419 - 425

Declaration

"It is not the oath that makes the man trustworthy, but the man the oath." ~ Norton Lorist

The second highness soon left; he had to take the queen back to the capital before leading Whitelion to Southern. His trip would take about two months, so the war would only start in the middle of the 8th month. Currently, it was only the 5th.

A large military camp had already been built in Southern. House Norton's Tigersoar and House Felim's Pegasus were the first to arrive. The two legions' camps sandwiched Third Frontier. Firmrock was still stationed at the border with Eastwild to maintain security.

Lorist planned to mobilize Tigersoar, two sentry divisions, and two divisions from Jaeger. Tigersoar would be the vanguard. The sentry divisions and Jaeger's divisions were brought along for training, to provide them with experience. The other reason was to ensure numerical superiority so the Fisablens wouldn't do anything fishy. Even if they were on the same side, Lorist wasn't willing to let his guard down.

Duke Fisablen had been acted within his bounds as of late. Even after seeing that the released soldiers were armed with only old and beaten armor and rusted weapons, he just sighed a few times and resisted the urge to make his objections heard. He moved in to live alongside his soldiers. Xanthi, however, sought out Sylvia to vent her frustration by talking bad about lorist, forcing Sylvia to get her husband to give out thousands of better weapons and make up for it.

Kenmays mobilized two heavy-armored divisions but they would first meet up with Whitelion before heading to Southern. Shazin mobilized all his forces. All 48 thousand had departed and would arrive in Southern in another ten days. It was apparent that Shazin was rubbing his hands in anticipation of a huge haul. As for House Fisablen, they were mobilizing two legions. Apart from the freed Third Frontier, they also mobilized another legion. They had brought quite a lot along, so their journey would take longer and they were estimated to arrive in Southern in the 6th month.

Apart from the four houses and House Fisablen's forces, the landed Delamockan and Winstonian nobles had brought their private armies. The furthest ones even came all the way from the capital, they didn't bring many men, though. The smallest were around ten strong, the largest around a hundred. They all traveled together in a huge convoy that totaled roughly ten thousand by the time they arrived. However, it seemed they weren't there to go to war, but rather, to make a killing pillaging.

Much to Lorist's surprise, his lover, Arriotoli of House Dina, also brought around a hundred farmers. She even got into trouble the moment she entered the military camp. It was not surprising that a rare female knight would be teased by the rough crowd. However, she was far too short-tempered and got into a fight immediately, setting off an incident that resulted in one dead and three injured. The whole camp broke into a commotion. Lorist only discovered what was going on after sending Loze to stop the fighting.

Exceedingly troubled, Lorist had no choice but to send Charade to deal with it by paying reparations for and to the dead and injured. However, not only did Arriotoli refuse to let it go, she even demanded Lorist avenge the seven casualties on her side. Lorist had no choice but to have her men stationed at the campsite of the sentry divisions and 'punish' her in his unique way in order to calm her down.

Despite the various commotions, it was soon the 20th day of the 6th month. House Fisablen's second legion arrived. The moment Lorist heard the report Firmrock sent from the borders, he knew both he and Auguslo had fallen for it. The legion mobilized wasn't a frontier legion like they had thought, but rather House Fisablen's newly formed reserve legion, 35 thousand grassland barbarians graced with 50 thousand war horses and a large number of leather armor and weapons for Third Frontier, they looked more like proper light cavalry again.

That old fox! thought Lorist furiously as he glanced at Duke Fisablen. It so happened that the other was looking at him and even shot him a slight smile.

Lorist nodded and had Loze increase their guards. He had thought House Fisablen would mobilize both frontier legions and was wondering whether he should cause Duke Fisablen some trouble during the attack so they would lose more men and further weaken them. But now, there was no need.

The reserve legion's loss wouldn't impact the house in the slightest. After all, grassland barbarians were a dime a dozen. As long as the house had money, they could recruit as many as they wanted. Duke Fisablen was obviously trying to save Third Frontier and use the reserve legion for the main charge. Though Lorist had gone through the trouble of arming Third Frontier with poor armor, the duke now had a good excuse to not send them into battle. He had truly miscalculated.

On the 27th day of the 6th, Lorist received Tarkel's report. The four duchies were aware of their movements and even knew the war would erupt in 8th. So far, Handra, Farkel, and Forund had prepared. Each had formed a legion 45 thousand strong and were preparing to form a second. At the moment, the three legions were on the march to Shabaj. They would likely arrive at Rimad by the 30th of the 7th. They would later set up fortifications with the intent of bogging them down at Rimad. They wanted to turn this into a war of attrition.

Additionally, ever since exterminating Melein, Duke Shabaj had moved their capital to Messen Castle in Messen. After their defeat during the war between the four houses and House Fisablen, they had sought to defend themselves from further attacks by stationing the duchy's second legion in Rimad, the first legion, 45 thousand strong, in Messen, and a division of 12 thousand at Egret Swamp to prevent Auguslo from attacking there.

Even if Shabaj still had a population of around 800 thousand, having a standing force of 100 thousand was definitely no easy feat. Hence why the second legion relied mainly on the support of the three other duchies. When word of Andinaq's upcoming invasion spread, Duke Shabaj requested aid from his allies and held a recruitment drive.

Messen used to be House Melein's hereditary dominion. After it was conquered, the whole Melein family, save a seven-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl left at the imperial capital, were put to death. Though Duke Shabaj had moved his capital there, he couldn't capture the citizens' hearts, resulting in the snail-paced war preparations. Nowadays, the duke could only rely on his first legion. It was the greatest pillar of his house. He planned to join up with the three other duchies before heading to Rimad.

Lorist looked at the map for quite a while before he sent someone to call Duke Fisablen, Felim, and Shazin for an emergency war council. During the council, he briefly summarized the intel he had.

Pointing at the map, he said, "So far, Handra, Forund, and Farkel's reinforcements have yet to arrive. While Whitelion hasn't arrived for us either, given how urgent the situation is, I don't want to wait. Let's attack as soon as possible and force the reinforcements outside the border."

Shabaj contained three provinces. Rimad and Messen were former dominions of Melein. The other province was Jigzai, the original hereditary dominion of House Shabaj.Originally, both Jigzai and the neighboring province, Samora, belonged to them. But when Auguslo was trapped in Frederika, he asked Duke Melein to reinforce him by deploying his troops at Samora and fight with the four dutches. After Melein fell, Shabak occupied Rimad and Messen while transferring their former dominion, Samora, to Farkel.

The duchy now had an oblong shape. If Lorist and the rest could barge their way into Jigzai, they could gain the initiative. They could attack Forund in the south or Farkel in the west. As a result, the four duchies would be forced into a passive, reactionary position. Shabaj would also have no choice but to turtle up and defend while the other three couldn't reinforce it at all. They would only be able to protect their borders.

The others were all experienced veterans who could tell his decision was the best choice under the circumstances. Felim and Shazin weren't a problem since they were part of the alliance. They all turned to Fisablen. If he insisted they wait for Whitelion and Auguslo's arrival before launching the offensive, they would pretend Lorist didn't bring anything up and get ready for a long, grueling war.

Duke Fisablen looked at the map wordlessly.

Finally, he turned to Lorist and asked, "How do you all plan to attack?"

"Simple," Lorist said as he pointed at Jigzai, which belonged to Shabaj, "House Fisablen's reserve legion and Third Frontier, and House Felim's Pegasus are all light cavalry. You can drive straight into the province and avoid the citadels all the way to Jigzai. Seal off Forund and Farkel's borders and pillage the two duchies to force them to send their reinforcements there instead.

"Count Shazin's forces and the nobles will go to Messen and encircle Messen Castle. We just need Shabaj's first legion trapped. I believe our surprise attack will catch the duke off-guard. They believe our attack will only start in the 8th. Their preparations aren't finished yet, so we can catch them with their pants down. Duke Shabaj can only stay and defend Messen Castle.

"As for Tigersoar, they will deal with Shabaj's second legion stationed in Rimad before regrouping with Shazin at Messen. We can plan our next moves then. Your forces will have to hold the borders until then."

Felim and Shazin both agreed. Fisablen, on the other hand, just stared at Lorist.

"Two conditions," he finally said, "First, you may not sabotage my legions. Second, you will pledge the logistics support is kept fair and is the same as that of the other houses. Swear to the Wargod in the name of House Norton's ancestors. I won't trust you otherwise."

Lorist blushed, some sweat trickled down his neck. He had thought he was the only one cautious of his opponents. He didn't Fisablen also saw him as a crook. Both sides were incredibly wary of a huge commotion breaking out.

"Fine, I'll swear," Lorist said, "But you must also swear your allegiance to Andinaq with Singwa as your witness and pledge to be serious in this war. Only if you swear publicly can I treat you fairly."

"Will you withdraw Firmrock if I do?" countered the duke.

"No. That's a different matter entirely. Firmrock is just a garrison force. They aren't part of this war, what does your oath have anything to do with them?"

The two argued for the rest of the meeting before they arrived at a compromise and made their oaths publicly. Lorist was quite satisfied that he didn't have to withdraw Firmrock from the borders, and Duke Fisablen was assured he wouldn't have to worry about being caught in a trap.

"One more question. How will the spoils be split?" asked the duke.

Lorist gave it some thought.

"You keep what you get. To prevent conflict, we can even designate which areas will fall into whose jurisdiction."

"Alright," agreed the duke as he stretched out his hand.

The Battle Begins

"This is an operation by no means to be despised in war, although it is rare, and less brilliant than a great strategic combination which renders victory certain even before the battle is fought." ~ Loze, on surprise attacks, in his book A Treatise on War.

On the 5th day of the 7th month, Year 1781, the four house alliance launched a surprise attack on the four central dutchies' Shabaj.

On the 6th day of that month, House Norton's Tigersoar attacked the dutchy's second legion. The battle lasted for half a day before the legion finally crumbled. The legion's general, the gold-ranked knight, Morind, escaped with what remained of the once-proud legion and withdrew to Farkel.

On the month's 9th day, House Shazin's and various other nobles' forces encircled Messen Castle. Duke Shabaj guessed that his enemy was just above 100 thousand strong and didn't dare to send the legion he had in the city out. He huddled in the castle and waited for reinforcements.

On the 11th day, Felim's Pegasus and Duke Fisablen's reserve and third frontier legion arrived at Jigzai and began raiding the region. The troops defending the area soon fell into complete chaos. The neighboring provinces -- Samora of Farkel and Freewood of Forund -- were greatly alarmed. The reinforcements originally intended for Shabaj were diverted to Samora.

Lorist's sudden attack had caught the four duchies completely off guard. They had focused their attention on Auguslo, not much had been spared for anyone else on his side. It didn't help that the logistics of effectively gathering information on an entire kingdom's nobles, each acting independently, was impractical. Do not forget that Lorist's Furybear was quite the novelty in its day. No one else had thought of setting up a network of professional informants.

The dutchies had both considered themselves and been considered by others the enemies of the four houses since the day of their defeat at the hands of Lorist at the behest of Duke Fisablen. Shabaj, who shared a border with Southern, had created a second legion to prepare for the inevitable, eventual invasion and sealed its borders with the four houses' lands. Felim who resided in Southern also sent Pegasus to watch the border. The two sides had apparently completely antagonized each other; it was no longer a question of if they would go to war, but when.

The locked border prevented people from crossing, but with it, information. The duchies' informants had to send their reports from Southern to the imperial capital, through the two southwestern provinces, from there it traveled all the way to Handra, before crossing over to Shabaj. Though they were only two provinces apart, the information had to make a huge detour and it took up to three months to reach the other of the border.

The battle in Southern had happened three years ago by now. The reports the duchies managed to obtain were only about the conflict between House Fisablen and House Norton, such as Firmrock's attack on Boblige and the long-term defense they had set up on the border. They also got word of how Duke Fisablen had defeated Jaeger and House Felim's development of its new dominion.

The duchies had dropped there guard. Unlike Auguslo, the four houses' attention wasn't focused on them. They were still caught up in a war with House Fisablen. Given that the two sides were still entangled, the duchies reasoned they wouldn't be a target for quite a while. They regretted believing House Fisablen about how the four houses were nobles of Andinaq, causing them to send their forces to reinforce the duke. In the end, not only did they manage to antagonize the alliance, they also suffered a huge loss, nearly 60 thousand elite infantry.

Just three years had passed since the loss but they had already dropped their guard. The way they saw it, with House Fisablen giving them trouble in the great northeastern plains, the alliance wouldn't have enough resources to turn on them. So, they focused on Andinaq's king. They were aware that he hated them to the bone for betraying the empire and had had his eye on them for a long time. They didn't dare to be careless and overlook the man called the new generation's war god.

Hence why the news of Auguslo breaking through and becoming a blademaster was such a shocked. His tour of the northeastern territories drew their attention even more. He even convinced Duke Fisablen to return to the fold. By the time news of the planned expedition reached their ears, it was already well into the 5th month. Even they would require some time to rally their armies. Shabaj's reinforcements would arrive only barely in time.

Each duchy normally only had one standing legion, with the exception of Shabaj. The moment there was an invasion, they would rally more men, split the usual force in half, and fill their ranks until they became two legions -- their experienced veterans leading the new recruits. This way, the overall strength of their legions didn't decrease by much. One of the legions would stay at home and defend the duchy from whence it hailed and the other would mobilize to meet the enemy. If the war dragged on the two legions would switch regularly so neither ever became too fatigued.

After receiving word that Auguslo was going to attack them through Southern, Handra, Farkel, and Forund all ran conscription campaigns and sent their legions to Rimad whilst keeping a close eye on the king's movements. The king was going to return to the imperial capital to move Whitelion from the borders of the two southwestern provinces to Southern. By the time that was completed, it would already be the 8th month, and the attack would only take place in the middle of the month. The reinforcements would've erected their defenses around Rimad already. The only thing left was to wait.

The duchies weren't in a rush and did everything according to plan. They indeed hadn't predicted that Lorist would attack more than 50 days earlier than planned without waiting for the king. It completely flabbergasted the dukes.

Didn't they say Auguslo's Whitelion was still only at Delamock? Weren't they going to join up with Duke Kenmays's two heavy-armored divisions? Given their speed, it would take at least a month more to reach Southern! Why has The Northlands and House Fisablen started already? Aren't they afraid of the king's rage?

Dukes Farkel and Forund snapped out of their days, and started to panic, when news came from the frontlines. Felim's Pegasus and Duke Fisablen's two light cavalry legions had barged into their duchies and begun raiding the settlements. Not only did they take wealth and riches, but also citizens. The two dukes cursed Duke Fisablen angrily for forgetting how they helped him and betraying them. Hey conscripted more men and started setting up defenses at their borders. At the same time, they asked Duke Handra for help. Given the situation, neither of them could be bothered with Duke Shabaj.

Their forces were mainly infantry, though, they lacked cavalry entirely. They had agreed to aid the duke three years earlier because they had been guaranteed a steady supply of steeds but the plan was ruined by Duke Norton. Not only did he break the trade route with House Fisablen, he also unknowingly disrupted their supply of steeds.

Though there were some in the duchies, there weren't enough to form a proper cavalry unit. As a result, their forces were completely helpless when faced with Fisablen's two legions and Felim's Pegasus. With their hit-and-run tactics, Farkel and Forund's garrisons were forced to act defensively. They had to sit in the settlements and wait to be attacked. This persisted until the reinforcements arrived Samora's border.

Once the three legions secured the border, however, they suffered horrendously. Duke Fisablen's suggestion to leave Third Frontier at the border to hold the enemy's reinforcements while the reserves barged into Forund through Freewood all the way to Forund's capital, Paetro, had struck home… hard. The fires of war spread across the dutchy. Duke Forund was completely overwhelmed. He tried to hold down the fort as best he could whilst he sent word of his predicament to the other dukes.

Lorist had Tigersoar press forward and destroy all the crucial forts and attack the village strongholds around Rimad after eradicating the dutchy's second legion. At the same time, he instructed his two divisions from Jaeger to sweeping across the province and capture all the civilians and scattered soldiers. They were to be moved to The Northlands.

Loze finally arrived in Messen two months after the war began and join up with Shazin. The whole of Rimad had already been swept through. Only wasteland was left.

Duke Shabaj, who had been cooped up in the castle, finally made the decision to break out. The city had a native population of 70 thousand, which had swollen to 100 thousand with the refugees from the countryside. There were enough people to defend the city and the food stores could last for a year but the duke was getting too worried. He hadn't just sat around and waited for the hand fate had dealt him to be revealed. He tried his best to engage Shazin's forces but he didn't gain much.

The reason was simple. Shazin had a stalwart defense. The city had three main gates and House Shazins' forces could be split into two light infantry and two light cavalry divisions. Count Shazin stationed his two infantry divisions at the two side gates. He left the main gate to the other nobles. Their mission was to hold the camp when Shabaj's first legion attacked so the count could lead his two light cavalry divisions in a counterattack.

By putting up a false show of strength, Shazin managed to dupe the duke for a while, during which he hurriedly pressed the construction of the small forts. By the time the duke was aware of what was going on, the forts were already complete. Duke Shabak had once tried to use three divisions to attack the stronghold near the north gate, but Shazin's two light cavalry divisions' responded with an easy pincer. The men were forced to drop their equipment to escape. The attack cost the duke five thousand men.

He didn't sally forth again. He might be a rank 1 blademaster but he hadn't reached the rank through his own efforts and insight. He had relied on large amounts of precious medicines to raise his strength, he feared death immensely and never led his men personally. It was so bad he didn't dare send his rank 2 blademaster bodyguard. If he did, Shazin would've suffered quite severe losses.

The duke had sent out lots of informants and messengers to request aid, only a few ever returned. Those that did, brought bad news. When they reported the situation of his allies, the other dutchies, the duke slumped into his throne, despondent. Farkel had sealed its borders and Forund couldn't even adequately protect itself. They obviously couldn't send help. Staying in the castle only delayed the inevitable. When he was informed of Tigersoar's arrival, he only had one thought: escape! Escape as soon as possible!

Loze was caught off guard completely. He had decided to let Tigersoar rest before launching the final assault, but, that night, the city's gates opened and what appeared to be every able-bodied man in the city charged out.

The duke had one division occupy the enemy, and escaped towards Jigzai. Loze and Shazin, just about to go to sleep, heard the alarms and thought the duke was launching a surprise attack. As they ordered men around and had others gather information, they realized -- about an hour later -- that something was off. Some soldiers reported that the gates had been left open. The strongholds attacked also sent word that one of the duchy's regiments had escaped.

The two finally realized what was happening and set off in pursuit. Before leaving, though, they had the men move in to occupy the city and wrote to Lorist. The city's easy conquest was completely unexpected. Lorist hurried there with Jaeger.

He arrived just as another war was about to start. Both Loze and Shazin had left to pursue the duke. When the nobles realized the city had been taken, they demanded to be let in to collect their spoils, but, without any such orders from their superiors, the occupying forces denied them entry. The nobles' ire had risen to the point they were about to attack the city.

Seeing the noble's men chanting "Enter the city, plunder wealth, get women!", Lorist put a quick end to the confrontation. He gathered the nobles and divided the spoils. He needed manpower and Shazin needed wealth, he would take the citizenry, and Shazin would keep everything in the castle. The rest of the city was left to the nobles, divided by lot-drawing. Each noble could scour his lot to his heart's content and keep whatever he found, minus the people, of course. Lorist put Jaeger in charge of overseeing the looting and keeping everyone honest.

Some of the nobles were dissatisfied that the wouldn't get any women but eventually yielded. Once everything was decided and arranged the citizenry were quickly moved out of the city. Cries and wails burst of the city walls like a damn overflowing.

Lorist shut his eyes.

"Tell the civilians we're protecting them by chasing them out. If they fall into nobles' hands, or that of their men… well, you know what'll happen," he told Jinolio.

War

Lorist and his two thousand guards were on their way to Jigzai. It had been more than ten days since the attack on Messen and Lorist couldn't have been busier. Organizing everything for moving Messen's citizens to The Northlands was taking up most of his time. They had no homes anymore, so they were now considered the lowest class of people and they hated the Nortons for it.

Lorist had no real say in the matter, though. They were at war and he had protected them as best he could already. Even so, he couldn't stop them from losing their wealth, thus their hatred. At the same time, not only did he have to deal with their accommodation and food on the journey, the old, the female, and the young had to be allocated carriages. It was beyond confounding and Lorist could only escape after Camorra arrived and took over.

On the way, the conscripts they passed cheered, hands full of spoils and cruddy weapons. They made way for the entourage respectfully. Lorist's face was dark and he couldn't be bothered to regard the ragtag bunch, though. To him, his so-called allies were far more worthy of hate than his enemies.

He had ensured the 100 thousand citizens' safety, while these conscripts raided the city for wealth. For that, they were willing to dig deep into the ground and level buildings. After they were done, they even set fire to the buildings. Had Lorist not stopped them quickly, the whole city might have burned to the ground. When he stepped in, however, they dared declare they had been given these areas and could do whatever they wanted.

Lorist had hanged the nearest ten men right there in a fit of rage. If they had really been allowed to set fire to the areas they were allowed to raid, what would the others in the city do? Were they going to burn together when the fire spread? Many of the conscripts had experienced the civil war. They were accustomed to such behavior. Some wanted to burn everything down to vent frustration at bad plunder, while others just went with the flow.

Even as Lorist began moving the former citizens out, the nobles and their men plunged the province into chaos. The provincial capital had fallen, but many villages were still ripe for the picking. The nobles unsatisfied with their plunder in the city turned their attention to the countryside. Messen's cleansing had begun.

The nobles' retinues were very different from House Norton's military. House Norton's men were disciplined and professional, the nobles' retinues were barely any different from bandits. They killed, raped, and burned without restraint. Some even tried to capture villagers and sell them to Lorist after hearing House Norton needed people, but Camorra quickly put a stop to it.

He told Lorist with utmost seriousness that he shouldn't be buying people. If he did, it would set a precedent and establish a good excuse for the noble's to continue capturing people. If the house were involved in slave trading, they would be no different from slave owners and that went against the oaths they had taken to be against the slave trade. If the nobles knew they weren't buying, they would instead turn their sights on wealth and women. House Norton could then take in the ruined villagers, who would, in turn, be thankful.

Lorist knew Camorra was right. Though he sympathized with the poor villagers, he had to steal his heart. House Norton's forces could easily wipe the noble's out but it wasn't in his ability to stop this. He didn't have the authority. This was war, a war on Grindia. The noble's and their men's behavior was only to be expected. It was really common for nobles. Noble houses with oaths against such practices were exceedingly rare.

All Lorist could do to console himself was repeat the phrase, 'see no evil', in his mind. No matter what, the nobles were his allies. Fighting one's allies for the enemy's sake was something only an imbecile would do. Lorist pretended he saw nothing and made it to Jigzai.

A messenger sent by Loze two days earlier reported that Duke Shabaj had successfully escaped with his family to Farkel. However, as the duke had sacrificed part of his cohort every time he was about to be captured, only about five thousand men of the dutchy's first legion remained. The remaining ones had been exterminated for trying to stop Tigersoar and Shazin's two light cavalry divisions.

Shabaj was completely lost. Apart from a few strongly defended towns, nothing remained. Even Duke Shabaj had to escape, further sealing its fate. The few forts and towns would either surrender or be flattened.

Farkel was going to send three legions to aid Shabaj. They managed to secure Rimad and erect a strong defense to hold off Pegasus, Fisablen's reserve legion, and Third Frontier' assault. Forund wasn't in as good a position, Freewood had already been breached. Even its capital, Paetro, located in Prolina wasn't safe. It frequently came under attack.

Fortunately, Handra's two newly formed legions were sent to Forund. Duke Farkel also managed to recruit two legions of troops and sent one to Samora to reinforce Forund and the other to reinforce Paetro. It gave Duke Forund a decent boost. He also managed to rally two legions. In total, there were five legions, roughly 200 thousand men, manning Freewood's defenses. The front was currently at a stalemate.

Lorist was quite satisfied with how everything had turned out. He still had the initiative. The three remaining duchies had suffered because they didn't have strong cavalry to counter the highly mobile light cavalry. Though Farkel and Forund both had defenses set up and manned by nearly 300 thousand men, they had to defend two fronts. The alliance and House Fisablen only had to occupy Jigzai and launch an attack on either front. Forund and Farkel could only fight back passively.

Lorist decided to take a breather. There was no need to send light cavalry to attack strongly fortified defenses. He would wait until Auguslo and Whitelion arrived. Reports from the rear were that upon hearing of the conquest of Shabaj, Auguslo doubled the march and had now entered Southern. It would still be another 30 days before he arrived.

Actually, the conquest of Shabaj did not net the alliance and House Fisablen much.

Shazin was one of the few who fared better. He had gotten 300 thousand gold Fordes' worth of plunder, while Lorist got around 200 thousand from single-handedly conquering a few towns and citadels. Felim and Fisablen got about the same: less than 100 thousand. Each of the minor houses got a few thousand.

The biggest gains from conquering Shabaj was manpower and food. Apart from House Norton, which needed more manpower to develop Southern, Shazin also took around three thousand households with three to four people in each back to his dominion. They were influenced by Lorist in that they focused on keeping families together. Only by doing so could the new citizens acclimatize more easily to their new environment and become loyal subjects of the ruling house.

What troubled Lorist was that Duke Fisablen had similar intentions. However, his method was crueler in that he only took in young men and women and abandoned the old and the weak, causing the outskirts of his captive camp to be littered with white heads. They begged to be reunited with their family but their cries fell on deaf ears.

When Duke Fisablen sought Lorist out and asked him to open the borders of Southern so he could send the spoils home, the latter sighed deeply and told the duke he was rather unwilling to let House Fisablen take so many youths into its dominion because it would only strengthen them. But as he had pledged to treat House Fisablen as he would his allies, he would have Firmrock open the borders nevertheless. However, he requested the youths be allowed to reunite with their family members so they wouldn't be torn apart because of the move.

Duke Fisablen nodded and left. Lorist then saw the camps' gates open, letting the old folk flood in. Cries of gratitude echoed across the plain and Lorist penned a border-crossing permit. Only after sitting down did he slap himself in the forehead upon realizing that he had fallen for the old fox's trick.

It was obvious the scene of tearing the families apart was made for him. The old fox was worried he wouldn't be willing to open the borders And let him through, so he came up with this trick. Otherwise, he would've chased the old people away already. He knew if he really abandoned them, the youths would hate him and his house. There was simply no way the old fox wouldn't understand such a simple principle. The reason he separated them was to stimulate Lorist's sympathy and allow them to cross the border.

Lorist smiled bitterly.

Whatever, there's no need to go through so much trouble. No matter how he grows his house's might, he can't catch up to me. I already have the right timing, terrain, and men on my side. If I really allow the old fox to turn the tables, I'd bang my head against a flagpole until I die.

The old fox was even more careful of him than he was of the duke. It was obvious from how he made Lorist swear to not set any traps for their forces.

Jigzai used to be House Shabaj's hereditary dominion and it was also an agricultural province, having wide expanses of flat land. It was the perfect place for light cavalry troops to show their prowess. Following the When word of Tigersoar's attack on the few citadels and town spread, as well as the defeat and retreat of Shabaj's 12 thousand troops stationed at Egret Swamp by Els's Jaeger Legion, it could be said that apart from the duke himself, the Shabaj duchy was already exterminated.

That war was far too cruel on the duchy. All three of its provinces were torn apart from the war. It wasn't due to the mere loss of wealth, but rather, the large droves of population that were forced to move away. Before the war, the duchy had a population of around 800 thousand, but only less than 300 thousand survivors remained in the three provinces. Apart from the casualties of war or the refugees that escaped to Farkel, almost half of the population of the duchy had been moved to the dominions of the four houses of The Northlands or House Fisablen, causing development in those provinces to stagnate in the following two decades after the war.

On the 7th day of the 9th month, the late Auguslo finally arrived at the camp in Jigzai with House Kenmays's two heavy-armored divisions.

Following three days of rest, Auguslo held a military council and discussed how they should proceed with the attack on Farkel and Forund. The situation was quite clear-cut. Farkel and Forund were in full-on defense mode while Andinaq held the initiative for attack and could hit wherever they wanted. Whether it be the defense line of Farkel and the borders of Samora or the defense line of Forund at Freewood, as long as either one was breached, the other duchy would also be affected.

If the extermination of the eight garrison legions at those locations were successful, then Forund, Farkel, and even Handra's extermination would be at bay. To the three duchies, their current predicament was far more dangerous than the first prince's invasion a decade ago. That was especially so in the case of Shabaj's extermination and the infiltration of Andinaq's forces into the heart of the duchy. From both terrain and military might, the three duchies were at a disadvantage.

Auguslo hoped to leave only one light cavalry legion to hold back Farkel's three garrison legions and focus all the other military resources on breaching Forund's defense line at Freewood. Even though there were up to five garrison legions there, that defense line was spread out and the terrain was flat, which made it even more suitable for a cavalry attack.

Auguslo was going to use Whitelion and House Kenmay's two heavy-armored divisions to breach one of the spots on the defenses to make an opening while House Fisablen's reserve legion and Third Frontier, House Felim's Pegasus, House Shazin's two light cavalry divisions and Lorist's Tigersoar would enter Forund through the opening and attack Handra and Farkel from the rear, deciding the outcome in one battle.

The king said, "The three duchies are an egg. Their only hard points are the two defense lines before us, and as long as we can breach it, we'll be able to taste the sweet, delicious yolk within. I believe that the might of our combined forces is unmatched and they won't be stopped. Wars are won through might and things are fell through fights. The four central duchies will soon be history, so I wish that you will give this your all and make wondrous contributions to the unification of the empire."

Trenches and Mud Walls

"These moments of nocturnal prowling leave an indelible impression. Eyes and ears are tensed to the maximum, the rustling approach of strange feet in the tall grass is an unutterably menacing thing. Your breath comes in shallow bursts; you have to force yourself to stifle any panting or wheezing. There is a little mechanical click as the safety-catch on your crossbow is taken off; the sound cuts straight through your nerves. Your fingers grind on the grip of your sword. The encounter will be short and murderous. You tremble with two contradictory impulses: the heightened awareness of the huntsmen, and the terror of the quarry. You are a world unto yourself, saturated with the appalling aura of the savage landscape." ~ Knight Mika Veers, commander of the third trench-rat squad during the first battle of Forund.

"March forward!" cried one of the company lieutenants as he drew his sword.

He instructed his troops to push the shield carts filled with sacks of mud forward.

Auguslo's Whitelion had been attacking the defenses around Freewood for six days and five night without rest. The legion had lost ten thousand men without punching a hole through the defenses. It wasn't Auguslo's fault; the three duchies' troops knew the defenses were integral to their survival. Even though their losses were easily three times greater than their enemy's, they held the line. Loud rhythmic drums echoed continuously across the battlefield. Whitelion's men pushed their large shield carts and advanced to the trenches with great difficulty. They used the earth the shield them from the incoming bolts and tossed the sacks into the trenches before they turned to run. Soon, the trenches were mostly filled and soldiers carrying wooden boards rushed forward and laid them across the trench.

Four men were struck down along the way. One was now dead, the other three injured. They had all been recovered, though. The dead one had unfortunately been struck in the head. The bolt had gone through his left eye and stirred his brain. The only consolation for his comrades was that he had likely not suffered. The trench's filling didn't bring joy to the men's faces, though. They looked infinitely fatigued; they were numb to joy or any sense of accomplishment, there were simply too many trenches still left unfilled. All the land from their feet to the horizon was covered in trenches like the scars on a slave's back. They had already filled six kilometers in the last two days, and there was at least as much still left.

"They're likely digging even more as we speak," said Kenmays.

Nobody had expected this. The attackers had taken a month's respite after their first offensive as they waited for the rest of the invasion force to catch up. The enemy had used the quiet wisely, though; they had dug a massive network of trenches for who knew how many kilometers. The true extent of the network was still unknown, but its sheer scale was slowing being unveiled as the pushed forward. A single cord was easy to break, but a net was infinitely more resilient.

Lorist was reminded of a saying in his past life. He couldn't remember the exact words, but it basically said that war was the best teacher. The mudscape that now confronted him certainly didn't contradict the saying. Trenches were nothing new to the continent, but in all of Grindia's history, no such an extensive network had ever been built. Defenses were always focused on specific points, usually castles or forts. Even when forces were small they would at most dig a trench or two around an encircling mud wall.

House Norton's catapults had changed everything. The castles that towered over the landscape were now basically just target practice. And none of the other defensive structures were worth anything. Tigersoar's sweep of Andinaq in its quest to restore Auguslo's throne had proven the catapult's supremacy.

During the battle for Southern three years ago, Lorist had used trenches and arrows to form a perfect counter against House Fisablen's light cavalry. During a field battle, they also used the catapults to crush 70 thousand infantrymen and obtain victory. He never thought the battle would inspire the duchies so much. Auguslo thought Whitelion's strength and Lorist's 50 catapults alone could easily breach the trenches and mud walls. He didn't think the walls and trenches would extend from hell's gate to heaven's door. The realization of this reality made everyone despair. How were they supposed to continue fighting? Was this some kind of mining or digging game?

During the first day of the offensive, only a thousand soldiers manned the defenses. When they were bombarded by rocks about the size of 50 human heads, they broke and fled. Whitelion managed to fill 14 trenches and breach 21 walls, but they got no spoils. All the enemies had escaped.

They pressed on on the second day, only to discover after advancing 200 meters that another trench and mud wall stood in their way. This time, the defenders were far braver. They resisted about half a day of catapult bombardment with the cover of their mud walls and used their crossbows to kill tens of Whitelion men in exchange for the loss of 200 of their own.

Whitelion took two whole days to make a few paths across the trench before they advanced again, only to be greeted by yet more trenches and mud walls about 300 meters on. Everyone was furious.

What the hell, there are only a few thousand defenders and they aren't really resisting either. All they know is how dig trenches non-stop! Can this even be called a war?!

Auguslo could stand it no longer and gave an order he would come to regret. He ordered the legion to stop pushing the shield carts to fill the trenches. Instead, he had them rush forward and cross the trenches with their wooden boards. He was trying to conquer the trench area as soon as possible. So, Whitelion sent a division of sword-and-shield soldiers to mount an attack. They soon eradicated the enemy in the vicinity and they moved forward.

However, the trench area was much, much larger than normal. By the time the division almost disappeared from sight, cries and sounds of fighting could be heard in the distance all of a sudden. Auguslo was fumbling about anxiously like an ant in a heated wok as his cavalry wasn't able to reinforce them one bit given the presence of trenches all around. The few people he sent to check the situation were killed. But if he were to send a large number of people, while they could reinforce the troops, he wouldn't be able to receive any reports on the situation and would only hear the sound of fighting get louder.

The ones there were intelligent enough to know that they'd been caught in a trap. But the problem was apart from Whitelion three remaining divisions, they only had House Kenmays's two heavy-armored divisions and Count Shazin's three light-infantry divisions, totaling about 90 thousand men. While the total number of duchy troops was around 300 thousand, most were infantry. There was no way Lorist and the rest could send their cavalry out as footmen as reinforcements.

The problem was that Whitelion's sword-and-shield forces had charged too fast. Auguslo didn't think something like this would come to pass. Half the battle was already lost if he couldn't even grasp the situation. Right now, all he had to consider was whether he should send out all his infantry.

It wasn't an easy decision. Duke Fisablen had figured out Auguslo intended to breach the defenses a few days after the attack began. That defenses were was manned by 200 thousand garrison troops. It was all the soldiers Duke Forund could muster.

The attacking sword-and-shield forces probably fell into a trap and were surrounded. The plan was possibly to lure Auguslo into sending even more forward so they could exterminate his 100 thousand infantry with their numerical advantage. In the end, the cavalry would be left behind staring at the defenses, unable to do anything.

Auguslo discussed the matter with Lorist before finally deciding to send the two heavy-armored divisions in as reinforcements. It was crucial that he knew what was going on. But, just as he was pretending to mobilize, the remnants of his forces returned. They were in a rather sorry state; less than three thousand of the original ten thousand had returned. One colonel and four captains had died. Among the three thousand left, the two highest ranking officers were lieutenants. One was lightly injured, the other hurt rather badly. Most also seemed injured to some degree.

The attack proceeded unnaturally well. After they wiped out the thousand-man garrison, the next target they had encountered were garrison soldiers in thousand-man units. The enemy couldn't hold against the sudden appearance of the division. Before they noticed, they had advanced by a kilometer only to discover three completely equipped infantry divisions waiting for them.

It was like they were being clubbed on the head while under the assault of the three elite infantry divisions; the casualties were great. The only thing about which to be glad was that the trenches behind them had served to protect them from pursuit after the colonel gave the order to retreat.

They didn't expect that the trenches and walls weren't used for defense. Another infantry division had used the mud walls as cover to circle around them and seal their escape route. The division crumbled quickly. The colonel and the couple captains had fought with all they had to break through, sacrificing themselves in the process. Not long after, the enemies cheered as they raised a few decapitated heads.

The failure was a slap to Auguslo's face. He, who had thought it easy to breach these defenses, was given a harsh wake-up call. He began to ask the others for ideas, but no one had any good methods to deal with this. Neither the deeply experienced Duke Fisablen nor the witty Lorist could come up with a comprehensive plan.

Lorist was the most shocked by this strategy out of everyone.

Looks like they're not as stupid as I thought. They're using trench warfare.

A few informants hidden in Paetro sent eagle messages that reported that almost all the civilians had been mobilized to dig trenches and erect mud walls across the 50-kilometer stretch from the front line to Paetro. Even the informants themselves were conscripted.

They've really gone and done it! cursed Lorist.

It was obvious the mud walls and trenches were specifically designed to counter his catapults and carroballistae. The impressive weapons were now spayed and neutered. Without elevated ground, they couldn't target effectively. There were no targets and all they could do was demolish the inconsequential walls. The duchy's garrisons also snuck around in the trenches like rats. Auguslo was well aware of this. In the next three days, he had no choice but to fill up trench after trench to establish a new path forward. What he didn't see coming was that the filled trenches were dug up again overnight. The legion's morale fell after seeing their hard work undone. Not only that, the enemy even began to act more actively. They harassed the men at every opportunity.

Currently, Auguslo was caught in a tough dilemma. The trenches they filled were dug up in the night, and the soldiers they sent to watch the trenches would be harassed non-stop. The soldiers sent to hunt down the enemy in the trenches got lost easily or were lured into traps and killed. The situation continued for another five days and four nights, after which they'd only advanced another kilometer. Everyone was beginning to despair.

"How are we supposed to fight a battle like this? I'd rather the three duchies send all their troops against us in open battle. I wouldn't mind even if their numbers are ten times ours. But this business with the trenches is truly far too annoying. Even the soldiers are cursing out nonstop with their morale falling fast," complained Auguslo to Lorist.

Lorist then dealt Auguslo the final blow by handing him the reports he received from Paetro. The king read the reports with doubt and was flabbergasted when he read about how the 50-kilometer stretch of land around Paetro were covered with trenches too. He was so startled he jumped out of his seat and said anxiously, "Is Duke Forund insane? How's he going to plant crops if his whole duchy is filled with trenches?"

Soon, however, Auguslo realized Duke Forund couldn't do anything but this to resist his cavalry troops' attacks. At the very least, filling the duchy with trenches could stop the offensive there. There was the other half of the duchy that could be used for agriculture, and if they didn't have enough food, they could always borrow or buy more from Handra. If the frontlines couldn't be sustained, the duke wouldn't have to consider the problem of food. He couldn't even be certain he could keep his life if Auguslo caught him. It was common knowledge that Auguslo hated the four dukes to the bone.

"Blow the horn and return to camp," ordered Auguslo exasperatedly.

Nothing he did would be of use now. The mere thought of there being another 50 kilometers of trenches and mud walls was horrifying. It seemed he would have to think of another way to attack the three remaining duchies.

Later surveyed showed that nearly a million people were mobilized. They dug 431 trenches across 83 kilometers of land. The entire network's trenches were all between 2 to 3 meters deep and everything was connected. The earth dug up in the making of the trenches was used to build walls about 2 meters tall. It was hailed as a military miracle and chronicled as one of the oddest sights to surface in the history of war on the continent.

Stalemate

"The only true fool is the man that thinks his enemy an idiot." ~ Kenmays

Mountains, rivers, plains, hills, plains, mountains, Egret Swamp...

A brief description of the terrain in Farkel and Forund now occupied by Andinaq could be no other way. In more than a month, the map had almost been torn to shreds multiple times. Heated arguments broke out all the time in the incessant military councils. The nights of non-stop brainstorming for new ideas tired out many of the higher military officials. Nothing, whether it be probing or reconnaissance, helped the situation.

The four central duchies had been famed for producing the most elite infantry troops in the empire. The terrain was rather hilly, which only served to complement their strategy: defense. While they lacked cavalry, should the war continue dragging on, it would only continue to sway further in their favor. The first prince, who led an army of 100 thousand against the four duchies, had been entangled for three years and eventually retreated having suffered almost complete casualties. This allowed the duchies to invade Majik and force the prince to sue for peace.

It wasn't that Auguslo had never thought of aiming for the hills. The current problem was that, among the troops on their side, the only ones suited for battles in the mountain were Count Shazin's two light infantry divisions, just 20 thousand men. There was no way a force that small could carve a path through the enemy lines. Whitelion and House Kenmays's two heavy-armored divisions were equipped with heavy armor. While they were great for besieging castles and defending them, having them scale the hills and travel across wetlands was futile. Even if they made it they would be too exhausted to fight. Nobody could cross the large river on Forund's borders as no one had any naval troops in the area. Boats could only ferry a few soldiers across at a time, and they were easy targets. The construction of boats would also be rather costly.

Auguslo's plan to attack the four central duchies was originally centered around using cavalry to sweep across the plains and taking the initiative away from his enemies before waiting for the heavy-armored legion's arrival to conquer the citadels and towns. He had wanted to exterminate the duchies in one go and capture the traitorous dukes. That was the main reason he gave for having Duke Fisablen submit.

However, nobody would expect that Duke Forund and Duke Farkel would dig so many trenches and erect mud walls to widen their defensive network. It completely warped the plains and rendered cavalry useless. The trenches even neutralized House Norton's siege weaponry as well. It seemed from the current situation that there was no way to continue apart from filling the trenches patiently.

Auguslo was incredibly dissatisfied and had launched a few probing attacks on different locations no avail. The results were the same. Facing them were endless stretches of trenches and mud walls. Even after Lorist handed over control of one thunderbolt brigade, they still couldn't break through.

As Lorist had said, "There's no target to strike. What would you be demolishing with our catapults?"

When Auguslo discovered that no matter which location he attacked, the enemy would move through the trench network to reinforce it, he finally gave up and wiped the thought of more offensives from his mind. After returning to the camp, he stayed in his tent to brainstorm in hopes he could find a way to break through the current obstacle. The only reasonable method available was suggested by Kenmays. He had come up with it based on how Auguslo crossed Cloudsnap Mountains in the snow to attack Redlis and conquer Frederika. Kenmays believed they could launch a sudden attack in the dead of winter through Egret Swamp, which should be frozen over at that time. As long as they crossed the nameless mountains and hills at the side of the swamp, they could quickly arrive at Farkel's capital, Freimox. If they took the city, the rest would follow.

Kenmays's suggestion made the others see him in a different light. They didn't think a duke from a merchant family could actually have a talent for matters of war. It was truly shocking. But Lorist soon shot down the suggestion. The three remaining duchies understood Auguslo well, what Kenmays had just suggested would definitely occur to them as well. The king's reputation was practically built on launching surprise attacks; the enemy would definitely pay attention to Egret Swamp in the winter and further reinforce their weak points. They could be forced to return without achieving much, or, in the worst case, be caught in an ambush. Not only would it make them suffer huge casualties, it would reinforce the enemy's confidence and resolve.

Kenmays wasn't satisfied at first and argued that the enemy probably wouldn't be so thorough, but he knew Lorist was right the moment he witnessed the acknowledging gazes of Duke Fisablen and King Auguslo. The only true idiot was he who considered his enemy an idiot. Duke Handra, Duke Farkel, Duke Shabaj, and Duke Forund were all elite tough nobles who had far more experience in conflict. They were obviously not as careless as he was suggesting.

Duke Shabaj's defeat was thanks to Lorist's sudden moves. His capabilities could already be seen from how he decisively abandoned Messen and escaped for Farkel without Tigersoar and Shazin's two light cavalry divisions able to do anything about it. Had he been a day late or had he stubbornly continued his course, it would have ended up completely differently. He would have either died in the final battle or ended up a prisoner of war.

Actually, Kenmays's suggestion to attack Egret Lake and head to Farkel's capital had already occurred to the others long ago, and they had given up on it for the very same reasons. The other reason was that it was still only the end of the 10th month. There were at least two months to wait before Egret Swamp would freeze over. The military expenditure for 300 thousand troops over the course of two months during the cold weather was astronomical. The food they managed to obtain from Shabaj was already running out and they would have to bring in even more. It was not only a huge undertaking but also a troublesome effort.

The main mechanic of war was logistics, and should they emerge victorious, there would be profit to gain. The food they obtained at Shabaj would at most sustain the army for a month. Nobody had expected they would be stopped in their tracks as they had been. Their original plan was to live off the resources they obtained. But most of the food had already been expropriated. Shabaj had been cleaned. And there was the fact that Auguslo had to provide for the 200 thousand civilians being moved away given his position as king. He couldn't just leave them alone, so that would have to factor into the total food consumption.

So far, Camorra was stationed in Messen and used the place as a logistics outpost. All resources transported by any house would be kept there. The food Auguslo had no longer had to go through a long way to arrive from the imperial capital. The route stretched straight through Egret Swamp and passed Rimad to arrive at Messen. Lorist was faring rather well in that there was still a lot of resources he could ship over from Windbury through the same route from Southern, to Rimad and Messen. Duke Fisablen and Shazin shared the same situation in that the distance to transport food was great, so lots of it would be consumed along the way. It was already quite impressive for sixth-tenths of the food they made out with to end up there. The one in the worst position was Felim. His dominion had just begun to develop. With the 500 thousand civilians forced to move there, he already had to rely on Lorist for transportation costs and food for the move. He didn't have any vigor left to press the attack.

Duke Fisablen suggested they retreat temporarily and wait for another opportunity to attack in the future. It didn't mean they would give up on Jigzai. They would leave a cavalry legion behind to hold any attacks off and retaliate. When he made his suggestion, he gave Lorist a look and obviously hinted that Tigersoar was the best candidate. 'If Farkel and Forund see our troops retreating, they might want to reclaim Shabaj. At that time, having a strong force like Tigersoar counterattacking would be a great blow' was the gist of it.

Naturally, since Tigersoar wasn't a light cavalry legion and was thus slightly limited in their mobility, Duke Fisablen was willing to leave his reserve legion behind as well. If there were any who disobeyed Lorist's orders, he could do with them what he pleased as well.

While Lorist didn't really understand the reason the duke made the suggestion, there was something lurking beneath his actions. But before he could figure out what, Auguslo announced their war council would recess for a while. He would consider Duke Fisablen's suggestion and give his answer in two days.

After leaving the tent, Lorist sought the duke out to ask about the suggestion and was even willing to leave reserve legion under his command.

"There's no helping it. It's for the bigger picture. I can't allow this to go on. We'll retreat and lure the snake out of its hole. I believe you can deliver fast results. Even if they don't come out, don't worry. Hold them there for three or four years. The remaining three duchies will be unable to sustain the costs of defense and might crumble on their own."

"Old guy..."

As the duke walked away, Lorist thought, That darned fellow is trying to keep me here at Jigzai for a few years so I don't cause trouble in The Northlands. That's why he's even willing to let me command even the reserve legion...

However, he still couldn't help but spit in spite. The reserve legion was wholly grassland barbarians. Even if he wiped them all out, the duke wouldn't be bothered. While the legion wasn't that important, it would still make Lorist owe him a favor.

He didn't imagine Auguslo would overthink the duke's suggestion. While he understood the current situation and knew retreating was the most rational choice, the fact that he couldn't accomplish much during this war frustrated him greatly. He was really unwilling. Then came Duke Fisablen's suspicious suggestion.

What's this? Has Duke Fisablen really made peace with Lorist? Why else would he be willing to hand his reserve legion over? The grassland barbarians are wild and disobedient and listen to nobody apart from the duke. Yet, he's going to hand it to Lorist just like that? Did they come to some kind of agreement? Do they have some scheme in mind?

It was as if Auguslo had developed a phobia for ropes after being bitten by a snake. When he was being restored to the throne, he fell for the alliance's scheme and lost Delamock, Sidgler, Winston, and Southern. The mere thought of it made him feel as if his heart was being cut open. He had even been the one to propose the agreement.

Thinking back, he felt great regret and wanted to cut off the hand that had signed the agreement. While the four provinces hadn't been under his control, as he saw it, he should be the one to control them after reuniting his empire and leave his name in the annals of history as a great emperor. The agreement he signed was the largest humiliation in his entire bright career. So, to him, the alliance's conquest of Iblia and Madras was not an honorable contribution, but a sore slap to his face instead.

Even if he admitted Lorist was the best choice to leave behind and keep the three duchies engaged, it didn't feel right for him, who couldn't understand the reason Duke Fisablen had suggested Lorist. If he didn't have answers, he couldn't calm down. The suspicion he had about Lorist and Duke Fisablen aiming for the duchies made him delay the announcement more than three days.

Lorist didn't plan on staying in Jigzai for a few years either. He decided that if Auguslo really wanted Tigersoar to remain, he would leave it to Loze. He brought Loze to a hill just behind the front line to check on the situation and told Loze about some tactics he could use to deal with retreating enemies.

"Do you think we can attack a front like this?" asked Lorist.

Loze shook his head.

"Your Grace, this is completely impregnable. I suspect this system is designed specifically to counter Tigersoar's ranged weapons and cavalry. The duchy's infantry are moles; they burrow underground all the time. With the mud walls' cover, we can't figure out their deployment. Usually, knowing the enemy's deployment is a great advantage to the attacking side. Also, we are cavalry troops and the enemy are trench-dwelling moles. As long as they stay in their holes and tunnels we can't do much."

Beside them, Dulles, colonel of the carroballista division, spoke.

"Your Grace, our ballistae are completely useless in trench warfare. It's better to use the old style mangonels. While those don't shoot far, their shots are quite powerful and their smaller size also makes them more convenient for use in trenches like these. Our current ballistae are completely useless against these entrenchments. Our ballistae have always been famed for being able to fire further, stronger and more accurate shots, but now they are completely useless. I can't help but wonder if our research has gone down the wrong path... What would we do in the future if our enemies use these tactics again? This is troubling."

Lorist patted Dulles's shoulder.

"Worry not, this is but an exception. The reason Forund and Farkel can set up such a formation is that we've given them time to mobilize their civilians. The duchies always had elite infantry, so they excel in terrain like this. If any other nation copies this without any elite foot soldiers, it would be a fool's errand and they'd just be wasting their manpower and resources."

"If Lord Potterfang were here, maybe Firmrock could breach their lines by attacking from within the trenches," said Loze.

Lorist remained speechless. Firmrock was currently stationed at the border with House Fisablen's territory as its main defense. There was no way he would mobilize them. That aside, even if he did, they would still have to pay a huge price to breach the enemy's line. He didn't want to lose so many men for Auguslo's sake.

"Maybe we can wait for winter. When the snow falls and fills the trenches, we can rely on sleds and snowboards to cross the fortifications," suggested Dulles.

"Are you an idiot?!" Loze rebuked, "Since when has snow stacked up to over two meters? These trenches are at least two or three meters deep! What kind of snowstorm would we need to fill the trenches?!"

"W-well, we could wait for the rainy season... When the rain pours over the trenches, the mud here won't be able to hold its shape," countered Dulles with dissatisfaction.

"Wouldn't we have to be rained on as well?" said Loze as he knocked Dulles on the back of his head.

"Wait, what did you say?" Lorist snapped suddenly before he laughed, "Return to camp at once! I know how we can breach the lines."

Flooding

Move him into the sun--

Gently its touch woke him once,

At home, whispering of fields half-sown.

Always it woke him, even his trance,

Until this morning and this snow.

If anything might rouse him now

The kind old sun will know.

Think how it wakes the seed--

Woke once the clays of a cold star.

Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides

Full-nerved, still warm, too hard to stir?

Was it for this the clay grew tall?

--O what made the fatuous sunbeams toil

To break earth's sleep at all?

~ Inscription on 'The Drowned Soldier, a cenotaph for all the dead during the Battle of the Trenches

"You're saying you want to flood the trenches?" asked Duke FIsablen, his eyes flashing.

"Yes. As long as the trenches are flooded, the duchy's little moles can't stay for long. The moment they come out, they'll be in our sights. Locke, you really have come up with a brilliant idea. Why didn't I think of this?"

Auguslo slapped his forehead. The tents atmosphere lightened up immediately. They finally had a way to turn the situation around. Everyone was glad they didn't have to stay for long. They were rubbing their hands in anticipation of continuing their invasion to show the enemy what they were made of and vent the pent-up frustration they had been bottling up over the past month.

"Haha, it's all thanks to Dulles. Had he not brought up the fact that the rainy season would flood the trenches and force the duchy's moles out, It wouldn't have occurred to me we could flood the trenches artificially. The moles will have no choice but to come out and face us now," said Lorist with a humble smile.

"Bu-but where will we get enough water?"

Kenmays came later than the rest but still asked his question. Lorist's smile showed his teeth in full.

"Simple. Nibarak River isn't far from camp. We will first dam up the river, build a small reservoir, and dig our own trenches to connect everything to the enemy's network. We then just have to wait for the reservoir to fill and overflow into the trenches."

"We will also have to press our attack. We have to keep the project a secret and initiate the flood in the dead of night. We might just be able to give the moles a rather unpleasant surprise," continued Auguslo.

"We also need wooden boards, as many as we can possibly get. If we can bridge the trenched during the chaos, we can drive our cavalry all the way to Paetro and force the dukes into a corner. We'll get Duke Forund in one strike," added Duke Fisablen.

"So it shall be," Auguslo decided, "Locke, I put you in charge of the construction efforts. You can use whatever forces, including the local civilian population and any free cavalry, you need. Try to get it done in three days if possible. Duke Kenmays, I'll take command of your two heavy-armor divisions. We have to put pressure on them and keep their attention on our forces. Count Shazin, take your forces and cut down as much wood as you can."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

With this the war as on to the next offensive. This time round, however, the defending generals felt something off. They realized the heavy-armored soldiers didn't attempt to fill the trenches and knock down the mud walls. They just lay a wooden board across over the gaps to cross before they used their crossbows, javelins, throwing axes and other short-ranged weapons in a shootout with the defenders. Given the advantage of shooting from a height, they managed to kill many more than they lost.

Maybe they intend to conquer our formation by severely increasing our casualties.

The duchies' generals figured this must be their enemy's plan and began moving to counter them. They withdrew their troops and gathered a large force in the rear in an attempt to lure the enemy there. They could repeat the victory they had achieved last time. Naturally, they also had a division lay-in-wait to intercept any reinforcements.

Unexpectedly, the enemy didn't press the attack beyond occupying ten-odd trenches. Instead, they saw large numbers of wooden boards brought over from the rear and erected in the trenches.

What's going on?

The generals had a meeting to discuss this new development and concluded that the enemy was planning to use the wooden boards to seal the trench network so the defenders couldn't attack using them. Reasoning that it must've been a new tactic involving wooden boards, the generals were led astray in their considerations of countermeasures. They used the nights to launch sudden ambushes and set fire to the boards. In one night, they managed to burn several large stockpiles. But it proved futile. The next day, the enemy brought even more boards and re-erected the blockades. They also lit bonfires at night and had crossbowmen stationed above the trenches. The moment any movement was spotted, the alarm would ring to call for reinforcements and the attack would be repelled. It went on for four or five days, but the attacking side could only occupy around 50 trenches.

It relieved the defenders. Though the wooden board tactic was really effective, it wasn't that threatening. Currently, Andinaq's forces were making slower and slower progress, while the duchies' resistance only grew stronger. Only a maximum of five trenches was now being conquered a day. It would take at least three years to make it to Paetro at this rate. All the dukes had to do was hold on for a few more days and the enemy would have lost all their vigor.

One night, the duchies prepared to counter-attack. They wanted to retake a third of the trenches. One of Forund's vassals, Viscount Sanskro, serving as the second garrison legion's general, in command of the offensive, noticed that their enemy had not pushed as hard that day than the days before. It was like they were putting on a show. Maybe there were far too many wooden boards transported to the frontlines, so many that it was muddling their offensive.

"The enemy's bravado is crumbling. Tonight it is our turn," said the viscount, "Didn't you notice the bastards were absent-minded today? They mobilized a division in the evening, but they don't look nearly as energetic as they were a few days ago. The time has come for us to strike back. Split one division into smaller teams and harass them through the night. Our main offensive will begin at dawn. We will push them out of the trench network entirely!"

Only a few dozen trenches at the very front of the network were straight, the rest zig-zagged all over the place. At each of the zigs and zags' corners were mud lookout platforms to help with spotting enemy movement. When an attack was spotted everyone would hide in the trenches. No wonder the enemy considered them moles.

The only direct confrontation between the two sides had taken place recently as a result of a surprise push by a division of Whitelion… and it ended in Whitelion's loss. The next ambush's scale would no doubt be far greater. As Dulles had said, the carroballistae weren't of much use in this kind of terrain. Instead, the defending side's shorter-ranged, mangonels were far more effective. The number of heavy-armored soldiers injured as a result of mangonel fire had grown beyond the hundreds.

Additionally, the duchies' soldiers were equipped with shortswords, throwing axes, small bucklers and other equipment better suited to the tight trenches. The heavily armored soldiers couldn't battle effectively in the trenches because they were mainly armed with spears and two-handed swords. If they entered the trenches, they would be slaughtered. So, they could only sigh in exasperation as their weapons failed them.

Forund's general was quite experienced. He had quite the reputation in the duchy. Be it the first prince's invasion, the duchies' retaliation on Redlis, Auguslo's trapping, Melein's extermination, or the battle in Southern, Viscount Sanskro had been involved in all of the duchy's wars. He had been promoted from a gold-ranked knight to a viscount by the duke himself and was one of the duchy's most trusted generals. Being someone who had participated in the battle in Southern, Viscount Sanskro had managed to escape alive despite the severe losses. He had suffered from the experience since.

His impression of the Nortons' ranged weapons couldn't be deeper. When he learned that House Norton was participating in this campaign, he stopped the standard defenses' construction immediately and started figuring out how to counter their weaponry. He had been the one to come up with the trench network and so far had performed admirably.

He could grasp the strengths and unique features of both the attackers and defenders, so he was filled with confidence in his planned counterattack. He would use the cover of night to harass the enemy so they couldn't get any sleep. By dawn, they would withdraw and make the enemy think the attack was finally over. When the enemy dropped their guard, he would launch a sudden attack with all his forces.

The bare minimum he had to achieve was retaking a third of the occupied network. If he was lucky, he could even take back two-thirds. He believed the enemy's morale would suffer heavily from such a blow and they would never mount such a large-scale attack again. The use of the wooden boards had actually put a lot of pressure on the defenders but it wasn't sustainable. As long as the defenders were willing to pay an even higher price, they might be able to deal with it.

It was late in the night. They were just a few hundred meters from the enemy. Viscount Sanskro observed his surroundings. The trench in which he was, was much deeper and wider than usual; he couldn't afford to let the enemy discover he was gathering his troops. They had dug out a space the size of a small plaza. The three thousand men were resting in full battledress. Not a single man had undone his armor. They kept their weapons by their side. Even if they couldn't fall asleep, they tried to shut their eyes and rest a bit. They were heading into battle in just over two hours. There were eight of these plaza-sized pits along the front.

The weather was perfect. Clouds filled the sky and obscured the moon's light. Viscount Sanskro was worried at first.

The 11th month is almost here. It wouldn't start raining now, would it? Light rain would be fine, but heavy rain would be terrible. Having water gather in the trenches will be troublesome. Though it wouldn't affect our defense much, the mud will affect our speed and we'll have to suffer even more casualties. I hope the enemy doesn't think of attacking. That would be the best result.

Fires burned on the front and sounds of fighting echoed across the plains. It seemed the ambushing troops had set fire to a few wooden boards, causing them to burn pretty brightly. However, a huge commotion came down the trenches. It seemed the enemy had mobilized even more troops. The fires were a little too bright. Soon the sounds of battle and murder changed. Instead, confused cries grew louder and louder.

An odd gushing sound gradually climbed out of the cacophony. It crawled down the trench towards the viscount. The soldiers he sent to harass the enemy stopped responding. The enemy's torches came closer and closer. Was his enemy launching an attack as well?

His worry intensified. he popped out of the trench and hid behind one of the mud walls. Just as he peeked over the wall, the clouds cleared somewhat and the moon peaked back at him. It's dead-gray light descended on the landscape.

"What... What the hell?!" cried one of the soldiers on an outpost as he pointed at the front.

"Shut up, idiot! Do you want to attract attention?!" cursed the viscount.

He removed his helmet and gazed ahead. The trenches crisscrossed the landscape like veins of ore. The trenches filled with a liquid, like melted silver being poured into a cast. The viscount quickly realized the trench toward him was filling with the liquid silver quickly as well, it rushed at him with startling speed. The clouds closed in and the silver landscape descended into darkness again, peppered with yellow orbs.

The gushing grew louder and louder. The viscount paled as he realized what was happening.

"Get up! Get up quick! The trenches… the trenches are flooding!!" yelled he with wild abandon.

Thus the tragedy unfolded. The plaza-like trenches where the soldiers could be gathered were a little too deep, about three meters. The soldiers had been resting flat on the ground. Even though some were woken or kicked awake, they were still quite dazed. The water rushed in. Those in the trench-plazas panicked and started climbing out, but only four or five made it out. The troops squeezed against each other and not many managed to get out in time.

As the water flooded in, everyone became panic-stricken. They knew the trenches were the deepest of them all and their unit crumbled. Everyone struggled desperately. Those at the edges tried to climb out immediately. But, when they were digging it, they even smoothed out the walls' rougher edges. It was near impossible to get out normally, much less under such circumstances. Not many get out, most were dragged back down by their comrades.

To add fuel to the fire, the soldiers were all clad in metal armor. It pulled them under no matter how hard they struggled to stay afloat. The mud at the bottom of the trenches had also become soft and clamped shut like the jaws of a hungry beast, stopping them from kicking off to get a breath.

Viscount Sanskro had screamed until his voice went. He managed to organize the remaining troops somewhat. He had the soldiers form human ladders to allow those in the rear to ascend first before they pulled the others up. It didn't last long, however; the water level soon rose to their necks. The shorter men were already unable to feel the ground beneath them and could only hold onto the soldiers in front of them. The soldiers in front, unwilling to be dragged down, pushed the soldiers behind them into the water, but those at the back were unwilling to let go and dragged the ones in front of them into the water as well. They struggled briefly before sinking into the depths.

The sky brightened slowly. Viscount Sanskro stared at the now-tranquil trenches with bloodshot eyes. The small plaza-like trenches had turned into small ponds where the corpses of drowned soldiers clumped together tightly.

The couple hundred men fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to survive were shivering in the breeze. Looking at the submerged corpses and the soldiers standing at the side of the trenches, the viscount screamed at the top of his lungs before slitting his throat. Blood splattered everywhere as he fell into the flooded, corpse-filled trenches.

The Two Dukes' Decisions

We burned everything. Fields, bushes, gardens, streets, the walls, the castle, everything went up in flames. Aunt Marie's shop down by the plaza was the first building in the area set alight. I've never seen flames that tall before. Even Uncle's small woodwork workshop was burned. Mother and father's old inn wasn't spared either. I never thought I'd see my city burn. The streets were already black with soot when we set the last buildings on fire. I snuck away to set fire to my house myself. I won't let anyone else do it.

Sarah and the kids are okay. She said they're heading to The Northlands to stay with her aunt and uncle. They settled somewhere near the new capital. Rose Palace, I think the place was called. Her uncle is one of the gardeners and her aunt serves as a scullery maid.

This isn't my war anymore. I fought to protect my home, but it's gone now. I was willing to die for my wife and kids, but they've left now. I won't die for a duke's pride, especially not when he's the one who had me burn down my home.

I think I'll slip away once we reach Handra and join them.

~ Unknown soldier's diary

The wooden boards used as blockades had been converted into solid wooden bridges across the trenches. If the defenders knew they were the result of inspiration derived from a whim by the heavy-armored soldiers, they would vomit blood with rage. After conquering the front part of the formation, Auguslo had arranged for the boards to be brought over so the soldiers could set up simple camps and outposts for the night watch. They would then be removed and used as bridges when the flooding came.

One Whitelion captain was too troubled by the network of trenches. Their plan was to attack during the day and hole up during the night. The captain believed not sealing the trenches up and building their simple camps would invite attack from the moles. They just had to use fuel and fire arrows to set their camps on fire and disturb his troops for the rest of the night. However, Auguslo's orders were clear. They were not to block the trenches.

Though the captain didn't know the flood's timescale, he wasn't willing to let his soldiers lose their lives in a night attack. After troubling himself over it, he gathered his lieutenants to discuss what they could do to deal with the duchies' moles and curb their night attacks. Just as they were scratching their heads over their lack of ideas, one of the men on watch mentioned that the wooden boards were roughly as wide as the trenches. They could just use them to block the trenches.

The captain was elated. He rewarded the man heavily and tried to ascertain how he'd come up with the idea. The man said shyly that he'd gotten into trouble while transporting some of the boards. He'd startled nearby horses. His fright at their loud baying made his drop the boards. They fell into the trench and dug into the ground. It took him quite a while's struggle to get them out. His current shift was his punishment. When he overheard their discussion, he was reminded of how much he'd struggled.

Thus the birth of the tactic that contributed to in the demise of thousands of Forund's soldiers. Had the men not been distracted by the pressure the use of the boards allowed their enemy to put on them, they would have discovered Auguslo's ploy long before it could have come to fruition. It was far too obvious and easy to detect, no amount of effort on their part could have hidden it. Unfortunately, the men were pre-occupied with countering the boards.

The sky brightened. As the water filled the trenches, the soldiers of Whitelion successfully arrived at the first of the plaza-like excavations. The men were broken, wet, and exhausted; they offered little resistance. Not that they really could, most were unarmed - having dropped their weapons and armor to get out of the trenches faster. Even had they been armed, they did not have the willpower or presence of mind to fight. They had watched their friends die, watched their corpses pulled along by the water down the trenches. They had been mere meters away as their comrades drowned, but had been unable to do anything. Soon, many were captured.

Upon receiving the report, Auguslo, Lorist, and Fisablen made their way over. They were also shocked to see the large, corpse-filled trenches. They had thought the flooding would only force the moles up to the surface, they had not expected the near ten thousand blue corpses.

They only realized what had been happened when they were informed of Forund's planned counterattack. Such a huge coincidence. The enemy were to blame for their own misfortune. Their timing was just horrible. The eight 'plazas' had turned into corpse ponds. All-in-all just over 20 thousand lay entombed beneath them. Only those near their edges had managed to escape, the rest were now resting eternally. Viscount Sanskro's plaza had had the worst of it. Only 524 of the three thousand waiting in the plaza had escaped.

The viscount's body had been retrieved. Auguslo had a proper wooden casket made for this enemy before his corpse was sent back to his family. Whitelion's men were currently still looking for survivors and overseeing the corpses' retrieval.

One filled carriage after another passed by on the wooden road. Men were constantly filling in the gaps between the boards so the carriages wouldn't get stuck. The road was set to be extended, they were just waiting for more material to arrive.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." an officer cried as he hurriedly made a knight's salute, "The water has stopped further ahead..."

"Any idea why?" asked Auguslo.

"The trenches end. The water overflowed and flooded a few low-lying areas. The scouts say the area beyond the network is three-kilometer-wide flatland. There's another network beyond that, though."

Forund must have either not had enough time or not enough manpower to connect the two networks. Either that or they had been using the flat area to house and train troops.

"Let's take a look," said Auguslo as he waved the horsewhip in his hand and rode towards the road. Lorist, Fisablen, and a few others followed.

"What should we do?" asked the king after his inspection.

"We'll dig another trench and connect the two. First we have to seal the reservoir again, otherwise, we'll turn this whole region into a marsh. We'll conquer this network as well. The enemy will be prepared for us this time. We won't take out thousands again," replied Lorist jokingly.

"Hahaha," Fisablen laughed heartily, "They were so enthusiastic about digging trenches and erecting mud walls. But now they rush to demolish what they've built! Talk about turning security into fear! Their waste of energy is really entertaining. If only I could see their faces... Hahaha..."

Everyone broke into a fit of laughter. The world's changes were truly wondrous. They had thought they would have to break their backs over refilling the trenches while Forund's troops dug more. But now the tables had turned completely. Now they were the ones digging trenches and the enemy were the ones filling them in.

Auguslo nodded.

"Very well. Duke Kenmays, cooperate with Whitelion in your attack. Take at least ten trench-lines. Your use of the wooden boards was truly genius. Reward whoever came up with the idea well."

Kenmays was all smiles.

"Naturally. The house will promote him and use him well."

Auguslo nodded before he turned to his guards.

"Have the logistics team speed up. We need a lot more boards. Also, erect a temporary campsite. Whitelion and the heavy-armored division will rest in shifts. Also, tighten our defenses, I don't want any counterattacks."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

...

Duke Forund stared at the old, algae-filled walls of his castle. It had been built over seventeen years and had since weathered centuries of war. Who knew how many plots it was privy to, how many life-changing decisions and declarations it had heard.

Its name, Summer Palace, had been given during the time of the Krissen Empire. It had been one of the most famous palaces in the empire. The duke had lived in it his whole life. His smile and silhouette had been traced in every nook and cranny, secret or otherwise, of the place.

"Your Grace, we need to go," reminded the captain beside him.

The old man withdrew his unwilling gaze with a sigh.

"I must be the most unfilial descendant. I'm actually abandoning my house's pride and dominion, a dominion over which we've reigned for nearly three centuries, to escape to Handra. If my ancestors were to know of this, they'd definitely curse me."

"Your Grace isn't to be blamed for this, Andinaq's king is. He is far too sly! He actually flooded the network! The trenches we had the whole duchy dig..."

The captain felt his oratory skills rather lacking. He had wanted to console the duke, but had, instead, taken the conversation in an uncomfortable direction. The old man smiled bitterly.

"You've said enough, Rikol. Everyone knows I spent three months rallying the civilians to dig those trenches. It's become a huge joke. Why didn't it occur to me that a simple flood could lay waste to my effort? Poor Sanskro... He should know I wouldn't blame him for coming up with the idea. He shouldn't have offed himself."

"Your Grace..."

The old man waved for the captain to stay quiet. He turned to look at the lonely castle. It was no longer the merry palace in his memories. It stood now as a lonely tower, gazing out over a deserted landscape.` He sighed again and cleared his mind.

"Let's go. I hope I can come back again, to see this place as happy as it used to be. It shouldn't die like this, it's not right. My ancestors built it to be a place of happiness, not the solemn husk it is now..."

Upon stepping out the castle, the old man mounted his white horse. Several cavalrymen came galloping up the road. One dismounted and knelt before the duke.

"Your Grace, Sir Nuori refused to withdraw. He told me to tell you that there's no way Andinaq can deal with the mountain legion. He won't budge. He says he'll show the people you haven't abandoned them."

The old duke waved the guard up.

"It's no surprise. Whatever, winter is near. Auguslo won't defeat Nuori. Even if he waits till next year, Nuori should have more than enough room to hold them back. He doesn't lack for resources either. I knew he wouldn't withdraw without fighting. Leave him be."

He turned to the captain.

"Have everyone else left?"

"Yes, Your Grace. The first young master was the first to leave. He took everyone else from the household, the resources, and the garrison with him seven days ago. The second young master and Sir Rimad left for Cuda. They await Your Grace. The guard regimen is all that's left."

"Alright, let's go. Any messengers from Belias?"

"No. Didn't Sir Belias send a messenger over yesterday? He said he can only hold on for another two days. Andinaq's advance can't be stopped. The fifth garrison legion can't resist anymore. They're suffering heavy casualties. Sir Belias had to use the threat of heavy military punishment to stop the men from deserting. He hopes you will leave Paetro as soon as possible."

The old duke shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Alright. We'll leave. I hope Belias will make it back safely."

The castle's exit connected to the main street of the duke's manor. More and more citizens gathered on the sides of the road as horses continued to pass by. Everyone knew Andinaq was about to arrive. Though the duke had them dig trenches for three months, they still couldn't stop the enemy. Messengers from all over had come to the city to request help. To prevent the citizens from falling victim, the duke had decided to give up on the city and leave for Handra.

Everyone began tearing up. The atmosphere was grievous. Everyone stared at the duke until the procession vanished in the distance. Just as they were about to arrive at the southern gate, the duke pulled on the reins. A fat silhouette emerged from the crowd and made his way to the duke.

The duke smiled.

"Maritt, my friend, I am leaving the city to you after I leave. I hope you can keep everyone safe. It is my hope to meet you again in the future."

"I will do my best, Your Grace," said the man with a bow.

He was a merchant who had dealings with the salt merchant committee and had even visited Duke Kenmays before. The duke had allowed him to represent the citizens in their surrender to Andinaq. He had hoped military discipline would be upheld and that the citizens wouldn't come to harm.

"Maritt, two-thirds of the food stores are still in the castle's storehouse. If Andinaq wants it, they can take it."

Maritt froze.

"Your Grace, this is...?"

The duke smiled bitterly again.

"Maritt, Andinaq is more than 300 thousand strong. If they don't have enough food, they will raid the farmers and commoners. With those resources, our citizens wouldn't come to grave harm."

Maritt bowed again.

"Thank you, Your Grace."

...

At the same time, in the southern district of Freimox, Farkel's capital, Duke Farkel's eyes were completely bloodshot.

"The people have already been chased out! Why hasn't it begun yet? Start burning! Burn this place to the ground! I will not let that blasted Auguslo have my city and castle! Quick burn everything!"

The wind helped the flame along. Soon, the entirety of Freimox was submerged. Tens of thousands of commoners - chased out of the city - wailed as they watched their lives crumble to ashes.

Completely unmoved, The duke turned his horse around.

"We leave! Head for Handra! We still have an army! We have all the time to tussle with that bastard when we reach Handra. He wants to eliminate our duchies? It won't be so easy!"