A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor-Chapter 2086: King Patrick - Part 4

As long as there was certainty in what needed to be achieved, there was naught Oliver believed could stop in. Every piece of him was united now without doubt. All that made him Oliver Patrick – and the two Fragments in Claudia and Ingolsol that played Ministers to his heart. All were united in purpose, and immediately, did he begin to give his orders.

"We still have men in Ernest," Oliver said. "But we do not have the men to hold a city so central in our new Kingdom. General Blackthorn shall be in charge of our eastern border with the Pendragons, and he will leave for there immediately, with six thousand men. Minister Hod will be sent for from Ernest, and he will hold our southern border, with six thousand men of his own. The two thousand men that remain will be under my command as a reactionary force. They will be a unit that is entirely mounted. We will make up for what we lack in numbers in superiority maneuverability. We will not sit and wait for the enemy to attack us – we shall begin immediately, with a foray into Wyndon territory. We will unsteady their own border fortresses, plunder their potential supply routes, and weaken the foe before they can declare themselves."

Oliver caught Verdant’s gaze. He saw the man’s frown that always came when he was thinking. He could tell that his strategic mind was picking apart the plan, and there were still questions within it that remained. "It is not entirely impossible that the Yarmdon will join our enemy in attacking us. The Capital we hold here is weak, in that it sits along the sea. Wyndon ships and Yarmdon ships alike can drift along the shore, land on our beach, and attacking our settlements inland. However, at this current moment in time, we do not have the resources to spare in dealing with them. It will be myself, and my two thousand men that keep an eye on the shoreline from a distance, and maintain our defensive pressure on it. Otherwise, the Capital shall remain without a garrison."

A weakness that somehow seemed to be turned into a strength, from the way that Oliver Patrick put it. To defend a border, one had to see the large majority of its fortresses manned, lest an army slip past at speed before they could put a defensive army of their own in its way. As naturally as he would draw his sword from his scabbard to wave off a charging enemy, Oliver made the concession.

If he had paused to look at the state of his heart, when it had been so uncertain lately, he might have wondered where the confidence came from to make such a concession so easily. It hardly seemed to be like courage. It more seemed as if there was so much that could go wrong, at any one moment, that it was foolish to let the gravity of the situation take a hold of him. He flew past, far beyond it, aiming at something else.

"We have another issue, in terms of supplies," Oliver said. "And we have the issue of governance. We cannot afford for these lands to be left in a wartime state. Food production cannot slow or halt. Trade cannot be allowed to dry up – though it seems we have no trade routes currently accessible to us, with all other kingdoms becoming our enemies. Yet fortune is on our side. Spring is on its way. Crops can soon enough be planted. Until then, we will make use of the Emerson nobles that remain. Conquered this Kingdom might be, it is not currently profitable. As our armies fight to take control of the borders, Verdant Idris will take control of the local nobility. He will find which ones might be loyal to our cause, dispel those from our borders that are not. We must have firmness, do understand, gentlemen. Everything must be useful. Everything. The very ground we walk upon must work for us. The trees we have conquered must offer us the perfect shade. By Claudia’s will, and by our own will, we shall make it so."

"My King, I have a suggestion," Verdant Idris said, the first person in their meeting to raise his voice with an offering. Even General Blackthorn had remained quiet, without the slightest comment, when he had been ordered to defend the eastern border.

"Voice it. Any that have offerings as to how we might sharpen our current position, voice them," King Patrick said. "We must be as firm as can be. Dedicate your hearts and minds to this cause – if your intuition voices a contrary path, speak up, and I shall hear you."

"My father – he would be of use to you," Verdant said.

"Would he serve me?"

"He would," General Blackthorn said. "I’ll send him a crow, King Patrick, and you can count on his arrival."

"Very well," King Patrick said. "We will have great need of a man of his calibre. The Minister of Blades and Lady Yoreholder with him should be returning to Ernest presently. We will make good use of them as well. Which leads me to an important point of address – the matter of your families, and your estates."

"If you choose to fight alongside me, and you have lands outside my borders, they will be taken from you, by order of the High King. That is a matter that we will remedy during the course of conquering – however, before then, there is the matter of family. Everything of importance must lie behind our borders. This new Kingdom that we hold, we will protect everything inside it. The safest place for your loved ones is here. If you have family, retainers or anyone close to you that you fear for, have them moved. We might have as long as a week as a grace period – use that time to see them transported."

"...It seems to me that I shall have to give up my family home," General Blackthorn said.