2nd June 300 Paign Era.
The Duke of Baroks and his army finally arrived at Bideford from the south. From the top of his black horse, he is looking at the white stone wall of the town. Perhaps he is trying to find a weak spot to launch his attack. The soldiers above the wall quickly leave his post, presumably to report to their lord.
Duke Baroks didn't pay too much attention to them. Regardless Richard knows or not, his downfall is imminent.
His head knight, Lino Elliott comes to him, "Milord, should we begin the attack? I will order our men to assemble the trebuchets."
The duke shook his head. "There is no need to rush. For now, let's meet His Highness Niel first. Send a messenger to the second prince's camp saying I request a meeting with him. He should arrive by now or at least nearing Bideford as we speak."
A few days ago, his soldiers captured suspicious men scouring around their army camp. They interrogate them and discover they are the second prince's scouts. Under the order of Niel, they were tasked to locate the whereabouts of the other two forces; Prince Niall and Duke Baroks.
The duke immediately asks about Niel's location and his schedule. He plans to arrive on the same day as the second prince. It can be a good mental blow to the Ryntum soldiers who are hiding in Bideford. By scout's estimation, the second prince should have departed from Coreton by now and is on its way to Bideford.
"As you wish." Without wasting time, Lino went to carry out the order given.
On the west side of Bideford, Niel gets down from his horse and stretches his stiff body. He then said, "We are finally here."
"Milord, should we attack today?" his attendant asks.
"No. I'm too tired from the journey." Niel rejected the idea. "There is no need to rush. We have all the time we want." Niel turns around and looks at 6,000 men behind him.
"Let them rest for today." If he pushes them even further, it can backfire on him and affect the results.
Later that afternoon, his attendant tells him that someone is seeking his audience. "Your Highness, there is someone claiming to be Duke's messenger. He said to bring a message from the duke for you."
"Let him in."
"It's an honour to meet you, Your Highness." the messenger respectfully greets Niel with a thirty-degree bow.
Ignoring the greeting, Niel went straight to the main point. "What's the message you bring to me?"
"The duke requests a meeting with you, Your Highness."
Niel nods, "Tell him to come here tonight."
"I will pass your message to the duke." said the messenger before exiting the tent.
"If there is nothing else, you may go now." He only thinks about sleeping right now.
The attendant also excuses himself.
....
That night, Duke Baroks came to Niel's camp in the west with his several guards. Allied or not, he couldn't afford to take his safety for granted. He went straight to Niel's tent which was located at the centre of the camp. Niel has been waiting for Duke's arrival for quite some time now.
"My apologies for making you wait, Your Highness."
"It's okay, I didn't wait for that long." Niel waves his hand at the duke. He does not feel offended by it at all. He speaks again, "For what reason do you want to see me, Duke?"
"I want to propose a coordinated attack on Bideford town from all three sides. Unfortunately, the first prince is not here yet for me to discuss it."
Niel sneered, "Forget about that impatient fool. My scouts said that he selfishly engaged in the battle without waiting for our arrival. Apparently, he suffers a devastating defeat."
The duke raised his eyebrows. He didn't know about this. "Care to tell me the details, Your Highness?"
"Very well, then." Niel begins to narrate the entire event that transpired a few days ago to the duke.
The duke sighed disbelievingly after hearing it, he asked the prince. "How could Richard defeat an army of 15,800 men with only 8,000 men? It is almost double their own number. To make matters worse, he beat Niall out in the open."
Niel shrugged, "I don't know. When my scouts arrive, the battle is already over." He keeps insulting his brother, "My brother has run with his tail between his legs to Mezorin."
"If Richard is not in Bideford, should we take this chance to attack?"
"Of course, we should. Even without my brother, we can still win with our forces right now."
"Great, let's attack that brat with his own creation tomorrow." The duke laughed.
While they were discussing, Riz in the mansion was pacing back and forth in his father's office. Earlier this afternoon, he received a report on the arrival of both duke baroks and the second prince. His father has not returned yet. Based on his letter, it will be at least a week for Richard to arrive here. In the meantime, he needs to hold them down on his own.
Theodora and Charlotte are there in the office as well. They have been watching Riz's actions for a while now. Both of them have worried expressions on their face.
Under normal circumstances, he will feel excited being in an enclosed room with two beauties. But the current situation won't allow him to have that thought.
"Why don't you sleep first, milord?" Charlotte suggests.
Theodora nods, "Yeah. You can't really make a good decision if your mind is tired." She is afraid that Riz will make an impulsive and risky decision.
Sitting on his father's chair, he said "There are 7,000 soldiers in the west and 10,000 in the south..." He massaged his temple, "...and I only have 7,000 men and 15 cannons. Well, I guess having cannons is better than not having one."
Both of them look at each other and keep quiet.
"I can send a letter to my father to request some help," Theodora speaks.
Riz rejected the idea, "No need. I don't want to drag them into my family's problems."
He continues, "I guess I have to pull another all-nighter again. How could I sleep when Bideford is in predicament."
Since he became a regent, he often slept for only four to five hours a day. He had been handling documents all day long. He is genuinely sleep-deprived right now. It makes him miss the bureaucratic system from the modern era.
He sighs and starts to write about the possible attack he can make. Riz's thought process is simple. He classified the enemy into groups based on their threat level; trebuchets, cavalry, commander and then nobles. Then, he works his strategies around it.
This half-baked method is only possible because he has an advantage in weapon technologies. If it is another way around, winning the war will be impossible.
He is not an expert when it comes to military stuff. He is totally clueless and just works with his logical thinking.
Though it may cause an unnecessary loss of life, he doesn't care. In the modern world, he came from a place where people only think about themselves and their benefit. Even in this world, he has no need to put too much concern about their life.