Armand and Eris' army made their camp on top of the hill while making sure they had enough space to stand on top of it. Scouts moved over the area while a few soldiers stayed on guard duty on rotating shifts. Canons were set up on top of the hill. There were six artillery pieces set up, and their ammunition was placed close enough that they could be reloaded with as much swiftness as canons could be.

The dedicated spellcasters set up magic circles inside of the camp itself with guards standing around them. Eris gave her pistols to the spellcasters that served the Concord family to use in case the Order of Hermes betrayed them.

This camp was accompanied by the sounds of weapons maintenance, men talking, heavy footsteps in training drills, and horses moving about the place. The smells of gunpowder, mud, horse droppings, and food being cooked filled the nostrils of anyone who entered.

There was a tension in the air. Everyone knew a battle was coming, but no one was sure when it would happen. Guns would fire, blood would flow, pikes would clash, and men would die.

Even though most of the soldiers present were mercenaries who fought for coin, they were still risking their lives. They knew the risks of going to war and willingly undertook them.

As Armand rode to the top of the hill with Eris by his side, he reflected on that.

"When feudal armies were dominant, commoners were forced to fight. Now that everyone uses mercenaries, commoners aren't called to war against their will. But now, our armies are made up of the scum of the Earth," his gaze moved around the camp. "You can never truly trust a mercenary. They will turn on you the moment someone offers to pay them more."

A scowl crossed Armand's face.

"Of course, nobles aren't trustworthy either. Most nobles will stab you in the back if it gets them more wealth and power. Armies of scum being led by scum...I suppose it's more fitting than forcing random serfs and farmers to fight for you."

He reached the top of the hill and surveyed the area before him. It was a patchwork of farmland. Crops of many different varieties were growing, and animals were being herded.

To be exact, they were being herded away from the army and into barns far away from the future field of battle. The farmers saw the men coming and were trying to get as many of their goods as they could out of canon range as fast as possible.

"At least the villages are a great distance from here. They won't be harmed by this battle, but I can't say the same for the crops," Armand said. "The farmers will have to rebuild their fences too."

A bitter taste formed in the boy's mouth as he recalled the costs of war on the common man.

"And if our enemies can recover from this battle, they'll do even more damage," he stated.

Eris let out a light chuckle.

"Well, there's an easy solution to that, isn't it? We just need to crush them completely," she said.

"That won't be easy. They could bring in mercenaries from all over Foldzar if they want," Armand pointed out.

Eris nodded.

"Then, we can send my hussars into their territory after their armies are destroyed," she suggested. "We'll have them burn down farmland, slaughter the commoners, and rape, loot, and pillage everything before they can build up enough of a defensive force to stop them. That will crush them economically and keep them from hiring more mercenaries."

The girl's words were pure pragmatism. Most Foldzar nobles would not hesitate to use her strategy. However, Armand flinched.

"I'd rather not cause more death than needed. I will use your strategy, Eris, but only if I have to," he said.

Eris nodded.

"I know you will," she spoke before thinking. "You did it against me when I pushed you to it, after all."

The girl then surveyed the battlefield.

"You have an alternative," her words were a statement of fact.

"Yes. We capture the coalition leaders and make them give us most of their lands," Armand explained. "If they refuse, we kill them, send your hussars to take their families hostage, and force them to give us most of their lands."

Eris gave Armand a wide smile. She chuckled.

"Why, Armand, you cheeky little bastard. I didn't think you'd get me more power so soon," the girl said.

"I keep my promises," Armand replied.

"Oh, yes, you do," Eris nodded. "And I noticed your wording. You said they'd give us most of their land. You didn't say 'give House Concord and House Hapsburg' most of their lands."

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Armand gave her a slight smirk back.

"That's the idea. We'll make them give their land directly to us rather than to our families," he spoke before thinking. "Aside from keeping Eris happy, this will give me more leverage with my own family. Father will think I kept him away specifically to get those lands for myself. He will be impressed by that, at least."

Eris then pondered.

"This plan will require us to let the coalition leaders live, at least for a time," she noted. "Even if they are weakened, they'll still do what they can to oppose us."

Then, the girl sighed.

"This is a good plan, Armand. We don't have the men to take their lands, just devastate them. This is the only way we'll be able to get land from this conflict. However, I do not think we should let them live," Eris said.

Armand clenched his fists so hard they turned white. Anger flashed through him. Then, Armand took a deep breath.

"Eris, the last time around, they all escaped from fighting Brutus. And then, they kept coming after Brutus and I until they died. As much as I'd like to just let them live, you are unfortunately right. A neutered threat is still a threat," he stated. "You have my approval to assassinate them the moment the land transfer is finished. Just make sure no one knows you're the one behind it and that an undue amount of suspicion does not fall on us. I do not want their families coming for revenge."

The girl gave him a smile.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that no one ever knows it was us," she spoke before thinking. "Just one dose of my favorite poison and everyone will think they died of dysentery."

Armand nodded.

"Alright. Now, did you survey these lands during your time at my house?" he asked.

Eris shook her head.

"I did not. I never had a chance to go here."

"Then, follow me," Armand replied. "You should know this place well. At the very least, for the battle ahead."

He made his horse gallop forward, and Eris followed. They made sure they were within eyesight of the army in case the scouts spotted enemies. However, the two of them made their way through the patchwork of farmland.

Most of the area was flat, with the hill being a notable exception. There were some stone walls that could protect from arquebus fire. However, those were few and far between. Most were wooden walls that a warhorse could trample over if pushed by its rider. And even the stone walls were not thick enough to protect from canons.

The ground was dry. So, there was no risk of canons or horses getting stuck in the mud. There were some creeks, but they were sparse and not large enough to affect the battle as a whole.

Eris gazed up at the hill from one of the lower parts of the flatland. A thoughtful expression crossed her face.

"We have the high ground, and there aren't enough defenses down here to make up for that. Our main issue will be making sure the enemy actually fights us here," she said. "My hussars will do their best to cut off the enemy supply lines, but I'm not sure if that will be enough."

Armand nodded.

"I suspect that will be needed. If they try to go around us, we can have our men fire down on them. That will at least deplete their numbers and might stop their advance entirely," he stated. "Though, I doubt they'll do that."

"Absolutely right. Trying to go around us would leave their supply lines unprotected. They could try to cut off our supplies, but they're in your family's territory. So, they have more to worry about with supplies than we do," Eris agreed.

"And they will have to fight us before they can besiege Castle Concord. A siege with an enemy army still in the field is too risky," Armand replied. "You'd only do it if you're desperate, an idiot, or a military genius."

He then gave a grim smile.

"It is most likely that we'll have to keep our soldiers from getting provoked into battle by the enemy and leaving the high ground. For the mercenaries we hired, that shouldn't be too hard."

The girl nodded.

"I agree, but there is another possibility. The coalition will outnumber us. They might decide that numbers alone are enough to win and attack us right away, even though we hold the high ground," she said.

"That would be ideal, but it could be troublesome in its own right," Armand replied. "Especially if they do that to lure us into some trap. We cannot underestimate them."

Eris pondered.

"Armand, the coalition forces will probably be similar to what they were last time. We could use that to our advantage," she said. "They might have similar weaknesses."

"They might, but Brutus fought them the last time around, not me. Do you know of any weaknesses they might have?" Armand asked.

Eris gave him a cunning smile.

"Of course, I do," she answered. "I wouldn't ally myself with someone if I wasn't prepared for potential betrayal."

"You mean, if you weren't prepared to betray them?" Armand narrowed his eyes.

Eris shrugged.

"If I decide to betray someone, that still means there was potential betrayal," she pointed out.

Armand put a hand on his forehead. He let out a deep sigh.

"Just tell me what their weaknesses are," he said.

"Their weakness is the fact that they are a coalition force," Eris replied. "They are cooperating because they have a common enemy. They do not necessarily like each other. In fact, there are no marriage alliances between the lords involved. And I checked this time around to make sure."

Armand nodded.

"Then, could we get one of them to betray the others?" he asked.

"Not unless you have more money than I thought. Aside from Karl, all of the lords in this coalition have serfs. They're probably against you because of your opposition to serfdom. You'd need to make up for the loss of their serfs," Eris answered.

An idea formed in Armand's mind. He turned to Eris and sighed.

"You already have a plan for exploiting that, don't you?" Armand questioned.

"Yes," Eris replied. "I had a plan since I first teamed up with them the last time around."

"Why didn't you tell me that sooner?" he asked.

"Because I want to see what you come up with," she said. "It might be better than my plan, for all I know."

Armand nodded. A look of understanding had crossed his face.

"I would hate to disappoint you, so how about this?" he thought for a moment before speaking. "We put one of them in a dangerous position. Then, if the others come to help them, we can have our men withdraw. If not, then we can carry on."

Eris grinned.

"That is an excellent plan. So, let's start talking exact details. I think we have the big picture stuff down. That includes my plan for dealing with the coalition," she said. "I had more time to plan for it than you did, after all."

Armand nodded.

"Yes. It's time for us to figure out the details," he agreed.

And with that, the two of them moved on to far more intricate planning. A battle would soon be upon them, and they could not afford to waste too much time.