The Lord Of Blood Hill

Chapter 613: Lean Times

After giving Obilian some confidence, Clifford continues."Your Highness, there is still one problem with your tactics."

"You should not use your own legions as the anvil. They are elite enough, so they should become the hammer."

"My two legions will act as the anvil."

"Your Highness will remain among these two legions and serve as the anvil that draws Ogiro's army to attack."

"I, meanwhile, need to take Your Highness's legions around the rear and smash Ogiro's attacking main force apart."

"But there is one key issue here. Is Your Highness willing to hand your elite legions over to my command?"

"And this will also require Your Highness to place yourself in danger, personally hold the front line, command there, and act as bait yourself..."

Before Clifford can finish, Obilian raises a hand and interrupts him. "Military Overseer, I understand what you mean."

"I trust your loyalty. Right now, you command four elite legions, and many sides have tried to pull you over."

"The price they offered you must be higher than what I can offer, yet at this critical moment, you still chose to enter the war."

"That is already enough to prove that you are a true noble willing to fight desperately for Lumir."

"I will personally issue orders to my generals and officers and have them obey your command in all matters."

"You may only act at the most suitable moment."

"As long as that moment has not arrived, even if I die in battle, you are not to move."

Clifford smiles and bows slightly. "Your Highness, that situation will not happen."

"Thank you for your trust."

"And I also hope Your Highness can trust me and the army under my command."

"This army was forged with all of Peace Haven's strength."

"It was built by the lord of Blood Hill specifically to make trouble for Ogiro."

"Although the Early Spring Campaign was brief, it was exceptionally fierce."

"The four legions under my command withstood Ogiro's elite assault."

"They even had the courage to charge the Sharp Spear Legion."

"With them here, even if Ogiro's ace legions attack, they can hold out."

Over the next few days, Obilian begins inspecting each legion. Every day, he laughs loudly while drinking and eating meat with the officers and soldiers.

Seeing the prince so confident and relaxed, morale along the front line rises noticeably.

Half a month later, the great battle that will decide the fate of both countries finally begins.

Both sides once again commit more than ten legions each, and all of them are legions meant for frontal assault.

As for the camps set up for defense and the troops prepared to receive retreating forces, each side also has more than a hundred thousand people.

That does not include logistics laborers, corvee workers, and other civilians.

The positions of both sides stretch for dozens of kilometers. Added together, the manpower committed has already exceeded one million.

A world-shaking battle like this has not appeared in a long time.

Before the battle begins, small camps appear on both sides of the battlefield.

These are people sent by various countries to observe the battle.

Henwell naturally will not miss this opportunity. Among all the observation groups from the various powers, Peace Haven has brought the most people.

If the other sides had not visited the camp and seen that the people here are all Peace Haven officers, they might even have thought Henwell was preparing to join the war as well.

For other observation groups, several hundred or even a thousand people is already quite a lot.

But Peace Haven has brought more than ten thousand cavalry directly.

Among them, the true combat force is only the two thousand Lord Iron Guards under Henwell.

The rest are officers of all ranks from the various legions, along with around two thousand students from the Military Academy.

However, anyone who treats these people as empty decoration is truly looking down on Henwell.

After Prince Obilian sees Henwell's observation group, envy nearly drips from his eyes.

The vast majority of them are at the extraordinary knight rank.

Under Henwell's leadership, everyone has to admit that it is merely a temporary knight order.

A knight order of more than twelve thousand people.

Where did Peace Haven get so many knights?

The numbers in each country's knight orders vary. In truth, except for Billie's Sunflower Knights, not a single knight order has more than ten thousand members.

Most fluctuate around six thousand people, and can only be considered the size of a warband.

What they do not know is that this is almost everything Henwell has.

Even so, all sides feel alarmed.

When they think about how close they came to pushing Henwell into a desperate corner, they feel a wave of lingering fear.

If Henwell truly lost Peace Haven, never mind how many elites the various countries would lose.

If Henwell directly took these ten thousand-plus knights and became mounted bandits, the various countries would feel their heads ache.

This would be the strongest bandit cavalry in the history of the continent. They could rob whoever they wanted.

With Henwell's personality, he would rob kings.

While the various countries curse Henwell for his damn good luck, they also increase their infiltration of Peace Haven.

They have already realized that Peace Haven may contain a huge secret, one that likely involves the birth of extraordinary professionals.

At this point, Henwell can no longer hide many things.

After all, the previous annihilation of the Night Falcon Knights made every country realize that Henwell already has the strength to directly challenge national-level powers.

For a period of time after this, Peace Haven will face a great deal of pressure.

The restrictions will not be limited to military and political matters. Trade will also be affected.

Especially on the purchase of extraordinary materials.

Before the Western Federation subdues him, it will cut off his channels for smuggling extraordinary materials from the Western Regions.

Fortunately, Henwell had already smuggled like mad for three years.

Peace Haven has stored up a large quantity of extraordinary materials. Even if it is completely blockaded, it will have enough to last several years.

And in a few years, Henwell believes the situation will change.

It is still the same principle: rules are rigid, but people are not.

All the world bustles for profit.

Respecting profit and respecting human nature are the foundations of doing business.

Once someone tries to block more people from getting rich, someone will have to die.

Sometimes, once a person is dead, the rules come alive.

Besides, for the next two years, Peace Haven will have to tighten its belt and live through lean times.

Consumption of extraordinary materials will be cut sharply.

Henwell also feels that he has given the Technical Research Institute too much funding. It is time to make them live through a period of lean times as well.

Let those researchers use their brains a little more and see if they can come up with any other miraculous ideas.

People are like that.

If they are not forced a little, they never know what they are capable of.

In the past, Henwell's foundation was shallow, so he had to throw money around to make that foundation solid.

Now Peace Haven has already taken shape. Henwell can no longer spend money like that.

Just look at this huge observation group. Everyone has a pair of binoculars, and everyone has a pocket watch.

Even today, these two things are still luxuries.

They are not things ordinary families can afford at all, yet Henwell has already issued them to all his officers, large and small.

That expense alone makes Obilian, who came to inspect the camp, stare with red eyes. When he leaves, he even takes Henwell's binoculars with him.