I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 370 Everyone has a bright future

Inside the temporary royal council chamber of Jinsui City, the air was as heavy as lead.

Charles sat on the throne, his usually meticulously styled hair now disheveled, and the dark circles under his eyes a testament to the torment of sleepless nights.

Each urgent report describing the loss of his homeland and the burning of his towns was like a cold dagger, stabbing at his last remaining pride and reason.

The nobles, especially those from the west and north whose family territories and wealth were being trampled and burned by the Reteria cavalry, could no longer contain their anger and fear.

"Your Majesty! We must act!"

An earl from the North, whose family fiefdom was near the Blue River crossing, was almost roaring, his voice trembling with rage.

“My land and my people are being slaughtered. My granaries and my workshops have been reduced to ashes. We are not warriors, but cowards. We are cowards who sit here and watch the kingdom bleed to death!”

"Calm down, Earl!"

An elderly privy councilor attempted to maintain order.

"Golden Harvest City is now the gateway to the kingdom. Once it falls, the Retalians will be able to march straight into 'Treasure Island'!"

"Portal?"

Another marquis from the west coast sneered, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Take a look at the map, sir!"
The demon cavalry of Reteria have no need for Golden Harvest City. They are ravaging the north and west of the kingdom like locusts. With Port Omdul destroyed, who will be their next target?

The workshop district outside Suvano has been completely reduced to ruins.
The Retalians are now bypassing the foothills of the Naxi Mountains and threatening the northwestern hilly region of the island. We are defending this place, but we are only holding onto a lonely city, while the entire kingdom is being torn apart piece by piece by them!

How long can the city's food supply last?
A month? Two months? By then, we'll starve to death even before the enemy attacks!

King Charles closed his eyes in anguish.

The nobles' quarrels pierced his mind like awls, and his proud navy was now powerless, only able to futilely bombard the coastline.

His main army force was pinned down in Goldshoe City, with the Bagnian Tigers entrenched in front, and the Reteria wolves tearing at his homeland from his flanks and rear.

The nobles' anger was real, but their fear was even more deadly.

If they continue to hold their ground, the army will collapse sooner or later. What's even more frightening is how long the loyalty of the nobles who have lost their territorial foundation can be maintained.
Once the seeds of internal strife are sown, the kingdom will be doomed.

"enough!"

Charles suddenly opened his eyes, his voice hoarse but carrying an undeniable determination. The argument stopped abruptly, and all eyes were on him.

"Send the order!"

The king's voice echoed in the deathly silent hall.

"The entire army... is preparing to evacuate Jinsui City."

A cold laugh suddenly broke out in the hall, followed by suppressed whispers and complaints... "Why didn't they do something earlier?!"

"Target: Port Omdour!"

Charles continued, ignoring the whispers below, his finger tapping heavily on the map of the port city that had just been ravaged.

The order was issued swiftly, and within Golden Harvest City, the Minisian army began the most chaotic and tense preparations before their retreat.

The soldiers were removed from the city walls, their belongings packed up, and cumbersome weapons and some of their stored food destroyed to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.

The nobles' private soldiers were even more eager, many of them longing to return home and leave this death trap as soon as possible, to their eastern territories that might not yet be completely destroyed, or to seek refuge on the island of Taiwan.

However, the retreat was fraught with the shadow of failure from the very beginning.

The biggest hidden danger comes from King Charles's deep-seated hesitation and distrust.

He wanted to preserve his main force, but he couldn't completely relinquish his obsession with the gateway status of Jinshui City, and he was also full of doubts about the noble forces in the east who had not yet made a clear statement.

This conflicting mindset led to a fatal decision... to split up the forces.

He entrusted his main force, including a portion of the royal elite and a relatively complete legion of noble infantry, to a trusted confidant known for his prudence, Norton Peril, and ordered him to travel as quickly as possible along a relatively safe route close to the coastline to Omdour, where he would be responsible for rebuilding the defenses and reopening the sea lifeline.

He himself, along with the most elite royal guards, remnants of the dragoons, and a rapid-mobility force composed of private armies of nobles whose loyalty was questionable but whose territories were mainly in the east, chose another route... a path that attempted to "take it all in."

He planned to make a brief feint to the north to try to attract or contain some of the Retalian cavalry that were rampaging in the north, thus relieving some of the pressure on the western lords. However, this was more of a political gesture and would not help militarily.

Charles then led his army eastward, quickly heading to Omdour to join the main force.

He naively believed that with this elite mobile force, he could create a time difference, demonstrating "the king's responsibility" while quickly escaping.

This decision was exactly what Seba wanted.

As the Minisian army began its large-scale mobilization, and scouts frequented Golden Harvest City like a swarm of disturbed bees, the cold curve of Seba's lips on the watchtower of the Retelia camp finally transformed into a genuine smile.

He put down his monocular telescope and said to his adjutant beside him:

"Look, the chickens in the cage have finally decided to break out of the chicken farm."

Unfortunately, they forgot that outside, besides the foxes waiting to collect the eggs, there was also... a butcher with a sharpened knife.

He turned around, and his voice suddenly became sharp and clear, echoing throughout the entire watchtower.

"Lieutenant, issue an order to the entire army to proceed with the harvest plan!"

Our objective is to cover all passages to the east and north of Jinshui City. Remember, our primary objective is not to attack the city, but to pursue and annihilate the Miniese forces, driving them towards our sharpened blades like sheep.

Especially the Miniese troops moving north... keep a close watch on them, don't let them escape easily!

The Reteria military camp instantly erupted in excitement.

The pent-up fighting spirit of many days erupted like a volcano. Soldiers quickly donned their armor, warhorses neighed, and the clanging of swords being drawn filled the air.

The trap that Seba had meticulously set was activated the moment the Minisians decided to retreat.

The disaster in Minicia was already destined in the first rays of dawn as they evacuated from Golden Harvest City.

King Charles's "Rapid Mobility Force" had barely traveled twenty miles north of the city when it was harassed by the Retalian light cavalry like leeches.

The precise surprise attacks by small units, along with the volleys of arrows, constantly slowed their progress.

The king's feigned northward movement was seen as child's play by Seba.

Soon, even worse news arrived: a thousand-strong cavalry unit from Retalia, which was "retrieving food" nearby, pounced on this "fat meat" of Minisia without hesitation after spotting it, like sharks smelling blood.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Minisian army, which was retreating along the coastline, was horrified to discover that the main force of the Reteria army was not holding their camps, but rather had occupied the strategic high ground and water sources along the way as if they had known their route in advance, and laid out a tight blocking line!
What they envisioned as a "relatively safe" passage turned into a deadly path fraught with danger at every turn.

King Charles's "two-pronged" approach has turned into a dead end where he loses out on both fronts.

His northward-bound troops were entangled by the Retelians and fiercely pursued by the Retelian cavalry, resulting in a bitter battle and heavy casualties. The route to turn back east was completely blocked.

Meanwhile, the main force retreating to Omdur was unable to make any progress under the relentless attacks of the Reteria army. Every step forward came at a bloody cost, and morale collapsed at a visible speed.

The abandonment of Golden Harvest City did not bring about a chance for survival; instead, it set the stage for the division, encirclement, and eventual destruction of the main field army of the Kingdom of Minicia in the process of moving through the battlefield.

King Charles's hesitation in trying to preserve everything ultimately cost everything. The ruined outline of Port Omdour would become, for most of the Minisian soldiers, a bloodstained phantom that would never be reached.

With the Golden Harvest army no longer holding them back, the iron hooves of Leteria will rampage across the land of Minicia with even greater impunity.

What did the Bagnia Defense Force and Chris do during this process?
Chris did only one thing: he sent the players out and gave them complete freedom of action, except that they couldn't actively attack the Leterian army.

Meanwhile, the Bagnia Kingdom's defense forces remained in their camp, lying in wait. There was no other way; lacking cavalry, Chris was now like the Song Dynasty of old. While they had the advantage of heavy infantry and could win by lying in wait, engaging in open battle against an enemy with a superior cavalry force was simply suicidal.

Therefore, Chris dared not send out the main force.

In this way, even if the Leterians had malicious intentions and wanted to devour the Bagnians, they could at most bite into the players—hard bones with little meat.

Because there were no cavalry units, Chris was destined to be unable to participate in the Reteria's reaping of the Minesians, and even if they started fighting, the defense forces wouldn't even have the right to watch from the sidelines.

My legs are too short to catch up.

This is why Chris is so determined to extort warhorses from the Reteria, and because of the Nitrogen Fields trade, he has sent messengers to demand that Seba deliver at least 1,200 mares and 1,200 uncastrated stallions when he delivers the warhorses.

In this way, the future Kingdom of Bagnia will be able to use these 2,400 horse breeds to establish a large horse farm, thus having its own source of warhorses in the future.

……

"Charles still ran away?"
"What a pity, we almost captured a king."

Seba, inside the military tent, was surprised to hear this news. He sighed with regret and then turned to look at Peren beside him.

What are the latest developments of the Bagnians?

"No, Your Highness. Their main force is still in the camp and hasn't gone out. As for the smaller forces... two smaller forces under different banners went to Omdur and occupied the port."

"This is not a big deal. It's time for us to gather our troops, complete the saltpeter field deal with Bagnia, and then return to Reteria."

Seba nodded.

"After looting for more than a month, the nobles should be satisfied."

No sooner had Seba finished speaking than a travel-worn knight, dressed in a robe with the distinctive coat of arms of a royal messenger, strode into the military tent, led by guards, without being announced.

The knight knelt on one knee, respectfully presenting a sealed letterbox bearing the golden eagle emblem of the Reteria Empire with both hands, his voice hoarse from the long journey.

"Your Highness, a urgent message from His Majesty the Emperor!"

The relaxed atmosphere inside the tent vanished instantly.

Peren immediately stepped forward, took the letter, checked that the seal was correct, and quickly presented it to Seba.

Seba's eyes sharpened. He took the letter tube, skillfully used a knife to pry open the sealing wax seal, and pulled out the thin letter paper inside.

The letter was unusually concise, written in the emperor's distinctive and unquestionable handwriting.

Seba:

The news of Omdour has been received.

The benefits of saltpeter fields far surpass those of fertile land thousands of miles away.

Return home quickly after the cleanup.

--father
Seba stared at those three short lines for a long time.

For once, a genuine, relieved smile appeared on his face, a face that usually carried a cold, calculating or mocking expression.

"Your Highness?"

Peren carefully observed Seba's expression and tentatively asked, for he had never seen Prince Seba show such a relaxed and even slightly pleased expression because of a letter.

Seba handed the letter to Peren, who quickly glanced at it, his face immediately filled with immense surprise and admiration.

"Your Majesty is wise, and Your Highness is divinely inspired!"

Peren whispered excitedly.

"Your Majesty truly understands everything. The salt fields are the true lifeblood of the empire. Your Highness's efforts to overcome all opposition and facilitate this deal are truly an unparalleled achievement!"

His gaze toward Seba was filled with fervor.

His Majesty the Emperor's approval is undoubtedly the highest praise for Seba's decision to launch this southern expedition.

Peren knew very well how much pressure Seba had faced when he gave up the easy gains of the siege and the land that the nobles desired more, in order to choose a seemingly "loss-making" technology trade.

Now, all this foresight and forbearance has been affirmed by the highest will of the empire.

Seba stood up, walked to the hanging map, and gently stroked his finger in the direction of the Bagnian military camp, finally stopping at the areas marked with nitrate deposits.

The emperor's letter was not only an endorsement, but also cleared all obstacles for his subsequent actions.

"Send the order to all the nobles."

Seba's voice regained its usual calmness, but the ease and certainty within it lingered.

"The entire army shall immediately cease all looting activities. All units shall quickly regroup, inventory the spoils of war, treat the wounded, repair equipment, and prepare to break camp."

He paused, his gaze drifting towards the direction of Golden Harvest City, where only the symbolic Reteria flag remained to flutter.

"Notify the troops stationed in Golden Harvest City to symbolically leave behind the Imperial flag. There is no need for them to stay behind. Everyone should retreat with the main force. This city is now of no value to us."

Then, his gaze turned to the Bagnya military camp.

“Send an official envoy, carrying my seal, to the Bagnia military camp to meet with Chris.” Seba’s tone carried a hint of bureaucratic detachment.

"Inform him that the Retalia Empire is keeping its promise and that our army will begin its withdrawal in three days as agreed, delivering the warhorses in batches. Ask him to be prepared to hand over the hostages and related technology of the saltpeter field at the agreed time and place."

Tell him that our technical personnel are en route and will arrive soon to handle the technology transfer.

Peren quickly jotted down the orders, his face beaming with excitement.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Your Majesty is wise. With the gunpowder fields in hand, the Empire's gunpowder production will double. In time, the remnants of Bagnia and Minisia will be reduced to dust under the roar of our Empire's cannons!

Your Highness's achievement will benefit generations to come!

Seba ignored Peren's compliments and walked to the tent entrance, lifting the curtain.

Outside, the Reteria military camp was already stirring with the arrival of the emperor's messenger. Although the soldiers were unaware of the reason, they could sense the change in the atmosphere at the top.

In the distance, the Bagnya military camp still stood like a silent behemoth.

"Saltfield..."

Seba repeated the two words in a low voice, a cold satisfaction curving his lips.

He lowered the curtain, turned around and walked back into the tent to begin planning the specific evacuation and handover procedures.

After unleashing a devastating storm on the land of Minicia, the iron cavalry of the Retalia Empire is about to depart in an orderly fashion, carrying with them rich spoils and a technology that could reshape the power structure of the continent.

It left behind a devastated and collapsing Minicia.

After this battle, the Kingdom of Bagnia will have its own horse farms and a stable source of warhorses, while the Reteria Empire will have saltpeter fields, thus gaining access to the firearms era.

Only the Kingdom of Minicia suffered a severe beating; its territory was ravaged by war, and it lost at least three border provinces.

(End of this chapter)