Gospel of Blood

Chapter 289: Declaration of War

The shift in the northern war situation caught the Third Prince off guard, but it also solidified his resolve to head north quickly, seizing the best moment to declare war on the north before Castell had completely suppressed the rebellion.

With Count Gaston having already betrayed him, the Third Prince was sure that Castell probably already knew his side’s plan, so he had to launch an attack before their main forces returned.

Fortunately, under the guise of military exercises, the Violet Duchy had already assembled its army, and even the elite armies of Borde had been shipped to Violet.

The combined forces of the two duchies were formidable. Even without mobilizing the nobles, just by summoning and maintaining the regular troops of their own domains, they had gathered an army of 25,000 soldiers.

Of these, 20,000 were from the Violet Duchy, commanded by its heir, Count Linte, and 5,000 were from the Borde Duchy, commanded by the Third Prince Philip, who was also the nominal overall commander of the combined forces.

The Violet army included 5,000 elite regulars, with an extraordinary proportion of 40%, far exceeding the minimum 30% required to form an extraordinary military formation, and over forty tiered members, including five Second Tier Silver Moon members.

The Borde Duchy’s forces were even more formidable, consisting entirely of extraordinary troops.

This included 3,500 original extraordinary troops from Borde, with an extraordinary proportion of 30%, like the garrison at Tulip County, and 1,500 of the Third Prince Philip’s personal guards.

The Prince’s personal guards were on par with the kingdom’s regular army, with an extraordinary proportion exceeding 50%, making them even more powerful than Borde’s elite forces.

In total, the combined 25,000-strong army of the two duchies included 10,000 soldiers capable of forming magic formations, with 4,000 of them being extraordinary individuals.

The combined total of powerful tiered members exceeded eighty, with eight being Silver Moon.

Except for the absence of Blazing Sun-tier forces, this level of mobilization was equivalent to a full-scale ducal war.

In such a war, extraordinary personnel were the main force.

Their opponent, on the other hand, was merely a County with only 3,000 regular soldiers, lacking enchanted equipment, and with an extraordinary proportion below 20%.

Oh, and now there was an addition: a garrison of 3,000 troops with a 30% extraordinary proportion from the Tulip County.

But so what?

Even if the North gathered all its nobles’ forces, they would still be no match for the powerful ducal armies.

Castell was wealthy, but in terms of military strength, it was still too weak.

The Third Prince understood this clearly.

“Send the order: the Castell family no longer has a male heir, and the previous Count did not designate a successor. The current title inheritance is already illegal.”

“Charlotte de Castell, the current head of the Castell family, has shown disrespect to her lord and refused to swear loyalty to the new duke, blatantly violating the ‘Holy Code.'”

“According to Article 17, section 4 of the ‘Holy Code’, the Castell family has severely violated the noble contract and is no longer qualified to inherit the Castell County.”

“According to Article 24, section 11 of the ‘Holy Code’, under the premise that the Castell family is not qualified to inherit, the Borde family, as relatives of the Castell family, has the right to reclaim the territory and strip the Castell family of its title.”

“In the name of the Duke of Borde, issue an ultimatum to the Castell family: they must abdicate within five days and hand over control of the territory to the Borde family.”

“Failure to comply will be considered rebellion!”

The Third Prince ordered the mage in the Mage Tower.

The five-day period was actually the estimated time for the allied forces of the two duchies to reach the Border.

In other words, the Third Prince had no intention of negotiating with Castell.

He was already prepared for war. Regardless of Castell’s response, he would lead the army northward and head straight for Castell’s capital, Northport!

In essence, this so-called ultimatum was already tantamount to a declaration of war.

“Also…”

The Third Prince paused before continuing.

“Send a message to Borde to seal all of Castell’s estates, castles, mansions, and shops in the duchy and confiscate all their properties!”

With a cold glint in his eye, he added.

“From now on, there will be no Castell in Borde.”

…

The allied forces of the two duchies moved quickly.

Once the Third Prince resolved to head north immediately, the well-prepared army set off promptly.

In just five days, the grand army reached the Border between the Violet Duchy and the Castell County.

By this time, ten days had passed since the Battle of the Dorn River during the Castell rebellion.

Standing on a hillside, the Third Prince Philip, the supreme commander, gazed at the crisscrossing waterways and neatly arranged towns of Castell County in the distance, a glint of ambition in his eyes.

It was his first time in the north.

Though he had yet to see the famed Northport, the sight of the numerous towns in the distance made him feel the prosperity of Castell, comparable to the center of the kingdom.

“Do you see, my dear wife? In the future… this will be my direct territory.”

He turned to his silent wife, Duchess Eleanor de Borde, with a smile.

Hearing his words, Eleanor shuddered slightly, lowering her head even further.

However, as the Third Prince looked out at Castell, dreaming of the future, Count Linte approached him on horseback, accompanied by several nobles, his expression grave.

“My uncle, you seem troubled. What happened?”

The Third Prince noticed Count Linte’s furrowed brows and asked with a smile.

Count Linte glanced at Eleanor, then back at the Third Prince with a complex expression.

“Your Highness, my question might be somewhat offensive, but considering we are both allies and family, there’s something… I hope to confirm with you.”

“Do you have any dealings with the Blood Demon Cult?”

Hearing this, the Third Prince was momentarily stunned, his smile fading slightly.

He then squinted and asked.

“Uncle, who told you this?”

“Your Highness, you just need to answer yes or no.”

Count Linte replied seriously.

The Third Prince looked at him for a moment before suddenly laughing.

“Hahaha… My dear uncle, many nobles in the kingdom have connections with the Blood Demon Cult, more often for trade.”

Count Linte frowned.

“So you really have dealings with them?”

“Just transactions. Don’t worry, I know the limits and have never trusted those lunatics. Sometimes you need to use their power to achieve certain goals.”

The Third Prince said nonchalantly.

Count Linte’s frown deepened.

“Your Highness, this is playing with fire. The Blood Demon Cult is not to be trifled with. Getting too close to them is not a good idea and will give the Second Prince leverage against you!”

The Third Prince’s heart stirred, and his smile finally disappeared.

“What happened?”

Count Linte sighed and gestured to the nobles behind him.

“Let your men explain.”

The Third Prince looked at the nobles behind Count Linte and recognized the liaison officer responsible for communication with Borde.

Seeing the Prince’s gaze, the liaison officer quickly lowered his head, offering a parchment scroll with trembling hands.

“Your Highness, news from Borde… Castell has declared war on us.”

“What did you say? Castell declared war on us?”

The Third Prince was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! She declared war on me!”

“The little beauty of the Castell family is quite amusing. Does she think that by suppressing a rebellion, she can contend with me?”

He said as he took the parchment from the noble liaison officer.

But as he read its contents, his expression suddenly changed.