Chapter 316: Strikeback begins (3)

“We’ll have some breakfast and rest before we start advancing towards Dentrion. But we will advance slowly.”

“Huh? Why don’t we just raze them while we are at it?”

Rex was confused. They had just wiped out the enemies who were stationed at the frontmost of the battlefield. That shock was sure to affect the morale of the entire Dentrion force. Furthermore, the Dentrion Kingdom had also sent a large amount of war supplies, which would be hard for them to continue the war without it. So it was hard to understand why they were going to move slowly.

“It’s Chancellor Jackson’s order.”

“Huh? Since when did the Chancellor handle this? Aren’t our commanders supposed to be the ones planning the war?”

Rex frowned. Henderson laughed as Rex’s reaction was typical amongst many soldiers.

“He doesn’t want to end it by just fighting back.”

Rex became confused so Henderson continued.

“The Chancellor is planning to annex Dentrion and the other kingdoms that are attacking us right now. We promised peace with them as our Emperor married their princesses, but the Chancellor is thinking that it’s about time we move on to the next step.”

“Next step? You mean..”

“We will conquer the world.”

“Is-is that true?”

“Yeah. If the Emperor were here, he might not have wanted this but the Chancellor is a cold-hearted man. Anyway, that’s why we have to take it slow. We can’t just raze them down and claim them as our own. There are necessary steps we have to take.”

“I see.”

“Fire the cannons!”

Hundreds of cannons roared as they fired. Thick smoke and the smell of gunpowder filled the battlefield. As cannons were fired, the walls crumbled with every shot.

“Dammit, those bastards are not even resting!”

After a long while since the announcement to allow for surrender, the cannon fire began. Soldiers who first scoffed at the announcement were now thoroughly terrified. They were even wishing that the Khalodian Empire would call for their surrender again.

The fortress walls crumbled like sand as the soldiers trembled in fear.

-Surrender! Surrender! Place your hands over your head and come out! If we start our next attack, we will no longer stop. Surrender now! This is your last chance to return to your family safely!

The cannon fire stopped and an announcement was heard. One of the trembling soldiers got up. Shakily, he crossed over the crumbled walls, his hands raised.

“Y-you! How dare you even… UGH!”

The noble who tried to yell at that soldier suddenly had an arrow sticking out of his neck out of nowhere. With that, more Dentrion soldiers began to run out and surrender.

“Captain Glockson. This is amazing.”

“Yeah. Fear trumps all.”

“Those mortars played a big role.”

“I know. We don’t even need regular cannons anymore.”

The battle was over as soon as it started. It was simple but effective. The Khalodian Empire had triumphed over one hundred and forty thousand Dentrion troops with ease. The sixty thousand remaining troops quickly retreated back to their capital.

-We will advance slowly and take over the land of Dentrion. Save as many as people we can along the way. The people in this kingdom will soon be our people of the Empire. Feed them and help them as much as you can!

With that, the Empire Army slowed to a crawl advancing into the Dentrion Kingdom. Most nobles and commoners heard false rumors about the Empire gathered in the capital. But with such a huge number of people amassing in the capital, the capital of Dentrion Kingdom soon became a living hell.

The crime rate sharply increased and many people suffered from hunger. Soon, commoners began raiding the city to steal food, while soldiers guarded the houses of nobles. As a result, soldiers were sent to kill the raiding commoners.

With dead bodies piling up in the streets, plagues began to spread throughout the city. Without any potions available to commoners, more people began to die.

Within a year, Dentrion’s capital was completely surrounded by Khalodian forces. The Dentrion Kingdom sent many diplomats to negotiate for surrender, but the Khalodian Empire responded coldly.

-We want all royals of the Kingdom to be executed. We also want all the nobles involved in the war to be put to death. The Khalodian Empire wants their blood if we are to even sit down and negotiate.

That was Chancellor Jackson’s demand. Obviously, there were no royals who wanted to comply. However, six months later, an uprising put an end to their reign. The Dentrion Army revolted against the royal family and nobles and killed them all. And that put an end to the war that lasted a year and six months.

With over a hundred and fifty thousand people dying from hunger and disease, Dentrion’s capital was a living hell and the rumor spread quickly throughout the land about Chancellor Jackson — he was a real demon.

End of Chapter