Another Worldly Summons

Chapter 16: End of Lauria

Central Calendar Year 1639, 24th of July

20 kilometers away from Laurian Capital Jin Hark

A few days after the offensive in the south of Quira. Early in the morning where the sun have yet to rise from it's slumber in the east. ASEAN Forces are currently camping a little bit faraway from the heart of the Laurian Kingdom, They currently waiting for further instructions but could move at any moment.

Speaking of which, originally with this unusually large force that snuck deep behind enemy lines will definitely be discovered immediately and intercepted. But no came, not even a scout to shadow the movements of this powerful foe. As the Laurians have already been exhausted. Due to repeated airstrikes the days prior, which also includes targeting the bases that house wyverns, their airstrips also have been bombed rendering it unusable and forcing them to keep the wyverns from being sortie which currently numbered less than 30 from the original 500-heads---a very pitiful number. However, it's not that they didn't attempted, it's just futile to speak of for example one of the attempts is the time they send soldiers that's specialized in night attack just to be slaughtered upon entering the defensive perimeters of ASEAN Forces. Essentially, Showing off the Laurians who is the boss by occupying their own backyards and beating the shit out of anything they send whom trying hard just to inflict a single casualty on the well defending ASEAN forces. Hence they momentarily ceased any futile Assualt in a foreseeable future.

While felt humiliated, Laurian royal Army doesn't have the luxury to send any more spare to attack the ASEAN as it was close to nil just to even damage them. And decided to splitting the forces they have; one would scattered all over the country then wage a guerrilla style warfare to slowdown the invading ASEAN Forces and the other half is to defend the capital. They also ordered the aristocratic circles to sabotage and attack the invading ASEAN forces but got ignored and because of it they ordered abandonment of towns and villages in the border to make as a example and retribution to the disobedient aristocrats if they don't follow the orders given to them at same time they thought they could slowdown the invasion of ASEAN if they don't have provisions to be gathered---Killing two birds with one stone.

However, the result was diagonally down the expectations and this was a huge mistake they made---forcibly sacked away their livestocks, food reserves and the most worse of all is poisoning the water sources leaving the settlers to die by either starvation or poisoning not to mention the marching armies of ASEAN closing in fast and according to rumors possiblity they will be get mercilessly killed by those being's who destroyed thousands of troops in mere seconds is high. This leaves the settlers with two choices run or fight? But in the first question is where they will run? They were abandoned by their own country sacked their foods and properties away thus essentially like leaving them to die here also they no longer considered the Lauria as their country anymore. Secondly is why would they fight the enemies of the country that abandoned them on first place? Thus, this brings another choice of defecting to the ASEAN---But the another question is will they even accept it on the first hand. The answer is very uncertain to them, there's nothing attractive on the border towns and villages that been abandoned by laurians on the first place. In simple terms it was a very risky gamble but they have nothing to lose. They will either die sooner or later due to lack of food and water supply or be killed by this adversaries who unilaterally trample the Laurian army as if they are ants.

Fortunately, the luck was in their side and ASEAN accepted their defection. They thought that the ASEAN would foist heavy demands after accepting their proposition but while indeed they imposed some conditions they were surprisingly light; Pledge loyalty to FR-ASEAN that's all. They didn't demanded gold and silver neither woman or heavy taxation it's quite generous. And this system of supposedly taxation of the new country that they pledge allegiance with, taxation varied to their individual yearly proportional income but accordingly it was 5% of their entire year of income by default. In comparison, to Lauria, their former country sometimes imposed excessive taxes to the point the income return to them could barely feed the mouths of their families. Because of this they concluded to better latch to ASEAN---The winning horse of this war than sticking to Laurian whom nearing it's end. For the abandoned settlers the infamous ASEAN was way too docile and mild compared to the rumors they've sniff of whom is didn't even prejudice them of being a laurian descent, well that's the story later on.