Chapter 392
Chapter 392: Two Battlefronts
Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Pranav
From a certain standpoint, the recent incidents had greatly helped Orloss out .
It wasn't that the incidents had helped him formally declare war against the Holy Church . This was going to happen regardless . The true result of the Mills incident was that Orloss made up his mind and chose Halent as his successor .
Since the successor had been determined, the other candidates naturally became unnecessary . And so the burial ceremony transformed into a military ceremony—the numerous princes were "deeply influenced by Prince Mills' example of serving in the military and volunteered to follow in his footsteps to go to the most dangerous battles on the frontlines as only lowest-level ordinary soldiers to fight for our country . "
And that was how these princes "volunteered" to join the military . They became the commanders of only minor squadrons at either Nightrain City's frontlines—where it was a meat grinder—or the eastern battlefront in the newly formed army to fight against the remnants of the Holy Army vanguard and become glorious frontline cannon fodder .
Orloss didn't take away all the princes' hopes, however . He didn't publicize the fact that he had chosen Halent as his successor . He even declared that Bardi's next emperor needed to have excellent military talent and make great military achievements . He also allowed to each prince to take a maximum of ten of their strongest followers . If they had sufficiently strong followers and could obtain enough combat achievements, perhaps the emperor position could still be theirs .
Of course, Halent was the City Lord of Nightrain City . He had a large squadron of Dragon Knights under him, while the other princes didn't even have an entire combat squadron—for a prince to overturn the situation would be highly unlikely . It would only be possible in theory .
"Damn it! What have I been doing? I should have focused more on killing off all my competitors . Otherwise, I wouldn't have been forced into doing this . "
Thanks to Orloss's behind the scenes manipulations, the princes, angry at the situation, thought in such a manner .
Of course, not all the princes were focused on obtaining the position of emperor . Some of the princes had already become accomplished in other areas . For example, the Thirty-Ninth Prince Aent was quite skilled as an artist . He even financially supported many poor artists who couldn't find other work, and was famous as an appraiser . At this time, Orloss gave an order for him to become the vice chairman of the Bardi Artists Association .
Orloss's meaning was obvious . It would be impossible for Prince Aent to become the emperor, but he could at least enjoy being a pampered prince for the rest of his life .
From a certain standpoint, someone like Aent was the true intelligent one . With the allure of the emperor's position, even the smartest youth would selectively become foolish . Only very few princes abandoned the fight to become emperor and focused on other things instead .
Of course, some princes had other ideas, wanting to prematurely determine the successor rather than being forced to become cannon fodder .
Plenty of princes had connections with other factions and domain lords . Several tried to bring emergency backup military support . However, a giant squadron of royal knights along with numerous Adult Dragons escorted the princes to the frontlines, so most of the princes abandoned thoughts of resisting .
Only most—so a few still tried to resist? Did some princes rebel early on? That's right . There were obviously some princes who viewed the emperor's throne as more important than anything else . The end result? Naturally, the "the Holy Church's assassins" appeared again several more times . Perhaps another mass burial ceremony would be required next month .
When internal conflicts intensified to a certain degree, a typical political maneuver would be to focus the citizens' attention on outside conflicts—this was common in both this world and my original one .
Nightrain City would now receive the most reinforcements it had ever received . One-fourth of all domain lords in Bardi sent their personal troops . Several dozen princes and their followers arrived to become low-ranked commanders on the frontlines, and the newly-born Southern Sect took over the Holy Church's job of fighting against the undead . This was an opportunity for the Southern Sect to prove themselves to the world .
Meanwhile, on the eastern front, Halent took his personal troops and an army of almost two hundred thousand to fight against the invading Holy Army .
This seemed inconceivable? Halent was the City Lord of Nightrain City, and the troops still guarding there were all his personal followers, so why was he sent to the other battlefront? Didn't this seem like one was commanding at random?
This seemed inexplicable, but it was actually simple to understand after some explaining . This was, in fact, due to non-military considerations .
The current Halent was no longer just a "general" who could be allowed to charge into battle at the frontlines . He was now the "crown prince" and a critical pillar of the country . Unlike smaller countries that still used princes as generals, major countries preferred consistency and authority . So-called face meant concrete benefits . Since Halent was now the crown prince and would inherit the throne, he was indispensable . He couldn't be allowed to lose a battle or die in war .
Orloss couldn't afford to let Halent fight a losing battle, either . Otherwise, it could cause a chain reaction that would lead to the diminishing of royal authority, something even a mega empire would have trouble bearing . This was especially so since the domain lords were waiting for an opportunity . If the royalty suffered any losses in battle, those with ambitions would naturally act .
That was why, for all major countries, the emperor wouldn't do anything like personally go out into combat unless it was absolutely necessary . Although the emperor personally leading would greatly increase morale, there was also the consideration that if the emperor lost, or was taken captive, a terrible chain reaction would occur .
That's right—lose . Although the southern battlefront against the undead received far more manpower than the eastern battlefront, there was the possibility that the Undead Emperors might intervene . Plus, the previous battle there involved the mega powerful Titan Giants and True Gods, which obviously escalated the level of the Holy War . Even though the Bardi army on the southern battlefront was stronger, there was no guarantee of victory .
Meanwhile, on the eastern front, although a famous general led the Holy Army, they were now badly frightened after being attacked by the dragons . They were also stuck deep within Bardi, with their backup support and communication cut off . Plus, the royalty sent out their elite squadrons and ace job class soldiers—if Halent still couldn't win, his gilded position as crown prince would no longer be his .
Actually, when I heard that Halent's army even had two Dragon World leaders and more than ten Ancient Dragons, I knew that there would be no possibility of him losing—even if he wanted to .
"Don't mention Orloss; now, even the dragons won't allow him to lose . After cleaning the remaining enemies in the east that have already been so weakened, he can continue to the south and steal more combat achievements . If the princes lose in the south, it's the perfect chance for Halent to arrive in the nick of time and save the country in a perfect reversal . There's no need to worry that Halent won't have enough forces at his disposal . Orloss will definitely activate the full military might of Bardi if the southern front loses . The true foundational strength of a mega empire in an all-out war is frightening to behold . "
"What if the southern battlefront wins against the undead? Won't Halent seem like he achieved less in comparison, then?"
"No, that's even better because Halent is still the City Lord of Nightrain City . The military leaders he left behind there are his direct followers, so it'll still be his credit if they win . They're using his preparations and defenses against the undead, so it'll become his achievement . "
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