Duke Fernandez had earned the king's trust, been repeatedly granted titles, given land, and now even had the opportunity to establish his own duchy.

Even the Church was willing to make concessions and strike a deal with the royal family.

How could this possibly be the image of a weak and incompetent man that outsiders believed him to be?

Sometimes, your eyes can deceive you.

Even history can deceive you.

If Duke Fernandez fails, history will record him as the useless and incompetent king's brother who, relying on his royal brother’s favor, squandered the lives of tens of thousands of people and ultimately failed.

But if he succeeds, then the king's favor will be seen as the mark of a wise ruler, and Duke Fernandez will have resolutely taken on the responsibility of reclaiming lost lands and turning the tide.

Whether this moment is the turning point in history, Duke Fernandez did not know, but he knew it was a crucial moment in his life, one that left no room for error.

It must be acknowledged that although he considered himself highly intelligent, he did not have much experience in warfare.

This time, his opponent was none other than the infamous Northern Knights, a group that had dealt severe blows to the Kingdom of the Holy Cross in the past. How could he not be worried?

"Don't make mistakes" was the first rule he set for himself.

Steady progress was the way to win.

To be fair, Duke Fernandez was not useless—he could even be called a remarkable figure.

Like now, he had just had an argument with Baron Connor Rader, yet he was able to calmly discuss the details of the western campaign with his think tank.

"Your Grace, the Loke people cannot be trusted; this might be their scheme."

"I know, but the greater possibility is that it’s infighting among the Loke people. They just want to use me. At least the location of the grain storehouses they provided can't be fake."

Duke Fernandez was very clear-headed. He understood the Loke people's intentions to flatter him.

But the grain storehouses were needed, as was Birch Fortress, and Augusta Territory.

He wanted the Saint Miler Province and even the Northern Province.

There was a difference between a duchy and a duchy.

"The reason I agreed to the Loke people's proposal is twofold. One, to weaken the strength of Saint Miler Province by exploiting their infighting. Two, to keep the Northern Knights under control. Only by watching them closely can I be at ease. Otherwise, no matter which direction we attack from, I’ll have to worry about the Northern Knights' ambush."

Attacking from Birch Fortress did not mean underestimating the Northern Knights; on the contrary, it was a sign of respect.

Duke Fernandez believed that the greatest threat to Saint Miler Province was the Northern Knights, and naturally, he would focus on targeting them.

His advisors agreed with the reasoning but subtly reminded him, "Your Grace, Baron Connor will definitely oppose your plan."

"That's fine. The Sword of God, after all, has the Church's backing. Let him take his own recruited troops and attack another direction, while also holding off the other Loke people."

Duke Fernandez did not care about Baron Connor Rader. The latter would not bow to him, but he would not dare cause trouble at this time either.

If he did, the Church would be the first to deal with him.

Without the Church’s protection, Baron Connor Rader could not stand in the kingdom.

……

At the same time, Baron Connor Rader was also discussing Duke Fernandez.

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"We've all underestimated Duke Fernandez."

Baron Connor Rader rubbed his temples, feeling a headache.

He had initially thought the duke would be a frivolous young man whom he could easily manipulate, but now it seemed... this duke was hiding his true intentions.

He knew very well what it meant to recruit so many peasants. It was clear that the Church and the royal family had struck some sort of deal.

Thus, he had no intention of stubbornly resisting. That would be a pointless effort.

In fact, having an argument with the duke was a way to show his stance and secure some rights.

As long as Duke Fernandez was smart enough, he would make concessions; otherwise, they would just continue fighting.

Baron Connor Rader's eldest son comforted him: "Father, don't worry too much. Duke Fernandez has no experience leading armies. Sooner or later, he’ll make a big mistake, and at that point, you'll be the one to clean up the mess."

"Foolishness," Baron Connor Rader said, feeling even more frustrated. His sons were all so incompetent. He couldn’t shoot them into the wall now, so he could only explain patiently, "If I were the commander, I would also attack from Birch Fortress.

For these past years, the Loke people have been holding us off, relying on the Northern Knights.

That Derrick is the new generation’s shining star of the Northern Knights. His presence is a threat.

To capture Saint Miler Province, we cannot bypass them.

Politics can be compromised, but war cannot.

If we want to achieve our goals through war, we must confront the difficulties head-on.

Since we can't avoid it, we should simply keep an eye on them to prevent greater trouble."

Baron Connor Rader knew that his sons had experience on the battlefield and were capable of commanding troops.

But when it came to strategic foresight, they fell short.

That was the weakness of their family’s shallow foundation. When his children were growing up, the Connor family was not yet prosperous. They lacked the deeper, more systematic noble education.

Even he himself had learned everything step by step. There was no established system to pass on the knowledge.

Thus, he deeply envied someone like Derrick, who possessed such talent.

……

Derrick had no idea that he had already become an object of envy.

He was currently taking the final opportunity to personally survey the Saint Miler Province, even venturing deep into the heart of the Kingdom of the Holy Cross. He bypassed small border villages and personally scouted the terrain, making sure he had a clear understanding.

However, the Kingdom of the Holy Cross had already made preparations. Militias patrolled everywhere, and local officials and nobles were actively preparing for war.

A 200,000-strong army was no small matter.

Don’t think that they would just swarm together; in reality, the army would have to split into several routes, with divisions for the vanguard, rear, and even flank.

In between, there would be relay stations and granaries for resupply.

Grain had to be prepared in advance to avoid any unexpected events that could cause the army to collapse.

From this, Derrick could also pick up some insights.

When the flags of the Holy Cross Kingdom's vanguard appeared on the border, Derrick reluctantly turned back.

"It seems the Kingdom of the Holy Cross is determined to come through our territory."

Derrick pointed at the map. From Birch Fortress, they would march westward, heading straight for Augusta Territory and then onward to Pran City.

If he were the commander of the Kingdom of the Holy Cross, he would also send forces to bypass Marquis Hussein’s defenses to tie up the troops there.

On a large scale, this would create a 2-to-1 advantage in troop numbers. In some areas, it could even achieve a 10-to-1 advantage.

As the defender, he would be put in an even more passive position.

"Fight with more, take it step by step, layer by layer, and there’s no reason to lose."