Lorist raised his head and looked at the cloudy sky. Occasionally, small snowflakes would fall from the sky.
It was near the end of the 2nd month and the weather was still rather cold at around negative 7 to 8 degrees Celsius. That was also the reason why the third local defense brigade still insisted on training twice a day, which convinced the people from the Peterson Merchant Guild who came to watch. They said that even though the two armies of the Teribo Kingdom were facing off against each other at the frontlines, everyone was actually cooped up in winter. That was the real reason for the war.
Apart from the participants of the Trade Union who wanted to scavenge for some unexpected wealth, there weren't many who were willing to leave their camps. Even those who were sent out to patrol would complain incessantly. The only exception were the assassins attracted by Teribo VII's astronomical bounty and the anti-assassination squad formed by the Trade Union. However, that was a battle between the higher echelons of the army and had nothing to do with the lower echelons of the army.
Winter would only be considered over by the start of the 3rd month, followed by the month-long rainy season. That was why, on the Grindia Continent, battles rarely broke out between the 12th month and the end of the 3rd month of the following year. It was only during the 4th or 5th month of the year when the harvest of winter wheat would the soldiers have time to spare. Only then would they see if there was anyone they didn't like and pick a fight with.
The War of Glass between the Trade Union and the Teribo Kingdom could be considered an exception. It was mainly due to the fact that the simple-minded Teribo VII had successfully angered the Trade Union. Otherwise, nobody would be willing to go to war during the winter.
Is the Second Highness out of his mind to attack the Redlis Kingdom's capital in such a season, or am I hearing things? That was what Lorist thought.
Charade became even more agitated and grabbed the collar of the messenger who came to report the news. The messenger was one of the spies Charade had arranged to monitor the situation at the frontlines when he was recruiting refugees from the two southwestern provinces to work at Silowas Island.
"Impossible! How did the Second Highness get past the defense line at Kanbona Province in such weather? How did the First Prince manage to get to the capital of the Redlis Kingdom in the first place?! "roared Charade, spittle flying everywhere.
The poor messenger was almost strangled to death by Charade. When he finally managed to struggle free, he stuttered, "T-T-The second highness didn't go through Kanbona Province. He took a huge detour and went through the Great Snow Mountains of Cloudsnap Mountains to Bodolger Province before heading straight for Frederika. He took the city by surprise and captured it. The first prince fled in panic..."
The messenger hesitated for a moment before continuing, "It's said that the second highness brought over thirty thousand men with him, but when he reached Frederika, there were still less than eight thousand men …"
F * ck, what a cruel heart! Lorist felt a chill in his heart when he heard that. Less than eight thousand out of the 30000 had actually made it to their destination. With such a huge loss, it wasn't hard to imagine how dangerous the route the Second Highness had to take to accomplish this surprise attack was.
"Go back to the house and bring me the map," instructed Lorist.
Five years ago, the Second Highness had exterminated the First Prince's 30000 elite soldiers at Flowater Creek and led his army to attack the Redlis Kingdom. After trapping Frederika, he forced the First Prince to sign an agreement to cede the two southwestern provinces. The two provinces that bordered the Redlis Kingdom and the Andinaq Kingdom were the Northwestern Province and the Kanbona Province.
The Northwestern Province was the coastal hilly area that Lorist had passed through when he led the convoy north. Neither the Second Highness nor the First Prince paid much attention to it as one would have to cross the Morrison River to reach the Redlis Kingdom. They would also have to pass through Kanbona Province. That was why the best route to attack the Redlis Kingdom was through Kanbona Province to reach Frederika. It was the same route the Second Highness took the last time.
However, there was no way the Second Highness would be able to pass through Kanbona Province like last time. While the Second Highness was gathering his 300000 men, the Redlis Kingdom's king, the First Prince of the former Krissen Empire, wasn't slacking off either. He spent a lot of money and resources to fortify Kanbona Province like a porcupine. Fortified citadels and deep trenches were everywhere. If the Second Highness wanted to reach Frederika, he would have to take one citadel after another.
The First Prince once proudly told his ministers that Auguslo (the Second Highness) would have to suffer at least 200 thousand casualties in Kanbona Province before he could reach the Frederika Capital. The remaining 100 thousand would be nothing more than a pipe dream if they thought they could conquer the capital with only 100 thousand. After that battle, the inexperienced Auguslo would never think of attacking the Redlis Kingdom again for the next 20 years.
The First Prince also knew how important Kanbona Province was to the Second Highness's 300000 men army. For that reason, he had all the family members of the officers stationed at the citadels stationed at Frederika under the guise of making it easier to take care of them. However, everyone knew that the moment a citadel failed to defend against the Second Highness's attack, the ones to lose their heads would be the family members of the officers.
The First Prince's plan was to force the 70000 garrison soldiers stationed at Kanbona Province to fight with their lives on the line. He believed that this was the only way the garrison soldiers would be able to take advantage of the geographical advantage to fight three to one against the citadels. In other words, the First Prince had already given up on the 70000 soldiers. Their only use would be as consumables and sacrificial pawns to wear down the Second Highness' 300000 men.
However, nobody expected that while the First Prince was only vicious to his subordinates, the Second Highness was even more vicious to himself. During such a cold winter in such weather, the Second Highness actually personally led his troops across Cloudsnap Mountains and Snowy Mountains. After losing around three quarters of his men, he miraculously appeared at the Redlis Kingdom's capital of Frederika and conquered it in one fell swoop, forcing the First Prince to flee in panic.
Lorist couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the map. It was worth noting that the Second Highness had just given a passionate speech at the Andinaq Kingdom's capital a month ago, vowing to reunite and revive the former Krissen Empire. It was said that he would also be in charge of the burial of the Third Prince and patrol the frontlines to make preparations for war. That was why everyone thought that the Second Highness would attack the Redlis Kingdom during the 4th or 5th month. Nobody would've thought that the Second Highness would occupy the Redlis Kingdom's capital within a month. That was far too fast and unexpected. It was truly shocking.
Charade pointed at the map and said, "Good heavens! The Second Highness actually crossed the Broken Cloud Mountain Range and even crossed the Great Snow Mountain Range. This is simply suicidal, it's really too risky … "
In the Redlis Kingdom's capital of Frederika, there was a natural barrier between the Bodolger Province and Kanbona Province: the Cloudsnap Mountains. The mountains were tall and deep with steep cliffs. In the middle of the mountains was the Snowy Mountains with tens of peaks that pierced through the clouds. The accumulated snow was hard to melt and there were crisscrossing ravines. The terrain was so dangerous that it was impossible to cross. That was originally the natural barrier of the Bodolger Province. Now that the Second Highness had crossed it, it was like a knife piercing through a snake's weak spot.
Lorist pointed at the map and laughed. "The Second Highness only managed to cross Cloudsnap Mountains through a trick like this."
"What do you mean?" asked the others curiously.
"Look, below the Cloudsnap Mountains is the Cloudmist Swamp that stretches for hundreds of kilometers. It's said that the Cloudmist Swamp was formed because the snow from the Snowy Mountains melted and gathered here. If it was during spring, summer, or autumn, the Second Highness would have to cross the Cloudmist Swamp before he could cross the Cloudmist Swamp. It would take him at least two to three months. But now, the Cloudmist Swamp is frozen solid, allowing the Second Highness to cross the Cloudsnap Mountains without any hindrance. As long as he crosses the Snowy Mountains, he will arrive at the Bodolger Province, "explained Lorist.
"I see. No wonder the Second Highness is hailed as a strategist of the new generation. He really does live up to his reputation for being able to grasp such an opportune moment!" praised the vice president of the Peterson Merchant Guild.
"Sigh," sighed Lorist, "It's a pity that we lost too many men. Only eight thousand remained to attack Frederika after crossing the Snowy Mountains. Looks like we weren't prepared enough."
Lorist was certain that the Second Highness had only mobilized his so-called elite forces and didn't have a clear understanding of the difficulties of crossing the Snowy Mountains in winter. If he had made sufficient preparations, he wouldn't have been left with so few men to attack Frederika.
In actuality, Lorist's guess was right. The Second Highness only lost around four thousand men when crossing the Cloudsnap Mountains. However, more than twenty thousand suffered frostbite and fall injuries. Less than eight thousand managed to make it through thanks to Battle Force and Physique. However, that was more than enough to deal with the defenseless defenders.
"You can't put it that way. Even though we lost so many men, it's still better than having 300 thousand men attack the citadels of Kanbona one by one. That would've cost us more than 100 thousand men. If you look at it that way, the surprise attack was worth it, "retorted one of the military personnel of the Peterson Merchant Guild.
Lorist shook his head lightly. If war was a trade-off, it would be much simpler. However, he couldn't be bothered to argue with them.
"Then, Lord Count, how do you think the Second Highness's attack on the Redlis Kingdom will develop? Will the First Prince be able to turn the tables and win the battle? "asked the vice president sensibly.
"Unless a miracle happens, the First Prince won't be able to escape defeat," concluded Lorist.
"It's hard to say. The Second Highness only managed to take Frederika by surprise. He only has eight thousand men at his disposal. That's far too little. If the First Prince were to gather tens of thousands of men to attack Frederika, the Second Highness might be the one to lose, "said the military personnel as he tried to argue with Lorist.
"Hehe," laughed Lorist, "If only things were that simple. Now that the First Prince has lost the capital, how can he gather more men? Who would pay attention to a king who was at the end of his road and had no soldiers or generals? Who would risk their lives to attack a city for him? "
"But he's the king of Redlis! He's righteous and righteous! "said the military personnel, still unconvinced.
At this moment, Charade interjected, "Righteous my ass! The First Prince was a traitor to begin with. He was the one who raised the flag of rebellion and caused the empire to fall apart. Everyone feared him when he had troops and generals. Now that he's lost the capital, not only is he without soldiers, he's also lost all the money he could use to recruit more men. Who would care about such a poor bastard? It's already very benevolent of them to not cut off his head and bring it to the Second Highness for a reward. "
"They won't kill him. No noble is willing to bear the crime of killing a king. Regardless of whether he's a traitor or not, he's still the king of the Redlis Kingdom. However, even if he's the king, the nobles will only patronize him. Even if he does gather some men, he won't be able to take Frederika. He only has himself to blame. He shouldn't have fortified the capital so well and left all the loot, food, and resources there.
The Second Highness isn't an idiot. He'll definitely use the spoils to recruit more men. Even though he only has eight thousand men, he'll definitely triple or quadruple in ten days. By the time the First Prince arrives at the capital, he'll find the Second Highness already has tens of thousands of soldiers waiting for him. "
At that point, Lorist gave it some thought before he laughed lightly and said, "If the First Prince is wise, he should immediately gather all the troops and resources he can and retreat to Majik Province. That way, he might be able to prolong the war and wait for the situation to change."
"Will the Second Highness give him that time?" asked Charade.
"He will. The Second Highness only has eight thousand men now. Apart from defending Frederika, he won't be able to spare any troops to pursue the First Prince. Even if he does manage to recruit more men, he'll only focus on dealing with the 70 thousand soldiers at Kanbona. Fortunately, the First Prince has the families of the 70 thousand soldiers as hostages in the capital. The Second Highness can use that to get them to surrender. After all, the First Prince won't be able to escape.
"When the 70 thousand soldiers at Kanbona surrender, the 100 thousand soldiers the Second Highness has stationed at the two southwestern provinces will arrive at Frederika. By then, he'll be able to sweep through the Redlis Kingdom effortlessly. All the nobles who don't pledge their loyalty to him will be wiped out.
"That's why I said that the First Prince still has some time to gather his men and find a place in Majik that won't be easy for the Second Highness to attack. That way, he'll be able to buy some time. Otherwise, in a month or two, when the second prince's hundred thousand troops arrive, there's nothing left to say. "
On the map, the northwestern province of the Redlis Kingdom wasn't that important. After the Second Highness's victory, he could send an ambassador there. The 70 thousand soldiers at Kanbona were sandwiched between the two southwestern provinces and Frederika. In front of them was the Second Highness's army of 100 thousand. Behind them was the Second Highness's sneak attack on Frederika, cutting off their supply and retreat routes. Apart from surrendering, they had no other choice.
Kanbona and Bodolger, where Frederika was located, wouldn't be able to cause much of a stir. Next up was Anderwoff and Majik. Anderwoff was the main camp of the Redlis Kingdom's nobles. The 30 or so landed nobles there had decent military strength. If they worked together, they would be able to contend with the First Prince. They had always been at odds with the First Prince and would only mock him when he was down on his luck. Nobody would be willing to lend a helping hand.
If the nobles of Anderwoff thought that they could deal with the second highness the same way they dealt with the first prince, they would definitely be in for a bad time. The second highness's army of over a hundred thousand wouldn't mind using them as an example to gain some military merits.
As for Majik, it was adjacent to the Handra Duchy and Farkel Duchy. It was also the springboard for the First Prince's invasion of the four central duchies. However, it was later invaded by the four duchies' allied forces and Majik was reduced to rubble. Even though five to six years had passed since then, there were still few people there. Dilapidated walls could be seen everywhere.
"Lord Count, where do you think the Second Highness's army will go after he exterminates the Redlis Kingdom?" asked the vice president.
"Well, there are many possibilities. The most likely is that the Second Highness will use his massive military strength to force the four central duchies to return to the Redlis Kingdom. After that, he will use the four duchies to gather his forces at the Melein Duchy and use that to exterminate the Iblia Kingdom and force Duke Fisablen's Frontier Legion to surrender. After that, the Second Highness will attack the Madras Duchy from both sides and exterminate Duke Madras, the main culprit behind the division of the empire.
"After that, the Second Highness will attack the Lormo Duchy. If the Trade Union isn't willing to let the Lormo Duchy return to the Redlis Kingdom, then the war between the Union and the Empire that has been going on for more than a century will break out once more and continue. However, by then, the Second Highness will be credited with reclaiming his territory.
After the Lormo Duchy returns, I believe that the Second Highness will ascend the throne and become Auguslo I, whose name will be recorded in the annals of history. "Lorist guessed.
The vice president's face instantly paled. Lorist's guess wasn't surprising to him at all. That was indeed the most likely outcome.
The vice president bowed to Lorist and said, "Lord Count, thank you for your hospitality over the past few days. However, I believe that it's time for us to return. Don't worry, our guild will abide by the terms of our agreement with you. "
Lorist also stood up and nodded. "Then you're welcome to come again. As friends, you will receive the most sincere welcome of the Norton Family. Oh, and this is the letter I wrote to President Peterson. Please pass it to him on my behalf. Thank you for your trouble. "
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