Prewar Preparations (Part Two)

Renard immediately began issuing detailed orders. Turning to Hamilton, he instructed, "Father, you and Mr. Bennett will handle contact with the natives and explain our purpose."

"Use whatever means you like, whether threats or incentives, to get them to cooperate fully. If necessary, you may agree to certain terms. I'll leave it to you to decide what's reasonable."

The two men solemnly bowed and accepted their orders.

Watching his son's spirited bearing, Hamilton couldn't help sighing to himself. As expected, the younger generation surpasses the older. My son has far more drive than I ever did.

Renard then turned to Duke Edmond and Earl Sidney. "Your Excellencies, once you return to your respective territories, gather as many troops as you can. I want each of you to assemble four divisions of elite troops within twenty days."

Under Gannan Province's military system, four elite divisions meant roughly thirty thousand men.

Assembling that many troops wouldn't be difficult for Duke Edmond. He already had thirty thousand soldiers under his command. Although his forces had suffered heavy losses in the previous battles, the Barren Land now had a population of over a million, so there was a solid pool of recruits to draw from.

But gathering thirty thousand troops would be an uphill battle for Earl Sidney. The fighting in Cabbage County had only recently ended, and after several major battles, the army had been badly battered and many able-bodied men had been lost.

To make matters worse, the King had recently pulled the Southern Army out of Cabbage County under the pretext of attacking the Croning Family. Everyone knew those troops wouldn't be coming back.

As for the local garrison, Master Lei had already selected and trained its best men, then absorbed them into his own army.

Not long ago, Earl Sidney