One day prior in Vaeltharion, the capital of the kingdom Solindrath. The kingdom where Reiji was born.
The new king and his chancellor sat across from each other.
"I have a request."
The new king said, sliding a few papers to his chancellor who picked it up.
"When I give you the order, I want you to give them to a news shop and have them print copies, distribute the copies to other news shops until they are all over the country. Make sure they have copies ready to sell at a moment's notice and sell only after I give the order to."
The chancellor nodded.
"You may leave. Make sure those papers are not found by any random person."
Currently in the center of the capital:
The new king walked out onto the balcony of the king's palace. He was a young, fine man who had dirty blond hair that went down to his shoulders. He wore a classic king's attire. Lots of gold and only the finest of materials.
He was accompanied by two guards and a servant who stood behind him. The guards secured the palace and every building around it.
Below the balcony stood a seemingly endless crowd of commoners that resided in the capital. They were all looking up, waiting for the new king to speak.
"I am Kurotani the II. Your new king. You know me well, since I was the Almoner. I want to start with the truth, as any king should. The old king was a liar and fool who refused to take action when it mattered most but I am no fool. I will expose the lies that the old king told you!"
Murmurs were heard from the crowd. It was clear that the commoners were shocked by this, since the old king was quite the benevolent ruler.
"Let's start with our neighboring kingdom Estravar. As you might know we are a landlocked kingdom, meaning we don't have access to the sea. The old king made a deal and bought a few ports from Estravar. This deal was ultimately made to lower prices on goods and improve relations with our neighbor. What has this deal brought us? Despair, I know your faces turned pale when you walked into a shop to buy bread only for the price to have risen a few days after the deal was announced by the old king in this place, right where I stand!"
The murmurs grew louder as the people started talking with each other. All of them agreed.
"These ports were sabotaged by the government of Estravar, no outlaws nor bandits. The queen herself orchestrated this."
The king was handed a scroll by the servant who he thanked before turning back towards the crowd.
"The reasons for the loss of money go as follows. The buying of the ports, the cost of repairs for the damages done to them, the cost of medical treatment for the workers, the cost of transporting medical supplies and personnel along with the materials to repair the ports only for them to be attacked, stolen and the personnel killed. There are many more reasons but you surely understand. The returns we have gotten from this sabotaged deal:..."
The king lowered the scrolls and looked down at the crowd for a moment. The silence was deafening.
"There weren't any."
The king said as he rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the servant. Murmurs once again erupted before the king raised his hand and silenced them.
"And what did the old king do? Nothing! He lied to your faces! But I won't. The old king is the reason why you struggle to feed your starving children! Now tell me, do you want to see your kids run around your homes with a smile and a full stomach?!"
"Yes!" The crowd yelled after a moment of silence.
"Overseas they wear clothes from the finest of materials because they are just as abundant there as poverty is here. What makes us any less worthy of such luxury?!"
"Nothing!" The crowd yelled again, but louder with no delay.
"Exactly!" The king pointed at the crowd below him.
"That's why I, in an act of self-preservation and self-defense of this kingdom and its beloved people, declare war on Estravar to claim their coastline and establish peace! To give you food that you can afford and clothes that make the cold no longer a concern!"
The crowd erupted into cheers before they started saying one line over and over again.
"All hail the new king! All hail the new king!"
The king turned around and walked back inside with a grin on his face.
Over at the border, the forces of Solindrath were already advancing. The battle plans have been thought out and changed with the involvement of the king himself and every general in the army.
Estravar was a kingdom of rivers with a lot of major cities being located near them. The plans were simple on paper, two armies would attack. One army would go south, intending to secure the border Estravar shared with the kingdom of Mordavel that stretched to the coast. This kingdom also bordered Solindrath.
The second army would go north, intending to secure the port city of Duskhaven. This would cut off the city of Ambervale along with a dozen villages, which were located near the border with Solindrath and the Ashen empire.
To the west of this city was the river Vale which ran from Solindrath to the Shalen ocean, through which Estravar conducted most of its trade and even owned a lot of islands there.
The second army would be split into two subarmies and the main force. The main force would push along the river Vale to the coast, subarmy one would go from the northernmost point of the border and encircle Ambervale in case there were soldiers already stationed in the city.
Subarmy two would attack a Dawnwalk (20 kilometers) south from the attack of the main force, looping back around to meet up with it in order to encircle the city of Caelvorn, which was further from the border than Ambervale.
There was one crushing advantage the Solindrath army had over the Estravar army. That was numbers and technology. You see, Solindrath was landlocked, meaning all of its funds poured into the army, making them have the most modern technology such as muskets and cannons. The kingdom also had a bigger population.
Estravar did have the same technology but it was inferior and fewer in number. They mainly had less troops on the ground, their manpower split between the navy and army. What they did have however were resources. A war of attrition would be fatal for Solindarth, because their fighting capacity comes from years of reserves meant for the army alone.
Kurotani the II was relying on his modern armies and fast cavalry to defeat Estravar in a shift and decisive manner.
The king then walked into the chancery office to talk to his chancellor.
"I request you come with me to my chambers."
The king said to his chancellor who stood up and followed him. When they reached the king's chambers the king began speaking.
"Send out the papers, make sure the shops are ready to sell them as soon as possible."
"Should they start selling the moment they are ready?"
The chancellor asked. The king's response was a no. The chancellor then nodded and after getting permission to leave he left the king's chambers. The king walked over to his window to look at the capital.
"The stage is set."
He said before his body started changing. Parts of him became chubby and fleshy. His hair turned black and long enough to reach the floor. Out of the fleshy parts that were now spreading, eyes started to appear and he dropped to his knees.
"Agh!"
The king screamed loud enough for the whole palace to hear.