When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 610 - 573: Post-War Settlement and Moliat

The moonlight illuminated the sky.

The sharp call of the blackbird echoed repeatedly in the swaying campfire, yet this piercing sound did not elicit any reaction from the entire camp.

Sentries on the wooden walls whispered to each other, regretting not bringing bows as they watched a passing deer.

The gendarmes and sentries, wearing leather boots, patrolled in groups of four, carrying axes and spears, though they deliberately lightened their steps.

The slumbering camp was so quiet, and even the occasional groans of wounded soldiers did not disrupt the tranquility of the moonlight.

The soldiers were too tired. After continuous combat for several days and today's extremely tense battle, everyone was utterly exhausted.

After forcing themselves to eat dinner, they could no longer hold on and took up their blankets, crawling into the narrow tents.

However, although Horn was also extremely weary, he found he had no time for sleep yet.

The cold wind, carrying the scent of grass and metal, licked the window boards, causing the drafty dwelling to resonate with a clanging sound.

Inside the house, Horn sat behind a makeshift rotten wooden desk scavenged from nearby, listening to reports and summaries from several legion secretaries.

The firewood in the stove still had moisture, occasionally cracking with a pop and emitting a pungent green smoke.

Horn instinctively rubbed the quill between his fingers: "So, to summarize, in this battle, we captured a total of 323 enemy knights, including 118 Imperial Knights, with a total knight casualty of 271, of which 98 were Imperial Knights. As for the infantry, due to their large numbers and chaotic management, they haven't been counted yet?"

The casualties Horn spoke of included severe injuries and deaths; those who were unable to return to the battlefield for at least a year or two.

After Prince Kongdai entered the Thousand River Valley, his nine Imperial Regiments, combined with the local Imperial Knights of the Thousand River Valley Church, amounted to just over a thousand.

In the battles of Pavia, Black Mountain, Xiaochi City, Rapids City, and the Lapper River, nearly four hundred Imperial Knights were killed and captured scatteringly.

In the battlefields of Shangruifo County, Moliat also took down over two hundred Imperial Knights.

By the latter half of 1445, when Prince Kongdai withdrew his troops from Shangruifo County, he had only 380 Imperial Knights left and had to spend a large sum of money to transfer over 130 Imperial Knights from the Leia Kingdom.

By the spring of 1446, Prince Kongdai had about 550 Imperial Knights.

However, after the battle of Black Lettuce Village and the assault on High Castle, Prince Kongdai had only about 450 Imperial Knights remaining.

In the battle of Cheese Bay, Horn wiped out 216 Imperial Knights in one sweep, eliminating nearly half of the remaining Imperial Knights.

Currently, Moliat is still pursuing the remaining Imperial Regiments, but the situation is settled; they are estimated to have little ability to resist.

Of course, if the Imperial Knights wanted to escape, they were indeed very hard to kill.

Horn and Moliat, over time, had wiped out over a thousand Imperial Knights, but only about half were truly unable to fight again.

The rest had either died or "disappeared," deciding there was no future in fighting in the Thousand River Valley, they returned home on their own.

In any case, the main armed forces of the church in the Thousand River Valley had been completely cleared out, rendering them as a shorn lamb ready for slaughter.

"Yes, estimates are that the data will come in the next couple of days." Petier, sitting at another narrow writing desk, handed over the transcribed form, "Your Majesty, please take a look, this is our casualty report."

The smile on his face froze for a moment, turning into a wry smile.

Lowering his head, Horn began to read the form.

Under Horn's arrangement, this two-dimensional form had gradually been promoted within the Salvation Army Government.

Without looking at the details, he skimmed to the end: "Our total casualty count is 1,492, with the number of lightly wounded yet to be tallied... The sixth and eighth legion commanders of the Black Crown have died in battle, as well as the third, fourth, and fifth legion commanders of the guards..."

Seeing these casualties, although he knew they were unavoidable, Horn couldn't help but sigh.

With 1,492 casualties, not specifying the exact numbers of severely injured and deceased was due to the uncertainty whether some of the severely wounded would survive the night.

One of the results of rescuing Kasha County was the addition of a large number of monks to Horn's troops.

Lightly wounded soldiers drinking allicin could significantly reduce the risk of infection.

Severely injured individuals were kept alive with either divine art or medicine, then treated by witch doctors through rituals or surgery, trying to save as many as possible.

If not for Horn's advanced medical system, it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to add another five hundred casualties to this campaign.

Compared to the Pavia period, where a single battle could wipe out a quarter, these one-eighth casualties had reduced significantly, but they still pained Horn. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Especially when he noticed several old friends who had followed him since the Gulag period, nearly family to Horn, on the list.

As Horn had stated before the battle, fighting meant death; though he would never see those familiar faces again, their sacrifices were not in vain.

"Prince Kongdai's final charge was too perilous." At this point, Petier was still apprehensive, "At least a third of the casualties were from that last charge. If we didn't have monks using blessings to sustain life, and witch doctors treating the wounded, the casualties could have been higher."

Prince Kongdai's last charge, though Horn appeared unfazed and confident, seemed extremely dangerous to others.

During the prince's charge, nearly all the war monks gave their all, forming gun formations to block him, yet they were constantly overrun.

Prince Kongdai was merely thirty meters away from His Majesty Saint Sun at the closest. That dog, Charles, was a half-step Great Knight; if he had lunged and injured His Majesty, what would have happened?

After breaching three defensive lines, the war monks' morale was at a tipping point, teetering between soaring to the heavens or plummeting into the abyss.

If Horn were truly beheaded by Prince Kongdai, many new recruits among the war monks might have actually scattered and fled.

Mere farmers months before, they lacked the tenacious will of veteran soldiers, and even veteran soldiers weren't robots.

The remaining steadfast war monks might have stabilized the situation, but resisting Prince Kongdai's assault would have been difficult without retreating slowly alongside the Holy Gun Cavalry.

At that time, Horn, with adrenaline rushing, didn't feel much fear, commanding the gunners and falcon cannons with composure. But thinking back now, he was amazed at his performance back then.

"Try to keep the severely injured alive; disabilities don't matter; we have the Veterans' Home after all, I'll support them." Horn set the list down, "Collect all the badges and gather the bodies; later, they'll be enshrined in the Heroic Spirit Holy Hall."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Armand, from the other side of the writing desk, began writing a memorandum.

Horn put down the pen, "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Mr. Casani and Mr. Gigano recently visited, along with a mysterious guest seeking an audience with you."

These Falan people were quick. The battle was won in the afternoon, and by evening, they sought a visit.

As for that mysterious guest, Horn didn't even have to guess to know it must be Monte Yac.

"Find them a place to stay first, discuss when we reach Feiliu Castle. I have too much on my plate right now, no time at the moment."

Trade with the Falan was crucial to Horn's future plans, but currently, at least half of the Thousand River Valley was taken by Moliat.

Given the popular prestige and the overall situation, he couldn't make unilateral decisions.

Although the battle was won, as Prince Kongdai said, there were still numerous problems ahead.

In Kasha County, there was Puzilio's army; in North Mangde County, there was the Shattered Stone Plain Noble Alliance Army.

Internally, there were vacillating nobles, citizens, and monasteries, while externally, the nations of Norn and Falan watched intently.

Closer, there was the issue of Grand Duke Moliat and the division of power; further, there was the potential threat of the Leia Kingdom's invasion.

Currently, the primary issue was Moliat; for at least the next decade, it was best for both sides to avoid civil war or division.

Otherwise, neither side alone could stand against the Leia Kingdom.

Thinking of this, Horn's gaze slightly lost focus, puzzled why today's half-face behind the Grand Duke's iron mask felt so familiar.

Could it be that he had met her before?

Impossible, he thought; although the Grand Duke occasionally came to High Castle City, she always wore a hood and iron mask, and he had never seen her face.

Speak of Moliat, and Moliat arrives.

While Horn was still pondering about her, the sentry at the door reported: "Your Majesty, Her Highness Moliat is here to see you."

The people in the room exchanged glances, with some hint of uncertainty in their eyes.

"Invite her in." Pushing up from the wooden desk, Horn moved towards the door to greet her.