The Lord Of Blood Hill

Chapter 567: A New Order

No one in Peace Haven knows that inside this unremarkable inn, people are discussing matters that will decide its fate.Henwell looks at Prince Kullen, whose expression is complicated. "Your Highness, our time is valuable. Let us not waste it."

Prince Kullen cannot help asking, "Henwell, you planned that night raid battle long ago, did you not? It was a trap laid specifically for the Night Falcon Knights."

"You knew the Night Falcon Knights were also very skilled at night combat, and that they would surely do something that night."

"All your arrangements were meant to lure me into sending the Night Falcon Knights to attack your camp."

Henwell shakes his head. "Believe it or not, that was only a temporary plan. Otherwise, my side would not have suffered such heavy losses."

"Also, to be honest, I really did intend to target the Night Falcon Knights, but I did not intend to annihilate them."

"In my plan, even if the Night Falcon Knights did not come to attack my main camp, I would still have sent the Fifth Legion out."

"Together with my cavalry legion, they would have surrounded and attacked the Night Falcon Knights."

"I only wanted to cripple the Night Falcon Knights and destroy your elite battlefield mobility."

"The purpose was simple. I wanted to create a strategic stalemate."

"Just like the current situation. Because I still have an elite cavalry force with its combat strength intact, you do not dare attack rashly."

"And I do not have enough troops to attack on my own initiative, so both sides can only rely on our defense lines and stare at each other."

"After the stalemate lasts long enough, we arrive at the scene now before us, where Your Highness comes to speak with me."

Prince Kullen still wants to ask something, but Henwell raises a hand. "I did not come to answer your doubts. Let us discuss proper business."

Prince Kullen asks, "How do you plan to end this war? After the Night Falcon Knights were destroyed, this is not something a minor profit can settle."

Henwell smiles. "Heh. End the war? Why end the war? It was not easy for everyone to gather here, and every side has suffered heavy losses."

"More importantly, no one has gained any benefit. That does not fit the purpose of war, so the war will not end."

"As for the destruction of the Night Falcon Knights, I naturally have enough benefits to compensate the Ika Kingdom. What matters now is how much you are willing to concede."

"At the very least, you must return the occupied zones to us. Otherwise, we cannot explain ourselves to the people, and public opinion will force us to continue this war."

Henwell wags a finger. "How could that be enough? I want to give you more territory. Benefits large enough to matter."

"Let me ask one question. Your Highness, His Majesty the king, and the lords of your country, are you interested in Lumir?"

Prince Kullen glances at Henwell and says flatly, "That is not the topic of this discussion."

Henwell asks in return, "Your Highness, do you know why people like easy targets?"

"Because easy targets are soft and pleasant to bite."

"Recently, I have already proven through action that I am a hard bone, the kind that hurts the teeth."

"At the same time, I have also proven something else. Among the three of us, only Lumir is the easy target."

Prince Kullen narrows his eyes. "Henwell, you are formidable, and your army is formidable as well, but Peace Haven is still not enough to stand on the same level as Lumir."

"You only hold a temporary advantage. It came from timing and terrain, but those things will change."

"Lumir has existed for hundreds, even a thousand years. It has never been swallowed up, and there is clearly enough reason for that."

Henwell does not argue. "I will ask Your Highness only one thing. Does your country want to take this chance to bite hard into that easy target?"

Prince Kullen stares at Henwell for a while before saying softly, "I am listening."

Henwell gestures, and Chick brings over a detailed map.

After the map is unfurled, Henwell raises his hand and draws a line across it, cutting nearly twenty thousand square kilometers from Lumir.

Prince Kullen frowns when he sees it. "Is that not a little too harsh?"

Henwell sneers. "Heh. Your Highness has misunderstood. That part is not yours. It is mine."

"I cannot have worked so hard for nothing."

"And I lost so many people. I also need to give Peace Haven's people an explanation."

"I said I would give the Ika Kingdom enough benefit."

"Look. This part is the compensation and payment for the Ika Kingdom."

When Henwell draws out another section of nearly forty thousand square kilometers, Prince Kullen flatly objects. "No. This will trigger an enormous backlash from Lumir."

"They are our ally. This will immediately create a crack in the alliance, and we cannot afford to gain another enemy to the south."

Henwell says calmly, "Your Highness, we both know that the last War of the Six Kings never truly ended."

"But in the nearly twenty years since then, many things have changed."

"Allies are not allies for life. You and I both know that the continental order is about to change."

"Vorry stabbed Billie in the back, creating a crack in the eastern alliance."

"The Ogiro Kingdom, feeling threatened, needs to expand quickly and accumulate enough strength before the next War of the Six Kings arrives."

"They cannot attack Vorry to the north. They want to attack Billie to the east, but they do not dare."

"That leaves only one target: Lumir to the west."

"And Ika is not the only one eyeing Lumir's land. Ogiro is watching it greedily as well."

"Now that Ogiro's strategic deployment against Peace Haven has failed, they will certainly move against Lumir to recover the situation."

"If Ika does not take a bite, someone else wants to eat that easy target."

"As an ally, it is only natural for you to help Lumir defend its territory and let it transfer elites to deal with the Ogiro Kingdom."

"In addition, Lumir will also have to transfer troops to deal with my invasion, the big bad villain that I am."

"Your Highness, more importantly, this is a game between countries. If you care too much about face, you lose the substance."

"Our lands and territories were not gained through benevolence and morality. They were gained through the ruthlessness of those in power and the bloody battles of soldiers."

Prince Kullen sneers. "Henwell, are you trying to form an alliance with us? Can you represent Vorry? Is Peace Haven even qualified?"

Henwell taps the map. "A new order will appear on the continent in the future. Lumir will seek the Western Federation's protection."

"Ogiro will ally with Billie. Vorry will ally with Cosen. Ika will be left to fight alone. This is inevitable."

"Right now, I truly am not qualified. But I am a fence-sitter. Whoever benefits me, I lean toward them."

"I cannot represent Vorry. I only represent myself."

"So Ika now needs to consider whether it should back a fence-sitter like me."

"After all, I do not have many directions in which I can expand. Whether it is Lumir or Ogiro, neither will harm Ika's interests."

"And during my expansion, you will be able to seize corresponding benefits."

"There is not much time left. Once Ogiro begins its attack, Lumir will definitely first ask the Western Federation for aid."

"After that side intervenes, it will be much harder for you to gain anything."