Chapter 214: Delivering the Heavy Blow

When Kolen, the Grand Duke, learns about Rifidi’s actions—especially that he found a shady-ass bandit to come and lay blame on Roderick—his face finally lightens up a bit. He snorts coldly at Roderick, “We’ll settle this later!”

Roderick looks worn out but hands over the battle plan, “Now that you’re here, Grand Duke, I can finally breathe a little. I’ll head back and wait for the kingdom’s orders.”

Kolen glares at him, “What the hell are you babbling about? Get your ass back to the front line! If you’re gonna die, then die there! The defensive line you set up is barely holding, but now I’m sending the 43rd and 45th Legions under your command.”

”I’m putting you in charge of the rear guard. You have to use these four legions to hold Vorry’s attack on this front. Under no circumstances can this place threaten the two northern battlefields. If that happens, the whole war will shift dramatically.”

Roderick salutes, “Thank you for your trust, Grand Duke!”

Kolen’s expression softens as he pats Roderick on the shoulder, “I know it’s not easy for you. Do your best! After this, you won’t be treated unfairly. Don’t worry, I’ll personally recommend you to His Majesty.”

Roderick suppresses the surge of excitement in his chest. From the look of it, Kolen came to reprimand him—but that’s not the case. Roderick’s got the backing of this Grand Duke of the southern region.

Kolen is actually quite satisfied with Roderick. If Roderick weren’t so damn old, he might’ve even considered marrying his daughter to him.

This visit is Kolen’s way of having Roderick’s back. As long as Roderick performs well, Kolen’s influence in the kingdom will grow.

The Grand Duke’s message is clear: stabilize the southeastern front and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.

Roderick gets the point but still feels uneasy. “Grand Duke, I guarantee the defensive line won’t falter. Honestly, with Peace Haven’s forces, they’re too weak to push any further here.”

”But Rifidi’s situation is tricky. They’re still surrounded. If we don’t send reinforcements, it’ll be hard to explain to Golden Capital. You know he’s the crown prince’s favorite. Right or wrong, if we just watch his army get wiped out…”

Grand Duke Kolen frowns as he studies the military map. “Roderick, what’s your take on this?”

Roderick gathers his thoughts. “The situation here is pretty complicated. According to the intel, Rifidi and his forces are trapped in a small basin. The Peace Haven army is building fortifications, clearly planning a long siege.”

”But in the past couple of days, two of Peace Haven’s main combat legions have stopped the siege and pushed a few kilometers toward us. Meanwhile, the Phoenix family’s 10,000 troops up north have advanced nearly a hundred kilometers.”

”It looks like they’re trying to cut off reinforcements from the north. This setup is classic: surround the point, then crush the relief forces. Right now, our strength isn’t enough to break through these three legions and rescue the trapped troops.”

Kolen stares hard at the map, pointing at the various forces marked. He asks the crucial question, “How do you think our four legions stack up against Peace Haven’s forces?”

Roderick hesitates, then falls into a long silence.

Kolen sighs, “Speak up! At least we need to know what kind of enemy we’re facing.”

Roderick chooses his words carefully. “Uh… Peace Haven is wealthier, that’s well known. They have enough money to equip their troops properly, so their gear and training are far superior.”

”Also, Peace Haven runs a standing army system—their soldiers are professionals. Each soldier in those two reorganized legions has undergone at least two years of intense training. So… in terms of combat power, they probably have a definite edge over our standing legions.”

The Grand Duke frowns deeply. “Just tell me straight—how many of our standing legions do we need to deploy to defeat those two main Peace Haven legions?”

Roderick grits his teeth. “To push them back, we need at least four standing legions. To completely crush them, six legions.”

Grand Duke Kolen raises an eyebrow in surprise. “Peace Haven’s army is really that elite?”

Roderick gives a bitter smile. “Grand Duke, that’s the very foundation Henwell relies on for survival. Without that kind of strength, how else could they hold their ground in this war-torn region?”

”Besides, Peace Haven follows a policy of elite troops, which means their numbers are limited, making it tough for them to launch effective offensives. Their previous campaign against the Ogiro Kingdom and now their fight against us are both carefully timed moves. That’s also why they didn’t immediately retaliate after the battle for corpse.”

”Peace Haven’s biggest fear is facing a major power’s assault alone—they simply can’t cover all fronts well in that situation.”

Kolen asks another pointed question, “So what do you think Peace Haven hopes to gain by teaming up with Vorry this time?”

Roderick points at the map, “They want to bite off a chunk of the kingdom’s southeastern corner—just like they did when they carved out territory from Ogiro.”

Kolen sneers, “Heh… that’s some serious balls. Well then, it’s about time we show him this continent’s stage doesn’t have a role for him yet.”

Hearing that, Roderick’s heart skips a beat. “Grand Duke, you mean the kingdom will increase its investment here?”

Kolen doesn’t hold back, “Two reorganized legions from the kingdom are already on their way.”

He adds, “The Golden Blade Legion and the Royal Third Guard Legion.”

Roderick’s eyes widen. “No way… that’s impossible!”

“Why impossible? The crown prince isn’t about to give up on this territory, and he needs to protect that idiot Rifidi. Plus, the kingdom is furious about this little lord daring to provoke us—that’s already sparked the king’s wrath!”

Roderick can only sigh inwardly. Whether Peace Haven holds out now depends entirely on Henwell’s luck.

At this point, Henwell still has no clue that the Ika Kingdom has dispatched two elite, top-tier legions, ready to give them a serious beating.

More than half a month passes. The besieged kingdom forces are down to just 20,000 men.

But with food and tents, they manage to survive the winter—for now.

Meanwhile, Henwell’s defensive installations here are solid enough that only the First and Second Garrison Legions remain on guard.

Henwell himself leads the garrison and cavalry battalions at the front line.

A steady stream of concrete and building materials flows to the new border Henwell set long ago.

Three massive fortresses and over a dozen medium and small forts rise simultaneously.

By spring, Henwell will have secured these new territories firmly.

As for the future war between the two nations, Henwell will be in a much stronger position to handle.