Volume 2 chapter 53
The war between Count Ester and Charlo was closely watched by the three major Border Counts. After all, the mobilization of the Smolder forces was not subtle.
Using the same advanced weaponry and tactics as Clyris would inevitably raise suspicion of collusion with the demons.
So why did Charlo dare to do it?
It wasn't recklessness. It was opportunism.
After the Battle of the Dragonspine Mountains, the Empire had launched yet another conscription drive—citing the demon threat.
After three rounds of conscription, the nobles of the Eastern Border had been bled dry. No matter how much they tried to hide their private forces, they had very little strength left.
Charlo was confident. Excluding Grand Duke Landon, even if all the other nobles united against him right now, they couldn't beat him. Ironwood still had 20,000 active soldiers, and he could mobilize up to 100,000 if necessary! This was the confidence that allowed him to reveal his hand.
And if a true heavyweight intervened? He could flee south.
Ironwood had already conquered a territory equivalent to more than half a County in the Northeast of the Balar Empire. He could rebuild his forces there.
Even in the absolute worst-case scenario, his navy had charted over a dozen islands in the eastern seas. The largest was hundreds of square kilometers—combined, they exceeded the size of a County.
With so many escape routes, Charlo had no fear. Even if he was forced to play "Island King," he was confident he could rise again.
This was why he dared to strike.
Facing Ester's encircled Punitive Force, Charlo ordered the bomber wing to engage.
A massive fleet of over fifty bombers emerged from the clouds. Bomb bay doors opened, and specialized aerial bombs fell.
POP! POP! POP...
These bombs didn't detonate on impact. They burst in mid-air, dispersing a massive cloud of fine black powder and aerosol over the enemy formation.
Before the soldiers could understand what was happening, the clouds ignited.
BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM...
Bright fireballs erupted over the ground. Terrifying shockwaves, visible to the naked eye, swept across the earth, snapping flagpoles and sending tents flying.
The instantaneous high temperature scorched the ground black and cracked the earth. Armor fused into molten slag.
This was Charlo's new surprise for Count Ester: Fuel-Air Explosives (Thermobaric Bombs).
Each bomb weighed eight tons. Even the improved 'Griffin' bombers could only carry four each.
But the effect was devastating.
Conventional high-explosive bombs were ineffective against heavy magical armor; shrapnel lost lethality against Fifth-Rank Knights beyond 300 meters.
But thermobaric weapons? The supersonic shockwave, the vacuum effect, the incinerating heat, and the chaotic mana turbulence meant lethal damage to a Fifth-Rank Knight even at 300 meters!
These bombs used unstable Mana Stone Dust as the primary explosive. The yield was far higher than equivalent TNT, and the detonation scrambled the ambient mana.
Normally, mana turbulence wasn't fatal to a knight. But after having their internal organs pulped by a shockwave, chaotic mana invading their bodies was a death sentence.
Heat, pressure, and mana poisoning—even if they weren't at the epicenter, escape was impossible.
After two hundred thermobaric bombs were dropped, not a single soldier in the Punitive Force remained standing.
But the bombing wasn't over. Following the thermobaric wave, dozens more bombers arrived.
This time, they carried conventional high-explosives—but not the standard 1,000kg variants. These were 3,000kg Heavy Bombs.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!! CRASH...
Mushroom clouds rose one after another. Count Ester, who had barely survived the initial firestorm, dizzy and concussed, couldn't dodge again. A heavy bomb landed directly on his position.
He was vaporized.
After the bombing ceased, Charlo tightened the encirclement and rolled out the artillery. For thirty minutes, heavy cannons pounded the ruins.
Only when the camp resembled the surface of the moon did Charlo order the cease-fire and send in the infantry.
"Report! No survivors found! Count Ester and all personnel are confirmed dead!"
"Good! Return to base!" Charlo wasn't surprised.
"Young Master! Now comes the real problem..." Davis said from the side.
A deeply rooted Count family like the Smolders wouldn't disappear easily, even after a devastating military defeat.
Minor nobles could rule for centuries and hold near-absolute power over their subjects. A Count family that had ruled for over a millennium was entrenched in the very soil.
Even a "new" family like the Smolders had a thousand years of history. Their control over their territory was ironclad—evidenced by the fact that Charlo's intelligence unit, the Nightingales, had failed to infiltrate any key positions.
"Hmph! Even Ester is dead. They can't make any waves! As for revenge... I'm not actually going to swallow the Smolder Territory whole, so don't worry!" Charlo said confidently.
He knew that conquering a territory was easy, but destroying a family was hard. It had to be done slowly.
Although he had wiped out the Smolder main force, he would only take half their land. He wasn't short on territory.
Instead, the crippled Smolder family would be too busy trying to save their title and remaining lands to plot revenge.
As expected, when Charlo marched his army to the borders of the Smolder Territory bearing news of Ester's death, the family fell into chaos.
After a frantic internal struggle, Ester's eldest son, Ivorson (a Fifth-Rank Knight), came out to meet him.
"Respected Viscount Charlo, on behalf of the Smolder family, I apologize to you!"
Upon meeting, Ivorson bowed low, speaking with humble respect.
"Due to my late father's misunderstanding, this conflict occurred. The Smolder family deeply regrets this and is willing to compensate you for your losses!"
His first move was to cut ties with Ester. Everything was my dead father's fault! It has nothing to do with us! Don't kill me! I'll pay, just let this go!
"Heh!" Charlo sneered. "Who doesn't know that Count Ester mobilized more than half the military strength of Smolder Territory just to bully a small Viscount like me? Although he died in my counterattack, I still deserve justice!"
You think you can just cut ties? He brought half your army! You think I'm stupid?
"This... my father was indeed impulsive and made a wrong decision, but he has paid the price... The Smolder family admits fault!" Ivorson stammered carefully.
The Count attacked the wrong person, but you killed him! I'm apologizing and paying money, can't we just move on?
"Hmph! Still stubborn!" Charlo snorted coldly. He drew his sword slightly, channeling the ambient mana to crush down on Ivorson.
The sudden pressure drained the color from Ivorson's face. He looked at Charlo in shock. Seventh Rank?!
"This time, I want half the land of Smolder Territory, 5,000 Imperial Gold Coins, and a public admission that the Smolder family attacked me first! I ask you one thing: Do you agree?"
Charlo stated his terms with unquestionable authority.
"This?!" Ivorson wanted to protest, but Charlo increased the pressure, causing sweat to pour down the noble's face.
"You have no right to refuse!" Charlo raised his head, speaking slowly. "Smolder has been defeated. I have advanced to the Seventh Rank. The fact that I haven't gone straight to the Capital to claim your title and swallow you whole is already giving you face! What more do you want?"
To the Emperor, Ironwood and Smolder were irrelevant. He didn't care about the process, only the result.
The result was: Smolder lost. Charlo was now a Seventh-Rank High-Ranker, meeting the requirements for Count. To the Emperor, this was just a routine replacement of personnel.
Charlo could have petitioned to annex the entire territory and exile the Smolder family.
He didn't do so because forced expulsion would leave a mess. He didn't want to inherit a population still loyal to the Smolder name.
A thousand years of rule meant deep-seated loyalty. If he took over by force, the people would sabotage him at every turn. If the Smolder family returned later, the populace would revolt instantly.
Sabotaged factories and strikes would render his occupation useless.
So he wasn't in a hurry. He took the half with the resources.
"This..."
Ivorson gritted his teeth. After a fierce internal struggle, he chose survival.
"We... agree to the compensation!"
"Excellent! I see you are a sensible man!" Charlo nodded in satisfaction and released the pressure.
"From here—to here! This half will be ceded to me! Agreed?" Charlo drew his sword and carved a line on the map of Smolder Territory.
Ivorson looked at the half Charlo claimed and turned pale.
It was the "fat" of the land! It contained the mineral mines, the salt flats, and crucially, the Prague River access and the seaport!
The Smolder family also secretly traded with the Balar Empire. Although Charlo had squeezed their market share, they still made money. Now, losing the port cut off their financial lifeline completely!
"This... Viscount Charlo, isn't this..." Ivorson tried to negotiate, but Charlo shot him a sideways glance, and he swallowed his words.
"I have no objection..."
"5,000 Gold Coins, and a public apology! Agreed?"
"Agreed..."
"Good! Go back and prepare! I have invited Count Carmel, Count Ronald, and Count James. In three days, we will sign the armistice treaty under their witness! Is that acceptable?"
Charlo gave them no chance to renege. By inviting the other three major Counts of the East, the Smolder family—stripped of their High-Rank protector—couldn't back out even if they wanted to.
Smolder was a new Count family. Their connections were weak. Charlo, a rising star about to become a Count, held the power.
"You..." Ivorson realized Charlo's calculation and looked up in anger.
"Hm?"
Charlo just snorted. Ivorson instantly shrank back like a mouse meeting a cat.
"I have no objection..."
"Then get out! Have the gold ready! By the way... I will be merciful and let you keep the people on that land! You can sell them or move them, I don't care!" Charlo said with feigned disdain.
"Yes, yes, yes... I'm leaving! I'm leaving!" Ivorson bowed hurriedly and scrambled out of the tent.
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