Chapter 83: Chapter 82: The Prince’s Arrangement
Although the kingdom’s Noble Alliance Army had always been a mess, the performance of the Frank Kingdom’s Standing Army was still commendable.
The first batch of the Standing Army withdrawn from the Central Front was already regrouping in the rear, and the first wave of domestic reinforcements for the Western Front had arrived.
Prince Noah, accompanied by Marquis Brant, was leading several hundred knights of the Royal Guard Knight Order to inspect this unit of the Standing Army.
To support Prince Noah, Louis III had truly spared no expense. These ten thousand soldiers were essentially full-time professionals, elites seasoned by years of fighting the Beastmen.
Combined with Prince Noah’s own Extraordinary Cavalry, this force was equivalent to the entire garrison of a large-scale fortress on the Western Front.
If deployed properly, Prince Noah might actually be able to achieve something significant on the Western Front.
After inspecting the support from his father, Noah’s next task was to meet the general Louis III had assigned to him: Count Fernando.
"Count, it’s been a while," Prince Noah said with a smile, looking at Fernando.
In this generation, the Frankish Royal Family was suffering from a dearth of military talent. With few capable generals, they had no choice but to promote the sons of nobles who had seemingly decent combat records, bestowing upon them titles like Court Count or something similar.
But true military talents were usually born among the Northern Nobles. This wasn’t because the Northern Nobles had some special heritage; it was purely because being neighbors with the Beastmen meant they couldn’t sleep soundly at night if they weren’t capable fighters.
Needless to say, any military talents among the southern nobles were pampered and received exceptionally good treatment.
Therefore, even when the Royal Family offered a high price, they could rarely recruit veteran generals truly capable of commanding a massive army.
Count Fernando was one of the more capable fighters among the generals recruited by the Royal Family.
During the recent great rout on the Eastern Front, Count Fernando was one of the few generals who managed to retreat with his forces intact.
To support his son, Louis III had pulled the count from the Eastern Front and assigned him directly to the Western Front, hoping he could be of some help to Prince Noah.
Of course, this wasn’t just to help Prince Noah; there were domestic political considerations involved as well.
"Your Highness," Count Fernando said with a salute. "Fernando, at your service."
Although he was a Count, the addition of the word "Court" before his title meant that Count Fernando’s rank was somewhat inflated.
While people would still show him respect and treat him as a proper Count, in reality, they were showing deference to the Royal Family that backed him.
In reality, Count Fernando was only a Viscount. This was the standard path for a family striving to become one of the great noble houses.
After reaching the pinnacle of the lower ranks, a family would spend a few generations consolidating its position, slowly entering the circles of the great nobles by holding titles like Court Count, and finally, squeeze their way into the upper echelons with a dazzling military record.
After all, not everyone was a Grantham, capable of reaching the top in a single leap. Progress required gradual accumulation.
The Venister family behind Fernando was a case in point. Starting with Fernando’s grandfather, they had held positions in the royal court.
Fernando’s father had at one point even become a cabinet minister under the previous king, a key figure in both military and state affairs.
Now, for the Venister family, the hope of breaking into the ranks of the great nobles had appeared.
Although the defeat in the Eastern Territory did not affect the kingdom’s overall situation, the Augustus family of the Eastern Territory was most likely doomed.
On the Eastern Front, the Augustus family had lost all its elite forces and failed to accomplish the kingdom’s mission.
This wasn’t because the King wanted to weaken the great nobles, but was instead a result of internal struggles among the Northern Nobles.
The Augustus family belonged to the inland faction of the Northern Nobles. They had always been quite assertive in the past, making them unpopular with the mainstream northern aristocracy. On top of that, the Augustus family rarely listened to the King. Since fiefs would need to be redistributed after the war, the King simply took advantage of the situation and let them be sent to their doom.
Promoting the Venister family was also part of the King’s strategy against the Northern Nobles. Although the Venister family also belonged to the inland faction, they had been fiercely loyal to the Royal Family for years.
Louis III’s plan was to use his support for the Venister family to deepen the internal conflicts among the Northern Nobles. His ideal outcome was for the inland faction to split off and establish itself as a separate power bloc, creating a tripartite balance of power within the kingdom.
Louis III had been working tirelessly toward this, with the marriage between the previous generation of the Fengman Clan and the southern nobles, as well as his support for the Venister family, being prime examples.
Ultimately, when all of Louis III’s domestic problems were traced to their source, the trail always led back to this band of Northern Nobles.
Of course, the Northern Nobles wouldn’t just stand by and watch themselves be fractured. Therefore, no matter how much effort Louis III exerted behind the scenes, if the Venister family wanted to rise in power, every step of the process had to be unimpeachable.
This upcoming battle was therefore crucial for both Prince Noah and Fernando, which was precisely why Louis III had arranged for Count Fernando to be there.
"With my father the King sending you to help me, Count, our success this time seems all but guaranteed," Prince Noah said with a laugh.
"You flatter me, Your Highness, you flatter me," Fernando replied with a wry smile.
To be honest, Count Fernando was far less optimistic about this mission than the prince.
On the Eastern Front, he had witnessed the complete rout of Earl Augustus with his own eyes.
He had experienced the combat prowess of the Beastmen firsthand. If not for the intense pressure from his superiors, coupled with the fact that the King had given him a decent hand to play, he really wouldn’t have wanted to come.
"Count Fernando, allow me to be blunt. You must have heard the rumors on your way here. The pressure from the Royal Capital is immense."
"Right now, thousands of pairs of eyes throughout the Frank Kingdom are fixed on us."
"Marquis Oscillate has the responsibility for the Nine Districts and Thirty-one Castles of the Western Front on his shoulders. Even if he wanted to serve the kingdom, he’s willing but lacks the ability to help."
"So, Count Fernando, what are your thoughts? How should we fight this war?" Prince Noah asked.
Although Prince Noah dreamed of the glory of clashing spears and armored steeds, he was self-aware enough to know his own limitations.
Normally, he could rely on his Knight Order to bully goblins and Kobolds, and they could even crush a regular Beastman infantry legion.
But in a regional war of this scale, he admitted he lacked the ability. Professional matters should be left to professionals. A competent Crown Prince knows how to take credit for the successes earned by others.
Count Fernando’s brow furrowed. Although he had long expected to be fighting alone on the Western Front, hearing it confirmed still felt ominous.
It wasn’t simply that Marquis Oscillate didn’t want to help; the problem was mainly rooted in the very structure of the Frank Kingdom’s Noble Alliance Army.
On the Western Front alone, there were thirteen notable Earl Clans. And while the King’s plan was generally beneficial to the Southern Nobles, the specifics mattered.
Not all of the great nobles on the Western Front were from the south. And even for those who were, the lion’s share of the benefits offered by the King was devoured by the top few families, such as Marquis Oscillate.
Since they didn’t get a slice of the pie, they naturally weren’t going to rally behind Prince Noah.
"Your Highness, we don’t really have many options," Count Fernando said with a sigh.
"We don’t know where the enemy is. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?" Prince Noah said with a smile.
It might sound strange, but for Prince Noah, this was indeed the case.
The entire kingdom was anticipating a showdown between the Prince and the Beastman Prince, but no one had accurate intelligence on the latter’s whereabouts.
Prince Noah could secure a quick victory and then, before the Beastman Prince even had time to react, beat a hasty retreat back to the Royal Capital.
"Let’s hope so. If that’s the plan, then I believe O’Neil Castle is a fine choice," Count Fernando said.
O’Neil Castle was famous throughout the kingdom. It was one of the core fortresses on the Siriel Defense Line, guarding a military port to the rear and boasting excellent logistical support.
After all, Prince Noah needed to build his reputation. If he went after some insignificant little place, he would surely face criticism.
If they had to pick a target without knowing the enemy’s disposition, O’Neil Castle was the Prince’s best option.
"There’s no time to lose. Let’s prepare and depart at once," Prince Noah said, nodding.
Count Fernando opened his mouth to object. The army had just arrived in an unfamiliar place, and the other reinforcements from the King had yet to arrive.
But on second thought, Count Fernando closed his mouth. The Prince was currently in the eye of the storm, and the enemy’s second offensive was imminent.
If they continued to delay, it would be too late by the time the Beastmen launched their third, truly serious offensive.
