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nLanvin thought to himself, if it weren’t for his father’s frequent waging of wars that drained the treasury, how could a duke not afford to hire mercenaries? However, Lanvin felt the rest of his father’s reasoning made sense – a small earldom, not one with many cities, couldn’t possibly have the economic means to hire mercenaries.

nWhat Ferald and Lanvin were unaware of was a crucial fact: Howard’s economy was bolstered by the unique produce he developed! Howard’s Earldom of Nok, having only one city and the rest being castles, indeed faced economic strains.

nHowever, Howard anticipated significant income from apple orchards in Kenfa Village and Pitz Village through estimated revenues and deposits.

nThe high production value of lavender products had boosted the earldom’s toll and trade income.

nBeyond improving the living standards of his subjects, the meat from clams had enhanced the food reserves of the Earldom of Nok.

nApart from being a food resource, clamshells occasionally yielded pearls.

nThese pearls were of exquisite quality, representing significant income with just a single find.

nWith Vettel’s exceptional business acumen, these pearls fetched high prices.

nThis success had a snowball effect, enhancing the reputation and fame of Kenfa Village pearls.

nNow, Kenfa Village’s pearls were synonymous with the finest in pearls, commanding even higher prices.

nIt could be said that with the Kenfa Village pearls in his possession, Howard never had to worry about military funds.

nOn the third night, still without any news from the vanguard, the Duke’s attitude shifted.

nHe grew anxious and, as a precaution, ordered the second and third divisions to halt at Goldfish Snowscape while leading the first division there himself.

nThe Duke’s intention was to consolidate his forces, preventing any further unexpected losses.

nBy the fourth day, the Duke’s troops had all assembled at Goldfish Snowscape.

nAt the same time, the Duke received a letter from Baron Mibo.

nIn the letter, Baron Mibo informed Duke Ferald that Howard’s army had withdrawn from outside Gokasu Castle, and it appeared they were heading towards Nok Castle.

nThe Duke thought he understood the situation – he assumed Howard’s main force had personally defeated his vanguard.

nLanvin, however, was skeptical, remarking, “Even if the distance between the Baronies of Gokasu and Nok is short, there’s still a considerable distance between the castles of the two lands. Even if Howard rushed his troops, it seems implausible for them to have reached Nok Castle so quickly.”

nThis skepticism stemmed from Lanvin’s lack of military understanding.

nLanvin himself had poor military skills, resulting in low mobility for his troops.

nHis reasoning might be applicable to himself, as a commander like Lanvin indeed would not have managed such a feat.

nHowever, Howard’s military prowess far exceeded Lanvin’s, making possible what Lanvin couldn’t achieve.

nMoreover, Lanvin was not familiar with the terrain of Nok.

nUnknown to most nobility, there was a secluded path between Gokasu Castle and the location where the Swiss Brothers Alliance was stationed.

nThis path was quite remote and generally unknown to the nobility.

nHowever, Howard, always empathetic towards his people, had learned about this route during a conversation with the villagers.

nThe Duke, puzzled, mused, “Is Howard not planning to seize Gokasu Castle and instead returning to defend his own territory? That doesn’t make sense. He only has the forces of a single earldom; does he dare confront my army of five thousand? He can’t defeat my troops; even if he returns, it would be a futile effort. Why would he dare to give up his only chance of victory and instead come back to battle me?”

nLanvin, equally perplexed, made a few attempts to explain but failed to articulate his thoughts clearly, and his suggestions were dismissed by the Duke.

nOne of the Duke’s earl vassals, who had just joined them that day and was unaware of the previous conversation between the Duke and his son, proposed, “If this is the case, it might be possible that Howard has hired mercenaries.”

nThe Duke shook his head, repeating the explanation he had given the day before.

nThe earl vassal hesitated, then suggested, “Could it be that Howard is making a desperate move, pre-spending future taxes to forcefully hire mercenaries to battle Your Grace?”

nThe Duke was unsure, responding, “That seems unlikely. Such actions would decrease the favor of his vassals and citizens. And if he pre-spends now, what will he do when he can’t collect taxes in the future to cover maintenance costs? Unless he is truly prepared for a do-or-die struggle, it seems improbable.”

nIn reality, Howard hadn’t pre-spent any taxes; he had directly used the cash he had on hand to hire mercenaries.

nOn the fifth day, the Duke’s army arrived outside the pass, intending to attack it. .

nHoward, standing atop the fortress, called out to Duke Ferald, “Your Grace, you won’t be able to take this pass. You should give up. Mibo deceived me first; I cannot let him off.”

nDuke Ferald, infuriated, demanded, “Was it you who defeated my vanguard?”

nHoward laughed heartily, “What does it matter if I did? In warfare, do you expect me not to defeat your troops? Should I have stood still for you to attack? Duke Ferald, you are a nobleman of stature. I hope your words reflect some level of wisdom and don’t tarnish the reputation of the nobility.”

nEnraged, the Duke ordered his troops to launch a forceful attack.

nHoward raised his hand, and the archers who had been crouching below the parapet stood up, raining arrows into the open space below.

nFor a moment, arrows fell like rain, causing significant damage to Ferald’s light infantry.

nHowever, Ferald’s heavy infantry advanced, each soldier carrying a shield.

nThe shields mitigated much of the damage from the arrows.

nHoward noticed the inconsistency in the shields; some looked decent enough, while others were old, rusted, or appeared about to fall apart.

nCrucially, the sizes of the shields varied – some were large, others small.

nHoward shouted to his archers, “Aim carefully! Target their knees and feet! Some of their shields are too small! We have an opportunity!” The archers then focused on shooting below the shields, targeting the heavy infantry’s knees and lower.

nMany of the heavy infantry were hit in areas not protected by their shields.

nThey screamed in agony, unable to advance further.

nFerald’s siege towers slowly moved toward the walls.

nFerald cleverly instructed his heavy infantry to take cover behind the folding panels of the siege towers.

nAs the towers inched forward, those atop were protected from archery fire.

nWhen the towers neared the walls, the panels unfolded, and Ferald’s soldiers, with roaring battle cries, charged towards Howard’s side.

nHoward’s archers continued to fire, but as the enemy archers also smartly positioned themselves beside the siege towers for protection and returned fire, the battle intensified.

nHoward’s archers targeted those on the siege towers, but the enemy now primarily consisted of shield-bearing soldiers, with the remaining unshielded light infantry looking for opportunities to join the assault.

nThe enemy knights and cavalry joined the fray, the heavily armed knights advancing step by step.

nThe defense of the fortress was fierce and bloody.

nHowever, since the Swiss Brothers Alliance mercenaries primarily consisted of light and heavy infantry, the lack of cavalry in the defensive battle was not a hindrance but rather a robust auxiliary force.

nThe battle for the pass was brutal and continued relentlessly until the morning of the fifth day.

nHoward led a charge with knights and heavy cavalry from his conscripted soldiers, striking Ferald’s army stationed outside the pass and achieving a resounding victory.

nThe enemy was sent reeling, losing their armor and weapons in disarray.

nHoward’s knights pursued the retreating enemy, conquering over a dozen of their camps.

nFerald’s army was forced to retreat three kilometers away, their morale utterly depleted.

nRiding alongside Margaret, Anna laughed and said, “We’re going to be famous after this. We might just make it into the history books of Nok.”

nMargaret, feeling confident, replied to Anna, “I think it’s very possible. We’ve certainly made a name for ourselves this time.” She felt a sense of happiness as Anna initiated conversation with her, having been worried about a potential rift between them.

nNow, it seemed, Margaret had been concerned over nothing.

nAfter leading the cavalry back to the pass, Howard brought out all his troops.

nThis time it wasn’t just a cavalry charge; he pressed forward with the entire army.

nHe sent Bosiden to Ferald’s new camp in the capacity of a diplomat, urging Ferald to withdraw from the war.

nUpon reaching Ferald’s camp, and under heavy guard, Bosiden was ushered into the Duke’s presence.

nFerald, sitting on a high chair and sipping corn soup, was flanked by his son, Earl Lanvin, and various vassals.

nBosiden addressed Ferald, “Your Grace, I am here on behalf of my lord to extend his highest respects to you.” Ferald let out a cold laugh, but feeling the deference Howard had shown him, his expression unconsciously softened.

nThis content is taken from 𝘳.𝑐𝘰

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