Chapter 13: War Preparation part 1
The news of Duke Vetus's rebellion shattered the fragile peace of the Leo Principality. Within the hour, the capital of Arthenburg descended into chaos.
Duke Marius of the North did not waste a single breath on farewells. He stormed out of the Crown Prince's office the moment he heard the news, without even paying his respects. His priority was clear: the Iron Mines. If Vetus's northern column of ten thousand seized them, the North would lose its economic heart and its ability to forge armor and weapons for its armies. That was precisely Duke Vetus's intention.
Marius barked orders to his retainers before he even reached his horse. The Northern faction of the Black Legion—roughly one hundred and fifty heavy infantrymen sworn to House Marius rather than the Crown—abandoned their posts at the city gates, loading wagons with every piece of wealth they had managed to gather.
Alexius watched from the high balcony of the Central Wing. He stood motionless, his hands clasped behind his back, observing the dust rising from the Northern Gate.
"Your Highness," Elias whispered, stepping out from the shadows behind him. "The Black Legion is fracturing. Duke Marius is taking the heavy infantry. Marquess Orientis is rallying the archers and light cavalry attached to the Eastern faction. If they leave, the capital's garrison will fall to critical levels. Should we stop them?"
"No," Alexius replied, his gaze fixed on the departing troops.
He watched as the Eastern banners began to move toward the river docks. Marquess Orientis was prioritizing the evacuation of his assets toward the Federation border over the defense of the capital. He took nearly one hundred and fifty men—mostly scouts and skirmishers skilled in archery.
"If we force them to stay," Alexius continued, his eyes following their movements on the streets below, "we invite mutiny within the walls. Marius's men will not fight for me while their homes burn in the North. Orientis's mercenaries will sell us out the moment Vetus offers a higher price. An unwilling soldier is worse than no soldier at all. They are liabilities. Let them bleed Vetus's distraction forces. It buys us time."
The Noble Council, a body that had spent years leeching off royal authority, soon collapsed as well. Carriages clogged the main thoroughfares. Servants screamed as they were forced to load chests of silk and silver onto overburdened wagons. Nobles who had once preached endlessly about "national honor" now trampled commoners in their desperation to flee through the Eastern Gate—the only direction where war had not yet reached, the last road that still promised escape from the coming storm.
By sunset, the noble district stood empty.
Only the Court Nobles remained—about twenty families led by Count Bellica Lauranto. These were men and women whose titles were bound solely to administrative service within the palace. They had no vast lands to flee to, no private armies to shield them.
Their fate was bound to the Throne.
If Arthenburg fell, they would fall with it.
.......
Marquess Custodias sat astride his massive warhorse, clad in blackened plate, its breath rising in thick clouds against the freezing air. The Old Lion of the South looked every bit the Rank Seven Sword King he was—his presence alone seemed to push the cold away.
Beside him, three hundred mounted knights waited in perfect line—the elite of the Southern Garrison.
Alexius descended the stone steps. Snow crunched beneath his boots.
Custodias pulled on the reins, turning the massive beast to face his grandson. He gave a small nod from the saddle, not bothering to climb down. There was no time for formality
"The pass," Custodias said. "Vetus has placed five thousand soldiers at the Southern Pass. It connects the capital to the southern lands. If they hold it, there will be no escape route for the capital."
"You have to break them, do you have any plan?" Alexius said, looking up at the scarred face of his grandfather.
"I will crush them," Custodias replied. "But it will take time. The terrain favors the defender. Vetus knows this. He means to choke the capital."
He gestured with a gauntleted hand, and a detachment of soldiers separated from the main column.
"I am taking the bulk of my forces to break the blockade," Custodias continued. "But I am not leaving you alone"
One hundred soldiers of the Black Legion stepped forward—men sworn to the Southern faction. Hardened veterans, their armor scarred and worn. Beside them, another hundred dismounted: Custodias's own House Knights, cloaked in grey and armed with heavy poleaxes.
"Two hundred men," Custodias said. "Including the Centurion of the Black Legion who serves our faction. He is a skilled warrior, a Rank Six Sword Lord. They are all yours."
"You are weakening your own vanguard," Alexius said, worry in his voice.
"I am making sure there is still a Sovereign to serve when I return," Custodias snapped. He leaned forward in his saddle, his violet eyes locking onto Alexius. "Listen to me, my grand son, Vetus is bringing an Imperial Swordmaster. Do not face him alone. Do not let pride pull you into a duel. Use Captain Fidus and every force and resource at your command. Make him pay for his misdeeds."
"I will," Alexius replied.
"I swear by the blood of Lyra," Custodias growled, gripping the hilt of his great sword. "I will break the blockade, crush the traitor's forces, and gather the full strength of the South. Then I will march to the capital with reinforcements. I swear this in the name of the Crown, son of the Phoenix and Lion of the North."
Alexius replied, "Go. Before the snow deepens."
Custodias nodded once.
"Ride!"
The Southern column thundered out of the courtyard, their hooves shaking the frozen ground. Alexius watched until the last grey cloak disappeared into the falling snow.
Then he turned to the two hundred men who remained.
"Commander Centurion " Alexius said.
A broad man with a granite-like face stepped forward and struck his fist against his chest, a gesture of military salute. "Your Highness."
"Merge your men with the Royal Guard. Secure the palace perimeter. If a mouse gets inside without my permission, I want its head on a pike."
"It will be done, Your Highness."
........
Night fell over Arthenburg. The only light came from the watchfires burning along the massive outer walls and the single, defiant glow of the War Room in the Central Wing.
Around the great oak table stood what remained of the Leo Principality's leadership.
To the right stood Captain Fidus, his golden armor catching the firelight. To the left was Viscount Comwell Esperia, commander of the Silver Legion, his expression tight with worry. In the shadows behind the Prince stood Vane, his face hidden beneath a dark cloak, and beside him Aelrue, dressed in her simple maid's uniform, silent and alert.
Elias stood close to the Prince's side, ever watchful.
Across the table stood Count Bellica Lauranto—thin, pale, and tense—his ink-stained fingers clasped tightly together. He represented what remained of the civil administration and the machinery of the state.
At the center of the table lay a massive tactical map of the capital and its surrounding lands. Wooden blocks of different colors marked troop positions, supply lines, and enemy movements.
The fate of the Principality rested on that table.
They are discussing about war strategy against the Duke Vetus's Forces.
"The odds are impossible," Count Bellica debated, the leader of the Court Nobles who could not flee—the bureaucrat chosen to represent them, since time was no longer on their side to bicker the politics, his face pale as he looked at the blocks on the map. "Three thousand against fifteen thousand. Even if we hold the walls... untrained citizens cannot fight Imperial mercenaries. We will run out of soldiers before they run out of arrows."
"We are not relying on just soldiers," Alexius said.
He turned to Elias. "Issue a Royal Decree immediately. Post it on every street corner. Use the town criers. Use the Nightwatch to spread the word in the slums."
Alexius leaned over the table.
"Any slave who takes up a weapon to defend the Capital will be granted immediate and unconditional freedom."
The room went silent. Count Bellica looked like he might faint. "Your Highness! The nobility will oppose... also the Slavery Act..."
"Most of the nobles benefitted from this Slavery Act have already fled," Alexius snapped. "The Slavery Act no longer applies. From this moment on, it is abolished. Anyone who fights—slave or free—will be treated the same. Each will receive ten silver coins and full food rations for their families for the entire winter. Open the Royal Granaries and my personal stores. Anyone who defies my orders—noble, merchant, or commoner—will be punished by death."
Count Bellica fell silent. He knew he could not defy the order—doing so would mean his death. As a court noble, he had no personal troops to protect him.
"That... that will give us numbers," Fidus admitted, rubbing his chin. "Thousands will answer. But Your Highness... a mob with pitchforks is just slaughter waiting to happen. They cannot pierce heavy armor."
Yes. For most commoners, the only weapons they could use were farming tools—pitchforks, hoes, and sickles. Proper weapons like iron swords or spears were far beyond their reach. Even the cheapest iron weapon costs at least two gold coins, a sum far greater than what an ordinary family could earn in months. For people who struggled just to afford food, such weapons were nothing more than an impossible dream.
Alexius smiled."Who said they would be using pitchforks?" He nodded to Elias. "Open the Black Vaults. Bring in the crates."
After about ten minutes, four Royal Guards carried in two heavy wooden crates stamped with the seal of the Venator Order. Elias stepped forward and pried the lids open.Inside the first crate lay rows of mechanical weapons. They looked like bows, but were mounted on wooden stocks with a trigger mechanism.
"Crossbows," Alexius announced. "Mass-produced by the Dwarven smiths of the Venator Order over the last year. We have five thousand of them."
He picked one up. It was heavy and ugly.
"A longbow takes years to master," he said. "This takes only ten minutes to learn. Point. Pull. Release. And it kills. It has a draw strength of three hundred pounds. It can punch through chainmail at fifty paces. It can fly two hundred and fifty paces accurately, and even farther if you don't aim carefully.We will arm the freed slaves and the citizens with these, along with the long pikes we have stored away. They don't need skill. They only need to stand in line and fill the air with steel."
"Amazing," Count Bellica breathed.
Fidus stared at the weapon, eyes wide. "Revolutionary," he said.
Comwell nodded slowly. "This is the first time I have ever seen a weapon like this. It will change the way wars are fought on this continent."
"And what is inside the second crate, Your Highness?" Captain Fidus asked, eyeing the longer, stranger box.
Alexius opened it. Inside lay weapons unlike anything they had ever seen—long, smooth tubes of metal fixed to wooden stocks with a strange metal mechanism near the grip.
"This," Alexius said, lifting the weapon, "is the end of the Age of Knights."
He looked at Viscount Comwell Esperia."Viscount Esperia, select your two hundred best men from the Silver Legion. Men with steady hands and no fear of loud noises. They will be the first 'Musketeers' of the Principality."
"Musket... teers?" Comwell struggled with the word.
"It uses a special powder," Alexius said calmly. "Black powder. When it burns, it explodes and pushes a lead ball forward faster than sound."
Alexius placed the musket on the map table.
"It can pierce iron armor, plate, and even magic barriers," Alexius said calmly.
"At close range, nothing can stop it. It is loud, it fills the air with smoke, and it smells like hell. The noise alone will terrify horses and shatter the enemy's courage.""Five thousand crossbows. Two hundred muskets," Alexius summarized. "That is our trump cards."
He turned to the map, his mind shifting into [Grand Strategic] mode. The plan crystallized instantly.
"Here is the strategy."
He pushed the red blocks of Vetus's army back along the road.
Phase 1: Guerrilla Warfare
"Vane. Aelrue."
The two stepped forward.
"Take the entire Venator Order and the Nightwatch agents. Ride out tonight. Hit their supply wagons. Snipe their officers. Burn their tents."
Alexius pointed to the dense forests lining the Western Highway.
"Do not engage head-on. Hit and run. Make their march to the capital feel like a nightmare. Use the darkness. Make them terrified of every shadow. By the time they reach the Plains of Ash, I want them exhausted, angry, and careless."
Phase 2: Siege Defense
He pointed to the city walls and the Plains of Ash directly in front of the main gate.
"We will not meet them in the open field," Alexius corrected his earlier thought. "We will lure them to the walls."
"We will deploy the Citizen Militia ad Silver Legion—the crossbowmen, pikemen and knights—atop the walls and in trench lines dug in front of the gate. A wall of pikes to stop the charge, a rain of bolts to thin their ranks."
Phase 3: The Trap
He looked at Viscount Comwell.
After our crossbowmen and pikemen strike, his mercenaries from the Empire will begin to falter. Then he will have no choice but to commit his main cavalry force to break our formation. When they commit the cavalry..."
Alexius placed the block representing the 200 Musketeers on the hidden flanks of the gate, prepared advance.
"The Silver Legion Musketeers will emerge. One volley. Two hundred rounds of thunder. We will shatter their elite vanguard in a single heartbeat."
Phase 4: The Titans' Clash
Alexius moved the largest red block—the one representing Imperial Sword Master Der Gnadenlose—to the center of the map, right at the breach point.
"The muskets and crossbows will shatter their army,".
"But technology has limits. A Rank 8 Sword Master can move faster than the eye can follow. He can deflect bullets with his aura. If Der Gnadenlose reaches the pike line, he will carve through the militia like a hot knife through butter. Our new weapons mean nothing to him."
He looked up at the golden-armored giant standing across the table.
"Captain Fidus."
Fidus straightened, his hand resting on the pommel of his great-sword. "I am ready, Your Highness."
"You are the only one who can match him," Alexius said.Alexius pointed to the centre of the formation.
"When Der Gnadenlose commits to the fight to break the stalemate, you will intercept him. You must hold him. You must keep him occupied so he cannot slaughter the citizenry and protect Duke Vetus."
He then turned to the grim-faced Commander Centurion."Centurion. You and the two hundred loyalists of the Black Legion will form the Shield Wall around Captain Fidus. Do not let the enemy infantry interfere with the duel. Your sole purpose is to buy Captain Fidus the space he needs to kill the Imperial monster."
Commander Centurion slammed his fist to his chest. "We will be the wall of iron, Your Highness. He will have to step over our corpses to reach the Captain."
"See that he doesn't have to," Fidus growled, a fierce light burning in his eyes.
"I have waited a long time to test my blade against an Imperial Sword Master."
Phase 5: The Final Strike
Alexius picked up the final piece on the board—the gold piece representing the Crown.
"Once their cavalry is broken by the muskets, and their commander is locked in combat with Fidus, panic will set in. They will try to regroup. They will look for Duke Vetus to give orders."
He placed the gold piece directly onto the enemy's rear flank.
"That is when we end it."
The room grew quiet. Fidus's eyes widened. "Your Highness... surely you do not mean..."
"I will lead the Royal Guard and reunite with the Venator Order," Alexius declared.
"We will not be sitting in the palace watching the battle. We will strike the final blow."
He traced a line from the hidden sally port of the East Wing tunnels.
"While they are choking on smoke and blood at the front gate, I will lead the Royal Guard and the reunited Venator order out from the flank. I will unleash every ounce of mana I possess. We will crush Duke Vetus and his personal retinue against our own walls."
Alexius looked each of them in the eyes. "I will not be a sovereign who hides in a palace while my people bleed for me. I will stand with my people. I will fight alongside them."
He looked at Elias."Bring me my armor. The black set. And the Phoenix cloak."
"It shall be done, Your Highness," Elias bowed low, filled with emotion.
Alexius swept his hand over the map, knocking the red blocks over.
"Count Bellica," Alexius called out.
The Count flinched, clutching his ledger to his chest. "Y–Yes, Your Highness?"
He stepped closer.
"I am taking every soldier, every guard, and every able-bodied man to the walls. That means the Royal Palace—the heart of our nation, the legacy of our ancestors—will be left unguarded."Alexius placed a firm hand on the Count's shoulder."
You and the other court nobles will remain here. You will arm yourselves. You will organize the servants and attendants. You will defend the Central Wing."
"Us?" Bellica's voice trembled. "But, Your Highness… we are administrators. We hold pens, not swords. We are only at best Rank 3, Expert."
"A pen will not protect you," Alexius said evenly.
"If … saboteur reaches the palace… You are the last line of defense. You are the Royal House Guard now."
He looked around and saw the determination of the very single one in this room.
"Do not let them defile the throne. Do not let them burn our history," Alexius said firmly.
"Can I trust you with the heart of the Principality? If you stand your ground, you will be rewarded well after this is over."
Bellica looked down at his soft hands, then slowly clenched them. Fear still lingered—but something stronger rose beneath it.
"Yes," he said hoarsely. "We will hold the palace, Your Highness. We will bar the gates. If they want the Throne… they will have to walk over our dead bodies."
Alexius gave a single nod, satisfied.
"Good. Hold the line."
"This War Council is adjourned. Go to your posts. We will be victorious in this war."
As the commanders rushed out to execute the orders, the bells of the city began to ring like a war cry.
[Quest Updated: The Battle of Arthenburg]
[Strategy: Asymmetric Warfare 5 Phases]
[New Possible Forces Deployable: 5,000 Crossbowmen and pikemen / 200 Musketeers]
[Morale: High](Continue...)