Chapter Summaries

Lawrence established a harbor and military outpost for the Leopold Family, then demonstrated the fleet’s strength as it passed a Southern Merchant Guild harbor. The Guild leaders planned to use pirates to disrupt Leopold’s sea routes, confident that their control of the sea would force the Northerners to seek their help.

• Lawrence threatened the Southern Nobles’ envoy into accepting the Leopold Family’s demands for assistance.
• Lawrence’s fleet built a crude harbor on a surveyed island, leaving ships, soldiers, craftsmen, and black slaves there under a newly appointed sheriff.
• Lawrence ordered his fleet to fire more than a hundred ballistae at once while passing the Southern Merchant Guild’s harbor, then continued sailing.
• The Southern Merchant Guild leaders panicked at the Leopold fleet’s arrival, but Count Began rejected sanctions and argued that they could not defeat Duke Leopold on land.
• Count Began persuaded the Guild to wait for the Leopold Family to finish building its harbors, then use pirates to rob ships along its trade routes.

Derek launched three Little Duke-class Gunboats, formed a small fleet to protect and extend his shipping routes, and returned to the Northern Lands. After seeing the growing number of newborns in a village, he ordered a further tax reduction for families with young children.

• Three Little Duke-class Gunboats completed their test firing and officially entered naval service, with Derek naming the flagship Swan.
• Derek ordered the gunboats to form a small fleet with supply ships and gradually strengthen the route Lawrence had established.
• Derek left Digen Port and returned toward Swan Castle, reflecting on how the good harvest and abolished newborn tax had increased the birth rate.
• Derek toured a village and heard from a militia member that around thirty babies had been born there that year.
• Derek told his Attendant Officer to record a plan to reduce taxes by another half-tenth for families with young children next year.

Derek returned to Swan Castle for the New Year, reunited with Tiona and their son, and prepared to invite nobles from the Holy Cross Kingdom and the Northern Lands. A suggestive letter led Viscount Yanes to realize Derek might be preparing to act against his former kingdom, and he set out for Swan Castle while making preparations for war.

• Derek arrived at Swan Castle after inspecting living conditions across the Northern Lands and learned that Lady Ferrera was watching the snow from the third-floor terrace.
• Derek reunited with Tiona and their son, confirmed that she had arranged care for Steward Philip’s children, and told her he would invite nobles from the Holy Cross Kingdom and the Northern Lands.
• Viscount Yanes received Derek’s invitation, which recalled the Halley Family and hinted at the events of two years earlier.
• Viscount Yanes concluded that Derek might be preparing to make a move against the Holy Cross Kingdom and decided to prepare for war and contact his relatives.
• Viscount Yanes set off eastward under the protection of his family’s knights.

Viscount Yanes met Baron Balin on the road to Swan Castle and discovered that they were both traveling in response to Duke Leopold’s invitation. After gathering information about the borderlands and the Holy Cross Kingdom, Yanes concluded that the Bruno Family’s influence had weakened and resolved to strengthen his stance.

• Viscount Yanes stopped at a coaching inn and investigated a dispute between his attendants and Baron Balin’s convoy.
• Viscount Yanes recognized Baron Balin, whose connection to Earl Connor and the Holy Cross Kingdom he secretly pieced together.
• Viscount Yanes and Baron Balin learned that they had both received Duke Leopold’s invitation to Swan Castle and agreed to travel together.
• Viscount Yanes drew information from Baron Balin about the borderlands, Holy Cross Kingdom leaders, and border commanders.
• Viscount Yanes concluded that the Bruno Family’s border influence had weakened and that the time had come to act.

Viscount Yanes and Baron Balin arrived at Swan Castle and were impressed by the armor memorializing the Northland Knights. Derek assigned Yanes to maintain order in conquered territory and asked Balin to provide intelligence, then invited them to stay and plan the operation.

• Viscount Yanes and Baron Balin traveled together to Swan Castle and grew familiar through their shared interests.
• The butler led Yanes and Balin past rows of battle-worn armor and recounted the fallen and surviving knights who had worn it.
• Derek asked Yanes to form an army from surrendering nobles and maintain order in territory captured by his forces, and Yanes agreed.
• Derek asked Balin to supply intelligence and cooperate with his army, and Balin promised to help even if his father refused.
• Derek promised rewards of titles and land for valuable intelligence and invited Yanes and Balin to spend the New Year at Swan Castle while they discussed the operation.

Yanes and other nobles became convinced of Derek’s martial strength as they planned to overthrow King Bruno. Meanwhile, Captain Jones’s backed pirates ambushed a Leopold Family fleet, but the Northlanders’ gunboats revealed an unfamiliar formation and began belching smoke.

• Yanes found Tok and other familiar nobles among the guests and joined discussions about the coming revolt.
• Yanes watched Derek defeat challengers with ease, strengthening his confidence in the Duke.
• Captain Jones led more than a dozen pirate ships to intercept the approaching Leopold Family fleet and considered fleeing to the New Continent after the job.
• The Northland fleet sent three gunboats forward while its transport ships and sailboats held back, prompting Jones to order his pirates to attack.
• The gunboats turned broadside and opened their gunports as the pirates prepared their ballistae.
• One-Eyed Dragon noticed the Northlanders’ strange movements and black smoke rising from their ships.

One-Eyed Dragon and Captain Jones’s pirates attacked a Northland fleet but were overwhelmed by its faster ships and long-range cannons. Captain Jones surrendered, yet the Northlanders executed the pirates and returned to their fleet.

• One-Eyed Dragon saw the Northlanders’ cannon fire devastate a pirate ship, and Captain Jones ordered the pirates to sail forward and board the enemy.
• The three-masted sailboat outran the pirates and sank their ships with repeated cannon salvos, leaving Captain Jones to order a surrender.
• Captain Jones killed his first mate with a ballista, and the pirates lowered their black flag and raised a white one.
• The Northland captain ordered his crew to execute the pirates, and the warships hunted down and sank the fleeing ships.
• The Northlanders killed the survivors who called for help, searched the sea for anyone left alive, and returned to the fleet.

White Sands Port strengthened its defenses with cannons and reinforcements while Knight George complained that he could not stop the northern fleet. Meanwhile, Derek used Baron Balin’s intelligence to plan Leopold’s winter offensive, and the army reached its targets as the weather cleared.

• Knight George flew into a rage when he learned that the supply fleet had reached White Sands Port, but he feared provoking the Northlanders.
• Knight Ben inspected the newly installed cannons and welcomed the reinforcements, while the captain promised to bring more guns on the next trip.
• Derek assembled intelligence from within the Holy Cross Kingdom and mapped its scattered forces, including the Bruno Family’s private army and Earl Connor’s regular troops.
• Derek ordered Leopold’s forces to divide and break through the enemy’s positions, targeting the Bruno Family’s army before blocking Earl Connor’s forces.
• When the snow stopped, Leopold’s troops advanced through gaps in the defenses and reached their objectives, while Baron Balin arrived at Earl Connor’s camp with his Father.

Earl Connor prepared his army while Baron Balin ingratiated himself with the knights, and Leopold's forces began advancing through the winter mud. The chapter ended as Johnny's patrol raised the alarm after Leopold scouts attacked them near a Royal Private Army camp.

• Earl Connor inspected his camp, spoke with soldiers, and assigned tasks to his vassal knights.
• Baron Balin visited Earl Connor, promised to follow the family's military principles, and brought gold and wine to befriend the knights.
• Leopold's army moved through the mud toward the Royal Private Army camps while Johnny's patrol struggled along its route.
• Leopold scouts spotted Johnny's squad and pursued them with Heavy Crossbows, killing some of the fleeing soldiers.
• Johnny reached the meeting point, where his fellow townsman narrowly dodged a crossbow bolt and shouted that the camp was under enemy attack.

Simon led the vanguard against the Bruno Family's private army, defeating a patrol and then accepting Knight Rogers's proposal to bombard the camp's wooden walls. The cannons began firing, ushering in the assault as Simon watched their power firsthand.

• Johnny and the surviving patrolmen tried to lure out the Locke people's crossbow bolts, but Simon's cavalry arrived and Simon killed them in close combat.
• Simon complained about the revolver jamming, drank from a wineskin, and led his cavalry toward the Bruno Family's camp.
• The Bruno Family's private army shut its gates, so Simon held back from charging under their bows and crossbows.
• Knight Rogers proposed using cannons to breach the camp's wooden walls, and Simon gave him permission to try.
• Rogers's artillery crew built defensive works, aimed their cannons, and began firing in succession, with the first shot missing but blasting a crater in the ground.

Rogers's artillery shattered the Holy Cross camp's wooden defenses, giving Simon and Leopold's infantry an opening to attack. The Royal Private Army stopped its rout by killing fleeing soldiers and organizing a counterattack, stabilizing the line against the Locke forces.

• Rogers's cannons smashed the Holy Cross camp's wooden wall and threw its defenders into chaos.
• Simon ordered the attack early, and Rogers stopped the artillery fire to avoid hitting the advancing infantry.
• Leopold's infantry crossed the broken wall and routed the Holy Cross front line.
• The camp commander ordered his guards to kill retreating soldiers and sent a messenger to summon Andre and the other officers.
• A Squad Leader gathered nearby soldiers and led them back into battle to avoid being cut down by their own guards.
• The camp commander brought hastily assembled troops to the front, and the Royal Private Army stabilized its line.

Simon and Rogers watched the battle against the Holy Cross Kingdom’s regular army and planned a way to break its defenses. Rogers directed an artillery strike that killed the enemy commander, leaving the battle poised to turn in the Locke army’s favor.

• Simon observed that the Holy Cross troops were well trained and told Rogers the camp could still be taken.
• Rogers spotted the enemy general and proposed using artillery to disrupt the command and open a path through the defenses.
• Simon approved Rogers’s plan, and Rogers signaled the artillerymen to fire three rapid volleys.
• The Holy Cross commander urged his troops to hold until reinforcements arrived, unaware of the incoming shells.
• The shells struck near the commander and hurled him into the air, killing him.

Simon used Rogers’s artillery to rout the Royal Private Army and quickly moved on to attack another camp. Meanwhile, Derek studied the battlefield and coordinated Leopold forces against Holy Cross Kingdom units, as Baron Shaun hurried to join General Michel.

• Rogers ordered ten rapid artillery rounds, and the Leopold Family’s elites broke through the Royal Private Army’s disorganized lines.
• Simon asked Rogers to join an attack on another fortress and supplied superior-quality Warhorses to haul the cannons through the mud.
• Simon’s army reached the next camp in less than half a day and began bombarding its defenders.
• Derek ordered Simon to halt and rest, then used reports and a sand table to direct forces against Holy Cross Kingdom troops making moves nearby.
• Baron Shaun rushed to join General Michel and drive the Locke people out of Holy Cross Kingdom territory.

Baron Shaun’s troops were ambushed and captured, while Baron Balin secured Earl Connor’s promise to delay before Earl Connor finally led his army to relieve the Royal Private Army. Derek waited with his central army and prepared to attack the incoming reinforcements.

• Locke troops ambushed Baron Shaun’s exhausted soldiers, captured them, and forced Shaun to cooperate under threat from a veteran Chiliarch.
• Baron Balin arrived at Earl Connor’s camp, and Earl Connor agreed to hold his army back for half a day so Balin could report to the Locke people.
• Earl Connor received reports urging the nobles to reinforce the Royal Private Army, suspected a trap, but chose to march out after the agreed delay.
• Baron Balin watched Earl Connor lead the army away, then left as well.
• Derek kept his central army concealed while other forces were delayed by scattered enemy troops, then ordered his officers to encircle and attack the reinforcements.

Derek prepared an ambush for Earl Connor, relying on his caution and the disruption of communications to draw him into danger. Earl Connor realized the march was likely a trap, but by the time a dying messenger confirmed it, retreat was too risky, so he ordered his army to reform and prepare for battle.

• Derek explained that Baron Shaun’s attempt to stop Earl Connor would help lower the earl’s guard, while keeping Derek’s true purpose hidden.
• Earl Connor advanced cautiously with scouts despite urgent pleas for aid, while Derek positioned his army along the enemy’s route and intercepted messengers.
• Earl Connor noticed that reports had stopped arriving and concluded that the Royal Private Army had been destroyed or his force was walking into an ambush.
• A wounded messenger reached Earl Connor and warned him of a Locke ambush before dying in the saddle.
• Earl Connor decided it was too late to retreat and ordered his army to reform, prepare for battle, and summon nearby nobles while ignoring the Royal Private Army.

Derek used Earl Connor’s confidence and advancing reinforcements as bait, aiming to destroy the Holy Cross Kingdom’s frontline forces and seize Saint Peter Province. Earl Connor believed he only needed to hold out until help arrived, while Derek prepared to strike at the wider army.

• Derek ordered Simon to keep up the pressure while interception forces held for two more days, then prepared to visit Earl Connor.
• Derek explained that Earl Connor was bait and that his real goal was to draw in and destroy the Holy Cross Kingdom’s reinforcements.
• Derek revealed his banners and advanced, prompting Earl Connor to realize Duke Leopold was personally on the battlefield and imagine capturing him for ransom.
• After the sides retreated at nightfall, Earl Connor received reports of attacks on the Royal Private Army and intercepted reinforcements, then sent letters urging forces to hold and gather to support him.

Earl Connor struggled to hold his position against the Locke people while waiting for reinforcements, and Derek withdrew his blocking forces to let Holy Cross Kingdom troops reach the battlefield. The reinforcements arrived during a foggy assault and turned the battle around, but Derek revealed that their attack had been part of a plan to lure them in.

• Earl Connor learned that General Michel was still holding off the Locke people and ordered him to endure for two more days.
• Derek ordered his blocking forces to withdraw and converge on Simon after learning that two Holy Cross Kingdom legions were approaching.
• Earl Connor's troops faced a heavy assault in the fog, and he feared their defensive line would collapse.
• Holy Cross Kingdom reinforcements struck the Locke people from the flank, forcing them to retreat and stabilizing Earl Connor's line.
• Derek ordered his frontline troops to withdraw, saying that the prey had taken the bait.

Earl Connor rallied the Holy Cross Kingdom’s reinforcements and launched a final assault against Duke Leopold’s army. Derek answered with a devastating artillery barrage and sent the Northland Knights charging, leaving the Holy Cross forces overwhelmed.

• Earl Connor saw the Locke army retreat and ordered a counterattack, intending to use his hidden reserve against the Northland Knights.
• Holy Cross reinforcements arrived, and Earl Connor took command as their armies steadily pushed the Locke people back to their crude camp.
• Earl Connor prepared the final assault, while Derek readied his artillery and the Northland Knights waited behind the front lines.
• Derek’s guns unleashed a rapid, devastating barrage that devastated Earl Connor’s hidden reserve and stunned the Holy Cross army.
• Derek ordered the cavalry to charge, and the Northland Knights rode through the shell-torn battlefield to attack the shaken Holy Cross soldiers.

Earl Connor’s forces collapsed under the Locke people’s bombardment and the Northland Knights’ charge. Derek ordered the Northern Lands’ counterattack and looked ahead to founding a grand duchy and declaring himself Grand Duke.

• Earl Connor sent in the reserves and ordered enforcement squads to execute anyone who fled, but his soldiers continued to rout.
• The Northland Knights charged through the shell-shocked Holy Cross Kingdom troops, breaking through their central formation.
• The knights overran the reserves and enforcement squads, crushing the enemy’s remaining resistance.
• Derek ordered the drums beaten and told his forces to attack, while sending word for Simon to stop toying with the enemy.
• Northland officers and soldiers surged forward, scattering the chaotic Holy Cross forces.

Earl Connor abandoned his collapsing army and fled as the Locke forces launched a final artillery-backed offensive against General Michel’s troops. He reached the camp, seized his son Baron Balin, and escaped without the supplies.

• Earl Connor recognized that his army had lost control, ordered other troops to plug the breach, then fled with his private army and part of the rear forces.
• Derek directed the Locke army to clear the battlefield, while Simon received new orders and told Knight Rogers to begin the final offensive.
• General Michel dismissed Earl Connor’s past failures and encouraged his officers to plan for victory as the Locke artillery began its bombardment.
• General Michel tried to hold his troops in position, but the army collapsed under the shelling and the Locke attack.
• Earl Connor returned to camp, grabbed his son Baron Balin, and fled without taking the supplies.