My Wife Is The Author?

Chapter 28: War Plans

"We put me on the frontline of the first battle."

The throne room fell silent after hearing these words.

Several nobles stared at Charles as though he had completely lost his mind.

King Brandon, however, remained calm.

"And why would I do that?"

Charles walked toward the large map positioned beside the throne.

Three coloured markers had been placed along the kingdom’s borders, each representing an invading force.

"The Silverblessed Kingdom is being attacked from three directions."

His finger pointed west.

"The Kingdom of Blackrain."

Then south.

"The Goldhaven Kingdom."

Finally east.

"The Scarlett Kingdom."

Charles studied the map for several moments. The situation was bad. Worse than most people probably realised.

Defending all three fronts equally would spread the kingdom’s military too thin, allowing the enemy to slowly overwhelm them through sheer numbers.

"If we split our forces between every border, we’ll lose."

Several generals frowned. They clearly disliked hearing those words spoken aloud.

Unfortunately, it was the truth.

King Brandon folded his hands together.

"What would you suggest instead?"

Charles pointed toward the western border.

"We focus everything on the Blackrain Kingdom."

Murmurs immediately spread throughout the chamber, and one of the generals stepped forward.

He was an older man with a crown of grey hair and an army uniform inspired by the modern era on Earth.

"Blackrain possesses nearly twenty thousand soldiers, lad."

"And they’re the weakest of the three armies, are they not?" Charles replied.

The general was momentarily stunned silent, giving Charles the opportunity to continue.

"The Scarlett Kingdom has the strongest military. Goldhaven possesses the greatest number and variety of mages. Blackrain is dangerous, but compared to the others, they’re the most vulnerable target."

The generals exchanged glances. Even King Brandon appeared interested.

Charles pointed toward a location near the western border.

"The Battle of Greyford Plains."

The nobles in the room immediately recognised the name.

General Marcus, who was the man with a crown of grey hair, nodded slowly.

"A large stretch of open land between our kingdom and Blackrain. The first battlefield where we will clash with the enemy."

"Exactly," Charles said as he looked around the room.

"If Blackrain crosses the border, they’ll be forced through Greyford Plains. It’s the fastest route toward the capital and the easiest path for moving a large army."

General Marcus rubbed his chin in deep thought for a few moments.

"Which means they’ll expect us to meet them there."

Charles smiled confidently.

"That’s exactly what I want."

"W-what?"

The room became quiet again.

Charles could practically see everyone trying to understand what he was thinking.

King Brandon leaned forward slightly.

"You intend to fight them head-on?"

"Yes, I do."

Several nobles looked confused. Even the king himself looked like he wanted to facepalm.

If not for the fact that this man had cleared Elurion Tower alone, he would have long since kicked him out of the palace.

Only Charlotte seemed completely unsurprised by Charles’ statement.

Charles pointed at the map again.

"Blackrain believes they’ll be facing a desperate kingdom trying to defend itself. Instead, they will face a force more powerful than they ever expected."

The king studied the man in front of him carefully. For several moments, neither spoke.

Then Brandon asked the most important question.

"What exactly do you need to pull this off?"

Charles had been waiting for that.

"A small army."

The throne room relaxed slightly. That sounded far more reasonable than most had expected.

"How many men?" the king asked.

"Five thousand."

Several generals nodded, since this was a manageable number.

But then Charles continued.

"And I want Prince Cain with me as well."

The room froze. Even Prince Cain himself looked surprised. freewebnovel.cσ๓

But Charles ignored the reactions.

"The prince is strong, respected, and experienced in leading soldiers. If I’m going to command a force on the battlefield, I need someone the army already trusts."

For the first time since arriving at the palace, Cain looked at Charles without suspicion.

Instead, he looked curious.

King Brandon glanced toward his son, and the prince immediately straightened.

"If you order it, Father, I will go. It would be an honour to fight for my kingdom on the battlefield."

The king nodded before looking back at Charles.

"Is that all?"

"No." Charles turned toward Charlotte. "I want Charlotte with us as well. No, I need her with us. Without her, none of this will work."

That received a very different reaction. Several nobles nearly had heart attacks.

"The princess?"

"Absolutely not!"

"She’s only just returned!" fгeewebnovёl.com

"We don’t even know where she’s been all this time!"

Charles allowed the protests to continue for a few moments before speaking.

"Charlotte is one of the strongest people in this kingdom."

Immediately, the arguments were brought to a halt. Everyone knew that this was true.

Charlotte had specifically written herself into the novel as a powerful princess, even stronger than her brother, who was an Elite Grade.

Everyone believed that she was of Master Grade, which made her as strong as the king himself.

Of course, Charles knew that she was even stronger. He needed her by his side.

King Brandon looked toward his daughter.

"And what do you think?"

Charlotte smiled and gave her input for the first time.

"I was planning on going whether you approved or not."

The king’s eyes widened, and for several seconds, he simply stared at her.

Then he sighed. The sound carried the exhaustion of a father who knew arguing was pointless.

She had always been stubborn.

"You truly are my daughter."

The tension that had spread throughout the chamber since Charlotte’s arrival eased slightly.

Eventually, Brandon stood from his throne. His gaze swept across every noble and general present.

"The decision has been made."

"Prince Cain will lead a force of five thousand soldiers to Greyford Plains."

He then looked at Charles.

"You will accompany him."

Finally, his eyes settled on Charlotte.

"And against my better judgment, so will my daughter."

A grin appeared on Cain’s face.

Charlotte looked pleased.

Charles simply nodded.

This was exactly what he wanted. The first step had been taken.

Three days from now, they would arrive at Greyford Plains. Three days from now, the Blackrain army would cross the border. And three days from now, the war would begin.