities in a night. He ran out of Riet City and came to Broweyk City, shouting at the gate. There were still five thousand soldiers of the Tellimbo Kingdom stationed here. Just as he was waiting for the gate to open, dust billowed in the distance. The soldiers of the Tellimbo Kingdom had arrived. But Earl Edmund was already a frightened bird, and had no time to care. He turned his horse around and fled towards the Tellimbo Kingdom, and the soldiers behind him also ran towards the Tellimbo Kingdom …
The Tellimbo Kingdom's soldiers at the top of Broweyk City saw this, and thought to themselves, "What are we staying here for when forty-five thousand soldiers have already fled back to their countries?" Just like that, Broovik City was inexplicably lost and inexplicably recovered.
Two days later, President Camberlet brought fifty thousand soldiers of the Alliance's Counterattack Army to the border between the two countries. There was no need to say how conflicted they were. The Counterattack Army had been defeated before they could even fight. What should they do now? Go to the Tellimbo Kingdom to defend themselves?
The seven powerhouses were discussing how to clean up the mess, but the second and third rate merchant guilds' armed forces, mercenaries, and the volunteer militia of Morrent City were not happy. Everyone had come for military merits, lordships, and fiefdoms. Who would be willing to take a stroll at the border? So they went deep into the Tellimbo Kingdom's territory.
The seven powerhouses hesitated at the border for two days. The news they received was that they had already conquered two counties of the Tellimbo Kingdom. What should they do now? If they withdrew their troops, the people below them would rebel. The president of the Mayflower Guild clenched his teeth and said, "Let's just destroy the Tellimbo Kingdom. Firstly, the Alliance's lordship system required a fiefdom. Secondly, having a one-track mind king by the side of the Commerce Alliance would only make things more troublesome in the future. Thirdly, we already have the recipe and production process for glass. Let's occupy the Tellimbo Kingdom's Shiying Mountain, which is the largest raw material for glass, and save on the cost of glass production …"
Since the Tellimbo Kingdom was so lousy, they had to eat the delicious food that was delivered to them. President Camberlet clenched his teeth, and the Commerce Alliance's Counterattack Army turned into the Commerce Alliance's invading army, marching towards the Tellimbo Kingdom.
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