Six months after the defeat of Prince Marcellus army, prince Marcellus was now being held captive together with the other nobles who Ceaser believed would be able to provide information in regards to the Blackthorn empire.
It was at this same moment that the envoy from Fantasia was arriving in Patagonia. After they were cleared and had submitted their weapons, they were allowed access into the town which had grown much since their last visit.
The town had grown into a staggering population of exactly three hundred and eighty six thousand. Concrete structures were rising like mushrooms, mostly factories and government buildings, but still buildings were rising. The government buildings even adopted using glass windows in their buildings, that was the level their architectural prowess had risen to.
The envoy now led by count Eduardo's son , Franklin who had been allowed to handle the weapons exchange.
When he arrived Ceaser was in a meeting with the health director, they were discussing their advances in the health department.
" If everything is alright then I'll see you next time." Ceaser said as he shook his hand and escorted him out of the office.
" Also remember, only through experimentation is discovery made, you should contact the prison service if you need any test subjects that will further the growth of medicine."
The man nodded and left, prisoners, especially prisoners of war had forfeited their rights the very moment they decided to attack Patagonia, and so for the sake of progress, they were used as test subjects to test drugs and equipment.
Ceaser then invited Franklin into his office and after exchanging pleasantries, they got down to business.
" So Lord Franklin, how goes the war effort?" Ceaser asked.
" It's going well, thanks to your weapons we are now able to reclaim some of our lost territories." Franklin replied.
" It's just that we need more cannons and shots than we discussed."
" And why is that , because according to you , the invasion is being pushed back." Ceaser asked .
" It seems that your last victory has made the Blackthorns to focus all their manpower in Fantasia. They are currently occupying one out of the three duchies of Fantasia and are sending hordes of men to attack our cities." He replied.
Ceaser fell into a deep thought before asking,
" How many areas are they attacking at once and with how many men?"
" They are three points of attack and they are attacking with five hundred thousand men, it's as if they want to swallow us whole."
" In that case , we would provide all the equipment you desire."
He then rang a bell , when the secretary came ,she was asked to inform the armory to provide the envoys with more cannons and shots, at least three times their initial order.
After that Franklin dropped another bombshell.
" The kingdom is not able to cover the costs of the extra weapons but is offering a portion of their territory in exchange."
He was waiting for Ceaser to recind his offer, but it did not happen. Instead he agreed wholeheartedly as long as the territory becomes part of Terra.
When the meeting was done , Ceaser left for the military base. Now the army was fourteen thousand strong with one thousand administrative officers, a total of fifteen thousand.
On the training grounds, there were three hundred men waiting in formation. As soon as Ceaser came into their perimeter they immediately saluted perfectly.
" Good afternoon gentlemen."
" Good afternoon sir." They all shouted in unison.
" I will go straight to the point, you are going to be pioneers in pushing back the Blackthorn empire from these lands and any other lands we want, your mission is to secure the barony of Gama (Lejoy Bataglias region) for Terra. After you leave, police officers, administrative and contracting workers will follow three days behind.
You are to secure the town and disarm the residents by the time they arrive and assist the police in providing security for the town .
In a weeks time, reinforcements would be sent together with more workers.
The team sergeants would report to the armory to requisition weapons, wagons and horses for the journey.
They will also be collecting your rations and cooking equipment for the journey.
Remember carry yourselves with the dignity of a Terran soldier, no looting and no raping under any circumstances." Ceaser said, he the turned to the lieutenant in front of the formation.
" Lieutenant Foster, you are now commanding officer of this men, RSM Baku would be you second in command. The success of this mission and the discipline of your men rests on your shoulders. Prove to me that you are worthy of the star on your collar."
" Yes sir." The lieutenant replied as he saluted.
Immediately after the announcement, the soldiers went into action the sergeants moved to the armory to requisition weapons.
Their rations consisted of dry meat that could be eaten as is or added to a meal, some bread, water cans palm oil, salt and pepper. The dry meat and bread would be okay for about three to four days , which was the amount of time they would reach Gama as wagons were provided for transportation.
When in gamma they could hunt for food or trade with the locals until the police and the construction crew arrived with more food.
By the next morning the soldiers had left Patagonia, heading for Gama. This was going to be the first offensive action that the Terran army had embarked on ever since they were formed.
" Are you sure this is the right course of action, sir?" Lieutenant general Alfred asked.
" Of course, according to Franklin, Blackthorn is focusing on Fantasia aiming to break them before focusing on us. It seems we struck a large blow by depleting their forces. I want by the time they are truly ready for us , we would have expanded our influence." Ceaser replied.
" Without this, we might not be able to support our growing population soon and we also need the raw materials and even more labor that comes from new territories, so you see why it is necessary for us to expand?"
" Yes sir, I understand now." Alfred replied.
" Trust in the training, it was designed to create war machines."