Chapter 316 The Invasion of the United Kingdom on the East Coast
Because there was enough food support on the road and the battle on the front line was not too fierce, Richard's marching speed was not accelerated. When he entered the Kingdom of Delong, he had already been on the road for twenty-seven days. .
The reason why the coalition forces of the northern provinces led by Richard moved slowly was to take the army with them on the road for a longer period of time.
Although Richard had already commanded the three-province coalition once, there were many changes in the officers participating in the war this time. The relationship between superiors and subordinates is still relatively unfamiliar. It is a good thing to get used to the command of the army for a period of time on the road.
When Richard led the left army into the Kingdom of Delong, it was already April and the climate was very warm. The reason why it was delayed until April was entirely because the decision-making time was too slow. In late January, the Duke of Guise informed the noble meeting, and it was not until mid-February that the decision was made to send troops. When the intervention army was organized, it was already March. In addition, the road was a little slower. After the left army joined the battlefield, it was already April.
At this moment, the middle route army and the right route army, which were marching closer together, had already entered the Delong Kingdom to participate in the battle.
Duke Duran's Department of the Right Army was closest to the battlefield. It completed mobilization in late February and crossed the border on March 6th.
Although the right army had fewer troops, with only one legion, it appeared on the battlefield very suddenly. At that time, the two Dukes of Dron Kingdom, Isaac and Hubble, joined forces and trapped the Grizzly Bear Legion that entered King Dron's rescue. After Duke Duran led his troops into the Kingdom of Delon, he cooperated with William inside and outside to defeat the coalition of Dukes Hubble and Isaac in one fell swoop, and won the first battle.
After the two armies joined forces, they penetrated the Dukedom of Isaac, and then fought a second major war with the Kingdom of Delon. Duke Duran and William once again won a great victory in this battle, annihilating one and a half legions of the central army of the Kingdom of Delon.
After the war, the coalition forces continued their efforts and defeated the coalition forces of the three local armies of the Delong Kingdom. They won three battles and penetrated more than 600 kilometers into the enemy territory. They entered the capital area of the Delong Kingdom, which shocked the nobles of the Delong Kingdom three times a day.
Because the Grizzly Legion and the Duke of Duran's coalition had won the battle, the troops besieging the Duke of Guise lost their support and were forced to retreat. This remnant army could only rely on the dangerous terrain to barely hold the Duke of Guise away from the Hubble Mountains. Northern region.
The middle route army under the royal family also made great progress after entering the Delong Kingdom. It defeated the three central armies of the Delong Kingdom, penetrated 400 kilometers into the enemy territory, and entered the core of the hinterland of the Delong Kingdom.
Based on intelligence coming from all directions, Haaland led the staff to draw a simple map.
Richard looked at this simple map and did some calculations and found that in just one month after the war began, the Grant Kingdom had captured more than 150,000 square kilometers of territory, which was roughly equivalent to five or six provinces.
Nowadays, more than half of the two major duchyes of Isaac and Hubble in the Kingdom of Delon have been lost. Sac Castle, the capital of the Dukedom of Isaac, has been captured by the central army. The members of the Duke's family fled to Salon Castle with the remaining defeated soldiers. Although the Duke of Hubble still had a certain amount of strength, relying on the natural dangers of the Hubble Mountains to block the Duke of Guise, it was just hanging on, and its army lost 60 to 70 percent.
In addition to the heavy losses of the two border dukes, the Kingdom of Delon has already lost four northern provinces.
Although the population of the Kingdom of Delon is larger than that of the Kingdom of Grant, the land is more fertile than the Kingdom of Grant, and there are even more nobles than the Kingdom of Grant, but in a real fight, the Kingdom of Delon, which has been peaceful for a long time, is far less good at fighting than the army of the Kingdom of Grant.
In this battle, the Grant Kingdom only mobilized three central corps and four noble corps, less than a quarter of its strength, and the Delong Kingdom was already in a state of disarray and suffered heavy losses.
In order to resist the six frontline legions of the Grant Kingdom, the Delon Kingdom mobilized all its forces, withdrew the troops defending the United Kingdom on the east coast, ordered all nobles in the country to fully mobilize, and organized more than twenty legions to stabilize the situation. , maintaining the balance of the front.
After Richard led the left army into the Kingdom of Delong, the front line had stabilized.
Steven, the commander-in-chief of the intervention army, issued an order, requiring Richard to lead his troops to the rear and take charge of logistics.
Steven is just a court earl, and his status is far inferior to Richard, Duke of Duran and others. According to common sense, Richard or Duke of Duran and Duke of Guise should be appointed as the commander-in-chief of the three armies. Because the three of them are hereditary dukes and can represent the top leaders of the Grant Kingdom, even if they sign a treaty, they have more status than Steven.
But this time, the largest number of troops was sent by the Royal Guards. In this battle, the Royal Guards sent two legions, which were the main core of the intervention force. In addition, the Grizzly Legion is also the central army and obeys the orders of the royal family. Of course, King Roger must arrange his own people in the appointment of commanders. Therefore, Steven was appointed as the commander-in-chief, and the three Dukes, Richard, Duran, and Guise, all had to obey orders.
After receiving the order from Commander-in-Chief Steven, Richard immediately transferred his army to Sac City.
At this time, the frontline army was divided into three groups: left, middle and right, and the two legions of Duke Lujis on the left were more than 100 kilometers away from the Northern Xinjiang coalition forces, about three days' journey.
After two months of hard fighting, the Duke of Guise's troops had suffered heavy losses, with 6,000 casualties and more than 10,000 people suffering from diseases. However, this army is closest to home and has the most adequate logistical support. There are also many clergy in the rear who can use magic to treat illnesses. There are also a large number of locals under Duke Guise's command, so Richard basically does not need to worry about logistical supplies.
There are a large number of slaves from the Kingdom of Delon in the Harland territory, and there are also many people from the Kingdom of Delon in the army, such as Jennings, Sula and other key members, all from the Kingdom of Delon. Richard led his troops into the Kingdom of Delon and could move freely without even needing a local guide.
There are a large number of officers and soldiers who are familiar with the local area, which can make it easier for Richard when it comes to command.
The commander of the middle route army is Commander-in-Chief Steven. This army is 300 kilometers away from Fort Sack, on the banks of the Blue Moon River, and is already at the core of the Delon Kingdom. From an overall perspective, the situation in this film is somewhat crisis-ridden. It was surrounded on three sides by eleven enemy legions. Compared to the other armies, the troops under the Central Army were the most unfamiliar with the Delong Kingdom.
The reason why Steven was able to fight three hundred kilometers away was mainly based on robbery. It can't last too long. The pressure of transporting food in this part is very heavy.
Although Duke Duran and the Grizzly Army on the right fought farther and reached the capital area of King Delon, the right army only captured several large warehouses with mountains of supplies inside, so there was no need for Richard to worry about them.
Among the three armies, only the middle route army needs to transport food in a short period of time.
Richard settled in the headquarters and then dispersed the scout cavalry to investigate the details of the occupied area. As the cavalry continued to send back pieces of information, the situation in the occupied area gradually fell into Richard's mind.
After the war broke out, the border areas suddenly fell into chaos. The crossing of the army caused great damage to the territory, and countless civilians became refugees due to the war.
Although Dukes Hubble and Isaac have been defeated and lost a large amount of land, there are still many local supporters who secretly resist the rule of the Kingdom of Grant. The occupying forces of the Kingdom of Grant have
very weak local rule, and it is difficult to collect taxes and grain. Heavy.
The most troublesome thing is that the war has affected spring plowing. Once the spring plowing is affected, in autumn Richard will not only need to supply hundreds of thousands of troops, but also feed more than three million people in the occupied areas.
Therefore, the top priority is to calm down the people in the occupied areas and start spring plowing immediately.
After Richard settled his army, he immediately issued the first spring plowing order and organized the population in the occupied area to start spring plowing.
Ninety-nine percent of the land in the Delong Kingdom belongs to the nobility. Severe class consolidation has resulted in only a few farmers in the country. The middle class was very seriously eroded by the nobility, and the land belonged almost entirely to the aristocracy. A war destroyed the ruling order of the Delon Kingdom. The nobles of the Delon Kingdom in the occupied areas were wiped out. A large part of them died in the war, and the remaining part could only hide and operate in secret.
Even without the nobles, serfs would not dare to cultivate the nobles' land at will. Thousands of years of rule have made the serfs' fear of the nobles seep into their souls. Because of the decree prohibiting the spread of extraordinary knowledge, the nobles of the Delon Kingdom can easily suppress the serfs and common people.
Seeing that the spring plowing season was about to pass, Richard issued an order to transfer key members from Harland's army to organize the serfs for spring plowing.
Many of the soldiers in the Harland territory are literate and have learned breathing techniques. Apart from not having the blood of knights, their abilities are almost as good as those of the nobles of the Kingdom of Delon. With the presiding of these new nobles, the occupied areas quickly settled down, especially the area near Sac Castle. Due to the heavy investment in manpower, production quickly resumed.
After a spring rain, wheat seedlings gradually grow out of the soil. As spring plowing began, the occupied areas gradually stabilized.
After the occupied area stabilized, Richard ordered the Northern Allied Forces to further divide their forces and station themselves in various castles. There are garrisons in local castles, so it is relatively easy to collect grain and collect taxes.
Due to the destruction of the war, the occupied areas suffered heavy losses in manpower and material resources. In addition to relying on the occupied areas, the frontline food supply also relied on the Duke of Guise, the Duke of Duran, the Province of Ilia, and the Province of Maryland.
Several provinces in the southwest are famously wealthy provinces in the Grant Kingdom. The manpower and material resources of these provinces are very important to the intervention army. This time they enter the Delong Kingdom to fight, in terms of logistics and material support, it is better than last time. It is easier to fight in the Grand Duchy of Stanek.
After the war between the Kingdom of Grant and the Kingdom of Delon, in just two months, the Kingdom of Delon suffered heavy losses, losing more than 100,000 square kilometers of land and 120,000 troops.
Such a tragic situation not only frightened the Delong Kingdom, but also shocked the neighboring East Coast United Kingdom.
The national conditions of the United Kingdom on the East Coast are very special. It is composed of seven duke families. This country has no royal family, and major national affairs are decided by the parliament controlled by the great nobles.
This special national situation has led to the relatively loose rule of the United Kingdom on the East Coast. Due to serious domestic involution, the channel for advancement is even smoother than that of the Grant Kingdom.
Seeing that the Delon Kingdom was so weak, in order to prevent the Delon Kingdom from being annexed by the Grant Kingdom, the East Coast United Kingdom decided to intervene in this war.
In order to make its division famous and mobilize more forces, the United Kingdom of the East Coast first signed an alliance treaty with the Kingdom of Delong, exchanging 80,000 square kilometers of land in the southeastern border area of the Kingdom of Delong for the United Kingdom's troops.
After the treaty was signed, the United Kingdom on the East Coast divided its forces into three groups and also dispatched seven legions to participate in the war.
The main force entered the Earl of Marcel along the way. This was the main force of the United Kingdom on the east coast. There were three legions, and the total number of logistics auxiliaries was close to 100,000.
When a hundred thousand troops invaded, the Earl of Marcel immediately suffered heavy losses. In just seven or eight days, most of its territory was lost, and seven to eight thousand troops were annihilated.
The south of the Grant Kingdom has never been the focus of defense. There are only some elite soldiers under the command of a few earls.
Seeing that Count Marcel suffered heavy losses, the three counts Paulus, Charlotte, and Wimble formed a coalition of nobles and formed three legions to block the enemy.
In addition to attacking the main force of Earl Marcel, the United Kingdom on the East Coast also sent a large army from the border areas of the Three Kingdoms into the Dukedom of Hubbard. There was only one legion on this route, and it was aimed at the Northern Province Allied Forces led by Richard.
In addition, the United Kingdom on the East Coast also mobilized a fleet and concentrated three legions of soldiers to attack the Earl of Silver Moon Island in the Grant Kingdom.
Although the Earl of Silvermoon Island had an elite fleet under his command, its strength was far inferior to that of the United Kingdom on the East Coast. The fleet was soon defeated and Silvermoon Island fell. Except for a few members of the nobility who settled in Nolan, most members of the Silvermoon family died in the battle. in a war to defend territory.
After capturing the advanced stronghold of Silver Moon Island, the United Kingdom on the East Coast quickly launched a landing war. However, the strength of the four marquises in the coastal area was not weak, and the coalition formed defeated the forward of the United Kingdom on the east coast.
With no chance of winning frontally, the United Kingdom forces on the east coast took advantage of their fleet and began large-scale attacks on the coastal towns of the Grant Kingdom.
Due to trade competition from the United Kingdom on the east coast, the economy on the eastern coast of Grant Kingdom was not developed, and the coastal territories were scattered among the six nobles of the East: the Four Marquess, the Earl of Charlotte, and the Earl of Paulus.
The northern coastal area is even more barren and wild, and it is rumored that there are dwarf tribes living in this area. The Northern Coastal Forest covers nearly three hundred thousand square kilometers of land, close to the Duchy of Jonathan. After the Dukedom of Jonathan completes the development, manpower and material resources will be invested in this area to develop this mountain forest.
Since there are no major economic towns in the coastal areas, the losses of the Grant Kingdom are not serious. Although the United Kingdom on the east coast has a fleet advantage, it cannot hold the fate of a continental country like the Grant Kingdom.
After investing seven legions, the pressure on the Grant Kingdom was not very serious.
There are still five central legions under the direct command of the royal family that can be dispatched. The seven noble legions that defend the orcs on the northern border have not yet been mobilized. The Duke of York and the Duke of Lorraine can also dispatch five legions to participate in the war. At a critical moment, the Jonathan family of the Stanik Grand Duchy can also mobilize an army of 100,000 troops.
As long as the orcs don't invade on a large scale this year and resist the small-scale attack by the United Kingdom on the east coast, it will be relatively easy for the Grant Kingdom.
In wars with continental kingdoms, sometimes naval superiority does not play a decisive role.
In key battles, infantry can only be relied upon.
The combat effectiveness of the infantry of the United Kingdom on the East Coast is not weak, but it is still not as good as the elite soldiers tempered by the Grant Kingdom's years of fighting against the orcs.
If the infantry battle is not won, the Grant Kingdom will naturally not feel any pain.
This time I had very serious symptoms of masculinity. Today I have a severe cough and runny nose. Nothing feels good. I feel very low energy after masculinity. I am out of breath after walking for a few steps. If everything goes well, I will update from this year. If there is a recurrence, I guess it will be better. Ask for leave.
(End of chapter)