44 The future

Henry only needed three weeks to retake control of the rest of his kingdom. He had already captured the two most important and well-protected cities, Mirante and Eisenburg, which were the most important places for commerce and for the control of the kingdom. The remaining towns were no match for Henry's army, and their weak walls could be easily breached with a single wave of attack. They didn't even dare to close the gates on the sight of the powerful king's army.

Unfortunately, during their mission to reclaim the territory, the army discovered that four villages had been wiped out during the civil war due to famine, cold, wild animals, or bandit attacks. This loss meant the death of at least ten thousand people, a significant number in the small and sparsely populated Stahl, where immigration was almost non-existent. It meant less mouths to feed, but less hands to work.