C216

"Did King Arthur truly manage to conquer Londinium?"

"I find it hard to believe! Londinium was teeming with magical creatures and even faced an assault by Vortigern's Tower of Light!"

"How did he muster such a formidable army? Cornwall isn't known for its wealth, so how could he possibly afford to maintain such a force?"

"It's obvious he concealed his troops! Such a cunning tactic. While we all banded together to fend off the beasts, he kept his own forces hidden!"

"King Arthur now possesses the mightiest army among us!"

"We must bolster our own forces, or else, even Vortigern's army won't stand a chance against him!"

"Indeed! Let's work on expanding our army!"

The kings were left in awe by Shirou's military accomplishments. Stationed at Hadrian's Wall for more than a decade, their focus had been solely on defense to prevent attacks from the hordes of beasts. Yet, in a bold move, Shirou's army took the offensive and successfully conquered Londinium!

This remarkable feat not only astonished and impressed them but also heightened their vigilance.

As a result, they felt compelled to enlist more troops.

By growing their armies and becoming more powerful, they knew they could deter potential threats and safeguard their realms.

What they failed to realize, though, was that by expanding their armies, they would unwittingly become ensnared in the intricate trap set by Shirou, much like unsuspecting butterflies wandering into a spider's web.

Since the population of any nation is finite, increasing the size of one profession would inevitably lead to a decline in the numbers of another.

This was particularly true for those involved in infrastructure.

Shirou boldly grew his army to more than ten thousand soldiers because he had no plans to establish a cavalry unit. He opted to use all his horses and cattle for agricultural purposes, and with year-round, continuous farming, he was able to sustain the needs of a sizable military force.

In contrast, other kingdoms harbored a strong preference for maintaining cavalry units.

Cavalry units were particularly resource-intensive. Furthermore, this was the end of the Age of Gods, during which humans possessed extraordinary physical abilities, unlike their counterparts in the typical ancient world. As a result, employing cavalry units was not as effective as using these animals for agricultural labor.

Now, with Vortigern's assault and Shirou's army as a point of comparison, these kingdoms found themselves in a state of panic, hastily working to enlarge their military forces.

Such was the prevailing mentality of the ancient era - military might represented the ultimate power!

It wasn't that these kings were unwise; rather, it was the constraints of their era that prevented them from grasping the true essence of nation-building.

Since the concept of science had not yet emerged in this period, and systematic disciplines like economics or political science were nonexistent, societal structures remained rudimentary.

Hence, when compared to Shirou, these kings might appear more foolish.

In truth, the difference came down to knowledge, theory, and viewpoint.

Shirou never considered himself superior in this respect. He merely stood upon the shoulders of historical giants, absorbing and integrating the wisdom and theories of those who came before him while developing his own unique insights.

There was no reason to feel superior.

As a time traveler hailing from the 21st century, he knew that if he were to encounter individuals from the 30th century or an even more distant future, he would surely be outpaced by their way of thinking.

Humans are, after all, continually evolving beings.

If Vortigern represented a lingering specter of the past and Artoria embodied a goddess eternally present in the here and now, then he, as the King of the future, placed his faith in human resilience and remained forward-looking.

Due to these varying stances and beliefs, their responses to similar circumstances were bound to diverge.

In expanding their armies, the kingdoms inadvertently decreased the number of farmers and merchants.

These kings, oblivious to the concept of economic warfare, could never have foreseen that their seemingly vital military expansions were, in fact, a gradual path to self-destruction!

Nonetheless, given their limited understanding of economic warfare and the absence of systematic theoretical knowledge, their present judgments were reasonable and justifiable within the context of their era.

At the very least, enlarging their military forces could help defend their borders and face off against Vortigern.

At this point in time, the most formidable force on the island of Britain was undoubtedly Vortigern, who ruled over all of Scotland, Wales, and the northern part of England.

An undeniable powerhouse!

However, despite possessing such vast territories, he lacked the knowledge to govern them effectively, squandering his greatest advantage. If only he had employed even a semblance of national strategy, he could have easily fortified himself behind towering walls, leveraged his land and numerical superiority, engaged in external conflicts while fostering internal development, constructed magical furnaces, and concentrated on his people. By combining artillery and beasts, he could have advanced with an unstoppable, overwhelming force. Who could have halted his progress?

Regrettably, Vortigern opted for the most efficient, yet also the most logistically demanding, guerilla warfare tactics.

Had Londinium and the central region of Dead Apostles not been seized, these tactics would have continued to be a major nuisance. However, as the north-south supply lines narrowed, his chances of survival became increasingly challenging.

After all, the beasts needed sustenance too!

The vast number of beasts consumed an unfathomable amount of food each day, and with the diminished supply line, they were forced to raid cities and feast on fresh meat.

From another angle, this also implied that as long as they remained fortified behind towering walls, they could gradually weaken the enemy's strength.

Vortigern recognized this as well, so he headed north towards the Barton Fortress, attempting to reestablish the northern supply line. However, what he found occupying the northern supply line were not humans but Dead Apostles centered around the central region.

With the Crimson Moon absent from the island and Shirou uncertain whether this vessel of Crimson Moon mentioned by Merlin could truly withstand Vortigern's invasion, he didn't dare to take a gamble. If Vortigern managed to destroy the Dead Apostles army and reopen the supply line, the Tower of Light would reemerge.

Therefore, Shirou arranged for Scathach to lead 2,000 soldiers deep into the forests of the northern defensive line. Once Vortigern launched his attack with the holy lance, she would command her forces to strike Caerleon Castle.

Under his leadership, Scathach was the strongest in terms of martial prowess. Even if she couldn't defeat Vortigern in a direct confrontation, she could safely retreat with her people. Moreover, with Merlin's Clairvoyance, he could use a spell to communicate with Scathach and instruct her to withdraw beforehand. As such, there were no issues in entrusting this task to her.

Indeed, events played out as expected. Whenever Vortigern assaulted the Dead Apostles in the north with his holy lance and attempted to breach their barrier, Caerleon Castle would emit a distress signal, compelling him to return and defend his stronghold. However, through Merlin's Clairvoyance, Shirou would notify Scathach to retreat beforehand, allowing them to evade Vortigern's counteroffensive.

As time went on, Vortigern's frustration mounted. He tried to ambush Scathach with a feint, but it proved entirely useless.

After all, Merlin's global vision was incredibly valuable.

It was akin to having a worldwide satellite on an ancient battlefield. Ambushes and tactics lost all significance. So he consistently held the upper hand!

From this perspective, Merlin's contributions were still rather useful. Even Shirou, who valued efficiency, had to commend him for a job well done.

This brought some happiness to Merlin, who was often disparaged by him.

Receiving such praise was indeed a rare event!

However, this guerrilla warfare compelled Vortigern to focus his attention on Cornwall and Shirou.

This was exactly what Shirou intended!

After two years of building up national strength, tirelessly exploiting magi to produce alchemical tools, reinforcing defensive barrier, and training an army of over ten thousand, Shirou's ultimate goal was to use Cornwall as bait to force Vortigern into a decisive battle.

Simultaneously, his concealed forces and the kings and lords whose economic lifelines he controlled seized the opportunity to reclaim lost territories and weaken Vortigern's power, thus trapping and ultimately forcing him to meet his demise.

Over two years ago, he had lied to King Ban, claiming that he had used his capital as bait to lure Vortigern to the north. At this very moment, Vortigern was indeed trapped in the north, surrounded by the combined forces of Shirou, the kings, and the Dead Apostles. And now, Shirou had used his capital as bait to secure the final victory. It was as if the lies he had spoken were all coming true.

But the question remained: was using the capital as bait an act of madness or boldness? The answer hinged on the success of this one decisive move.

To increase the chance of victory, Shirou planned to create a locust-like momentum, steadily nibbling away at Vortigern's land. To achieve this, he was preparing to win over another faction.

When Shirou expressed his desire to win over this faction, be it Merlin, Morgan, or anyone else, they all thought he was insane. The place he intended to approach was the central region, using the strategy of making distant allies and attacking nearby enemies, an approach often used by nations in times of war.

The faction he aimed to win over was none other than the Dead Apostles!

...

Get the latest chapters up to Chapter 490 on my Patreon: patreon.com/bcloud