Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 471: Aftermath of the Great War

As those offshore carriers departed from the Gulf of Rhodes to return to their respective ports in late March and early April 594, the colonies of the West Coast countries learned that the remaining four standing regiments of the Kingdom of Hicks had been wiped out, and compensated for the news of a joint fleet. More interestingly, even the Rodex Bay colony was occupied by forces in the direct jurisdiction war zone to replace the Hicks Kingdom in completing that five-year lease agreement...

Well, the Kingdom of Hicks is once again the object of ridicule in the colonies of the West Coast countries, two years ago, when the Kingdom of Hicks declared the formation of ten standing regiments to lease the Rodex Bay colony from the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands and vowed to end the colonial war with the Overseas Territories of the Kingdom of Ovieras.

At that time, everyone believed that the victor of the war was necessarily the Kingdom of Hicks, and it was very simple, that the Second King of the Kingdom of Orvillas had quarreled, that a civil war had broken out, that dog brains had struck out, and that there was no way to think about the colonial war between the Overseas Territories and the Kingdom of Hicks. Whether it is troop strength or logistical support, the heavily financed Kingdom of Hicks has a clear advantage. At that time, some good people even set up gambling plates, gambling about when the war would end, losing a few direct jurisdictions in the war zone, and so on.

Then, unexpectedly, the five standing regiments of the first-time offensive Kingdom of Hicks were beaten head-on by a fierce stubborn stick and annihilated by three and a half regiments in the direct territorial war zone. The outcome of the war was a shock to many, with a new understanding of the strength of the two regiments in the direct territorial theatre. However, as the Kingdom transported the rest of its legions to the Rodex Bay colony, most people still looked to the Kingdom for a final victory.

Moreover, the Kingdom of Hicks has deployed more than 400,000 men and horses in seven regiments in the colonies of the Gulf of Rodex, and so many troops on the Farea continent can wage a war of extermination against a number of small and medium-sized kingdoms and principalities. The war zones under the direct administration, however, did not receive the Kingdom's own military and material support, making it difficult to withstand the second attack launched by the Hicks.

With the continued return of ship owners and sailors who helped to transport Hicks soldiers and landed in the fishing port towns of the Territory's war zone to the West Coast colonies, many newspapers and experts believed that the Territory's war zone had suffered heavy losses under the delicate tactics of the Hicks, and that the end of the colonial war could only be a low head.

At that time, the Hicks landed in the fishing port town of three standing regiments with more than 100,000 troops besieging Lan Lake City, the seat of the administrative center and theatre headquarters of the direct territorial battle zone, while only 13,000 troops, more than ten times the force gap, were guarded, and everyone thought Lan Lake City was pointing the finger. As a result, the Hicks suffered 56,000 casualties, and nearly a month after the bloody battle they hadn't captured the entire city of Lake Lang, almost everyone who watched the battle thought it was incredible.

Then came the Thunder Regiment, which all afterwards believed that the biggest mistake the Hicks had made was not to preemptively seize the Dollinibala River defense line and cut off the path of reinforcements in the direct territorial battlefield. When the Legion of Thunder crossed the Dollinibala River and appeared outside Lake Lan City, the Hicks could only turn to defense, giving way to battlefield initiative.

When the fishing harbor town was burned white by the Thunder Corps and the floating bridge burned down, the three Hicks standing regiments landed lost their way back. And the Hicks, besieged by the Thunder Legion, chose the wrong strategy of retreating to Mormary, which was under their control, and completely ended the three standing regiments that landed inside the war zone to besiege Lan Lake City.

Under the constant harassment and assault of the Legion of Thunder, the good-long attacking Light Riders, the three standing legions of the Hicks on the retreat path eventually collapsed exhaustedly. Most of them were taken prisoner in the war zone of the direct administration, and even the senior officers of the three standing legions of the Hicks in the coastal town of Bobia, under Mormary's direct administration, looked up to the Hicks warships that were upstream from the sea, but could not cross the sandy beaches and shallow sea areas blocked by the soldiers of the Legion of Thunder, and finally surrendered with white flags...

The landing battle confirmed the strength of both regiments in the immediate territorial theatre, but at the same time both sides suffered heavy losses. The Hicks lost three standing regiments once again, while the immediate area of battle was due to the war taking place within itself, the city of Langhu becoming almost a rubble and the loss of life and property.

In their thematic comments on the battle, the newspapers of the colonies of the West Coast unanimously agreed that the strength of the two regiments in the area of direct jurisdiction was comparable to that of the Hicks' five to six standing regiments, one to two points five or one to three, as evidenced and concluded in the performance of the Thunder Regiment after it arrived on the battlefield in Langhu City and in the subsequent attack on the retreating Hicks. Most newspapers, however, believe that both sides will calm down for a period of at least six months. The Hicks need to get backup from the mainland again, and the immediate battlefield needs to heal the wounds of war...

Because the Kingdom of the Hicks still has more than 267,000 horses in four standing regiments in the colony of the Gulf of Rodex, this may not be an offensive enough force, but there is still room for defense. In particular, they have established well-equipped defensive battalions along the northern and eastern mountain borders, together with the rear defensive front at Fombeks post, layered in a defensive position to guard against another raid on the rear General Logistics Base battalion by troops from the immediate area of operations, without concern.

In addition, the maritime areas under the direct jurisdiction of the war zone are under the control of the Kingdom of the Six kingdoms' naval fleet and joint fleet, and the direct jurisdiction war zone must guard against the Six landing again from somewhere in the war zone, which has a long coastal zone and needs to be stationed so that it will not be possible to concentrate its forces on attacking the Six. That is why newspaper reviews of the colonies of the West Coast countries have argued that the colonial war will continue until one of them is no longer able to sustain itself.

It was unexpected that less than three months after the landing war waged by the Hicks, the direct territorial battlefield had witnessed the surrender of strange soldiers, using material deals entered into by the Buffalo Shop with Hicks logistics officers in the colony of the Gulf of Rodex, ambushing the convoy, hiding from the Hicks cruise ship, arriving at the Gulf of Rodex, raiding the General Logistics Base camp of the Hicks and capturing the entire United Fleet of battleships and ocean carriers.

Immediately afterwards, the First Division of the Thunder Legion raided the Hicks Defense Front at Fombix Post, annihilated the Expeditionary Third Legion, and went on to attack the camp of the Expeditionary Fourth Legion at the northern mountain border, joining the two sides of the Thunder Division to clamp, again winning out the Expeditionary Fourth Legion of the Hicks.

Finally, the Legion of Thunder raided the Second Legion of Expeditionary Hicks and the First Legion of Snow Shame on the Eastern Mountain Border. After nearly 10 days of intense fighting, the Legion of Snow Shame and the remnants of the Second Legion of Expeditionary Hicks were forced to destroy all forces deployed by the Kingdom of Hicks in the colonies of the Gulf of Rodex, together with a combined fleet.

It was indeed an unquestionable victory, or it could be said that the colonial war that had lasted seven years with the Kingdom of Hicks had ended and that the zone of direct jurisdiction had become the final victor. This almost shocked the chin of all newspaper critics on the West Coast. Thinking about the 10 Standing Regiments that were so powerful in the Hicks Kingdom at the time, and looking at the end of the 10 Standing Regiments now flying out of smoke, there was always something unexpected about the world.

The Pioneer Tribune, the largest distributor on the West Coast, commented that if the Kingdom of Hicks wanted to continue the colonial war, it would have to reconstitute more than 10 standing legions and rebuild a joint fleet. At the same time, the colonial war would continue only after the expiration of the five-year agreement to lease the colony of the Gulf of Rodex and the withdrawal of troops from the colony of the Bay of Rodex from the zone of direct jurisdiction, after which negotiations would be held with the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands for a second lease of the colony of the Gulf of Rodex. No king who can think properly will invest countless sums of money in this colonial war that sees no hope of victory...

Most ridiculously, at the end of April, the King's fleet of the Kingdom of Hicks arrived on the mainland of Nubicia with a standing army that had just been formed to replenish it. Then, in the seaport where supplies were temporarily suspended on the west coast, it was learned that the colony of the Gulf of Rodex had fallen into the hands of the direct territorial battle zone. Four standing armies had been exterminated and the United Fleet had been captured. These stuffy batons immediately put the Commander of the King's fleet on wax, not knowing what to do...

If we continue north, the King's fleet full of troops and materiel will not be suitable for naval and landing wars, but if we do not go north, none of the colonial ports on the west coast will welcome the King's fleet of Hicks to stay there. It doesn't matter if it's just a Neptune fleet, but there's a standing army that can only refuse.

Because no one knows if the Hicks will suddenly launch a landing attack to seize their own colony. So every time the Neptune fleet arrives at a port, it brings the vigilance and vigilance of the port guards, it can't even land supplies, it's transported directly to the surface of the sea to trade, and the price doubles...

Ten days and a half months after the West Coast shook, the Neptune fleet couldn't hold up, and there was nowhere to dock. If you stay any longer, you will have to sell your boat to replenish your supplies. In the end, the Neptune fleet will have to empty all the coins in its pockets to replenish your nautical supplies again and embark on a return journey, while also bringing this unfortunate news back to the mainland of the Kingdom.

Claude had been in the Rodex Bay colony for three months, and it had taken more than half a month and 20 days to end the war, but more than two months to end. This would also be just after peeling off with the administrators in Rodex Bay City, reiterating once again that troops in theatre would not withdraw from the Rodex Bay colony until the five-year lease of the Rodex Bay colony between the Kingdom of Hicks and the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands had expired.

This is because the Territory's war zone prevailed over the Kingdom of Hicks, so anything that the Kingdom of Hicks left in the Rodex Bay colony would be a spoils of war for the Territory's war zone, and the lease agreement would be no exception. The colony of the Gulf of Rodex will be occupied by the forces of the direct territorial theatre until the lease period expires before the colony is returned to the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands.

Seriously, the forces in the area of direct command are not popular with the residents and officials of Rodex Bay City. Because, compared to the Hicks, the troops in the direct command battlefield can be said to be niggardly, and neither the Thunder Legion nor the soldiers of the Rock Legion would go to the city to flourish and drink. Even those wind and moon tents opened by the city's residents near the barracks are rarely visited by soldiers and are more expensive in terms of money than the Hicks, who never spend heavily.

For officials in the city of Rodex Bay, logistics supplies from the direct jurisdiction battlefield are supplied in their own battlefield and will not be procured from the city, leaving city officials with little extra money to earn. Together with the various supplies and reserves of grass seized in the camps, the troops stationed there consumed one and a half years of load. Even arms supplies such as guns and guns from the Kingdom of Hicks, which city officials wanted to acquire, went up by half. Last time it was a discount, this time it was almost sold at the original price, with only less transportation costs.

When these Rodex Bay City administrators bite their teeth and acquire armaments, such as guns and guns from the Kingdom of Hicks, they come to ask when the troops from the direct jurisdiction will be withdrawn, and they learn from Claude's mouth that the troops from the direct jurisdiction will not be ready to leave until the lease expires.

It's a sunny thunder for the city's administrators. When will the Hicks get here if your troops don't leave the war zone? Who are they selling the weapons and equipment we bought? Claude reassured them that the Hicks had not come to sell to the inhabitants of the colonies of the West Coast countries or to guard their armaments there. Anyway, it's the active equipment of the Hicks Army, and the profit is still two or three percent...

When news came from the West Coast in May that the King's fleet of the Kingdom of Hicks was full of a standing army and armaments shaking the waters of the colonies of the West Coast countries for half a month, it was impossible to find a port to dock at, and it was helpless to embark on a return voyage. Claude was finally relieved, and the Rodex Bay colony would be under the jurisdiction of the direct territorial war zone for the next two years.

At that time, the mountainous areas of the adjacent Rodex Bay colony ceded from the Nikanca nation, including the northern and eastern mountain areas, had been named the Rocky Hills Direct Territory by the theatre headquarters as the ninth overseas direct jurisdiction of the theatre. Although this direct jurisdiction is mountainous, mineral resources are abundant, with seventeen small and medium-sized sites in gold and silver mines alone, while other mineral resources have not been explored.

The 230,000 Hicks prisoners of war captured in the colonies of the Gulf of Rodex have been escorted into this territory by four local guard regiments, who will assume responsibility for the construction of roads and fortress castles in the mountains, so much of which will last them three or four years. And Claude, on behalf of the battlefield, assured them that they would be fed and warmed, that sick pharmacists would treat them, that they would normally have a meager monthly salary, and that if they did well, there would be rewards, and so on...

In short, the 230,000 Hicks prisoner war zones pledged to treat them as normal laborers rather than prisoners serving hard labour. This is also a prerequisite for the surrender of weapons by the Shameful First Regiment of the Last World War, to which General Bitchklin agreed.

To be honest, the war zones under the direct administration were actually devastated by the kingdom's emerging business nobles. At the time, Marshal Michel agreed to the demands of the emerging business aristocrats, handing over more than 300,000 Hicks prisoners on hand in exchange for 100,000 demobilized soldier family immigrants. As a result, more than 300,000 Hicks prisoners were abused at the hands of emerging business aristocrats, so much so that, after being rearmed, they became the most resilient, heroic and fearless opponents facing the immediate territorial theatre of battle, and the two regiments suffered tremendous damage.

This time, the Rock II Division, led by General Bitchcline, will be stationed in the Rodex Bay colony, while General Bitchcline will also assume responsibility for the construction of the Rocky Mountain Territory. Claude's Thunder First Division will be stationed at Monconad Castle, under the direct authority of Port Vibbato, to monitor the movement of the Nikanca nation and the security of the direct authority of Port Vibbato. General Albert led Thunder Division II back to Langhu Town as the engine power in the theatre.

Claude chose an honest group of sailors from the captured United Fleet to pull out of the camp, set sail from the Gulf of Rhodes under the surveillance of officers and soldiers of the Thunder Regiment, and sailed back to the area of direct jurisdiction, first arriving at the Viva tow port and then to the port of Patres under the direct authority of Robisto. In the next two or three years, the direct territorial theatre will build its own oceanic fleet.

It's just that when Claude arrived at Port Wibateau, he received a message from the battlefield command that Colonel Boquer had finally returned...