Divine Kingship

Chapter 562 The wolf is coming, no, it's Lysa who's coming!
It was different from what the Kingdom of Bolun had envisioned.

The king was assassinated, and the Frostmoon Kingdom actually found out the murderer and then declared war on the Bolen Kingdom.

According to the Bolen Kingdom's plan, shouldn't the king be dead and the world in chaos?
Then it might even lead to a third civil war in the Kingdom of Frostmoon.

In any case, this is the kind of country that people from other countries see.

In any normal country, it would be impossible to wage two consecutive civil wars to decide the throne. This means that the internal political situation of the Frostmoon Kingdom is very unstable, and the nobles of the Frostmoon Kingdom are obviously belligerent.

Then the Kingdom of Bolen took the opportunity to send out its army and defeated the army of Rand, whose fighting strength had been greatly reduced due to the chaos at home.

They might not even encounter resistance.

Of course, they hadn't been unaware of the possibility of things not going so smoothly.

For example, the assassination attempt might fail, or Rand might use some trickery.

But none of this should be the case now—the Frostmoon Kingdom launched an attack on the Bolen Kingdom without wavering.

"Clearly, the Frostmoon Kingdom has been plotting against us for a long time. It's normal for the Frostmoon Kingdom to have designs on us," the former Minister of Military Affairs said calmly.

This is indeed normal and unreasonable. It makes no sense that only the Kingdom of Bolun is allowed to covet the land of Land, while the Kingdom of Frostmoon is not allowed to covet the land of the Kingdom of Bolun.

"Damn it." The new king of the Kingdom of Bolun slammed his fist on the table in annoyance.

The Kingdom of Bolen is naturally larger in size than the Kingdom of Rand.

However, compared to the Frostmoon Kingdom as a whole, it seems somewhat lacking in strength.

Including fleet strength, they might not be much weaker, but if we only consider the strength of their land forces...

That means the odds of winning are not high.

Fortunately, the assassination was successful, and they had already gained allies, namely those forces hostile to Rand.

“Our army will be assembled earlier than the Frostmoon Kingdom, so we can still do some things during this gap,” the former Minister of Military Affairs proposed.

The previous king of the Kingdom of Bolen did not like the former Minister of Military Affairs very much, and the current king does not like the former Minister of Military Affairs very much either.

But the old king would at least listen to the opinions of this former Minister of War, while the new king was less inclined to listen to the old man.

But now it's this time.

The new king couldn't very well silence the former Minister of Military Affairs.

Although the Frostmoon Kingdom had long coveted the Bolun Kingdom.

However, this assassination was unexpected, so there will be some time between the declaration of war and the troop mobilization at the border.

The Kingdom of Bolun, however, was plotting the assassination and planned to launch a surprise attack with its army immediately afterward, so its mobilization speed was much faster.

Therefore, in the very early stages of the war, they only faced relatively scattered Frostmoon Kingdom troops.

“We should use our advantages,” the former Minister of Military Affairs said slowly when everyone stopped talking and looked at him. “We should use a fleet to transport the army to the ports of other countries near the Frostmoon Kingdom, borrow their passage, and then attack the heartland of the Frostmoon Kingdom.”

The term "borrowing a route" here naturally includes "forcibly occupying" a place.

In short, bombard other countries' ports with fleets, then launch a land attack on the heartland of the Frostmoon Kingdom.

As for why they didn't attack Crescent Moon Port...

That was naturally to avoid the sharp edge of Rand, a formidable enemy.

Regardless of whether the Frostmoon Kingdom will descend into civil war due to the uncertainty surrounding the king's fate.

Rand are all very difficult problems to deal with.

Since this is no longer just a war against Rand, but a full-scale war against the Frostmoon Kingdom, it is obvious that avoiding direct confrontation is essential.

Otherwise, it's like two heads against one...

In any case, the former Minister of War believed that even with the assistance of secretly gathered allies, it would be nearly impossible to defeat Rand during the brief period when the Frostmoon Kingdom was able to assemble its army.

In the once quiet royal palace of the Kingdom of Bologna.

They started arguing again.

The solution proposed by the former Minister of Military Affairs is indeed a good idea, but it seems quite ordinary and carries considerable risk.

The new king of the Kingdom of Bolen was very reluctant to admit that they could not deal with Rand in a short time.

As a Grand Duke of the Great Frontier, Rand possessed the exchange territory of the Marquis of Stag and the Holy Moon Territory.

The land area under Rand's control is already quite large.

Whether it's the size of their directly controlled territories or their subordinate territories, it's already roughly the size of a normal grand duke.

And at this scale...

If this were in the ancient times of Rand's previous life, he could have ruled over a region.

Having established a strategic buffer zone to a certain extent.

This kind of force cannot be easily destroyed.

If Rand had ordered his vassal nobles to hold their positions in the castle, then even without the support of the Frostmoon Kingdom and without taking any active military action, Rand might have been able to hold out for several years against the attack of the Bolen Kingdom.

"Foolish and cowardly," the new king of the Kingdom of Bolun thought to himself, judging his ministers, especially the former Minister of Military Affairs who had offered the solution.

He knew, of course, that he shouldn't say such things aloud.

The Frostmoon Kingdom's direct declaration of war has indeed changed many of the original plans.

"Are there any other strategies?" asked the new king of the Kingdom of Bolun.

None of the ministers present felt there was anything wrong with the previous strategy.

After all, it's clear that they're not targeting the Frostmoon Kingdom, but the Frostmoon Kingdom is already targeting them. The fact that they've seemingly succeeded in assassinating the Frostmoon Kingdom's king is already a gain.

"Attack Crescent Port."

"Sever the road between the Holy Moon Territory and the Moon Phase Duchy and reclaim the Holy Moon Territory first."

"Defend our territory and seek support from the Kingdom of Lenza and other southern countries."

……

……

The ministers of the Kingdom of Bolun offered many solutions.

Both are feasible.

A second offensive against Crescent Port is not necessarily going to fail.

Taking advantage of the current opportunity to reclaim the land that Rand calls the Holy Moon Territory would also have many benefits.

Holding out to defend against an attack from the Frostmoon Kingdom is a passive approach, but it may result in less loss and a greater chance of victory.

The new king of the Kingdom of Bolen pondered these strategies of his ministers.

……

Today, the ministers of the Frostmoon Kingdom have once again arrived at the Moon Phase Duchy.

Rand personally greeted them and then handed over the work to them.

The ministers of the Frostmoon Kingdom were not in a good mood.

Although not all ministers liked Marcus's way of doing things.

However, no one can deny that under King Marcus's rule, the Frostmoon Kingdom has gradually recovered and developed over the years.

The overall development of the country will benefit all nobles.

Therefore, in the eyes of most of the nobles in the country, King Marcus was at least better than the previous king and the king before that.

However, the sudden assassination attempt left King Marcus's fate unknown.

This undoubtedly makes the throne of the Frostmoon Kingdom seem like a high-risk profession.

Rand rubbed his temples, glancing helplessly at the somber atmosphere. He wondered what the ministers of the Frostmoon Kingdom would think if they knew that King Marcus was likely enjoying fine wine with a beautiful woman in his arms, watching a theatrical performance.

And Rand is not good either; now he exposes Marcus and drags him out of nowhere to do work.

Because Marcus only wrote to Rand, but did not tell Rand where he was.

Marcus also warned Rand that if he exposed him, he would disappear and quit his job under the pretext of losing face.

However, due to concerns about Marcus.

Rand eventually found the Grand Duke of Thorns, the eldest son of King Marcus, to inquire about the details.

Rand summoned Grand Duke Adrian of the Thorns to a secluded spot. After confirming that no one else was around, he asked in a low voice, "What's the situation?"

Adrian was somewhat helpless.

As a respectable person, Adrian found it difficult to face his father's behavior.

How could a normal person choose to feign death to evade their responsibilities as king?

Although Adrian had grown somewhat accustomed to his father's past actions, he recalled them all.

But Adrian is now finding it difficult to face the somber state ministers.

It can only be said that his father's judgment on the situation of the Frostmoon Kingdom was very accurate.

If something were to happen to the king of another country, there might be chaos.

However, the Frostmoon Kingdom currently shares a common goal—to attack the Kingdom of Bolen and to find the King's Hand, who can serve as the second-in-command and rule the entire country.

So there weren't any problems; on the contrary, the assassination of the king strengthened the team's cohesion.

“My father was attacked by a vampire, but he only suffered some superficial injuries.” Adrian frowned and hesitated for a moment, then felt there was no need to cover for his father in front of Duke Rand, so he continued to explain, “Actually, he just bit his tongue while cursing, and it broke the skin a little. Nothing else.”

That was definitely a superficial wound...

Now that he knew the specifics of Marcus's situation, Rand was completely relieved.

"I understand." Rand covered his face. Even with Rand's thick skin, he didn't know how to react to this news. Marcus's thick skin was far superior to Rand's.

Grand Duke Adrian of Thorns then returned to the meeting room and took over the work with the other ministers.

Adrian himself did not hold any ministerial position.

There's no need for that, and it's always best to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

Although in reality, the politics of the Frostmoon Kingdom are completely controlled by the alliance of Marcus, Land, the Black Brown Marquis, and the Stag Marquis.

However, this cannot be explicitly stated both internally and externally.

The Frostmoon Kingdom still has many other high-ranking nobles serving as ministers.

This is beneficial, as it not only stabilizes the domestic situation but also prevents the domestic nobles from completely regarding Rand and his group as a single entity.

This would also prevent foreign countries from realizing the true state of the political landscape of the Frostmoon Kingdom.

The current situation in the Frostmoon Kingdom after Marcus's assassination is something the Kingdom of Bolun could never have imagined.

……

After a few days of handing over his work, Rand felt much more relaxed and could once again wander around the territory.

Of course, this "strolling" isn't really a casual stroll.

Rand is inspecting the production situation in his territory.

Berlan, who was still by Rand's side, was somewhat nervous.

Because Ryza is coming today.

During Rand's journey to the North, it seems that quite a few things have happened in the Elven Forest.

Lysa even left the Duchy of the Moon for a short period of time to deal with it.

But we're coming back now.

Therefore, Berlan is repeatedly recalling the words Ellie had once warned her.

After overcoming the initial difficulties, Berlan was now much more at ease dealing with the higher-ups of the Sanctuary.

But Ryza seems to be a bit different.

Anyway, it seems that the higher-ups in the Sanctuary, including Ellie, are unwilling to talk too much about anything outside of work related to Lysa.

After witnessing the various abnormal situations of the high-ranking officials of the Holy Land.

Berlan should be even more wary of Lysa.

Today's inspection area is the industrial zone.

Since Rand possessed some modern thinking, the construction of the Duchy of the Moon phases exhibited a certain degree of modern urban planning.

The answer is locational advantages and integration effects.

The Burning Lands, a land already heavily polluted, is unsuitable for farming anyway, so it's perfect for industrial development. The Burning Lands also have plenty of coal to support its industry.

The only pity is that.

Productivity in this era is limited, far too limited.

Industrialization requires a massive population, which RAND clearly could not provide.

Even with the manpower provided by the Part-Time Job Act, it would only allow Rand to develop a little bit.

But then again.

This nascent industrial power is already enough to overwhelm the industrial strength of many dukes in the world.

In the foreseeable future, RAND's industrial power will continue to develop to the point where it surpasses that of many small countries.

even……

"You call this substance in coal that affects the quality of iron production sulfur?" The dwarf prince approached Rand.

“Yes,” Rand nodded.

"Is this the same thing as the sulfur in the materials from Purgatory?" the dwarf prince asked again.

“Yes, it’s the same thing, provided it’s pure,” Rand replied.

"Can washing with water remove some of it?" the dwarf prince continued to ask.

“Yes,” Rand replied again. “Complete removal is impossible right now, but removing a portion would already effectively improve the quality of the coal.”

Of course, there are also high-quality coals with very low sulfur content, and even anthracite.

Unfortunately, the coal in the Burning Lands clearly has a high sulfur content.

The dwarf prince then stopped asking questions.

Rand glanced at the dwarf prince with some admiration.

He had previously written a letter back on behalf of the dwarf prince. After the dwarf king learned of this, he agreed to let the dwarf prince study and exchange ideas with Rand for a period of time. The dwarf king and queen also knew about their eldest son's situation and did not want to pressure him too much.

The dwarf prince truly deserves to be called a master.

After the dwarf prince arrived in Land's territory, he not only invented the basic wand but also improved various engineering and metallurgical technologies in the territory.

With the arrival of the dwarf prince, the development of engineering science in Rand finally had a backbone.

Unfortunately, this prince will eventually have to go back and inherit the throne.

The dwarf prince also greatly admired Rand.

Many things that were originally unbelievable came to be in Rand's hands.

The dwarf prince was fascinated by many of Rand's theories.

This integrated industrial zone also provided opportunities for the dwarf princes to demonstrate their abilities.

Unfortunately, the limitations of the current era are too great, and many things that the dwarf princes wanted to try are beyond their ability to do.

Led by the dwarf prince, Rand continued onward.

The industrial zone is now capable of mass-producing armor and weapons.

Rand could actually be an arms dealer selling weapons and armor now, but he hasn't done so because he knows very well that the demand for weapons and armor in his territory will soon increase.

Now, however, Rand needs new iron ore.

Rand wants to seize a mineral vein in the Kingdom of Bolen.

Hopefully, the upcoming war will go more smoothly.

After inspecting the territory for some time, he...

Lysa appeared before Rand.

As always, arrogant and aloof.

However, during this meeting, Lysa glanced at Ellie beside Rand a couple of times.

(End of this chapter)