<h4>Chapter 562 Cotler''s Thoughts </h4>


    ?Bosiden''s tears were not borne out of sorrow, but a visceral reaction to the perceived threat to his life.


    Fortunately, the responses of Bismarck and Frederick unfolded just as Howard had anticipated.


    Bismarck, upon witnessing Bosiden''s abrupt departure without further ado, quickly exchanged a knowing nce with Frederick.


    Frederick, understanding the cue, rose promptly from his seat, arms opened in a gesture of feigned warmth, and addressed the Oli Kingdom''s Foreign Minister, "Ah, my dear, do not hasten away. We in Phrus always keep our word. Rest assured, we''ll stand with Oli Kingdom in your next conflict against Ond Kingdom."


    A monthter, following a unanimous decision by Howard, Ness, and Boshni, Oli Kingdom dered war on Ond Kingdom.


    Neplon, appointed as the suprememander, led thebined forces.


    The Oli Kingdom''s defense force, funded and staffed by the Habsburg family, had undergone Neplon''s reformation and now formed part of the Oli Kingdom''s national army.


    The officers, once loyal to the Habsburgs, were strategically dispersed across various units, thereby diluting the family''s influence over the military.


    Moreover, emting this, Luka''s wealthy merchants contributed a mercenary battalion, predominantly musketeers.


    Although small in number, a mere 5,000, their formation was significant.


    Since Luka''s affluent ss had provided the initial financing, Howard dly incorporated this force, deeming it a valuable addition to his arsenal.


    He assigned this musketeer battalion to Alonso''smand.


    Under Howard''s reign, the construction of a national standing army was nowplete.


    This development signified a crucial shift: the feudal lords were stripped of their private armies.


    Their traditional concept of levying troops was now subsumed under the broader umbre of national conscription.


    In other words, the role of the nobility has evolved.


    Instead of contributing levied troops during wartime, they now use their aristocratic status as a means of attraction and promotion, akin to a brand or advertisement, to draw people into the ranks of the national army.


    Put simply, Howard has be the central figure wielding control over the nation''s military forces.


    This shift has significantly reduced the power of the nobility.


    Deprived of private armies, they are now less capable of staging the rebellions that were once amon threat.


    It''s been noted that the Fran Kingdom is at the forefront of this change, constructing exquisite buildings for its nobles to reside in.


    This, however, is a subtle strategy to attract these dispersed local nobles to the capital of Fran Kingdom, thereby reducing their chances of rebellion and their practical control over regional affairs.


    Such tactics have not escaped Howard''s notice.


    Boshni, whose forces are primarily cavalry, has been extensively creating knights.


    Consequently, Howard entrusted a significant portion of the national cavalry to hermand.


    Trusting in her belief in the strength of cavalry, Howard expects her to lead sessful cavalry campaigns.


    With the onset of war, Howard was frustrated by Lombardy Kingdom''s refusal to engage, using Edward of failing to deliver at a critical moment.


    Phrus, however,mitted its troops to the conflict, with Frederick showing keen interest in the territories they had upied in theirst war with Ond Kingdom.


    Howard, havingmercial ties with Mn, leveraged this rtionship to form an alliance.


    As a result, Mn too joined the fray.


    Ond Kingdom, in response, called upon its ally Manluk, a nationparable in size.


    Both factions dispatched their troops to Balgen Penins, or were in the process of mobilizing towards it.


    Ond Kingdom, confident in its defense of Constantinople Castle, concentrated its forces to the east of the castle, forming a standoff with Howard''s army.


    Initially, both sides exercised caution, each hoping the other would venture first into their strategic depth, seeking to encircle and overpower the enemy with superior numbers.


    Mn''s forces nned a direct maritime assault on the easternnds of Constantinople Castle, supported by the navies of Howard and Phrus.


    Howard''s contribution was straightforward – over a hundred guard ships and more than thirty transport vessels, originally intended for troop movement, were reassigned to protect Mn''s fleet.


    Phrusmitted its entire naval force, including fiverge warships initially prepped for a naval battle with Pomerania, to safeguard Mn''s troop transports.


    Additionally, Phrus deployed over sixty early-model guard ships and a dozen hastily acquired galleons to the naval theatre.


    Ond Kingdom responded with an impressive fleet of over a hundred galleons and more than fifty light ships.


    Howard''s admiral, Andrea, was not particrly adept at naval warfare; Howard valued him more for his mobility than maritime expertise.


    True mastery of navalbat, after all, hinges on a deep understanding of both firepower and impact tactics.


    Phrus''s navy, having primarily engaged in trade protection, was not renowned for its martial prowess.


    Were it not for the five formidable ocean-going warships Phrus brought along, Howard would have been reluctant to consider Phrus as a reliable naval ally.


    When ites to naval strength, Mn was the one to watch.


    Yet, Mn was only Mn – not the Westia Kingdom or the Ing Empire, whose naval capabilities were of a different caliber altogether.


    Howard''s maritime doctrine was utilitarian, prioritizing trade vessels over transport ships.


    Mn''s strategy was simr, though they had ventured into colonization minimally, with just one province to the east and few transport vessels.


    Consequently, among these three nations, not one had an admiral experienced in formal naval warfare.


    The burden ofmand, unexpectedly, fell upon Andrea.


    Upon receiving news of this precarious situation, Howard immediately advised Ludovic, the Governor of Mn, to consider docking the troop transports at the port, allowing the soldiers to disembark onto Balgen Penins and march ovend to the battlefield.


    Howard perceived a direct naval assault on Ond Kingdom''s coast as perilous.


    Should theirbat-ready ships be scattered, the few transport shipsden with isted cannons stood no chance of turning the tide.


    This posed a grave risk to Mn''s soldiers potentially meeting their demise at sea.


    However, Ludovic, unfamiliar with Ond Kingdom and having never personallybated them, underestimated the threat.


    He assured Howard of Mn''s fearlessness.


    Thus, thebined fleets of the three nations, albeit reluctantly, approached the eastern coast near Constantinople Castle.


    As they navigated, a thin morning mist enveloped them.


    It was then that Andrea heard the horns of Ond Kingdom''s navy.


    Peering through the fog, he saw an overwhelming number of Ond Kingdom''s galleons emerging.


    Despite being initially surrounded, Andrea demonstrated his naval coordination skills.


    The allied fleet, in total, matched Ond Kingdom in numbers.


    A dense maritime engagement ensued, with the fog segmenting the battlefield into three areas.


    Phrus''s fiverge warships, unable to utilize their full strength in the Mediterranean, were trapped in one area.


    Mn''s troop transports and a portion of their early guard ships were cornered in another.


    The remaining vessels from Oli Kingdom, alongside some of Mn''s guard ships and the rest of Phrus''s fleet, were engaged in the third area.


    Despite the brutality of the battle, the allied forces emerged victorious.


    Although Mn lost a dozen transports, they sessfullynded over ten thousand soldiers on Ond Kingdom''s shores.


    The naval front had triumphed.


    Onnd, Howard had been besieging Constantinople Castle for over ten days.


    Faced with this formidable fortress, he disyed no impatience.


    Apart from the continuous bombardment with cannons, his strategy involved ensuring that Phrus''s army didn''t stray too far, maintaining and superiority in the vicinity of Constantinople Castle.


    Frederick, an exceptional military leader, faced the challenge of Ond Kingdom dispatching over sixty thousand troops to attack Phrus''s borders.


    His grand strategy revolved around staying close to Howard, maintaining military dominance in the region.


    However, Cotler, in the heat of battle, failed to grasp this strategy.


    He mored for a retreat to Phrus to counter the invading Ond Kingdom forces from the east.


    Despite Resarite''s criticism, Cotler persisted in his protestations.


    Fortunately, Frederick and Bismarck had a clear understanding of military affairs.


    Bismarck, in a somewhat ambiguous decision, assigned Cotler to lead a detachment of a thousand troops back for reinforcement.


    Cotler protested that a thousand men were insufficient.


    Bismarck retorted, "What if we all withdraw? What then of our numbers at Constantinople Castle? We don''t even know if the sixty thousand Ond Kingdom troops represent their entire force. Suppose there are an additional twenty to thirty thousand troops waiting to the east of the castle. If we leave, the pressure on Howard''s side will intensify. And if Ond Kingdom decides to pull back their sixty thousand to encircle us, and Howard, already engaged in besieging Constantinople Castle, faces the full brunt of their army, it will surely lead to a catastrophic defeat."