The replies from Duke Red Dragon and Marquis Griffin soon reached Claude's hands, but Claude felt a strong sense of tiredness in Duke Red Dragon's reply. In the letter, the old man beat around the bush and said a lot of good things for the aristocratic coalition, and finally admitted that when they captured the fourth local county, because of the enemy's strong defense and timely retreat, the aristocratic coalition did not achieve satisfactory results after paying a heavy price of casualties. . At this time, they happened to encounter slave traders from the seven countries in the central part of the continent, so they simply sold all the prisoners to make up for their losses.
The old man admitted that it was his poor supervision that caused the noble coalition to do such a thing that was against morality and the laws of the kingdom. However, he went on to say that he was old and frail and could no longer continue to lead the troops to fight. He planned to resign as the supreme commander of the noble coalition in the near future. Duty, returning to the family territory will support the disabled body. So he apologized to Claude because it seemed that the mission he received from Claude to sweep the ten western counties of the Hicks Kingdom could not be completed...
Compared with the old man Duke Red Dragon's vague and half-truth statements, Marquis Griffin's reply was much more straightforward. He bluntly told Claude in the letter that the aristocratic coalition had lost the most basic military discipline. They were no longer an army, but a large-scale criminal gang, the most despicable and shameless bandit organization. He was ashamed of himself for holding the position of deputy commander-in-chief in such an army!
Ever since the aristocratic coalition occupied the three western counties, he had seen a variety of crimes that had no moral bottom line. In particular, most of the crimes were carried out by the elegant and serious nobles of the kingdom. They have completely lost the cultivation and demeanor of a kingdom's nobles in these occupied areas, and only the light of gold coins is left in their eyes. In order to get a gold tooth, they would brutally cut off the head of a seventy-year-old man. In order to force the businessman to hand over the last gold coin, they would throw the infant baby against the wall to death...
Marquis Griffon described the crimes committed by the noble coalition in this way. If they were all shot, they would definitely be unjust. There were 100,000 troops, and there were many who were clean and self-sufficient among them. But after one was shot, more than half of the remaining ones were full of evil. In the coalition of nobles, military discipline was completely gone. The nobles of large and small territories each formed gangs of varying sizes. Their only purpose was to plunder people's property, so they were able to make peace with the slave traders and violate the kingdom's prohibitions and regulations. The letter of the law, the slave trade.
In the letter, Marquis Griffin reminded Claude not to have any hope in the immediate combat effectiveness of the noble coalition. These territorial nobles who had made a lot of money had no intention of continuing to fight. What they wanted now was to withdraw their troops and go back to their respective family territories to enjoy the looted property. Both the nobles above and the soldiers below are worried that they will lose their lives here. Because of the evil deeds they committed, there are resistance organizations and guerrilla armed forces everywhere in the four occupied counties. If a small team goes out, it is likely that only three or four people will escape...
The most frightening thing is that even in the heavily guarded military camp, there is no sense of security. The Hicks once sent dead soldiers to drive a carriage filled with gunpowder into the military camp in the name of delivering vegetables, causing a big explosion that killed and injured nearly a hundred people. There were even Hicks who sneaked into the military camp and poisoned it, almost paralyzing a battalion, and more than a hundred people died of poisoning. The current aristocratic coalition does not have a squadron or more of troops, and they no longer dare to go out to patrol...
All the territorial nobles were frightened by these spontaneous resistance actions by the people. They asked to retreat one after another. They did not dare to continue to raid other local counties. No one was willing to continue the attack. Now they were worried about whether they could retreat safely. go back. Marquis Griffin told Claude in his letter that perhaps when he was reading this letter, the noble coalition had already embarked on a withdrawal journey...
Claude regretted that he should not have coveted the 100,000 troops of the Noble Alliance in the first place. He believed that they could be a powerful supplement to the Dominion Military Region and agreed to participate in the Hicks Kingdom strategy plan together with them. Well now, they are not only pig teammates, but also a group of uncles who want to run away after grabbing a handful, leaving a mess for the Dominion Military Region to clean up. Claude had no choice but to send an urgent letter to Avitley I of the Kingdom of Breault, asking him to increase his war readiness and vigilance to prevent this noble coalition from causing any trouble when it evacuated through the Kingdom of Breault.
It doesn’t matter if they leave, the Allied Nobles are just a bunch of plague gods, so everyone can be happy and relax after seeing them off. However, Claude still had to let the Storm Legion deploy a division to the borders of the ten western counties. One was to monitor the evacuation of the noble coalition forces, and the other was to clean up their tails to prevent the resistance forces formed by the western counties from entering the areas controlled by the Dominion Military District. area... ...
In late May of the 605th year of the Holy Light Calendar, the ocean-going transport fleet returned to the Port of Patkara again under the escort of the armored fleet. This meant that the families of the officers and soldiers of the Hicks Returning Division gathered in the city of Saint Hyprian in Wangjing. Another group of people and relatives can board the ship and go to overseas autonomous territories as immigrants. In the past two months, as several more local counties were swept away by the Thunder Legion, more than 600,000 military relatives gathered in Wangjing Saint Cyprian City again.
Fortunately, Count Murides Jay Crest's National Protectorate Army has taken over the five southern coastal counties and the five central counties, so that the frontline command of the Dominion Military Region does not need to worry about the security of its flanks. At the same time, the Thunder Division can be mobilized to implement the originally formulated strategy plan to seize four local counties in the eastern region of the adjacent Hicks Kingdom for the Breault Kingdom.
At this time, the vassal countries around the Kingdom of Hicks finally reacted. The Kingdom of Hicks is now like a piece of fresh fat in front of its former younger brother. The vassal countries that think they are qualified to get a share of the pie have He was ready to bite off his own piece of meat. News from all over the world continued to reach Claude who was sitting in the city of Saint Cyprian in Wangjing...
"Your Excellency, Marshal, this is an urgent message sent to you by King Avitley I." The adjutant, Captain Fahsselin, placed the falcon message he had just received in front of Claude.
Claude picked up the urgent letter and looked at it, but it was the vassal countries surrounding the Kingdom of Hicks, the Principality of Santa Cruz, the Kingdom of Castro, the Kingdom of Monadillo, the Principality of Tumaco and the Kingdom of Isabella. Five countries sent envoys to the Kingdom of Breault. They wanted to come to see Marshal Claude, the highest commander in charge of the Dominion Military Region, through Avitelie I's relationship, so Avitelie I specially sent a letter to tell Claude.
Claude stood up and looked at the map of the countries in the northern region of Farea continent hanging on the wall. He soon discovered that the five countries mentioned by Avitley I in the letter were the eastern and western borders of the Kingdom of Hicks. A neighboring vassal state. Obviously, these five countries sent special envoys here just to take advantage of the Kingdom of Hicks. Like the Breault Kingdom, they all had their territories ceded and occupied to a greater or lesser extent by the Hicks Kingdom...
"Let their envoy come and inform Avitley I." Claude ordered.
Captain Fahsselin agreed and went out to send the hawk message.
Claude looked at the map and thought, the five countries on the eastern and western borders, plus the Kingdom of Breault, were all six countries. On the other hand, there was no movement in the five neighboring countries on the northern border. The three northernmost countries are highland barbarian tribal countries, so you can ignore them. However, the two countries below, the Kingdom of Zemalia and the Kingdom of Pramaya, did not respond. It is really a bit strange. strangeness. There are eleven local counties in the northern part of the Hicks Kingdom, but three local counties were forcibly taken from the territories of these two kingdoms. For this reason, a four-year border war was fought...
Colonel Bockaar pushed open the door and came in. He found a bottle of fruit wine and opened it without ceremony. He took a cup and drank from it. Claude looked at him, he was covered in travel dust and he didn't know where he had just come back from: "Where have you been?"
"Port Kara." Colonel Bokoal replied: "This time there are four more armored transport ships, which can transport more people and materials back. In addition, General Skerry in the Beibu Gulf asked us to transport 30,000 young prisoners to him first. Go to labor, where a large number of laborers are needed for infrastructure construction. At the same time, three million in infrastructure funds are needed, and the Dominion Council requires that funds be allocated from our profits... "
Claude laughed. The profits captured in the Hicks Kingdom were too much, which made the Dominion Council jealous. Now even the construction funds for the Beibu Gulf have to be allocated by the Dominion Military District: "It's okay. Send 50,000 young captives there first." , as for the funds, I also sent property worth 10 million gold crowns to General Skerry, as long as the accounts are done well. Anyway, the Dominion Council can pay it back slowly in the future, and I am not afraid that they will not admit it. "
"This is just a trivial matter." Bockaar said: "Yesterday I received a report from a military intelligence agent. Count Murides J. Kleist of the National Guard was in Scananamo City, the capital of Skvia County. A local congress was held, at which he delivered a speech to the effect that the Kingdom of Hicks was currently at its most critical juncture. The reason why the National Guards endured the humiliation and reached a peace agreement with the invaders from the overseas autonomous territories was just to restore The vitality of the kingdom and the great cause of saving the country.
He said at the meeting that the occupying troops in our Dominion Military District are at their best, and no army in the Kingdom of Hicks can be our opponent. That’s why the Protectorate Army will compromise and deal with the invaders in order to restore the social order and public security environment of the swept areas, resume production as soon as possible to accelerate the accumulation of strength, until one day the invaders can be driven out of the Kingdom of Hicks .
At the meeting, someone accused Count Murides J. Kleist of defecting to us, being a traitor and betraying the great Kingdom of Hicks. If you are determined to serve your country, you should raise your troops and defect to Duke Pyrag Schie Ferriot, the Grand Duke of the North. It is said that the Northern Justice has gathered 300,000 troops and is coming to the ten western counties under the banner of restoring the Kingdom of Hicks...
Then the questioning representative was refuted by Earl Murides Jay Kleist. The Earl said that he was now taking a curved road to save the country, and it was understandable that he was reviled. But what he wants to say is that if the Protectorate Army goes to the Northland Archduke, then who can be sure that the Northland Archduke's troops will be able to defeat the ferocious invaders? If it fails, the Kingdom of Hicks will really be finished, and there will no longer be a reliable force to protect innocent people.
Therefore, others can go to the Grand Duke of the North, but the Protectorate Army cannot go. It has to stay here to protect the people in this land that has been invaded and plundered from being humiliated by the invaders, and at the same time, it must quietly work hard. Conserving strength and leaving the last hope for the Kingdom of Hicks is the most important duty of the National Protectorate at present... "
Colonel Bockard's mouth was so dry that he drank a glass of fruit wine in one gulp, and then he gasped and said to Claude: "I think this Count Murides Jay Kleist is not very reliable, and he actually held a meeting. Should he be given a warning for speaking words that are hostile to our Dominion Military Region?"
Claude smiled and waved his hand: "This is normal. We are indeed occupying forces and invaders to them. The reason why we threw the five southern coastal counties and the five central counties to him is because we have already swept through these ten Local counties, these places have lost their role and appeal to us. Our Dominion Military District supports this Count Murides Jay Crest and the National Guard because we do not want these ten local counties to become those who resist us. Those are the strongholds of armed resistance in those places.
Judging from the current situation, the earl has done a very good job and is a perfect local defender. He can suppress those resistance elements, restore local production, and maintain social order, which is also of great benefit to us. First, we can conduct normal business transactions with his territory, which can provide our occupied area with a steady stream of daily consumable materials and daily necessities. Second, we don't need to waste our tense troops on the territory he is responsible for.
Therefore, it is very normal for him to say something against and hostility to us, because the earl also hopes to win over the local people. But don’t you think what he said is ridiculous? Save the country through curves, secretly accumulate strength, and then expel us when we are sure. Haha, we don’t want to occupy the territory of the Kingdom of Hicks anyway. Believe me, before this count’s strength surpasses ours, we have already left and returned to our overseas autonomous territories... "
Colonel Bockal was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly realized: "Yes, I forgot that we are not staying here, what do we have to argue with him? Another thing, the noble coalition has already evacuated the Kingdom of Breault, and there were no accidents throughout the process. accident. However, their trip to the Hicks Kingdom was very profitable. There were nearly a thousand oxcarts alone, and even some looted furniture was tied to the oxcart and transported back... "
Claude sighed: "These uncles are finally gone. This is really good news. At least we don't have to worry about these pig teammates causing us trouble in the future. By the way, you just mentioned that the Duke of the North gathered three troops. Is the news that more than 100,000 people entered the ten counties in the west true?"
Colonel Bokoal shook his head: "We have no way of telling whether this news is true or false, because our spies have not been able to penetrate into the eleven counties in the north. The news they sent was also obtained from the rumors among the Hicks people. Someone I swear it is true, but some people say it is false, because the two standing legions that defected to the Northland Archduke have still stayed in Grusta County in the North and have not moved, and the Northland Archduke has never appeared in front of the people. .
But I personally think this news may be true, otherwise the noble coalition would not have evacuated so quickly. They should have been the first to get the news, so they decided to withdraw their troops. I calculated that the coalition of nobles entered the ten western counties from the east, and the 300,000 horses of the Grand Duke of the North entered the ten western counties from the north. There was a journey of thirty or forty days between them. It should be that the noble coalition forces learned the news as soon as the Duke of the North's troops moved into action, and immediately turned around and retreated without notifying us... "
Colonel Bockal was a little angry. He believed that the noble coalition had other sources of information but did not notify the Dominion Military District. It was obvious that they were harboring evil intentions. If I had known this, I should have designed a plan to evacuate the noble coalition and make them pay a price...
But Claude stood up and stood in front of the map and looked at it for a long time, and finally shook his head: "Maybe this is just a coincidence. What I find strange is that if the Grand Duke of the North gathered more than 300,000 troops, he would restore the Kingdom of Hicks Banner, then we should attack the nine counties in the east. That is where our Thunder Legion is sweeping, and he should come to seek a decisive battle with us. But why does his 300,000 troops enter the ten counties in the west? Apart from the retreating noble coalition, there is no us. of men and horses...
Perhaps there is a possibility that these 300,000 horses were not recruited by the Grand Duke of the North, but by another person. They entered the ten western counties probably because they wanted to occupy their own territory, so they avoided the nine eastern counties that were attacked by the Thunder Legion. This shows that the commander of this army has a clear understanding of his own strength. He should understand that they are not the opponent of the Thunder Legion, so he avoids strength and weakens. Send someone to find out if this is the case. "
Colonel Boker nodded: "I understand, I will send someone there."
"By the way, there is one more thing you should pay attention to. Are there any people like Count Murides J. Kleist in the remaining counties in the central region?" Claude pointed at the map. Said: "Of the nine counties in the east, four local counties belong to the Kingdom of Breault. The remaining five local counties should not be able to keep it. The two surrounding neighboring countries are the former vassal principality of Santa Cruz and Custer. The Kingdom of Luo is eyeing these five local counties and wants to tear off a piece of flesh from the Kingdom of Hicks...
The three neighboring kingdoms of Monadillo, the Principality of Tumaco and the Kingdom of Isabella, which are adjacent to the ten western counties, are also ready to take back their ceded lands. Whether they can succeed depends on their own abilities. Now the five southern counties and the five central counties have belonged to the National Protectorate Army. If the east and west are reduced by a few circles, the remaining territory of the Hicks Kingdom will be the eleven counties in the north and several counties in the west.
Therefore, we need a suitable candidate for these ten counties in the central region and the Wangjing area, who can compete with the Grand Duke of the North and the National Protectorate Army, so that we can form a tripartite force in the Hicks Kingdom after the war. By then, we will have nothing to worry about when we evacuate Hicks Kingdom. There are a pack of wolves outside, and there are three strong men inside. Perhaps, the Kingdom of Hicks, the overlord of the North, will become a legend... "