?Bosiden’s tears were not borne out of sorrow, but a visceral reaction to the perceived threat to his life.

Fortunately, the responses of Bismarck and Frederick unfolded just as Howard had anticipated.

Bismarck, upon witnessing Bosiden’s abrupt departure without further ado, quickly exchanged a knowing glance with Frederick.

Frederick, understanding the cue, rose promptly from his seat, arms opened in a gesture of feigned warmth, and addressed the Oli Kingdom’s Foreign Minister, “Ah, my dear, do not hasten away. We in Phrus always keep our word. Rest assured, we’ll stand with Oli Kingdom in your next conflict against Osland Kingdom.”

A month later, following a unanimous decision by Howard, Ness, and Boshni, Oli Kingdom declared war on Osland Kingdom.

Neplon, appointed as the supreme commander, led the combined forces.

The Oli Kingdom’s defense force, funded and staffed by the Habsburg family, had undergone Neplon’s reformation and now formed part of the Oli Kingdom’s national army.

The officers, once loyal to the Habsburgs, were strategically dispersed across various units, thereby diluting the family’s influence over the military.

Moreover, emulating this, Luka’s wealthy merchants contributed a mercenary battalion, predominantly musketeers.

Although small in number, a mere 5,000, their formation was significant.

Since Luka’s affluent class had provided the initial financing, Howard gladly incorporated this force, deeming it a valuable addition to his arsenal.

He assigned this musketeer battalion to Alonso’s command.

Under Howard’s reign, the construction of a national standing army was now complete.

This development signified a crucial shift: the feudal lords were stripped of their private armies.

Their traditional concept of levying troops was now subsumed under the broader umbrella of national conscription.

In other words, the role of the nobility has evolved.

Instead of contributing levied troops during wartime, they now use their aristocratic status as a means of attraction and promotion, akin to a brand or advertisement, to draw people into the ranks of the national army.

Put simply, Howard has become the central figure wielding control over the nation’s military forces.

This shift has significantly reduced the power of the nobility.

Deprived of private armies, they are now less capable of staging the rebellions that were once a common threat.

It’s been noted that the Fran Kingdom is at the forefront of this change, constructing exquisite buildings for its nobles to reside in.

This, however, is a subtle strategy to attract these dispersed local nobles to the capital of Fran Kingdom, thereby reducing their chances of rebellion and their practical control over regional affairs.

Such tactics have not escaped Howard’s notice.

Boshni, whose forces are primarily cavalry, has been extensively creating knights.

Consequently, Howard entrusted a significant portion of the national cavalry to her command.

Trusting in her belief in the strength of cavalry, Howard expects her to lead successful cavalry campaigns.

With the onset of war, Howard was frustrated by Lombardy Kingdom’s refusal to engage, accusing Edward of failing to deliver at a critical moment.

Phrus, however, committed its troops to the conflict, with Frederick showing keen interest in the territories they had occupied in their last war with Osland Kingdom.

Howard, having commercial ties with Milan, leveraged this relationship to form an alliance.

As a result, Milan too joined the fray.

Osland Kingdom, in response, called upon its ally Manluk, a nation comparable in size. 𝑖𝘳.𝒸ℴ𝑚

Both factions dispatched their troops to Balgen Peninsula, or were in the process of mobilizing towards it.

Osland Kingdom, confident in its defense of Constantinople Castle, concentrated its forces to the east of the castle, forming a standoff with Howard’s army.

Initially, both sides exercised caution, each hoping the other would venture first into their strategic depth, seeking to encircle and overpower the enemy with superior numbers.

Milan’s forces planned a direct maritime assault on the eastern lands of Constantinople Castle, supported by the navies of Howard and Phrus.

Howard’s contribution was straightforward – over a hundred guard ships and more than thirty transport vessels, originally intended for troop movement, were reassigned to protect Milan’s fleet.

Phrus committed its entire naval force, including five large warships initially prepped for a naval battle with Pomerania, to safeguard Milan’s troop transports.

Additionally, Phrus deployed over sixty early-model guard ships and a dozen hastily acquired galleons to the naval theatre.

Osland Kingdom responded with an impressive fleet of over a hundred galleons and more than fifty light ships.

Howard’s admiral, Andrea, was not particularly adept at naval warfare; Howard valued him more for his mobility than maritime expertise.

True mastery of naval combat, after all, hinges on a deep understanding of both firepower and impact tactics.

Phrus’s navy, having primarily engaged in trade protection, was not renowned for its martial prowess.

Were it not for the five formidable ocean-going warships Phrus brought along, Howard would have been reluctant to consider Phrus as a reliable naval ally.

When it comes to naval strength, Milan was the one to watch.

Yet, Milan was only Milan – not the Westia Kingdom or the Ing Empire, whose naval capabilities were of a different caliber altogether.

Howard’s maritime doctrine was utilitarian, prioritizing trade vessels over transport ships.

Milan’s strategy was similar, though they had ventured into colonization minimally, with just one province to the east and few transport vessels.

Consequently, among these three nations, not one had an admiral experienced in formal naval warfare.

The burden of command, unexpectedly, fell upon Andrea.

Upon receiving news of this precarious situation, Howard immediately advised Ludovic, the Governor of Milan, to consider docking the troop transports at the port, allowing the soldiers to disembark onto Balgen Peninsula and march overland to the battlefield.

Howard perceived a direct naval assault on Osland Kingdom’s coast as perilous.

Should their combat-ready ships be scattered, the few transport ships laden with isolated cannons stood no chance of turning the tide.

This posed a grave risk to Milan’s soldiers potentially meeting their demise at sea.

However, Ludovic, unfamiliar with Osland Kingdom and having never personally combated them, underestimated the threat.

He assured Howard of Milan’s fearlessness.

Thus, the combined fleets of the three nations, albeit reluctantly, approached the eastern coast near Constantinople Castle.

As they navigated, a thin morning mist enveloped them.

It was then that Andrea heard the horns of Osland Kingdom’s navy.

Peering through the fog, he saw an overwhelming number of Osland Kingdom’s galleons emerging. .

Despite being initially surrounded, Andrea demonstrated his naval coordination skills.

The allied fleet, in total, matched Osland Kingdom in numbers.

A dense maritime engagement ensued, with the fog segmenting the battlefield into three areas.

Phrus’s five large warships, unable to utilize their full strength in the Mediterranean, were trapped in one area.

Milan’s troop transports and a portion of their early guard ships were cornered in another.

The remaining vessels from Oli Kingdom, alongside some of Milan’s guard ships and the rest of Phrus’s fleet, were engaged in the third area.

Despite the brutality of the battle, the allied forces emerged victorious.

Although Milan lost a dozen transports, they successfully landed over ten thousand soldiers on Osland Kingdom’s shores.

The naval front had triumphed.

On land, Howard had been besieging Constantinople Castle for over ten days.

Faced with this formidable fortress, he displayed no impatience.

Apart from the continuous bombardment with cannons, his strategy involved ensuring that Phrus’s army didn’t stray too far, maintaining a land superiority in the vicinity of Constantinople Castle.

Frederick, an exceptional military leader, faced the challenge of Osland Kingdom dispatching over sixty thousand troops to attack Phrus’s borders.

His grand strategy revolved around staying close to Howard, maintaining military dominance in the region.

However, Cotler, in the heat of battle, failed to grasp this strategy.

He clamored for a retreat to Phrus to counter the invading Osland Kingdom forces from the east.

Despite Resarite’s criticism, Cotler persisted in his protestations.

Fortunately, Frederick and Bismarck had a clear understanding of military affairs.

Bismarck, in a somewhat ambiguous decision, assigned Cotler to lead a detachment of a thousand troops back for reinforcement.

Cotler protested that a thousand men were insufficient.

Bismarck retorted, “What if we all withdraw? What then of our numbers at Constantinople Castle? We don’t even know if the sixty thousand Osland Kingdom troops represent their entire force. Suppose there are an additional twenty to thirty thousand troops waiting to the east of the castle. If we leave, the pressure on Howard’s side will intensify. And if Osland Kingdom decides to pull back their sixty thousand to encircle us, and Howard, already engaged in besieging Constantinople Castle, faces the full brunt of their army, it will surely lead to a catastrophic defeat.”

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