Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 557: Avettelli I of the Kingdom of Breot

On 28 February 604, Claude arrived at the northern bay seaport of the Kanas Prairie aboard the Ironclad Cruiser St. Huslind. General Scully and General Albert have been waiting here for a long time, and the three of them met for a long time to embrace the cold.

On 29 February, a military conference was held at the military district headquarters in the northern Gulf capital city of Campaste, where Claude announced news of the reorganization of the Thunder Corps, which would be reduced to four divisions of 90,000 troops in accordance with the Forces nouvelles. The remaining 50,000 horses after discharge from full military service will be combined with eight local guard regiments stationed in the Eskilin region, the Rimodra region, to form the Storm Regiment.

The Storm Corps is the third regular corps approved by the Overseas Autonomous Territories Assembly to be included in the jurisdiction of the military region, mainly for the stationing of that patrimonial family territory along the northern Gulf Coast of the Kanas Prairie, also the Light Rider Corps, targeting various nomadic tribes in the Kanas Prairie, and recruits will be recruited from the nomadic youth of the territory...

As envisaged by Claude, the overseas autonomous territories were guarded by the Rock Regiment, while the territorial presence code on this side of the Kanas Prairie was handed over to the Storm Regiment. As for the Legion of Thunder, it was the mobile armed forces of the Overseas Autonomous Territories, which remained in a state of readiness to attack the enemy for the first time, which was why the Overseas Autonomous Territories Council had approved the establishment of an additional regular field corps.

The restructured Legion of Thunder was headed by Lieutenant General Diaved, Claude's younger brother, and Lieutenant General Berklin, another younger brother, served as Chief of Staff of the Legion. Admiral Albert, on the other hand, is responsible for forming a new Storm Regiment and for all local defenses in the Kanas Prairie, Eskirin and Rimodra regions.

All reorganization and restructuring tasks must be completed within four months, as the ocean convoy will transport eight Hicks Return Regiments from the Overseas Autonomous Territories to the North Bay. When they arrive, Claude will officially implement the Six Kingdoms offensive plan to completely defeat this most stubborn enemy kingdom.

Officers on their respective assignments rose to salute and left the conference room, while Claude, General Scully and General Albert went to dinner together, and General Albert ended up with a few more drunk goodbyes. Claude and General Scully were relieved and went to General Scully's residence to have a secret conversation in the study.

“Are you sure it was the king himself?” Claude asked.

“Yes.” General Scully nodded. “I checked his whereabouts and he went hunting in his kingdom when he arrived quietly to visit us and meet with me in private. At this time of year, he goes hunting in Wangzhuang and does not like to host noble gatherings, which are private activities. Because he said to the nobles and ministers that it was only this time of year that I was free for a while. God, just leave me alone. Leave me alone..."

Claude laughed: "This is a king on his own. ”

General Skerry shook his head: "No, he was very smart. I suspect he uses the pretext of going hunting in Wangzhuang every year to get out of contact with the kingdom minister, to make people think he is going hunting, in fact, he is privately disguised as going out to examine the country or something. So his kingdom has been developing well, and although it is the proxy of the Hicks kingdom, it is the strongest. The Hicks have always been very constrained. For the Kingdom of the Hicks, the Kingdom of Breot, is a subordinate nation that has never really been conquered by them..."

Claude looked at the map of the kingdom of Breot, a mountainous country with only a third of the plain terrain. The Breots have always been known for their resilience and bravery, and in the last two centuries they have fought seven wars with the Kingdom of Hicks, winning only two and losing five. But the Kingdom of Hicks has also been unable to truly destroy this mountainous kingdom.

More than 50 years ago, King Mancoto I of the Kingdom of Breot led the Breots to a guerrilla fight in the mountains for three years after the Royal City was occupied by Hicks troops, causing heavy casualties to the Hicks, eventually forcing them to evacuate the Royal City and proactively reaching a truce peace agreement with Mancoto I. It's just that Munko I returned to the Royal City soon after he died of drinking poison alcohol by mistake, and many suspected that this was an assassination by the Hicks...

The king of the present Breot kingdom is Avitre I, the youngest grandson of Mancoto I, whose father and three brothers died in the battle against the Kingdom of the Hicks, the last war between the Kingdom of Breot and the Kingdom of the Hicks, when the defeated Breot kingdom was forced to cede its coast to the Kingdom of the Hicks, making the Kingdom of Breot a landlocked country, losing two excellent seaports and a large part of its plain territory along the coast.

Avettelli I came to the throne of the Kingdom of Breot in a swaddle when he was only six months old, but as the only remaining blood of Mancoto I, he was embraced as the new king. In order to protect his growth, several royal nobles are said to have sacrificed their young children to impersonate him and to have him appear before the King's Court. And the real Avettelli I was adopted by a family of old hunters in the mountains and grew up quietly.

In the more than a decade leading up to the age of Avettelli I, the youngest sons of the royal nobility who impersonated him appeared on the throne were all killed. But the nobles of the Breot kingdom eventually waited until the age of Avetti I, when he returned to the throne as lord of the kingdom, and now he has been in charge of the Breot kingdom for thirty-four years.

For the past 34 years, the Kingdom of Breot has not fought against the Kingdom of Hicks. Externally, as an accessory country, the Kingdom of the Hicks sometimes issued demanding requirements, but was managed by Avettelli I to complete them, leaving the Kingdom of the Hicks with no excuse for the difficult Breot kingdom. Internally, Avitre I inspired the nobility of the kingdom to lighten the burden on the civilian population in the territory, greatly increasing the strength of the Kingdom of Breot and giving the Kingdom of Hicks a different vision.

The Kingdom of Breot ranks first among the eleven adjacent subordinate countries surrounding the kingdom of Hicks, the northern dominant of the Farea continent. In the thirty-fourth year of his administration, Avettelli I was honored by the Breots as King of Wisdom. But the strange thing about this wise king is that he loves to go back to the hunting house on the hill every year in July and August, and bring two or three servants to hunt in the hills like a hunter...

This habit has been persuaded by many royal nobles, but Avitre I has been arbitrary on this point. He said he was the son of a mountain, and that the old hunter had taught him all the hunting skills of the Breiots, who had to practice every year in order to be truly convinced king of all the Breiots.

So, in July and August of each year, ask the Breiots where their king is, and the Breiots point to the mountains, and our king should be hunting in the old woods of the deep mountains. Avettelli I also has a nickname, known as the King of Hunts. It doesn't mean how many prey he's got, it means he loves hunting so much, he's a king again...

At the end of July last year, General Skerry was on his way to inspect the construction of the territory, when he was suddenly stopped by a middle-aged man who claimed to be King Avettelli I of the Kingdom of Breot. The middle-aged man demonstrated his identity by dropping his family badge and gold stamp directly on General Scully, the only requirement being secrecy for his presence.

General Skerry immediately asked him to board his carriage and return to his home for a long talk with this Avettelli I. The intention of this Avettelli I is simple: to find out whether the Overseas Autonomous Territories are attacking the Kingdom of the Six, because the Kingdom of the Six and the Kingdom of Ovieras, and the Overseas Autonomous Territories, are still at war.

Avettelli I hopes that if the Overseas Autonomous Territories are to attack the Kingdom of Hicks, the Kingdom of Breot can help by launching at least four regiments. He hoped, however, to receive military assistance from the Overseas Autonomous Territories, the last war between the Kingdom of Breot and the Kingdom of the Hicks, when the Kingdom of Breot had been defeated. Not only has the coastal zone been cut off, even the Kingdom's military industry has been plundered by the Kingdom of Hicks, so much so that weapons and equipment lag behind the Kingdom of Hicks...

After Avettelli I left in a hurry, General Skerry wrote a debriefing of the meeting between the two, afraid to use the falcon to send a message, afraid to leak it. Instead, he sent his deputy aboard an Ironclad warship back to the Overseas Autonomous Territories to hand over this confidential document to Claude himself, who decided to attack the Kingdom of Hicks in an attempt to destroy this dead enemy nation.

“Now we can get him in touch and let him do some preparatory work. Is the letter he gave you still there?” Claude asked.

General Skerry pulled open the drawer and took an arc-shaped golden hook: “This is it, the outer edge of a palm mirror. If he matches his masterpiece, he'll know it's the one we sent to contact him. And the cryptic word is bargaining, and finally buying his masterpiece is the right thing to do. An unexpected circumstance occurs if the other party has to buy this outer gold hook back...”

Palm mirrors are mirrors that are the size of the palm of the hand, nobility is used to decorate the instrument, women are used to make up or something to carry around, there are crystal and glass mirrors. The rich and aristocratic use gold and silver, the maid of honor use jade stone jewelry, and the civilian maid decorate the exterior and bottom of the mirror with copper and iron bamboo wood.

Claude picked up the edge of the golden hook mirror and looked at it and found that it had been broken down vigorously. It seemed that Avettelli I could not find anything but to break down the outer edge of the palm mirror that he was carrying, so that no impersonation could be found after a control breakage.

“Send more agents to see if the civil anti-Hicks sentiment in the Kingdom of Breot is not serious. Though you sent someone to understand the details of this Avettelli I, you felt that he was sincerely cooperating with us. But after all, it's about the life and death of our overseas self-governing commander, and we have to be careful...” Claude frowned and thought about what.

“You can also send scouts from the army to test it out.” General Scully said.

Claude shook his head: "No, it's still easy for soldiers to see in civilian clothes, and your businessmen can't look at each other. I have ordered Colonel Bockard of the Military Intelligence Department to arrive next month, after which he will be responsible for contacting Avitre I. ”

General Skerry nodded: "Okay, I'll send someone to connect with Avettelli I to understand his needs and introduce him to Avettelli I when Colonel Boquer arrives, and I'll leave the follow-up to him. ”

General Skerry knew Colonel Boquer when he presided over the military headquarters of the Overseas Autonomous Territories, naturally knowing that he and Claude were young friends. Claude trusted Colonel Boquer, and in his capacity as Colonel Boquer, no one would take him for a soldier, which was his best disguise. But this Colonel Boquer, a true intelligence genius, has done a lot of credit for his self-government.

Seeing Claude staring at the maps of the kingdoms of Breot and Hicks on the table, General Scully asked curiously, "How are you going to attack the kingdom of Hicks? Landing from the sea is difficult, and even casualties can be high. When I returned from the Kingdom of Hicks, the agents I sent told me that the Kingdom of Hicks had been vigorously strengthening its defences along the coast and in five seaport towns since the destruction of the King's fleet by our ambush. Even if we attack with the Ironclad Fleet, we will encounter a bloodshed in front of the iron walls of the bronze walls set by the Kingdom of Hicks..."

Claude laughed, “What kind of copper wall is that? Tell me, maybe the Hicks Kingdom is bragging. Their Neptune fleet is gone. Aren't the defenses on land just unmovable targets for our Ironclad fleet? ”

“Even if it's a target, the Ironclad fleet can fight!” General Scully said, finding a roll of map from a plug next to it and opening it on the desk: “This is a defensive arrangement of the coastal zone of the Kingdom of Hicks and five seaport towns, drawn by my agents by memory, and perhaps now the Hicks have added new defensive facilities...

The northern waters of the Farea continent have always been famous for their high winds and waves. Coastal areas are dominated by coastal muddy beaches and cliffs. These are the five seaports of the Hicks kingdom, basically surrounded by cliffs. Only if these cliffs on the coast block the sea's wind waves will the seaports inside calm down and become the ports on which seaships can dock.

Now the Hicks kingdom is using a lot of labor, adding a lot of turrets to these offshore cliffs, blocking waterways into the harbor. Our agents alone saw more than fifty of them on record, and they took advantage of the land. I asked General Muried, within the range of our guns, there is no way to attack these high pitched guns because our guns do not have this altitude of fire...

This is also the first line of defense, the second line of defense, which is for the Hicks in the waterways that enter the harbour, who use huge rocks and wooden piles, and wrecks that reduce the width of the waterways that enter the harbour, leaving only one waterway for the two seaships to bend in parallel. Touch and collision can easily occur if the first entry is not guided by a guided ship. Even if you remember the waterway, you have to slow down as you travel, which is like setting up a target for the turrets on either side.

The third line of defense is the harbour dock land, where thick artillery barrels and tall perimeter trenches have been constructed to isolate the entire dock landing area. In this way, even if our Ironclad fleet breaks the limits of coastal cliff turrets and waterways, sending landing troops ashore, these landing forces will have to forcibly attack the pier barrels and fences, and only breaking these blockades will temporarily provide security and a place to rest.

But now five of the eight standing legions of the Kingdom of Hicks are located near the harbour city, essentially behind a harbour city. As soon as they receive word of an attack and attack on the harbor, they will reinforce the harbor city to launch a counterattack, destroy our landing troops or drive them off to the sea... "

Claude grinned, well, it was a copper-walled defense. Even the Ironclad warships of the Autonomous Leadership Zone, with new rifles ahead of the army of the Kingdom of the Hicks, are significantly larger than the army of the Hicks, and there is no cost in launching a landing attack from the sea. These defensive installations set up by the enemy completely offset the strength of the Legion of Thunder.

“In fact, I do not think that the Kingdom of Breot has played such a role in us. General Skerry went on to say:" Even if Avettelli I took four regiments to attack the Kingdom of Hicks, it would not be possible to transfer the defensive forces of the Kingdom of Hicks from the coastal zone to the eastern border, and those three standing regiments in their country would be enough to withstand the attack of the four regiments of the Breots, while at the same time regrouping several reserves to join the battlefield.

If we fail to land at one of the seaports along the Hicks coast and break through the enemy's blockade line and the armies of the Breot kingdom form a two-sided clash, then we are likely to end this war with failure. Home-grown operations in the Kingdom of Hicks, whether in terms of troop recruitment, casualties or logistics supplementation, also have a clear advantage in terms of troop mobilization. And even if we occupy a seaport, we arrive as an army in terms of troop transport...

If it is not possible to join the four regiments of the Kingdom of Breot as soon as possible, I doubt they will last long at all. The Kingdom of Hicks will surely defeat them, drive them back to the country, and then concentrate on us, when we will be in a lonely battle.

By the way, I almost forgot the biggest problem: Avitre I asked us for military assistance, otherwise he would not have weapons and armaments to equip four regiments, and now the Kingdom of Breot has only two standing regiments with uneven armaments. But the Kingdom of Breot does not have a coastal zone, its northern border is the Kingdom of Hicks, and its eastern border is the Kingdom of Menbamak, and we cannot transport weapons and armaments to the Kingdom of Breot... "