Chapter 331 331-The Battle for the Throne
The stoic Nora replied, "The establishment of the Westia Kingdom is not a matter of today, and our father, the Emperor, has at most half a month left. The affairs of Castile need not be discussed today. The Kingdom of Aragon will certainly not join the battle for the throne."
"Our adversaries are limited to the Crown Prince's Castile Kingdom and the Second Prince's Ing Empire. The Fourth Prince had a conversation with me a few days ago, after which he voluntarily abandoned his claim to the throne."
Howard responded, "We need a plan."
Nora agreed.
Nora's agreement set into motion the events that followed.
Half a month later, upon the Emperor's death, the Crown Prince sought the throne and territories.
The Second Prince, initially hoping for his father-in-law Henry IV's support, found him deeply troubled by domestic unrest and setbacks in the New World, leaving the Second Prince's pleas ignored.
Eventually, the Second Prince, with a modest force of just over two thousand men from one of his duchies in the Ing Empire, marched to contest the throne.
This force was far too small to offer any real hope of success.
Contrary to others, the Second Prince's wife, Mary, daughter of Henry IV, did not view the battle pessimistically.
Mary was always brave, seemingly oblivious to fear.
The war between Nora and the Crown Prince commenced.
Howard and the supporting lords of the Iliar Kingdom formed ranks and dug trenches.
However, the soldiers of the Iliar Kingdom, who were supposed to bear the brunt of the battle, panicked and crumbled in the face of Castile's formidable pike formations.
Howard couldn't comprehend how an army of 42605, double the size of their opponent, could collapse so rapidly, dragging down the entire battle line.
Originally, Howard was to be the chief commander, but swayed by Prince Maximilian's enthusiasm and persuasion, he ceded the position.
This decision led to disastrous consequences.
A military-savvy Anna furiously threw her riding crop to the ground, while Resarite openly cursed at Prince Maximilian.
Fortunately for the Prince, in the midst of the chaotic retreat, he was too busy fleeing on horseback to hear Resarite's insults.
The allied forces were forced to retreat.
Howard asked Resarite, "Minister of Military Affairs, did you understand their formation tactics?" Resarite replied, "I did."
Howard inquired, "Is it possible for our soldiers to be arranged and disciplined in a similar formation?" Resarite, unable to hold back, laughed, "It's impossible; I can't lead those cowardly troops of the lords."
Howard grinned at the response but quickly sobered up, realizing it was inappropriate to mock allies during wartime and restrained his smile.
Nora, aware of the critical nature of the moment and that everything hinged on this battle, set aside her pride to seek Resarite's advice.
"Hello, I am Nora, you surely recognize me. I previously disguised as a commoner, serving as Howard's secretary. We cooperated on work matters back then. It's been a while, hope you are well. Resarite, please, we need your help. This isn't the time for debriefing; the weakness of the Iliar Kingdom's soldiers can't be resolved overnight. What can we do to achieve victory now?"
Resarite requested control over the allied forces, and Nora agreed.
Following Nora's address, the lords relinquished their command.
Meanwhile, Howard, thinking quickly, sent Bosiden to the Kingdom of Aragon to disclose the Castile Kingdom's plan to form the Westia Kingdom.
If the King of Aragon was unwilling to lose sovereignty, he would likely engage in battle or initiate a separate campaign against Castile.
About ten days later, Aragon declared war on Castile, plunging it into a war on two fronts.
Controlling the sea routes allowed for rapid and unobstructed transmission of intelligence.
Bosiden returned to Howard's side, bringing a letter from the King of Aragon.
The King decided not to deploy all his forces against Castile but to send troops gathered on the Iberian Peninsula directly to attack Castile's castles.
This meant Aragon would serve more as a distraction, with the primary battlefront resting on Howard's efforts.
A month later, as Castile diverted part of its army for defense, Resarite seized the opportunity for a full assault.
Cavalry led the charge, with artillery on higher ground providing cover fire.
Archers, hidden in the dense forests, released volleys of arrows, while musketeers and chain armor guards, usually front-line infantry, were concealed in the valleys.
Despite Castile's disciplined phalanx, Howard's heavily armored cavalry, thanks to his substantial investment in their equipment and horse armor, gained the upper hand.
They tore an opening on the edge of the enemy's formation.
Castile's artillery, lacking in numbers, had retreated under the cover of night to the Governor of Milan's territory, rendering them unable to reach the battlefield in time.
During the charge, Howard encountered Heede, clad in a fine iron armor and wielding a knight's sword in combat.
Howard charged with his lance, unseating Heede from his horse.
Knights and squires quickly surrounded Heede, swords at his throat.
Heede surrendered, requesting the treatment befitting a noble.
Howard agreed.
Leading a detachment of light cavalry, Anna made a wide flanking maneuver through the valley, launching a surprise attack on Castile's northern position.
This area, chosen for Castile's planned retreat, was loosely defended.
The sudden arrival of Anna and her cavalry infuriated Castile's commander, Anthony.
He lashed out at the head of Castile's espionage, Fransi, an Ing Empire native, "Fransi, are you deliberately withholding the enemy's location from me, sabotaging our Castilian forces?"
Fransi retorted angrily, "Anthony, you Catalan Duke with dreams of architecture, don't question my loyalty to Castile. Remember, back in the Ing Empire, I never shied away even from King Henry himself."
Anthony ordered the light and heavy cavalry on the flanks to ignore other areas and focus on annihilating Anna's light cavalry first.
Addressing Fransi, he said, "I don't care about your past. As the chief military spy, you should be competent in your role. Our army was outmaneuvered due to insufficient intelligence, and if I don't hold you accountable, shouldn't you at least feel ashamed?"
Fransi dispatched his intelligence agents, instructing them, "Head to the valley in the east. I suspect the enemy commander is there, directing their artillery. Here are some of the enemy's uniforms. Change into them and quietly eliminate the enemy commander." The agents, dressed in the provided uniforms, ventured into the dense forest, planning to traverse the lowlands stealthily and ascend the high ground to assassinate the enemy commander.
Anthony snorted dismissively.
"Hmph, at least you've shown some sense by dispatching your proud assassins." He wasn't surprised that these intelligence agents were capable of performing assassinations.
Intelligence operatives infiltrating enemy lines often possessed extraordinary combat and counter-assassination skills, making them suitable for assassin-like roles under special circumstances.
Fransi watched the cavalry melee to the north, where Castile's light and heavy cavalry were holding their ground against Anna's light cavalry forces.
"Anthony, I've sent out my most treasured intelligence agents, all exceptionally skilled. And what about you? I've heard you, the Duke, have a penchant for architecture. So tell me, how do you plan to use your architectural talents to secure victory for our army?"
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the forest in the direction where Fransi's agents had headed, causing his face to pale.
"That's where my operatives were advancing…"
It turned out that Margaret and her team, concealed in the forest, had eliminated Fransi's assassins.
Margaret was skilled in assassination techniques but lacked extensive records or experience in actual assassinations.
Despite Howard's objections, Margaret, with her assassination skills, had little opportunity to utilize them.
Recognizing Margaret's talents, Resarite had her positioned on the other side of the forest, guarding the vital passages through both the high and low ground.
Margaret's personal guards had successfully taken down the Castilian operatives.
Aware that they were on the battlefield, Anthony, despite his strained relationship with Fransi, attempted to reassure him, "It might be the sound of the enemy being killed; don't worry. Your agents are experienced, I believe in them." Inwardly, however, Anthony suspected the worst – that the noise indicated the discovery and likely annihilation of Fransi's operatives.
The sounds of artillery continued to echo from the high ground to the east, and several military units had already been decimated.
Anthony knew he faced a dire choice: either to flee or to counterattack.
Escape seemed impossible as the light cavalry of the enemy blocked the northern route, and the two sides' cavalry were engaged in an indecisive struggle.
A counterattack seemed equally futile; the high ground was already occupied by the enemy, and their heavy artillery continued to bombard, making an advance unlikely.
Howard, Bosiden, Vettel, and the Duke of Savoy, who had arrived to provide support, led the heavy cavalry side by side.
The four of them sought opportunities to break through Castile's formations, but each attempt was thwarted by the enemy's long spears and shields, preventing further advancement.
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