On the 28th of February, year 604 of the Sacred Light Calendar, Claude arrived at the port of North Bay in the Great Plains of Canas on board the Saint Huislind.
Scriv and Eiblont had been waiting there for quite some time. The three of them exchanged greetings and hugged each other.
On the 29th of February, Claude held a military conference in North Bay's capital, Canpaster. Claude announced the reorganization of Thundercrash. The 150,000-strong army would be reduced to 90,000-strong four folk.
After the veterans who had completed their military service retired, the remaining 50,000 men and horses would be combined with the eight local garrisons stationed in the Askilin region and Rimodra region to form the Storm Legion.
The Stormwind Legion was the third regular legion approved by the Overseas Dominion Parliament to be included under the jurisdiction of the military. It was mainly used to guard the Great Plains of Canas along the coast of the North Bay. It was also a light cavalry legion, and its targets were the nomadic tribes on the Great Plains of Canas. New soldiers would be recruited from the nomadic youths in the future …
According to Claude's plan, Monolith would be in charge of defending the region while Stormwind would be in charge of the Great Plains of Canas.
Thundercrash, on the other hand, would be the region's mobile armed force. They would be ready to attack at any moment and take the initiative to attack the enemy. That was also the reason the parliament approved the creation of a regular corps.
Dyavid, Claude's lackey, became the general of Thundercrash after the reorganization. Berklin, the other lackey, became the chief of the general staff.
Eiblont, on the other hand, would be in charge of the formation of Stormwind and the Great Plains of Canas, Askilinian and Rimodra.
All the reorganization had to be completed within four months. During that time, the shipping fleet would transport the eight Shiksan folk to North Bay.
Once they arrived, Claude would officially carry out his plan to conquer Shiks and defeat the most stubborn enemy of his.
The officers who received their respective tasks saluted and left the conference room. Claude, Skri and Eiblont went to have dinner together. In the end, Eiblont drank a few too many cups and left in a drunken state.
Only then did Claude and Skri breathe a sigh of relief. They headed to Skri's residence and had a secret discussion in his study.
"Are you sure it's the king himself?"
"Yes."
General Skri nodded. "I've checked his whereabouts. When he quietly arrived at the Northern Gulf to inspect us and meet with me privately, he went to the King's Manor to hunt in his kingdom.
Every year at this time, he would go to the Royal Manor to hunt. He didn't like to hold aristocratic gatherings, so they were all private events.
Because he told the nobles and ministers that he would only have a few days of freedom during this season. God, let me have some peace, don't bother me anymore … "
Claude chuckled. "That's quite the unique king."
General Skri, however, shook his head. "No, he's very smart.
I suspected that every year, he would use the excuse of going to the King's Manor to avoid contact with the kingdom's ministers, making people think that he was going hunting. In reality, he was going out in disguise to investigate the state of the country.
That was why his kingdom had been developing well. Even though it was a vassal state of Shiks, it was the strongest.
It had always been feared by Shiks.
To Shiks, Bleyotte was a vassal state that they had never truly conquered. "
Claude looked at the map of Bleyotte spread out on the table. It was a mountainous country with only a third of the land covered in plains.
The Bleyotteans were known for their tenacity and bravery. Over the past two centuries, they had fought a total of seven wars with Shiks and only won two and lost five.
However, Shiks had never been able to truly destroy the mountainous kingdom.
Fifty years ago, King Mankdo I of Bleyotte led the Bleyotteans to engage in guerrilla warfare in the mountains for three years, inflicting heavy casualties on the Shiksans. In the end, the Shiksans were forced to retreat from the capital and sign a peace treaty with Mankdo I.
However, not long after Mankdo I returned to the capital, he died from drinking poisoned wine. Many suspected that it was an assassination attempt by the Shiksans.
The current king of Bleyotte was Avitelli I, the youngest grandson of Mankdo I. His father and three older brothers died in battle against Shiks. That was the last battle between Bleyotte and Shiks. The defeated Bleyotte was forced to cede the coastal region to Shiks, turning them into a landlocked kingdom. They lost their two good ports and large areas of plains.
Avitelli I had ascended to the throne of the Bleyotte Kingdom as an infant. He had only been born for half a year, but as the only remaining descendant of Manco I, he was crowned as the new king.
It was said that to protect his growth, many nobles offered their sons to impersonate him and have him appear at court.
The real Avitelli I was adopted by an old hunter family in the mountains and grew up quietly.
In the decade or so before Avitelli I came of age, the sons of the nobles who impersonated him to appear at court all died a violent death.
However, the nobles of Bleyotte still managed to wait until Avitelli I came of age and returned to the court to become king. He had been ruling Bleyotte for 34 years now.
In that time, Bleyotte didn't go to war with Shiks again.
As a vassal state, Shiks sometimes made harsh demands, but Avitelli I always managed to fulfill them. That way, Shiks wouldn't be able to find an excuse to blame Bleyotte.
Internally, Avitelli I urged the nobles to lessen the burden on the commoners, which greatly increased Bleyotte's power and made Shiks look at it in a new light.
Of the eleven vassal kingdoms bordering Shiks, the hegemon of Freia, Bleyotte was ranked first in power.
Avitelli I reigned for thirty-four years, and was revered as the Wise King by the Bleyots.
However, this wise king had a strange habit. Every year in July and August, he liked to go back to the old hunter's hunting house in the mountains and bring two or three attendants with him to hunt in the mountains like a hunter ….
Many nobles of the kingdom dissuaded him from that habit, but Avitelli I was an autocrat.
He said that he was the son of the mountain and that the old hunter had taught him all the hunting skills of the Bleyotteans. He had to practice every year to become a king that all Bleyotteans respected.
So, in July and August, when the Bleyotteans were asked where their king was, they would point to the mountains. Our king should be hunting deep in the forest at the moment.
Because of this, Avitelli I had a nickname, the Hunter King.
It wasn't about how much game he hunted, but how much he loved to hunt and how he was king.
At the end of July last year, when Skri went to inspect the construction works in his territory, he was suddenly stopped by the middle-aged man who claimed to be King Avitelli I of Bleyotte.
The middle-aged man gave his family crest and golden seal to Skri to prove his identity. His only request was to keep his appearance a secret.
General Skri at once invited him into his carriage, and returned to his own house to have a long talk with Avitelli I.
Avitelli I's intentions were simple. He wanted to see if the region had any intentions of attacking Shiks. Shiks, Aueras, and the region were still at war.
Avitelli I hoped that if the region attacked Shiks, Bleyotte would be able to send at least four corps to help.
However, he hoped to receive military aid from the region. Bleyotte suffered a huge defeat in the last war between Shiks and Bleyotte.
Not only did they have to give up their coastal regions, even their military industry was plundered by Shiks. As a result, their equipment fell behind Shiks.
After Avitelli I left in a hurry, Skri wrote a report of the meeting between the two of them. He didn't dare to use a kite hawk for fear that it would be leaked.
Instead, he sent his aide back to the region on an ironclad warship and personally handed the report to Claude. That was how Claude decided to attack Shiks and wipe them out.
"Now, we can send someone to get in touch with him and have him prepare for war.
Do you still have the token he gave you? "Claude asked.
Skri pulled open a drawer and took out a circular golden hook. "This is it. It's the outer edge of a palm mirror.
As long as it matches his palm mirror, he'll know that we sent someone to get in touch with him.
There's also a code word for haggling over the price and buying the palm mirror is the right thing to do.
If he insists on buying it back, it means that something unexpected has happened. "
A palm mirror was a mirror the size of a palm. It was used by nobles to make up their appearances and women to put on makeup. It was a small mirror made of crystal and glass.
Nobles used gold and silver, noble ladies used jade and jewels, while commoners used bronze, iron, bamboo, and wood to decorate the mirror.
Claude picked up the edge of the mirror and saw that it had been broken off with great force. It seemed that Avitelli I couldn't find any keepsake for the time being and had no choice but to break off the palm mirror he carried with him. That way, he wouldn't be able to find a fake one when he looked at it.
"Send more spies to see if the anti-Shiksan sentiment among the people of Bleyotte is serious.
Even though you've investigated Avitelli I's background and feel that he's sincere about cooperating with us, this matter concerns the lives and deaths of our people.
But since this concerns the lives and deaths of our overseas autonomous region's soldiers, we have to be careful … "Claude furrowed his brows as he thought about something.
"You can send your scouts to sound them out," said General Skree.
Claude shook his head. "That won't work. Soldiers can still be easily recognized even if they change into casual clothes. Your merchant spies are more inconspicuous.
I've already ordered Colonel Borkal to come over next month. He'll be in charge of contacting Avitelli I from now on. "
Skri nodded. "Alright, I'll send someone to get in touch with Avitelli I and understand his needs. When Colonel Borkal arrives, I'll introduce him to Avitelli I. I'll leave the rest to him."
Skri had gotten to know Borkal back when he was in charge of military affairs in the region, so he naturally knew that the two were childhood friends.
Claude trusted Borkal a lot. Given his stature, no one would mistake him for a soldier. That was the best disguise he could put on.
However, Borkal was a true genius in the field of intelligence and had contributed quite a lot to the region.
Seeing Claude staring at the map of Bleyotte and Shiks in a daze, Skri asked curiously, "How are you going to attack Shiks?
It'll be very difficult to get there from the sea and there'll be a lot of casualties.
The spies I sent back told me that after Seaking's fleet was annihilated, they've been strengthening their defences along the coast and in the five port towns.
Even if we attack with our armoured fleet, we'll still end up badly battered by Shiks' impenetrable walls. "
Claude smiled. "What impenetrable walls? Tell me about it. Perhaps Shiks is just bragging.
Since their fleet is gone, wouldn't their defences on land be nothing more than stationary targets for our armoured fleet? "
"Even if they're just targets, our armoured fleet has to be able to hit them!"
He took out a map from a tube and unfurled it on the desk. "This is the defensive layout of the Shiksan coast and the five port towns. My spies drew it out from memory. Perhaps the Shiksans have added more defences …" Skri said as he took out a map from a tube and opened it on the desk.
"The northern seas of Freia have always been known for their high winds and high waves.
Most of the coastal areas are mudflats and steep cliffs.
"Even the five Shiksan ports are surrounded by cliffs.
Only these cliffs facing the sea could block the wind and waves of the sea, and the harbor inside would be calm, becoming a harbor where ships could anchor and rely on.
"Shiks has put in a lot of manpower to build a lot of cannons on the cliffs to seal off the waterways leading into the ports.
"Our spies alone have recorded more than fifty of them. They occupy a high vantage point and have the geographical advantage.
"I've asked General Moriad and he said that we can't attack those cannons at such a height because our cannons don't have that kind of height.
"That's only the first line of defence. The second line of defence is the Shiksans' tampering with the waterways leading into the ports. They've used huge rocks, wooden stakes and sunken ships to reduce the width of the waterways leading into the ports, leaving only a curved waterway that allows two ships to travel side by side.
"It's very easy to run into rocks and collide without a guide ship the first time you enter the ports.
"Even if you remember the waterways, you'll have to slow down when you enter. That's like setting up a target for the cannons on both sides.
"The third line of defence is the docks. They've built thick cannons, tall walls and trenches on the land to isolate the docks.
"That way, even if our armoured fleet manages to break through the cannons and waterways and send the troops ashore, they'll still have to attack the cannons and walls. That's the only way they'll be able to get some temporary safety and a place to rest.
"However, five of Shiks' eight standing corps are stationed near the port cities. Basically, there's a standing corps stationed behind every port city.
"The moment they receive news of an attack on the ports, they'll immediately send reinforcements to the port cities to launch a counterattack and wipe out our troops or chase them into the sea."
Claude smiled bitterly. Alright, it was indeed an impregnable defence.
Even if the ironclads of the region were far superior to Shiksan's in terms of rifles and combat power, launching an attack from the sea would be a huge loss. The enemy's defences would completely negate Thundercrash's advantage.
"Actually, I don't think Bleyotte will be that useful to us.
Skri continued, "Even if Avitelli I takes four corps to attack Shiks, he won't be able to shift Shiks' defences from the coast to the eastern border. The three standing corps they have are more than enough to defend against four corps of Bleyotte. At the same time, they can form a few more reserve corps to join the battlefield.
"If we can't land at one of the Shiksan ports and break through the enemy's blockade to form a pincer attack with the Bleyotte army, we'll probably end up losing the war.
"Shiksan has a clear advantage in terms of manpower, casualties, replenishment of supplies and mobilization of troops.
"Even if we occupy a port, we'll have to transport our troops one corps at a time.
"If we can't meet up with the four corps of Bleyotte soon, I doubt they'll be able to hold out for long.
"Shiks will definitely defeat them and chase them back to their country before focusing their forces on us. We'll be fighting alone then.
"By the way, I almost forgot about the biggest problem. Avitelli I has requested us to provide military assistance. Otherwise, he won't have the weapons and supplies to equip four corps. Right now, Bleyotte only has two standing corps that aren't fully equipped.
"But Bleyotte doesn't have a coastal region. Its northern border is Shiks and its eastern border is Mambamark. We won't be able to send our weapons and supplies there."