Chapter Twelve: Admiral Gregao

Capital City—this was Sun Li’s own chosen, impressively grand name for his city, signifying that this would be his very own capital. Simple and clear, indeed.

Out of childhood admiration for Yue Fei and pride in being Chinese, he had named his country the Great Song! That’s right—Sun Li had already proclaimed himself king. Admittedly, his nation was rather makeshift, lacking any civil officials save for a single diplomat.

He’d even designed a national flag: a five-clawed golden dragon soaring amidst clouds on a red background, symbolizing that he was a true descendant of the dragon!

In truth, establishing a country was mostly to facilitate dealings with the outside world, to announce his presence, and to lay groundwork for future diplomatic alliances.

To highlight his martial prowess, Sun Li demanded that everyone in the military address him as Marshal. Thus, he was called King in public, and Marshal within his own ranks.

So it was that, just over a month after arriving in this new world, Sun Li led an army of eight thousand men on a grand expedition to the Tiger Tribe.

Meanwhile, in the coastal colony of Caracas on the southern continent of the New World, the Madrid Empire was under siege. After nearly a month of deadlock at the coastal fortress, the English Empire deployed its main first-rate ship-of-the-line, the Sovereign—a three-deck warship bristling with 108 guns, each firing nine-pound shot or greater. Its firepower was terrifying.

Upon its arrival, the thunderous bombardment left Madrid’s forces reeling. In just a single day, the English navy demolished all the coastal batteries of Caracas. Admittedly, Madrid’s artillery was outdated, but none could deny the overwhelming might of the Sovereign.

The very next day, English Major General Greig led over five thousand elite infantry ashore at the port of Caracas.

Since there were no warhorses in the English-controlled territories, cavalry was a precious commodity. Thus, no organized cavalry units were sent to this theater. General Greig believed that with the Empire’s elite pikemen and six-pounder field guns, no cavalry could hope to break his line.

As the English landed, Madrid was not willing to lose such a crucial port. Caracas was the largest Madrid outpost on the southern continent, vital in both location and as one of their three colonies there. They had to drive the English back into the sea!

Governor Amasja von Wilhelm—once the knight whose very name struck terror into the orcs—dispatched his best commander to lead almost two-thirds of their colonial regulars, fifteen thousand strong, in support of Caracas.

Amasja reasoned: even if the English army was the world’s finest, sheer numbers—three to one—should suffice.

Three days later, the Madrid colonial army met the English forces, who had just finished clearing out the last remnants of resistance in Caracas.

Both General Greig and the Madrid commanders brimmed with confidence in their troops. On the battlefield, the English held the advantage, defending fortified positions.

Inevitably, Madrid launched the attack. The battle raged for a full day. The English, armed with advanced flintlock muskets, faced Madrid’s matchlocks; their modern six-pounder cannons outperformed Madrid’s old artillery; their pike phalanx outmatched the enemy’s lancers.

With superior weaponry, General Greig showed Madrid the true meaning of technological dominance. Against the rapid fire of flintlocks and the long reach of the six-pounders, Madrid’s dead covered the field. In less than a day, unable to withstand such heavy losses, the Madrid forces broke and fled in disarray.

Amidst the jubilant cheers of his men, General Greig boldly declared that all three Madrid colonies would be wiped out within a month.

Despair hung over the Madrid colony. The defeated commander became Governor Amasja’s scapegoat, and in his fury, the governor beheaded him on the spot.

In the southern New World, the vast distance from the imperial court allowed Amasja von Wilhelm to become a de facto warlord. Since taking charge as governor, he’d used his connections and an iron fist to turn the colony into a semi-independent kingdom. The declining, corrupt Madrid Empire was powerless to intervene.

Now, however, the English sought to seize his throne! If their endless wars with Madrid had not concerned him, their invasion of his backwater stronghold certainly did. If he didn’t show these English why the flowers bloom red, he wasn’t fit to be a knight!

Madrid’s ability to intimidate the Orc Empire with over twenty thousand regulars was due in part to Amasja von Wilhelm’s prowess as a grand knight—a warrior capable of projecting battle aura externally. When enveloped in aura, only a concentrated volley at close range could threaten him; scattered musket balls were easily blocked. Even solid cannon shot could pierce his aura, but with artillery’s poor accuracy, Amasja only scoffed.

For a grand knight, whose strength and speed surpassed human limits, avoiding cannon fire was child’s play—provided one wasn’t blind!

The Madrid Empire’s only hope of standing against the English in Europa was the protection of the Sacred Order of Knights, the continent’s last bastion of grand knight-level warriors.

After Madrid’s crushing defeat, General Greig hurried to replenish his forces and prepared to march south. Governor Amasja summoned his troops, determined to hold the line at all costs.

The belligerent orcs, upon hearing of these developments, rekindled their dreams of reclaiming lost territory. They mobilized their armies and watched the outcome in Madrid’s Belen Governorship, hoping for mutual destruction so they could reap the spoils. Even if only one side was weakened, it mattered little—after two drafts, the Calido Bridgehead was already undermanned. If war broke out, the orcs’ million-strong host would surge forth, crushing all resistance, to remind humanity that orcish honor was inviolable.

While the Orc Empire eyed Calido hungrily, Sun Li and his army slipped into the empire’s borderlands, intent on annihilating several medium-sized tribes first to reduce the orcs’ fighting strength before the decisive battle. A massacre was about to begin.