Year 605, 11th day of the ninth month, Bleyot Kingdom, Manori Plains, Port Patkara.
It was the third time the shipping fleet of Shiksan had transported the families and relatives of Shiksan's homecoming folk to the region to be naturalized citizens.
Close to 500 large sailing ships filled the port to the brim. All the ships were filled with the families of the soldiers. They all wanted to see the land that was once their home once more before embarking on an unknown journey to start a new life on a foreign continent.
"This time, we have 47 large sailing ships and eight ironclads. We can transport 50 thousand more people. It's all thanks to General Birkin's help," Moriad said excitedly.
General Moriad said excitedly, "If the Dominion Volunteer Army commanded by General Beechlin hadn't used fire to attack the transport fleet of the three southern countries at Filimuz Port, maybe we could've had more than a hundred ocean-going transport ships …"
Claude only smiled and shook his head. It was already quite a feat for General Birkin to send over 47 large sailing ships.
While the region was at war with Shiks, the three southern kingdoms of Freia, Moroshik, Lesnia and Vasilico, formed an alliance to reclaim the western coast of Nubissia.
Close to 400,000 men invaded the newly established pamigal republic and occupied most of its territory from the coast to the interior.
The pamigal militia was completely powerless against the combined army and had no choice but to retreat to the rest of the interior and the losman's territory to fight back.
When the allied forces of the three kingdoms entered the second colony of Lesnia on the west coast, they started a bloody massacre against the Lusman people. Other than the young women and the young captives who could be enslaved, the rest of the Lusman people, regardless of their age or disability, were all slaughtered …
The cruel massacre forced the Lusman people to stop killing each other and fighting for power among themselves. They had to unite to fight against the vicious enemy.
In the face of the Pamigal and Lusman people's request for help, the autonomous region that was hiding behind the scenes had no choice but to go into action. They directly converted the two Monolith Divisions into volunteer divisions and recruited a large number of retired veterans to form the so-called Volunteer Legion of the Overseas Autonomous Territory to assist the ethnic groups on the West Coast in gaining independence and freedom. They marched to the Pamigal National Republic and used three successful defensive battles to resist the attack of the allied forces of the three countries.
Faced with the envoys of the three southern colonial kingdoms, Birkin answered on behalf of the region that it was a volunteer effort by the retired soldiers and had nothing to do with the region's military.
Moreover, the volunteer corps operated on the west coast and was beyond the region's jurisdiction. So, the region had no authority to restrain the retired soldiers who went to help the pamigals regain their freedom.
What was laughable was that while the three southern colonial kingdoms were engaged in a war of words with the region, they ordered all sorts of military supplies and daily necessities from the region and sent them to the west coast to be used for the allied army's logistics.
Birkin, on the other hand, feigned civility with the envoys and shirked his responsibilities.
On the other hand, he was remotely commanding the frontline's defensive operations.
Until last December, Birkin took advantage of the approaching New Year's Eve when most of the allied army relaxed their vigilance. He commanded the pamigal armed forces and a special force of the volunteer corps to carry out a big detour. They penetrated deep into the rear of the allied army's territory, Filimuz Port, and launched a surprise attack on the three southern colonial kingdoms' ocean-going transport fleet assembled there. They burned down more than a hundred large transport ships and dozens of sailing warships.
Then, the raiding force drove the dozens of transport ships and warships they seized and disappeared into the vast sea.
It could be said that the surprise attack on the port transport fleet behind the three southern colonial kingdoms' allied army became a historical turning point in the war of national liberation on the west coast.
After losing the ocean-going transport fleet, the allied army of the three southern colonial kingdoms was obviously lacking in stamina and had to switch from offense to defense.
In the first half of this year, the Pamigar's armed forces, the Luthman's light cavalry, and the overseas autonomous region's volunteer corps had recovered a large number of lost lands and occupied towns, and once again began the counterattack against the allied forces of the three countries.
The 47 large sailing transport ships that General Moriad mentioned that had joined the autonomous territory's ocean-going transport fleet were the spoils of war from the surprise attack on Filimuz Port at the end of last year.
These captured ocean-going transport ships were refurbished and refurbished at the Patres Military Port in the Autonomous Military Zone. After renaming them, they joined the ocean-going transport fleet to contribute to the immigration of the overseas autonomous region and contribute their own transportation capacity ….
So, when the ocean-going transport fleet returned, General Moriad brought Birkin's thick report on the war that had taken place in the Pamigal Republic, the rusman territory, and the Vassiliko Principality colony.
After reading it, Claude wasn't worried that there would be any negative changes in the war with the three southern colonial kingdoms. Instead, he began to consider whether to send reinforcements to General Birkin.
As General Birkin mentioned in his report that Monolith excelled in defensive warfare, the volunteer corps made up of Monolith's two folk would continue to do so as well.
However, that would mean that the volunteer corps would lack a spearhead that could break through enemy lines and gain merits in one fell swoop.
For example, during the surprise attack on Filimuz Port, the attacking forces suffered a lot of unnecessary casualties. The main reason for that was because the soldiers' offensive awareness couldn't match up to Thundercrash's and they suffered a lot of unrelated losses during the operation.
Generally speaking, Claude would think of a way to send a folk from Thundercrash back to the region to provide reinforcements. General Birkin was a good candidate to do so. He could be Birkin's assistant and take on the responsibility of commanding the troops.
However, after some thought, Claude decided to let Birkin hold on for a while. The execution of the wildfire plan wasn't in a hurry. It would be better to wait until the situation in Shiks stabilized first.
In his letter to Birkin, Claude mentioned that the war in Shiks would take more than a year to end.
He hoped that Birkin would slow down the pace of his attacks and not try to defeat the three southern colonial kingdoms in the shortest time possible.
Instead, they should use this short period of time to train the pamigar and luthman light cavalry, so that they would have a stronger combat effectiveness.
Claude believed that defeating or wiping out the three southern colonial kingdoms wouldn't be the end of the war, but the beginning of a new one.
Originally, the pamigar and luthman's territories were the colonies of Moroshik and Lesnia. Even Vasilko's colony was mostly taken down by the pamigars.
Since the three colonial kingdoms didn't admit defeat, the other western colonial kingdoms didn't dare to make a move.
The current battle with the three southern colonial kingdoms was actually a form of protection for the three colonies. That was something the bureau's spies could keep an eye on.
If the three southern colonial kingdoms received the support of the other western colonial kingdoms in reclaiming their colonies, the envoys wouldn't have to purchase all sorts of supplies and daily necessities from the region.
That was how Claude began to suspect that the other colonized countries of the west coast were also up to no good from General Beechlin's report.
It was obvious that the region produced all sorts of supplies needed by the three southern colonial kingdoms. Purchasing them from the region would be the best option.
However, it would be quite interesting to purchase food and meat from the overseas autonomous regions as well. The price of food and meat from the colonies on the West Coast would only be cheaper and more affordable than the overseas autonomous regions, and the difference in transportation costs would be even more obvious. Purchasing food and meat from the colonies on the West Coast would be the most cost-effective option.
Logically speaking, the three southern colonial kingdoms should be supportive of the three southern colonial kingdoms reclaiming their colonies and would provide them with food and meat. They weren't worth much anyway and could be sold for more money.
But the strange thing was that the western colonial kingdoms were very vocal. They said that the colonial countries were united and opposed the independence and freedom movement of the indigenous peoples in the colonies. They supported the three countries in reclaiming their colonies and suppressing the rebellious indigenous peoples.
On the other hand, they used the excuse that the indigenous peoples in their colonies were restless and that the local government's expenditure had decreased and their reserves were insufficient to refuse to provide the three southern colonial kingdoms with the necessary supplies and food and meat. Then, they used the excuse of suppressing the armed rebellion of the indigenous peoples in the colonies to mobilize troops from their respective kingdoms to the west coast.
It was said that several countries mobilized two corps of troops to garrison their respective colonies.
While the envoys from the Kingdom of Moroshik, the Kingdom of Lesnia, and the Principality of Vasilko went to the Autonomous Regions to protest, the logistics officers who accompanied the envoys to the Autonomous Regions placed a large number of orders for goods in the Autonomous Regions.
Some of them who didn't keep their mouths shut quickly revealed their dissatisfaction with the refusal of the western colonial kingdoms to provide them with food and meat. While Birkin joked about it in his battle report, Claude felt a deep sense of malice.
That was also the reason why Claude asked Birkin to take it easy and not destroy the allied forces of the three southern colonial nations so quickly.
The longer it dragged on, the more blood the three southern colonial kingdoms would lose and the more they would have to spend on their military.
When the final defeat came, they wouldn't have the resources to reclaim the three lost colonies.
Lesnia, in particular, had two colonies on the West Coast, but the loss of the second colony had become the biggest wound of this powerful country. It had been bleeding non-stop.
Claude believed that by the time Lesnia's second colony was exhausted, the losman in his first colony would only need to be incited and Lesnia would lose all its colonies on Nubissia.
Apart from that, Claude suspected that the other colonies were waiting for the three southern colonies to fail. They couldn't interfere while the three southern colonies were fighting. But if they failed, the other colonies might just swarm in and try to take over the three territories that didn't have a sovereign state under their control.
That was why Claude didn't think it was appropriate to send Birkin as reinforcements at the moment. Sending a light cavalry division from Thundercrash would be effective against the three southern colonial kingdoms.
However, it wouldn't be of much use against the other western colonial kingdoms.
If they wanted to complete the Wildfire Plan and let all the indigenous peoples in the West Coast colonies leave the colonists, gain independence and freedom, and establish their own nation-states so that the entire West Coast could become a dumping ground for the overseas dominions, it would be a long and arduous war. They needed more time, and they could not hope for success in just a few short years …
Claude had long been prepared for Operation Wildfire to take a long time to bear fruit. That place was different from Shiks.
Claude's goal in attacking Shiks was to fight a short and quick war.
The region's military wasn't interested in Shiks' territory. The main reason was to accommodate the families of the Shiksan homecoming folk and solve the region's financial crisis in the future. There was nothing more profitable than robbing a rich hegemon.
The third reason was to completely get rid of Aueras and the region's mortal enemy.
Of course, Claude didn't deny the fact that the invasion of Shiks was intended to intimidate the Aueran king, Fredrey I, and the ministers led by Blancarte.
Ever since His Majesty the King issued a decree to collect thirty million crowns in cash, a large number of armaments, and an ironclad sub-fleet from the autonomous region in the name of promotion fees and land selection fees, he had been secretly eyeing the autonomous region.
Perhaps the Shiksan invasion plan would make the king and his ministers more focused and clear-headed.
They understood that even after paying so much money and equipment to Aueras, they weren't a target they could target.
Even Shiks, the hegemon of the north, was beaten to the ground by the region's military. In that case, it would be best for the seemingly powerful but actually weak Aueras not to provoke the region. If both sides worked together, both sides would benefit.
Two months ago, Claude met with the envoys of the five neighbouring states. It was no surprise that the vassal states of Shiks wanted to reclaim their lost territories.
Claude was rather generous in that regard. He told the envoys to do as they pleased. The five eastern prefectures could be taken by Santa Klaus and Caslort, but it would be best if they did so after Thundercrash had swept through them. That way, they could simply wait for Thundercrash to hand them the five prefectures.
As for the ten western prefectures, they would be taken by Monadro, Tummarco, and Isabela themselves. The region couldn't mobilize enough troops to sweep through the ten western prefectures for the time being.
However, there were reports that more than 300,000 Shiksan soldiers had entered the western prefectures to join forces with the local garrisons. So, the three states would need a certain amount of strength to reclaim their lost territories. At the very least, they had to be able to defeat the 300,000 Shiksan soldiers.
However, with the help of the envoys from the five neighbouring states, Claude was able to quickly figure out the origins of the 300,000 soldiers in the western prefectures.
The leader was a Shiksan grand duke who was related to the Shiksan royal family by blood. He could be considered one of Majid III's relatives.
His name was Niltuze se Shiksan and he was known as the Grand Duke of Sunset River.
The Grand Duke of Sunset River's territory was in the northern prefecture of Ferinore, a place of strategic importance.
His family's territory was bestowed there in the hopes that the Shiksan royal family would be able to suppress the influence and prestige of House Feriot.
However, it seemed that the first and current heir to the title of Grand Duke of Sunset River hadn't been able to accomplish the mission entrusted to him by the royal family. Not to mention suppressing House Feriot, it was already good enough that he wasn't suppressed.
However, the invasion of Shiks by the region's military gave the Grand Duke of Sunset River hope of breaking free from his barren lands and becoming a hegemon.
He took advantage of the fact that he was the cousin of the king and sold his family's territory in Ferinore County to the Grand Duke of the Northern Region. He gathered a local garrison force of more than 100,000 soldiers, which he claimed to have 300,000 soldiers.
With the slogan of reviving the kingdom and driving out the invaders, he entered the western prefectures as if he didn't see Thundercrash sweeping through the nine eastern prefectures.
As for the ten western prefectures that were attacked by the Aueran nobles, they welcomed the Shiksan royal army to protect them since four of them had already been destroyed.
So, the Grand Duke of Sunset River was warmly welcomed by the people of the western prefectures. With ten prefectures under his control, he started to organize his army and set up a defensive line to fortify the western prefectures like a tortoise's shell.
On the other hand, the Grand Duke of Northlands Pilag Xi Feriot puzzled Claude. He didn't seem to be worried about Shiks, which had lost most of its territory.
Even when the two standing corps, Clyde and Jessica, submitted to him, he only ordered them to station themselves in strategic locations and didn't seem to have any intention of reclaiming the territory from the northwestern highlands.
Claude really couldn't figure out what the Grand Duke was thinking. Fortunately, the eight Shiksan returning folk didn't come from the northern prefectures, so he didn't have to deal with the Grand Duke.
After Thundercrash swept through the eastern and central prefectures, Stormwind would be sent to the remaining six western prefectures to collect the families and relatives of the returning folk. That way, the invasion of Shiks would be complete.