Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 408: After the War -156-

Chapter 408: After the War -156-

By the time the first streak of dawn appeared in the east, the battle that had begun with a night attack had already ended.

Above the sea, aside from three warships of the Bold-Violet Joint Fleet which had narrowly broken through the siege and escaped, the remaining ships had either been sunk or captured.

Even the flagship of the Joint Fleet, "Glory Bold," had become a prize of war.

The land battle was even more brutal.

Because the only passage south, North Port Bridge, was controlled by reinforcement forces, the Duchy Alliance Army was completely cut off from retreat and suffered heavy casualties under pincer attack.

On the Don River, bodies floated everywhere; these were the soldiers of the Alliance Army who had jumped into the river in their panicked flight.

In the camps on the riverbank, deaths due to crushing and trampling were even more numerous than those killed in combat, turning the collection of bodies into a particularly challenging task.

Some quick-thinking nobles led small units out of the encirclement and fled to the north.

But more nobles and soldiers ultimately chose to surrender.

This even included the Transcendent standing army from Bold and Violet.

As the Alliance Army camp collapsed too quickly under the night attack, the fleeing soldiers also affected the encampments of the standing army, preventing the Transcendent standing army from organizing an effective Magic Energy Formation, and they were directly overrun by Tulip Domain’s standing army.

Despite having greater numbers and superior equipment, of the nearly ten thousand elite troops from the two duchies, one-third were either missing or dead, and the remaining two-thirds were all captured...

It could be said that the situation couldn’t be more frustrating.

This was the limitation of the Transcendent standing army.

Without the command of the nobles and unable to deploy the Magic Energy Formation in time, aside from being stronger than the average soldier, they were nothing more than ordinary people with a better physical constitution.

After all, although many of them were Transcendents, they were not tier-entering.

In addition to the Transcendent standing army, even more conscripted soldiers surrendered.

The soldiers of the Alliance Army gave up resistance en masse, especially after seeing the destruction of the Joint Fleet and with the Third Prince nowhere to be found, the nobles chose to lead their troops to surrender.

When Viscount Lien Castel saw the condition of the camps, he was stunned.

He roughly estimated that, if the number of the joint forces of the two duchies did indeed surrender as the captured nobles claimed to be nearly thirty thousand, then probably as many as fifteen thousand had been taken prisoner.

Just the captured Transcendent Equipment alone would likely make up for Castel’s losses in this war.

Viscount Lien Castel knew, Castel had won.

With this battle over, the Duchy’s Alliance Army could be described as utterly routed, especially with such heavy losses of the Transcendent standing army, it was an absolute heavy blow to the two duchies...

To be honest, he was still a bit dazed even now.

Because he truly couldn’t have imagined Castel, which had been worrying about its future just yesterday, would turn defeat into victory in just one night.

Viscount Lien Castel couldn’t help but look at those reinforcement troops again.

The troops that carried out the night attack were not numerous, but they were the biggest contributors to this victory that could be called legendary.

However, it seemed they had no interest in communicating with the Castel side; after handing over the prisoners, most of them returned to the Oar-sail Fleet anchored in the bay.

The Old Viscount had only learned that they were Transcendent mercenaries hired by Charlotte.

"Really just Transcendent mercenaries?"

Viscount Lien Castel gazed at the Oar-sail Fleet anchored ashore, mulling over his thoughts.

Such a large-scale Oar-sail Fleet was not something that just any power would possess, and the renowned Transcendent mercenaries of Eastern Yonette’s Black Land did not have any navy at all.

Although all these oar-sails bore the flag of Castel, the experienced viscount could tell at a glance that these ships were possibly not made by Castel itself.

Instead, they rather resembled the style of the Falling Star.

"Falling Star, huh..."

It seemed like the Old Viscount had some thoughts as he made the association.

Of course, no matter where these "mercenaries" came from, one thing was certain: this war, Castel had already won.

And now, he also understood why the Count always kept silent about the reinforcements and also why he didn’t trust the Northern Land nobles who had sworn loyalty to her.

Thinking back to the nobles he had arrested last night with the information provided by the Count before the night attack, the Old Viscount felt a shudder of alarm.

Even he had not expected that at this juncture, there were still so many nobles in the Northern Land secretly in contact with Bold!

And among them, the one he regretted the most was his son.

Even his most trusted offspring had been corresponding with the south!

If the Count had informed the nobles early on to steady the public’s heart, the plans for tonight would have probably become common knowledge to the Duchy Alliance Army by the next day, and tonight’s victory... might not have happened at all.

"Viscount Lien Castel, what are you thinking about?"

Charlotte asked with a smile, observing the Old Viscount lost in silence.

Viscount Lien Castel sighed and said,

"I was thinking about those traitorous nobles. I really did not expect that even now, there are so many fools in the Northern Land who still harbor illusions about the south, even Derek..."

At this point, he paused and said bitterly,

"Count, it is our family’s failure in upbringing that has disappointed you..."

"There’s no need for self-reproach. The Third Prince is, after all, a contender for the throne, and it is quite normal for many nobles not wanting to take risks with me, not to mention that he had formed such a sizable army."

Charlotte waved her hand dismissively.

"But he has still lost and has been defeated by you. After today... your name will surely spread quickly throughout the entire kingdom, and even the whole continent! All of Castel, the entire New Moon Kingdom, and even the whole Western Yonette region... nobody will dare to underestimate you again!"

The Old Viscount couldn’t help but praise.

Charlotte shook her head,

"It was just luck. Indeed, if it wasn’t for Viscount Roman Fuer’s reminder, I might still be unaware that many nobles still hold fantasies about the south. Many of my actions these days have been somewhat improper, so it’s normal for people to have complaints."

Viscount Roman Fuer?

After hearing Charlotte’s words, Viscount Lien Castel could not help but glance at the person on Charlotte’s other side, where Vincent, the son of Viscount Roman Fuer, stood respectfully a half-step behind the Earl and himself.

Noticing his gaze, Vincent smiled and said,

"All my father did was luckily intercept some of the nobles’ letters; if we’re to speak of abilities, it is the Count who is impressive. My father merely issued a warning before the war started, but the Count was able to identify all these people one by one."

With that, he looked towards Charlotte and asked respectfully,

"Count, regarding those nobles who had dealings with the south, what do you plan to do with them?"

Upon hearing Vincent’s question, Viscount Lien Castel’s heart also lifted, and he looked at Charlotte with a mix of conflict and anxiety.

Charlotte thought for a moment, then said,

"Deal sternly with the ringleaders, the rest... depending on the severity of their actions and their families’ contributions during the war, we can be lenient as a warning to others."

Hearing Charlotte’s words, the Old Viscount let out a sigh of relief,

"You are merciful, Count."

Charlotte smiled and said nothing more, but turned her gaze towards the battlefield,

"Make sure post-battle management is done properly. After a great battle, a plague is inevitable, and all the corpses need to be disposed of as soon as possible."

"Furthermore, the captives need to be properly managed, especially those nobles; each of them is a walking gold tana."

"Those conscripted soldiers of the Regular Transcendents, we can try to recruit them. I’ve heard that many of the soldiers in this type of standing army are just commoners who happened to gain Transcendent powers by chance; it might be worth a try."

"..."

Charlotte lacked experience in commanding battles, but she knew a thing or two about post-battle management.

Seeing the young Count issue orders in an orderly fashion, Viscount Lien Castel grew even more in awe.

At that moment, a noble in charge of clearing the battlefield approached the group on horseback.

He dismounted, knelt on one knee before Charlotte, and reported respectfully,

"Count! The Group Leader of the Nightwalker Mercenary Group requests an audience with you!"

Viscount Lien Castel’s heart stirred.

The Nightwalker Mercenary Group... that was the name of the Transcendent mercenary group that supported Castel last night.

Of course, he had never heard this name before; it sounded more like a temporary moniker concocted by the mercenaries.

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