Prince Edward's army returned to Wawasika on the morning of the third day.
Without exception, more than a thousand troops and hundreds of civilians who stayed at the fortress walked outside to wait for their return.
"We won."
A simple sentence made everyone jump up happily. After dozens of minutes of fighting yesterday morning, Avenela's army successfully defeated the main force of Sivalier. When the archers escorted thousands of injured When the knight Sivalier stopped by Ashenil, the whole city was shocked.
This battle was fought beautifully at the right time and place.
Avenella's side suffered hundreds of casualties in exchange for the incapacity of the entire Sivalier heavy cavalry force. The casualties of nearly 10,000 knights and sergeants, and the death of more than 16,000 horses made the arrogant Siwa Liye's heavy cavalry was completely buried on the beautiful plain of Ecasta.
Although the archers whose arrows were exhausted were unable to continue fighting, Avenella, who still had 3,000 heavy cavalry and a large number of infantry, had already surpassed Silvalier in terms of military strength within the plains of Ecasta.
Pursuing the victory, Edward ordered his troops to divide into two groups. The archers, led by the city defense commander Sir Charles, escorted the surrendered knights of Sivalier directly to Asinil. The rest were led by Prince Edward and recovered along the way. Fort Ellen.
The Sivalier nobles stationed at the outpost raised their hands and surrendered without any hesitation.
Following the spirit of chivalry, the prince accepted their surrender, and the nobles of Sivalier were able to retain some dignity. The ordinary soldiers of Sivalier who did not have noble titles and could not afford the ransom became the slave trophies of the nobles of Avenella.
Seeing Sir Alva and others tying up these Silvaliers for sale with joyful expressions on their faces, there was a hint of deep thought in Edward's plain eyes.
A small country, Avenella, defeated Sivalier, the most powerful country on the west coast. The Cavaliers Knight, who claimed to be able to charge all the way from the Strait of Ansisibis to the Thoradin Highlands, was invincible. He only stepped out of the country for more than ten kilometers and sank in the Acasta.
News of the victory passed through the prosperous Ashenil like a hornet's nest that had been stabbed, running around like crazy. The battlefield filled with horse corpses only dozens of kilometers away from the prosperous city-state was attracted by the news. It was packed with people.
Some guys who wanted to fish in troubled waters tried hard to sneak in through the soldier's sentry post and steal some loot to sell. Everyone was surprised when they learned about this battle and the news that Sivalier was trying to attack Ashenil. Three stages of shock, and then ecstasy - they were still in the dark until the end of the war, and had no idea that such a big thing had happened just dozens of kilometers away.
Countless versions of how to defeat the invincible knights of Sivalier on the west coast were sung crazily. The archers who returned to their hometowns became folk heroes, and many people who had not participated in this battle also began to Running around with a long bow on his back, opening and closing his mouth as if he had experienced all this there a few hours ago.
——This is a victory that can only be described as a miracle.
Philip II, who was thousands of miles away, learned the news a few hours after Ashenil and Vavasika fell into a carnival. It is said that he smashed his favorite antique vase from the Lamanite era on the spot. And he yelled in the palace, which was extremely rude.
Victory belongs to the people of Avenella.
The civilians and even the nobles of Avenella, who had always been ridiculed by the Sivaliers, felt refreshed after hearing the news. They walked on the streets with their heads held high. This was a profound message for everyone. On this day, there are no words that can be used to describe these cheerful people except pride.
The news of victory was like a strong wind that was conveyed to every Avenella city-state by the people on horseback. The carnival atmosphere was ignited in cities and villages one after another, with singing and dancing, and barrels of ale after barrels. Being moved up, everyone celebrated happily.
Along with these archers who participated in the battle, Prince Edward's speech was also spread. As a key figure in the entire battle, Edward's reputation among the people of Avenella rose to its peak. People affectionately called him "our prince." Jiu Jin began to brag about how he fought side by side with the prince in that battle.
Perhaps even Edward himself did not expect such a huge response.
——Victory for them is not just as simple as defeating their opponent. This is proof that a nation has successfully gained its identity.
Edward defeated the Cevaliers, but he did more than just defeat them. As the leader of Avenella and the prince of the Avenella people, he led them to victory and created a miracle to defeat the invincible Sivalier Cavalry.
This is the reason why all the civilians of Avenella are going crazy, because in their lifetime——
For the first time, they had a real prince of the Avenela people—perhaps he would be a king in the future.
The king of Avenella, who was born in this land, fought side by side with his people to protect this land, leading by example, being brave and never flinching.
For nearly two centuries, the common people and the nobles have been separated from each other by their lifestyles. These Avenella civilians who are so close and within reach have always been turned a blind eye by all the nobles, including the royal family. They pay more attention to the knightly competition in the capital of Sivalier thousands of miles away rather than the life and death of the civilians. . The nobles did everything possible to put themselves against the common people, which made the people of Avenella extremely eager to have a noble who could truly care about this land and ordinary people like themselves.
Now they get it.
So we can't blame these people for hugging each other and crying and not returning home until drunk.
The camera turned to the other side. Different from the almost nationwide revelry, the figure at the center of the entire incident: Prince Edward himself, fell into a long silence after the victory.
The silent atmosphere of the prince himself is in sharp contrast to the joy of others, and if you look deeper, it is not difficult to understand. Unlike civilians who knew nothing and even most of the knights of Avenella, Edward, who understood the essence of this victory, not only knew the greatness of the strategy itself, but also deeply understood that this was an unrepeatable victory.
The carelessness of the Sivalier people, the strong wind at the right time for this season, and the advantage of being familiar with the terrain allowed them to ambush. These three points together created this unique victory. It is great, but at the same time it is impossible not to start thinking about it.
——Because it has too many what-ifs, and once one of these what-ifs comes true, the people of Avenella will be the ones who lose miserably.
If Sivalier's army coordination system was better, and the infantry advanced from the flanks to cover the cavalry to detect whether there was an ambush, then the Aveneras would quickly expose themselves and fall into a bitter fight; if the Sivaliers attacked with strong winds It is not enough for the arrow to span the entire distance and the arrow cannot hit. So even if the distance is shortened, taking into account various variables, it is very likely that Avenella will still lose or win miserably in the end.
This was a desperate bet on the only possibility at the moment of life and death. It is true that it miraculously won - but the problems exposed and the troubles that followed were It just proves the weakness of Avenella.
A victorious general requires no miracles.
This famous saying circulated in all political circles is aptly used here - the reason why such a desperate move is needed is precisely because Avenella is at the end of its rope.
The army was unable to confront Sivalier head-on. The entire battle was a hopeless solution, and it could only be used once.
Will the Siwaliya people be so careless and give them an opportunity next time? ——The answer is obviously no. As the most powerful country on the west coast, Sivalier cannot make the same mistake repeatedly.
If they decide to attack again, they will definitely be prepared this time and will not be fooled by Avenella again.
In that case, what method should be used to deal with it?
Edward couldn't find the answer to this question. With all the military strength of Avenella now combined, if Silvalier still decided to attack, he had no certainty that he could repel them.
True, they prevailed.
But war is not a one-on-one fair duel game. It does not mean that after the victory, everyone just pretends that nothing happened and continues to be good friends. After the glorious victory, the relationship between the two countries was bound to fall into a state of rupture.
The next problem is far more troublesome than winning a battle.
The first one to bear the brunt is naturally the export of Ashenil's goods. The reason why Avenella is prosperous is that the neck of the kingdom is in the hands of the Sivalier people. How Avenella, who had just defeated the opponent's proud cavalry unit, dealt with this issue became crucial.
The troubled Edward found Henry that night.
When His Royal Highness the Prince arrived alone without any guards, our sage and Luo An were enjoying dinner. The delicacies made by the two of them aroused Edward's hunger, and he realized that he had spent the entire day They were all thinking so hard that they even forgot to eat.
So Edward, who started to eat with the two of them, rested for a while. It wasn't until he was full of wine and food that he remembered the purpose of coming here.
"What do you mean we should do next?" Henry didn't look at him, as if the other person was not a prince but just an ordinary passerby.
The sage is holding a book, made of sheepskin on the outside and rough papyrus on the inside. The book was blank. Edward glanced at it. Such a thick book had a considerable price, and something Henry was writing on it seemed to be key points about swordsmanship.
He looked to the side again. The petite Luo An Loli was using a small wooden stool to prop her feet. She was washing the tableware skillfully. At the door, under the flickering firelight, two wooden swords and two steel swords were leaning against the wall. The sword is clearly visible.
"Well...if you want, I can send an instructor from the Royal Guards Infantry to teach her." Edward pondered for a moment and then said this. Henry raised his face, glanced at him, and then shook his head with a smile. Shaking his head: "No, I want to teach my own students myself."
He said this, Edward stopped insisting, and Henry finished writing a page and still said without looking at it.
"If you are considering attacking Inznir to ensure the output of Assnil's goods, you should give up now."
His words were as to the point as always. Edward was stunned for a moment, then frowned and nodded with a serious expression: "Sir, you are right. I am indeed considering the possibility of this..."
"With Avenella's current military strength, there is no possibility that it can defeat Sivalier." Henry wrote very quickly. He quickly turned another page and said at the same time: "Attack Inz Nir would be a suicidal move for the simple reason that holding Inznir means more to Silvalier than capturing Asnil."
"...Because Inznir is a granary?" Edward, who was smart, understood the reason without Henry's elaboration. The sage nodded: "Inznir is the largest granary on the entire west coast. It not only supplies its own country but also exports to the outside world. For sale, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the Ashenil of Sivalier.”
“And what’s more important than Ashenil, if Ashenil is taken away, Avenella will at most suffer a certain blow to its national strength, while if Inznil is taken away, the entire Sivali You have to go hungry."
"Once people have no way to fill their stomachs, it is useless to say anything. His Highness the Prince's cousin must understand this truth, so for the sake of the stability of the country and the crown on his own head, if Avenella attacks Inznir , then the whole of Silvalier will resist crazily." He said this, and Edward nodded in understanding, but then he frowned and looked very worried.
"But you don't have to worry." Henry stopped writing and looked at the worried face of the other person and the sage said calmly.
"The Sivalier people will probably not do anything." He said this, and Edward was stunned for a moment. He raised his head and met the sage's deep eyes.
"But sir, didn't you tell me before that if the Sivaliers raise tariffs..." Edward didn't finish the whole sentence, because Henry waved his hand: "Before was before, now is now."
"You defeated an entire detachment of Sivalier heavy cavalry, remember?" he said: "Before this battle, the Sivalriers didn't take Avenella seriously at all, so They can arbitrarily adjust tariffs and ban exports."
"But it's different now. If Silvalier wants to do this now, they have to worry about Avenella's revenge."
"You have proven the strength of Avenella, Your Highness the Prince. You have transformed Avenella from an insignificant vassal to a neighbor worthy of being treated with caution. The people of Sivalier will become extremely cautious in their actions after this. Many." Henry said, and Edward nodded suddenly, but he wasn't finished yet.
"This matter is actually far less serious than you think. The merchants of Ashenil are not only a fortune to Avenella."
"Merchant trade along the route has the same effect of promoting prosperity for Sivaliya. If it weren't for the quarterly caravans, Varsha Port would not be as prosperous as it is today -"
"When Sivalier blocked the news, it attacked the carriage convoy of the caravan alliance. This incident may have caused serious dissatisfaction among the caravans stationed in Sivalier and the foreign merchants waiting for the goods. If they continue To take this matter further would be tantamount to forcing merchants to evacuate from Sivalier." Henry dipped in ink and then turned the page and continued writing, while saying.
"You have underestimated the impact of this victory, Your Highness the Prince. Not only is Cervalier bordering Avenella, Ambroise in the west will definitely be ready to take action after hearing that the Avenella people have achieved such a victory. Evalister in the east is also at war with Sivalier all year round."
"Victory caused Avenella to reflect on some shortcomings, but for Sivalier, internal and external troubles emerged at the same time."
"Under such circumstances, as long as Avenella's attitude is not too aggressive, they will be happy to maintain the status quo."
Henry said this, and Edward nodded with understanding.
The firelight flickered, and Mira, who had washed the tableware on the side, wiped her hands and walked over.
"It's time to start practicing." The girl said enthusiastically, and the sage showed a smile.
