Chapter 324 324-Civil War
Edward eyed Resarite, intending to refuse, but at that moment, a howling sound erupted from the surrounding forest.
Over twenty light infantry emerged from the bushes and underbrush, weapons in hand, their intentions unclear.
Edward had brought only a few people with him, not wanting to overly disturb the civilians.
Apart from the white-armored knight, a baron and his vassal, the rest of his entourage consisted of servants with no real combat capabilities.
The white-armored knight coldly warned Resarite against any rash actions, asserting that even with changing times, those who broke noble traditions could never be stable nobility.
Resarite was about to speak, but Cotler, fearing his father's lack of eloquence, quickly interjected, "Rest assured, valiant knight, my father would never harm the young and promising Edward."
The knight grunted quietly, maintaining his unwavering stance.
Edward, observing his surroundings, formulated a plan.
He agreed to Resarite's request and then returned to Florence.
There, he entrusted a fisherman from a small, inconsequential fishing boat with a personal letter, sending him to Provence.
In Provence, the fisherman delivered the letter and received a bag of bronze coins from the guards.
The authorities in Provence then took action.
They dispatched the messenger Charles, who entered the Duchy of Lagusa unarmed and alone, personally delivering Edward's message to Howard.
Howard's expression was troubled.
As Margaret opened the letter for him, he noticed her hands trembling.
He took the letter, recognizing Edward's handwriting.
After reading, Howard passed the letter to Margaret, then circulated it among others.
After all the vassals in the hall had read the letter, Howard stood up from his seat and descended the steps to meet Charles.
They shook hands, and Howard expressed his gratitude for the vital information.
Charles, in response, mentioned it was of no concern to him, as he despised rebellious vassals.
Helping Howard was a matter of personal interest, and he advised Howard not to dwell on it.
Bosiden, the chief minister, then politely inquired Charles for further details, to which Charles responded fluently and confidently, convincing Howard of the veracity of his claims.
Remarkably, Charles was revealed to be the heir to the Fran Kingdom's throne and an earl himself.
He promised to join the war effort with conscripted soldiers at its onset.
Bosiden discreetly approached Howard and whispered a few words to him.
Howard, shaking the letter not out of fear or panic, but more as a gesture of contemplation and confidence, addressed Charles, "Are you really just an earl? Then how do you explain the eighty-plus heavily armored knights you've brought to Lagusa? These men are not ordinary cavalry but true noble knights. How does an earl command such a force?"
Charles candidly replied, "My father is the king of the Fran Kingdom. I believe you've heard of his title, Coward."
Anna interjected, "Coward? I hardly think so! If your father is Coward, then why did he attack the Oli Kingdom?"
Charles, finding the noblewoman's lack of understanding frustrating, decided not to answer.
At the banquet, Charles and Howard formed an alliance.
Howard had gained an ally who, despite being an earl, could command over eighty knights.
After signing the agreement, he repeatedly scrutinized the parchment, feeling as if life were like riding a wild horse, unpredictably veering left and right.
A month later, after Resarite had completed forging what he claimed to be legitimate documents, he officially confronted Howard, sending Cotler to Lagusa with the paperwork.
Howard, deciding to personally receive the document this time, stepped out of Lagusa's military building to meet Cotler.
Howard said, "Cotler, I saw your better side when we last met. Why don't you persuade your father to abandon his claims? Stop presenting this laughable forged document as some sort of legitimate entitlement."
Cotler, taken aback by Howard's knowledge of his mission and wondering why Howard was personally dealing with him, retorted, "Why can't I say it?"
Howard chuckled, finding Cotler's response amusing.
"If you want to forge a document within the empire, claiming some convoluted but unknown lineage that only you are aware of, well, that might be one thing. Perhaps within the traditional territories of the empire, your distant relatives might have indeed ruled at some point. But look around. Where are we? This is Lagusa, annexed by the Oli Kingdom less than fifty years ago!"
Cotler, his teeth chattering, argued, "So what? Tracing back my lineage, my great-great-great-grandfather was the lord of this land. Isn't that valid?"
Howard burst into laughter, unwilling to engage further in what he saw as a lowering of his intellect with Cotler.
He stepped forward, snatched the gilded document held between Cotler's finger and thumb, glanced at it, and saw it was indeed a claim to Croatia.
He then tore the document in half.
Three days later, Resarite raised an army.
In Nok's Gokasu Barony, a part of Lagusa's territory, along with several smaller villages, the banners of rebellion against Howard were unfurled.
Catherine, nestled close to Howard, voiced her fears, "Howard, I'm scared."
Howard gently stroked her hair, reassuring her, "Don't be afraid."
As Howard, assisted by his attendants, donned his helmet and armor, and grasped his two-handed sword before stepping outside the castle to mount his tall steed, he said to Anna with a laugh, "Ha! It's funny to think that I, Howard, who have always been the one to overthrow others, have never been overthrown myself."
Anna, clad in golden armor with the Katerina family crest engraved on the left side of her breastplate, shone brilliantly under the warm, glowing sunlight.
Adjusting her posture, she retorted playfully, "Well, you spend your days making your superiors miserable, and now, your own vassals are giving you a taste of your own medicine!"
The atmosphere was light-hearted.
Nora contributed 300 gold coins to Howard's war fund.
Edward, in secret communication with both sides, chose not to deploy troops for now.
Anna's father raised an army to support Howard.
Rolf's actions were particularly peculiar this time, surprisingly providing Howard with a small, inexpensive infantry unit of over 800 light foot soldiers.
Howard summoned troops from Fernsouth Castle and Nok Castle in Nok, Wislot, all forces from the two baronies of Lagusa, and two baronies in the Croatia region, amassing a formidable force of 13000 soldiers.
This army comprised 2500 musketeers, with the remainder being a mix of light and heavy infantry and pikemen.
Excluding the 500 archers hastily conscripted, the rest of the force consisted entirely of cavalry units.
Previously, Howard, learning from other lords, had fully integrated musketeers into his forces.
However, in reality, the impact of musketeers hadn't yet dominated the battlefield entirely.
Various types of infantry still played a crucial role.
Resarite, on the other hand, placed significant emphasis on musketeers, secretly expanding this unit extensively.
Although their numbers were substantial, his overall military strength was still vastly inferior to Howard's.
Howard's troops launched a decisive assault, swiftly capturing Gokasu Castle and controlling the Gokasu region, then regrouped to counter Resarite's forces.
Resarite managed to orchestrate several brilliant campaigns, causing considerable trouble for Howard.
Ultimately, however, he was defeated.
After securing victory in the war, Howard, with a mischievous grin, confronted Resarite, "Last time, you told me it was your wife who, not fully awake, urged you to propose the land claim. But this time, your declaration of war surely wasn't within her power, was it?"
Resarite, lifting his head proudly, retorted, "Howard, if you wish to strip me of my title, then do so. But spare me your insults."
Cotler, standing by, pleaded with his father, "Father, we have lost. Please don't provoke Lord Howard. We should now hope for his mercy." Resarite, feeling humiliated, refused to yield.
In the face of Resarite, Howard felt not so much anger as a sense of melancholy.
On one hand, Howard still valued Resarite's military prowess, and on the other, he remembered Resarite's past contributions and was reluctant to strip him of all his titles completely.
Howard didn't wish to be the villain in this scenario and said to Resarite, "As my military minister, you have served diligently and to my satisfaction. However, your actions have indeed constituted a betrayal against me. From the standpoint of preserving my rule, I should punish you as a warning to others. This puts me in a difficult position."
"In two days, I will announce my final decision regarding you. The war is not yet over, but you should not command troops anymore. Consider this a small leniency from me, not an opportunity for you to recruit scattered forces for a futile resistance."
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