"So it appears our plans our foiled once again. Victor Luxenberg is becoming increasingly more dangerous." Sultan Hakim said in a low and chilling tone.
An elderly courtesan wearing lavish robes and a black turban approached the Sultan; his grey beard caught in the moonlight. "I know that your father heavily invested money and weapons into the Florent family so that they could cause the civil war. But isn't the outcome still favourable? The infidels fought amongst themselves for two decades. The new king is weak. We could launch a Jihad and take the continent."
The Sultan slowly shook his head. "Mahmud Pasha, you may be one of my most senior advisors, but do not offer an opinion on matters of war. If we launched a Jihad into Zandar, Victor Luxenberg would move to support his ally. We needed Lorenzo Visconte and his faction to win that war."
Mahmud Pasha* lowered his head, without uttering a word in return.
"First it was Gu Tian and now the Red Viscontes. Their failure has caused our plans to be drastically redone. We can not attack any of the Christian lands, not while they are united and strong." The Sultan continued.
Mahmud Pasha found the courage to speak up and said, "Perhaps we need to break the bond, your Majesty. If the allies are divided, then we can attack the weaker Visconte Kingdom."
Sultan Hakim nodded. His golden, venomous-looking eyes stared down at his advisor with wickedness. The Sultan's caramel skin now caught in the moonlight as he rose from the throne. "You are correct, Mahmud Pasha. The important question is, how do we do so?"
As the Sultan descended from his throne, two eunuch attendants flanked him, their faces impassive, holding long silver staffs topped with moon-shaped finials. Farther away, the silent ranks of the palace guard, the Janissaries, stood with muskets in hand, their crimson uniforms dark and immaculate, their eyes fixed towards their Sultan.
Mahmud Pasha could not think of an answer and remained silent. The Sultan had grown tired of plotting in the darkness. The elderly courtesean had not brought him any closer to devising a plot of breaking the newly found alliance of Victor and Alphonse. If he were to do so, he needed the advice of many trusted advisors.
With no immediate actions from either side, the next month went extremely quickly. Victor enjoyed being home surrounded by his loved ones. He grew content in ruling from Hannover. Bulgar was thriving, Simbar continued to adjust well to foreign rulers, and the alliance in Zandar was fairly strong.
Soon enough, Victor had reached his 20th year in Syronnea.
It was hard for him to believe that it had been twenty years since he first woke up in this strange world. He had gone from a neglected son of a Duke to the ruler of two continents, whose influence impacted the political landscape of the world.
Victor had been in minor skirmishes, to full-on continental conquests. His life had been in danger, his domain had been threatened time and time again, and he had suffered loss. But at the same time, he had the joy of forming new connections. He was a ruler, a husband, a father, a friend. His life was drastically different to his previous one.
While Victor was enjoying his dinner with his family, a system screen appeared.
'Hidden Quest Completed!: Survive For Twenty Years!'
'Rewards will be determined by how you lived those twenty years.'
'Rewards: 3x Medium-Level Commander Summon, 1x Legendary-Level Commander Summon, 11x 10,000-Man Infantry Unit Summon. 2x 10,0000-Man Cavalry Unit Summon, 4x 100-Gun Artillery Summon, 200,000 Store Points'
Victor almost choked on his food when he saw the rewards; this was equal to him conquering a continent. There were enough rewards for him to create the 16th, 17th and 18th Corps. Its abundance was no joke. He would even get a legendary commander as well as double his amount of Store Points.
Calmly, Victor ate all his food quickly and excused himself from the dining room. Once he was in his study, he began to go through all of the rewards.
Firstly, Victor used all the artillery summons; they were all 12-pounder cannons, so there was no need for Victor to choose any variation. When it came to the cavalry summons, Victor summoned one unit of French Cuirassiers and one unit of British Dragoons. They were both formidable cavalry units, so they would be welcome additions to the Luxenberg Army. Both units would be spread equally between the new corps
Next was the infantry. With 11 unit summons, Victor could choose a wide variety of soldiers. Given how effective these men were in the Battle of the Forest Clearing, Victor summoned one unit of Russian Jaegers and one unit of British 95th Foot Rifles; their long-range marksmanship would be a must for the military.
5 of the remaining 9 units were Brunswick Line Infantrymen. They would be the main bulk of each corps. Having brave and versatile line infantrymen would make these corps formidable. They would not route, and they would be able to adapt to any situation presented to them.
The last 4 units were the following: 1 unit of French Chasseurs, 1 unit of British Grenadiers, 1 unit of Highland Foot infantry and 1 unit of Prussian Fusilliers. These units would help round out the infantry, with each having its own specific traits that made it desirable.
All that remained was the commander's summons. With 4 total, there would be a commander without an army to lead. However, this presented Victor with a unique opportunity. His military academy lacked any commanders who had a decent amount of field experience.
If he could summon a commander who could teach the cadets, then the future of the Luxenberg military would be promising. To constantly summon commanders was not a suitable approach. Victor needed homegrown talent to rise through the ranks, but there has not been a single army officer who has met the standards to earn any rank close to General.
Regardless of who was summoned, Victor would appreciate the fact that three new corps were now in the Luxenberg Army.