44 The future
Henry only needed three weeks to retake control of the rest of his kingdom. He had already captured the two most important and well-protected cities, Mirante and Eisenburg, which were the most important places for commerce and for the control of the kingdom. The remaining towns were no match for Henry's army, and their weak walls could be easily breached with a single wave of attack. They didn't even dare to close the gates on the sight of the powerful king's army.
Unfortunately, during their mission to reclaim the territory, the army discovered that four villages had been wiped out during the civil war due to famine, cold, wild animals, or bandit attacks. This loss meant the death of at least ten thousand people, a significant number in the small and sparsely populated Stahl, where immigration was almost non-existent. It meant less mouths to feed, but less hands to work.
Henry was aware that the end of the civil war would bring a brief period of peace, which he needed to use to stabilize the fragile kingdom. He knew that his lands were susceptible to external attacks, and other kingdoms could take advantage of this opportunity to invade.
While the other kingdoms were unlikely to attack the northern areas of Stahl, which bordered to the Frozen Forest, they could still try to gain control of the valuable cold iron mines in the west. To prevent this, Henry had stationed most of his troops on the southern border, the only point of entry for potential attackers.
Stahl, similar to the country of Portugal on Earth, was situated on a peninsula. The Frozen Forest lay to the north, while the western boundary was marked by a mountain range that ran alongside the sea and the east was bathed by the Silver Sea. As a result, the southern region was the only link between Stahl and the rest of the mainland, where the neighboring kingdoms of Aritreia and Luak stood on Henry's path.
Aritreia and Luak, like many other kingdoms in the North, were extremely impoverished, but still slightly wealthier than Stahl, who had its army weakened due to the Civil War. Henry knew that they would stop at nothing to attack and swallow the few Cold Iron Mines he possessed in the West. The only reason they had not attacked yet was that they did not want to be the first to suffer losses. It was much more advantageous to wait until their adversaries were significantly weakened before attempting to attack, as it would yield greater rewards.
This short period of hesitation was precisely what Henry required to fortify his kingdom and strengthen his army, while also developing new ways to attack and defend against the enemies. Probably, they would begin their attacks in a year or two and the kingdom had to be prepared.
To deceive his adversaries, Henry had deployed most of his troops to the southern border, which was the only vulnerable point of entry into his kingdom. This strategy aimed to project an image of strength and firmness, demonstrating that Stahl remained firm despite the betrayal of its nobles and the recent civil war. By creating this illusion, Henry allowed the enemy's imagination to run wild, which could delay the potential attacks by a few weeks or months.
-x-
The sound of Henry's fingers tapping rhythmically against his wooden desk echoed through the empty halls of the castle. Inside his office, the king was studying the hundreds of drawings and words inscribed on the table in front of him.
"This is it!"- Henry exclaimed softly to himself, convinced that the plan before him was precisely what he needed to succeed. With the limited time available to him, he believed that this plan was the key to victory. – "This strategy will be divided into seven steps."
"The first step is to recruit more soldiers and implement a meritocratic system on these lands, guaranteeing that the army will be more achievement oriented. This won't be a problem, since there are a lot of unemployed personnel." – Henry murmured – "Also, I can't wait for the barbarian's next generation, I am going to integrate them now, while forcing discipline and loyalty inside their heads. This part will be hard."
Scratching his head, Henry realized that the solutions to his problems were right in front of him. All he needed was to complete each step patiently and efficiently, all while racing against time, a paradox in itself.
"I must follow Genghis Khan's path." - Henry mused, rising from his seat and walking over to the small window in his office. From there, he gazed down at the bustling capital below, nestled beneath the towering walls of the castle.
"My first step will be to establish a swift, well-trained cavalry capable of launching surprise attacks and executing quick retreats when necessary," - He declared, formulating his plan to achieve victory. – "The other steps will be concluded together with this one."
-x-
One year and a half later…
This chapter marks the end of the second volume of this book, "Recovering the Kingdom". The next volume will finally begin, "Conquering the North". It will probably be one of the longest volumes in this book.
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