Divine Kingship

Chapter 568 What is a speed racing competition?
The manor where Marcus lived was naturally the secret manor of the Thorn family.

Apart from the core members of the Thorn Family, no one would know about this place.

At this moment, two guards in blue uniforms were wiping the relief on the gatepost with deerskin, and the amethyst ball on the thorn relief was polished until it shone.

The rose maze in the south courtyard was trimmed with sharp angles, and deep red dragon blood roses and creamy moonlight roses intertwined to form an archway. Three gardeners were using silver shears to trim the excess branches.

Marcus was enjoying his tea on the second floor of the main building behind the courtyard.

In terms of sheer luxury, Naland's resort cannot compare to the Thorn family's heritage.

The Thorn family, as a long-established ducal family, is not only influential within the Frostmoon Kingdom.

The Thorn family owns at least seven or eight such luxurious estates, far exceeding Rand's wildest expectations.

However, Marcus not only quite liked the secluded manor, but also the lively resort.

Marcus liked the tranquility here, but that didn't mean he disliked the resort's somewhat cheap entertainment compared to his noble status.

Whether something is cheap or not is completely irrelevant to someone like Marcus.

Even if Marcus were dressed in the kind of linen clothes that villagers wear, no one would think that Marcus was poor or had low taste.

This is similar to how RAND no longer needs to prove its military capabilities.

Therefore, Marcus is also very interested in novel and interesting things.

"Has Rand replied?" At this moment, Marcus was of course in no mood to appreciate the magnificent scenery of this tranquil manor.

When they learned that Rand had breached all of Bolen's defenses except for the royal city in such a short time.

Marcus's leisurely life of slacking off was clearly about to come to an abrupt end.

Now Marcus had to anxiously await Rand's reply.

"Not yet, Your Majesty," the intelligence officer replied helplessly.

He had served Marcus, this always shrewd and calculating man, for a long time.

The last time I saw Marcus in such a hurry was during the first civil war within the Frostmoon Kingdom.

At other times, however, His Majesty Marcus always managed to remain calm.

And today, Lord Marcus is in such a hurry again.

Indeed, when he, the intelligence officer, learned of these things, he was completely stunned and had to verify them several times before he dared to come and report.

"Has Rand replied?" Marcus asked again not long after.

Just as the intelligence officer was about to reply again, a magical carrier pigeon flew through the ivy-covered porch and over the decorative armor beside the marble steps.

We arrived at the main building of this manor.

The exterior walls of the reddish-brown sandstone main building are also covered with ivy, and velvet curtains hang from each diamond-shaped window frame. The oak-clad copper doors of the main entrance are half-open, and apprentices can be seen wiping the armor on both sides of the spiral stone steps—the armor of their ancestors has been greased and maintained.

Ascend the spiral stone steps to the second floor, and then walk through the violet corridor bathed in the dappled light reflected from the stained glass windows, and you'll find Marcus's place.

Marcus, of course, also noticed the magic carrier pigeon.

He didn't have the patience to wait for the intelligence officer to check the letter, so he went straight over and took the letter from under the magic carrier pigeon's claw.

Then, under the watchful eyes of the guards, open the letter—the letters from magic carrier pigeons can also be poisoned or have magical traps set, but intercepting a magic carrier pigeon and doing these things is extremely difficult.

There was nothing wrong with the letter.

Marcus opened the letter and saw Rand's family crest: ears of wheat and a sword and shield.

Marcus quickly ripped open the lacquered seal and opened the letter.

The letter contained crooked handwriting; in short, it was Rand's handwritten reply.

To be honest, Rand's handwritten reply showed that he valued it, but Marcus, a very refined person with a strong family tradition, was quite disgusted by Rand's ugly handwriting.

When Marcus first met Rand, he knew that Rand's handwriting was terrible. Marcus also knew that Rand practiced his handwriting often, but so far Rand's handwriting has not improved at all.

I wonder how far Rand has progressed in his calligraphy practice.

At least I can understand it.

Marcus squinted as he read the letter.

RAND's letter was very detailed, containing all the strategic deployment information; RAND had nothing to hide.

Everything was written out and explained.

In short, it's about having the right timing, location, and people, and launching a two-pronged offensive using both psychological and physical means.

Marcus was able to understand the content related to these strategic deployments.

Marcus was quite knowledgeable about military matters, but he preferred to be a hands-off leader and rarely led troops personally.

But I couldn't understand some of it as I read on.

What does it mean when the enemy's command is in complete disarray and they collapse as soon as they make contact?
What does it mean when the enemy goes out to fight a decisive battle, but in the process of fleeing, they don't even have time to close the city gates, and the city gates are seized and the city is breached?

What does it mean when the enemy's arrows are so weak that they cannot penetrate one's own armor?

What does it mean when an enemy mage reacts too slowly and is destroyed by friendly arrows and magic before they can even begin casting a spell?

What does it mean that the enemy's city walls were dilapidated and collapsed in a short time by our own siege equipment?
What does it mean when one side holds a speed race on enemy territory in order to compete for merit?
If the previous military deployments seem reasonable and the logic behind them is understandable.

The subsequent battle reports were completely illogical and bizarre.

Marcus didn't think Rand was just giving him the runaround. He knew the battle reports would reach him soon after the "resurrection," and besides, the Thorn family had actually participated in the war, so it was impossible for Rand to falsify the reports.

But to convince Marcus that these battle reports were true...

Does Marcus feel like he's wasted his life at this age?
Could it be that the world is not the same as the one I used to live in, but a completely different world that I have never seen before?
"Damn it, what the hell? Forget it, prepare the horses," Marcus ordered.

Before receiving the letter, Marcus still had some wishful thinking.

It seems his time to slack off is truly coming to an end. Now he must head to the Duchy of the Moon to confirm the situation.

And to handle the follow-up matters concerning the Kingdom of Bolun.

These were all military issues, and he could have simply handed them over to RAND without thinking.

However, the military issues were resolved by RAND too quickly.

This resulted in even more political problems being left behind.

In fact, Marcus felt that Rand was perfectly capable of handling political issues.

However, Rand was only a newly appointed duke. Although his abilities were convincing, he lacked sufficient seniority.

If Rand were to come... Marcus still believed that Rand could handle it, but Marcus was very worried that Rand would follow his example and pretend to be dead or disappear.

That put Marcus in a difficult position. So, realizing the situation had reached this point, he had no choice but to "resurrect" and return to the scene.

And the capital of the Kingdom of Bolun has not yet been conquered.

There's also the issue of the Bolen Kingdom's navy that needs to be addressed. If he comes out to help now, it will prevent Rand from harboring too much resentment.

"Sigh." Marcus sighed. His original six-month vacation had been shortened to one month, which was hard for him to accept. Although it was good that the war would end soon, it was not good for Marcus's mental health.

……

And at this point, Rand finally stopped overseeing everything from the resort.

Rand's decision to stay at the resort instead of going to the front lines was also a misconception given to the Kingdom of Bolen.

This led them to believe that the attack would only begin once Rand himself arrived and the entire army was assembled.

But now that all the tactics have succeeded, and the siege will not be easy, there is no need for Rand to put all the burden on Tanl.

Rand will personally participate in the siege of the Kingdom of Bolen.

Just as Marcus was concerned about how to deal with the Kingdom of Bolen, Rand was equally concerned about this.

Although the army of the Kingdom of Bolun was indeed vulnerable.

But at least for now, the Kingdom of Bolun has shown no intention of surrendering.

As for why the army at the front line was defeated so suddenly and quickly, the Kingdom of Bolun still did not have the idea of ​​surrendering.

That's because the nobles and royalty of the Kingdom of Bolun were well aware that this attack by the Frostmoon Kingdom on the Kingdom of Bolun was not a casual war of plunder or a battle for a few pieces of land.

This is a real war between nations, and a war of annihilation with a resolute determination to destroy a nation.

Under these circumstances, Rand was unlikely to allow the Kingdom of Bolen to surrender.

No matter how many promises the Kingdom of Bolen makes or how much it is willing to give, it will still be the same no matter how tempting Rand is.

Because at this point, it's no longer just about Rand alone; it's now a matter for the entire Frostmoon Kingdom.

In this incident, Rand's identity to the Kingdom of Bolen was no longer that of the Duke of the Moon Phase, but rather that of the King's Hand of the Frostmoon Kingdom.

If Rand's identity is that of the Duke of the Moon, then Rand can do whatever he wants with the affairs of the Kingdom of Bolen, whether it is to seize land, plunder people, or coexist peacefully.

Rand has absolute sovereignty over the lands of his Moon Phase Duchy, and he can do whatever he wants with them. This is one of the reasons why Rand was reluctant to let the situation develop to its current state in the past.

If Rand is the King's Hand, then he represents the interests of all the nobles and royalty of the Frostmoon Kingdom.

Before the war began, the nobles and the royal family all declared that they were determined to give their full support to the war.

Then, when the war began, the nobles and royalty of the Frostmoon Kingdom truly contributed real money, food, and military strength.

Without the support of the nobles and royal family of the Frostmoon Kingdom, Rand would not have had the confidence and military strength to carry out such a military operation.

Therefore, Rand did not attribute all the credit for this war to himself; he highly valued and acknowledged the support of the nobles and royal family of the Frostmoon Kingdom.

Here, it's worth mentioning the issue of the royal family of Frostmoon Kingdom. Marcus doesn't actually represent the royal family completely; he's more of a member of the Thorn family. However, the direct bloodline of the royal family is all in the Land territory. Therefore, under these circumstances, the royal family naturally has no choice but to support this war.

In short, the nobles of the Frostmoon Kingdom are now all thinking about dividing up the Bolen Kingdom.

It was impossible for Rand to go against the will of all the nobles and accept the surrender of the Kingdom of Bologna.

The people of the Kingdom of Bolun are clearly aware of this, so it is certain that they will put up a desperate resistance.

If the kingdom is destroyed, the Frostmoon Kingdom will obviously greedily devour the entire Bolun Kingdom.

Their long-standing family lineage will be destroyed, their family crests will be crushed, and they will never again possess the status of nobility.

They might be slaughtered, or they might become no different from the lowly villagers.

This is something that no nobleman could accept.

Rand has arrived at the military camp not far from the capital of the Kingdom of Bolen.

The first thing Rand saw was Tanl, whose eyes were already bloodshot. It was clear that even Tanl, with his top-level physical condition, was not able to withstand commanding the battle for such a long time.

Rand and Tanl hugged: "Thank you for your hard work."

Tanl just grinned as usual. Tanl always had such a calm and composed demeanor. Although his eyes were bloodshot, Tanl seemed to be in a very excited state of mind.

Commanding such an unprecedented battle might excite all commanders as much as Tanl.
"How is the situation now?" Rand asked Tanl.

"As you expected, the resistance from the forces of the Kingdom of Bolen is extremely fierce." Tanl's voice was as somber as ever.

Tanl, as a general of the Sanctuary, has been following Rand for many years.

Even now, Tanl is still not used to referring to his side as a Sanctuary Force rather than a base.

Tanl is no longer too worried about his mole identity being discovered.

In fact, Tanl did not want to be a traitor. He wanted to truly join the Holy Land's forces, and the Torch Goddess would surely forgive him.

He knew very well that what he had done was irreversible; he could fool anyone but himself.

Therefore, he had no choice but to bear the identity of a mole and continue like this.

Moreover, he is not without flaws.

If we analyze Tanl's past behavior, it's possible to conclude that Tanl was actually a mole, rather than someone who genuinely wanted to join the Sanctuary's forces.

At least that was the case back then.

The capital city of the Kingdom of Bolun was a city that was difficult to besiege.

Because a significant portion of this royal city is located on the coast.

The Kingdom of Bolun can use its fleet at sea to transport supplies, and can even use the fleet's firepower to assist in the city's defense.

This made the royal city impregnable and difficult to conquer.

Although the nobles and royalty of the Kingdom of Bolun probably never imagined they would face a siege under these circumstances.

Now they finally understood the situation from the jumbled and scattered messages.

Although they do not understand why the current situation has occurred.

But they knew that if they couldn't defend the capital, they would die.

This is a bit tricky for Rand, as the warriors and knights of the Kingdom of Bolen are not weak.

When Rand fought against the knights of the Kingdom of Bolen, he faced a relentless battle to the death.

Conversely, while the nobles of the Kingdom of Bolen may have had weaknesses, the current situation no longer allows them to be weak.

“Then let’s press on step by step.” Rand narrowed his eyes. “There is no city in this world that cannot be conquered.”

(End of this chapter)