Chapter 77: The Shadow of War

Archduke Fernandez was able to gain the king's trust and was granted titles and land over and over again. Now he was given the opportunity to formally establish a principality.

Even the church was willing to give in and make a deal with the royal family.

How could he look incompetent in the eyes of outsiders?

Sometimes, your eyes can deceive you.

Even history can deceive you.

If Archduke Fernandez fails, history will record that the useless and incompetent king's brother, relying on the king's favor, squandered hundreds of thousands of lives, and finally fell short.

If he succeeds, then the king's favor will naturally be due to his discerning eye. Amidst the confusion of the world, His Excellency the Grand Duke will resolutely take over the responsibility of regaining the lost land and turn the tide.

Grand Duke Fernandez didn't know whether this was a turning point in history, but he knew that this was an important moment in his life and there was no room for negligence.

What I have to admit is that although he thinks he is extremely smart, he does not have much war experience.

And this time the opponent was the famous Northland Knights, a group that had caused a huge blow to the Kingdom of Holy Cross. How could he not be worried at all.

Not making mistakes is the first rule he sets for himself.

Playing slowly and steadily is the way to go.

To be honest, Archduke Fernandez is really not a waste, he can even be called a hero.

Just like now, he had just had a quarrel with Earl Connaught, and was immediately able to calmly discuss the details of the westward march with the think tank.

"Your Excellency the Duke, Rockman cannot be trusted. This may be their conspiracy."

"I know, but the greater possibility is that there is internal fighting between the Rockmen, and they just want to use me.

At least, the location of the granary they provided cannot be false. "

Fernandez is very clear-headed and knows that Rockman is trying to please him.

However, he wants the granary, he wants White Birch Castle, and he also wants Augusta.

He wants even the province of Saint Maitreya and even the northern province.

There is also a difference between a principality and a principality.

“The reason why I agreed to the Rockman’s proposal was to use their internal fighting to weaken the power of the Saint Maitreya Province.

Secondly, it is also to control the Northern Knights. Only by keeping an eye on them can I rest assured.

Otherwise, no matter which direction I attack from, I will always be on guard against attacks from the Northland Knights. "

Attacking from the direction of White Birch Castle is not to look down upon the Northern Knights, on the contrary, it is a matter of importance.

Archduke Fernandez believes that the biggest threat to the Saint Maitreya Province is the Northland Knights, so it is natural to focus on targeting them.

The counselors thought it made sense, but reminded them from the side: "Grand Duke, Earl Connoll will definitely oppose your plan."

"It doesn't matter, God's Sword, the church has to give him face, let him lead his self-recruited army to attack in another direction, and hold off other Rockmen for him."

Archduke Fernandez didn't care about Earl Connaught. The other party would not bow to him, but he did not dare to cause trouble at this time.

Otherwise, the church would be the first to let him go.

Without the protection of the church, Earl Conor could not gain a foothold in the kingdom.

…

At the same time, Count Conor was also discussing Archduke Fernandez.

"We all underestimated the Archduke Fernandez."

Earl Connoll rubbed his temples and felt a severe headache.

I thought it was a playboy who came here, and I could easily evade him, but now it seems... this Grand Duke is hiding deep enough.

He naturally knew what it meant to recruit so many serfs. It must be some kind of deal between the church and the royal family.

Therefore, he has no intention of continuing to carry on without overestimating his capabilities. That would be completely thankless.

In fact, quarreling with the other party is also a way to express your attitude and fight for certain rights.

As long as Archduke Fernandez is smart enough, he will make concessions, otherwise the quarrel will continue.

If you can afford to wait, can the other party afford to wait?

The eldest son of Earl Connoll said with relief: "Father, don't worry too much. Fernandez has no experience in leading the army. Sooner or later he will suffer a big loss. I will let you clean up the mess when the time comes."

"Stupid," Earl Connoll felt even more headache. His sons were too bad, but it was too late for him to shoot them into the wall. He could only explain patiently: "If I were the commander-in-chief, I would also want to Attack from Birchburg.

Mega Man has relied on the Northland Knights to confront us over the years.

That Derrick is the leader of the new generation of Northland Knights, and his existence is a threat.

If you want to take over the province of Saint Maitreya, you cannot avoid them.

Politics can be compromised, but war cannot.

If you want to achieve your goals through war, you must face difficulties head-on.

Since you can't escape, just keep an eye on the other party to avoid causing greater trouble. "

Earl Connoll knew that his sons had a lot of battle experience and the ability to command the army.

But the strategic vision is even worse.

This is the reason why the family background is shallow. When the children were growing up, the Connaught family was not yet developed. There was no shortage of basic aristocratic education, but there was no lack of deeper education.

Even he himself had figured it out step by step. He could only teach by words and deeds, and there was no systematic inheritance.

Therefore, he was very envious. How great would it be if his son had the same talent as Viscount Derek?

…

Derek didn't know it yet, but he had become the envy of others.

He is now taking advantage of the last time to personally lead people to walk through the Holy Mile Province, even reaching the hinterland of the Holy Cross Kingdom, bypassing some small villages and towns on the border, and personally scouting the terrain to know what's going on.

However, the Holy Cross Kingdom has been prepared. There are militia patrolling everywhere, and local officials and nobles are actively preparing for war.

It is not a simple matter for 200,000 people to pass by.

Don't think that they will swarm together. In fact, the army must be divided into several routes when advancing, with front and back, left and right, and front and rear armies.

There must even be post stations and granaries for replenishment at a certain distance.

Prepare food in advance to avoid accidents that cause the army to collapse.

In this way, Derek can also see something.

When the flag of the vanguard army of the Holy Cross Kingdom appeared on the border, Derek reluctantly returned.

"It seems that the Holy Cross Kingdom is determined to leave us."

Derek pointed to the map and went west from Baihua Fort, heading straight to Augusta Territory, all the way to Plan City.

If he were the commander of the Holy Cross Kingdom, he would have to send people to the defense zone of Marquis Hussein to contain the army there.

In a large area, a 2:1 military advantage can be formed, and a 10:1 military advantage can be achieved locally.

As the defender, it is also more passive.

"Fighting with more people, taking steady steps, and advancing layer by layer, there is no reason to lose."