Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest-Chapter 396 - 26: Declaring War on the Entire Land!

Cultivation was a black hole.

As long as he recruited enough Angel Envoys, no matter how many resources were thrown into them, it would only make a splash.

Success in every endeavor requires prior preparation, and strength is accumulated bit by bit.

Having come into a windfall, with the resources Tashina negotiated for Roman, he could enhance a thousand Angel Envoys from ordinary human constitution to nearly First Rank or actual First Rank Knights.

This was just the military employment fee.

The management fee of Lion Territory would not be less than this, and it would later be used to cultivate a think tank.

Roman had it all planned out, directly sending his think tank to assist Tashina.

Using the resources Tashina provided to develop talent, then having them help Tashina to hone their political skills.

One could only say that what comes around goes around.

Suddenly taking out that many resources, even a fat sheep would find it hard to swallow, loudly expressing their exhilaration.

Because she had acquired the entire future.

Using Roman’s people to build her power, she had no fear that Roman would be duplicitous and resort to tricks.

She trusted what she saw before her.

The River Valley King would not set traps for him; even if they were to face off on the battlefield in the future, he would engage her in an honorable battle!

She trusted her eyes; Roman had no dark clouds in the depths of his soul and was a passionately sincere king.

To ally with such a person, there was no need to ever worry about a stab in the back!

Roman was also very satisfied; the Angel Envoys were the elite of his loyal forces. To scrap Lion Territory in exchange for a thousand combat power units was an incredibly good deal.

Besides, even without Tashina, Roman would have attacked Lion Territory in the future.

For the past two years, he had done extensive governance in Fertile City, and now that stability had been raised, he could continue to expand; Lion Territory was an excellent choice.

But if the White Steel Princess wanted it, he would let her have it; after all, he had other lands to conquer.

For a brief moment, Roman felt, not considering other factors, that if Tashina’s conquest plan truly went smoothly, and the River Valley Army expanded to half of Black Iron Land, it was highly probable that a decisive battle like the conflict between Chu and Han could erupt between them.

Considering such a scenario, Roman felt excited... which was impossible.

The White Steel Princess was too confident.

She might accomplish impressive feats on the battlefield, but war is an extension of politics, and when the moment of duel came, all her pretenses would be revealed.

Your people are my people, you are mine, nurturing you is nurturing me. When the time comes and I’ve plucked all your wool, leaving you bare and tender, what will you have left to fight me with?

...

Both harbored their own cunning plans, each thinking they had struck a great deal.

Roman was determined to strengthen his Angel Envoys, pushing for rapid production.

Tashina continued to rush to the military camps.

The River Valley Army’s military system was unique, different from the ordinary Conscript Army.

The Conscript Army was foolish, only there to fill the ranks, creating opportunities for the Conquest Knights to enter the fray.

But the River Valley Army was different; they possessed professional military decorum and sophisticated equipment. Their infantry phalanxes primarily executed direct crush tactics, completely surpassing the ecological niche of Conquest Knights on the battlefield, becoming the main characters in the theater of war.

The disparity was considerable, and the Conquest Knights following Tashina to River Valley were taken aback.

To be blunt, they looked down on the lower-class infantry.

Infantry were dimwits, absolute idiots, those who relied on the lower class could never achieve anything grand, a result verified by countless Conquest Knights over the centuries. frёewebnoѵēl.com

The Conscript Army was inadequate in fights; they did not follow orders, could not launch proper charges, and would flee when faced with setbacks. All victories were brought by the Conquest Knights.

Now it was different; an army composed of slaves and the impoverished could actually win just by themselves?

But no one could refute it.

Because the River Valley Army had already proved this point in the Heavenly Pegasus Plain.

The scene of the battle of the kings was chaos at its peak, but no one could deny it was the River Valley Army that withstood the main battlefront.

Oak elites, the Axe Guard, and the Black Iron Conquest Knights were few in number, all elite, and it was impossible for them to withstand the front line.

While the Holy War Army of the Heavenly Pegasus Plain had nearly one hundred and fifty thousand men – not the limit of the Church Court, but the limit of the battlefield, which could only accommodate so many.

The River Valley Army bore most of the pressure from the Holy War Army; their organizational capability was explosive.

According to unreliable statistics, the Holy War Army suffered nearly one hundred thousand casualties in the battle of the kings, turning the entire campaign extremely bloody and depleting the young adult generation of the entire Heavenly Pegasus Plain.

About sixty percent of these casualties on the Church Court’s side, roughly thirty to fifty thousand dead, were directly related to the River Valley Army.

This figure was horrific; the River Valley Army emerged from a battlefield akin to Hell, and some soldiers were now suffering from traumatic stress disorders, with hundreds retiring on the spot – human cognition and psychological endurance have limits, and they just handed in their resignation letters.

And Roman approved them all to prevent them from a mental breakdown – because some soldiers really did go mad.

In a modern society abundant with material goods, there are still sufferers of depression; in this era, humans were potential madmen, with war as the catalyst for mental alienation.

Who isn’t mad?

Through the "Battlefield Simulation," Roman had also personally experienced that bloody cruelty of Hell. Retirement was normal. However, the River Valley Army had strong cohesion, with most soldiers being his die-hard followers. Some who could not undertake combat duties refused to leave the military at any cost, requiring Roman himself to persuade them to leave.

Now the River Valley Army, purified and tempered, although reduced in number, had become even more frightening, exuding a chilling indifference towards life and death.

The Conquest Knights wondered in the dark whether these people were really peasants and slaves a few years ago.

Fortunately, they were allies, not enemies.

Because the Conquest Knights could not find their place, the two sides couldn’t coordinate, only continuously training and practicing, gradually familiarizing themselves with each other’s combat styles and strengths.

Roman faced appointment issues with Tashina.

Their relationship was very complex; nominally, Tashina was his boss, as he had opened the city gates to welcome her, thereby acknowledging her status as the Black Iron King.

But in military matters, Roman could not hand over control to Tashina.

In the end, she could only be temporarily appointed as ’Special Military Marshal,’ nominally half a step above Brigade Commander Jet, but all actions had to go through military council decisions.

Her Black Iron, White Knights, Oak elites, totaling almost five hundred, joining the combat sequence of the River Valley Army was impossible, as that would only disrupt the existing military formation.

Roman formed them into a separate independent column, assigning three auxiliary battalions to be at Tashina’s command.

Nine hundred auxiliary troops and five hundred elite soldiers immediately formed a formidable military force.

This was a standard ace combat team, highly mobile.

...

This year’s winter was about to pass.

The land was about to welcome a new year—a chaotic, unknown year.

Iao III died in last autumn’s War of Kings, and the Conqueror Order disintegrated.

The entire winter landscape was eerily quiet, as if all wars had vanished.

The northern Dragon Clan lay dormant, the Church Army suffered heavy casualties, the River Valley Army returned to the capital...

But those who had experienced the War of Kings knew.

That was by no means a war to end all wars.

On the contrary, it was merely the prelude to another long and brutal conflict.

...

In the fifth year since his arrival in this land,

Roman, accompanied by Gwivelle and Laisa, returned from the trials fields where the winter wheat yielded highly and that grain could become next year’s seed for an even better harvest.

Upon returning to Origin Manor, Roman saw Seth approaching hastily.

Roman’s Finance Minister’s face was panic-stricken, his usually precise and powerful hand trembling slightly, as if holding a terrifying object.

"What happened, Seth?"

"Your Highness, a crow messenger from Fertile City has brought terrible news." Seth had never seen such horrifying news before.

Roman’s expression was relaxed, his posture nonchalant, "Speak."

Seth picked up the ancient document, covered in seals, and read in an extremely heavy and hoarse voice:

"The Filin Family of the Lion Territory declares war on the River Valley King..."

"The Carter Family of the beasts declares war on the River Valley King..."

"Lord Alanson of the Needlework, declares war on the River Valley King..."

Just as Roman was about to ask who on earth this Alanson Earl was, he heard Seth continue in a grave tone:

"Count Blois declares war on the River Valley King..."

"Count Firths declares war on the River Valley King..."

"Lord Pierre declares war on the River Valley King..."

"Count Vilechka declares war on the River Valley King..."

"The King of Lavender from Provence declares war on the River Valley King..."

"Lord Dolia of the Muddy Marshland declares war on the River Valley King..."

"Lord Ister of the Hot Summer Islands declares war on the River Valley King..."

"Baron Frey declares war on the River Valley King..."

"Baron Bramont declares war on the River Valley King..."

Seth almost trembled as he announced the names, one by one, each representing different Nobles.

The list was filled with the names of rulers!

Barons, Earls, and Lords from the southern, central, and western Black Iron regions, no matter their size—all forces, as if by unspoken agreement, had declared war on a distant power.

Hundreds of Nobles joined the war, all because they had received a call to arms from the master of the Black Castle.

What a terrifying occurrence!

Roman’s mood could hardly be said to be good.

He had foreseen that future events might be dire.

But he had never imagined that it would come to this extent.

Had he violated some heavenly law?

The entire Black Iron Land, with a population of over ten million, all the Nobles united just to deal with him, a small Noble who barely had his territory for five or six years?

One hundred thousand men? Two hundred thousand! Three hundred thousand!

Utter madness!!

Countless Noble forces were all marching to engage in a no-holds-barred final showdown with the River Valley King!

What on earth were they thinking?!

I had initially planned to kill you one by one in a few years, so why force me to kill all of you now?!

Gwivelle’s mouth gaped slightly; she was far from the war and had no real sense of its gravity, unaware of the seriousness of the matter.

Laisa Silver Moon, however, upon hearing each name, each declaration of war, turned deathly pale, as if recalling some horrific memory, and began to tremble.

Roman’s face also lost its relaxed expression, becoming increasingly stern and severe.

He knew that the Church must be the instigator behind this.

The Nobles who had kept to themselves, observing or remaining neutral during the Battle of Heavenly Pegasus Plain, now joined the All Gods in unison after the collapse of the Conqueror Order.

It was the trend of the times, in the context of a faith-driven Holy War. The Grand Dukes such as Fury and Riptide might have a choice, but those various independent, isolated ruler forces had no alternative but to beg the Holy Seat for mercy.

Declaring war was their pledge of allegiance, eradicating the blasphemous powers, eradicating the remnants of the Conquerors, was the ultimate goal of the Church.

"Then let them come, Seth!" Roman said.

"I said, this is something that cannot be stopped by anyone!"

His expression was steely, his words icy, "But does sheer numbers make them useful? A bunch of paper tigers will still just be paper tigers! I won’t show any mercy to such vermin Nobles!"

"This is their declaration of war against me! And my declaration of war against them! And my declaration of war against the whole land!!"

"Let it start here! Trample everyone! Challenge the entire land!"

"To have the whole world under my feet!"