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A massacre.

That was one word that could describe what happened to the forces defending the city once just a single gate was taken over by Saulus’ forces. But it didn’t happen from the hands of his legionaries. In fact, the invading army had to organize themselves pretty well and keep their people together in order to avoid being pulled into this bloody mayhem!

“Sir, we can’t stop the soldiers at the southern gate! They are bloodthirsty…”

Hearing the report, Saulus raised his head from above the map of the city and clenched his jaw.

Well, that’s it for taking over this city without infringing on its economy… In the history books of the countries where rebels had managed to win, they would praise the firstborns for their courage and wits.

But the desire for liberation that most would love to realize, would happen without leaving the comfort of their cushions, without moving their hands away from the campfire where they could simply hear more of the stories of this kind.

In reality, rebellion was no different from war. And in a war, it wasn’t the mere idea that decided the outcome. It was the solid numbers.

How many wagons worth of grain could Saulus secure for his army without devastating the local population? How many weapons could the cities he currently held produce to replace the broken and otherwise lost arms? How many people could join the fighting force, get trained and learn the discipline without putting a wrench into the circulation of the goods in the entire province?

When thinking about those questions back in the safety of the capital, Saulus considered Mengia to be the ultimate answer to all the potential economical problems of recreating a country from scratch. With no administrative system to tax all the villages and cities that were in the rebels’ forces, this insanely important land trading port was supposed to be the main source of sustainable income for the rebels.

But what the young general failed to predict, was the years of heavy-handed rule that Rena implemented.

“Sir, the entire southern district… It’s lost.”

As more and more reports continued to pour into the makeshift headquarters of the legion, Saulus had a sudden urge to just let his troops loose in the city. At the current rate, it wouldn’t make much difference who would be the one burning these once rich lands to the ground. Whether it would be the angry mob, releasing their bottled hatred against anyone who didn’t join them or whether it would be an organized effort by the military of the reemerging Burn Household, the outcome would be the same.

“Okay then, let’s think tactical. Right now, we have three different contingents devastating the city and Rena himself cooped up in the fortress. The lord I can deal with myself and the northbound group should be easy to subjugate”

Walking around the map in an attempt to get a new perspective of the situation, Saulus pointed his fingers at the two markers that his adjutants placed on the maquette as soon as the reports came in.

“The southern band… We can let them burn what they want. Any attempts at stopping them would only cost us more men. As for the eastern district…”

“Sir!”

Before Saulus could swallow the bitter pill and admit that he couldn’t figure out a reason to solve the situation in the east, yet another messenger ran inside the tent.

“Urgent news sir! We’ve received confirmation that western provinces have declared their independence!”

It was as if lightning struck the middle of the tent. In just a single moment, all other matters were pushed aside. In a single moment, the scenario that Saulus had worked for years to prepare finally started coming together.

“Wait, western provinces? What about the patriarch?”

The colloquial name of the western provinces referred to the two core areas of the former Retesia. Being the home for the household that used to govern the entire kingdom, they were said to be the richest area in the whole country. With war slaves and stolen valuables fueling the local economy, the fact that they were now gone from the patriarch’s hand…

“That bastard is stranded in the southern protectorate.”

Instantly replying to one of the most important questions that Saulus could ask, the messenger proved to be well-prepared for his mission.

“Wait, if he is in the south… What about the capital?”

Even the young general himself couldn’t believe how great the news was that he just received. While the total collapse of this oppressive household was meant to be the endpoint of his schemes, he never even dared to imagine that it would happen before the rebellion would even have the time to establish itself in the east.

In just this one moment, despite how great the news was, Saulus’ position suddenly deteriorated when heard the response.

“Held by the Lord Makay. He declared the patriarch a traitor of the people and an anti-firstborns heretic. The two western provinces are now allied. Outside of the several smaller sources that can confirm only parts of the information, we learned from the envoy of peace sent to Istoa by the western alliance.”

It seemed that the day Saulus managed to conquer Mengia, the city itself and the matter of calming its situation down would be one of the least important topics on the agenda. All of Saulus’ intricate plans started to reshuffle.

His initial strike at Istoa was aimed at securing his western flank and cutting the old Burnian provinces away from the Retesian hinterlands. But now, with both of the western provinces allegedly asking for peace, the importance of that mountain-pass fortress suddenly decreased by a lot.

No… I can’t think like that. Their declaration of peace might stem from the fact that they have better targets than Istoa to waste their men on…Pushing his inner demons aside, Saulus shook his head again. As important as the news was, they could be taken care of at a later date. For now, he still had a huge mess in the city to take care of.

“Everyone. Let’s ignore all of that for now. You there…”

Turning his head to the messenger, Saulus pointed at a corner of the tent with his hand.

“Write down everything that you know plus your name and then leave. Once the city is under control, I will make sure to reward your efforts.”

With the matter of the messenger now out of his head, Saulus looked at the maquette in front of him again. But instead of his face relaxing, the young general’s expression soured even more.

“Bloy. I know you are here, somewhere. Come out. I might need your help.”