News of the great victory from the colonies on Nubissia caused the capital to celebrate for an entire month. It was a victory that no one could have imagined.
When news of Shiks' five standing corps marching towards Cromwell arrived last October, almost everyone who cared about the war was pessimistic. They believed that the kingdom would lose a few colonies in the end.
Nobody believed that Ranger would emerge victorious. Even though Ranger had been granted permission to expand into corps, they didn't have the time to do so. Be it recruits or equipment, they were still on the kingdom's mainland.
Ranger was able to take on ten enemies at once. Even with the addition of two corps, everyone knew how much a second-line corps like that could fight. They might be useful in defence, but they were nothing more than cannon fodder in the field.
Many people thought it was just a rumour when the news of the great victory spread. Ranger wiped out more than three hundred thousand Shiksan soldiers from five standing corps and crippled Seaking's fleet. It was nothing short of a miraculous victory.
However, the ministry of the army and the parliament confirmed that victory belonged to the kingdom and the royal capital was in a frenzy of celebration.
Perhaps it was because the victory came too unexpectedly, or perhaps the prime minister, Duke Cryus Man-Duncan, was only concerned about the health of the bedridden king, Stellin X, which resulted in slow administrative efficiency.
It wasn't until a month later that Aueras finally reacted and sent an envoy to Shiks to seek an understanding and peace treaty on the issue of Nubissia's colonies.
However, as the victors of the war, Aueras didn't have any intention of ceding Cromwell to seek peace. Instead, they felt that not having Shiks compensate them for the losses caused by the invasion was already very magnanimous.
After all, seven of the fifteen standing corps of Shiks had already been wiped out by Ranger.
The envoy believed that Shiks would agree to a peace treaty with Aueras after that painful lesson.
From Aueras to the north of Freia, they had to pass through three kingdoms: Nasri, Mambamark and Bleyotte before finally reaching Shiks.
Perhaps it was because of the great victory in Balingana, the kingdom's envoy was treated warmly along the way. Even their mortal enemy, Nasri, was very polite.
Shiksan's neighbour, Bleyotte, sent their military and political figures to attend the banquet. During the banquet, they asked the envoys about the details of the battle in Balingana as well as the strength of the Shiksan standing corps that were wiped out. They were full of praise for Ranger's strength.
In the midst of this harmonious and pleasant atmosphere, the envoy of the Kingdom drank himself into a stupor.
What the envoy didn't expect, however, was that when he arrived at the Shiksan border with his head held high and was about to cross the border, he was stopped by the guards at the border and wasn't allowed to enter.
Even though the kingdom's envoy repeatedly stressed that he was on a mission to Shiks, the captain of the garrison troops, a mere petty officer, still refused to allow them to enter Shiks.
The envoy thought that the petty officer was deliberately making things difficult for them and angrily declared that he would complain to his superiors for punishment.
However, the petty officer looked at the kingdom's envoy with disdain and spoke to a soldier beside him. The soldier then turned around and entered the wooden outpost by the side of the road. He took out a notice and showed it to the kingdom's envoy.
It was a notice from the Shiksan capital. It clearly stated that the Aueran emissary and his entourage were not welcome in Shiks and were to be denied entry at all borders.
The notice even clearly stated the envoy's name, surname and appearance. His treatment was similar to that of a wanted criminal, but there was no portrait of him on it.
The emissary almost had a heart attack. That was an insult to Aueras and a personal insult to himself.
He never thought that Shiks would disregard diplomatic etiquette and refuse an envoy's entry.
It was unprecedented in the history of Freia, but it also meant that Shiks had closed the door to peace talks with Aueras. They now saw Aueras as their mortal enemy.
Having no way to protest, the envoy could only return with his tail between his legs. Unlike when he came, he hid in the carriage and pretended to be sick. He was too ashamed to face anyone.
The journey back and forth took a month and a half. When he returned and told Shiks about the refusal, all the high-ranking officials of the kingdom were furious and agreed to have Ranger attack Port Vebator, Shiks' only good port on Nubissia. That way, they would be able to sever Shiks' control over Nubissia by sea.
But by the time the royal capital's order reached Ranger's headquarters, two months had passed.
General Michelic led Ranger to Port Vebator and arrived at the border of Cromwell. Just as they were about to enter Shiks' Vebator Colony, they were shocked to see light cavalry from Canas patrolling the border.
What was going on?
General Michelic ordered them to set up camp and not act rashly.
He then sent messengers to ask the light cavalry of Canas why they were in Shiks' colony of Vebator and whether Canas was declaring war on Aueras.
In the end, the Canas light cavalry denied that they were Canas troops and claimed that they were mercenaries hired by Shiks to guard the border.
Due to their duty and honor as mercenaries, even if they knew they weren't a match for Ranger, they would still resist Ranger's invasion of Colony Vebator.
Like hell I'll believe you!
Mercenaries, my ass! Their uniforms and firearms were clearly Canas' standard equipment. Not to mention, the well-equipped defensive formation was something a bunch of mercenaries could do. It was clearly the work of the elite troops that fought in Rimodra during the five years of war.
General Michelic realized he had made a huge mistake. In the past half a year, he had been busy dealing with the three hundred thousand Shiksan captives from the five Shiksan standing corps, receiving new recruits and equipment from the kingdom, expanding Ranger into a corps, rebuilding Port Patres in Robisto and setting up the cannons there.
That was why he neglected the changes in Shiks' Colony Vebator.
To Ranger, Port Vebator was like a fruit hanging on a tree that could be plucked at any time.
But for the sake of peace talks, he gave the order not to attack Port Vebator to avoid provoking Shiks again.
He didn't expect an elite squad from Canas to appear in front of him out of nowhere.
According to Michelic's predictions, Shiks' five standing corps were wiped out by Ranger and Seaking's fleet was heavily damaged. Shiks wouldn't be able to recover within a year and a half. Even if they wanted to send more troops to Nubissia, they wouldn't have the ships to do so.
The earliest news the kingdom sent back was that they had already sent an envoy to Shiks. Due to their complete victory in Balingana, they were confident in ending the colonial war on Nubissia with Shiks and reaching a peace treaty.
Who would've thought that Shiks would be so enraged by their defeat that they disregarded diplomatic etiquette and refused to allow the envoy to enter their territory?
That meant that not only did they close the door to peace talks, but they would also continue to tangle with Aueras on Nubissia and fight the colonial war to the end.
So, after receiving the order to take over Port Vebator from the ministry of the army, Michelic immediately set off with his Ranger unit.
He had envisioned taking Port Vebator, which only had one local garrison line, in one fell swoop. If they were lucky, they might even be able to capture a few warships from Seaking that were undergoing repairs.
But nobody expected that an elite unit from Canas would appear at the border of Colony Vebator and set up a tight defensive line.
Feeling that something was amiss, General Michelic didn't order Ranger to attack. Instead, he set up camp and asked the intelligence officer to find out what was going on in Colony Vebator.
In the end, the intelligence officer found a secret report from Port Vebator two months ago. It said that the Nasri and Canas combined fleets had sent a standing corps from Nasri and a light cavalry corps from Canas. The Nasri standing corps was stationed at Port Vebator while the Canas light cavalry corps was sent to the border.
That was a report from two months ago, but it was ignored by everyone. It was a huge mistake.
General Michelic was furious, but he had already lost the opportunity to attack Port Vebator. There was no way he could complete his mission.
If it was two Shiksan standing corps in his way, he would've ordered Ranger to attack without hesitation.
But against a standing corps from Nasri and a light cavalry corps from Canas, General Michelc had no choice but to give up.
No matter how elite and brave the Shiksan standing corps were, General Michelic was confident that Ranger would be able to crush them with advanced tactics and accurate muskets. He would be able to achieve victory with minimal casualties. Even if it was one against two, the outcome would be the same.
However, the Nasri and Canas corps were different. They were archenemies of the kingdom and had fought in the five-year war in the east a few years ago.
Even though they were the losers on the battlefield, they gained a lot of experience from fighting the kingdom's troops.
They were the most difficult enemies for the kingdom's army to deal with, especially when it came to defensive battles. Even if the kingdom won, they would have to pay a heavy price.
General Michelic had no choice but to report back to the royal capital that Ranger would have to restrain themselves to avoid becoming the scapegoat for another three-way war in the east. It had only been a few years since the peace treaty was signed. Another regional war wouldn't benefit any of them.
A month later, the royal capital received General Michelic's report. He learned that Shiksan had stationed a corps from Nasri and Canas in Colony Vebator and had set up a defensive line, preventing Ranger from taking Port Vebator. The higher-ups of the kingdom were dumbfounded. None of them understood what was going on.
After a few days of discussion, they decided to send envoys to the two kingdoms to ask if they wanted to start another regional war.
In the end, General Michelic waited for nearly three months before he received a reply from the royal capital.
It turned out that when the envoys arrived in Nasri and Canas, the bigwigs of both nations swore that they had never sent troops to Shiks' colony of Vebator.
The two kingdoms didn't even have a colony on Nubissia and weren't interested in the war between Shiks and Aueras. They didn't have the resources or energy to get involved either.
As peace wasn't easy to come by, the higher-ups of both kingdoms stated that they wouldn't do anything to provoke Aueras.
At the same time, due to the five-year war, the economies of both kingdoms had yet to recover. They even reduced their armed forces to reduce military expenses.
Some high-ranking military officers believed that it was very likely that Shiks had recruited the soldiers from the two kingdoms to form a corps of mercenaries to be sent to Nubissia. That was a form of civilian recruitment and had nothing to do with the two kingdoms.
Both Nasri and Canas cleared themselves of suspicion. The envoys pointed out that there was evidence to prove that the two corps were transported by their allied fleets and that the other two corps were equipped with the weapons of both nations. The soldiers were also wearing the uniforms of both nations. How could that be explained?
That was easy to explain. The higher-ups of both kingdoms said that due to their poor economic situation, they didn't have the funds to maintain the Allied Fleet's daily patrols.
Left with no choice, they rented the Allied Fleet to Shiks for three years in exchange for a sizable sum of money to invest in the two kingdoms' economic recovery.
The rental documents proved that the Allied Fleet wasn't under the jurisdiction of either kingdom since last year.
As for the standard weapons, it was even easier to explain. Shiks imported a large batch of military equipment from both kingdoms last year and it was very likely that they used it to form the two corps of mercenaries.
The issue of military uniforms was something the two kingdoms couldn't bring themselves to discuss. Due to economic difficulties, the military's retirement allowance was greatly reduced, so they could only distribute combat uniforms to the retired soldiers as a form of welfare.
That was a rather embarrassing thing to say, but in order not to let the Aueran envoy misunderstand, the military had no choice but to embarrass themselves.
So, it was perfectly normal for the retired soldiers to volunteer in the Shiksan corps of mercenaries to fight in Nubissia. There was no need to make a fuss about it.
Pfft!
The envoy nearly coughed up blood in anger. He had truly underestimated the shamelessness of the two kingdoms' higher-ups. They could even turn black into white and rent out the Allied Fleet. How was that possible? The two kingdoms treated the Allied Fleet as their treasure. It was their maritime security. Who would believe that they would rent it out to Shiks for three years?
However, the higher-ups of both kingdoms believed it and even brought out the rental documents as proof. So, the Allied Fleet was now under Shiks' control and had nothing to do with the two kingdoms.
At the same time, the two kingdoms' higher-ups also pretended to say that the two corps that appeared in Shiks had nothing to do with the two kingdoms and that they supported Aueras sending troops to wipe them out on Nubissia.
Apart from the two kingdoms' replies, the messenger brought another piece of news regarding Shiks.
A month ago, Shiks announced that they would form ten more standing corps and head to Nubissia, vowing to fight Aueras to the very end.
。