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Regardless, that was a problem for another day. The other war fronts were in greater need of attention.

The defense of Hoss had started out horrifically, of course. The death of Carson was a blow that would not soon be forgotten, even if Kane and Grant seemed to have gotten things back under control. With Jercash’s forces routed, it was possible that not only Hoss had been saved but also Kavia, as well.

Jackson was hesitant about that conclusion, however.

Jercash had been in Kavia for months. By all reports, he and his men had had free reign in the capital, doing whatever the hell they pleased.

While it was possible that all they’d done during that time was celebrate their victory, Jackson had known Jercash for quite some time, now. And that man was not one to let an opportunity go to waste.

For that reason, Jackson had been taking an extra interest over there, keeping in constant contact with not only Kane and Grant but also many of their men.

The two of them didn’t always appreciate that. And he understood why, of course. Especially lately. His peers didn’t want him acting like their superior and ordering their men around.

Oddly enough, though, his poor condition seemed to be helping in that regard. He noticed the two of them behaving more empathetically toward him, if only a little. They probably realized that he wasn’t about to usurp or upstage anyone while he was in this state.

Hmm. Or maybe they were just worried about him. As much as they butted heads, it was sometimes easy to forget that they were all still the oldest of friends, when it came down to it.

How odd.

The Vantalayan war fronts were all sorts of curious. While he couldn’t say that Graves had mishandled things over there, it was certainly a mess and a half to keep track of. And it didn’t help that, out of all the marshals, Graves was the worst about keeping up with proper documentation.

Jackson had chastised him countless times and appointed dozens of secretaries and accountants over the years to help him manage everything, but it never seemed to do much good. Jackson didn’t think he’d ever met someone so disorganized. How that man’s divisions managed to get anything done at all, Jackson still did not know.