Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 539 - 99 Monsoon_5

Chapter 539: Chapter 99 Monsoon_5 Chapter 539: Chapter 99 Monsoon_5 [Note: The concept of war spoils is not limited to combat, as the prey from hunting is also considered spoils. The distribution of war spoils is an important part of Herd society.]

The Green Plumed Feathers were in high spirits as they counted and calculated the details.

“What do you want, Little Lion?” Tie Feng asked.

“Me?” Little Lion said with a smile, “I just want a Venetian.”

…

The Venetian mentioned by Little Lion was currently making a pulley system.

Winters had no other tools, only a small knife.

The tribal medic said he needed to move his knee and ankle joints a little more each day to avoid any lasting damage.

So, Erhulan helped Winters with his “rehabilitation” every day.

...

But given Winters’s height and weight, just supporting him was a struggle for Erhulan.

And since she had to take care of Winters’s daily needs, he really couldn’t bear to see her work so hard.

Winters wanted to make a set of pulleys, to be suspended in a frame, so he could move his knees and ankles independently.

At the same time, he could also exercise his upper body muscles.

He had work to do and couldn’t just lie there.

…

At the same time, at Kingsfort.

In the lingering sunlight, Alpad rode into the city, leading two guards on horseback.

It had been over a week since the remnants of the Expeditionary Force returned to Palatu, currently stationed at the supply distribution center of the Parlatu Army, which was the starting point for Winters—the Shuangqiao Main Camp.

Even though they had returned to their homeland, the situation was more severe than in the wastelands.

The Expeditionary Force hadn’t disbanded, neither the Standing Army nor the auxiliary troops.

Moreover, Alpad had taken over the garrison of the Shuangqiao Main Camp and the conscripted militia.

His demands were straightforward, “First, solve the problem of the Expeditionary Force’s compensation.”

Before the war, the army headquarters had agreed with the soldiers of the Standing Army that all rewards would be distributed in the form of land.

The Expeditionary Force had brought back countless Herd Barbarians’ ears; they had fought bloody battles and deserved to be honored.

“Second, mobilize the troops for war readiness. This war isn’t over yet—the Parlatu People will fight back.”

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Alpad knew very well that the Herd factions were like wolves surrounding a lion.

Now that the lion’s deterrent power had diminished and its claws had been broken, the wolves had started to get restless.

Over the past thirty years, the Parlatu People had maintained the frontier’s thriving development. Not through defense, but through offense.

The two legions of the Standing Army were spread out along the long border like salt sprinkled in a lake.

If the barbarians were to take the offensive, they could launch raids from various positions, striking swiftly and retreating quickly.

The Parlatu People would face the same strategic dilemma as the ancient Muruo Empire, with borders aflame everywhere and the Standing Army exhausted from constant engagement.

The army’s size would have to continue to grow, yet it would not be able to earn enough profits.

Indeed, the Parlatu Standing Army was now profitable.

By using loans, mortgages, bonds, and various dazzling “financial instruments,” every war against the Herd factions over the past thirty years had been a profitable venture for Palatu.

By the time the army was deployed, the land in the no man’s land had already been divided, bought, and sold, and served as military expenses flowing into the army headquarters and the grand council’s treasury.

Not to mention the consequences of a breach of contract—just thinking about it gave Alpad a splitting headache.

Merely shifting from an offensive to a defensive strategy would cause the Parlatu Standing Army to transform from a treasure trove into a bottomless pit.

In an open letter to the grand council, Alpad wrote explicitly: “To solve the Expeditionary Force’s compensation issue, I am willing to take off my uniform, bind my hands, and assume full responsibility for the failure of this campaign. As for General Yanosh’s position as the commander of the great legion, I nominate Major General Sekler to succeed. He is the only one who can be ready for the next battle.”

Alpad considered that he had done nothing wrong—he was a man ill-suited for defeat.

Faced with failure, his first reaction was always, “I haven’t lost, I will fight back.”

His opinion also had the support of the Parlatu Army.

The army headquarters sent General Adams to the grand council to explain Alpad’s reasoning to all the members.

But to the grand council, this was betrayal, coercion, this was a “palace coup”—and they weren’t wrong because Alpad indeed intended to force their hand.

Angry, upon learning of the destruction of the Floating Bridge, he had immediately sent for aid.

But the grand council had only sent him five orders to retreat.

Recalling this incident enraged Alpad: “Retreat my ass! With the barbarians nipping at our heels, can we leave without a fight?”

In his view, if the grand council could have, as he once requested, “mobilize quickly, respond swiftly, ignore the Herd Raiders, and directly send reinforcements,” he would never have ended up in this situation.

Alpad had made up his mind: he could carry this black mark and accept any punishment, but the war was not over, and everything he did was for Palatu!

And how did the grand council react?

To the members sent by Kingsfort, Alpad Duyome had already committed treason.

The Kingsfort faction, mainly composed of the citizen class, has always advocated for limiting military power and emulating the Venetian Republic by bringing all military authority under the control of the council.

For the Blue Blood Faction, although General Alpad’s actions were somewhat brash, his intentions were good, and his opinions were correct.

The Blue Blood Faction traced back to the second phase of the sovereign wars—during the internal conflict within the Duke of Palatu’s territory, the noble officers who followed the old marshal integrated into the new republic.

Their base was the vast rural areas, local councils, and the “free men” class who gained land through military service.