Chapter 472: Nightwing Fortress

"The Latin pirates are already making trouble in Split Rock, goodness me!"

At Brambleford military camp, the higher-ups, including Benjamin, grew visibly excited upon hearing that the situation in Split Rock main island had been taken over by the Latin pirates.

Lancelot shouted, "My Lord, what are we waiting for? Let’s move out and attack them right now! I’ve been so bored these past six months. Doing nothing else but sleep, eat, have some fun and train every blessed day!"

"Without day-after-day training, how can soldiers win battles? You’re too impatient right now, Benjamin scolded Lancelot.

Scratching the back of his head, Lancelot chuckled sheepishly with a slightly narrowed eye.

Then he added, "My Lord, the Dutch may not be trustworthy, and Split Rock is unfamiliar to us. Launching a distant expedition without caution could be dangerous to our health."

"Exactly what I was thinking. That’s why I’ve ordered the secret guards to gather intelligence first, before we do anything. If Split Rock has really fallen into the hands of the Latin pirates, then we must support the Dutch by any means available. Doing so would make us their only ally in the Eastern part," Simon said.

Liam added, "My Lord, whether it’s the Dutch or the trouble-making Latin pirates, if they block our way, we eliminate them by all means. The munitions workshop just delivered 24 field cannons to the artillery unit. We have everything we need for a war."

"Twenty-four field cannons?" Simon asked.

When field cannons were being produced, Simon had ordered Bjorn to deliver them directly to the military. Apparently, that delivery had just been completed.

"Twelve are six-pound light cannons, the rest are twelve-pound siege cannons," Liam stated.

Simon nodded. The Brambleford army was now fully equipped with firearms. The 20,000-strong force had completed its firearm modernisation.

Along with the newly delivered field cannons, they also had the Monkingo Honour cannons. The army’s next task would be to help equip and train the other local forces with firearms.

"Since that’s the case, you must be prepared. Unlike fighting the northern tribes, the pirates in Split Rock are equipped with matchlock guns. You’ll likely face gun-on-gun combat, no less," Prince Simon clarified.

"Yes, My Lord! We are ready for war at any time!" the higher-ups shouted in unison.

Before leaving, Prince Simon inspected the field cannons delivered by Bjorn. These cannons were nearly identical to those used by the Dutch—mounted on wheeled carriages and easily pulled by horses.

"My Lord, the Brambleford army now has six hundred war wagons. That’s enough to support the march of thirty thousand troops, any day," Benjamin said excitedly. He believed these wagons were the key to dealing with the northern tribes when the time came.

Bjorn rubbed his hands together as he licked his lips greedily.

With this many war wagons, they could build fortress lines across the grasslands—exactly the strategy Prince Simon had planned for defending against the tribes.

"Once we take Split Rock, we’ll head into the grasslands and build our first star-shaped fortress. We’ll call it Nightwing Fortress," Prince Simon declared. He was done with passive defence. It was time to construct a chain of fortresses to push back and contain the enemy.

Sometimes, the best defence is also a strong offence. Keeping the enemy outside the border was the true path. With the northern tribes stirring again, he wouldn’t give them the chance they had in Preston like last time.

For the Eldorian Empire generals, the tribes had always been the empire’s greatest threat. That fact had never changed.

With Prince Simon’s promise, Benjamin grinned. The Brambleford army had endured tough training in hopes of one day crushing the threat from the north.

After discussing plans to reform the armies in Westham and Ashenford first, Simon returned to his royal castle.

On the third day, the secret guard’s intelligence arrived in Brambleford. Richard appeared at the royal castle immediately.

He bowed. "My Lord, it seems the Dutch were telling nothing but the truth. The pirates have indeed attacked them. Over 300 Dutch soldiers were killed at Fort Zeelandia. The Red Wolves pirates now occupy the opposing fortress and are getting constant reinforcements. It looks like they plan to take control of Fort Zeelandia too," Richard said gravely.

Upon hearing this report, Simon suddenly laughed. "These Dutch have truly trapped themselves. The Latinos are like an untrainable dog—now that it’s bitten them, they’ll finally learn a hard lesson for themselves.

"My Lord, you seem... pleased about this?" Richard asked, with confusion displayed on his face.

"It’s really simple," with a wave of his hand, Simon explained. "The Dutch have been trading with the Latins for a long time. Now that they have attacked them, the Dutch will no longer trust them. That means we’ll become their only trade partner. Isn’t that a good thing?"

"Hmm..., it made sense now that I look at it, yes," Richard said, as he rested a hand under his chin looking thoughtful.

After a brief pause, Simon instructed, "Keep an eye out at Split Rock and the Latin pirates’ movements. Report to me immediately when anything out of the ordinary takes place."

"Yes, My Lord."

Once Richard left, Prince Simon officially ordered Benjamin to send troops to Ashenford immediately and prepare for the Split Rock campaign. The Red Wolves Pirates had long been a headache for the Eldorian Empire—since they were pirates, this campaign could rightfully be called a suppression of bandits.

After receiving the order, Benjamin assigned Lancelot and Liam to lead 10,000 troops under the prince’s command for the Split Rock campaign.

Prince Simon was pleased with the arrangement. Among all his higher-ups, these two were top-notch. In war, good leadership reduces casualties.

Alonso was still waiting anxiously in Ashenford. Once the army was gathered, Prince Simon led half of the Brambleford troops marching toward Ashenford City.

A few days later, Prince Simon arrived in Ashenford and saw Alonso, who looked like an ant on a hot pan.

"Prince Simon, please help us save Fort Zeelandia. We are allies now, please lend your aid in this critical moment!" Alonso pleaded, grief-stricken.

Alonso was a mess. His clothes dishevelled, his face haggard, his expression filled with desperation. He was no longer the arrogant man he once was. They finally understood how vulnerable they were in the Eastern part.

"Ambassador Alonso, calm down. I’ve already learned about the situation. But I’ll need you to give us more details," Simon replied.

As Brambleford troops entered the city in neat arranged formation, dressed in uniform and carrying flintlock rifles, followed by horse-drawn field cannons, Alonso’s anxiety gradually calmed down.

A glimmer of hope rose in his heart. He believed that while the Brambleford army might not be superior to the Dutch, they definitely outclassed the Red Wolves pirates in equipment.

And in numbers, they were sufficient to face the pirates head-on.

"First, three thousand mercenaries attacked Fort Zeelandia. Then five thousand pirates landed on the Split Rock main island and seized Blackthorn Fortress. More pirates keep arriving by sea—it’s like all the pirates within the Latin camping were all coming!" Alonso said anxiously.

Hearing this, Prince Simon frowned. "So this matter is more serious than I thought. There are far more Latin pirates out there."