Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 247 Intelligence
Through intelligence, the bald Colonel [Gisa Adonis] confirmed that [Winters Montagne] was in Gévordine.

The four infantry battalions of Baishan County then quietly left Yuanhua Fort and sped westward toward Tiefeng County.

Meanwhile, the counterinsurgency forces in Vaughan County were also ready to go.

With a major battle imminent and the enemy advancing with overwhelming force, a dark cloud hangs over Gervodan as well.

The municipal councilors were once again "invited" to the government hall by menacing soldiers.

Arriving at the council chamber with trepidation, blacksmith Shaw was surprised to find former municipal councilor and tobacco merchant, Old Priskin, also present.

Upon seeing old Priskin, Shawy's heart sank two inches from his throat.

He believed that old Lipskin had reached some kind of agreement with the Blood Wolves.

The well-informed municipal councilor knew that this morning, military police broke into the Priskin family home and arrested the old man's grandson, whose fate remains unknown.

Old Priskin leaned on his cane, closed his eyes to rest, and looked calm.

But his thumb almost scraped off a layer of paint from the cane.

The committee members were all present. Before they could exchange words, Blood Wolf, dressed in military uniform and carrying a military knife, walked into the council chamber.

Some municipal committee members were unconsciously trembling.

To show as much goodwill as possible, Winters never wore a weapon when meeting with city councilors.

This time, he brought a saber.

Moreover, he spoke with murderous intent from the very first word: "I said I would hold a public trial, but it hasn't happened yet. It's not because I forgot, but because there are more and more people to deal with, so I might as well gather them up and have a thorough cleanup."

Some of the more timid municipal councilors were on the verge of tears.

"Playing dirty tricks, having fun, huh? Thinking I knew nothing, aren't you smug?" Winters slammed his saber on the table. "Come on! Bring him out here!"

Heinrich led a young man into the council chamber.

Upon seeing this, old Priskin's cane slipped from his hand.

The young man was none other than the grandson of the elder Priskin, little Priskin.

"Speak," Winters said calmly. "Tell these esteemed gentlemen what you've been up to lately."

The young man's clothes were somewhat dirty, but there was no blood visible; however, his face was unusually pale.

"I..." The young man's knees trembled, and he swallowed hard. "I..."

The council chamber was completely silent; the heavy breathing of the people could be clearly heard.

Old Priskin suddenly stood up: "What have you done! You..."

The old man couldn't finish speaking before he coughed violently, and the people next to him quickly helped him sit down.

Heinrich shoved the young man toward the center of the room, where he fell to the ground.

"Are you the fake mayor of Benzing who is hiding in Langtun Town?"

"Yes," the young man replied in a trembling voice.

"Was it you who tipped off the New Reclamation Army?"
"Yes."

"Secretly prepare weapons and secretly seize the city gates." Winters sneered, "I never expected you to have such audacity."

The young man's head almost touched the ground.

The council chamber erupted in uproar. Old Priskin felt a tightness in his chest and nearly fainted on the spot.

Ever since he entered Gévord, Pierre has been looking for Bentin.

After Winters entered the city, he sent men to search the entire city.

However, after searching through all the hotels, brothels, and taverns in the city, they found neither living people nor corpses.

That means someone must have deliberately hidden Big Ben, and someone with considerable resources at their disposal.

Big Bentin had neither money nor power; the only valuable thing he possessed was information about Winters Montagne—aside from Winters' subordinates, he was probably the person in Gevodani who knew Winters the most.

Meanwhile, Winters received a report that hoofprints had been found during a sentry patrol, indicating that someone was attempting to cross the blockade.

Who wants information about Winters Montagne? A list can be written on a single sheet of paper.

And who is willing and able to send messages to the outside world? The list has been narrowed down again.

Wherever you go, you leave traces.

Following the trail back, the two lines eventually converge on the grandson of old Priskin.

Winters waited patiently.

Now, it's time to close the net.

“Who else is involved in Mr. Priskin’s lovely plan?” Winters’ gaze swept over the city councilors. “Step forward.”

"Are there other people?" Blacksmith Shao Yi exclaimed inwardly. He dared not make a move, fearing misunderstanding.

Suddenly, the municipal councilor sitting next to Shao Yi stood up with difficulty.

“Oh, so it was just him.” Winters smiled.

No sooner had he finished speaking than another municipal committee member stood up.

Winters waved his hand gently, and Heinrich led the military police into the committee, dragging the other four people off their seats.

They didn't touch the blacksmith Shao Yi, nor the two men who had stood up, nor old Priskin.

Blacksmith Shao Yi was horrified to discover that half of the twelve municipal councilors in the city were involved in the conspiracy.

None of the nine committee members from the village were taken away.

Shao Yi was both angry and relieved. He was angry that no one had told him anything about such a big event, but he was also relieved that no one had told him anything.

"I have no expectations of you. If I win, you continue with your lives. If I lose, you will still be obedient subjects of the New Reclamation Legion." Winters, leaning on his saber, spoke slowly: "You can't even meet this small request, can you?"

As if an invisible cold wind swept over everyone, the blacksmith Shao Yi suddenly felt very cold, so cold that his upper and lower teeth were chattering.

No one dared to guess what the man known as the Blood of the Wolf was capable of. The city councilors finally understood what old Priskin had said: "Will you be satisfied if he tears off the mask and goes on a killing spree?"

“My lord,” old Priskin rose, seemingly aging instantly, “please punish my grandson severely. But please also understand that this is merely a conspiracy by a small group of people. Zhevodan will do his utmost to supply you with military funds, and I am willing to donate all my wealth. Please have mercy.”

Winters chuckled: "You really think I care about your little bit of money? Bring it up!"

Charles led his men carrying several heavy wooden crates into the council chamber.

“I forced you to subscribe to bonds, but it was just a loan, not robbery. It was just to make a fuss and put on a show for the audience.”

Winters kicked over the wooden crates one by one, spilling out gold and silver coins: "All your money is here, not a single silver coin is missing. Not satisfied? Fine, here it is, now it's all yours."

Winters forced the wealthy merchants of Gevordan to subscribe to bonds for three reasons: first, to create a false impression; second, to lure out the enemy; and third, to raise funds to redeem the estates and lands in Forgetown.

The third item cost far less than expected, and the money raised through bonds was not used at all.

"Please wait until you win before you pay us back." Old Priskin's body was becoming increasingly hunched.

Priskin the Elder was not involved in his grandson's conspiracy and was indeed unaware of it.

But it's pointless to talk about this now. Where does his grandson get the prestige to make half of the city committee members follow his lead?
They must be acting under his name.

The old man knew very well that the only thing he could rely on now was the Blood Wolf's mercy. The fact that he was sitting in the city hall council chamber, rather than in a courtroom or even on the edge of an execution ground, was itself the greatest act of mercy.

“Very well! Since you have made this request, I shall accept it.” Winters raised his saber. “From this moment on, Ghevodan is under martial law. No entry! No exit! The garrison will be responsible for transporting the daily necessities needed by the citizens.”

"Gentlemen, pray for my victory," Winters said with a smirk. "If I am defeated, your money will die with me."

……

……

Colonel Gaisa's troops advanced swiftly, covering fifty kilometers in less than two days and reaching the east bank of the Anya River.

The colonel dispatched supply officers in advance to collect supplies in villages and towns along the way, so his troops could advance lightly.

Upon arriving at Anya River, the Baishan County army immediately began constructing a pontoon bridge.

The Anya River is the natural boundary between Tiefeng County and Baishan County. Because of its gentle and benevolent nature and its infrequent flooding, it is called "Mother River".

[Note: Anya means mother in the Paratist dialect, and literally translates to Mother River.]
The riverbanks are dotted with villages and towns of all sizes, but in the section of the river where the two counties of Tiefeng and Baishan meet, crossing the river is still mainly done by boat.

There used to be a bridge over the Anya River, located in Manyun Valley.

Manyun Valley is only 50 kilometers away from Yuanhua Fort, but 150 kilometers away from Rewodan.

Therefore, after Winters captured Ghevordan, he immediately sent men to destroy the Manyun Bridge.

The rebels can destroy bridges, but the counterinsurgency forces can rebuild them.

After all, it's about suppressing a rebellion. If there are conditions, we should suppress it; if there aren't, we should create them.

Colonel Gaisa’s temporary command post was set up on the hillside south of the pontoon bridge, where he could have a clear view of the movements on both sides of the river.

"It seems the rebels have no intention of defending the river," the colonel said to the centurions with a hint of disappointment. "This makes things a bit more complicated."

The centurions chuckled.

Captain Hudson brought the colonel a camp chair.

Upon hearing this, he retorted without hesitation: "You expect him to defend the river?"

The bald colonel leaned on the armrest and slowly sat down in the chair.

“Of course.” He straightened his legs, exhaled a long breath, and the scars on his face trembled. “Juhe’s defense can stop me, but Zipper can kill him with one punch.”

Upon learning of the fall of Ghevodan, Colonel Geza immediately dispatched troops to seize Manyun Bridge.

However, he was too late; the bridge had already been destroyed.

Colonel Geza then dispatched engineers to measure the water depth, prepare pontoon bridge components, and stockpile supplies in border villages and towns.

He prepared for this battle even before Maplestone City issued the order.

“Ziber and I are two fists fighting. If our two armies meet at the gates of Zhevodan, then the rebels have already lost.”

Colonel Gaisa began lazily, lecturing the centurions: "His only chance of winning is to concentrate his forces to repel one punch, and the other punch will crumble on its own."

“No, I don’t think he has a chance of winning,” Captain Hudson scoffed.

“There are still some.” Colonel Gaisa watched the soldiers carrying the pontoons. “Why don’t you think about this: if you were Montagne, would you attack me first, or the troops from Vaughan County first?”

"Attack Colonel Zippert's troops first."

"why?"

"Because of Colonel Zippert's experience, intelligence, and moral character..." Captain Hudson carefully chose his words.

Colonel Gaisa lashed the captain with his whip: "You might as well just say Zipper is a piece of trash!"

“You can’t say that,” Captain Hudson said, somewhat embarrassed.

Colonel Gaisa clicked his tongue and said, "I'm far from him, while Zipper is close. Logically speaking, we shouldn't go the long way around. So I need to be fast and fierce here, while Zipper needs to be slow and steady."

"You also think he'll attack the Vaughan County troops first?"

"He only has a little over a thousand surrendered soldiers." Colonel Gaisa sneered, rubbing his scalp. "How can he win using common sense?"

……

[Hammertown] is located northwest of Gevadan, 140 kilometers away, within the Vaughan County.

The four battalions deployed by Vaughan County to quell the rebellion are currently stationed here.

Colonel [Zeber Zoltan], whom the bald colonel called "useless," is holding a meeting with his subordinates.

The military tent was deathly still, with most of the centurions standing and listening to the lecture.

Colonel Zipper fiddled with a small spellcaster's insignia and said casually, "Information indicates that the rebel leader Winters Montagne is still in Gevodan. Judging by the timeline, the bald guy should have already made a move."

Communication and coordination have always been key issues in warfare.

The nearest cities, such as Revodan, Iris Castle, and Iron Cavalry City, are 150 kilometers apart, while the furthest are 200 kilometers apart.

The troops from Vaughan and White Mountain relied entirely on fast horses for communication, which took at least a day to travel one way, and two or even three days to travel round trip.

Therefore, the coordination between the two units can only rely on tacit understanding.

No one spoke inside the tent, because the centurions all knew that Colonel Zippert did not listen to his subordinates.

Colonel Zyber's question was actually an affirmative sentence. And his affirmative sentence was actually an imperative sentence.

“Then let’s set off.” Colonel Zipper pinned the spellcaster’s insignia to his chest. “We’ll depart tomorrow morning.”

The centurions responded in hushed tones.

……

The pontoon bridge was successfully completed, and the army of Baishan County crossed the Anya River on the same day.

That night, they stayed overnight in the small town of Manyun Valley.

Apart from the residents whose houses were occupied, the rest of the town did not resist the arrival of the White Mountain County army, because none of them supported it.

If they had to say, the townspeople still preferred the "government troops," and they were very dissatisfied with the rebels' destruction of Manyun Bridge.

The Manyun Bridge was built with funds raised by the townspeople, and the toll revenue generated each year subsidized public funds. It was destroyed without their consent.

While visiting the troops, the mayor of Manyun Valley also tentatively inquired whether he could borrow the army's pontoon bridge.

The villages and towns on both sides of the Anya River are closely connected. Compared to Rewodan, Manyun Valley is more like one family with the villages and towns on the other side of the river.

The destruction of Manyun Bridge has caused considerable trouble for the people on both sides of the river.

Gaisa refused the mayor's request, but he did give the old mayor a breakdown of the costs and benefits.

The bald colonel used mathematical tools to prove that hiring his troops to build another bridge would be far superior to hiring other builders, stonemasons, and carpenters, both in terms of time and money.

“I have top-notch engineering officers and reliable labor under my command, which will guarantee that the bridge will be built solidly and durable. Construction can begin after this battle.” Colonel Geza put his arm around the old mayor’s shoulder and patted his chest to assure him: “As the middleman, you will also receive a salary—of course, it will be kept secret.”

Mayor Manyun Valley was flattered and nodded frantically.

As the garrison commander of Baishan County tried to expand his jurisdiction into Tiefeng County, a troop of cavalry was rampaging through Baishan County.

Colonel Gaisa's four infantry battalions had just crossed the Anya River when Lieutenant Andrea Cellini set him on fire.

[This is the last update of the year]
Wishing everyone good health and all the best for next year!
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments.]


(End of this chapter)