Charlotte had four forces under his command: his original founding cadre, the Black Phoenix nobles who had pledged allegiance to him, the newly surrendered people of the New Continent, and the Ghost Fleet.
When Duke Mecklen's Territory had first been established, more than a hundred Black Phoenix nobles had pledged allegiance to Charlotte. Most of them were former Black Phoenix nobles with virtually no loyalty. When the New Continent Council had launched its fierce offensive, more than sixty Black Phoenix nobles had chosen to surrender in order to preserve their lands and wealth.
When the territories were reclaimed, the surrendered Black Phoenix nobles, terrified of being held accountable afterward, had almost all followed the people of the New Continent away. Charlotte had taken the opportunity to strip them of their lands and incorporate them into the directly governed territory.
However, some Black Phoenix nobles had abandoned their lands in the face of the New Continent Council's attacks, answered Anne's call to arms, and brought their entire clans into Black Phoenix City to fight shoulder to shoulder with the West Wind Knight Regiment.
The prominent figures among them were Count Nottingham, Count Barnett, and Viscount Angelo.
Charlotte had not been stingy with these people. He granted them land and wealth, and in time, these Black Phoenix nobles would inevitably integrate into Duke Mecklen's Territory and become his loyal vassals.
When Charlotte prepared to counterattack, he had not brought along these former Black Phoenix nobles. After all, they had countless ties to the former nobles on the other side who had surrendered to the New Continent Council; they might even be relatives. They might do something out of personal sentiment, so he had considerately sent these former Black Phoenix nobles back to their own territories to rest and recuperate.
As for the