Chapter 344 344-Repelling a Formidable Foe
"Margaret's father hasn't committed any crime," Howard explained.
"He's merely demanding what's rightfully his according to the laws of nobility. The two situations are entirely different."
Vettel pondered this for a moment and conceded that Howard had a point.
Portia eventually located Raelen.
When Raelen refused to return the money, Portia, following his orders, killed him.
The incident with Raelen was starkly straightforward and unambiguous.
Portia discovered several hidden locations Raelen had noted in coded messages, recovering most of the procurement funds.
Raelen, with only a superficial knowledge of cryptography, was no match for a professional spy like Portia.
The riddles he set up were practically signposts leading Portia to his secrets.
Following Howard's prior instructions, Portia returned the money to Luka.
Then, taking a detour, he personally headed to Toren in the southern part of Fran Kingdom.
Several spies were already in place around Toren, ready to search for any sign of the new artillery invention upon Portia's arrival.
Once Portia reached Toren, a thorough investigation began.
They questioned villagers, pub owners, and wandering bards, but no evidence of new artillery was found.
An elderly man, his hair completely white, informed Portia that Toren lacked any large military factories.
Even if there were talks of developing new equipment, the place simply didn't have the necessary infrastructure.
Upon learning this, Howard felt a tinge of disappointment, saying, "I thought Raelen was so convincing, almost believed that new artillery had indeed been developed."
At that time, Catherine's father was in the royal palace of Oungria Kingdom's capital.
He said to Howard, "Son-in-law, Raelen is nothing but a swindler, and I, too, was deceived by him."
Catherine gave her father a look, silently urging him to speak less.
Feeling slightly disheartened, Howard asked Portia, "If there's nothing in Toren, are there any other places where these new-style cannons might be produced?"
Portia confirmed that there was no such news.
Howard suspected as much; if there had been room for improvement in bronze cannons, inventors would have already made advancements.
Still, he habitually instructed Portia to search other regions of Fran Kingdom.
Surprisingly, half a month later, Portia actually found the inventor of the mortar.
It turned out the inventor was not in Toren, but in Oralan.
The name 'mortar' was coined by this individual, who had gained some fame in Fran Kingdom.
Raelen had exploited this, altering the location and adding false information to deceive Howard for money.
Truth mixed with lies is always the hardest to discern.
Upon learning this, Howard sent Vettel to negotiate the price and eventually acquired thirty of these new mortars.
The testing conducted on the outskirts of Pist was impressive.
A year later, Osland Kingdom officially declared war on Oungria Kindom.
Howard met the enemy head-on.
Rolf, Edward, the Governors of Milan and Venice brought troops to assist Howard.
Phrus responded ostentatiously, mobilizing a vast number of soldiers to demonstrate its might.
Osland Kingdom had presumed that Howard would not dare to engage in war and thus anticipated no support for Oungria Kindom, boldly deploying their forces.
However, they had not foreseen the heightened attention and concern for Oungria Kindom on the continent under Howard's influence and reputation.
After the war began, Osland Kingdom initially seized several border provinces of Oungria Kindom.
They aimed to swiftly break through the fortifications and systematically annihilate Oungria Kindom's army to ease their pressure.
However, Howard was astute and didn't give Osland Kingdom any opportunity to exploit.
The allied forces advanced in an organized manner, methodically recapturing the lost territories of Oungria Kindom before launching an offensive on the homeland of Osland Kingdom.
Throughout this campaign, there were multiple instances where Phrus attempted to assert dominance.
Phrus contended that the imperial emissaries sent down by the Empire should not command them; rather, Phrus considered itself the legitimate successor of the Empire.
However, Howard had no intention of handing over the reins of his war to either the Empire or Phrus.
Eventually, he introduced a man named Neplon to everyone.
Neplon was a resident of Cursy Island, located southeast of Provence when observed on a map.
Renonia lay directly to the north of Cursy.
Naturally, the allied forces were reluctant to entrust military command to someone who lacked any significant reputation.
But as Neplon began to share his perspective on the war, he gradually garnered the attention and favor of eminent military leaders like Emperor Frederick.
A person endorsed by Frederick himself undoubtedly left a profound impression on everyone.
Then Howard spoke up, "First, on behalf of the people of Oungria Kindom, I wish to express our gratitude to all for your military support. Given the urgency of the war situation, I will be brief. This man Neplon was discovered by the manager of my Budopist Hotel. Despite his lack of wealth and subsisting on the cheapest food at the hotel, his demeanor is impeccable, and he carries himself with dignity. I trust him and I hope you will entrust him with the command of our forces for coordinated efforts."
Following various degrees of concessions from different nations, and with Phrus taking the lead, Neplon was appointed as the supreme commander.
Under Neplon's direction, the infantry, cavalry, and artillery were all strategically positioned and mobilized.
Several of Osland Kingdom's cavalry assaults were repelled without success.
After breaking through several of Osland Kingdom's military fortresses, Constantinople Castle fell after a year-long siege.
However, due to Osland Kingdom's strong naval presence at the other end of Constantinople Castle, the allied forces took a lengthy detour.
Howard, Frederick, and Nora, who had come to support, led their troops northward and then down from the northeast, capturing three of Osland Kingdom's military fortresses.
Eventually, internal rebellion plunged Osland Kingdom into multi-front warfare, leading them to propose surrender three months later.
Nora firmly told Howard, "That's enough. I came to protect the Empire's territory, not to aid your territorial conquests. Since they're willing to surrender, you should accept it quickly." However, Howard believed it was a rare opportunity not to be missed.
Frederick, with a laugh, told Howard, "Haha, the Osland Kingdom Empire wasn't built on empty words. This rare chance shouldn't be squandered. Continue the fight, but remember, Phrus must receive a share of Osland Kingdom's borderlands after the war."
Howard readily agreed.
But others did not share this view.
Edward negotiated peace with Osland Kingdom's Harry, securing cash and annual war reparations before withdrawing from the conflict.
Milan and Rolf followed suit.
Nora also retreated.
At this juncture, only Howard and Frederick remained committed to the war alliance.
The withdrawal of other allied forces led to a significant disparity in troop strength.
Howard, feeling the pressure, urgently contacted Bosiden to inquire if Harry's previous terms were still on the table.
To Howard's dismay, Harry refused, now unwilling to offer even an unconditional peace.
It was evident that Osland Kingdom's desire to conquer Oungria Kindom was relentless, and their strategic decisions could shift with any change in the winds of war.
Frederick laughed heartily, "Useless cowards, all of them, exiting the war prematurely. And the enemy, they change faces faster than one can turn the pages of a book. One moment they bow in defeat, the next they stand tall in defiance."
Thus, Howard and Frederick continued the war.
The demand for material distribution was enormous.
Howard's father-in-law, though not directly engaged in combat, also exerted efforts in logistical support.
The war, affected by the fluctuating numbers on both sides, gradually turned into a protracted tug-of-war.
Initially, Osland Kingdom dared not reclaim lost territory from the west, but seeing several enemies withdraw, they cautiously ventured out.
They recaptured the sparsely manned Constantinople Castle from the west and reoccupied lost ground.
Replenishing fortress garrisons was a slow process; fortresses breached during the war were more vulnerable to subsequent attacks.
This drawn-out battle began to wear on Howard.
However, with Frederick's military acumen and seizing every opportunity, they fought tenaciously.
At the end of the war, despite the challenges, they achieved commendable victories.
Oungria Kindom's territory expanded significantly eastward, acquiring five areas, while Phrus gained six territories in the south.
Besides the territorial gains, the massive war reparations brought substantial wealth to both Howard and Frederick.
As was customary after the war, rewards were distributed.
Howard bestowed Neplon with an earldom and elevated both Boshni and Portia to the rank of dukes.
The already distinguished trio of Bosiden, Vettel, and Alonso received several baronies as their reward.
Howard suddenly realized how fortunate Alonso was.
Upon reflection, he hadn't actually achieved any notable feats throughout the journey.
It was only because Resarite had recommended Alonso along with Bosiden and Vettel to Howard early on, creating an impression that the three were inseparable, that Alonso had attained his current status.
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