Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 236 Civil War
The Zhevodan troops who came to "suppress the rebellion" were caught in a dilemma.

Ronald, Eper, and all the officers of Ghevordan still subconsciously regarded Winters as a "bandit."

Throughout history, it has always been officials who suppress bandits; how could bandits dare to suppress officials?
“No matter what the situation is like in Ghevodan, it’s too late for us to go back and help.” Major Ronald gripped his sword hilt tightly, his eyes bloodshot. “Montagne’s planning for this battle has definitely been going on for more than just a day or two… It’s not that we’re attacking him, it’s that he’s attacking us!”

The centurions were equally astonished.

"So what if he manages to take over Ghevodan?" Captain Epel said as casually as possible. "With their small force, how could they possibly conquer Ghevodan? At most, they'll just plunder some things."

“Don’t try to excuse me, I lost this battle.” Ronald stared at Wolf Town, gritting his teeth. “But there’s still a chance. Epel?”

"Yes!"

"Montagne is in Wolf Town, are you sure?"

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Cellini, Mason, and Bard?"

"They're here too."

"Search! Search thoroughly, find every single footprint!" Ronald clenched his fists, his attitude resolute: "If we take them down, even if Ghevodan is razed to the ground, we'll still have won. If we let them escape, then this battle will be a complete and utter defeat!"

"Yes!" the centurions answered in unison.

"The news about Zhevodan must be kept strictly confidential; not a single word is allowed to leak out!"

"Yes!"

The two battalions that Ronald brought were expanded from the city guard of Ghevodan, and the families of the core soldiers were all in Ghevodan.

What would they think if they heard that Gervodan had been ambushed?

Ronald didn't intend to guess, because he chose to simply keep the information from the soldiers.

"Lieutenant Istvan!"

"exist."

"Take all the cavalry! Return to Zhevodan immediately! First, scout out the situation inside the city; second, intercept all messengers!"

"Yes!"

Ronald only had twelve mounted messengers under his command.

"As for Gevordan," Ronald sighed, "they'll have to rely on themselves."

……

Wolf Town has been reduced to a sea of ​​fire.

The soldiers of Zhevodan set fires indiscriminately, and orders were given from above to burn everything in sight.

Wolf Town itself is not large, consisting of just a few wooden houses by the roadside and a military camp.

Everything that could be taken away has already been taken away.

But even these simple wooden houses were built by many people who shed a lot of sweat.

And at this moment, they are burning fiercely.

Two soldiers from Zhevodan, one tall and one short, set fire to the road with torches.

“There’s a house by the river!” the tall soldier said.

The short soldier replied, "Go take a look."

On the riverbank was a simple wooden shed, unlike any dwelling where people lived, and inside were some strange-looking things.

"Where is this place?" the tall soldier asked.

"Here? For sawing wood." The short soldier looked at the sawdust at his feet. "Looks like it's water-powered. But the saw blade and connecting rod aren't here."

"How do you know all this?" the tall soldier asked.

“I’m a carpenter too,” the short soldier replied. “I used to be.”

He walked to the wall and opened a wooden gate.

"Plop, pluck... splash, splash..."

The sound of rushing water crashing against large rocks could be heard from outside the shed.

A creaking sound, so loud it made your teeth ache, came from under the floorboards.

The wooden axle by the wall spun rapidly, trying to push the connecting rod and saw blade that were no longer there.

A waterwheel on the riverbank began to slowly turn, supplying water to the reservoir.

Even though no one was working, the sawmill came alive.

These simple yet ingenious devices are so visually appealing that it's easy to see how much effort the designers and builders put into them.

"What do we do?" The tall soldier swallowed hard.

The short soldier expressionlessly tossed the torch into the sawdust: "Burn it."

The sawdust ignited instantly, and the flames spread rapidly, quickly engulfing the water-powered sawmill.

When the flames die down, nothing will be left here.

At the intersection of two roads in the town center, a Zhevodan soldier scrambled towards the other soldiers, shouting in terror, "Oh no! We've burned the wrong place! This is the church!"

Upon hearing this, the other soldiers looked toward the wooden building beside the road, which was ablaze with flames.

It was very simple, just a canopy and four walls. However, some church features were still visible, such as the emblems.

“It really is a church!” Another soldier’s knees were trembling.

But the fire had already started.

“It’s alright, it’s not.” A soldier patted the trembling soldier on the shoulder: “If it’s burned, it won’t be.”

Soldiers were setting fires, while Major Ronald repeatedly confirmed with Captain Eppel: "Montagne, Cellini, Mason, and that guy named Bud, are they all in Wolf Town? Are you sure?"

“I can confirm it. I specifically asked Winters to call the other three out to meet me.” This was the third time Epel had answered this question.

"That's not right!" Major Ronald's brow furrowed. "If four officers stayed in Wolf Town as bait, then who led the attack on Zhevodan?"

……

Who led the troops in a surprise attack on Zhevodan?

Of course, it's the mysterious masked man A and the mysterious masked man B, as well as Pierre Mitchell.

Among them, the mysterious masked man A [Don Juan] has just led his troops to blast open the gates of Zhevodan.

The city of Gervodan originally had no walls; the hastily constructed earthen and wooden walls were very low, less than two and a half meters high.

The door wasn't a straight-up gate; it was just an ordinary wooden door.

The attacking soldiers used several small bell-like objects to brace against the door hinges and bolts, then lit the fuses.

Several loud rumbling sounds shook the wooden walls.

The smoke of battle has cleared, but the gate still stands in the same place.

Don Juan stepped forward and kicked the gate, which had been completely destroyed, causing it to collapse with a crash.

A deafening cheer erupted outside the city.

No one knew the weaknesses of the city's defenses better than Mason and Bard, since they were the ones who built the fortifications.

"Those who commit rape and plunder shall be hanged! Don't you dare try anything funny! Follow your unit's flag! The flag bearer knows where to go! Ignore the fleeing enemy, just attack those who dare to resist!" Don Juan roared at his soldiers, ordering, "Attack!"

“Uukhai! Uukhai!”

The soldiers shouted in unison.

Mason and Andrei's hundred-man squads filed into the city gates, splitting into left and right flanks to scale the walls and pounce on the bewildered enemy.

The most powerful unit—Winters' "Arrows"—was kept by Don Juan.

Bard's hundred-man squad simply waited at the city gates and did not participate in the battle.

A large number of horse-drawn carriages were waiting on the other side of the river, but they hadn't crossed the bridge yet.

Winters made a desperate gamble, deploying all the troops at his disposal.

The Wolf Town militia, along with the three hundred-man squads they had acquired from Zhevodan, all came to attack Zhevodan.

Bud and Mason's troops never even went to Wolftown.

As soon as they were out of sight of Zhevodan, the two led their troops back to Saint-Cheer via a side road to meet up with their allies who were waiting there.

Winters' emphasis on his identity as [the protector of the five towns] was a deliberate attempt to mislead the officers of Ghevordan.

His real title is [Captain of the First Republic, Garrison Officer of Wolftown, and Protector of the Seven Towns].

The Legion's tyrannical rule caused widespread resentment, and the towns of Saint-Kingbridge and Kingbridge had already pledged allegiance to Winters—or rather, reached a deal.

After the troops joined forces, they remained hidden in Oak Manor in St. John's Town.

While monitoring Ghevodan's movements, Don Juan conducted reorganization and training, and began preparations for the siege. Only Bard, Mason, and a handful of others actually went to Wolf Town.

Pierre didn't have the ability to command three hundred soldiers, nor did the mysterious masked man B [Moritz].

He could command hundreds of soldiers with composure. Apart from Winters and his three companions, only Don Juan could do it.

Right now, Don Juan is on the city wall, frowning as he observes the battle, with Pierre and Lieutenant Colonel Moritz beside him.

Pierre also looked grave.

Moritz, on the other hand, was much more relaxed than the other two. He leaned casually against the breastwork, smacking his lips repeatedly.

"Major Ronald has betrayed us! We are the New Reclamation Regiment! We've come to quell the rebellion!" The soldiers shouted to everyone they met, "Surrender and you will be spared!"

Many of the defenders of Jervodan thus laid down their weapons in a daze.

Each hundred-man squad was assigned specific personnel responsible for confiscating weapons and binding prisoners.

The city wall was successfully cleared.

"Good!" Don Juan clapped his hands sharply. "Sound the bugle! Siege the camp!"

The sharp sound of bugles echoed throughout Zhevodan.

The various troops within the city changed direction and charged towards the defending army's barracks.

……

Wolf Town.

It's daybreak.

"Major, I've searched every village in the northwest," Captain Epel reported breathlessly. "Everyone's run away! The houses are all empty! Only some crops in the fields haven't been harvested."

Major Ronald's expression grew increasingly grave.

Another centurion, Lieutenant Adam, rode up on horseback, with someone strapped to his back.

"Major! We only found this man in the village to the south. He was hiding suspiciously in the cellar, so I brought him here."

"Put him down!" Ronald perked up.

The bound man was pushed off the horse and fell heavily to the ground. It took him a lot of effort to get back up.

Ronald observed carefully, and the major spotted an honest-looking farmer.

His face and neck were tanned dark by the scorching sun. Judging by his eyes, he wasn't very old, but he looked prematurely aged.

"What's your name?" Ronald asked as kindly as possible.

The farmer avoided eye contact, lowered his head, and whispered, "Koshmar."

"Married?"

"Done."

"do you have any kid?"

“There used to be one, but it was never made.”

"Why did you stay in the village?" the major asked patiently.

"There's still wheat left to harvest in the fields..."

Where have all the people from your village gone?

Koshmar's throat bobbed with difficulty: "Lord Montagne said that bandits were coming to kill us. He told us to hide in the forest. He told us to come back when he told us to. He's led us through several rehearsals..."

Lieutenant Adam immediately slapped the farmer across the face: "Bullshit! Who are you calling a bandit? Winters Montagne is the bandit!"

Lieutenant Adam moved too fast; Major Ronald couldn't react in time to stop him.

Koshmar staggered from the blow, covering his face as his suppressed anger erupted: "I don't know who the bandits are! But Lord Montagne has been in Wolf Town for over a year and has never hit me!"

"You fucking want to die!" Lieutenant Adam drew his saber.

Koshmar was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly.

He lowered his head—not daring to look the centurion in the eye—and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

"Put it away!" Ronald glared at his subordinate.

Lieutenant Adam sheathed his sword with a stern face.

"Keep searching! Keep looking! Keep interrogating!" Major Ronald ordered. "I refuse to believe that everyone will follow him!"

……

Thervodan.

The morning light is slightly dew.

Samukin, carrying his arrows, was among the first to charge into the Revodan camp.

After kicking open the door, he stood there stunned.

Hundreds of soldiers were assembling in a chaotic frenzy on the small drill ground, many of them without even wearing clothes.

The Zhevodan garrison had only eighty full-time soldiers on its roster.

[Note: According to regulations, they can conscript Dusak and militia from the county at any time if needed.]
The city government of Gevordan has a 20-person security team and more than 200 registered citizens who are capable of using weapons.

The four battalions that Zhevodan currently has were expanded from the aforementioned personnel as the backbone.

A major in charge of four battalions? That's a rare sight on ordinary days.

However, none of the four teams Ronald had were at full strength.

They were either out collecting grain, or they went out to collect grain and never came back.

After three hundred-man squads were wiped out and two battalions were sent out of the city to "suppress bandits," the city's garrison was reduced to less than one battalion.

At this moment, most of them were in front of Samukin.

The Revodan soldiers in the camp didn't even notice Samukin kicking open the gate. Only a few of them met Samukin's gaze and stood there, equally stunned.

"Major Ronald has betrayed us! We are the New Reclamation Legion! We have come to quell the rebellion!" Samukin suddenly roared, raising his spear and shoving a Zhevodan soldier who reached for his weapon to the ground: "Surrender and you will not be killed!"

"Anyone not wearing a red sash on their shoulder isn't one of us!" Vahika charged through the back door with his arrows: "Kill!"

Neither the Wolf Town soldiers nor the Revodan soldiers wore uniforms;
For a moment, the soldiers of Zhevodan couldn't even distinguish between friend and foe.

Wearing one of the few pieces of plate armor available, Vahika charged into the camp, wielding a warhammer.

He didn't care who was in front of him; as long as they didn't have a red sash tied around their shoulders, he would smash them hard on the head.

More and more soldiers stormed into the camp, and the small drill ground was packed with people, with both sides fighting to the death in the confined space.

A Zhevodan soldier clutched his stomach and cried out. His stomach had been cut open, and his slippery intestines were spilling out. He tried to push them back in, but he couldn't.

The new recruits around them, regardless of which side they belonged to, all felt an urge to vomit everything in their stomachs upon seeing this scene.

Not to mention the soldiers of Revodan, even the soldiers of Wolf Town had rarely seen such a tragic scene.

They were just farmers fleeing from war, joining the army just to get a bite to eat.

But the veterans who returned from the wasteland remained silent; they didn't even glance at the man.

Their lips were pressed tightly together, and their hands showed no mercy as they viciously stabbed at the neck and soft abdomen.

With a stab, a twist, and a pull, blood gushed out like a spring.

A voice echoed throughout every corner of the training ground:

"Major Ronald has betrayed us! We are the New Reclamation Army! We have come to quell the rebellion! Surrender and you will not be killed!"

The soldiers of Zhevodan could no longer withstand the attack and threw down their weapons.

"He's lying!" a blood-soaked officer shouted hoarsely in the drill ground, "They're the rebels! They..."

Before he could finish speaking, a steel nail pierced his skull.

"Don't be stupid." It was that same voice again.

Another officer from Zhevodan was furious: "You are..."

The next second, he died too.

“You…” Don Juan grabbed Moritz.

No one understood the true nature of war better than Juan, but he still couldn't accept it emotionally: "Those were our own people! Why kill them?"

The bond between fellow students is as light as a feather, yet as heavy as a mountain of gold.

Even Winters never took any drastic measures against his alumni—except for Sackler.

"Do you know what a civil war is?" Moritz asked rhetorically, his tone cold, but his eyes revealing unconcealed pain: "A civil war is when our own people kill each other."

[I originally planned to conclude the Battle of Zhevodan in one chapter, but it seems I'll need another.]
[However, the battle in Ghevodan is over. Next up is an interlude involving Ronald, the commander-in-chief of the Iron Peak County anti-bandit campaign, and a certain bandit surnamed Yue (facepalm)]
The esteemed Major Ronald set off to suppress the bandits.
The ruthless Blood Wolf Gang is besieging the city.
The bandit leader Ronald committed heinous crimes, causing widespread resentment among the people, and even burned down Lord Montagne's treasure (referring to the water-powered sawmill).
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]


(End of this chapter)