It had been 5 years since Victor had returned from the war against the Fontaines. During these years, Victor worked diligently to solidify his rule and rebuild the continent after the wars that had preceded them.
The Kingdom of Luxenberg was relatively young compared to its rivals[1]. For example, the Asharan continent was unified and ruled by the Hakim Sultanate. Their dominance had lasted centuries. They had survived droughts, rebellions and plagues. Its current ruler was a man the same age as Victor, Sultan Mehmet Hakim. He took over the Sultanate after overthrowing his father.
Another rival resided on the continent of Kislev, the Tsardom of Mikhailovich. This was another deep rooted realm that was united over a century ago. Its ruler was the grizzly Tsar Fyodor Mikhailovich. He was a senior man who had ruled his people with an iron fist. His dominance was well known throughout the world. This was a man who personally shot 20 prisoners who had plotted to assassinate him.
A new and smaller continent now joined these figures and realms. Over the 5 years, the Luxenberg Army had regathered and increased its strength. They now boasted 525,000 infantrymen, 75,000 cavalrymen and 2,250 guns. In total, they were divided into 15 corps of 35,0000 infantrymen, 5,000 cavalrymen and 150 guns.
As well as the military, the Luxenberg Navy was expanded to 32 total ships. 20 ships of the line that sported 74 guns each, while the remaining 11 were 50-gun, third-rate ships Then there was the mighty flagship from which Grand Admiral Nelson commanded.
Luxenberg's Navy and Army were not the only aspects of the kingdom that saw growth. The royal family expanded during this period. In addition to the 10-year-old Anton and the 8-year-old Henri, there were 4 new heirs to the Kingdom of Luxenberg.
Anton and Henri's first new sibling was a 4-year-old girl named Vanessa. She was like Henri and shared the features of her mother. Vanessa followed her two older brothers like a lost puppy. She adored them and wanted to go wherever they went.
The second sibling was also another girl. This time, she looked like Anton and shared her father's features. Victor's second daughter, Victoria, was 3 years old. She was an energetic little creature and often ran through the halls of the Luxenberg Palace.
The youngest 2 siblings were twin boys. These two boys were 2 years old and looked exactly like their father. They were named Vincent and Clovis. Both boys were yet to make an impression on anyone, but their time would come.
Victor was almost 31 and now had 6 children. He had been taken over by Conrad 14 years ago. Throughout his time in this world, he experienced many different things: Love, loss, sadness, anger, pride and joy. These were all feelings that Victor had felt at one time or another. At the moment Victor could only feel happiness, peace and prosperity infected the land of Bulgar, however, the peace was soon to be broken.
While the Luxenberg family was enjoying a succulent meal for dinner, a haggard-looking and shaken sailor escorted by 4 Royal Guards entered the dining room. King Victor raised an eyebrow and got up from his seat while his wife and children watched in fascination.
"What is the meaning of this Captain Matthias?" Victor asked one of the captains of the Royal Guards. The blonde-haired and blue-eyed guard stood at attention and replied to his king. "My Liege, this man has dire news about Commodore Moreau and his 5 ships guarding the Bulgar-Simbar Straight."
Victor's calm and inviting eyes laid upon the shaken sailor. In a calm voice, Victor asked, "Please tell me what happened sailor. I promise that you are safe and will be appropriately taken care of."
The sailor shook while his lips quivered. "My liege, our ships are sunk. Commodore Moreau and the other ship captains are dead. Many of the surviving sailors were either claimed by sea or were food for the sharks. I only survived thanks to a piece of driftwood and a passing merchant ship."
Victor furrowed his brow, Commodore Moreau was one of the Kingdom's homegrown naval officers who had shown real promise. He had recently been promoted to Commodore and was assigned to patrol the Bulgar-Simbar Straight with 3 ships of the line and 2 third-rate ships.
Queen Clarisse rose from her seat with a plate and offered the sailor some of their food. The sailor graciously nodded his head and thanked the Queen. With some food in his belly, Victor persisted in his questioning: Trying to figure out what had happened to his ships and their crews.
"They came during the night, they outnumbered by at least 20 ships. One minute everything was calm and alright, but then suddenly two of our ships were heavily damaged while everyone scurried to return fire. Their ships were equal to ours. Their crew spoke a foreign language. I could not see who they were, and I was floating away, so the darkness obscured my vision." The sailor stated more calmly.
Victor leaned towards Matthias and asked him to summon his advisors immediately, this was alarming, to say the least. While Victor awaited the convening of his advisors, he pondered the possibilities of who had sunk his ships. 'This can not be a coincidence. There is no way that these two events are not related.'
The other event Victor was referring to was some news that he had received a week and a half prior. What had happened was a power shift on the Continent of Simbar. During the five years since the unification, the Kingdom of Gu had accomplished a similar feat.
With the help of Stetson Fontaine, the Kingdom of Gu managed to conquer the Kingdoms of Zhao and Sun. Stetson had helped teach the Gu Army modern tactics and tried to incorporate Victor's corps system that had overwhelmed all of his enemies.
King Gu Tian was described as a cunning, fox-like man. For a man in his 50s, Gu Tian looked quite youthful. His hair was sleek and black, while his face had zero wrinkles. The king had a harem of youthful and attractive concubines. They had given him many children, but only 4 of them were important to him.
His eldest son was 3 years older than Victor and was a prominent figure in his court. While his second and third eldest sons held high positions in the military and navy. The fourth child was a young daughter who could melt his heart in an instant.
The Gu family had elevated to a new level of status and splendour on the Simbar continent, and now they rivalled the Kingdom of Luxenberg.
[1] If confused about the other continents, please refer to Chapter 33: Mapping A Course. This will help