On the fourteenth of June, the seventh day after the Battle of the Romani Sea had ended, Laurist, who had finally made the necessary arrangements, led the fleet and the remaining transport fleet on their journey to Amethrin Port. In the afternoon of the previous day, Sunbarwood led the Thunderstrike Fleet and escorted the captive crew and sailors of the Firebird Legion and the Invincible Fleet to Shirovas Island. Accompanying them were the more than three hundred private merchant ships and cargo ships that carried various supplies.
Even though the Norton family had won the Battle of the Romani Sea, the family's fleet had suffered heavy losses. The casualties weren't high, only about two thousand people, but the damage to the warships was more severe. Sixteen whaling ships had been completely scrapped by the impact of the Invincible Fleet's small, high-speed warships. More than ten large and medium-sized warships had also been damaged. Now, these warships had joined the glorious ranks of ships that had been buried in the reefs.
On the 21st of June, Lollister arrived at Amethrin Port. The family's armed forces and the commanders of the four main armies and above all came to greet him.
Bofinger reported, "His Majesty the King has been sending messengers over every other day to urge our armed forces to meet up with them at Bluvet City as soon as possible in order to deal with the Trade Union's armed forces' upcoming attack. However, they've all been evaded with the reason that the military supplies and rations haven't arrived yet. Now that a large number of warships and transport fleets have arrived, His Majesty and the others will definitely notice. They'll think that the rations and military supplies for our armed forces have already arrived, and will send people over in the next two days to urge us to go to the frontlines. "
Lollister smiled and waved his hand. "It's fine. If His Majesty the King sends more messengers, tell them that the Trade Union's armed forces won't be able to launch an attack this year. Their transport fleets have been wiped out by our family's North Sea Fleet. Without rations and military supplies, what will the Trade Union's armed forces use to launch an attack? It's already very good that they can hold their current frontlines. "
"Then are we still going to attack Hidden Gold Bay and land at Morent City according to the plan?" Bofinger asked.
"There's no need to attack Hidden Gold Bay. We'll pretend to be the Invincible Fleet and the transport fleets and sneak into Hidden Gold Bay. Then, we'll occupy the docks and directly attack Morent City. Over the past few days, the Monolith Army and the Royal Guard Army had started to board the ships. The Flying Tiger Army and the Hunting Cavalry Army were still stationed here. After we conquered Moronte City, we would break camp and head to the Mana Hill Plains. Without the logistical support of Moronte City, the Trade Confederation at the frontline will definitely not be able to hold on any longer. When they are in a state of panic, you will take the initiative to attack. Firstly, it will reduce the pressure on us who have taken over Moronte City. Secondly, it will allow you to capture more captives. The development of Yungesandra Province requires a lot of manpower. Understand? "
"Yes, Your Highness, we understand." The higher-ups in the tent replied in unison.
What Laurist didn't expect was that the Second Prince didn't send an envoy this time. Instead, he personally brought Duke Gammus and Duke Fisablon to Methrin Harbor. The reason he came was to meet with Laurist to discuss the current situation. Last year, the Trade Confederation's armed forces had taken over two cities consecutively. The Second Prince was under a lot of pressure.
It was almost July, and the Trade Confederation's armed forces that were confronting the Andinac Kingdom's army on the Mana Hill Plains strangely didn't launch an attack this year. This made the Second Prince feel uneasy. He was afraid that the Trade Confederation's armed forces were plotting something again. This was also why he kept sending messengers to urge the Norton Family's armed forces to the frontline. No matter what the officials said, it was always a good thing to have more armed forces on hand.
When the Second Prince discovered that the Monolith Army and the Royal Guard Army were boarding the ships, he was shocked. Laurist told him with a bitter expression that the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet had successfully attacked the Trade Confederation's coastal port city, Port Ainiba. They had also attacked and held the Trade Confederation's food and military supplies transport fleet hostage. This was also the reason why the Trade Confederation's armed forces couldn't attack Bluvet City, which the Second Prince was defending.
However, because of this, the Trade Confederation's attention had shifted to the Norton Family. It was said that they had gathered more than a hundred thousand troops and ordered the Invincible Fleet to attack Syrovas Island and destroy the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet. Therefore, the Monolith Army and the Royal Guard Army had to go to Syrovas Island to defend against the Trade Confederation's attack. Because once Syrovas Island was occupied, not only would the North Sea Fleet no longer be a threat to the Trade Confederation's sea transport line, but even the Norton Family's sea transport line would be cut off. If they used land to transport supplies to the Norton Family's armed forces, then the cost of manpower and materials would become a huge burden.
The Second Prince let out a long sigh of relief. After understanding why the Trade Confederation's armed forces hadn't launched an attack, he could finally put down the worry in his heart. Then, he began to praise the Norton Family's outstanding contributions to the kingdom. Laurist's loyalty and dedication would be engraved in the history of the Empire's revival, and his glory would last for generations …
It was only when Laurist's face darkened that the Second Prince stopped talking. Very considerately, he said that if Laurist handed over the command of the Flying Tiger Army and Hunting Cavalry Army to him, he could order the frontline troops to launch a few attacks on the Trade Confederation's armed forces in Syrovas Island to reduce the pressure on the Norton Family's territory.
Laurist shook his head and rejected the Second Prince's kind suggestion. "Your Majesty, I appreciate your kindness, but now is not the right time. Our kingdom is currently facing a crisis, and everyone needs to unite to face the Trade Confederation's military pressure and encroachment. It's not that I'm unwilling to hand over the Flying Tiger Army and Hunting Cavalry Army to Your Majesty's command, but they can't leave this place now. Even a wise man will make a mistake. It's better to be safe than sorry. "
Laurist pulled over a sea map and showed it to the Second Prince. "Your Majesty, I've received news that the Trade Confederation has recruited a hundred thousand troops in the south of the continent. At the same time, the Chigda Kingdom has sent another fifty thousand reinforcements. It's said that they're the elite Firebird Army.
These one hundred and fifty thousand troops are the main force attacking Syrovas Island. I'm worried that they're just bluffing. They say they're attacking Syrovas Island, but they're actually landing at Port Amethrin to cut off the retreat of Your Majesty's army at the frontline. If that happens, the consequences will be unimaginable.
That's why the Flying Tiger Army and Hunting Cavalry Army must be stationed here to guard against the enemy's surprise attack. With them here, there's no need to worry about the enemy's surprise attack. If the infantry that comes ashore encounters the two cavalry armies of our family, I guarantee that no matter how many come, they'll all die. "
The Second Prince wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was frightened by Laurist's description. After all, in the history of war on the Galinthea Continent, there had never been a case of a sea landing to cut off the retreat route. Land battles were land battles, and sea battles were sea battles. The distinction had always been clear. Although he didn't know if what Laurist said would come true, he knew that the merchants of the Trade Confederation didn't have any so-called noble traditions or moral bottom line. If they discovered that landing at Port Amethrin and outflanking the retreat route could cause the Andinac Kingdom's army of more than three hundred thousand troops to collapse, then they wouldn't hesitate to implement this plan to defeat the army commanded by the Second Prince.
"You're still the most thoughtful, Loke." The Second Prince was convinced. "If there's anything we can help you with, just say it. We won't refuse if we can do it."
"Your Majesty, the army at the frontlines doesn't need to do much. It's enough to continue the confrontation with the Trade Confederation. However, in order to raise morale, we can choose some insignificant locations to launch attacks and remove the strongholds and strongholds that the Trade Confederation's forces do not have sufficient strength to defend. We can continue to put pressure on the Trade Confederation's forces and deplete their military supplies and food reserves …
Anyway, their transport fleet has already been attacked and destroyed by our family's North Sea Fleet. They won't be able to maintain their offensive posture at the frontlines for the next two to three months, so we should hold them back and increase their losses at the frontlines. After we defeat the Invincible Fleet and destroy the 150,000 troops of the Trade Confederation, the situation on the battlefield will change. Perhaps we can force the Trade Confederation to sign a peace treaty with our kingdom and end this war. "
Laurist's words reassured the Second Prince, and he perked up. "Alright, I'll listen to you, Loke. I believe that your family's forces will emerge victorious in every battle and destroy the Trade Confederation's Invincible Fleet's plan to attack Syrovas Island …"
Hmm, the Second Prince had always liked to give moral support.
"Your Majesty, there's one more thing. I hope that you can treat the captured nobles of the Trade Confederation well in the upcoming battle. If the hatred continues, it will be difficult to end this war. Our kingdom and the Trade Confederation have sacrificed too much blood for this war. To achieve peace, we need to restrain our desire for revenge, "Laurist said seriously.
The Second Prince froze for a moment, then nodded. "Loke, you're right. Enough blood has been shed. I will order the captured nobles of the Trade Confederation to be treated well …"
Having finally tricked the Second Prince and his men away, Laurist, who had returned to the main tent, found that the higher-ups of his family's army were all overjoyed.
Laurist was puzzled. "What's there to be so happy about?"
Ferocious Tiger Ross smiled. "Your Highness, aren't we going too far by tricking His Majesty like this? If he knew that the Invincible Fleet had surrendered to us, and that the 100,000 conscripted troops of the Trade Confederation and the Chigda Kingdom's Firebird Army had become our family's captives, he would definitely vomit blood in anger …"
Laurist sighed. "It's not like you don't know our Majesty. If he knew the true situation of the war and our plan to take over Moronte City, you can imagine what he would do next.
It's very simple. He would definitely step in and get his hands on Moronte City. On one hand, he would covet the huge wealth and prestige that we would gain after taking over Moronte City. You should know that the wealth of Moronte City is our family's main goal, and also the compensation for our participation in this war. His Majesty's participation would add variables to our plan to take over Moronte City's wealth, and might even cause the millions of citizens in Moronte City to rebel.
On the other hand, I'm worried that taking over Moronte City would cause His Majesty's ambition to expand, and he would be so arrogant as to prepare to permanently occupy the Mana Hill Plains. In that case, the war between the kingdom and the Trade Confederation would continue. Not only would the 300,000 strong army of the Andinac Kingdom be gradually depleted in the next few years, I'm afraid that even our family's armed forces wouldn't be able to extricate themselves from this huge pit.
I'm not exaggerating. If the Trade Confederation were to lose the Mana Hill Plains and Moronte City, they would definitely fight to the death with the kingdom. They had a history of over a hundred years of confrontation with the former Crisen Empire, and now they have a death feud with the kingdom. Even if the kingdom occupied the Mana Hill Plains and Moronte City, it would still be impossible for the kingdom to rule stably. The successive rebellions and battles would quickly cause the kingdom to bleed to the last drop of blood.
Was an army of 300,000 a lot? There was the invasion of the Trade Confederation's armed forces on the outside, and the uncooperative resistance of the citizens on the inside. The kingdom wouldn't be able to gain a foothold here unless they killed all the resisters. But the more you kill, the deeper the hatred will grow, and the more intense the resistance will be. In a few years, the kingdom would have exhausted all of its strength on this land, and it would be too late for regrets at that time.
Our family's occupation of Moronte City is just a means, a temporary occupation. Firstly, we will expropriate property, and secondly, we will force the Trade Confederation to accept our conditions and sign a peace treaty. If the Trade Confederation doesn't agree, then we can even burn down the entire Moronte City. This wouldn't be a burden to our family at all. In any case, our family's territory is in the north, so what can the Trade Confederation do to us?
But if His Majesty were to participate, then the occupation of Moronte City would become our goal. After occupying Moronte City, His Majesty's reputation would spread throughout the Galinthea Continent. I don't care how much reputation His Majesty would gain, but in this way, His Majesty would have to occupy Moronte City. He wouldn't be like us, who could abandon Moronte City at any time, or return it to the Trade Confederation. Thus, Moronte City would become a heavy burden to the kingdom. Regardless of whether it's defending or ruling, it would involve countless capital and energy. The gains wouldn't make up for the losses.
Now, do you understand? After saying so much nonsense, I want everyone to wake up. The plan to occupy Moronte City can only be carried out by our family's armed forces. Only then can we control the situation and prevent any unexpected changes from happening. Ending this war will depend on everyone's efforts. The family is looking forward to everyone's contributions. "
"Yes, Your Highness, we won't disappoint you!"
"So be it. Bofinger and Aire, speed up the boarding speed of the corps' soldiers. We will strive to set sail for Hidden Gold Gulf tomorrow afternoon. Ferocious Tiger Ross and Ferrell, set off for the Mana Hill Plains after receiving the news that we have occupied Moronte City.
The Trade Confederation's armed forces have accumulated more than 400,000 troops at the frontline. Even if we occupy Moronte City, they won't immediately admit defeat. "You can appropriately remind our three allies and Duke Fisablun that as long as the Trade Confederation's troops at the frontline show signs of retreating, you must pursue them ferociously and entangle them. It won't be long before they collapse on their own.
"Only by eliminating the 400,000 troops of the Trade Confederation can we send envoys to discuss the terms of a peaceful truce. The few fortresses in the Mana Hill Plains and Moronte City are in our hands. His Majesty won't have any ambitions to occupy the Mana Hill Plains and Moronte City. Do you all know what to do? "Laurist asked with a serious expression.
"Your Highness, we understand," Ferocious Tiger Ross and Ferrell straightened their chests and gave Laurist a knight's salute.
… …
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