The support of the neutral nobles was a huge boost to Victor's cause. But it was not something that could ultimately push Victor to be the ideal candidate. He only had five counties under his control, while the Pope and Alphonse had almost ten each.
What Victor needed to do was expand his current territories, but given the size of his army, it was hard to do so. But four months after capturing Sinolla, the reinforcements that Victor had been waiting for finally arrived.
White Tiger General, Kan Ki, and his army from the west of Simbar were now disembarking in the harbour. 100,000 infantrymen, 22,000 cavalrymen and 400 cannons had bolstered the ranks of the Luxenberg Army. With these reinforcements, Victor could begin to push south.
When the soldiers arrived, Victor welcomed them at the port. "General Kan Ki, welcome to Zandar. It is good to see you again."
General Kan Ki bowed. "It is my honour to fight alongside you again, Your Majesty. My soldiers and I are ready to fight."
"Excellent, when your soldiers are rested, we march south," Victor replied.
Now that Victor had gotten the reinforcements he needed, it was time for his plan to turn into action.
Victor and his army would march south to the city of Pisto. It was a two-week march away and was ruled by a vassal of Duke Sozzini. The majority of the army would travel with him apart from Field Marshal Wellesley and General Tuchkov, who would garrison Sinolla, as well as General Tauentzien, who was guarding prisoners of war in Prato.
Victor's army marched with extreme discipline; every step was in sync, and their formation was precise. At the head of the army was Victor, accompanied by his Royal Guard. They travelled through the Italian-like countryside until they reached the small city of Pisto.
The city was unimpressive; it was small and had nothing special about it. Pisto was not a wealthy city, nor was it impoverished. The ruler of the city, Count Paulo, was an ordinary ruler whose blandness matched his city.
When the Luxenberg Army arrived at his city, there was not much he could do in the sight of such a massive host. It would be suicide to fight an army that massive when his own forces were abysmal. Most of his soldiers were a part of General Arlo's army, and now they were left relatively defenceless.
Surrender was his only option. As much as it pained him to do so, Pisto was handed over to the Luxenberg Army without a single shot being fired. General Rapp was given control of the city and garrisoned it while the army pushed forward to the next city in the north, Ceicil.
Ceicil was a two-week march away and was on the border between the central counties and northern counties. The city of Napo was only a week's march away from Ceicil. If Ceicil were to fall into Victor's hands, the central, western and eastern counties would be ripe for the taking.
Ceicil was ruled by a young man by the name of Count Brutus, who recently inherited the title after his father died, leading a small army to raid the western counties. He was reluctant to do so, but Luca Sozzini ordered him to do so as his vassal.
The new Count Brutus had barely reached adulthood and now faced the burden of ruling a slightly impoverished city. When the Luxenberg Army arrived at the gates of Ceicil, they were welcomed with open arms.
Count Brutus even greeted Victor as he marched through the northern gatehouse. "Greetings, King Luxenberg. I am Count Luciano Brutus. Myself and the city of Ceicil are at your service. I only ask that you treat my citizens with the same regard as those that you rule in Prato."
Victor, who was taken aback by the actions of this young Count, so much so that he did not trust that this was genuine. "I appreciate this gesture, Count Brutus, but I am confused. Are you not a vassal of Duke Sozzini? Why are you so willing to switch allegiances?"
"My father, Count Tytos Brutus, was ordered to lead a small army to raid the western counties by Duke Sozzini. That army was crushed soundly with no survivors. To make matters worse, many soldiers were conscripted into the Sozzini Army. I have no love or loyalty for Duke Sozzini, and I will avenge my father by killing Marquis Polo," Luciano passionately said.
Victor placed a hand on his shoulder and replied, "If that is the case, you and your people are most welcome in my Kingdom. I do not need more soldiers, nor do I need men to do stupid acts for me. Rule this city and protect its people, that is all I will ask of you."
Count Brutus dropped to one knee and swore allegiance to Victor. Ceicil replaced the banners of the Sozzini family with the golden eagle of the Kingdom of Luxenberg.
Without firing a single shot, Victor had conquered three cities and now controlled the northern part of Zandar. This was a massive blow to Alphonse; he was now the weakest of the three factions.
Alphonse was beginning to panic, while Luca Sozzini was filled with more and more rage. They were losing the Civil War, and with Victor's intervention, they were sure to lose it. Losing the north meant most of their power resided in the central counties. Their lone outlier in the east would not help them, and in the south, Madena was under siege again.
As for the Pope, he was getting anxious. Victor now ruled the north, and news of reinforcements worsened that feeling. He may have been the current favourite to win the civil war, but that was until Victor sent a message to all nobles on Zandar.
The message read. 'To all the lords of the Zandar. This civil war is a fruitless endeavour that only guarantees the death of good Christian men and women. King Alphonse and Pope Constantine have dragged you into a war that could have been avoided.'
'As a fellow Christian, I can not stand idly by and allow this chaos to continue. I will take Zandar for myself and restore peace to this land. Let all men who stand on the side of peace declare their loyalty and help me bring this land to its former glory.'
Following this message, the neutral counties that were believed to be abstaining from this war raised Luxenberg flags atop their walls. Additionally, the Pope's lone supporter in the east had defected and raised a Luxenberg flag.
Alphonse and the Pope both despaired when reports came from the east. Victor pretty much controlled the eastern part of Zandar. With Victor seeming all-powerful, tensions began to rise in their two factions.