Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Even though he had promised Count Churjwick that he would consider Duke Handa's request for peace, the second prince was unwilling to stop the war. It was no big deal to let it be a misunderstanding. The key was that the current situation was extremely advantageous to him. Everyone knew that the four archdukes in the central region were on the verge of defeat and were in a precarious situation. As long as they put in a little more effort, the second line of defense of the Handra Principality would collapse in a single blow.
But the most hateful thing was Laurist's attitude. He did not agree to continue the attack. He felt that the outcome was already decided. There was no need to pursue and sacrifice the lives of the soldiers. Since the four central dukes had already admitted defeat, their request was no different from surrender. Why must they be so ruthless? Moreover, he had given him a way out. This war was just a misunderstanding. Whether they were rebels or not, everyone knew …
Laurist's intention was for the second prince to stop while he was ahead. Stop being so stubborn. The four central dukes had always been on good terms with the kingdom during the era of the previous king. They were also famous noble families in the era of the former empire. They were loyal to the empire and had made great contributions. Why did it become a rebellion when it came to you? So you had to clean up your own mess before blaming others …
The second prince was infuriated by Laurist's sarcastic words. But he could not do anything to Laurist, be it personal strength or the strength of his family. To be fair, the Norton Family had made great contributions in the war against the four central duchies. Whether it was the attack on the Sabagi Duchy or the flooding of the Forrendor Duchy, Laurist was the one who had the decisive role.
And when Duke Falkel had gone crazy and burned down the towns and supplies to create an artificial wave of refugees, it was Laurist who had solved the second prince's predicament. Although he had played some small tricks, he had made the greatest contribution to the great cause of unifying the empire. Especially when they had taken over the Weyronni Mountain Pass at the end of last year. This had given the second prince such an advantage, forcing the four central dukes to send envoys to ask for peace.
Compared to the outstanding performance of the Norton Family's armed forces, the armed forces brought by the other nobles were like bystanders. On the other hand, the White Lion Legion, which was personally commanded by the Second Prince, was more like a laborer. They had lost nearly half of their men and had little to show for it. As for the Fisablon Family's reserve army, they were here to accompany the White Lion Legion as cannon fodder. In any case, those who died were grassland barbarian cavalrymen, so Grand Duke Fisabulon did not feel distressed. The more casualties there were, the more loyal he was to the Second Prince.
This was the second prince's greatest tragedy. The greater Lollister's achievements, the less the Norton Family's armed forces would listen to him. The alliance of the four families in the Northern Region was in cahoots with the Norton family. Since Laurist could not be ordered around, Duke Kempis, Count Phelim, and Count Shahin's armies did not listen to the second prince's commands.
No matter how the second prince tried to split them, they were indifferent. Just like Count Shahin, the second prince had put him in charge of cleaning up the nobles in the Fulondor Duchy. This was a lucrative job, and Count Shahin's gratitude made the second prince think that he was loyal and could be of great use. Perhaps he could even use his greed to pull him out of the alliance of the four families in the Northern Region. However, he did not expect Count Shahin to stand on Lollister's side as soon as he returned to the frontlines. This made the second prince feel very aggrieved. All his efforts on Count Shahin had been in vain.
Nominally, the Andinac Kingdom's Coalition Army had more than 300,000 troops, but the second prince was very clear that he could only command the White Lion Legion and the Fisablon Family's reserve army. The White Lion Legion had suffered nearly half of their casualties, leaving only about 30,000 men. Although the reserve army was made up of barbarian cavalry, they were still disgruntled and restless after suffering nearly 10,000 casualties. No one was a fool, and in comparison, they were more willing to follow Lollister's orders. Not only did they suffer fewer casualties, but they could also earn extra money, unlike the second prince who would only send them to their deaths.
As for the Third Border Ranger Legion, they were Duke Fisablon's flesh and blood. The second prince knew that he could not have any ideas on this legion, and at the same time, he hoped that this legion could return in one piece and cause trouble for Lollister. Sometimes, when the second prince calmed down, he would question himself. If not for Lollister's help, the conquest of the four central duchies would not have gone so smoothly and with so few casualties. If the second prince had been in command the whole time, he would definitely have adopted a head-on approach and attacked all the way. He might not have even destroyed one or two duchies yet.
This was not because the second prince thought that his military strategy was not as good as Lollister's, but because he was considering the overall situation from the king's standpoint. From his perspective, the most ideal course of battle to attack the four central duchies was for the armed forces of the four northern families alliance to fight to the death with the armies of the four central duchies. Finally, he would emerge as the oriole. This way, the four central duchies would be destroyed, and the strength of the four northern families alliance would be severely damaged. This would remove the worry in his heart. This was the best outcome.
At the same time, in order to appease Duke Fisablon, who had followed him for the first time, the second prince had no choice but to place Lollister at the frontlines, right under his nose. This allowed him to make a great contribution. Looking at the casualty ratio, the two heavy armoured legions of the four northern families alliance suffered the heaviest losses, with more than 1,300 casualties. Next was Count Shahin, who was cleaning up the nobles' territories. His family's armed forces suffered seven to eight hundred casualties.
Next was Count Phelim's Pegasus Legion, which had also suffered five to six hundred casualties due to carrying out battlefield cover and reconnaissance missions. The Flying Tiger Legion suffered the least casualties, with only around four hundred casualties so far. This number of casualties was very insignificant to the four northern families alliance. Compared to the White Lion Legion, which had a full complement of fifty-six thousand men, losing nearly half, it was more like a slap to the second prince's face. There had been rumors in the army that the second prince's reputation as a military expert did not live up to his name.
The second prince was helpless. He couldn't do anything about Laurist, and Duke Gammus and the rest supported Laurist's idea and didn't want to continue attacking. Even Duke Fisablon privately told the second prince to leave a way out. Why did they have to kill the four Archdukes of the central continent? Besides, they had already admitted their defeat.
The second prince had his own difficulties, but he could not speak of his plans openly. It was not that he was unwilling to let the four central dukes go, but he had his eyes on the territories of the four central duchies and eleven provinces. Although the Andinac Kingdom's territory was large, except for a few provinces around the imperial capital, the rest were not under the second prince's control. After all, the few provinces around the imperial capital had already been plundered by him. Ever since he recruited three hundred thousand troops to unify the empire, he had plundered almost everything. Therefore, when he returned to the imperial capital to ascend the throne, he had no choice but to attack the kingdom's nobles. Even if he had a bad reputation, he had to do so, because he had to get his hands on money, provisions, and armaments in order to raise his troops for war.
The second prince's wishful thinking was that after the four central duchies were destroyed, eleven provinces would return to his direct jurisdiction. Using the original good economic environment and human resources of the four central duchies, it would not be difficult for him to gather an army of five to six hundred thousand soldiers in three to four years. By then, he would be able to attack the borders of the Commerce Alliance. Then, even if the Commerce Alliance already had a Guardian Sword Sage and became the largest country in the Galinthea Continent, they still had to consider whether it was worthwhile to make an enemy of the kingdom.
The second prince believed that the group of merchants would be very rational and understand that his demands were not high. As long as the Commerce Alliance returned the few imperial provinces that they had forcibly occupied to him, he would be able to obtain peace. At that time, as the emperor of the revived empire, he would also be benevolent enough to grant those merchants the convenience and privileges to open up new trade routes in the empire. Yes, he could also use those merchants to attack the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce of the four northern families, killing two birds with one stone …
This was the reason why the second prince still refused to agree to Count Churjwick's request for peace after several days of consideration. He was not willing to let the four central dukes reoccupy their traditional territories and provinces. Those were basically the most developed areas among the eleven central provinces. Without those four provinces, the grand blueprint in the second prince's heart would be shattered, and the great cause of reviving and unifying the empire would be implemented in the indefinite future.
However, the alliance of the four northern families, led by Laurist, did not cooperate, and Grand Duke Fisablun's incessant persuasion finally made the second prince make a decision. He summoned Count Churjwick and asked him to bring his reply to the four central Grand Dukes: The conditions were very simple. He could forgive the four central Grand Dukes, but the territories of the four Grand Dukes had to be transferred to the provinces around the Imperial Capital.
In addition, the contributions of the four dukes had to be doubled. Grand Duke Handa, Grand Duke Forrendor, and Grand Duke Sabaji each had to pay a tribute of one and a half million gold fords. On the other hand, Grand Duke Falkel had to pay three million gold fords as punishment for his crime of burning down the capital and town. The last condition was that the four dukes had to reorganize their troops and be allowed to bring an army of forty-five thousand men to their new family territories. The rest of the troops would be handed over to the second prince.
As for the nobles who followed the four grand dukes in the central region and became enemies with the second prince, the second prince would redetermine their titles and territories according to their family's previous contributions to the empire, and then transfer and reduce their titles. They would no longer be the vassal lords of the four grand dukes.
To be honest, the second prince's reply was very harsh and beyond everyone's expectations. Churjwick wanted to protest, but the second prince avoided him. He let the guard beside him carry the message. This was the final decision, and it would not be changed. Count Churjwick could only leave the barracks to deliver the message with resentment.
Duke Kempis and the others were puzzled. They privately asked Laurist why the second prince would propose such harsh conditions. Wasn't this clearly forcing the four central dukes to a dead end? Could it be that continuing the war would be more beneficial to the second prince?
Laurist sneered and pointed at the map on the table. He said sarcastically, "Our king has his eyes on the territories of these eleven provinces of the four central dukes. It's very simple. To him, gold fords are important, but not as important as the manpower and resources of these eleven provinces. It's a dream for him to unify the empire with just a few provinces around the capital. With the territory of these eleven provinces, he has the confidence to fight against the trade union. "
Everyone understood. Laurist warned everyone to be more vigilant. After the four central dukes received the second prince's reply, there was a high possibility that they would fight to the death. If that was the case, no one knew when the war would end. There was even a high possibility that they would resort to more extreme measures, such as assassinations. He hoped that everyone could protect themselves. However, Laurist hoped that the four central dukes would accept the second prince's conditions …
"What did you say? How could they agree to such harsh conditions? " Count Shahin expressed that it was impossible for such a good thing to happen. "If it were me, I would rather die than agree to such conditions."
Laurist smiled and shook his head. "You don't understand. This concerns the continuation of the family's legacy. It's not up to the four dukes' personal preferences. They had to consider it carefully. Although the second prince's conditions were a little harsh, they were not unacceptable. Money was precious, but could it compare to a family's legacy? Moreover, the second prince only asked them to transfer their titles, not to reduce them. They would still be dukes.
Even if the new territory is a little barren, as long as the family continues, the territory will slowly develop. Most importantly, the second prince did not deprive them of their military power. They can each bring a legion to the family's new territory. Together with the family members of the 45,000 armed legion, they will soon control the entire new territory. With the family's armed forces and territory, they won't have to worry about the future. "
…
On the sixth day of the seventh month of the 1783 calendar of the Galinthia Continent, more than a month and nearly fifty days had passed since Count Churjwick's return. The Andenac Kingdom's coalition army was still stationed in front of the second line of defense of the Handa Principality, confronting the enemy. The second prince was still angry with Laurist, who insisted on not attacking. Furthermore, the Second Prince could no longer command the White Lion Legion and the Fisabulon Family's reserve army to die. Grand Duke Fisabulon rushed back and forth, saying all sorts of nice things to appease the Second Prince. Finally, the Second Prince agreed to face off for a period of time.
That night, the second line of defense of the Handa Principality suddenly erupted, and flames rose to the sky. The second prince, Laurist, and the others were alarmed and went to check. They found that the camps under attack were the Green Forest Mountain Legion and the Blood Spear Legion under Duke Facker. The situation was a little strange. Even the second prince was wondering if it was a trap to lure him into attacking.
At that moment, a few scouts from the Pegasus Legion brought back Count Churjwick, who was covered in blood. He reported to the second prince that Duke Handa, Duke Fulundor, and Duke Sabaji had all agreed to the second prince's conditions and were willing to surrender. But Duke Facker clamored to resist to the end, swearing not to surrender. It took a lot of effort to persuade him, but he said he didn't have that many gold merit points to contribute.
Just as Duke Handa and the others were discussing if they should send messengers to the second prince to ask for a reduction in the contribution fee, Duke Facker brazenly ordered his two legions to loot the towns and villages of the Handa Principality, burning, killing, and looting. Duke Handa sent people to stop them, but Duke Facker said, "Since you're going to surrender anyway, this territory will soon no longer be your family's territory. You might as well rob, kill, and burn everything now, leaving some empty land for the second prince."
Grand Duke Handra was so angry that he vomited blood. He led his troops and fought a huge battle with Grand Duke Facker. After much effort, he finally managed to push Grand Duke Facker's two legions back to their defensive positions. He then convinced Grand Duke Forrendo and Grand Duke Sabaji to surround Grand Duke Facker and his two legions before surrendering to the second prince. But before they sent their troops, Duke Facker was already preparing to break through the encirclement overnight.
Luckily, the garrison troops of the Handa Principality at the foot of the mountain were prepared, and did not let Duke Facker break through. But the current situation was messed up by them. On the other side, the Grand Duke of Forendor led an army and directly launched a surprise attack on the camp guarded by the Falk Duchy's army. Fighting broke out at the foot of the mountain, killing everywhere. Count Churjwick finally managed to extricate himself from the chaotic battle, and he hurriedly came to ask for help …
The second prince was overjoyed when he heard this. He urgently ordered Duke Fisablun, Lollister, Count Filim, and Count Shahin to lead their family's cavalry to reinforce. They must not let the culprit, Duke Facker, escape. Lollister gave face to the second prince this time, and immediately rushed over with the Flying Tiger Legion.
The addition of the cavalry became the death knell for the two legions of the Facker Principality. Like crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood, they either died or surrendered. But perhaps these two legions had done too much evil in the Handa Principality. After the soldiers of the surrendered legions were gathered, they were massacred by the garrison troops of the Handa Principality, who hated them to the core. By the time Lollister realized this, it was already too late to stop it. More than half of the thirty thousand captives were slaughtered, and the number of Facker soldiers who survived was less than ten thousand …
The battle between Duke Handa and Duke Facker marked the end of the second prince's conquest of the four central duchies. Grand Duke Handa, Grand Duke Forrendo, and Grand Duke Sabaji submitted to the second prince. Meanwhile, Grand Duke Falkel led nearly a hundred horsemen and broke out of the siege of the Handa Principality's garrison. They turned to Marjik Province and sought refuge in the Commercial Federation, becoming an exiled Grand Duke in the name of asylum.
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