The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 167: Dramatic Turn of Events
As spring arrives, the Peace Haven territory begins planning for the spring planting season. This is a matter of survival for millions, so Henwell takes it very seriously, ensuring that everything else takes a backseat to this priority.
Over the years, Henwell’s focus on agriculture has not gone unnoticed by the people of Peace Haven. The improved seeds and farming techniques he has introduced have significantly advanced agriculture across the region.
Last year, even some neighboring farmers began adopting Henwell's methods.
This year, Jansen's county has fully embraced Henwell's planting model. Both he and the entire Phoenix family recognize that Henwell is enhancing the overall productivity of the territory. Unlike the stagnant and outdated noble families, the Phoenix family is full of vigor and more open to new ideas.
To encourage farming, Henwell personally cultivates a few acres of land outside his manor. This isn't just for show—he genuinely rolls up his sleeves and gets to work with a hoe.
Even Night Charger, his trusty steed, finds itself temporarily repurposed as a plow animal under Henwell's guidance. Through these actions, Henwell demonstrates his commitment to agriculture. Anyone causing trouble in this area will find Henwell unhesitant to wield his sword.
After the spring planting is complete, Henwell gathers the heads of various departments to outline the development plans for the first half of the year. Bowman, the agricultural officer, is the first to voice his concerns, complaining about the severe lack of manpower.
With the newly acquired lands—all seized by Henwell and fully under his ownership—there's a lot of fertile ground to cultivate, yet they're still short by about thirty percent in terms of labor. He also mentions that his department is severely understaffed and requests Henwell to allocate more personnel.
Hearing this, Henwell shoots him a glare. "I allocated three hundred thousand gold coins to your department last year! Have you spent it all?"
Bowman jumps in surprise. "No way! After building new farms and purchasing equipment and seeds, we still have a hundred and seventy thousand gold coins left!"
Henwell retorts, "Then why are you sitting on that money? Waiting for it to hatch? If you're short on people, why aren't you recruiting? If your department lacks talent, why aren't you training them? What do you think the funding is for?"
"I've already told you, each department needs its own promotion and selection mechanism. You also need your own talent development system—establish some schools and start training your own people! Who else is short on staff?"
The other department heads, after considering their remaining budget funds, don't dare to request more personnel. It's not that they're foolish or unwilling to cultivate talent; it's just that they wouldn't overstep without Henwell's explicit directive. Now that Henwell has clarified this, several talent training academies are likely to be established this year.
Henwell isn't worried about these departments growing too powerful. Right now, he wants to stimulate their initiative. The talent they develop won't form factions in the short term. And once the academies are running smoothly, Henwell plans to relocate them around his manor. This way, future graduates will be his students, making him the ultimate academic authority.
In April, Jansen invites Henwell to the Phoenix family estate for discussions. In the study, Jansen briefs Henwell on the latest developments in the Billie Kingdom's war. This information is top-secret, beyond the reach of Henwell's covert information network.
"The war is coming to an end! The duchy's transformation cannot be interrupted!"
Jansen begins, setting the tone for the conversation.
"Currently, Marcus, the count of the duchy, has held three private meetings with Raymer, the duke of Billie. They've largely reached an agreement, and the war is expected to conclude before the Midsummer Festival. If you calculate the timing, the Iron Wall Legion has already set out. Do you know what their mission is?"
Henwell chuckles, "Heading towards North Bay City!"
Jansen looks at Henwell in surprise, "How do you know?" Henwell just smiles, offering no explanation. He's already pieced together how the Vorry Duchy and the Billie Kingdom plan to gracefully end the war.
Currently, the northern Kosen Kingdom has seized a large portion of Billie Kingdom's northeastern territory. Kosen's army now surrounds Yosui City, poised to capture this strategic point in the northeast.
Fabio is likely leading the Iron Wall Legion on a rapid march to Yosui City to surprise the Kosen forces there. The Billie Kingdom is expected to deploy its own troops, joining forces with the Iron Wall Legion to defeat the Kosen army.
Ultimately, the war will be characterized as Kosen Kingdom's sneak attack and Vorry Duchy's heroic rescue. Despite initial 'misunderstandings,' the two nations will unite to defeat the northern enemy.
To express gratitude for their ally's support, Billie Kingdom will arrange a marriage alliance with Vorry Duchy, gifting a significant portion of territory as dowry to Princess Karitan. Additionally, to alleviate pressure from northern adversaries, the kingdom will invite the duchy to station troops on some of its lands to defend the northern front.
See? Explained this way, everyone saves face. To the uninformed citizens of the kingdom, the dowry lands still belong to Princess Karitan's heirs, remaining under Billie Kingdom's domain. As for the lands under joint defense, it appears that Vorry Duchy is merely working as a guard for Billie. With a bit of spin, public opinion can be easily swayed.
As for whether the Billie leadership can reclaim territory from Vorry in the future, that's a matter for the next war. In short, for Billie Kingdom, halting the war to recalibrate domestic affairs is essential. Once prepared, Billie won't let things pass so easily!
Things unfold just as Henwell predicted. Initially, the Vorry Duchy and Kosen Kingdom had teamed up to give the Billie Kingdom a hard time. But then, the Vorry Duchy suddenly switched sides. Fabio, leading over ten thousand troops of the Iron Wall Legion, launched a surprise attack on the Kosen forces stationed at Yosui City.
The alliance between the two kingdoms was always a temporary one, based on mutual interests rather than trust, with each side wary of the other.
The Kosen Kingdom had anticipated the possibility of such a betrayal and had positioned two legions along the route as a precaution against this very scenario. However, they underestimated the speed and strength of the Iron Wall Legion's assault.
When the two legions realized something was amiss, with their scouts disappearing, Fabio was already at their doorstep. Caught completely off guard, the Kosen Kingdom's legion was utterly defeated.
Without taking a break, the Iron Wall Legion pressed on, clashing with another Kosen legion rushing to provide support. This second legion fared no better against Fabio's forces.
In just half a day, the Iron Wall Legion had won two decisive victories. After a brief rest, they continued their advance.
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Chapter 167: Dramatic Turn of Events
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