Chapter 364 - 256: The War Has Only Just Begun (Part 2)

Chapter 364: Chapter 256: The War Has Only Just Begun (Part 2)

The entire battle was almost completely one-sided. The enemy’s resistance was negligible; one could even say there was hardly any proper resistance at all.

Bain had originally thought he could shine in this battle. He dreamed of becoming the first of Henry’s men to be granted a fief, all thanks to his outstanding command and valiant fighting.

He was eager to prove his abilities, to make a name for himself on this battlefield, and to solidify his position in the army through a glorious victory.

Just like Henry.

But when the battle truly began, he found there was no use for his plans.

The battle went so smoothly that it even left him feeling a little lost.

He had merely charged with the main force, clashing with the enemy here and there and killing over thirty of them.

’But what does that count for?’ In a battle with virtually no suspense, a performance like this was nowhere near enough to make him stand out.

He looked around and saw only the soldiers of Henry, Boman, and Fass rampaging through the city, crushing the enemy one by one.

At this moment, the city of Odoche had completely descended into chaos and panic.

The defenders’ resistance was utterly shattered. Their soldiers fled in every direction like headless chickens, but there was nowhere to run.

Henry’s army flooded the city like a tide. Wherever they went, defending soldiers fell, and civilians screamed in terror, scrambling to get out of the way.

The clever ones saw that something was wrong. No matter how scared they were, they would hide in their houses rather than risk running about in the streets.

Henry stood before the Earl’s Mansion, its main gate wide open, and nodded. The city of Odoche was now his.

He waved his hand, signaling his soldiers to continue clearing out the remaining enemy forces. At the same time, he sent men to search for important figures in the city, such as the nobility. He wanted to show them just how miserable their fate would be.

As Henry’s orders were passed down, the soldiers charged even more ferociously into every corner of the city.

They stormed the manors of the honorary nobles, capturing the still-panicked aristocrats one by one and dragging them out from their hiding places.

They burst into churches, schools, and other public places, dragging out the enemy soldiers and nobles hiding within.

The entire city of Odoche was submerged in a sea of blood and chaos. The armies of Henry, Boman, and Fass ran rampant within the city walls; in their eyes, there was only slaughter, only victory.

From the very beginning, the outcome of this battle was already decided.

Relying on his formidable strength, Henry had easily breached Odoche’s defenses. The demoralized enemy had crumbled instantly, and his well-trained army trampled the once-impregnable city underfoot.

John, on the other hand, had paid a heavy price for underestimating Henry’s strength.

Boman’s face was stained crimson with blood, and his armor was splattered with it as well. Some of the blood belonged to the enemy, and some came from his own wounds.

He swaggered through the chaotic streets and finally arrived before the Earl’s Mansion.

Henry was standing there with his back to him, watching the soldiers move in and out of the mansion, searching for any possible enemies and spoils of war.

Boman panted heavily, laboriously raising a hand to wipe the blood from his face, revealing a savage expression.

He didn’t look like a father at all. He looked like a butcher.

His voice was hoarse and urgent. "Henry, where is Count John? Have you caught him yet?"

Boman hadn’t heard the roaring cheers of celebration, leading him to guess that John must be in hiding.

’If I could be the one to catch him, that would be a huge sum of Dinars in my pocket.’

Hearing the voice, Henry slowly turned around. His gaze swept over Boman’s face, and he frowned slightly.

He shook his head, his tone tinged with a hint of regret. "Unfortunately, he’s not here."

Boman’s face fell instantly. He stared at Henry. "How is that possible? He’s not here? I just saw the Earl’s Mansion guards still resisting. Did he escape beforehand?"

Henry sighed, his voice laced with helplessness. "I’m not sure. Perhaps he really did just flee without mustering his forces to resist, or perhaps he’s hiding somewhere we haven’t found yet."

"However, the most important thing now is to clean up the remaining forces in the city. Tonight, I will be staying in Odoche."

Boman’s fists clenched tightly. He said, unwilling to accept it, "Then what should we do next? Are we just going to let him go? If he gets away, he’ll be trouble for us later."

Henry was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly. "Don’t worry, Boman. He can’t escape. Even if he’s fled for now, we will find him. The city of Odoche is mine. Now that he’s lost this place, he’s lost his foundation. Where else can he go?"

Boman calmed down a little after hearing Henry’s words.

He took a few deep breaths, letting his hot-bloodedness cool and his reason return. He nodded and said, "You’re right. By losing Odoche, he’s lost his Earl’s Domain, lost his support."

"Still, I think we should find him as soon as possible. We can’t give him any breathing room."

Even a rabbit on the plains knows to dig more than one burrow, let alone a Count.

Among all the nobles, those who could suffer a great fall and still make a comeback were most likely the Counts.

Their resources were unfathomably deep; no one knew just how much wealth they truly possessed.

Henry smiled faintly and patted Boman’s shoulder. "I know how you feel. Don’t worry, I’ve already sent people to search for him. As long as he’s still in this city, we will definitely find him. If he truly has escaped the city, we’ll chase him to the ends of the earth and drag him back."

After hearing Henry’s words, Boman said, "Alright, then we’ll focus on clearing out the remaining forces in the city first."

Henry nodded, then turned and shouted to the soldiers in the mansion, "Keep searching! Don’t miss a single corner! Drag out every last enemy and noble for me!"

Hearing the order, the soldiers immediately quickened their pace, rushing into the mansion’s various rooms and searching every possible hiding place.

Boman lingered for another moment, preparing to go collect a few more heads to meet his quota. Henry didn’t speak, just stood there quietly.

’He actually didn’t care at all whether Count John had escaped. That wasn’t important. What’s important is Odoche. The question is whether, after I move my permanent base and leadership here and get the city running again, I can add a new training ground for my army.’

’Besides, though we’ve won this battle, the real trouble is just beginning.’

’Count John’s power has been destroyed, but this will also sound the alarm for all the nobles of the plains, especially the other Counts.’

’This is no joke. A noble who could conquer a Count’s castle as a mere Baron, and then annex a neighboring Count’s lands right after becoming a Count himself...’

’It’s terrifying. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that everyone will be on edge.’

’When that time comes, it will be a massive war that sweeps across the entire eastern plains, with an unprecedented number of participants and scale. As for who will be the Overlord of the eastern plains... well, we’ll just have to test our strength and see.’

’Of course,’ Henry thought to himself, ’a war like that won’t happen. The emperor won’t just stand by and watch.’

’Would he just watch as the powers of the eastern plains are violently reshuffled, only for it to become my one-man show?’

He waved his hand and said to an officer beside him, "Relay my orders. Strengthen the patrols within the city. At the same time, send men to the nearby cities and villages to search for Count John’s whereabouts."

The officer nodded and immediately turned to relay the command.

Henry turned to Vasco and said, "Let’s go. We’re heading to the central square. That will be our command center. We need to stabilize the situation and restore order as quickly as possible."

Vasco followed Henry toward the city center. The mission was far from over. It would take time to make the city of Odoche truly Henry’s domain and to make its people understand they had a new master.