NovelOnline Chapter 566: I Have Been Waiting for You!
Chapter 566: I Have Been Waiting for You!
Since they cannot pull outsiders into the war, then unless they make up their minds to pay a terrible price, they can only surround and trap Peace Haven.In truth, that is also a good method. After all, Peace Haven rose through trade.
The reason Peace Haven can maintain such a large military force right now is the vast wealth it earns through commerce.
The three sides can seal off Peace Haven's external routes together and lock down its trade development.
That is not difficult for them, and it is much safer.
The only problem is that it may take a very long time, and too many variables exist.
For example, one side may break the agreement, or one side's regime may change, and the new successor's policies may shift.
Any of those could cause the blockade against Peace Haven to fail.
In addition, Peace Haven has its own trade system, one capable of penetrating outward.
Finally, and most importantly, as long as Henwell is alive and Peace Haven's goods remain competitive, he will have a way to pry open the trade barriers of other countries.
If all else fails, Peace Haven still has the Vorry Kingdom and the Billie Kingdom as markets.
Although the trade volume would drop sharply, it would still be enough to maintain Peace Haven's development.
So this is a method filled with uncertainty.
Everyone believes that with Henwell's ability, it will not take him long to find a way to break the deadlock.
Of course, Henwell is about to give them other choices.
At this moment, a large pile of papers sits before Henwell's desk.
Dalton, captain of the guards, advises him, "My lord, there are so many documents to sign. Why not let me do it?"
Henwell shakes his head. "I am only signing death notices, while these young men have already lost their lives."
"If I leave even this small matter to someone else, then I would be treating the lives of my soldiers too lightly."
"It is only because I cannot split myself apart that I do not personally deliver these death notices. Only then could I properly express my apology."
The thick stack of papers before him are all death notices.
For the past two days, Henwell has done almost nothing except sign them.
He also has to stamp them with his own heraldic seal. Several boxes of sealing paste have already been used up.
In the afternoon, Henwell goes to visit the wounded at the field hospital.
The wounded here are all lightly wounded. The seriously wounded, after brief treatment, are sent to Peace Haven's general hospital.
However, some seriously wounded soldiers choose not to leave. Some cannot endure the jolting of the road in their current condition.
Others cannot bear to leave their wounded comrades behind.
Berkner, acting commander of the Fifth Legion, is one of them.
When Henwell sees him this time, he says, "You need to return to Peace Haven quickly and get some proper rest. You are a Grand Knight, but your last injuries were severe."
"You need time to recover. Otherwise, this will affect how well your body recovers, and it will be bad for your future path as a professional."
Berkner shakes his head. "My lord, as the highest-ranking commander of the Fifth Legion, as long as I remain here, the Fifth Legion has not withdrawn from this war."
Henwell sighs. "Why are you doing this? Everyone has seen your merit. Your reputation will soon spread across the continent."
"Your battle is already over. In this war, the entire Fifth Legion has already delivered the best result it could."
Berkner insists, "My lord, let me stay. I represent the brothers. I need to see this war end in victory because of our fighting."
"Otherwise, I will have nightmares when I go back. In my dreams, those dead brothers will ask me how the war ended, and I will not know how to answer them."
Henwell says, "I know what you are worried about. You are afraid I will cancel the Fifth Legion's designation and split you all into other legions."
"You can be at ease about that. I have arrangements for you. After this war ends, I will use you as the foundation to rebuild the legion."
Only after hearing this does Berkner's expression improve a little.
Henwell pats his shoulder. "Recover well. There will be many things for you to do later."
That night, Henwell looks at the moonlight outside, and his thoughts return to that night.
At the time, he saw Garcia, commander of the Fifth Legion, fall in battle. As a Grand Knight, Garcia fought several opponents to the death before finally collapsing.
That was why Henwell's drumbeat paused for a moment.
But he could not stop, and he could not let the Fifth Legion withdraw.
Henwell knew very clearly that the Night Falcon Knights at that time were already beasts trapped in a corner.
A frenzied, desperate beast like that was not something garrison warbands could stop.
His own personal guard could not enter the field either. Henwell had already sensed quite a few Iron Rank auras. They had come to monitor him.
He kept his personal guard back to prevent Ika's Iron Knights from interfering, so that he could pounce on them and kill them if necessary.
Garcia had followed him through campaign after campaign since Henwell first rose to power.
He was an exceptional talent, and now he had been lost here just like that.
Henwell feels pain over it, but this is war.
War does not spare someone just because you care about him.
During the day, Henwell did not lie to Berkner. He truly does intend to reorganize the soldiers who survived that bloody fight.
But he will not put them all back into the Fifth Legion. Instead, he will form another legion with them.
Henwell knows that soldiers who have gone through such brutal fighting will have problems in their minds, and they need time to recover.
For now, they cannot be placed into other armies, much less mixed in with recruits.
As for the name of this legion, Henwell has not decided yet. He only has a rough idea in mind.
At that moment, Henwell notices the many death notices on his desk, and he seems to think of a good name.
Over the next half month, the three countries mobilize troops and generals, taking the posture of fighting Peace Haven to the bitter end.
Aggressive reinforcements arrive and form up, looking as if they intend to flatten Peace Haven.
At this time, Kullen, the third prince who had returned to the Golden Capital to face questioning, returns to the front line again.
No one understands why he can still return to command troops after such a massive strategic mistake.
The first thing he does after returning is find Obian, commander of the Second Guard Legion.
After that, Obian escorts him in disguise as a smuggler into Peace Haven territory.
At this moment, Obian still does not know why Kullen asked him to provide the escort.
He thinks he may have been exposed. Just as he is weighing whether he should kill the third prince, someone knocks on the door.
Obian opens the door warily. The person outside is an inn attendant.
The attendant brings food into the room, and the distracted Kullen is about to dismiss him.
But the attendant closes the door behind him instead.
Obian is instantly alerted, and his hand falls onto the hilt of his sword.
The attendant smiles. "Viscount Obian, I assume you did not come here to fight."
With that, Chick tears off the mask on his face. His bones shift, and he returns to his original build.
Prince Kullen freezes. "Who are you?"
Obian says in a low voice, "Chick. Peace Haven's chief of intelligence."
Prince Kullen remains silent for a moment. "I want to speak with Henwell."
Chick smiles. "My lord has been waiting for Your Highness all along."