Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 68  A bad decision

Somewhere in the mountain range, Henry stood outside of their hideout while sharply looking down upon the blazing fire at the center of Luak's campsite. The flickering flames seemed to pierce through the darkness, casting an eerie glow that reached the depths of the surrounding forest. And, despite standing almost seven miles away from the source, Henry still couldn't escape the unpleasant smell carried by those flames, a disgusting combination of charred meat and searing iron that created a nauseating and heavy odor.

It was a recurring scent that Henry had got used during his stay in this world, since it was a common practice for northern families to cremate their loved ones as a gesture of respect and as a final farewell. For them, the physical body was only a transient vessel that had to be burned to allow their souls to leave the mundane world and sit by the fire with their ancestors. They believed that if this vessel wasn't burned, they would be caged inside for an eternity, unable to move, breath, see or talk.

"My liege!" – Leier's voice sounded from behind Henry, her figure gradually materializing from the darkness, becoming clearer with each step.

Henry's grey eyes glinted in the night as he looked towards the dark figure behind him – "So, how is the situation?" – he asked, choosing to get straight to the point.

He had ordered her to infiltrate Luak's camp and gather as much information as possible. He had to understand the enemy before taking his next step, or else, he was prone of suffering losses.

"There are whispers among the soldiers about an army of demons residing in the forest, making them extremely afraid of stepping inside it." – Leier recounted, remembering Luak's soldiers scared faces – "Furthermore, it seems like a fight almost broke out between that woman and a captain under her, but he backed away in the end. There seems to be some divergence between them, most of them are clearly unsatisfied with her leadership. Also, they seem to be organizing another party to go hunting for food. That's all I managed to collect, my king."

Henry silently nodded, crossing his arms, and rhythmically tapping with his fingers as he pondered about the situation at hand. He was wrong. He expected that the enemy would likely launch a search expedition, a witch hunt, flooding the forest with troops and providing him with the perfect scenario to employ hit-and-run tactics. He had even instructed his most able soldiers to dig and prepare traps in strategic positions that would deal the greatest damages on them.

"She is smarter than I thought"- Henry murmured to himself, his eyes slightly turning towards the campsite. – "This will make my job much harder."

Zuna was an inexperienced commander, a messenger that got lucky and rose to this position thanks to a great accomplishment and thanks to the messed-up structure of the northern kingdoms. In his case, he would never let anyone without experience to take over such an important position, even if they had saved the whole kingdom with their words. Military positions were too important. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, despite the plan not going as perfectly as he devised, Henry still felt satisfied that one of the most essential parts of it had been successfully planted. During the hunt, he had intentionally spared seven soldiers, allowing for rumors about a powerful force lurking inside the forest to disseminate across the enemy army. He wanted that to act as a demoralizing agent, one that would undermine the morale of the enemies and gradually eat away their will to fight.

Henry had a hundred capable and training people under him, but they would be insufficient to fight against those five thousand soldiers positioned in that camp. Because of that, he understood the need for other tools to take away their numbers and create an immense fear into them. Now, he had to increase that fear as much as possible in order to not lose the right timing and to not let them lose that fear.

"What about Aritreia?" – Henry asked, his arms still crossed and his fingers still rhythmically tapping under his shoulders – "Did the messenger from yesterday deliver any news?"

"Yes. According to Olaro, our scouts have detected some movements near the kingdom's border. They are amassing their forces and are getting ready to move, which might happen on the next week" – Leier said, telling the news.

Henry nodded once again, relieved that this other enemy was moving as he imagined, dumbly preparing for a war during the North's winter, the worst season for everything. Henry knew that this could be considered the worst decision for a war outside of their own territory, one that had been proved disastrous countless times throughout Earth's history.

Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion attempt on Russia in 1812 stood as the best reminder of the catastrophic consequences of such decision. The harsh Russian winter and the difficulties of supplying troops over long distances resulted in devastating losses for the French forces. Furthermore, the extreme cold, the lack of food and the scarcity of provisions only served to weaken the French army, ultimately leading to its defeat. There, covered by the snow, four hundred thousand French lives were lost. It was a proof that winter was a dangerous variable for those who lacked preparations.

Similarly, Aritreia was walking on the precipice of a perilous path. They were familiar with the harsh reality of the northern winter, but they lacked two important variables for any war, the understanding of the enemy's terrain and the logistical capabilities to fight such a war that might be prolonged for months and even years. This decision could only be considered as idiotic and made by those who had no idea on how to fight a war. But, to Henry, he just wanted to laugh and thank them for their stupidity, since it would make his job easier.

"Great! What about the evacuation of the people?" – Henry asked, his grey eyes gleaming under the moonlight.

"General Iosif of the City's Command has already finished withdrawing the population from the interior and is moving them to the Capital. Herrera and Langten Village are the only ones left. And as you commanded, they have destroyed the water ducts and burned all the leftover food inside the villages." – Leier responded, her mind trying to figure out the plans of her majesty, but unable to understand.

"That's good." – Henry said, shifting his vision back to Luak's camp. The fire was still licking the skies and the odor hadn't yet subsided.

At those words, Leier expectantly looked at that wide back for a moment, as if waiting for something, but no more words came out of the king's mouth - "Yes, my liege!" – She said in a sad tone and bowed her head, turning towards the rugged cave's entrance.

However, when she took the first step, a soft voice was carried by the wind and landed in her ears – "Great job!"

Hidden by the hood, a smile blossomed on her lips as her eyes glimmered with happiness – "It was my pleasure to be of service, my liege" – She cheerfully replied, her eyes travelling back to that man, the one who changed her life. The memories of their first meeting resurfacing in her mind.