Chapter 529 The Battle for the Throne

Chapter 529 The Battle for the Throne

?The stoic Nora replied, "The establishment of the Westia Kingdom is not a matter of today, and our father, the Emperor, has at most half a month left. The affairs of Castile need not be discussed today. The Kingdom of Aragon will certainly not join the battle for the throne."

"Our adversaries are limited to the Crown Prince's Castile Kingdom and the Second Prince's Ing Empire. The Fourth Prince had a conversation with me a few days ago, after which he voluntarily abandoned his claim to the throne."

Howard responded, "We need a plan."

Nora agreed.

Nora's agreement set into motion the events that followed.

Half a month later, upon the Emperor's death, the Crown Prince sought the throne and territories.

The Second Prince, initially hoping for his father-in-law Henry IV's support, found him deeply troubled by domestic unrest and setbacks in the New World, leaving the Second Prince's pleas ignored.

Eventually, the Second Prince, with a modest force of just over two thousand men from one of his duchies in the Ing Empire, marched to contest the throne.

This force was far too small to offer any real hope of success.

Contrary to others, the Second Prince's wife, Mary, daughter of Henry IV, did not view the battle pessimistically.

Mary was always brave, seemingly oblivious to fear.

The war between Nora and the Crown Prince commenced.

Howard and the supporting lords of the Iliar Kingdom formed ranks and dug trenches.

However, the soldiers of the Iliar Kingdom, who were supposed to bear the brunt of the battle, panicked and crumbled in the face of Castile's formidable pike formations.

Howard couldn't comprehend how an army of 42605, double the size of their opponent, could collapse so rapidly, dragging down the entire battle line.

Originally, Howard was to be the chief commander, but swayed by Prince Maximilian's enthusiasm and persuasion, he ceded the position.

This decision led to disastrous consequences.

A military-savvy Anna furiously threw her riding crop to the ground, while Resarite openly cursed at Prince Maximilian.

Fortunately for the Prince, in the midst of the chaotic retreat, he was too busy fleeing on horseback to hear Resarite's insults.

The allied forces were forced to retreat.

Howard asked Resarite, "Minister of Military Affairs, did you understand their formation tactics?"

Resarite replied, "I did."

Howard inquired, "Is it possible for our soldiers to be arranged and disciplined in a similar formation?"

Resarite, unable to hold back, laughed, "It's impossible; I can't lead those cowardly troops of the lords."

Fransi retorted angrily, "Anthony, you Catalan Duke with dreams of architecture, don't question my loyalty to Castile. Remember, back in the Ing Empire, I never shied away even from King Henry himself."

Anthony ordered the light and heavy cavalry on the flanks to ignore other areas and focus on annihilating Anna's light cavalry first.

Addressing Fransi, he said, "I don't care about your past. As the chief military spy, you should be competent in your role. Our army was outmaneuvered due to insufficient intelligence, and if I don't hold you accountable, shouldn't you at least feel ashamed?"

Fransi dispatched his intelligence agents, instructing them, "Head to the valley in the east. I suspect the enemy commander is there, directing their artillery. Here are some of the enemy's uniforms. Change into them and quietly eliminate the enemy commander."

The agents, dressed in the provided uniforms, ventured into the dense forest, planning to traverse the lowlands stealthily and ascend the high ground to assassinate the enemy commander.

Anthony snorted dismissively.

"Hmph, at least you've shown some sense by dispatching your proud assassins."

He wasn't surprised that these intelligence agents were capable of performing assassinations.

Intelligence operatives infiltrating enemy lines often possessed extraordinary combat and counter-assassination skills, making them suitable for assassin-like roles under special circumstances.

Fransi watched the cavalry melee to the north, where Castile's light and heavy cavalry were holding their ground against Anna's light cavalry forces.

"Anthony, I've sent out my most treasured intelligence agents, all exceptionally skilled. And what about you? I've heard you, the Duke, have a penchant for architecture. So tell me, how do you plan to use your architectural talents to secure victory for our army?"

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the forest in the direction where Fransi's agents had headed, causing his face to pale.

"That's where my operatives were advancing..."

It turned out that Margaret and her team, concealed in the forest, had eliminated Fransi's assassins.

Margaret was skilled in assassination techniques but lacked extensive records or experience in actual assassinations.

Despite Howard's objections, Margaret, with her assassination skills, had little opportunity to utilize them.

Recognizing Margaret's talents, Resarite had her positioned on the other side of the forest, guarding the vital passages through both the high and low ground.

Margaret's personal guards had successfully taken down the Castilian operatives.

Aware that they were on the battlefield, Anthony, despite his strained relationship with Fransi, attempted to reassure him, "It might be the sound of the enemy being killed; don't worry. Your agents are experienced, I believe in them."

Inwardly, however, Anthony suspected the worst – that the noise indicated the discovery and likely annihilation of Fransi's operatives.

The sounds of artillery continued to echo from the high ground to the east, and several military units had already been decimated.

Anthony knew he faced a dire choice: either to flee or to counterattack.

Escape seemed impossible as the light cavalry of the enemy blocked the northern route, and the two sides' cavalry were engaged in an indecisive struggle.

A counterattack seemed equally futile; the high ground was already occupied by the enemy, and their heavy artillery continued to bombard, making an advance unlikely.

Howard, Bosiden, Vettel, and the Duke of Savoy, who had arrived to provide support, led the heavy cavalry side by side.

The four of them sought opportunities to break through Castile's formations, but each attempt was thwarted by the enemy's long spears and shields, preventing further advancement.