The Duke of Sunset River, Niltuze se Shiks, made a huge mistake. He saw himself as Claude's equal, so he sent a messenger to Claude to question his suggestion and ask for a guarantee for his safety.
In the eyes of the Duke of Sunset River, his request was reasonable.
But to Claude, the Duke of Sunset River was an idiot who didn't know what was good for him.
This was actually like a low-level civil servant expressing doubts about the decision made by his superior and asking his superior to guarantee that his personal interests would not be harmed in the implementation of this decision. It was as absurd as that.
Of course, such a fool wouldn't last more than two episodes on TV and would be ostracized and fired in real life.
But now that it was Borkal's turn to interact with the Duke of Sunset River, everything became much smoother.
What Claude couldn't say, Borkal could say, and what Claude couldn't do, Borkal could.
For instance, Borkal was able to reveal Claude's plans for Shiks to the grand duke of Luo River without any qualms, thus obtaining a lot of benefits and bribes from the grand duke.
A month after Claude stopped dealing with the matter, Borkal reported that everything was settled and the duke was willing to act according to the ministry's plans.
However, Borkal would have to take a risk. He would have to visit the Duke of Sunset River as a guest for a period of time and work together with him until the Duke of Sunset River entered the royal capital, Saint Cyprian.
The plan of the Military Intelligence Department was for the Grand Duke of Sunset River to reorganize his subordinates and select a legion of elite troops. In the name of launching a sneak attack on Saint Cyprian, the capital of the Royal Capital, they would set off before the Storm Legion swept through the six western counties and enter the central counties that had already been swept.
They would then meet up with a Shiksan folk and enter a stalemate.
The stalemate would last for two to three months until the region's retreat.
The Duke of the Sunset River led his army and reclaimed the royal capital, Saint Cyprian.
The advantage of the plan was that the duke could hide it from his subordinates and allies. Nobody would know that he was colluding with the region and would instead make him look like a hero who reclaimed Shiks.
Even if he didn't have any armed conflict with the autonomous military district, people could imagine him leading his troops to fight and finally driving away the invaders and recovering the Royal Capital, Saint Cyprian City …
Another benefit was that the duke of Sunset River could use this plan to take care of his allies. After contacting the duke, Borkal quickly realized that the 200 thousand men under the duke were made up of a complicated mix of people.
There were officials from other places who had come with their garrisons to join in the fun, and there were also nobles who had come with their private armies to form alliances. In short, there were countless mountain groups of different sizes. The Grand Duke of Sunset River had only been pushed to the throne by these large and small military leaders.
However, the duke wasn't someone to be trifled with. He had a folk of trusted men under him. That was the main reason he was able to suppress his allies.
However, after he entered the six western prefectures, he found that his situation wasn't all that great. His allies fought over territory and supplies every day, giving him a splitting headache.
So, Claude's letter became his last hope. However, he made a mistake and treated Claude as an enemy commander on the same level as himself. As a result, his steward was sent away after meeting Claude once.
Fortunately, Borkal managed to contact his butler and the two of them reestablished contact. After understanding the situation from Borkal, Duke of Sunset River realized that he had misjudged the situation.
He was quick to correct his mistakes and hurriedly offered Borkal a large amount of gold and silver before setting up the plan with the bureau.
After that, the Duke of Sunset River displayed his noble character and unquestionable integrity in front of his allies. He didn't want a single inch of the six western counties' territory, but rather, he would fairly distribute the lands of the six western counties to his allies, big and small.
His only request was for his allies to agree to let him select some elite troops from their ranks to form a relatively strong army to follow him to the Royal Capital, Saint Cyprian City, to face the invading enemies …
To the Duke of Sunset River's allies, he was no different from a saint. He didn't care about territory and focused solely on fighting the invaders to restore Shiks.
Even though they would lose some of their elites, the safety of the six western prefectures would be guaranteed with the duke leading the charge.
So, they agreed to the duke's request and provided him with rations. Little did they know that the duke had already sold them off for a good price.
When the Duke of Sunset River led his army into battle, Borkal brought a group of men disguised as a small caravan and met up with the duke's order.
Actually, Colonel Borkal and the others were there as hostages, but they were told to the public that they were scouts sent out by the Duke of Sunset River and had returned to report on the situation in the various regions to the duke.
With Borkal leading the way for the Duke of Sunset River's army, their journey was naturally smooth.
The subordinates of the Duke of Sunset River also knew that they were enemies who were going to attack the Royal Capital, Saint Cyprian City, so their journey could be considered a secret.
However, when they arrived at the closest prefecture to the royal capital, they suddenly found an enemy camp blocking their way and a large number of enemy cavalry searching for them on the left. The situation was dire.
Left with no other choice, the duke could only lead his army to the mountains on the right to avoid being discovered by the enemy. He found a well-hidden valley for his corps to set up camp there.
After that, Duke Sunset River sent out spies to investigate. Naturally, Borkal's men were sent out as well.
However, very few of them returned. Borkal's men, on the other hand, came back injured and gave the generals a definite piece of information.
It was said that the invading Storm Legion began to attack the six western counties after the Grand Duke of Sunset River set out. The nobles and local officials who fell into the hands of the enemy soon betrayed the whereabouts of the Grand Duke of Sunset River and his legion.
So, the enemy immediately increased their search for the duke's corps, hoping to eliminate the corps that could threaten them.
Many of the scouts they sent out fell into the hands of the enemy cavalry. Perhaps the enemy would come to the mountains to sweep through them soon.
After listening to the spy's report, some of the generals in the tent cursed the captive nobles and local officials for betraying the legion's whereabouts for betraying the country.
Some panicked and suggested for the corps to move immediately.
On the other hand, the duke of Sunset River didn't panic. He felt that since things had come to this, they might as well fight to the death.
They were in a mountainous area, so the terrain was advantageous for defense. If they moved to flat terrain, it would be even worse. They would be crushed by the enemy's light cavalry.
So, the duke ordered for a defensive line to be set up and a camp to fight to the death with the enemy.
After seven or eight days, the enemy arrived. They had about a full division of soldiers.
However, when they discovered that the duke had finished setting up the defensive line, they didn't attack. Instead, they retreated a few kilometers and chose a strategic location to set up a defensive camp.
When the duke's subordinates saw that, they suggested for the duke to take the initiative to attack. The duke readily agreed and sent some of his men to attack, but they were quickly repelled by the enemy's ferocious firepower.
Of the four generals who didn't get along well with the duke, three died and one was injured. More than half of their subordinates also returned.
That blow snapped the duke's subordinates out of their daze. None of them suggested for the duke to take the initiative to attack again.
So, the two sides entered a stalemate, occasionally sending small groups to harass the enemy's camp.
Claude, on the other hand, was quite busy. The shipping fleet of the region returned to Port Patkara. It was already the middle of the 12th month of Year 605 of the Sacred Light Calendar.
More than 870,000 Shiksan soldiers had migrated to the region, but there were still more than a million of them working on the expansion and reconstruction of Port Patkara. There were another 400,000 to 500,000 of them resting in Saint Cyprian.
When the six western prefectures were conquered by Storm, Claude estimated that they would take in close to a million more. Back then, the ten western prefectures had the most rebellious nobles. So, after the rebellion was quelled, Shiks recruited a large number of young men to form an expeditionary force and sent them to Nubissia to fight a colonial war. In the end, they were wiped out by the region.
According to protocol, once the remaining six prefectures were conquered, all Shiksan troops would be allowed to return to their homes to find their families and relatives.
They would then be brought to Saint Cyprian for a month. They would be given free food and medical treatment to maintain their bodies for the month-long voyage.
They would then head to Port Patkara when their bodies were more or less recovered.
They would work to earn some money and train themselves while waiting for the ships to send them to the region to start a new and happy life.
If everything went smoothly, the Shiksan invasion would be completed in three months. Claude would then be able to return to the region.
All the resources and personnel in Saint Cyprian would be moved to Port Patkara. There wouldn't be a single soldier left in Shiks. How Shiks developed from then on was none of Claude's business.
"Lord Marshal, we've built three redoubts at the entrance of the mountain pass. They're estimated to be completed in half a year.
With these three bastions, the Manori Plain would be safe.
According to the calculations of the strategists, one redoubt will only require a single battalion to defend.
In other words, with the addition of these three bastions, even if the enemy sent an entire legion to attack, they wouldn't be able to do anything to us.
Of course, it's impossible for a full corps to attack. After all, there's only room for a full folk at the mountain pass. "
General Siegfeld said proudly, "With these three redoubts, Port Patkara won't have to worry about anything anymore.
Of course, we've also built defensive facilities in Port Patkara. The base will also be guarded by three redoubts.
According to the Port Patkara expansion plan, we will form a defensive triangle with the port dock, the barracks, and the mountain pass redoubt. We will only need one regiment to guard each place. In the future, we will have enough troops to station a division in Port Patkara. "
Claude nodded. He was the one who came up with the arrangements for the garrison, so he was well aware of it.
King Avitelli I also hoped that Thundercrash or Stormwind would be stationed at Port Patkara to prevent a counterattack from the united Shiks.
Claude didn't mind that threat. He only felt that it was a waste of manpower to station a full folk there.
As a matter of fact, a full folk would be enough to last until reinforcements arrive from Northbay.
"How are the families of the laborers arranged?" Claude asked.
General Siegfeld replied, "We split them into several batches based on the order in which they board the ship.
For example, now that the transport fleet has arrived, the families whose numbers start with '3' will be boarding the ship to head to the region.
They'll settle their wages in the next few days and buy some supplies to bring on board.
"We've already told them that there's no need to buy anything there. The region has everything and it's cheaper than here. So, most families only buy some food and drinks on board.
After this batch of military family immigrants left, the next batch of military family immigrants who worked here would have their identity plates start with '4'.
When the new ones from the royal capital arrive, we'll give them '6' and '7' tags.
Although it's a short-term job, these immigrant families are very satisfied with the three to six months of work on the construction site. Food is free, and they get paid. Many of the military immigrants even want to change their identity tags and work here for a few more months. However, I told them that it would be better to go to the autonomous region and get allocated a better field. That's why they got on the boat. "
Claude laughed. "It's been hard on you, General Siegfeld.
In about two months, we'll be moving here from Saint Cyprian. By then, there'll be a million to two million families that need to be settled.
Also, we have to speed up the construction of the storage area. The royal capital has a lot of supplies and we'll need a lot of space and storage to move all of them here.
Especially the warehouse where the rations are stored. Make sure to prepare for fireproofing and strengthen the security … "
"Got it.
General Siegfeld replied, "St. Peter's Hill, which is close to the docks, has already been designated as our hay base.
There are seven large caves there that will be used as food storage. They'll be filled with fine flour.
If the seven caves are filled with flour, it'll be enough to feed two million people for a year and a half.
Coupled with the three storage areas at the foot of the hill and halfway up, I don't think we'll have to worry about food consumption for the next two years.
When the families of the soldiers arrive, I plan to open up the wasteland outside Port Patkara to the Braafuris Mountains. Half of it will be used for farming and the other half for grazing.
Even though we don't lack food, we lack fresh vegetables and meat.
Even though we've sent people to the Bleyot Kingdom to purchase them and most of the natives of Port Patkara have gone out to sea to fish, it still won't be enough for our daily needs.
As most of our manpower is used for the expansion of the city, we can't plan for the production of these daily necessities. We can only plan for it later.
If the wasteland outside the city can be developed, it won't be a problem to maintain a port city that can accommodate 500,000 people.
Anyway, we still need at least a year to transport these military families to the Overseas Dominion, so there's more than enough time … "
Claude looked up at the Blaferis Mountains in the distance and asked, "Is this wasteland also within the scope of Port Patkala that we rented?"
Siegfeld nodded. "This isn't actually part of the Manori Plains. When Avitelli I drew the borders, he divided them according to the quality of the soil. The soil of the Manori Plains is dark and glossy, making it ideal for farming.
The soil here is earthy red and mostly filled with gravel. It'll take a lot of manpower to clear it.
However, what we have now is manpower. The gravel on the surface of the wasteland is actually the best material for paving roads. After clearing the gravel, we can build irrigation facilities and dig ditches. We can mix the river mud and humus with the red soil of the wasteland. Although it can't be compared to the black soil of the Manori Plains, it is enough to grow pasture, beans, vegetables, fruits, and the like.
It'll be a little troublesome in the first two or three years, and we won't get much of a harvest. But once the soil matures and accumulates more fertilizer, I believe this wasteland will also become Port Patkara's granary and treasure trove. It'll bring us bountiful harvests and joy. "
Claude smiled. "General Siegfeld, you seem to know a lot about farming."
Siegfeld was a little embarrassed. "When I was young, my father brought us to open up the wasteland. It took us ten years to clear more than ten acres of land. That's how we got the money to send me to the military academy.
I'll never forget the memories of picking up stones from the fields with a rattan basket on my back. "
Claude patted him on the shoulder. "You have a good father. We'll do as you say. We don't lack manpower now.
Even after the families are sent away, we'll still have the captives. I'll leave them here and have them serve in the fields. "