Chapter 1382 - 1298: Horn Arrives

Chapter 1382: Chapter 1298: Horn Arrives

When Grand Duke Saranto saw the red and black flags of the Holy Alliance alongside the fleur-de-lis flag of the Falan Royal Family outside the fortress, he was completely taken aback.

At first, he thought only the envoys had arrived, but upon closer inspection, he couldn’t help blinking his eyes hard.

Holy Alliance soldiers were marching in long lines, cloaked in rain capes, treading the damp grass.

Some vanguard battle groups had already found a slope near the fortress and began setting up camp, lighting fires and cooking meals.

"What’s the date today?" Grand Duke Saranto asked his advisor beside him.

"The eighteenth."

April 18th, it was said that the Holy Alliance Army had set out on April 5th. In other words... they reached Flower Hill in just 13 days?!

Could it be the Holy Alliance Army departed ahead of schedule?

It doesn’t make sense; deceiving the enemy is one thing, but deceiving their own people and allies?

According to Saranto’s calculations, doubling that time would be more reasonable.

But he didn’t have time to think it over and hurried forward.

The arrival of the holy carriage could not go unwelcomed.

As he approached, before he could clearly see the Pope’s face, a voice filled with displeasure questioned, "Grand Duke Saranto, you’ve certainly given me quite a surprise."

Saranto turned, only to see a middle-aged man holding a scepter step out of the gold- and silver-inlaid royal carriage.

"Your Majesty? Why are you here?" Saranto was shocked.

"What you did on the frontline forced me to come," Charles gritted his teeth, grinning without humour.

Without giving Saranto a chance to explain, Charles immediately spoke, "Who authorized you to send Count Kazi’s troops to Tulip Castle? You’re relieved of the position of chief commander; I’m taking over."

"But wasn’t this your order..."

"There are too many people outside, go inside and organize the letters since the beginning of combat; I want to see them."

Upon hearing this order, Saranto felt both aggrieved and relieved; his face alternated between blue and red as he left to prepare.

"Pardon my embarrassment." Charles smiled wearily at Horn who stepped out of the carriage.

Thinking of Saranto as the ’king with the waist and guts’ title, he couldn’t help but blush.

"There’s nothing embarrassing." Horn jumped off the carriage, "I’ve seen far more absurd things."

When it came to dealing with pests, Horn’s experience was much richer than Charles’.

Horn’s early life was almost a history of coexisting with pests until recent years when it got better.

Still, representatives came up with the bizarre notion of selling horse-meat canned goods to the centaurs of the Flying Grass.

"Let’s not talk about the other issues, what’s His Holiness’s view on the Tulip Castle affair; is there still time to call them back?"

"Too late now. Calling them back now will likely lead to being blocked by the vampire army mid-way, which is worse."

This trip, Horn first went to Huaqiu City, confirmed logistics, and then brought Charles VIII to the frontline.

Halfway through, they learned through the royal spy system and Count Kazi’s report what ’good deeds’ Saranto had done.

They rushed to cancel the order, but still couldn’t catch up in time.

Count Kazi, leading two legions, had already seized Tulip Castle, expecting vampires to soon arrive.

But at this point, there’s no time to regret, better think about how to solve this trouble.

"Can Your Holiness’s battle groups be sent to rescue those two legions?"

"Still too late." Horn shook his head, "My Guard Battle Group is here now, but the following three battle groups are still on the way, probably arriving in two days."

"What should we do then?"

"Don’t rush." Calmly facing the anxious Charles, Horn reassured, "Your primary task now is military reform."

"Military reform?"

"Without improving command efficiency, every battle is a loss." Horn raised a finger, "Rotating reform is wrong; modifying while fighting is correct."

Truth be told, Falan has a much larger population than the Holy Alliance and has thrived for nearly fifty years.

Even many Holy Alliance scholars rely on recruiting from Falan.

The levels of many Holy Machinery Court University subjects aren’t even up to Falan’s standards.

With their talent reserve, not to mention establishing such a comprehensive command system like that of the Holy Alliance, creating a youthful version shouldn’t be a problem.

Charles VIII’s goal is precisely this youthful version of the command system, yet it still can’t be achieved.

The reasons boil down to two points: the pursuit of perfection and the disobedience of high-ranking aristocratic officers.

In tactics, Falan’s commanders aren’t lacking; they’ve studied numerous Holy Alliance military works.

However, strategically, due to political influences and noble disputes, they neither cooperate well with peer commanders nor heed elite subordinate officers’ advice.

"That’s why I wanted you, Charles, to come to the frontline." Horn and Charles entered the meeting room, "Only you can actually keep them under control."

Charles nodded, "What exactly do you need me to do?"

"You must appoint knowledgeable and virtuous confidants as royal special envoys.

These envoys do not need to do much; their task is to report the location of the legions, document their actions, and ensure orders are executed by the Legion Commanders.

Each royal special envoy should have the direct communication privilege with you."

"Isn’t this the military supervision system?" Charles frowned.

"Yes, it’s a supervision system with documentation functions; it’s currently the most suitable system for you. You need to rely on royal power to enforce it; otherwise, what do you aim for? Self-discipline like the Holy Alliance?" Horn shook his head, "Different circles shouldn’t be forcibly merged."

Integrating these royal envoys into the army, then matching a logistics advisory team revolving around each envoy.

Roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined, reaching the basic threshold for battle command.

Everyone knows, though it’s said Charles is the chief commander, is it really Charles making decisions, not someone who hasn’t fought much?

It’s definitely the Pope.

"Don’t wait; do it immediately." Standing in the meeting room, Horn almost commanded Charles.

While Charles agreed and called for several names to meet him, he curiously asked, "What about Tulip Castle? Giving it up?"

"Not abandoning it." Horn slowly walked to the map, "You see it as a pawn; I consider it bait."

"Bait? You mean using it to attract the northern enemy south, then we’ll take advantage?"

"Yes, the royal court won’t expect us to arrive so soon; they’ll surely devour the juicy Tulip Castle.

Then, the Holy Alliance’s central battle army can strike straight into their core from Eagle’s Nest Fortress."

"But Tulip Castle is isolated, and logistics is poor." Charles spread his hands, puzzled by Horn’s thoughts.

Horn grinned but didn’t explain, as he heard exclamations from outside the window, prompting him to say, "Take a look, seeing is believing."

Perplexed, Charles walked to the window; as he raised his head, he was stunned.

In the skies above, below the clouds, an oval-shaped long ship hovered in the air.

"Holy Alliance’s aerial warship?"

"I brought three on this trip," Horn raised three fingers, "They can’t carry too much bread, but compressed biscuits made of oatmeal and sugar, canned pork, sausages, and salted meats are still doable.

Additionally, the aerial warships can transport wounded soldiers, weapons, and some supporting troops.

They can even drop plasma bombs, bringing surprises to those vampires."

Standing by the rainy window, Charles was momentarily distracted until Horn urged him again:

"What do you think?"