vstars Chapter 628 Does Midland have no one else to use?
Chapter 628 Does Midland have no one else to use?
Inside the Oak Hall of the West Wing of Wyndam Palace, the stained-glass windows rattled and hummed as the wind lashed against them.
The oak in the fireplace was burning brightly, sparks crackling and popping, warming the hall where several ministers in court robes sat around a gilded, carved walnut table, their eyes occasionally glancing toward the door.
"Ministers, the King will be arriving shortly."
A servant in a dark green uniform pushed open the door and entered. His voice was extremely low, but it was like a stone thrown into still water, instantly tightening the previously relaxed atmosphere.
The ministers all stood up and straightened their clothes. Even the old finance minister, who was dozing off, was suddenly awakened and hurriedly wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief.
Footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by the low shout of the palace guard captain:
"Your Majesty is here!"
The heavy oak door was slowly pushed open, and King Midland strode in.
"His Majesty."
The ministers knelt on one knee, their sable cloaks rustling as they brushed the ground.
King Midland's gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Count Hohenzollern, who was dressed in a plain dark blue official robe in the corner. Although he was the minister in charge of the Huldland expatriates and should have been inconspicuous among the powerful ministers, everyone knew that he had a good son who was King Midland's son, and that King Midland was currently racking his brains to improve relations with the Kingdom of Huldland.
"Everyone, take a seat."
The king took his seat in the main seat, and his gaze first fell on the military commander.
"Any news from the eastern front?"
The king spoke first, his voice so deep it seemed to roll directly from his chest.
The military commander immediately stood up and unfolded the document:
"Your Majesty, this is a military report from General Henry's headquarters in the territory of Rona. A knightly order of the Yoda Empire launched a surprise attack on his garrison, but was repelled by our army."
"What are the specific details of the battle?"
The king frowned and tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest.
"The enemy suffered more than 200 casualties, while our army suffered less than 100."
The military commander paused, stealing a glance at the king's expression.
"It's just that... the granaries near their headquarters were looted, and the Yodas burned all the grain they couldn't take. It's estimated that they lost at least half of the grain reserves of the general's troops."
"Therefore, General Henry's troops are short of food for the winter, and he has requested the allocation of military rations."
"in addition."
Seeing the king of Midland's eyebrows furrowed, the military commander immediately took out another piece of parchment.
"He also submitted a list of meritorious soldiers, requesting His Majesty to commend them."
"What a victory!"
The king suddenly stood up, his robe sweeping over a glass of mulled wine, the deep red liquid spreading across the carpet like a drop of congealed blood.
"The Knights of Yoda broke through the defenses and launched a surprise attack. Our main camp, along with tens of thousands of soldiers from the surrounding area, fought against five thousand enemy soldiers and only managed to kill two hundred of them. Half of our granary was also burned down, and now you want me to reward you?"
He turned to look at the military commander.
"You write a document immediately, ordering Henry to mobilize troops to attack the Yoda army. Give him a month to destroy one of the Yoda's granaries and allow him to suffer two hundred casualties. Otherwise, remove him from his generalship and send him home to grow grapes!"
After he finished speaking, he paced angrily back and forth in the room.
"If it weren't for the distance..."
The king suddenly stopped and slammed his fist into the window frame, making the window creak.
Outside the window, the wind whipped raindrops against the glass, and he stared at the rain with a gloomy expression, as if he could see General Henry's face through the layers of rain curtain.
"I wish I could ride to Rona right now and personally remove his general's insignia!"
The king's voice was filled with suppressed rage, like a volcano about to erupt.
However, when he turned around, he saw the military commander's hesitant gesture.
"What's wrong? Is there something you want to say?"
The king frowned, his voice still carrying lingering anger, but his gaze had shifted from irritation to scrutiny.
"This……"
The military commander's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he were swallowing a mouthful of scalding hot porridge.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally said in a low voice:
"General Henry did not achieve significant results this time, but I believe that how to handle this matter still needs further consideration."
"If we severely punish General Henry for minor defeats, what will happen if a major defeat occurs?"
The military commander raised his head, his eyes filled with earnestness.
"Besides, even if General Henry is dismissed, there is no one to replace him at present."
The military commander said this in the hope that the king would be lenient in punishing Henry and that this small matter would not cause a major upheaval in the front-line army.
He was well aware of General Henry's prestige on the border and understood the risks of rashly replacing a general, but King Midland clearly did not heed his advice.
"I am not punishing him because of his failure; I accept his defeat!"
The king slammed his hand on the armrest, causing the documents on the table to scatter all over the floor.
"But he dared to deceive me, writing a crushing defeat as a victory. If this trend is not stopped, who will dare to tell me the truth in the future?"
The king's voice rose eight octaves, sounding like an enraged lion.
"This kind of 'victory' was already considered by John to be..."
King Midland realized what he had said only after he finished speaking. He glanced at Count Hohenzollern beside him and then stopped talking about it.
"I refuse to believe that with so many officers in the Kingdom of Midland, there isn't anyone to replace Henry."
The king continued to vent his anger, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his knuckles turning blue and white.
When King Midland was throwing a tantrum, an eerie silence fell over the room.
The ministers dared not utter a sound, fearing to offend the king. They kept their heads down, their eyes darting around, wondering when the king's anger would subside.
However, if the king doesn't speak up, someone else will.
"His Majesty."
Count Hohenzollern spoke slowly, and the king turned his head to look at him with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"Turning defeat into victory is a long-standing habit of the border troops, and it cannot be changed overnight."
"General Henry did not mean to deceive you, so you don't need to be so angry."
King Midland frowned, signaling him to continue.
"General Henry is a veteran who has served in the army for at least twenty years and has always fought against Yoda's army on the border. He is not an incompetent man."
Count Hohenzollern looked up at the other man.
"After years of fighting, Rona Territory is long gone. The fact that he has been able to garrison it for so long and repel Yoda's attacks on several occasions is enough to show his loyalty to you. We cannot punish him severely for a small mistake, as that would discourage the soldiers on the border."
"On the contrary, if a new general is appointed, his prestige will not be enough to win people's hearts, and he may cause some trouble. If the border defense is compromised, it will give Yoda's army an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, and that will be a real problem."
"In my opinion, this matter can only be left unresolved on the surface. We should acknowledge that General Henry has won a minor victory, then order him to take advantage of the situation and launch an attack. We should also make this clear in the official documents. I think he will naturally redeem himself because of your kindness."
"The military situation is urgent, and once it's done, it can't be changed. I hope Your Majesty will consider it."
Count Hohenzollern bowed slightly.
After Count Hohenzollern finished speaking, King Midland frowned and stared at him. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded slowly.
"Then let's do it the way Count Hohenzollern suggested."
Although the king's tone still carried a hint of reluctance, he was clearly much calmer now.
After discussing other matters with several ministers, King Midland adjourned the meeting and returned to his room to handle his affairs.
"His Majesty."
As a scribe, young Hoss was handling some business when he saw the king enter and immediately bowed.
King Midland waved for him to get up and then let him continue his work, while he himself went to the center to handle affairs.
His gaze fell on the documents on the table, but he hesitated to open them.
The events of the meeting were still replaying in his mind, especially General Henry's document falsely reporting his military achievements, which filled him with immense anger and shame.
"I refuse to believe it. With so many officers in the Kingdom of Midland, there isn't a single one who can be replaced."
The king muttered to himself, his voice tinged with resentment and anger.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. This sense of humiliation was like a thorn, deeply embedded in his heart.
"Minister Hoss."
The king suddenly spoke.
Upon hearing this, young Hoss immediately stood up and bowed, a hint of confusion in his eyes, wondering why the king had summoned him at this time.
"Send someone to the Eastern Army Corps headquarters and ask them to give me a list of officers who have been awarded for their military merits this year, and explain in detail how they achieved their merits."
"besides."
Before little Hoss could leave, the king added some more details.
"I only want the documents for the knighthood and the officer's civilian status; I don't want anything else!"