Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 238 Food
Major Ronald was not surprised at all to receive news that the "Montagne gang" had occupied Gévordan.

Captain Epel was nearly driven mad: "What is he trying to do? With his small force, does he really think he can hold Ghevodan?"

The other centurions also looked grim.

"Never mind him, we need supplies now." Ronald said, biting his pipe, though the bowl was empty.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, so Ronald's two battalions set out lightly equipped, carrying no supplies other than seven days' worth of rations.

They didn't even have tents; Ronald slept wrapped in a cloak at night.

The major was very satisfied with his centurions for bringing the entire unit from Zhevodan to Wolf Town.

But the enemy doesn't even need to lift a finger; a heavy rain is enough to completely destroy the morale of these new recruits.

"How difficult can things be for us compared to Montagne? He's not afraid, so what are you afraid of?" Ronald suddenly laughed. "Continue sending men to scout in Gévodan! The main force will go to Little Rock for supplies first, then to Saint-Ker. If there's an opportunity in Gévodan, we'll take it directly. Otherwise, we'll detour through Kingbridge and head to Hammerhold!"

Hammerburg was originally a fortress located north of Jervodan, which gradually developed into a small town of about fifty households.

This small town has always been the gateway to Theodor, controlling the main access routes to and from Iron Peak County.

"Captain Epel."

"exist!"

Ronald gave a stern order: "Take your hundred-man squad and go ahead to Hammerhold. Give as much of the rations as possible to Epel from the other hundred-man squads."

"Yes, sir!" The centurions perked up.

"Let's go! We're going to Little Rock Town!" Ronald laughed. "I want to see who really rules Iron Peak County."

……

Later that evening, Pierre also returned to Wolftown.

Winters was in the stable helping Changsheng find milk—Changsheng was a firstborn, and Bottayun not only didn't have enough milk, but also refused to take care of the foal.

He wasn't surprised at all by the message Pierre brought back; he simply asked, "Did they explain the reason to you?"

“No.” Pierre had been riding for a day and a night and could barely stand. “But Mr. A and Mr. B both support the backup plan.”

Although Palatul and Veneta have already had a falling out, and the situation within Palatul itself is also complicated.

However, Veneta did not formally intervene in the Palatourian Civil War. To keep Moritz and Juan's identities as secret as possible, Winters ordered them to be addressed as Mr. A and Mr. B.

“I understand.” Winters cupped Changsheng’s head in his hands and nodded to Pierre: “Go and rest, leave the rest to me.”

Pierre raised his hand in salute and staggered away from the stable.

Changsheng was able to nurse again, and he suckled desperately at the breast milk.

Eating and growing are his instincts.

Conversely, if he doesn't do this, he will die.

This applies to immortality, and it also applies to the people of Winters.

Seeing that Bottayun was no longer resisting as before, Winters slowly released his hands.

Changsheng sucked on the milk with a "slurp slurp".

Both battle plans have their advantages and disadvantages. Zhevodan is certainly better, and it would be even better to capture a city.

But what if we can't hold on?
How would General Adams, the ruler of the newly established province, react?
Although the New Reclamation Army is currently tied down by the Red Rose and Blue Rose, how could they possibly tolerate the fall of a county?

With the troops at hand, can they withstand Maplestone City's thunderous attack?
Plan A, on the other hand, is a more conservative approach: gradually take control of the villages and towns, turning Rewodan into an isolated island on the mainland.

That was Winters' preferred strategy, and the reason he insisted on keeping [the capture of Gervodan] as a backup plan.

Cities and villages are interdependent, but ultimately cities need villages more.

Cities need the input of resources and manpower; once Zhevodan becomes an isolated city, it will fall without a fight.

However, plans can never keep up with changes.

The war taught Winters one thing: success or failure sometimes depends not on how perfect the plan is, but on how resolute the execution is.

Moritz and Juan are of sound mind, and their judgments must have their reasons; Winters trusts them.

Now that we've chosen a route, let's just keep going.

"No matter what lies ahead, there's always a way," Winters thought, stroking his long, soft mane.

……

Wolf Town, once again ravaged by war, was reduced to ashes once more.

Amidst the ruins, the soldiers were already fully equipped and ready to go.

Winters left all the warriors in Wolf Town as cavalry, a total of eighteen including himself, each with two or even three horses.

Anna, Scarlett, Ellen, Catherine, and other ladies came to the town center to see them off.

Some residents of the nearby Wolf Town also came spontaneously to show their support, and three relatively wealthy self-sufficient farmers even rode horses and carried javelins to offer their help.

Badr, Andrei, and Mason were not there, as they had already rushed to Zhevodan.

"I'm sorry," Winters said, filled with remorse towards Anna.

In the blink of an eye, it's time to say goodbye again.

Anna held Winters' hand tightly.

That night, she also hid in the forest with the people of Wolf Town, witnessing their fear and helplessness in the face of war, witnessing Wolf Town being engulfed by raging flames, and witnessing the best and worst parts of human nature.

She hugged Winters tightly, tiptoed, and whispered in her lover's ear, "Go. These cabins, these churches, they didn't hurt anyone, yet they destroyed them. They shouldn't have done it, and they had no right to. Don't worry about me, and don't worry about anyone else. We can take care of ourselves."

After saying this, Anna gently kissed Winters' cheek and pushed him away.

Winters looked at Anna one last time, as if trying to capture this moment in his eyes.

Then, he resolutely let go of Anna's hand.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of Changsheng," Scarlett said softly.

Mrs. Mitchell, arm in arm with Scarlett, gave Winters a slight nod.

In this situation, Catherine no longer had her usual attitude. She simply said to Winters, "You must live, don't leave my sister alone... Don't forget, you still owe my family a thousand ducats."

Winters thanked each of the Wolf Town residents who came to see him off, and finally stood in front of Pierre: "Wolf Town is now in your hands."

"Don't worry." Pierre's face was still very pale, and he raised his hand in salute.

Winters nodded and mounted his horse.

His gaze swept over the blacksmith's workshop, sawmill, and church, which had been burned to ashes.

“One day, one day… one day we will rebuild all of this.” Winters looked into the eyes of his warriors, and everyone could clearly hear his cold yet resolute voice.

Winters took the blood-stained, bullet-riddled, and scorched military flag from Heinrich: "But now, follow me to reclaim the right to rebuild our homeland!"

He pulled hard on the reins and galloped toward the battlefield.

Without hesitation, the soldiers followed him.

……

……

Major Ronald's retreat was exceptionally difficult.

He failed to obtain sufficient supplies in Blackwater Town, nor in Little Stone Town.

Although the towns of Heishui and Xiaoshi were not evacuated, hiding grain had become a habit for the farmers.

Before the soldiers even entered the village, they had already vanished without a trace.

Even if some farmers didn't escape, when they were caught and questioned, they would say "no," "don't know," or "we're starving too, sir."

Looking at the farmers' "honest and simple" faces, Ronald ordered his men to use their swords to force them to talk.

With a gleaming steel knife pressed against his neck, the farmer, who had just insisted there was no grain, immediately and obediently revealed the location of the grain cellar.

However, some farmers were so stubborn that Major Ronald began to doubt whether they really had no food.

"Whether he confesses or not, kill him if he doesn't!" Lieutenant Adam's thinking was simple and brutal: "We need to show other farmers what happens. Otherwise, they'll all follow suit!"

Major Ronald remained silent.

“Sir, what time is it? Are you still debating whether we’re soldiers or bandits?” Seeing that the major didn’t respond, Lieutenant Adam gritted his teeth and said, “When Montagne enters Gévodan, we’re bandits even if we’re not! I’ll handle this! You don’t need to worry about it or ask about it.”

Lieutenant Adam finished speaking, picked up his knife, and left.

"Halt!" Major Ronald shouted at the centurion. "Are you the garrison commander or am I? I said no, and that's final! Release them all! How much grain can you squeeze out of one or two stubborn peasants?"

"But?" Lieutenant Adam was unwilling to give up.

“But what?” Major Ronald’s eyes widened: “Obey orders!”

After consuming the meager amount of food forcibly requisitioned from Blackwater and Little Rock, Ronald led over eight hundred soldiers on their journey to St. Clair.

It was in the wilderness between St. Cole and Little Rock that Winters' cavalry caught up with the exhausted and starving Ghevordan troops.

The officers and soldiers of Ghevordan also saw Winters.

After all, light travels in a straight line, and there's not much shelter in the wilderness.

More importantly, Winters had no intention of hiding his tracks.

Alone on horseback, carrying a military flag, he stood atop a hill a mile away, openly monitoring Zhevodan's troops.

When Zhevodan's troops left, he left too;

When Zhevodan's troops stopped, he stopped as well.

While his troops rested, Zhevodan also planted his military flag on the ground, dismounted, and ate his dry rations.

This is a blatant insult and contempt.

"What is he trying to do?" Lieutenant Adam roared in fury. "He wants to kill us all by himself?"

"Ignore him, just keep marching," Major Ronald explained calmly. "He's waiting for nightfall. Those who catch up will be elite cavalry, but not many. Nighttime is when small groups of elite cavalry will have the chance to shine."

A centurion could no longer bear the public humiliation and suddenly broke away from his ranks, rushing toward the figure on the hillside by the roadside.

"That idiot Ferenc!" Major Ronald roared. "Bring him back here!"

Upon hearing this, a centurion and another messenger cavalryman immediately spurred their horses and followed Lieutenant Ferenc.

Enraged, Lieutenant Ferenc ignored the shouts and hoofbeats behind him, urging his horse onward even faster.

"What kind of bullshit spellcaster! I don't believe in such nonsense!" Ferenc roared furiously, his two wheeled muskets inserted into the holsters on either side of his saddle, ready to fire at any moment.

"Come on, Montagne!" Ferenc roared like thunder. "If you're really as good as they say, then come and try my two guns!" Ronald, Adam, and all the soldiers of Ghevordan saw Centurion Ferenc charge madly toward the horseman on the hillside.

Gunshots.

The rider was unharmed.

Centurion Ferenc staggered and fell off his saddle.

Ferenc's two men who went to his rescue also failed to escape, as they were all shot down by the rider.

A small squad of unfamiliar cavalrymen leaped out from the reverse slope of the hillside, snatched the three fallen men away like goats, and also took their warhorses with them.

The hillside returned to peace.

The horseman stood on the hillside and continued to publicly insult the soldiers of Zhevodan.

“Ignore him,” Major Ronald ordered. “Keep going! At least we know he’s not alone.”

Lieutenant Adam was furious: "Ferencz! You're not just throwing your life away, you're giving away three horses for nothing!"

……

As night fell, the Zhevodan troops rested in a grove of trees.

Their encampment had no fortifications—the soldiers were exhausted and hungry, too weak to dig, and they hadn't brought any tools.

They each formed a pile, hastily spread out beds of branches and dead leaves, and fell asleep.

Apart from a few sentries, the encampment of the Zhevodan forces had no additional defenses.

But a deadly trap lurks beneath the calm night.

This woodland was a terrain that Major Ronald had specifically chosen, not only because cavalry would have difficulty maneuvering in the woods, but also because the forest was a better place to set up an ambush.

The soldiers of Zhevodan used tree trunks as stakes to stretch three layers of tripwires around the camp—they had no iron tools, but they carried hemp ropes.

The woods were pitch black in the dead of night, and the tripwires were hidden in the darkness.

All the soldiers of Zhevodan stood ready, awaiting the arrival of their guests.

"Come on, kid." Major Ronald gripped his weapon, leaned against a tree trunk, and waited for the sound of hooves.

He thought to himself, "Let me show you that even this old veteran has some skills. Let me give you a lesson..."

By the time Major Ronald regained consciousness, it was already daylight.

He jumped up abruptly: "When did I fall asleep?"

Of course, people don't know when they fall asleep.

The major didn't know, nor did the other officers and soldiers, because everyone was fast asleep.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Lieutenant Adam woke up with a start, wiping his drool. "Has Montagne arrived?"

No, he didn't come.

Nothing happened last night.

There was no night raid, no ambush, no bloodshed; the night was peaceful, and everyone slept soundly.

Major Ronald gave a wry smile.

The soldiers were happy that they didn't have to fight, but they had to continue their journey.

Right in the middle of the road outside the forest, Major Ronald received a gift: three men who were tightly bound.

Lieutenant Ferenc, another centurion, and the messenger.

None of the three died, and even their wounds were carefully treated.

A note was attached to the person:
"They don't know how to weave straw sandals, so you should keep them."

—WM, the officer stationed at Wolf Village and protector of the eight towns.

"Eighth Town?" A sense of foreboding washed over Major Ronald. "Eighth Town?!"

"He should have sent the horse back too! This is just sending back three burdens!" Lieutenant Adam cursed, "That damned miser Veneta!"

……

The day after the failed ambush, in the afternoon.

Gedani—the southernmost village of Saint-Claude—has been surrounded.

Regarding grain requisition, Major Ronald had accumulated some experience: never take the main road, as each village had "sentinels" on the main road, and any inconspicuous child could be an informant.

As soon as they see soldiers coming from the main road, the farmers can run away in the blink of an eye.

We must take a small path, winding through the forest, first encircling the village in a large circle, and then gradually tightening it, so that no one can escape.

However, this entire set of tactical maneuvers is too difficult, and the new recruits are not capable of executing such a beautiful split-and-combination attack.

Ronald had every reason to be convinced that if he dispersed his troops in the forest, at least half of them would be gone when he regrouped.

Fortunately, Major Ronald wasn't a perfectionist; capturing half or a third of the farmers was enough for him.

So each team, led by a centurion, formed a net riddled with holes and surrounded the small village of Gedani.

The operation plan was executed very well, even better than expected.

Major Ronald was pleased with his centurion; the encirclement was already tight, and the villagers of Gedani were completely unaware.

Not a single person managed to escape.

Wait a minute? Not a single one escaped?

Lieutenant Adam galloped toward the major on his horse: "Sir! There's no one on the farm! This farm is cleaner than the previous ones!"

“Hmm.” Major Ronald asked calmly, “As clean as the manor in Wolf Town, right?”

Lieutenant Adam paused for a moment: "Cleaner than...cleaner than the farm in Wolftown..."

"The protectors of the eight towns? Even Saint K Town?" Major Ronald sighed. "Forget it, no need to waste any more effort. All the farms ahead are probably empty, just like Gedani. Let's go straight to Hammer Fortress!"

……

"Here, this gun is for you." Winters handed the captured revolver gun to the little lion: "Consider it a thank you for your help."

The young lion and his four quiver-wielders were also in Winters's cavalry—the young lion had originally brought six guards, but two of them had gone back to the Red River tribe to deliver a message.

“I’d do anything to deal with the Paratul, even without pay.” The little lion took the revolver and smiled knowingly. “Just don’t ask us to do anything that’s a suicide mission.”

"Okay, sure." Winters seemed completely oblivious.

Winters remained unmoved, much to the little lion's disappointment.

"You learn very quickly! Isn't what I'm using now the same strategy my brother uses? Keeping them hanging on, neither biting nor letting go," the little lion continued teasingly.

But Winters still didn't react.

“Hmm, you’re right,” Winters replied casually.

The little lion, having been rebuffed, went off to fiddle with his revolver gun.

Winters' mind was actually preoccupied with something else, which is why he seemed a little slow to react.

“Strange.” Winters kept thinking back: “Ferenc’s shot at me seemed to have gone through [deflection]... Was it just my imagination?”

He silently pulled out a small, blackened notebook and a tiny piece of graphite, and jotted down a few notes.

……

The St. George River divides Iron Peak County diagonally in two, roughly into eight towns in the south and eight towns in the north.

The eight towns in the south were relatively desolate, while the eight towns in the north were relatively prosperous.

Gévordane is located on the St. George River.

Major Ronald wants to get to Hammer Fortress, but there are only two routes across the river.

Either go through Rewodan or through Wangqiao Town.

Since the route to Ghevordan was blocked, Ronald had no choice but to lead his troops on a detour and head towards Wangqiao Town.

Hunger, exhaustion, and a bleak future.

The three mountains nearly crushed the troops, and the officers were even unable to effectively discipline the soldiers.

Some soldiers sat down on the ground and refused to move.

Some soldiers even ran into the forest and deserted.

In this situation, if the officers of Zhevodan did not enforce military law, they could only watch their troops slowly and steadily collapse.

If they enforce military law, the army will collapse immediately.

"We've already lost this battle."

The officers in Zhevodan could confirm this every time their eyes met, through the eyes of the others.

They just walked forward numbly, waiting for someone to put an end to their story.

Finally, outside Wangqiao Town, they encountered the people they least wanted to meet, yet also the people they most wanted to meet: three hundred-man teams led by Bud, Andre, and Mason.

Ronald led his remaining troops to camp outside Kingsbridge, gathering food and waiting for Winters' forces to attack.

Winters didn't use force at all; he simply waited until evening, set up a few fires upwind, roasted a few pigs, and laid out a few baskets of freshly baked bread and a few pots of mutton soup.

He then shouted a few more things such as "Hammerburg has also surrendered," "Surrender and you will not be killed," "There is food and drink here," "Ronald is a traitor," and "Sixteen Towns protectors are suppressing the rebellion."

The troops that Ronald was desperately trying to hold together completely collapsed.

One soldier laid down his weapon and ran out to surrender. Immediately afterward, all the soldiers ran out, rushing towards the bread, roast pork, and mutton soup, stuffing the scalding meat and soup into their mouths.

I'm so hungry! I'm really hungry!
The officers of the Gevordans, who had warhorses, tried to break out, but none of them escaped—their warhorses were even hungrier.

Andrei led his cavalry to charge into the enemy camp and capture the regimental flag.

All officers and soldiers of the Zhevodan garrison, from Ronald down, were captured.

Noon the next day.

Winters Montagne rode his horse through the main gate into Gévord.

The elders of Zhevodan lined the street to welcome him.

Thank you to reader [St红红火火] for being the patron of this forum;

Thank you to reader [潇水静逝] for being the patron of this forum;

[Confirmed, yesterday's chapter was an extra one. Fortunately, the detailed plot outline for the recent episodes was prepared in advance, so the efficiency was relatively high.]
[This chapter includes a map, but the 1.03 version map is still being drawn, so we're using the 1.02 version map for now. We'll replace it later and also post it in the reader community.]
[The terrifying Blood Wolf Gang wreaks havoc in Wolftown—>The venerable Captain Montagne arrives in his Gévodin.]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
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(End of this chapter)