I Reincarnated as a Prince Who Revolutionized the Kingdom-Chapter 108: The New Threat

The Iberians were not fools.

Marshal Armand Roux knew that Captain Castillo’s visit was no mere diplomatic encounter. It was a test, a warning, and a message wrapped in pleasantries. The Iberian Crown was watching, measuring Elysea’s strength, and planning its next move. Roux had no intention of waiting for them to act first.

Fort Saint-Louis was expanding rapidly, but it was still vulnerable. If the Iberians struck before Elysea could solidify its foothold, everything Roux had built in Pan-America would be at risk.

He wouldn’t let that happen.

Preparing for the Inevitable

Roux wasted no time. Orders were sent out across the colony—more defenses, more troops, and more supplies. Every available man was put to work reinforcing the walls, digging trenches, and expanding the outer defenses of both Fort Saint-Louis and Nouvelle-Solenne.

Cavalry patrols were doubled, with orders to monitor every known Iberian outpost along the eastern coastline. Any sign of movement—any troop reinforcements, any supply convoys, anything out of the ordinary—was to be reported immediately.

In the governor’s office, Roux met with his officers to finalize their preparations.

"We need more artillery," Giraud pointed out, tapping the map spread out before them. "If the Iberians decide to attack, we won’t be able to rely on our muskets alone."

"We have six cannons at the fort and four in Nouvelle-Solenne," Lieutenant Vasseur added. "That’s enough to hold out, but not enough to launch an offensive."

Roux nodded. "I already sent a request for reinforcements from the homeland. More cannons, more troops, more ships. But it will take time for them to arrive."

Giraud smirked. "Then we make sure we survive until then."

By the end of March, reports from the cavalry scouts confirmed what Roux had suspected—the Iberians were preparing for something.

Several warships had arrived along the eastern coast, reinforcing their outposts. More importantly, their soldiers had begun patrolling deeper into the interior, encroaching upon lands that Elysea claimed as its own.

It was a provocation.

Roux rode out with a small detachment of cavalry to see for himself. He and Giraud observed from a ridge as an Iberian patrol moved through the valley below—fifty men, muskets slung over their shoulders, their captain riding at the head of the column.

"They’re testing us," Giraud muttered.

"They want to see how far they can push before we react," Roux agreed.

Giraud adjusted his grip on the reins. "Should we remind them of their place?"

Roux considered it. They could open fire, cut them down, and send a message—but that would trigger war immediately. He wasn’t ready yet.

"No," Roux decided. "Let them pass—for now."

But war was coming.

While tensions with the Iberians escalated, Roux pushed forward with expanding Elysea’s colonial presence. More settlements were established along the river, forming a chain of fortified villages that would act as supply points for future campaigns.

He ordered the construction of a new fort, Fort Verdun, thirty miles inland from Nouvelle-Solenne. Positioned on a natural high ground overlooking the surrounding valley, it would serve as a defensive stronghold against both native and Iberian threats.

The settlers who arrived from the homeland were eager but wary. They knew the risks—hostile terrain, disease, and the constant threat of attack. But the promise of land, wealth, and a new life was enough to lure them across the ocean.

Roux made it clear to the new arrivals: this was not a place for weakness.

"If you cannot work, you do not eat," he told them bluntly. "If you cannot fight, you will learn."

The colony was not a paradise. It was a battleground for the future.

The peace—if it could be called that—did not last.

On the morning of April 7th, an Elysean supply convoy traveling between Nouvelle-Solenne and Fort Verdun was attacked. The soldiers escorting the wagons were found dead, their bodies left on display along the road as a warning.

It was an ambush.

And it had been carried out by Iberian soldiers.

The scouts tracked the attackers back to a small Iberian outpost near the coastline. Roux did not hesitate.

"They think they can strike us and walk away unscathed?" he growled.

That night, the Elysean army struck back.

Roux led 200 of his best men in a swift retaliatory raid. They descended upon the Iberian outpost under the cover of darkness, muskets firing in controlled volleys as they stormed the settlement. The Iberians, caught off guard, barely had time to mount a defense before the Elyseans were upon them.

Giraud’s cavalry cut down the sentries before they could raise the alarm. The outpost commander, a lieutenant, was dragged from his quarters and brought before Roux.

"You murder my men, you challenge my rule, and you think you can walk away?" Roux said coldly.

The lieutenant spat at his feet.

Roux drew his pistol and shot him in the head.

The rest of the Iberian survivors were executed, their bodies left hanging from the trees along the road. The outpost itself was burned to the ground.

It was a message.

By mid-April, the conflict had escalated beyond mere skirmishes. The Iberians had fortified their own positions, bringing in reinforcements and preparing for what was quickly becoming an inevitable war.

Letters arrived from King Bruno himself, commending Roux for his actions and promising further support. But Elysea’s forces in Pan-America were still outnumbered. The Iberians had more men, more ships, and a stronger foothold along the eastern coast.

Roux needed an edge.

He gathered his officers once more, laying out the next phase of the campaign. Find adventures on novelbuddy

"We cannot allow the Iberians to entrench themselves," Roux said. "We will strike first."

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Giraud grinned. "Now we’re talking."

Roux pointed to the map. "Their largest outpost, Fort San Rafael, is thirty miles east of Nouvelle-Solenne. If we take it, we cut off their reinforcements and cripple their operations."

Vasseur frowned. "It won’t be easy. The Iberians will defend it fiercely."

Roux smirked. "Then we make sure they don’t live long enough to do so."

By the end of April, Elysea and Iberia were on the brink of open war. Fort Saint-Louis bristled with soldiers preparing for the inevitable conflict. Supplies were stockpiled, cannons were primed, and the settlers braced for what was to come.

On the night before the campaign against Fort San Rafael, Roux stood at the edge of the fort, staring eastward.

The Iberians were strong, but Elysea was stronger.

The wilderness of Pan-America would be reshaped in blood.

And Roux would ensure that it was Elysean blood that ruled the land.