The army led by Prince Edward returned to Vavasika on the morning of the third day.

More than a thousand troops and hundreds of civilians who remained behind in the fortress walked outside without exception, waiting for their return.

"We won. ”

A simple sentence made everyone jump for joy, and after a few dozen minutes of fighting yesterday morning, Avenella's army had succeeded in crushing the main force of Sivalier, and the whole city was stunned when the archers carried thousands of wounded Sivalier knights along the way to Ashinir.

The battle was fought beautifully at the right time.

Nearly 10,000 knights and sergeants, and more than 16,000 horses were killed, leaving the invincible West Valier hoplites completely buried on the beautiful Acasta Plains.

Although the archers, depleted of arrows, were unable to continue the battle, Avenella, with three thousand heavy cavalry and a large number of infantry, had surpassed Sivalier in the area of the Acasta Plain.

Taking advantage of the victory, Edward ordered his men to divide into two routes, one under the leadership of Sir Charles, the commander of the city defense, and the archers escorted the surrendered Sivalier knights directly to Ashneir, while the rest were led by Prince Edward to recover Fort Ellen by the way.

Without hesitation, the Sivalier nobles stationed at the sentry fort raised their hands in surrender.

Following the spirit of chivalry, the princes accepted their surrender, and the nobles of Sivalier were able to retain a shred of decency. And the ordinary soldiers of Sivalier, who did not have a title of nobility and could not afford to pay the ransom, became slave trophies of the Arvinella nobles.

Watching Sir Alva and the others tie up the West Valiers for sale with a look of joy on their faces, there was a hint of thought in Edward's flat eyes.

A small nation, Avenella, defeated Sivalier, the most powerful country on the West Coast. The Sivalier knights, who claimed to be invincible from the Ansicipe Strait all the way to the Soradin Heights, only stepped out of the country for a dozen kilometers before they were crippled in the sand of Aikasta.

The news of the victory passed through the prosperous city of Ashenir and scurried around like a hornet's nest that had been stabbed, and the battlefield full of horse corpses, only a few dozen kilometers away from the prosperous city-state, was crowded with admirers.

Some of the would-be guys tried to run through the soldiers' sentry posts to steal some loot to sell, and all of them went through three phases of surprise, stunned, and then ecstatic when they learned of the battle and Sivalier's attempt to attack Ashinir - they were in the dark until the end of the war, completely unaware that something so big was happening dozens of kilometers away.

Countless versions of the battle against the invincible West Valier knights on the west coast were sung wildly, and the archers who returned home became heroes of the people, and many who had not participated in the battle began to run around with their longbows on their backs, as if they had experienced it there a few hours ago.

-- This is a victory that can only be described as a miracle.

Philip II, thousands of miles away, learned of this after hours of revelry in Ashenir and Vavasika, and allegedly smashed his favorite antique Lamanite vase on the spot, and shouted in the palace in a terrible gaffe.

Victory belongs to the Avenella people.

The commoners of Avenella, who had always been sneered at by the Sivaliers, and even the nobles were only refreshed by the news, and they walked down the street with their heads held high, a day of great significance for all, a day on which there was no word to describe these cheerful people except pride.

The news of the victory was like a gust of wind that reached every city-state of Avenella through the swift whips, and the atmosphere of revelry burned in city and country after city, and singing and dancing were leveled out, and barrels of ale were brought up, and everyone celebrated with great joy.

Along with these archers who participated in the battle, Prince Edward's speech was disseminated, and Edward's popularity among the people of Avenella rose to a peak as a key figure in the battle. He was affectionately referred to as "our prince." "Son of Avenella. In taverns, in squares, in every public place, Edward's name was shouted loudly, and many began to boast about how they had fought alongside the prince in that battle.

Such a big reaction may not have been expected even by Edward himself.

-- Victory is not just a matter of defeating their opponents. This is a proof that a nation has succeeded in gaining identity.

Edward defeated the West Waliers, but he did more than just defeat the West Waliers. He was the leader of the Avenella, the prince of the Avenella, who brought them victory and miraculously defeated the invincible Sivalier Heavy Horseman.

This is the reason why all the civilians of Avenella have gone insane, because in their lifetime -

For the first time, they had a true prince of the Avenella - and perhaps a king in the future.

The king of Avenella, who was born in this land, fought alongside his people in order to protect this land, leading by example, brave and unflinching.

For nearly two centuries, the commoners had a deep estrangement from the aristocracy. These commoners of Avenella, who were close at hand, had been ignored by all the nobles, including the royal family, who were more concerned with the knightly contests that took place in the capital of Sivalier, thousands of miles away, than with the lives and deaths of the commoners. The aristocracy did everything possible to set themselves against the commoners, which made the people of Avenella desperate for a nobleman who could really care about the land, and really care about ordinary people like themselves.

Now they got it.

So we can't blame these people for hugging each other and crying, not getting drunk and not going home.

The camera pans to the other side, and the figure at the center of the whole event, Prince Edward himself, is at the center of the whole event, but falls into a long silence after the victory.

The silence of the prince himself contrasts sharply with the joys of others, and it is not difficult to understand when you look deeper. Unlike the ignorant civilians and even most of the Arvenella knights, Edward, who understood the nature of this victory, knew how great the strategy itself was, but also understood that it was an unrepeatable victory.

The carelessness of the Sivaliers, the right amount of the season's winds, and the advantage of being familiar with the terrain to be ambushed. Together, these three points made for this unique victory, which was great, but at the same time it was impossible not to start thinking about it.

- Because it has too many ifs, and once one of these ifs is realized, it will be the Avennella who loses miserably.

If the Sivaliers had a better coordination system, and the infantry advanced from the flanks to cover the cavalry to detect whether there was an ambush, then the Avenela would quickly expose themselves and get into a bitter battle, and if the West Valias attacked with enough wind to cover the entire distance for the arrows to miss, then even if the distance was closed, given the various variables, it was likely that Avenella would still lose or win badly.

It was a desperate bet of life and death against the only possibility, and it miraculously triumphed – but the problems exposed and the troubles that followed proved Arvenella's weakness.

Victorious generals don't need miracles.

This famous saying, which has been circulated in the military circles of various countries, is apt here - the reason why it is necessary to make such a desperate bet is precisely because Avenella is at the end of his rope.

The army could not confront Sivalier head-on, and the whole battle was a way to go, and it could only be used once.

Will the West Valiers be so careless in giving an opportunity next time?--The answer is clearly no, and as the most powerful nation on the West Coast, the West Valier cannot afford to repeat the same mistake.

If they decide to attack again, then this time they must be prepared and will not fall for Arvenella again.

In that case, how do you deal with it?

Edward couldn't find an answer to this question, and with all of Avenella's current forces, he had no certainty that he would be able to repel them if Sivalier still decided to attack.

True, they won.

But war is not a one-on-one fair duel game, and after it is not won, everyone will continue to be friends as if nothing happened. Under the glorious victory, relations between the two countries will inevitably fall into a state of rupture.

The next problem is far more of a headache than winning a battle.

The first and foremost was naturally the export of goods from Ashneer, the reason why Arvenella prospered, the neck of the kingdom was strangled in the hands of the Sivaliers. And how Arvenella, who had just thwarted the other side's proud cavalry troops, was going to deal with this question became crucial.

A troubled Edward found Henry that night.

When His Royal Highness the Prince, alone and without any guards, arrived, our sage and Lorian Lori were enjoying dinner, and the delicacy made by the two of them aroused Edward's hunger, and he realized that he had been thinking and meditating all day and had forgotten to eat.

So Edward, who had begun to eat with them, rested for a while, and did not remember what he had come until he was full.

"What do you mean next?" Henry didn't look at him, as if he wasn't a prince but just an ordinary passerby.

The sage held a book with a sheepskin surface and a rough papyrus inside. The book was blank, and Edward glanced at it, a book of this thickness had a fair price, and something that Henry was writing on top seemed to be a point about swordsmanship.

He looked to the side again, where the petite Lorian Lori was expertly cleaning the dishes with a small wooden stool, and in the doorway, leaning against the wall in the flickering firelight, two wooden and two steel swords were clearly visible.

"Hmm...... If you want, I can send an instructor of the Royal Guards infantry to teach her. Edward pondered for a moment and then said, Henry raised his face, glanced at him, then smiled and shook his head, "No, my own students I want to teach myself." ”

He said this, and Edward stopped insisting, and Henry finished writing a page, still without looking at it.

"If you're thinking about attacking Inznir to secure the export of Ashenir's cargo, you should give up now. ”

His words were as sharp as ever, Edward was stunned for a moment, then frowned and nodded with a serious look: "Sir is not wrong, I do have the possibility of considering this aspect......"

"With the current strength of Yavenella's army, there is no possibility that he will be able to defeat Sivalier. Henry wrote quite quickly, and he quickly turned the page again, and said: "Attacking Inznir would be a self-defeating move, for the simple reason that holding Inznir would mean far more to Sivalier than to capture Ashenir." ”

“...... Because Inznir is a granary?" The clever Edward didn't need Henry to explain why, and the sage nodded: "Inznir is the largest granary on the entire West Coast, not only for the country but also for foreign sales, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the Ashenir of West Valiers. ”

"And even more important than Ashneer, if Ashneil is taken, Avenella will suffer at most a certain blow of national strength, and if Inznir is taken away, the whole of Sivalier will have to starve. ”

"It is useless to talk about anything if there is no way to fill the stomach, and the cousin of His Royal Highness must understand this, so for the sake of the stability of the country and the crown on his own head, if Avenella attacks Inznir, then the whole of Sivalier will resist frantically. He said this, and Edward nodded understandingly, but his brow furrowed in concern.

"But you don't have to worry. Henry stopped writing, looked at the other party's worried face, and said lightly.

"Most likely, the West Waliers will not do anything. He said this, and Edward was stunned for a moment, and he raised his head to meet the deep eyes of the sage.

"But didn't the gentleman tell me before that if the West Valiers raised the tariffs...... Edward didn't finish it all, for Henry waved his hand: "Before was before, and now is now." ”

"You won a whole army of West Valier hoplites, remember?" he said, "Before this battle, the West Valiers didn't take Avenella seriously at all, so they could arbitrarily adjust the tariffs and ban exports. ”

"But now it's different, and if Sivalier wants to do that, they have to worry about Avenella's retribution. ”

"You have proved the strength of Avenella, Your Highness, and you have transformed Avenella from an insignificant vassal into a neighbor to be treated with caution, and the West Valijes will be much more cautious in their actions after this. Henry said, and Edward nodded abruptly, but he wasn't finished yet.

"It's not as serious as you might think, and the merchants of Ashinir are more than just a fortune to Avenella. ”

"The merchants' trade along the route was just as prosperous as West Valiya, and if it weren't for the seasonal caravanserais, the port of Vasha wouldn't have been as prosperous as it is today—"

"The attack on the caravan of the caravan at the time of the blockade of the news is likely to have caused serious dissatisfaction among the caravans stationed in Sivalier and the foreign merchants waiting for the goods, and if they took this matter further, it would be tantamount to forcing the merchants to evacuate from the Sivaliers. Henry dipped it in ink and flipped a page to write, as he spoke.

"You underestimate the impact of this victory, Your Highness, Sivalier is not only bordered by Avenella, Ambroise in the west is bound to be ready to move after hearing of such a victory by the Arvenella, and Evalliste in the east is also at war with Sivalier all year round. ”

The victory caused Avenella to reflect on some of his shortcomings, but for Sivalier, it was both internal and external troubles. ”

"In such a situation, as long as Avenella's attitude is not too aggressive, they will be happy to maintain the status quo. ”

Henry said this, and Edward nodded understandingly.

The firelight flickered, and Mira, who had washed the dishes, wiped her hands and walked over.

"It's time to start practicing. The girl said this energetically, and the sage smiled.