Cohen of the Rebellion - Volume 12 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As Malphite’s footsteps were getting louder, it caught everyone’s attention in the chamber .

The hint of a flush on Flynn’s cheek faded as it was replaced by a quick fly of dismay . Winslet silently packed away the last piece of paper . Carey, on the contrary, gazed at us three, perplexed .

“Sir . ” The orc’s vast and deep voice resounded at the far gate of the outer garden, “Captain of your guarding troops reporting for duty . ”

I forced myself and offered a face of sorry for my wives, then replied, “Approach . ”

“Yes, sir . ” Malphite stood closer, “Commander Carlos is requesting your immediate presence due to a matter of emergency . ”

“Duly noted . ” I nodded, “Get my horse, I’ll be with you shortly . ”

My wives remained silent until Malphite’s footsteps faded .

“What a bummer . I was so determined to cling here through the night . ” I shook my head and rose, “You gals have a good evening . ”

The moment I turned the other-ward, Flynn’s hand caught mine across the desk .

“Cohen…” I looked over, only to find my lip-nipping, whispering wife, “You take care . ”

“And?” Said I .

Flynn shook her head, hesitantly to say another word .

But I instantly overthrew the obstacle between us, then use my other hand to gather Flynn into my arms .

Almost at the same time, I reached for Winslet’s waist . The action was too sudden for them to even react .

As Carey came closer, three blond faces lied en face de my eyes . They were so reluctant to see me leave, hiding bitterness within but still, lovable .

“Cohen,” Flynn lowered her eyes, whispered, “we…”

“I get it . I wanted to stay a little longer . ” Feeling the soft body in my arms, I expressed, “Needless to worry for me . I’m gonna take care of myself for you all . ”

“Promise me,” Winslet attached her hand onto my face, “come back safe . ”

“Yes, ma’am . ”

As the sound of horse neighing grew nearer, it was go time .

“On my way . ” I retracted my hands .

Though they all reluctant to let go of me .

“I should go . ” I felt Winslet and Carey’s hands, “It’s my duty, for you and all my friends . I have to go . ”

The two threw their asking eyes to Flynn while the latter girl’s soppy eyes under the long and curly lash of hers which contained a misty mix of feelings struck me .

“You watch our for yourself . ” She took a step forward abruptly and dropped a pleasantly cool and sweet kiss on my lips, “We’ll still be here when you come back . ”

I hated how much I wanted to stay but instead, I grinned and let loose of the girls and exited their chamber .

The company galloped to join the well-lit army camp . As I passed on, I could see orderlies dashing rapidly, wingman scouts taking off . As I was closing the gap between my pavilion, all senior officers who had arrived before me were within eyesight .

I strode into the tent, towards Carlos while loosening my carrying weapon .

“Tell me about it . ”

“Incoming enemies . Our scouts have discovered no less than 200, 000 hostile troops . ” Carlos said to the map, “They’re heading in 2 ways, 80, 000 and 120, 000, all towards Darkmoon . Sir, you’re looking at their marching route now . ”

“Hell yeah . These bastards made their moves quickly . ” There were 2 thick red lines on the map . I stroke my chin, “Have they encountered any trouble along the way yet? How many days to Darkmoon?”

“It seems Luhrmann has paid a fortune for this operation . ” Carlos said with a finger pointing on the map, “If things go smoothly for them, they’ll be able to make to Darkmoon border in 15~20 days . ”

“All I can tell is that the viceroy of the provinces they’re about to cross intend to let them pass . Are they still loyal to the empire or have they turned traitors, hmmm . ” I cursed with a lowered voice, “These bitches are still watching us . No way Luhrmann can draw this many soldiers . Do we have intel on his army structure?”

“We do . The 120, 000 should be the main force . Our intelligence said this force has refined armor and weapons . As for the other 80, 000, they mostly consist of residual forces other empires left within Swabia after the P/A War, with low combating capability . They could be serving as reinforcement in my opinion . ”

“So what are your opinions? How do we fight this battle, Carlos?”

“Sir, we should never let them even touch Darkmoon’s border . Darkmoon is our base of supplies . Without this place, no way we can fight this war . ” Carlos has a face of countenance which made him less of a man in his early 30s, “How much forces we have now is only able to attack one of the two, or at least press them until they withdraw . ”

I kept silent .

“Sir, we don’t necessarily need to zero them out as long as there’s a chance to relieve us of this situation . ” Continued Carlos, “The 2 forces are not equal opponents . I’m confident that they’ll abandon their operation if we rush to attack . ”

I paced back and forth, pondering Carlos’s advice, considering Luhrmann’s objective . I know how dangerous it would be if I drop an attack before making any plausible conclusion .

“Carlos, Luhrmann knows clearly how able we can fight . Even though he’s been a civil position in the courtier, he knows the odds of winning is not high for these 200, 000 soldiers . Therefore, why did he insist on pulling this out?”

Carlos shook his head, “As a matter of fact, I don’t think Luhrmann is at the point where he puts all the eggs in one basket . He still has the upper hand . ”

“Indeed . ” I nodded, “He’s not stupid and he must have something stashed away . ”

“Sir, you mean he has had help? The red priests?”

“Sooner or later . But I’m prepared . ” Said I, “The most possible way he might use is to draw our attention with this attack in an attempt to divert us from attacking other places . Only in this way, he buys himself time to wait for reinforcements . As for this force of 80, 000, it’s essentially a bait . ”

Carlos studied the map one more time .

“If either us or General Martin in Darkmoon were to attack, we would naturally go for the smaller one . Though small, we’ll need a certain amount of time to eradicate them” I pointed a finger on one of the red lines, “These men are not Luhrmann’s so they’re expendable . While they’ll cost us our precious supplies . If things are as Luhrmann planned, our situation will be vital by the time he readies his big army . ”

“So what should we do?” Carlos asked, “We still need to help Darkmoon . ”

“We only have 2 provinces in total . Neither of them is going to lose to the enemy . Though our defense line is relatively short, General Martin is not a mediocre leader, which makes Darkmoon a hard bone to eat . ” I smiled, “As for us, we’ll give Luhrmann a big surprise . He attacks so we attack . One of us gonna lose the calm eventually . ”

“You mean we let them attack Darkmoon, and we find another target?”

“Exactly . I would rather not start a war in my backyard so let’s bring the turmoil outside . ” I gave it a thought, “Since we chose to battle, we fight it good, good enough to make Luhrmann regret his decision .

“Sir…” Carlos hesitated, “I don’t suppose you wanna start with the rest of the viceroys?”

“Why not? Their vague attitudes keep giving me bullshit . ” I said grimly, “When Luhrmann rebelled, he must’ve promised them many benefits . These bastards still think we don’t know that so they think are essential to us; and therefore want to earn benefits from both parties, us and Luhrmann . I’ve had it enough . I must let them know, I, Cohen Kheda remembers all who thinks he’s above the king . ”

“However, King Fischer is trying to make peace with them and in the process of negotiation . ” Carlos advised, “If we attack, His Majesty’s plan will be interrupted . ”

“Plan, huh . Plans usually fall behind changes . ” Replied I, “I trust His Majesty will bring us good news on diplomatic matters . As for us soldiers, our job is to bring death and misery to those who’re not on our king’s side . As part of the Swabian bureaucratic system, they have to choose between the real king and a usurper . If they can’t share the king’s concern, what right do they have to live on?”

“Understood, sir . ” Said Carlos, “Then who do we start with?”

“I suppose Viceroy Haric is our guy . He’s an old friend of mine a few years back . ”

“A few years?” Carlos gave it a thought, then his memory hit him, “I see . ”

I grinned then turned to boom the orders, “All senior officers in . Commencing pre-war council . ”

Armored officers filed in and located themselves by the table as Carlos started briefing intelligence regarding our enemy . Moya kept a prudent face whereas Wilder’s eyes glinted as soon as he learned there would be a battle for him .

“That’s should be all . ” Seeing that Carlos had finished, I added my vision on assault methods, then I sought ideas from the room, “Any insights?”

“I don’t see a big problem . ” Wilder laughed with confidence, “His defense system is full of easy spots . I suppose we need a longer time to attack his stronghold, the rest of the place is fairly easy to occupy . ”

This legion commander of mine had gained wit rather than running hot blood .

“However, converging our troops within such a short time is difficult for us . ” Moya said to the map, “All soldiers who completed initial training can be deployed in Darkmoon, check . But special corps and alien forces cannot make it in time . ”

“True . Scouts and recon network are at their early stage as well, let alone the logistics . ” Carlos added, “If we were to mobilize immediately, prep time is a big uncertainty for us . ”

“I see you . Nevertheless, Haric will not be drawing too many of our men . His army is small and easy to attack . ” Said I, “As for logistics, I assure you, it won’t be a problem either . ”

“Please elaborate . ”

“Okay, everybody looks at the map . Haric’s land is here, neighboring Dark, our land . Since there’s an ongoing war, I assume he must have stocked up a considerable amount of provisions for it . As I mentioned earlier, his army is small and less able to fight, so long as we’re quick enough, the said provisions will be ours to take . ” I explained, “On the plus side, don’t forget, we’re also splitting the army into 2 columns to discourage enemies from attacking Darkmoon . This strategy is going to stall them, thus ease the pressure on my father’s city . ”

“What about the second column?”

“Easy, I’m getting to it . Well, tell the world about this army is on a mission to police around . ” I laughed, “I’ll take it to Winper! The merchants there needs my attention anyway, by ‘attention’ I mean discipline . Ugh, these copycats are stealing my wife’s business . ”

“Sir, our time is still limited!” Carlos said unnaturally, “Could it be another closer city?”

“Whimper City it is, end of the discussion . Send my order, Kirk is back to be the city mayor, effective immediately . Tell him to set off tonight . ” I ignored Carlos’ advice .

Orders out, Wilder grew much anxiety since he was a man prone to battle, “B… boss! What about us?”

“Oh, Commander Wilder, I need you and your army on the border and act, no, pretend you’re getting ready to fight the enemy head-on . I’ll try to replenish the much-needed special corps . ” I said word by word, “However, remember our provision is not yet ours . I trust your discretion to not act hastily as long as you and your men keep Darkmoon away from danger . ”

As I expected, Wilder was disappointed, he cried, “Boss, not a bluff, no . ”

“Both of the armies are equally strong, there will be no bluff . ” I caught Wilder’s arm, “It’ll be a waste letting you just bluff . ”

“You mean?”

“Trust me, you’ll have your time to shine . ” I turned to my other legion commander, “Moya, you and your troops will be the shield of Dark City and its collateral area . ”

He nodded with prudence .

“What about you, sir?” Asked Carlos .

“As I said, I’ll take an army to Winper . ” Said I, “Now, draw up an official announcement: The Dark City Hall has noticed the recent commercial disorder in the City of Winper . Pirate activities have been reported and noted . The City Hall has decided to implement immediate inspection and follow-up regulation . ”

“Roger that, sir . ”

“Good . Carlos, about the new city garrison’s training . They’re already behind schedule . Speed them up, push them . Whatever it takes . ” I reached for a glass of water, “Finish these newbies . Seize all training activity for the special corps, all units, rejoin their original legion . ”

“I’m on it . ” Carlos answered reluctantly, “This one is on me . I’ve been swamped . ”

“Stay in Dark City, that’s your primary job . ” I nodded, “Pay extra attention to logistics . We can’t allow a single mistake . ”

A hint of disappointment crawled on Carlos’ face at the sound of staying in Dark City .

“Come on, you’ve been to battles . I promise you’ll be swamped with warfare like you are preoccupied with paperwork now . ” I tapped his shoulder, “You’ll get your chance kicking Luhrmann’s ass . ”

All burst out laughing .

The same night, I gave Fischer and my father the same information about the enemy in the viceroy’s manor . All agreed to my arrangements . A discussion about military deployment took place later between us .

By the way, I have always considered my father a cunning gentleman, surely not to my level; but my view was about to change tonight .

My old man advised Fischer to draft invitations to all renowned aristocratic families, whose daughters were of the age of marriage, to Dark City . Needless to ask, being a guest of an imperial member was a clear sign of the King’s intention to select his future queen .

My father immediately continued his speech before Fischer’s blushy ‘no’ made to his lips .

“My king, it’s a political device instead of your private affair . ” He said in a lowered voice, “If you stand in an outsider’s shoes, them sending daughters to Dark City means their acknowledgment of you as their king . If we’re lucky, an amount of 20, 30 noble young ladies has a momentous effect on the relationship between Luhrmann and his subjects . ”

I couldn’t agree more . Since some of the viceroys still did not choose a side . We might as well help them . We did not need them to be friends with us as long as they chose not to side with Luhrmann .

However, all knew my Dark City was besieged by Luhrmann’s troops . Therefore Fischer’s invitations will not bring any ladies successfully . These high-power lords liked to consider all aspects . Besides, it was not the time to bet before the war even began .

The problem remained, how to make the ladies present in Dark City? Coercing and under-the-table activities are my specialty by the way .

Since my father and the king as well as the rest of the lords all had righteous faces and were good at doing things only gentlemen will do, this not-so-righteous, laborious job fell on my shoulders . My father required that I should make at least 20 ladies present from more than a hundred aristocratic families, ignoring those who had fallen unknown .

“Mark my words, Cohen, an invited noble lady will bring suspicion to Luhrmann . ” Said my father, “In a time like this, a tiny bit of suspicion will degenerate into things that change the direction of the war that could greatly benefit us . ”

“Okay . ” I had no choice .

“If you can’t make to 20,” my father chuckled, “you can make do with princesses from other empires, the ones have not engaged yet . If you kidnap an engaged one, it won’t end well, internationally”

“Isn’t it already an international matter the moment I start stealing princesses?” Said I, “What if the empires wage war on us . ”

“Well, considering our domestic situation, that’s not a good idea, unless someone wants Swabia to disappear from this world, which is not allowed by the race supreme as well as the 3 red pops . ” Said my father, “They’ve taken Swabia as their own rather than being eaten away by other empires . ”

“Okay, I’ll take the job . ”

I had no idea how my father came up with such an idea that equaled to stabbing Luhrmann in the neck . He did pick the right person for the job . Though it had been a long time since the last time I did any dirty jobs, I was indeed a master of abduction .

My targets happened to be pretty noble ladies, how exciting .