Chapter 70: Picking A Side

War was inevitable, Victor could not watch idly as a grand duchy expanded itself and became the epitome of power in the Bulgar continent. 

Knowing that he could not enter this war willy-nilly, Victor took a moment to weigh his options. It was a situation of choosing the lesser of 2 evils. The Maldenbergs disgusted Victor with their cruel and disgusting dinner entertainment but were friendly towards him. The Fontaines were friendly as well but the matriarch of the family despised him.

It was a difficult choice because whoever he helped would soon become an enemy later down the road. Bearing that in mind it made sense for Victor to support the Fontaine family. They were weaker than the Maldenbergs military-wise, so Victor would rather have them as a final enemy. With his mind made up Victor quickly convened a war meeting with his inner circle. 

The room was filled with Victor's most trusted people. General Hill, Marshals Soult and Bessières, Clarisse and Veronica were all present. With a grim but resolute expression, Victor addressed the room. "Everyone I have called you urgently to discuss a dire matter. The 2 grand duchies in the north are going to war."

Shock soon infected the group of people in the room. There had not been a war of this magnitude on the continent in a very long time. Victor's commanders wore concerned faces, they knew that the outcome, Luxenberg would be put at a disadvantage. Seeing his people silently trying to wrap their brains around the situation Victor continued to speak.

"Regardless of how it started, it is sure to be a bloody affair. The outcome of this war will shake the very core of Bulgar. That being said, there is something I propose. In each of my hands is a letter from both the Fontaine and Maldenberg families. They are asking for our aide. I intend to give it."

Veronica and Clarisse were actively against such an idea. Joining the war, in their opinion, was a stupid idea, especially when everything in the territory was running smoothly. On the other hand, Victor's commanders all nodded, they understood that for Luxenberg to be safe they needed to participate in this war and expand their territory.

General Hill raised his hand and asked Victor a question. "What side do you intend to fight for in this war, my lord?" Everyone was anxious to know, it was not like Victor would go to war with both grand dukes at the same time, so they needed to know what side they stood on.

"We shall be going to war against the Grand Duchy of Maldenberg. They may have a better reason to join them, but I can not let that madman and his vile family become the ruling power on this continent."

All the people in the meeting room were in consensus about Victor's reasoning. With their reasoning all sorted, Marshal Soult began to list the current military situation of each faction. Starting with the Maldenberg army.

 "In terms of our enemy's strength, our reports believe they have 200,000 infantrymen, 26,000 cavalrymen and 550 guns. This estimate thankfully includes their 3 dukedom allies as well. The bulk of their army is well trained in comparison to our previous foes."

It was a powerful army to face alone but with the Fontaine faction's help, the odds would be tipped in favour of the 2 allied grand duchies. Continuing his report, Marshal Soult then listed the composition of the Fontaine army.

"Our ally's strength sits around, 160,000 infantrymen 22,000 cavalrymen and 400 guns. Unfortunately for us, the Fontaine army is nowhere near the level of the Maldenberg forces. They are not well versed in war and at least 20,000 of their infantrymen are forced conscripts."

It made sense for the disparity in their forces. The Maldenberg family had 4 cities under its direct control while having 3 dukedom allies with their own city each. In total, 7 regions could supply soldiers for Grand Duke Maldenbergs army. In comparison, the Fontaine family had only 3 cities under its direct control while its 3 dukedom allies had their own city each.

Marshal Soult then listed the Luxenberg army forces. In total, the Luxenberg army stood at 170,000 infantrymen, 24,000 cavalrymen and 540 guns. If Victor received his summons the number of infantry would be up to 180,000. With that total, he could split his army into 6 corps, each with their own skilled commander. 

The corps would be split into 30,000 infantrymen, 4,000 cavalrymen and 90 guns. General Rapp would be in command of the 1st Corps. General Bertrand would be in command of the 2nd Corps. General Tauentzien would be in command of the 3rd Corps. General Kienmayer would have the 4th Corps under his command and General Hill would have the 5th Corps under his command.

6th corp would be in command of Victor's newest summoned commander, he only hoped that he would not summon an admiral. Victor informed Marshal Soult of the structure of his army to make sure that the army was perfectly split into 6 corps. Bowing his head Marshal Soult would see it done.

Messenger pigeons were sent to every regional city in the Luxenberg territory telling the commanders to muster their forces near Jenkas. Once the meeting was done a blue system screen appeared before Victor.

'Main Quest 1 Completed!: Join The War Of The Grand Duchies!'

'Rewards: 10x 1000-Man Infantry Unit Summon, 1x Medium-Level Commander Summon'

Victor was relieved that he got his rewards instantly, they would be a major help in the war. Wasting no time, Victor used all his summons. 4,000 Polish Line Infantry, 4,000 German Fusiliers, 1,000 French Chasseurs and 1,000 Russian Jaeger were summoned for the Luxenberg army. 

All that remained now was to use the Medium-Level Commander Summon. Using it immediately, an orange smoke engulfed the majority of the screen. Victor was thrilled to see the orange smoke. It meant he had gotten another 4-star commander.

A man who wore a Prussian General's uniform slowly came into sight. His hair was blondish-grey and short. He had brownish-green eyes and looked to be in his early to mid-50s. Victor knew of who he was, he had won great victories at the battles of Großbeeren and Dennewitz

The animation finished and the screen read, 'General Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow' with 4 stars next to his name. Victor was pleased to have gotten a competent general who had given some of Napoleon's infamous marshals a few defeats. General Bülow was a man who in the war of the Sixth Coalition, proved to be a capable commander, who often victory.

6th Corps would now be under General Bülow's command