Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 251 Bells
Hundreds of soldiers were marching rapidly toward Deer Horn Town.

Strangely, there were no soldiers in armor with halberds maintaining order in the column, nor were there any officers riding tall horses in magnificent uniforms.

There were only soldiers, no other soldiers.

A rider came from the opposite direction, squinting as he tried to find his officer among the soldiers.

A bald man impatiently waved his arm at the rider.

The rider breathed a sigh of relief and happily ran up to the colonel, instinctively raising his hand in salute.

Geisa angrily slapped the other person's hand away: "How many times have I told you? No saluting!"

The colonel also changed into coarse cloth clothes and smeared soot on his face.

But no matter what he wore, his bald head was too eye-catching, so he got a dirty burlap liberty cap.

At first glance, this bald man really does look like a rough farmer—except that he's a bit too plump.

"The rebels are on the main road between Deer Horn Town and Iris Flower Fortress!" the rider exclaimed hurriedly. "So many military flags! At least a thousand men!"

"Fake!" Gaisa scoffed. "If the rebels really had a thousand elite soldiers, would they need to take such a risk? Wouldn't they just open up a battle formation and fight us?"

The rider scratched his head.

“But the rebel cavalry is quite good.” Gaisa’s eyes gleamed, his voice full of envy: “If we can get our hands on them, it will be worth all our hard work.”

The officers' mounts were concentrated in Gaisa's entourage to reinforce his scouts. Even so, Gaisa's cavalry was far smaller than his opponent's.

It's not that Baishan County doesn't produce horses, but rather that all the warhorses had long been conscripted.

"Then I'll go and give the order to everyone to try their best not to hurt the warhorses?" the rider asked tentatively.

Gaisa was furious, his insides churning: "How can we deal with the cavalry without killing the horses? We haven't even won the battle yet, and you're already thinking about dividing the spoils?"

The rider chuckled foolishly.

Gaisa sighed, rubbing his forehead: "Have the messengers sent to the towns returned?"

“Some of the nearby ones have returned, but the ones further away haven’t.” The rider’s smile faded, and he replied seriously, “Don’t worry, the militia in each town should already be assembling. As for the villages below… the farmers are cunning! We can’t even collect grain, I don’t believe the rebels can.”

"Has the bridge to the neighboring county been demolished?"

"They've all been demolished."

“Good! The rebels who followed the bandit leader to Baishan County must all be veterans and the main force. Killing one is one less.” Gaisa sneered, “Don’t let any of them go.”

……

Baishan County is surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains on the other, making it naturally enclosed.

Winters is currently located in the heart of White Mountain County, between the town of Deer Antlers and the castle of Iris.

Scouts reported that the enemy's vanguard was less than ten kilometers from Lujiao Town.

Winters had considered it carefully. If he were to command the enemy forces, he would deploy his troops upon arriving at Antlers and encircle them from three or more directions.

This is their territory. Once we're routed, we won't be able to escape.

However, Winters wasn't in a hurry.

He summoned the acting centurions and acting sergeants of the three hundred-man squads.

There were twelve people in total, lined up, and each of them took a map from Winters.

“There’s a lot to learn from maps,” Winters said, gesturing for everyone to sit down. “This is what Lieutenant Colonel John Jessica told me.”

His subordinates sat in front of him as if they were attending evening classes on a regular day.

Winters rested his chin on his hand and looked at his old subordinates one by one: "The one who has known me the longest among you has been with me for over a year; the one who joined me later has been with me for less than three months. To think you can understand maps in three months is wishful thinking."

"However," he changed the subject with a smile, "as long as you're carrying your head, not a stone, and you don't get lost with a map, three months is more than enough to learn."

A deputy centurion from Wolf Town suddenly burst out laughing, much to the bewilderment of the inexperienced deputy sergeants.

“Bart Sharling!” Winters raised an eyebrow. “What are you laughing at?”

……

Bart Sharling was from South New Village in Wolf Town. He was tall with a square face, making him easy to spot in a crowd.

When the Wolftown militia drew lots, he was the first one chosen. Therefore, Winters immediately remembered this big guy.

He was promoted to sergeant during the Battle of the Great Wilderness. Now, he is an acting centurion.

……

Bart Sharing struggled to suppress his laughter, his face flushed as he replied, "Reporting, Centurion, there's nothing there!"

"How dare you! Do you think I don't know what you're laughing at?"

After stopping his subordinates from offending their superiors, Winters got back to the main topic.

“I won’t hide the situation from you—it’s very critical.” Winters analyzed calmly: “The enemy is closing in on us, and their forces outnumber us by at least six. This is their stronghold, which they’ve built up over many years. None of the nearby villages or towns will help us.”

The relaxed atmosphere gradually disappeared, and the expressions of Winters' newly promoted commanders unconsciously became serious.

“We can’t fight head-on; we can’t win. Even if we could, we’d have to fight them all, leaving us with nothing.” Winters continued, “The objective of containing the enemy has been successfully achieved; it’s time to return in triumph.”

He tapped the map in his hand: "Do you understand what this means?"

Bart Sharing asked eagerly, "Are we going to split up and retreat?"

“Exactly!” Winters nodded. “Even a retreat needs to be methodical. Moving together makes us too big of a target and easy to pinpoint. The enemy commander is hoping I'll gather my troops together—he's dreaming!”

Everyone laughed.

"Listen carefully!" Winters' eyes flashed with a cold light, his smile both stern and confident: "Offensive tactics emphasize splitting and converging attacks, but this time I'm going to do the opposite, retreating in small groups, first dispersing and then regrouping. The enemy commander underestimates me, thinking he can trap me in White Mountain County with this old trick. Well, I'll teach the old man a lesson for free! But ultimately, the success or failure of this battle still rests in your hands!"

The twelve newly appointed commanders straightened their backs upon hearing this, waiting to receive their orders.

“Bart Sharling!” Winters called out the first name.

"Yes!"

Winters called Xia Ling to his side, gave him an arrow, and pointed to the map, explaining:
"You take three squads of ten men each and follow Lieutenant Cellini's cavalry. You'll head towards Lushui Town first, then turn south from here, following this river all the way south to Nanshan Town! Go and raid the military horse farm in Baishan County!"

"Yes!"

"People and livestock, only take the long-legged creatures, burn everything else! After leaving Nanshan Town, head west along the foothills, avoiding villages and towns. Here!" Winters pointed to [Wooden Flute Town] on the map: "I've arranged for a boat to wait here. As soon as you reach the riverbank, someone will pick you up and take you across the Anya River."

"Yes!" Bart Sharing laughed heartily and raised his hand in salute.

Winters handed Xia Ling a horse-head chess piece: "Recite your route."

Bart Sharling took the chess piece and moved it across the entire map.

"Not bad." Winters punched his subordinate on the shoulder. "Next!"

Another acting centurion stepped forward.

Winters placed an arrow and a chess piece down, then continued explaining on the map: "You take three squads of ten men each, and just head southwest. Go through this ravine, all the way to the end. The villages are quite dense in this area; you must use the cover of night to rush through and head straight for the Anya River. Once you get there, there will be boats to pick you up..."

The twelve acting centurions and acting sergeants took turns receiving the iron arrows, and Winters assigned each of them a route.

Before coming to White Mountain County, Winters gathered boats and set up four crossing points on the Anya River—that's how Andrei crossed the river.

According to the original plan, as long as he could lead his troops to any one of these locations, he could withdraw all three of his hundred-man squads.

The four river crossing points represented four different evacuation plans, and now all of them came in handy.

“I carefully selected each of you, I personally taught each of you your skills, and I personally planned each of your retreat routes.”

You will be leading twenty or thirty soldiers in enemy territory. One wrong step and you'll be plunged into an abyss. I'm not sure if you'll make it back to Iron Peak County alive.

At this point, Winters smiled through his tears:
"But our army needs to grow stronger, and sooner or later you will command more soldiers and undertake more difficult tasks. I cannot be by your side to supervise and command you forever."

This is your first trial! Failure is failure; there is no second chance. Passing proves you are qualified to move forward! Whether you are pure gold or rough iron, the test will tell! I'll be waiting for you in Iron Peak County! Dismissed!

……

Colonel Gaisa was taken aback as soon as the garrison troops of Baishan County entered Lujiao Town.

"Disappeared?" Gaisa glared at the scout and cursed, "Damn it! What do you mean 'disappeared'?"

Captain Hudson, his face ashen, replied, "The rebel troops rolled up their flags and ran away."

"Where did they run off to?" Gaisa slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Can a living person just disappear into a crack in the ground?"

"The problem is we don't know where to run to!" Hudson gritted his teeth. "It's like...like we're running in all directions at the same time!"

Gaisa immediately led his vanguard straight to the last known location of Montagne's troops, only to find nothing there.

Later that day, more than a dozen villages and towns simultaneously sent messengers to report that they had seen "traces of the rebels" and that "the rebels are in their area."

Fortunately, Colonel Gaisa already had no hair, otherwise who knows how much he would have lost.

The officers of Baishan County gathered in front of the map, and they would plant a small flag wherever there was enemy activity in a village or town.

In the end, they found with mixed feelings that the little flags had been planted in almost every nearby village and town, covering every direction.

Colonel Gaisa's head was throbbing with pain, and he groaned from deep within his chest as he pressed his hands hard against his skull.

"It's all fake, just a smokescreen." Captain Hudson calmly assessed: "Using a small force to create a false impression, attract our attention, and cover the main force's retreat."

The other centurions all expressed their agreement.

"Where is his main force?" Colonel Geza asked with his eyes closed, the huge scar on his cheek twitching uncontrollably.

"This……"

"Find him!" another centurion exclaimed, furious. "We'll definitely find him! He's been through so much; I don't believe he can hide it!"

Amid the chaotic noise, Lieutenant Engineer Woods asked in a low voice, "What if, I mean, what if, it's all true?"

Lieutenant Woods is rather short and has a background in artillery. White Mountain County does not have an artillery unit, so he currently works for the city defense department.

Because Woods was diligent and reliable, the colonel trusted this young engineering lieutenant and assigned him any projects that came his way.

However, because Woods was trained in artillery, he rarely spoke at military conferences.

"Enemy activity has been reported simultaneously in more than a dozen villages and towns." Captain Hudson had to dampen the spirits of his junior artilleryman: "How could it all be true? Could Montagne possibly cut the army into a dozen pieces?"

Woods lowered his head and said nothing more.

Colonel Gaisa suddenly sneered.

"This kid might have really pulled a trick on me, breaking the whole thing down into smaller parts," he said with some emotion.

"Break the unit into smaller units? Isn't he afraid that once the troops are scattered, they can never be regrouped?"

"If he dares to do this, he must have something to rely on." Colonel Gaisa clapped his hands and laughed: "Young man, you're something else!"

Captain Hudson and the centurions in the tent felt their faces burning.

The colonel's praise of the enemy was like a knife cutting into the skin; it hurt the officers of Baishan County more than being whipped.

Someone retorted, "I still think the rebels are incapable of breaking up into smaller groups."

"Why?" Colonel Gaisa calmly asked his subordinates, "I ordered you to each lead your own teams and act separately. Can you do that? Are you capable?"

"Yes!" the centurions answered in unison.

"Then why can't the rebels?" the colonel asked with a smile.

“That’s because…we have received a full military education and training.” Captain Hudson organized his thoughts: “As commissioned centurions, we have the ability to independently command our troops. Where would the rebels find so many officers?”

“Yes, I find it strange too—I suppose Richard the Madman was even stranger thirty years ago.” Colonel Gaisa stroked his chin, chuckled, and asked, “Where did the rebels get so many officers?”

……

Having determined that Montagne's forces had broken up into smaller units, Colonel Guessa made a decisive decision—to split up and pursue them separately.

He dispatched pursuit troops in units of 100 men, going wherever there was enemy activity.

"The rebels are splitting up and running away, so you all split up and chase them." Colonel Gaisa deliberately provoked his centurions: "White Mountain County is our territory. If you can't catch them, then you're simply not good enough, and there's nothing to say."

"You just wait and see." Captain Hudson snorted and raised his hand in salute.

The other centurions, eyes wide and panting, raised their hands in salute and led their respective squads of a hundred men away.

……

It's easy to make grand pronouncements, but when it came to actually leading the pursuit, Captain Hudson realized just how difficult the task was for him.

The enemy force he was pursuing was small; judging from the tracks they left behind, it numbered at most thirty or forty men. He was absolutely confident in engaging them in a direct confrontation.

But the other side didn't engage in combat at all; they just ran away.

Moreover, their off-road speed is astonishing; they're practically running for their lives.

One moment they were in the village to the east, and the next moment an alarm was sounding from a village a few kilometers to the west.

Captain Hudson was left wondering whether the enemy was simply faster, or if it was a different enemy force altogether.

What drove Hudson even more crazy was that his enemies were more familiar with the terrain of White Mountain County than he, a regular garrison captain, was.

The other party would often disappear into some unknown ravine and then emerge from some inexplicable place, leaving Captain Hudson completely bewildered.
So he also couldn't figure out whether the other party was blindly fleeing without a destination, or whether every step was planned...

The boast was already out in the open, so Hudson had no choice but to grit his teeth and relentlessly pursue the enemy.

Hudson might be able to grit his teeth and persevere, but his soldiers couldn't.

After walking through forests and mountains for a whole day, the soldiers refused to move again.

"Sir, even if you kill me, I can't walk anymore." A soldier, on the verge of mental and physical collapse, said to Hudson with a sob, "I really can't go on, please leave me here."

Exhausted as well, Hudson glanced at his slumped subordinates and sighed painfully, "Alright, let's rest for a while."

……

In an unnamed ravine in the southern part of White Mountain County, Bart Sharing was also leading three squads of ten men on a march.

Lieutenant Cellini's cavalry has already headed to the Nanshan Town horse farm, where Xia Ling is going to meet up with the cavalry.

The small group of over thirty people walked with immense suffering, nearing their limits, enduring tremendous torment with every step.

Some soldiers could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.

The entire small unit also stopped.

Bart Sharing rushed over, trying to help his man up. "Centurion, even if you kill me, I can't walk anymore," the man cried. "I really can't go on. Please leave me here."

"Don't say discouraging things," Xia Ling replied, panting. He took out a water pouch and handed it to the other person: "Drink a little water."

The soldier sitting on the ground took the water bag and gulped it down.

Xia Ling was also parched, but he managed to hold back: "Don't drink too much, or something bad will happen."

The soldier nodded in agreement and squeezed out the last drop of water from his water bag.

"How are you? After drinking the water, can you still walk?" asked Acting Centurion Bart Sharing.

The soldier lowered his gaze and gently shook his head.

Bart Sharing desperately tried to recall what his centurion would do in this situation.

Xia Ling sadly discovered that he could not learn his centurion's methods: his centurion could give speeches to hundreds or thousands of people without changing his expression, and a few words could arouse everyone's fighting spirit.

But Bart Sharing admitted he didn't have that ability; his legs would tremble when he spoke in front of a hundred or so people.

Barthes Charing is not Winters Montagne; Barthes Charing can only use Barthes Charing's methods.

"Brother, I'm not good with words, I don't know what to say..."

Bart Sharing licked his dry lips, struggling to put his thoughts into words: "Let me tell you what's on my mind. I'm tired too, and I can't walk anymore. But there are still three hundred acres of land waiting for me at home, and I haven't even received my share of the money I robbed in Baishan County. If I stay here and don't go back... that would be a huge loss, a huge loss to my maternal grandmother's family."

When they heard about land and money, hope shone in the soldiers' eyes.

"Don't you think so?" Bart Sharling looked at his subordinates, as if he were speaking to everyone: "We haven't received the land and money yet. If we die here, wouldn't that be the same as working for free for a year without getting paid? Let's go, let's hold on a little longer."

As he spoke, Bart Sharing reached out his hand to the soldier sitting on the ground.

The latter also shook hands with the acting centurion.

Bart Sharing pulled hard and lifted the soldier up from the ground.

This small team of only thirty-seven people set off again. They were still tired, but their steps were more determined than before.

"Hold on, let's go a little further." Bart Sharling waved his arms, trying to boost morale: "Once we meet up with Lord Cellini's cavalry, we'll have horses to ride."

"Centurion!" a soldier suddenly remembered something and shouted, "What if I can't ride a horse?"

Enraged that someone had contradicted him, Bart Sharling yelled, "Why the hell do you keep talking so much nonsense? I'll tie you to the horse's back! Or I'll tie you to its tail and drag you around!"

The soldiers burst into laughter.

"Centurion!" another soldier asked, "If I die here, will Lord Montagne give the land to my wife and children?"

Xia Ling Centurion originally intended to answer directly, "Of course."

But after thinking it over, he decided to answer in a different way.

"Brother," Xia Ling said with a smile to the soldier who was clearly much older than him, "If you have a wife and children, then you should definitely go back alive. Think about it, if you die here, your wife will remarry with the children, your children will call another man 'Dad,' that man will sleep with your wife, beat your children, and farm the land you risked your life for—wouldn't you feel like you've gotten a bad deal?"

Unrestrained laughter erupted, filling the entire valley with a joyful atmosphere.

……

When Bart Sharing finally stepped across the threshold, his centurion was not idle either.

Winters Montagne is in a simple thatched hut, talking to a man who is tied up.

He offered the other man water, puzzled: "Senior, how dare you chase me with eighty men? I'm not alone, this is a cavalry unit!"

Winters' cavalry has been redistributed:

Half was given to Andrei to be used to raid the military horse farm;

He led the other half, trying to create some chaos in Baishan County to attract the enemy's attention and create space for the retreat of other small groups of troops.

Lieutenant Worthington, who was tightly bound, drank water and said indignantly, "I was just unlucky to run into you. Your men weren't so lucky! The others could definitely catch up with them!"

“Okay! That’s right! You’re absolutely right!” Winters asked helplessly, “Would you like some more?”

"Yes!" Lieutenant Worthington was starving.

Winters took out another piece of bread, broke it into small pieces, and fed it to his senior.

"Is there any meat?" Worthington asked, munching on his bread. "Give me some more saliva, this bread is so dry!"

Worthington, also an infantryman, was two ranks higher than Winters. Although they weren't close at the Army Ward, they were still somewhat acquainted.

After being caught by his junior, Worthington completely let loose, eating and drinking whatever he could find.

Winters then took out a water pouch and fed Worthington water: "Senior, eat and drink well, we'll be on our way soon."

Worthington suddenly coughed up breadcrumbs mixed with water from his mouth, the foreign object entering his trachea and causing him to cough violently: "You...you really want to kill me?"

"Oh dear! What are you thinking? No way!" Winters patted Worthington hard on the back.

"Then what are you going to do?" Worthington grew bolder: "Give me a straight answer, whether you want to kill or release me!"

“Officers are a valuable resource in war, how could I kill you so easily?” Winters smiled and said, “Why don’t you come back to Iron Peak County with me and learn basket weaving?”

Winters tied the senior, whose mouth was stuffed with a rag, to the horse's back and whistled.

The cavalrymen who were resting got up and silently jumped onto their saddles.

“The prisoners are all here, we should go too.” Winters laughed loudly. “I bet Colonel Gaisa is heading towards the Anya River right now, trying to ambush us on the riverbank!”

……

Winters was right; Colonel Gaisa was indeed on his way to the Anya River.

Gaisa had a clear understanding: no matter how the Montagne tribe was broken up into smaller units, it would eventually return to Iron Peak County.

To return to Tiefeng County, one must cross the Anya River.

However, the section of the river where Tiefeng County and Baishan County meet is more than 150 kilometers wide.

Half of Gaisa's troops were pursuing the enemy, leaving him with only a thousand or so men, who were simply unable to control such a wide riverbank.

Therefore, Gaisa ordered the militia of each village and town along the river to conduct a thorough patrol of Anya River, while he led his troops to a place that was both unexpected and reasonable—Manyun Valley.

To be precise, it's the opposite bank of Manyun Valley.

The second pontoon bridge was dismantled by Geza after the troops from Baishan County crossed the river, in order to prevent the Montagne troops from using the pontoon bridge to cross the river again.

While Gaisa waited anxiously on the east bank of the Anya River, Winters had already quietly crossed the river upstream and made a detour to Manyun Valley.

Upon arriving at Manyun Valley, Winters, as usual, summoned the town's elders to a meeting in the square.

First, Winters declared his rights to the residents of Manyun Valley.

Simply put, it's telling everyone that Rewodan will still be in charge of the Manyun Valley area from now on.

Then Winters compensated Cloudbridge for the price—of course, with money stolen from the public treasuries of White Mountain County.

Whether they pledge allegiance to Revodan or to Iris Castle, the townspeople of Manyun Valley don't really care.

The burning of Manyun Bridge was a painful memory for them. Upon learning that the Montagne resident official would compensate for the loss of Manyun Bridge on the spot, the townspeople of Manyun Valley were overjoyed.

The church bell tower rang twelve times in succession to celebrate.

However, Winters also warned Mayor Manyun Valley: although the money was given to the townspeople as compensation, the bridge could not be rebuilt; if it was rebuilt, he would send people to burn it down again; next time, there would be no compensation.

Mayor Manyun Valley swore that he would never use the money to repair the bridge.

“I know it’s inconvenient for everyone, so please bear with it and use this money to build some ferries first.” Winters patted the mayor on the shoulder: “When conditions allow, I will personally build a bridge for you, free of charge.”

The mayor of Manyun Ancient Town was flattered and nodded repeatedly.

Having resolved the issue of Manyun Valley, Winters ordered his men to pack their belongings, as he needed to return to Revodan overnight.

Charles ran over and reported with a strange expression, "Someone wants to see you."

“Speak,” Winters sighed. “Who’s going to file a lawsuit this time? Who’s going to petition this time?”

……

Winters became the nominal master of Manyun Valley, and the nominal obligations also fell on his shoulders.

With the old garrison gone, the Gevordan Circuit Court was forced to personally adjudicate three civil suits for Cloudvale.

The town's more prominent gentlemen even jointly petitioned him, requesting the prompt restoration of the Gévordine Circuit Court.

Although the mundane administrative tasks left Winters exhausted, he felt quite cheerful.

He won this battle.

He won the right to survive for the newly established Tiefeng County regime; as for other issues, they could be resolved gradually.

For example... trivial lawsuits and a flood of petitions.

……

Xia Er grinned, revealing his teeth: "It's not someone from Manyun Valley who wants to see you... it's someone from across the river..."

On the west bank of the Anya River, Colonel Gaisa finally met his adversary face to face.

Geza, accompanied by only two people, traveled to the west bank in a small boat.

The "rebel leader" also only had two people with him.

Gaisa carefully examined the other person—the man in front of him was very young, and his body contained a vigorous life force;

Rather than being handsome, he possesses a charm that is different from mere good looks;
Although they were dressed in civilian clothes, it was easy to tell at a glance that they were soldiers;

A saber was hanging on the left side of the saddle;

On the right side hangs a walking stick, the top of which is shaped like a horse.

"You are Winters Montagne?" Colonel Gaisa raised an eyebrow slightly and asked with a smile.

“It’s me.” The young man in front of him smiled gently and asked, “Are you Gaisa Adonis?”

“Exactly.” Gaisa straightened his back proudly.

The young man in front of me burst into uncontrollable laughter; it was clear he was trying hard to hold it in, but he couldn't help it no matter what.

Gaisa touched his bald head and said aggrievedly, "Don't look at me like this now, I used to be very handsome!"

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry," the young man apologized repeatedly.

The somber atmosphere was dispelled by laughter, and the conversation felt like two alumni meeting on the street and chatting casually.

"You want to see me?" the young man asked. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing much. I was just curious and couldn't resist meeting the junior who had tricked me so much." Gaisa chuckled and said, "Sigh, the younger generation is truly amazing, surpassing the older one."

The young man nodded slightly but did not reply.

"Actually, I was worried that you might be a jinx and kill me outright," Colonel Gaisa clicked his tongue. "But I've lived long enough. Even if I could live another thirty years without seeing you again, I wouldn't be satisfied."

"It's over for now. Enough blood has been shed," the young man said calmly. "No more bleeding is needed today."

"But have you thought about what you'll do in the future?"

"I thought about it."

"How to do?"

"Don't tell you."

Colonel Gaisa laughed heartily: "So you're saying the battle on the Zhevodan side has already been decided?"

The young man nodded slightly.

Colonel Gaisa sighed, then asked with a hint of curiosity, "Your cavalry is commanded by Andrea Cellini, isn't it?"

The young man nodded slightly again.

"Then who is commanding Zhevodan's troops?"

The young man smiled but made no comment.

“Richard Mason, Gerald’s Bud.” Gaisa chewed on the two names, shaking his head with a wry smile: “The younger generation is formidable… truly formidable!”

The young man was still smiling.

“Alright, I’m satisfied. I’m leaving now. Allow me to ask a personal question.” Colonel Gaisa pointed to the young man’s cane and asked, “What’s wrong? Is there an injury on your leg?”

Winters was taken aback for the first time during this conversation.

He can walk normally without a cane now, but he still carries it with him at all times. Because carrying the cane is like having good fortune by his side.

"Thank you for your concern." Winters nodded gently. "It's just a minor injury."

"Horse pressing down?"

"Yes."

“I’ve had similar injuries.” Colonel Gaisa sighed. “Summer is bearable, but winter is really tough. If an old injury is sore, itchy, or painful, soaking it in hot water can provide some relief.”

Winters didn't speak; he slowly raised his hand and saluted.

Gaisa raised his hand in return and said with a smile, "If there's no war one day, come to Iris Castle and I'll take you for a hot bath. It'll be very relaxing."

Winters nodded with a smile.

Gaisa waved his hand dismissively: "Let's go!"

The boat was pushed away from the shore and slowly drifted towards the opposite bank.

Winters watched his enemy, whom he had just met but who seemed like an old friend, leave, until the figure on the ship became too small to see clearly, and then rode away.

The riverbanks returned to tranquility, and the Anya River continued to flow quietly.

……

Two days later, at Iris Castle.

"What? The Nanshan Town military horse farm has been robbed?" Gaisa Adonis leaped out of the bathtub. "Where's my horse?"

Captain Hudson had already looked away, staring intently at the ceiling: "Even the stable boy has been kidnapped."

The scar on Gaiza's left cheek was almost purple as he roared to the sky, filled with grief and rage: "You dare steal my horse?! Montagne, you little brat! I'll never forgive you!"

[This chapter also includes a map, but it's still being drawn. Don't worry if you don't see it; it will be added in the next chapter.]
[Two chapters combined into one, my love]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments.]
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(End of this chapter)