On the seventh day of the ninth month, year 604 of the Holy Light Calendar, the Thundercrash and Monolith Legion of the North Bay encampment waved their banners as they marched in a formidable formation of eight men. They marched through the streets of Canguster and headed straight for the docks, where they boarded the long-awaited ocean-going ships.
Due to the large number of people, it was already late at night when it was Monolith's turn to board the ships. So, the Shiksan spies in the city didn't notice that the Monolith soldiers weren't armed with new rifles, but a new type of musket.
The Shiksan spies didn't know that the Monolith unit consisted of four Shiksan homecoming folk. Even though they had spies in the region as well, the distance between the two continents meant that there was a delay of three months between the two. As such, the spies in Northbay mistook the Shiksan homecoming folk for Monolith and reported it to their superiors.
It would take three days to travel from Northbay to Shiksan's waters, but as they had to transport two corps, they couldn't continue the voyage at night. Instead, they would find a place to dock and form a large defensive formation. They would only set sail after nightfall to avoid being ambushed by the enemy.
So, the voyage was delayed to five days. The high-ranking officers of the army estimated that the fleet would reach Shiksan's waters on the 12th of the 9th month.
Since Shiks' Minsk and Chenback Isles were already occupied by the region, it was obvious that the enemy would dock their ships at those two islands.
Minshleck Island was rather large and was less than 15 kilometres away from the Shiksan coast. If the region sent two corps to Minshleck Island, they would most likely target Port Bengra or Port Arenas.
That was because the two ports were only a day's journey away from Minshleck. If the region's armoured fleet could take down the two ports, they could easily transport Thundercrash and Monolith from Minshleck to shore and attack the defences in the ports and towns. That would give them a foothold for their attack on Shiks.
Chenback Isles couldn't be overlooked either. It was the island closest to Shiks' coastline, or rather, it was just opposite Corona Port. It was only five kilometres away, and if the weather was good, they could see each other from a high vantage point.
However, Corona Port was part of Shiksan territory that Bleyotte had forcibly taken from Shiksan. If the region chose to land there, it would be no different from digging their own graves. All the officers of the Shiksan military would be overjoyed to hear that.
It was simple. Corona Port, Port Patkara and Manori Plains were all land Shiks had taken from Bleyotte. The coastal plain was about the size of three prefectures. It faced the sea on one side and was surrounded by mountains that belonged to Bleyotte.
If the region chose to disembark at Corona, all Shiks had to do was muster their forces to guard the mountain entrance of Port Patkara. Thundercrash and Monolith would be completely sealed off in the plains.
Shiks could even mobilize Bleyotte's mountain corps to launch a sneak attack from the mountains. Avitelli I had received so much aid from Majid III, it was time for him to do something about it.
Evening of the 8th September, Mambamark's waters.
After a day of sailing, more than 300 ships docked. They weren't in a defensive formation for the night. Instead, they were in formation for landing.
The coastal waters here had already been covered by countless empty wooden boxes. These empty wooden boxes had been paved with long wooden planks.
More than ten inshore transport ships were nailed together by wooden planks to form a floating dock on the sea. It became the place where the transport fleet docked.
"Move faster! Focus!"
A first lieutenant with a large beard shouted loudly, commanding the soldiers on the transport ships to climb down from the rope net connected to the floating dock. Then, they gathered into rows of troops on the dock, and under the leadership of their respective officers, they ran ashore through the wooden plank road.
On the deck of the flagship of Ironclad Fleet, Saint Heslind, Admiral Moriad was sending Claude and his men off.
"Shiks definitely wouldn't expect that their backdoor has already been opened. Bleyotte has joined our ranks. I wish you all the best for your smooth journey to Saint Cyprian, Boss."
Moriad felt a little lost. Even though he had become the head of the region's navy, he had lost the glory of conquering a city and destroying an entire nation.
Berklin and Dyavid, who were standing beside Claude, went up to him and hugged him tightly. They were the vanguard and main fighting force for the assault on Saint Cyprian. Claude, on the other hand, had to stay behind to control the situation and coordinate the three mountain corps sent by Bleyotte.
"Alright, we'll still need the help of Ironclad Fleet for this assault. Don't worry about your contributions," Claude said as he patted Moriad on the shoulder.
Claude patted Moriad on the shoulder. "Whether or not we can fool Shiks into moving all their troops to the coast will depend on your performance. Don't let the Shiksans notice anything amiss. As long as we take the royal capital, they won't be able to turn the situation around."
That was right. Shiks would never have imagined that the region would land in a valley near the coast of Mambamark, take a detour to Bleyotte and invade Shiks' hinterland from the east, all the way to the royal capital Saint Cyprian.
Currently, Shiks had deployed seven out of eight standing corps to the coast, leaving Saint Cyprian with only one Steelguard stationed in the royal capital.
The rear and hinterlands of the kingdom were rather empty, with only the local garrisons there.
Apart from that, Shiks decided to form eight reserve corps from the eight prefectures along the southern coast. The other prefectures would only have to transport supplies to the royal capital, Saint Cyprian. As for whether or not they would be mobilized, that would have to wait until the two corps of the autonomous region launched their attack before making a decision.
The sea where the ships would land was sealed off. Even the valley where Thundercrash would land and the path they took were sealed off by the allied nobles of Mambamark.
Claude had racked his brains for the final battle against Shiks. Had it not been for Bleyotte's secret surrender, the region wouldn't have come up with the idea of going straight into the tiger's den.
All the ships transporting Thundercrash and Shiksan departed from the floating docks after the soldiers disembarked. Scarecrows dressed in military uniform were erected at the side of the ships.
From afar, it looked as if the ships were filled with soldiers.
They would be escorted by the armoured fleet to Shiksan's waters before docking at Minslake Island and pretending to be soldiers disembarking to confuse Shiks.
The region had mobilized Thundercrash, the newly formed Stormwind and eight Shiksan homecoming folk for a total of four corps. Coupled with the allied nobles who were planning to take advantage of the situation and the three mountain corps of Bleyotte, their total forces far exceeded the eight corps of Shiks.
Not to mention, Shiks had moved all their forces to the coast, exposing their empty belly to the region's military.
On the afternoon of the 11th of the 9th month, Claude arrived at the camp set up on the border between Mambamark and Bleyotte. King Avitelli I was there with his beloved son, Prince Ikkedo, as well as Colonel Borkal, Duke Reddragon, Marquis Griffon, and other nobles of the kingdom to welcome him.
Due to the need for secrecy, there wasn't any welcoming ceremony. Everyone greeted each other briefly before entering the tent.
Borkal first introduced the current situation in Shiks. When he heard about the defenceless Shiksan prefectures near Bleyotte, everyone in the tent broke into laughter.
"Shiks has a total of 53 prefectures and the royal capital. They're basically split into nine eastern prefectures, eight southern prefectures, ten western prefectures, eleven northern prefectures, fifteen central prefectures and the royal capital.
From Bleyotte to the Shiksan royal capital, Saint Cyprian, one has to pass through the eastern prefectures of Crestis and Tolstoy, as well as the central prefectures of Westmen and Lomaflin before reaching the royal capital. It would take seven days for Thundercrash to launch a surprise attack.
"Apart from that, there are only three prefectures from the royal capital to the southern coast: Dartmouth, Ridleeds and Renwark-Yorck.
"Currently, Shiks' standing corps is concentrated along the coast. Solym Corps is stationed in Renwark-Yorck, while Ridleeds has already formed a reserve corps.
"If Thundercrash launches a surprise attack on Saint Cyprian, we'll have to avoid Shiks' detection for seven days. That's the biggest problem.
"If the Shiksans find out, the royal army will be on high alert and send reinforcements from the south. The Solym Corps stationed in Renwark-Yorck will be able to reach the royal capital in three days. That'll be a huge problem for our surprise attack."
Borkal pointed at the Shiksan map and analysed the information he received. He didn't agree with Berklin's suggestion of using light cavalry to launch a surprise attack on Saint Cyprian.
After all, the journey was long and no matter how fast light cavalry could move, they wouldn't be as fast as a messenger hawk.
It was also very difficult to hide the Thundercrash Corps' tracks. The national highway leading to the royal capital was surrounded by towns and cities, and there were many people coming and going. There were also many merchant vehicles on the road, so it was impossible to hide the tracks of 90,000 soldiers from everyone's eyes.
Not to mention, Shiks didn't have such a large cavalry unit. Any local official would be suspicious of Thundercrash's procession. The moment they questioned them, the news would be leaked.
"I received a letter from Majid III. He wants us to send two mountain corps to the southern coast of Shiks to assist in the defence.
Perhaps we can do something here and use reinforcements to deceive the towns and cities along the way to reach the royal capital, "Avitelli I said.
Borkal shook his head. "While Majid III wants His Imperial Majesty to send reinforcements, he will send officials to monitor the two corps instead of letting you go on your own.
They might even point their fingers at your corps and try to usurp your commanding authority so that you can be used as cannon fodder on the frontlines. "
Claude looked at the map and pointed at the county of Dartmouth near the royal capital. "If we set up a defensive line in Dartmouth to stop the Solym standing corps stationed in Renwold Yorkshire from coming to the royal capital, we'll only need three days to take Saint Cyprian.
As long as the royal capital is there, we'll have enough troops to deal with the Shiksan corps along the southern coast and sweep through Shiks. "
Claude's plan was simple. He wanted Avitelli I and Majid III to negotiate and send a Treyote corps to the southern coast of Shiks to assist in the defence.
Two of Thundercrash's folk would be disguised as Bleyotes. When they arrived in Dartmouth, they would control the Shiksan officials who came to supervise the corps and set up a defensive line there.
Meanwhile, after the first Bleyot Corps set off, they would try to leave a small group of people in each town along the way to find out the details of the harrier pigeon communication stations in these towns. When the second Bleyot Corps and the remaining two divisions of the Thundercrash Corps arrived, they would immediately take control of these communication stations to prevent them from sending a warning to Wang Jing.
Once Thundercrash and Stormwind arrived in the royal capital and surrounded Saint Cyprian, there would no longer be a need to disguise themselves.
When the Solym corps stationed in Renward came to the royal capital's aid, they would destroy or annihilate Shiks.
Claude believed that the two folk of Thundercrash would be more than enough to deal with a Shiksan corps.
As for the other Shiksan corps stationed along the coast, they would need different amounts of time to reach the royal capital due to the distance between them.
They would either stay in their respective areas and prepare for defence or rush to the royal capital to get themselves killed. There was nothing to worry about.
On the 17th of the 9th month, after four days of messenger pigeons from Avitelli I and Majid III, Shiks and Bleyote finally came to an agreement. Avitelli I would first send a Bleyote corps to the royal capital with carriages and other means of transport within 15 days. After resting for a day and receiving a reward from Majid III, they would head to the southern coast to assist the Shiksan army.
Avitelli I agreed to let Majid III send officials to participate in the Bleyote military conference and have the right to command and discuss matters.
At the same time, he requested Majid III to provide the two corps with the necessary rations and supplies along the way. He also requested Bleyote to provide communications and information along the way.
Bleyote would leave a small group in the towns along the way to act as messengers between the two corps.
Of course, Avitelli I promised to dispatch a second Bleyot Corps to the southern coastal area within half a month after the first Bleyot Corps departed.
The Shiksan king, Majid III, was so delighted that he even let his ministers read Avitelli's letter in court.
He was very proud of his success in using the two corps of Bleyote as cannon fodder for Shiks.
On the 19th of the 9th month, Bleyote's 1st Mountain Corps set foot in Shiksan territory. A few Shiksan officials received orders from the royal court arrived with a large number of carriages to transport the Bleyote warriors to the royal capital.
The Bleyot Kingdom also mobilized a battalion of light cavalry, leading hundreds of carriages loaded with military supplies and soldiers to embark on the journey.
Claude stayed at the new camp set up at the border between Shiks and Bleyotte. He explained to the Shiksan officials that the camp was prepared for 2nd Mountain Corps to rest and reorganize. They weren't as lucky as 1st Mountain Corps to be able to ride carriages.
2nd Mountain Corps would have to travel on foot to the southern coast of Shiks, a journey estimated to take more than 30 days.
While 2nd Mountain Corps was indeed at the front of the camp, Thundercrash's 3rd and 4th Folk and HQ were at the back, as well as Stormwind, the eight Shiksan returning folk and the allied noble army formed by Duke Reddragon and Marquis Griffon.
Claude called for the last military conference before the attack.
"Corona Harbor, Port Patcara behind it, and Manori Plain. These three prefectures used to be the homeland of the Bleyot Kingdom. They will be returned to the Bleyot Kingdom after the war. Also, the four prefectures in the east, Crestes County, Megivanna County, Peel Forest County, and Vonkeji Mountain County will be returned to the Bleyot Kingdom. So, we can't interfere with these seven prefectures.
He knew very well what kind of people the allied noble army formed by Duke Reddragon and Marquis Griffon were. While they said they were there to help, they were actually planning to rob them again. "I'll give you the ten western prefectures. They're mostly empty with only some local garrisons. Your army of a hundred thousand can easily sweep through them."
Duke Reddragon and Marquis Griffon nodded. While the western prefectures weren't particularly rich, they were hilly areas with rich mineral resources in Shiks. The Shiksan nobles who were given land there should be quite a bit to be gained.
More importantly, the two standing corps stationed in the western prefectures had been moved to the coast, leaving their garrisons empty. It was like a juicy persimmon for the allied noble army.
Bleyote would be mobilizing three corps in total. Avitelli I was clear-headed and didn't insist on acting alone. Instead, he handed command of the three corps to Claude and sent his beloved son, Ikdos, to serve as his aide.
He also wanted to follow Claude to Shiks because he wanted to witness the fall of Shiks with his own eyes.