NOVEL NEXT V11: Chapter 11
V11: Chapter 11
…
Interlude: Conquest
…
"Hah, and in the end, she joins forces with us anyway. Celia should just learn to give up." Morgan let loose a sigh and pushed the letter with the king's seal my way. I suspected what lay within, but reading it settled my nerves. "The Guardians are with us. The Merchants are undergoing a civil war, and finally the Forgers are having trouble with their troops. We couldn't have asked for a better start to his final war."
The King of Wisdom defeated an invasion force with no casualties and now sent forth Eminent to wreak havoc on the lands of the Demons. With our last expedition spreading plague and sickness across the lands of the Stymphalians and the Ascendant, that only left the Sahuagin, and their invasion paths were in Warden and Forger lands. With the Guardians in agreement with us, with our four Citadels improved once again, and with the first wave of drafted soldiers… the end of the Citadel wars was in sight.
"Next comes a war of annihilation." I stated, and Morgan looked my way before giving a sharp nod. "We have orders to unbalance the Forgers and make sure they can't take the Warden Citadel. It breaks our unspoken agreement, but…"
"The situation has changed. It changed the moment the Goddess of Life came to our side and their machines started having 'malfunctions.' They most likely smuggled resources and funds to cause civil strife in the Merchants, just so that they can focus on the Warden Citadel." Morgan gestured for me to follow her, and I did. We entered the halls of the flying fortress. Those in the halls straightened and gave salutes before we bid them to be at ease. Salutes were aplenty as we passed by in the halls lit by the harvested Bright Grass bundled into orbs and placed where mage lights once were. We reached a relay point where a Morgan gave a message to be sent throughout the ship. Our new orders will reach everyone they should reach soon. "Conjecture for now, but we'll have the truth after a few captures."
I gave a grunt in understanding.
"It will be three Citadels worth of Guardians against five with superior output." Battles between those who held Citadels was decided by those who had the means to unmake that advantage. "They will use theirs to overcome what the Wardens have. Shall we strike them down during that final confrontation? Take the Warden Citadel, then maneuver into Forger lands?"
"Or, we can wait until he takes the Merchant Citadel and we have six Citadels with incredible output." Morgan gave a hum and tilted her head to and fro. It was a test. Her childish motions almost had me grimace. But that was the point. I shouldn't let such shallow things hold control over me. Underestimating Morgan was foolish. "I almost prefer that."
It would have also been foolish to assume that she preferred my plan with those words.
"Share your intentions, general. What plan do you truly have?"
Morgan gave a nod of approval, much like a teacher, before speaking once more.
"Conserve our strength, but make sure that progress is stymied. Let them bleed against one another. The remaining populations of both sides will make for poor citizens." Morgan stated her intention to let tens of thousands die without a hint of hesitation. I could not hold back my grimace. Her head turned swiftly my way. A smile that did not reach her eyes greeted me. "Do you disapprove of my plan, even while knowing the benefits?"
"I dislike the plan, but I understand it, and I will not oppose it. It shall be known that I will write of my disagreement." I stood fast by my beliefs, but I understood Morgan's goal. The Wardens that remained were zealots dedicated to brutal warfare and martyrdom. The Forger's ruling class and upper class were complicit in subjugating the minds and wills of those below them. To integrate them into our lands and society while threats loomed from every cardinal direction? Foolish. "The King of Wisdom should also be informed, if you choose such a path. He gave you free rein, but this may be too much."
"Hm. True. He sees the worth of even the most ruthless and cruel." I matched her grin at her words with a dour stare. She let a low laugh leave her lips. We entered the command bridge of the flying fortress. All present turned to her and me. Honors were exchanged. Already the room was engulfed by action to prepare the castle to move and to wage war. "Does the fact that he abhors such actions soothe your soul, Conquest? Even though the acts themselves are wrong?"
As always, Morgan pressed on and tested me.
I obliged her.
"It does. He understands what he does. That gives weight to his every action. Whether good or bad. He does it all to compose a continent that can face the entire world." I told her the truth of it. Taking a seat beside her on a war table that was rapidly filling with information on pieces of paper while messengers went out. Outside, horses were taking flight with riders clad in black. Priority messages were streaming out to reach all corners of our nation. The final Citadel war was soon to begin. "I do not envy him for what he must do."
"But you will do as he orders, correct?"
I leveled a glare at the smiling, impish woman portrayed by one of the fiercest, most powerful Champions I ever met in my life.
"I shall, and I will admit to every single wrong that I have done. What remains of my life after this, I shall spend doing good works for others. I hope that it will bring me some measure of peace. But for now? Yes, I shall."
Morgan studied me for a long moment before something close to a genuine smile flitted across her face, before she turned away from me.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Had I passed her test, or had I proven her suspicions of me?
Whichever was the case, she gestured at the maps strewn in front of us, which were centered around the lands of the Forgers.
"We'll put the pressure on their front line and start breaking down their outlying settlements. We'll steal their workforce. Those that they have yet to make easier to use." Morgan stated and ignored the glare I sent her way. She had already planned to move to save them. She merely proposed her earlier plan to test me. It was almost mocking how she didn't speak of it at all. "The Forger village we have is hard at work and has provided us with contacts. They can handle more people on their doorstep. My thought is that by striking their outposts, we'll force them to speed up their timetable against the Wardens, too."
I grunted and listened as Morgan laid out a plan and strategy for the days ahead.
As always, her plan was brutal, precise, and aimed to get the most benefit for our nation.
The King of Wisdom's foresight and insight were both staggering.
He took her measure, trained her, gained her trust, and placed her at the perfect place.
Now, he could act freely against the Merchants, while she held the line here.
…
Thankfully, I could leave the heavy lifting and complex strategies to Morgan in regard to the Wardens and the Forgers, while I just sent an assault move with all my allies into Merchant territories.
Thanks to all my prefabricated strike packages, as well as the Guardian's ability to mobilize their forces quickly in their territory, we were able to rapidly start applying pressure across the border that the Merchants had with the Guardians.
Tens of thousands of rifle-armed skeletons supplemented by chimeric cavalry with air support and heavy infantry support from my side?
The Merchants were folding very hard, especially since their Citadel Guardian swarms were countered by the Citadel Guardians that Celia had. If I were on my side of the continent, they'd hesitate to put their Citadel Guardians on the line. They'd put it on our border instead of putting them to work against the Merchants. The Merchants probably counted on this, so they kept their border with the Wardens clear of any large investment.
With those swarms and with most of their mercenary troops tangled up in civil conflicts, we punched through their border and deep into their territory within two weeks.
We only met resistance because we had to stop since our supply lines needed to keep up.
Well.
The Guardians needed their supply lines to keep up.
I invested a lot into airlift capability for a reason.
Anyway, the force arrayed against us was anything but normal.
"It looks like your former board members were working with the Forgers and the Scholars, Harper." The whole command staff was in the airborne HQ. The cargo hold was open and disgorging supplies outside. We were landed for now, but during the evening we lifted off a couple hundred feet above the camp. It kept me, Celia, and Harper safe. They had their retinues aboard, along with my own. "It seems like they're making use of the excess of your people to create amalgams between mutated flesh and metal."
"…I had wondered where a few of the board were getting their funds." Harper was providing a pretty good service. Towns were swayed to surrender more easily with her speaking. She was gathering people up to make a neutral market, and she had the capital and people needed to do it. This half of the continent was going to need some economic force after everything that went down, and I wouldn't mind selling production for luxuries. If she's a system for me to use to offset my excess into things I needed, I didn't mind keeping her alive. "How many units?"
"Four hundred were sighted, and they were supported by militia armed with Guardian-made rifles and cannon. The earliest production models." Celia grimaced at the mention of that. That was just her whole character. Selling weapons got her enormous amounts of money and enabled her to industrialize. Even if she was still hopelessly behind on the tech tree, she had the chance to catch up, and she had enough weapons to keep fighting with Undead alone. It was a win, but she didn't let herself feel it. "They've adopted my military's entrenchment tactics as well. Trenches, wire, and even mages on the defense atop a defensible position that we can't ignore. They intend to hold this position and stop our advance."
"Your aerial forces can smash this position from above." Celia stated it simply, and I nodded, but she grimaced. "If not for the implication."
"Correct." I replied and circled the position of the enemy force on the map. They were occupying a place called Cleo's Rest. A fortified town surrounded by forest on one side and a mountain on the other. A river ran through it, too, and we were downriver while they were up. The forest was providing the troops with resources. Every day that passed saw ramps and palisades built up. Each one eventually replacing trench lines. The longer we waited, the more trenches were turned into reinforced positions, and the more this war cost us in supplies and money. "But it may need to be done, unless you have an ace up your sleeve, Lady Adil."
That earned me a glare, but I just smiled in return.
After all, she got the carcass of the Wraith, and it was the perfect stealth unit for her.
"It was intended to be an advantage should war come between our two nations, but it seems that it would be prudent to deploy them here." Celia's reply was clipped, but she glanced over at her two Champions behind her. The two Vampire Knights were covered from head to toe in armor, and I was sure they never took their eyes off me. Man, it sucks to be so popular. "The Wraiths can overwhelm the defensive lines and sow chaos. If the walls of the town are not magically reinforced, then they can do more."
I looked over at Harper, and she shook her head.
"Standard defenses such as these always have protections against creatures such as Phantoms. If wraiths pass through solid matter as they do, then they will be unable to go through these walls." Harper informed us, and I just nodded in response. Even though they cut corners, the Merchants weren't complete idiots. If you have a wall, you should at least enchant it to keep things like ghosts out. Otherwise, you'd just have too many problems on your hands. "But their structural integrity may not be that strong. This region did not expect warfare. The wall may be built to deter and to stop. Not to withstand a siege."
A fortified mountain town with amazing access to resources and a water supply that can't be poisoned without a lot of effort… And it's going to be undone because the walls weren't up to code as fortifications.
The Merchants really live up to their name.
"Then, I will have artillery prepare for a barrage. They will smash the walls and building defenses. Your new troops will ravage the insides of the town and force them to surrender after burning down their supplies and armaments." The wall will be destroyed, and their ability to fight will be taken from them. It seemed simple on the surface, especially as Celia just nodded and started giving obvious answers, but a lot of this wouldn't be possible without prior prep on my part. The new cannons were needed to reach those walls from outside the distance of their mages. Celia's cannons would be blasted apart. "When will your troops be ready, Lady Adil?"
Celia seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering.
"When the sun has set, they will be able to act. They will strike against the munitions and weapons and food of this place, but they will not harm the civilians." She turned her gaze towards Harper. The former Merchant leader paused before giving a nod. "My people will take this town and its people. We are risking the most, after all."
I mean, I had the cannons, the magical castle, and the scouts bringing in all this information and letting us act on it.
But I was willing to throw her a bone.
It wasn't like I wanted or needed this place or its people.