Chapter 403: The Strange Count Akakarat

Chapter 403 -276: The Strange Count Akakarat

Henry discovered this during his first week garrisoning the city. Perhaps John had protected them too well.

The people of Odoche had likely never experienced anything more brutal than being targeted by gang members.

It wasn’t a matter of comparing miseries; their comfortable lives had simply made them forget how to survive in the face of swords and steel.

They might have sung loudly in taverns, drunk with abandon, and boasted about what they would do if they ever joined the army.

But when that day finally came, they realized just how fragile the peace they relied on was.

The scenes of war they had only ever heard about in legends were now unfolding before their very eyes.

An army of tens of thousands marched across the open plains outside Odoche. The neighing of warhorses, the shouts of soldiers, and the clash of armor blended into a deafening clamor!

Hearts pounded, and blood rushed!

It was a sound brimming with power and killing intent, sending a chill down the spine of everyone who heard it.

Civilians stood on the city walls, by the streets, and outside the gates. Only when the sun was about to set did they see the army’s receding silhouette, leaving them speechless for a long time.

Shock and fear were written on their faces. They didn’t know what this war would bring; no one had told them what Henry’s army was going to do.

They didn’t know if their home would be plunged into the flames of war again, much less how their own fates would change.

In the crowd, there was an elderly man. His face was etched with the ravages of time, but his eyes glinted with a complex emotion.

He had experienced war before and knew its cruelty and ruthlessness. He was an old veteran from Autongard.

Watching the young soldiers, his heart was filled with a flood of emotions.

A trace of worry flickered in the old man’s eyes. He whispered to the person next to him, “Don’t dwell on it. War is never a good thing. It only brings pain and destruction.

Let’s just pray that our Count can lead us to peace, not deeper disaster.”

However, his voice was quickly drowned out by the surrounding din, and no one heard his worries.

The magnificent scene stunned the crowd, and the violence buried deep in their ancestral memories was slowly being awakened.

Henry sat in his carriage, gazing at the endless army. He felt a satisfaction as sublime as soaking in a bath and sipping a chilled glass of wine after a long, tiring day.

For him, this war was a turning point in his campaign of conquest. As long as he successfully captured Akakarat City, his domain would become richer and more powerful, and his map would look much better.

As for the smaller settlements—the military forts, earthen keeps, villages, farms, and manors—Henry was currently taking a hands-off approach.

‘After everything is over, there will be abundant rewards. Rewards for all. No one came for nothing.’

Beside him, Claude’s heart was filled with excitement and anticipation. All his efforts these past days were finally about to bear fruit.

After the siege of Akakarat City, the implementation of these contracts would bring enormous changes to Henry’s domain.

Perhaps, in the future, Westwood Laine could become a prosperous metropolis like Vostrom or Luotai.

Claude turned his head and looked at Henry. “My lord, your army is incomparably strong. Nothing can stop your advance.”

Henry smiled slightly and nodded. “Indeed. Our goal isn’t just wealth and prosperity… Only by achieving this can we secure our footing in this cruel world.”

This war was only the beginning. He wanted to make this land the center of the entire empire, a place everyone yearned to be.

Henry had no intention of constantly shifting his center of development westward. For him, the East was clearly more appealing.

As the grand army marched away, Odoche gradually returned to tranquility.

But the tense and oppressive atmosphere lingered in the air, leaving people’s hearts unsettled for a long time.

Meanwhile, around other cities, the assembled nobles were also preparing. Filled with fervent enthusiasm, they embarked on their own campaigns, advancing toward their goals.

A promising future! The family’s legacy! Their names would be writ large in the family genealogy!

On the plains, waves of troops surged toward the horizon like a torrential tide. Their goal was clear, their will was firm, and nothing could stand in their way.

「Several days later.」

News of the situation on the plains had already spread, causing an uproar among all echelons of society! The curtain was gradually rising on the war!

They didn’t know what this war would bring, but they knew it was a new beginning. A new era was dawning.

All the nobles, merchants, and those influential enough to have a voice in the empire understood the profound significance of this massive shift on the plains.

They paid close attention to every piece of news, no matter how dubious the source or how questionable its accuracy, because their next moves and plans depended on it.

If this massive military campaign initiated by Henry were to fail, the emperor would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to reshuffle the powers on the plains.

The emperor had a large number of royal family members who, despite being honorary nobles, did not yet possess fiefdoms. At the same time, many others were on the verge of losing their noble status.

Furthermore, within the imperial Legions and the local garrisons, high-ranking officers—some with distinguished military achievements, others with long years of thankless service—also yearned for a piece of land to call their own, a noble title to pass down to their descendants.