Human beings are social animals, and a good reputation that exists in a wide range is sometimes more effective than any army or power.
Since ancient times, the vast majority of people have held high positions but are unpopular. These powerful people have unparalleled military power and wealth, can live a life of more than ten thousand people, and use force to suppress any opposing opinions - although they are not like some What people claim and think will be easily destroyed in the anger of the people, because humans are sometimes so cowardly and submissive that it makes you feel terrible, but no matter whether the families of these powerful nobles can last for as long as For two or three hundred years, one thing is certain.
——They are destined to have no sleep.
We can hardly count how many times the same mistake has happened in history. Once a person or a family becomes a powerful force, as time goes by they will be separated from the common people on all levels: first of all, lifestyle and cultural level, tall mansions and courtyard walls to isolate themselves from the people and lead a completely independent life, and then all this will develop to thoughts and even language. When a noble family and the common people no longer speak the same words When they learned the language, they truly became the aristocratic class in the traditional sense.
But until this step, it is not a mistake. After all, the noble life owned by the nobles is what the people long for. All the luxurious clothes, huge mansions and personal guards they can see will become Something to keep fighting for. The mistake we are talking about that happens almost every time is that the nobles start to block everything, prohibit the common people from trying to get the same life as them, surround everything they have with the army and power, and join other nobles Form an intricate barrier.
Fundamentally speaking, they have done nothing wrong. It is an instinct to protect the interests of their own family. After all, it is the family property that their ancestors have worked hard for for generations. And most ordinary civilians will endure all this. After all, most people cherish their lives and will not say things they shouldn't say or do things they shouldn't do. This is why many unpopular nobles A big reason why families can survive for so long.
However, when they encountered a situation that required the support of the people; when they lost the power, army and wealth as a protective shell, the empty noble glory that had been isolated from the people for hundreds of years made them Even gaining the sympathy of civilians is almost impossible.
——The peasants of the Dordogne welcomed their prince, and word of mouth spread from the plains of Ecasta in the north about how much the prince loved his people and how prosperous his life was. The impact is extremely huge. For two centuries, the Avenella nobles never paid attention to the various rumors among the people. They believed that the people should say what they allowed them to say and do what they were allowed to do. They never thought that there would be secret rumors. The existence of public opinion.
At this moment, after the defeat, the more than a thousand knights under Archduke Duran, who were escorted into the city wall in disgrace, finally saw it. They saw a scene they had never seen in their dreams - those tall horses who met them on weekdays. The farmers who were dressed in costumes and feared to avoid him happily lined the streets to welcome Edward. It was not the official announcement but the good reputation spread by popular opinion that made everything almost a matter of course. Although there were casualties, Edward actually attacked this place. As a marquis, he does not need to start controlling unfavorable public opinions and suppressing them with force like any occupying army to avoid being besieged by angry people.
"This is not fair!" shouted a knight under the Duke of Duran. He was a young man, a man who still believed in the spirit of chivalry and believed that he was a brave and fearless hero who took the lead in fighting for these people - but He also ignored the fact that at the beginning of the battle they forced the peasants to work for them.
The defeated southern nobles of Avenella fell into silence. They were as ignorant as the young knight. They clearly forced the militiamen to fight to protect their interests, but in their hearts they were still rationalizing it due to various idealized thinking. Di Naobu became one of the few idiots among the people who fought alongside him. When the vast majority of the nobles saw that the target of the one-sided cheers was actually the attacker, they felt an indescribable complex feeling in their hearts.
People are not that stupid, they all believe that seeing is believing. If only Edward had a good reputation, they wouldn't be so fanatical after traveling such a long distance from the Ecasta Plains - anything good needs a bad contrast to make people feel good. Otherwise, it will just be some empty rhetoric that cannot convince anyone.
Edward was certainly a better nobleman, but he was one the people of the Dordogne had never seen. But they still lined up to welcome him and his army. This showed not how good Edward was, but how bad the Marquis of Dordogne and the southern nobles like them who originally existed here were in the hearts of the people.
In the final analysis, most of the southern nobles of Avenella probably already knew why this situation occurred. But I know that to abandon the entire aristocratic class and the entire entrenched system in which I live, and to take a gamble on whether the people will support me, this requires courage, which is no less courage than facing an entire army alone. .
Edward was a better man than all of them put together, and he was the true embodiment of chivalry.
It is the embodiment of the real "aristocratic spirit" that has been lost somewhere long ago, or perhaps has never really existed, and only exists between fantasy and words.
It is noble and enviable. Under its influence, the entire army is like a whole, and wherever the sword points, it is invincible.
Not only was the army that the First Archduke of the South had amassed, a force that was sizable enough to put up a fight, defeated, but on another level, the knights felt that they were.
A complete failure.
…
The time has officially entered May. Although the battle two days ago had Henry's strategy and Archduke Leschi's strategic command, this head-on war that Edward least wanted to see still caused huge casualties.
Incomplete statistics show that this time the northern and southern armies combined lost 800 heavy cavalry. This number may not be much, but those who accompanied the army were all elite knights. As long as the armor and weapons were made by wealthy craftsmen, It can be built quickly, but it is difficult to re-train these knights who have been trained since they were young.
The same is true for well-trained and fully armed knights, and the damage to the militia is even greater. The death toll exceeded 17,000, more than 18,000 were seriously injured, and nearly 30,000 others were slightly injured. Except for those who died directly due to cavalry from both sides and head-on conflicts, the vast majority of those who were lightly or seriously injured were actually the result of injuries from friendly forces and the stampede and squeeze caused by the chaos on the battlefield.
It should be mentioned that more than 80% of the casualties were caused by the militiamen forcibly recruited from the Dukes' coalition forces, not the northern army. A complete command system that assigns experienced longbow veterans as the backstop, a mix of mercenaries and militia as the vanguard, and sergeants as the team leaders is reliable and effective. In addition to the close combat of head-on collisions and the cavalry attack of Archduke Duran, there were very few people who died from friendly forces injuries in the chaos of collective actions, although not all.
Compared with the coalition militia phalanx, which was forced to push the line forward by the Marquis of Dordogne, the Northern Army, although slightly immature, still had a reliable system framework and the effect was remarkable. The low morale that Edward was initially worried about naturally disappeared after he entered the territory and was welcomed by the crowds and cheered unanimously - no one wanted to be a hero, and the cheers and praises of others made the soldiers who had experienced bloody battles Everyone held their chests and heads high, and their spirits were high.
…
"They are growing." Henry's voice suddenly sounded next to Edward who was looking at the scene outside the window. He turned his head to look at the sage, was stunned for a while, and then nodded.
"Using this army as a template, I want to establish a standing army for Avenella. Just like the legion system that existed in the Laman Empire in the past, the combat effectiveness of an orderly and honorable army is amazing..." Edward said this, and Henry answered him sharply again: "You are challenging the very existence of the aristocracy by doing this."
"Everyone who is willing to follow me is already here. As for the great nobles in the south who would rather drown in their class... I have even betrayed my closest relatives. No matter who is standing in the way of the future of this country, I will not be merciful to anyone." Edward, who has matured a lot, answered Henry. The sage stared at him for a while, and then nodded slowly: "I hope you can remember your original intention at this moment, Your Highness, I have seen too many young people with passion and ideals begin to corrupt after they truly took power, and I don’t want to see you take the same path.”
He said this, and Edward turned around and smiled slightly: "At that time, sir will come to stop me, won't he."
"Who knows." Henry shrugged and walked aside.
…
Two flowers bloom, one on each side.
After defeating the coalition forces of the princes and formally seizing the Dordogne territory, the Northern Army soldiers under Edward's command were still forced to stop and recuperate even though the current situation was still very urgent and they needed to race against time to get to the royal capital.
They were not an invading army. The Marquis of Dordogne, who was fleeing during the chaotic battle, fell into the water and sank because of his plate armor and cotton armor. His body was finally discovered by soldiers who followed the horses left nearby to search for traces. , and the Duke of Durand, who had stubbornly remained silent since the surrender, was also placed under house arrest by Edward. The Dordogne territory, which had lost its leader, would quickly begin to experience chaos if there were no new people in charge.
In addition, the bodies of those who died in battle need to be cleaned, cleaned and buried, the injured need to be treated, and supervisors are required to control the soldiers who stay briefly - mainly mercenaries - not to cause trouble. There are simply too many things that need to be done. Fortunately, the nobles in the north have grown a lot in all aspects since their victory over Sivalier more than a year ago, so there is a sudden influx of a large number of foreign people into the city. In this situation, the security and a series of situations in the Dordogne territory have been greatly improved.
Due to the presence of a large number of noble children, there were various petty thefts and fights in the territory. It would be better if the Marquis' army did not deal with it. If they did, it would definitely be biased towards the nobles. Therefore, the people walked on the road with fear, fearing that suddenly A nobleman saw that he was displeased and beat himself up. After that, the guard said it was his fault and threw him into prison.
The security patrols sent out after the northern army entered were composed of civilian longbowmen and knights. In just two days, they were originally here to control their own people from making trouble. Because of their impartiality in dealing with the matter and not the person, many wanted to be arrested. The actions of a playboy who escaped disaster by relying on his aristocratic connections deserve the highest respect.
Coupled with the supply team coming from Ashenil, the Dordogne conquered by Edward's army no longer had things like customs duties. The news spread quickly towards Ecasta through ravens and carrier pigeons, and a large number of Businessmen who sensed business opportunities, craftsmen and mercenaries who wanted to find job opportunities, and other people of all kinds also began to move towards this direction - but let us focus on the present first.
The reason why we chose to stay temporarily when time was so tight was that in addition to maintaining local security and laying the foundation for subsequent national governance, it was also a factor to prevent the soldiers from being overly mentally stressed due to continuous fighting. huge factor.
But the most important thing is probably the supply and deployment of the entire army.
The deeper we go into the central part of the country, the more difficult it will be to supply this unprecedentedly large army of 100,000 people. It is true that the wealthy Ecasta Plain can provide them with sufficient support, but when they get to the Dordogne, even if they take the faster waterway to resupply, it will take at least ten days and a half before moving forward. If so, the problem will obviously be more serious. The result of an overly long supply line is a decrease in fault tolerance. The Nela Forest Corridor is very large and vast. Just like they sneak attack on the rear of the Dukes' coalition infantry, the opponent can also take a detour to attack their supplies. Once disturbed, it will only be a few seconds late. Within days, the combat effectiveness of starving soldiers will drop significantly and even begin to occur.
Therefore, to continue their advance, they must no longer rely on supplies from Ecasta.
But Dordogne is not as wealthy as over there. Although it is located on the plains and also has huge grain-producing farmland, it is not easy to supply such an army, so the Northern Army In this way, we temporarily stopped in Dordogne, recruiting more logistics personnel and material supplies, while also waiting for a huge supply to be sent from Ashenil.
Going further beyond the Dordogne until we enter the territory of another grand duke with real power, there are only two viscounties and a dozen knights in the long journey. Almost none of these provinces can afford it. It bears the burden of the entire army, so just like when they first set out, they must be fully prepared to bring a lot of supplies before moving forward.
After Dordogne, which existed as a relay station, was defeated, the supply line could be shortened by half. After allocating the garrison that stayed behind and the main force that continued to move south, Edward's side was not idle while waiting for the supplies to arrive. . They divided their troops into two groups, with the main force staying to recuperate. On the other side, Charles was sent to lead 800 heavy cavalry. They used light and high-speed cavalry scouts to go to the two viscountries and the attached knights to see if they could use them. While they surrendered to avoid complications, they could also report to the base camp about the operation of the main force of the southern army in the royal capital.
Time passed slowly, and when the supplies from Acasta finally arrived in mid-May, they brought not only the supplies needed for advancement, but also a large number of weapons and equipment with the logo of the Southern City-State Alliance.
This was a gift given to them by the Felix family of Rosemary City. Since Avenella did not have its own port, it was detained by the Sivalier side for a long time. Fortunately, Sivalier is now also in civil strife. Continuously, so taking the opportunity, these merchants still managed to transport across the border, caught up with this supply transportation, and sent them over.
A large number of weapons, equipment and armors were like a timely help, adding considerable combat effectiveness to Edward's army, and what these things meant was naturally clear to His Highness the Prince. After handing over a precious royal emblem to the leader of the caravan, After Achish, this small business family in the south was completely tied to the same boat as Avenella.
Time passed by, and after putting on brand new weapons and armor, the Northern Allied Forces, whose combat effectiveness and spirit were greatly improved, set off again on May 16th.
It's just that this time it's in front of an army that has won successive victories and has high morale.
Is a.
The one who conquered the once arrogant Third Luoan Kingdom.
An absolutely powerful enemy.
