Since the second prince had decided to adopt the strategy of not fighting and wait for the chaos in the Handra Duchy, he immediately gathered all the nobles and commanders to redistribute the troops. First, the main camp retreated 50 miles to the border of the Westwood Province to set up camp. However, the new camp needed to be set up with defensive positions and sentry towers to prevent enemy ambushes.
The camp was also divided into two. Duke Gammus's two heavy armor regiments, the Norton Family's Flying Tiger Legion, and Count Phelim's Pegasus Legion were arranged on the left, blocking the main road from the Falkner Duchy to the Krebia Province. As for the White Lion Legion, Duke Fisablun's 3rd Frontier Ranger Legion and the reserve legion were arranged on the right. Behind them was the Feldo Duchy's Pederona Province. The two camps were like two sharp knives on the Westwood Province's flanks. As the defending party, the Handra Duchy was not used to this new situation.
If His Royal Highness did not move the camp, then the Handra Duchy's Red Army defending the Veyronni Mountain Pass would be tasked with defending the mountain pass. Meanwhile, the Fulondo Duchy's First Garrison Legion stationed at the end of the Broken Cloud Mountain Range on the left and the Falkner Duchy's Green Forest Mountain Legion stationed at the Martenemadi Mountain Range on the right could launch a sneak attack or a pincer attack when the enemy was unprepared, thereby delaying the Andenac Kingdom's attack. But now that the main camp had retreated 50 miles, the defending party did not know which direction the second prince would attack. The three legions stationed on the frontline could be attacked at any time.
In order to figure out the second prince's intention of retreating, the defending Handra Duchy sent many scouts down the mountain to investigate. However, the fifty miles that the Second Prince had retreated to were all plains. This was the territory of the Light Cavalry. All the scouts who went down the mountain were attacked by the Light Cavalry. They had no choice but to surrender or die. In a short period of time, the scouts sent by the defending side suffered heavy casualties. Only a few lucky ones were able to report back what they had found.
Not attacking each other didn't mean that they would stop fighting. Instead, they were giving the defending enemy continuous mental pressure without taking the initiative to attack. In the end, the enemy would be unable to withstand the pressure and collapse. The second prince had done this very well. Although they had retreated fifty miles, he had ordered Laurist's Flying Tiger Legion and Fisablun's two legions to make use of the cavalry's mobility to suddenly appear in front of the enemy's three defensive positions from time to time. They would pretend to attack, so that the defenders would not dare to relax.
After arranging the arrangements for the two camps at the frontline, the second prince handed over the affairs of the frontline to Duke Laurist and Duke Fisablun to handle respectively. Each of them was in charge of one camp, maintaining pressure on the defending side, preventing the enemy from launching a sneak attack, and so on. Meanwhile, the second prince himself led Count Shahin's family army back to Pedro City. In the next two years, the Summer Palace in Pedro City would become the second prince's headquarters. There, the second prince would deal with the newly occupied three duchies, eight provinces, and various affairs of the kingdom. He would be in charge of the development and construction of the eight provinces, and provide sufficient military supplies for the army at the frontline.
Looking at the various military flags fluttering in the distance, Duke Kempis, who had come to see the second prince off, turned his head and said to Laurist, "Henned is too stupid. He didn't get any benefits from His Majesty this time, and even foolishly became His Majesty's hired thug. I bet that His Majesty is going to start with the nobles of the Fulando Duchy when he returns to Pedro City, and Henned is the knife in his hand. "
This time, Duke Fisablun agreed to cooperate with the second prince and adopt the strategy of not attacking each other to deal with the four archdukes in the central region. Duke Fisablun asked for a legion's weapons and equipment, as well as a quota of fifty thousand immigrants after conquering Handa Duchy. Duke Kempis received a promise of two years of tax exemption from the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce's travel throughout the kingdom. Count Phelim asked for thirty thousand young and strong laborers after the war to open up the southern province. Laurist received another three years of tax exemption for his family's territory and the territories under his jurisdiction. It could be said that they both got what they needed. However, Count Şahin was a little too straightforward. He once again asked the second prince to assign him a province rich in mineral resources as his family's territory after the war, but didn't ask for any specific rewards.
"Fortune favors fools," Laurist said. Laurist said, "Henned serving as His Majesty's knife this time is actually His Majesty's compensation to him. Now that the troops of our families are all here, the logistical supplies we need need to be transported over long distances, which is indeed very costly. Although the Fulando Duchy did not suffer much damage from the war, its accumulated provisions and military supplies were almost depleted. Although the harvesting of winter wheat is of some help to His Majesty, it can't support the army for a long time.
There are still three to four months before the next harvest. In such a long time, no matter how capable His Majesty is, he won't be able to conjure up food. Other than arranging for farming and encouraging production, relying on logistics to transport provisions is too costly and costly. Therefore, the best way is to clean up the nobles of the Fulando Duchy. With this knife, His Majesty can easily obtain a year's worth of provisions for an army of three hundred thousand. Are you still worried that Henned won't be able to get anything in the process? His Majesty will turn a blind eye to any two or three hundred thousand gold coins. "
Count Phelim snorted unhappily, "That fellow sure is lucky. I hope he won't be roped in by His Majesty."
"Haha …" Duke Kemus quickly tried to smooth things over. After all, he was related to Count Şahin, and his cousin was now the mistress of the Şahin Family. "Don't worry. Henned may be a little stupid, but he knows very well that the four northern families are connected. His Majesty is only using him. It's impossible to rope him in. Besides, didn't both of your families wipe out the nobles of the Falkel Duchy at the end of last year? That made His Majesty furious. I guess His Majesty's idea of those nobles was inspired by the two of you … "
Count Phelim was speechless. Moving the refugees at the end of last year and wiping out the nobles of the Falkel Duchy at the same time was indeed a little inappropriate. However, Laurist defended himself, "You don't understand our predicament at that time. Do you think it's possible for His Majesty to move so many refugees to the capital of Windbri when he only gave 150,000 of us fifteen days' worth of provisions? If we don't wipe out the nobles' territories, how are we going to get food and clothing? Moreover, we helped His Majesty clean up the unstable elements of the Falkel Duchy, saving him the trouble of doing it himself. Not only did he not thank us, he even flew into a rage. How preposterous … "
Duke Kemus and Count Phelim laughed together. Only Laurist could make His Majesty unable to do anything to him. The second prince is a man of strategy, but he's always at a disadvantage against Laurist. Even the other three families of the alliance of the four northern families have gained a lot from the second prince.
Laurist was actually unhappy. Why did the second prince disband the allied forces of the nobles, but not let him return to the north? He even said that he would be in charge of the affairs at the frontlines. Since he's already adopted the strategy of not attacking, what else is there to do at the frontlines? There won't be any major battles after this. Just leave the small matter of maintaining the pressure on Handa Duchy's defense to Ross the Ferocious Tiger. Why did he have to stay here and bask in the sun …
Laurist felt that he'd fallen into the big hole he'd dug this time. The thought of staying here for two years made him feel like he'd rather die than live. However, seeing that Grand Duke Fisablon was also left at the frontlines by the second prince, he felt much better. Humans are like this. It's painful to be unlucky alone, but it's bliss to see someone suffer with you.
Thinking about it carefully, Laurist felt that the second prince's arrangement for him and Grand Duke Fisablon was quite interesting. If he let the two of them return to the family's territory, Laurist might have designs on the Fisablon Family again. This couldn't be helped. Out of the four northern families, there was only one target that could be bullied. Moreover, the Fisablon Family was already so close to the second prince. Laurist didn't want such a threatening force to stay beside his family's territory. He wouldn't hesitate to suppress them when he could.
Although the second prince was hostile towards the four northern families, he was far away. Furthermore, as a king, he had to be magnanimous. He couldn't just fall out with the Norton Family. Therefore, even if Laurist wanted to let the second prince suffer losses, he did it very cleverly. As long as the second prince didn't get hold of his weakness, no one could do anything to him. Also, the second prince had to be wary of the Norton Family's strength. Even if he wanted to fall out with them, he had to think about whether he could handle it …
Now that the second prince had forced Laurist and Grand Duke Fisablon to stay at the frontlines and not let them return to their respective families' territories, he even gave them the right to make decisions according to the situation. Wasn't this clearly to make the two of them calm down and not start internal strife the moment they returned to their families' territories? Now that the kingdom was in the final battle against the four central duchies, the second prince didn't want the Norton Family and Fisablon Family to have any more twists and turns to avoid affecting the situation at the frontlines.
If you have the strength, go to the Handa Principality and stay under my watch. Don't cause any trouble. It seemed like the second prince understood that although the Fisablon Family and the four northern families had signed a truce agreement, Grand Duke Fisablon's submission to him and the Fisablon Family's strong support had angered Laurist. No matter who became the head of the Norton Family, he wouldn't allow the second prince and the Fisablon Family to form a pincer attack on the Norton Family. As long as there was a chance, Laurist definitely wouldn't let the Fisablon Family go. As for the truce agreement, he could just tear it up. If he wanted to start a war, he would never have to worry about not having a good excuse.
If only Laurist stayed and not Grand Duke Fisablon, then Laurist definitely wouldn't stay at the frontlines peacefully. He might even leave with his family's armed forces without saying goodbye. And if only Grand Duke Fisablon stayed and not Laurist, then Grand Duke Fisablon wouldn't be able to stay at ease. Perhaps he would hear the news that the Fisablon Family's territory had been uprooted by Laurist after some time. Therefore, only by having both of them stay at the frontlines would everyone feel at ease. Moreover, they could also keep each other in check. This was probably the second prince's plan. If he stayed at the Summer Palace in Pedero City, it would also be effective in keeping the two of them from having any major conflicts and conflicts.
A few days after the second prince and the others left, Duke Kempis and Earl Phelim also had to bid farewell to Laurist. They, on the other hand, were very magnanimous. They directly handed over their family's armed forces to Laurist and set off with light equipment. One prepared to deploy the Snow Salt Merchant Guild's business network in the eight newly conquered provinces, while the other prepared to return to the southern province to supervise the development of the family's territory. Anyway, the second prince didn't have any requirements for them to stay at the frontlines. Moreover, handing over their own armed forces to Laurist was also very reassuring. They didn't have to worry about becoming cannon fodder. Just like Earl Kempis said, the four of us are one. I can only be at ease if I hand them over to you …
Alright, once they left, Laurist started to feel bored. Although Earl Phelim said that he would rush back in two months, Laurist still felt bored. He simply put his thoughts on tormenting the three defensive positions of the Handa Duchy. Didn't they say that their catapults were powerful from a high vantage point? They could all use the lever-type principle, but their catapults couldn't even throw as far as his catapults. Thus, Laurist found a group of craftsmen to make more than ten huge lever-type catapults and placed them in front of the three defensive positions. Stones were thrown from the foot of the mountain up to the defensive positions on the hillside.
Laurist's movements were too big, and even the second prince in Pedra City was alarmed. He rushed to the frontlines to see the catapults. Laurist didn't mind. His crude catapult might be able to throw far, but it was not accurate at all. Furthermore, it was troublesome to operate. Every time it was thrown, it required more than ten soldiers to pull the lever, and there was even a weight box attached to it. The frequency of throwing the stones was too low …
However, the second prince and Duke Fisabulun were already amazed by Laurist. Such a simple catapult was easy to understand at a glance. It had a huge log frame, a long, tough wood as the lever, and a weight box hanging from the end of the frame. The head of the lever was fitted with a leather bag, and a stone the size of a human head could be placed in it. Once the rope at the head of the lever was cut, the heavy weight box could be hung down, and the lever would be raised high. Then, the stone could be thrown to the defensive positions on the hillside five or six hundred meters away …
This was an unexpected surprise for the second prince. He happily asked Laurist if he could make more of these catapults to smash the defensive positions into pieces, and then take the opportunity to attack the defensive positions at the mountain pass.
Laurist shook his head and told him bluntly that this thing was useless. Look, the same catapult could throw stones of the same size and weight from a distance of one or two hundred meters. No one could control the accuracy of the stones. So, while this thing could be used to harass the enemy, it was impossible to use it to attack the defensive positions. It would be lucky if it could cause a little damage to the enemy.
The second prince left resentfully, but before he left, he drew a picture of this lever-type catapult. Laurist did not care. In any case, if the second prince wanted to use this kind of catapult to deal with the Norton Family, it would be a joke. This kind of lever-type catapult was huge and heavy, and it was extremely inconvenient to move. When the bronze cannons of the family appeared on the battlefield, this kind of catapult could only obediently become a target for the cannons.
Laurist used this kind of crudely made giant catapult as a means to harass the defensive positions, and did not care much about the effects of the stones. However, the garrison troops of the three duchies could not stand it anymore. This was because this thing was unpredictable, and no one knew where the next stone would be thrown. The soldiers who entered the defensive positions would look up at the sky every day, afraid that a stone would fall from somewhere and blow their brains out if they were not paying attention …
Thus, the generals of the three garrison troops discussed a plan. They used a night attack to successfully go down the mountain and break through the defenses, burning the ten or so giant catapults to the ground. Laurist was furious, and began to order the craftsmen to hurry up with the production of these catapults. He even took out his own pocket as a reward, and made double the number of the original catapults. Once again, they threw stones at the defensive positions to harass them.
This time, Laurist changed his tactics. He no longer threw stones that were the size of human heads. Instead, he smashed the stones, and a large bag of stones the size of a fist was thrown over. It was like a stone rain, and the area of impact was large. Although it was not fatal, it still caused the soldiers in the defensive positions to bleed.
A few garrison troops could not stand it anymore, and went down the mountain to launch another sneak attack. However, this time, they ran into an iron plate. Laurist had already secretly moved the Flying Tiger Army's war chariots and ballistae over to ambush them. A storm of ballistae fire caused the garrison troops that went down the mountain to suffer heavy losses. Only a small portion of the quick-witted ones escaped back up the mountain.
Then, Laurist was inspired by the kerosene that the garrison troops that went down the mountain to launch the sneak attack carried with them. He transported a large amount of kerosene from the rear and threw it in clay jars. Then, he threw stones that were on fire, and very quickly, the front of the defensive positions was set ablaze. Fortunately, the garrison troops were well prepared, and quickly covered the kerosene and the burning ground with sand. This prevented Laurist from successfully launching a sneak attack.
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