The Lord Of Blood Hill

Chapter 552: The War

Right after the New Year passes, Peace Haven immediately begins to move.Henwell announces the formation of the Peace Haven Fifth Legion, with Garcia as its commander.

Garcia is one of the warriors Henwell recruited after coming to Peace Haven, and he has fought his way all the way to the present.

His merits are sufficient, and he also graduated from the officer academy with outstanding results.

He was originally the second warband commander of the First Legion, and now Henwell transfers him over to command the Fifth Legion.

He belongs to Peace Haven's local faction. He is thirty-six years old, capable, and the best choice.

The new legion's manpower is replenished quickly. One third is drawn from various units, while the rest comes from the recruit camps and officer academy.

After a short period of integration, it will soon be able to form combat strength.

Henwell's expansion of the army now amounts to a public statement: he already knows war is coming, and he hopes every side thinks clearly.

At this time, the upper ranks of every side are also engaged in fierce discussion. Vorry Kingdom is the first to state its position.

Any possible attack by any side against Peace Haven is unreasonable. Peace Haven is part of Vorry.

Any attack on Peace Haven is a provocation against Vorry Kingdom and will be met with Vorry Kingdom's stern condemnation.

At the same time, regarding Henwell of Peace Haven, the kingdom states that he is a talented figure of the nation and a hero of the nation.

Peace Haven and Henwell will both receive the kingdom's protection and support.

To put it plainly, Vorry will not intervene. Fighting can only take place in the territory actually controlled by Peace Haven.

And Peace Haven's original territory remains Vorry land. No side is allowed to take that away.

Finally, when it comes to Peace Haven, Vorry Kingdom is willing to provide every kind of support except actual help.

Henwell has long understood this. Peace Haven does not need, and cannot count on, support from Vorry Kingdom.

In Henwell's view, as long as Vorry does not cause trouble, that is already the best result.

In the coming war, Fabio's Iron Wall Legion and Arius's army cannot come to support him.

His father-in-law, Duke Marcus, likewise cannot lead troops over to join the war.

However, this does not mean they cannot play a role.

The three sides will keep a tight watch on the regular legions of the Vorry king, preventing them from taking the opportunity to make trouble for Peace Haven.

In addition, all three sides have their own strategic directions to maintain.

Fabio's Iron Wall Legion will move forward and press against the Ika border.

Whether Fabio attacks or not, Ika Kingdom must show sufficient respect and deploy troops along the border as well.

Arius and Duke Marcus will gather forces close to Billie Kingdom.

If Catherine's brothers truly refuse to listen to their sister's advice, those two sides will not mind taking some benefits from Billie Kingdom at this time.

Spring plowing has not yet begun, but the region around Peace Haven already feels clouds of war gathering.

The first to stir up trouble is still Ika Kingdom. Because during the previous Transformation War, the population compensation owed to Peace Haven ended last year.

Therefore, King Baleqi believes Peace Haven can no longer continue holding the buffer zones it previously occupied as collateral.

Henwell counters that those buffer zones have already been leased to Peace Haven under signed contracts for a term of twenty years.

Ika Kingdom received all the rent. Only three years have passed, and now they want to breach the contract. That clearly violates the rules.

Ogiro Kingdom likewise demands the return of its buffer zone.

When Henwell brings out the agreements, both sides refuse to acknowledge them, claiming they were not signed by the king and have no legal effect.

Ika Kingdom's agreement was signed by Grand Duke Kolen of the South Regions and Southwest Governor Roderick.

Count Roderick has now been removed from his position as governor and transferred to another direction as punishment for this matter.

Grand Duke Kolen also states that in substance, Henwell was exploiting a contractual loophole in that lease agreement.

As for Ogiro Kingdom, it has also removed Count Divarak from his post as Northwest Governor, as well as his cousin Pavaro from the position of Marshal of the Northern Region.

The two men are recalled to the royal capital and made to join the Senate, which effectively strips them of military power.

And so the two sides begin trading verbal blows from afar.

In the end, both countries state forcefully that they can accept the lease agreements, but the taxes must be managed by them.

At the same time, they will station legions in the two leased zones, and Peace Haven's armies must withdraw.

Both sides declare fiercely that this is already the final condition. Their nations will absolutely make no concessions on territory.

By now, the summer harvest season has arrived, and the two sides have in fact completed war mobilization.

Henwell gives no further reply. Instead, he announces that Peace Haven is entering a state of war.

In just half a month, every department immediately completes its war preparations, and several legions move up to the border regions.

The two mixed legions from Phoenix territory immediately march south into Peace Haven.

Duke Jansen personally leads two legions to the border of Ika Kingdom, forcing the other side to divide its forces.

Kullen, the third prince of Ika Kingdom, personally arrives at the kingdom's Southwest Governor's Office.

The one who comes from Ogiro Kingdom is also a third prince. His Highness Femi has already taken over military defense.

Both countries have completed their war preparations and begun deploying troops while waiting for the right moment to attack.

Ika Kingdom has Prince Kullen as overall commander. He brings two ace legions and the Golden Guard Knights.

Together with the four regular legions and eight garrison legions under the Southwest Governor's Office, the total force reaches one hundred and thirty thousand.

Ogiro's army is also not small. Prince Femi brings the ace legion Blue Warhammer from the royal capital, along with the Gloomwood Knights.

Counting the troops near Peace Haven, Ogiro has a total of one hundred and twenty thousand men arrayed along the border.

Peace Haven's forces, including the garrison warbands, also number more than two hundred thousand.

And since Peace Haven is the defending side, it does not seem especially afraid of attacks from both sides.

The problem is that both sides have dispatched knight orders.

These two knight orders will pose a serious threat to Peace Haven's defense.

At the same time, in the royal palace of Holy Lake City within Lumir, a fierce argument is breaking out.

Second Prince Obilian strongly opposes Lumir's participation in this war.

The eldest prince sneers. "You just do not want your business to suffer, do you? I heard you have quite a few shares in the port at Tatan City in the south."

"Last year alone, you earned several hundred thousand gold coins. It really makes people jealous."

"That port was built and managed by you together with Henwell of Peace Haven. Are you protecting your partner?"

"Or have you forgotten your own identity? Have you forgotten that as a prince, you need to consider the interests of the country, not your personal interests?"

Obilian is furious. "Dilio, you are talking nonsense! It is precisely for Lumir's interests and for the family's interests that I oppose joining this war."

The king of Lumir stops the argument. "Obilian, I believe you. Explain why we cannot join the war."