Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 273 Contact
For Winters, it felt as if he had been awakened by Charles in less than a second after closing his eyes.

"Brother!" Charles shook Winters anxiously, "Wake up!"

Winters had a headache and was having trouble breathing: "What? How long have I been asleep?"

"The flames have been lit at Shovel Harbor!" Charles helped Winters up. "You slept for less than two hours."

"Shovel Harbor?"

"Correct!"

"war?"

"Yes! It's definitely Fenghuo! I'm sure of it!"

"Never mind," Winters said, falling back onto the bed. "Go to sleep."

Charles paused for a moment; Winters was already asleep.

"Brother!" Anxious and worried, Charles tried to shake Winters awake a second time. He was both anxious and angry: "That mayor might not be a good person, but Shovel Harbor is still our ally! If Shovel Harbor falls, wouldn't that be like letting the Hurds in? Wake up..."

Having been forcibly awakened twice, Winters sat up slowly from the bed like a puppet.

Charles dared not speak again.

Winters, supporting himself on his knees and forehead, let out a muffled groan of pain from his chest: "Water."

Charles hurriedly brought over some water, which Winters drank in one gulp.

The cold water made Winters' stomach uncomfortable, but he was much more alert.

“Ignore the beacon fire at Shovel Harbor.” Winters casually lit an oil lamp, his voice a little hoarse. “It will go out on its own.”

Just as Charles was about to ask, he heard heavy footsteps coming from downstairs.

The visitor strode upstairs to Winters's residence, knocked on the door, and entered the room—it was Heinrich.

"Sir," Heinrich reported calmly, "the beacon fires in the direction of Shovel Harbor have just gone out! I'm afraid the beacon towers there have been taken down."

“How could it have been pulled out?” Winters laughed helplessly. “The people of Shovel Harbor put it out themselves.”

Not only was Charles puzzled, but Heinrich also looked confused.

“Are the beacon towers still standing along the way?” Winters asked.

"Still."

“They will be wiped out one by one next.” Winters leaned against the headboard, feeling unwell but with a determined expression. “The messenger from Shovel Harbor will arrive shortly after to inform Ghevordan that the barbarians have been annihilated and Shovel Harbor is safe. Don’t worry.”

Seeing Charles and Heinrich standing there speechless, Winters sighed and pointed to the bed and chair: "Sit."

The two of them sat down obediently.

Have you ever seen a pack of wolves hunting?

Charles nodded, while Heinrich shook his head.

“In winter, prey is scarce, so wolves must hunt large animals in packs to survive.” Winters patiently explained to his most trusted ‘attendants’: “But the wolf pack doesn’t rush in recklessly. Instead, they get as close to the prey as possible, then observe and select their targets—usually the weak, old, or infirm individuals—before finally making their move.”

Charles reacted quickly: "You mean... Monkey Butt Face is testing me?"

“Whether it’s a probe or not, the troop strength won’t be large.” Winters yawned. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been without news from Andrei and Mr. A.”

Charles retorted urgently, "But what if something goes wrong with Lieutenant Cellini? Or something even worse, what if they're wiped out..."

“Possibly, it’s good to think of that.” Winters leaned back with a pillow, offering a reassuring reminder: “But don’t rush, don’t think about how the Teldun barbarians fight, think about how they maintain their army first. Do you know how the Herds assemble?”

This time, Charles and Heinrich both shook their heads.

"They're no different from imperial nobles. The junior Kotas lead their guards, subjects, and slaves to find the mid-level Kotas, who then lead their men to find the senior Kotas—the ones with monkey butt faces. How long does this process take?"

Charles and Heinrich shook their heads again.

“I don’t know either,” Winters chuckled.

Charles's breath hitched, and Heinrich's face flushed slightly.

“But it won’t be easy, because the Heds have to provide their own military rations.” Winters’ expression changed abruptly: “Now that the weather is getting cold and the pasture is turning yellow, the horses will lose weight even if they eat from morning till night, not to mention marching. Moreover, the drier the grass, the larger the pasture area each horse needs every day. If you were a monkey with a big face, would you concentrate a lot of warhorses in one place?”

“No.” Charles shook his head.

"And you?" Winters asked Heinrich.

Heinrich managed to say with difficulty, "No, not either."

Winters guided the two: "If you were the ones warming the fire, what would be your most suitable strategy?"

“Spread the horses out to graze,” Charles quickly replied. “The more horses in one area, the less they’ll eat. And we should walk slowly so the horses don’t get too tired. Ideally, they should be able to eat as they go—like herding!”

Heinrich nodded silently.

"So, do you think the barbarians encountered at Shovel Harbor will be the main force of the Teldun tribe?"

Charles hesitated before answering, "I don't think so?"

Winters remained noncommittal and continued to ask the two servants, "If you were me, what would be your first move?"

"Should we cross the river and attack them before they gather?" Charles asked tentatively.

Winters sighed deeply and gave Charles a hard knock on the head: "What did I tell you to think about first? Make the Teldonians lack what they lack most!"

Charles clutched his head, tears streaming down his face from the pain.

“Destroy the pasture,” Heinrich replied softly.

Winters sat up abruptly, nodding approvingly: "Good, how to destroy it?"

"fire."

“Yes.” Winters patted Heinrich on the shoulder: “This is the first step in dealing with the Teldens. The enemy has more soldiers, we have fewer; the enemy is strong, we are weak; the enemy attacks, we defend.”

We must first find a way to weaken the enemy before we can have any fighting power. Isn't that monkey-faced guy called the "fire-warmer"? Perfect, let's give him a little fire-warming—that's exactly what the two lieutenants are doing right now in the no-man's-land.”

Charles asked with a pained expression, "What about Shovel Harbor? Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

“Don’t worry about it.” Winters waved his hand. “The mayor of Shovel Harbor is a veteran of Dussac, and he has thousands of strong and capable refugees under his command. Isn’t he busy training refugees lately? With two large militia battalions at his disposal, if he can’t even stop the river mouth, he might as well die sooner rather than later.”

"He's dead, but what about the people of Shovel Harbor?" Charles couldn't bear it. "Should we gather the troops first?"

“Even if we need to send troops to support, we have to wait until dawn. Forcing a march at night is just like sending meat into the wolf’s mouth.” Winters tapped Charles on the head again: “We’ll talk about tomorrow’s problems tomorrow. Even if we have to fight tomorrow, we need to get a good rest tonight.”

Charles held his head and said "Oh".

“Let me tell you, what Shovel Harbor fears most right now is ‘reinforcements,’” Winters sneered. “They’re afraid I’ll take the opportunity to send troops to occupy Shovel Harbor. With barbarians in front and rebels behind, the battle is going to be tough. So let’s just stay put and let them focus on dealing with the Heds. We’ll know how the battle goes by tomorrow morning.”

Charles and Heinrich raised their hands in salute.

Winters, unbuttoning his coat—he hadn't taken it off while sleeping because he was too tired—said, "I reckon... the messenger from Shovel Harbor is on his way to Ghevodan. It must be a great victory. The garrison needn't worry, and whatever you do, don't come to help, hmph."

Seeing that Winters was about to go to sleep, Charles and Heinrich prepared to leave.

Winters stopped the two men: "After this battle, I plan to set up a military school. The students... for now, will be officers of the centurion rank. Would you like to go?"

Charles and Heinrich were both stunned.

“You two can’t be my bodyguards forever,” Winters said with a smile. “Would you like to lead troops?”

Charles's eyes instantly reddened: "I'll be your guard, for the rest of my life."

"Don't rush to answer, think it over slowly. We need to deal with that monkey-face mess first." Winters pushed the two servants out of the room: "Unless the barbarians storm into Zhevodan, you are not allowed to disturb my sleep again!" Charles and Heinrich had not yet recovered from the shock. They stood at the door for a while, looking at each other, before tiptoeing downstairs.

……

Early morning, Shovel Harbor.

Mr. Alpha dismounted and walked into the town church, sword in hand. His face was hidden beneath his helmet, and his breastplate was stained with blood.

The church is the tallest and most solid stone building in Shovel Harbor, and the large beacon tower is located on the church's bell tower, which naturally became the command post during wartime.

Mr. Alpha passed through the altar, entered the spiral staircase, and headed straight for the roof.

The mayor of Potal is on the roof.

Upon meeting, Mr. Alpha went straight to the point and questioned Potal: "Didn't I say, 'No lighting of the great beacon tower is allowed without my permission'?"

His voice came from inside the helmet, sounding somewhat muffled.

"When they saw the beacon fire on the other side of the river, the boys guarding the large beacon tower panicked and set it on fire." Potal pointed to the few disheveled young men in front of him: "I was also teaching them a lesson."

The beacon fire system is a complex system, and the beacon towers themselves vary in size and can be either large or small, or be subordinate or central.

Small beacon towers were set up along the riverbank, while a large beacon tower was set up on top of the Shovel Harbor Church.

If the large beacon tower remains stationary, information will be contained within Shovel Harbor; if the large beacon tower is lit, Revodan will receive an alarm.

After dismissing the guards at the beacon tower, Potal asked anxiously, "How is the battle going?"

“We’ve solved everything that could be solved.” Mr. Alpha took off his helmet and shook the sweat off his hair. “Some of the remaining enemies ran into the mountains and forests, and some took advantage of the chaos to break through and run east. There were probably more than a dozen of them in total.”

"The barbarians actually came!" Potal gritted his teeth and slammed his thigh. He sincerely thanked Mr. Alpha: "Thanks to you."

Mr. Alpha shook his head expressionlessly.

Potal wasn't particularly concerned about defending against the barbarians. According to his logic, the Heds had suffered a crushing defeat in September; how could they possibly dare to come again?

On the contrary, Mr. Alpha was very serious; he personally arranged the defenses and beacon towers along the River Glorious in Shovel Harbor.

After receiving the fire alarm tonight, Alpha was the first to go to the rescue.

Time, time is the key.

Time is not on Teltown's side:
The Guanghui River is wide, and each time the sheepskin raft crosses the river, it is swept far downstream and needs to be carried back upstream by horses, which wastes a lot of time.

Time is not on the side of the people of Shovel Harbor:
The crossing point chosen by the Teldenans was forty kilometers away from Shovel Harbor. Even if an adult walked nonstop, forty kilometers would take a whole day to cover.

Therefore, this is a race, and time only favors the faster side.

So Alpha chose to get a head start—time also favors those who prepare in advance.

The Shovel Harbor militia was divided into six teams by Alpha and distributed along the river. Through careful planning, Alpha ensured that the Shovel Harbor militia were no more than two hours away from any point on the riverbank.

There are advantages and disadvantages to doing this.

The advantages are obvious, but the downside is that Shovel Harbor's defenses have become extremely weak.

Now that Shovel Harbor's attention is focused on the riverbank, it's like exposing its back to the blades of Thevordan.

Keep in mind that Shovel Harbor is less than 40 kilometers from Gevadan, and Gevadan has cavalry...

"Did they send a messenger?" Alpha asked, clutching his helmet.

“Sent. I’ve already told Revodan that we’re safe here and don’t need any support.” Potal wiped the sweat from his brow. “Or should we just recall the troops? We suffered a defeat tonight, so the barbarians shouldn’t come back. Besides, the more we try to keep the rebels away, the more likely they are to come. Dealing with the rebels is more important right now.”

“It took a lot of effort to send the militia to various places, and it’s even more difficult to bring them back.” Alpha shook his head: “What if the Heds observe our movements and try to cross the river again? We failed to destroy their boats.”

Potal asked impatiently, "What if the rebels attack us?"

“The rebel leader knows what’s important.” Alpha smiled. “He’s not a despicable person.”

……

Early morning, outside the north gate of Revodan.

"Open the door! Open the door!" A dusty rider frantically pounded on the gate: "I have urgent military intelligence to report to the garrison officer!"

The walls of Gervodan are low, but they are not easy to climb over.

"What's all the noise about?" the squad leader on the city wall shouted at the newcomer. "We'll talk about finding the military commissioner tomorrow morning!"

"I have urgent military intelligence!" the rider shouted. "I am a messenger from Shovel Harbor!"

"That won't do!" the centurion replied. "Who knows if you're a barbarian spy?"

"Then lower the basket down, and I'll climb up!"

There is no hanging basket.

"Lower a rope down, and I'll deliver the letter up."

There is no rope.

The messenger from Shovel Harbor stood there dumbfounded for a long time, then suddenly pointed at the city wall and shouted: "Are you deliberately trying to prevent me from getting in? It's urgent military intelligence, can you afford to delay?"

Without a word, the quartermaster on the city wall waved his hand, and seven dark gun barrels pointed at the approaching force.

“The tribunes of Montagne said,” the sergeant looked at the messenger below the city walls. “Anyone who disturbs his sleep shall be killed without exception.”

……

Winters slept soundly in the latter half of the night because no one disturbed him.

However, he still didn't get much sleep, and his habit made him wake up naturally as soon as it got light.

After freshening up, he mustered his energy and went to Anna's apartment for breakfast.

The Montagne couple are currently publicly separated, and breakfast is a rare opportunity for him to spend time with Anna.

However, the food at the table was clearly divided. The women's food was quite plentiful, while Winters' plate contained only two pieces of black bread—the standard ration for the Iron Peak County army.

Catherine rested her chin on her hand and looked at Winters, saying in a tone that was half admiration and half joke, "You really are a role model."

Winters was particularly bad at dealing with Ms. Navarre, so he smiled and nodded without saying a word.

Anna gently stepped on her sister's foot and poured Winters some warm water.

"Are we going to spend the whole day on the South Bank again?" Anna asked softly.

Winters replied guiltily, "It should be recently."

Charles knocked on the door and came in, whispering to Winters, "The messenger from Shovel Harbor has arrived."

"When did you come?"

"I've been waiting since last night. Do you want to see me?"

"not see."

"He brought a letter."

"No."

"Send him away?"

“Have him pass a message to Potal,” Winters said, munching on a hard piece of black bread. “'Send twenty heads over.'”

[I'm late, sorry again]
[I recommend a book by a fellow reader, "Saving Nuwa Starting with the Legend of Sword and Fairy"]
[The ending of the previous chapter was poorly written, so I revised it and moved it to the beginning of this chapter.]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
Regarding the characteristics of grassland fires: [First, the fires are fierce. Grasslands are vast, flat, and easily flammable. Once a fire breaks out, it spreads rapidly under the influence of strong winds, making it difficult to control. Second, the fires spread quickly. Due to the changeable wind direction in grassland areas, multiple fire fronts often appear, spreading rapidly and forming fire encirclements, making it difficult to evacuate people and livestock, and easily causing casualties. Third, the fires are distinctly seasonal. The climate and vegetation characteristics of grassland areas determine that spring and autumn are the peak seasons for grassland fires. From March to June, high temperatures and strong winds increase, snowmelt on the grasslands exposes dry grass and other flammable materials, and the dry conditions make them easy to ignite; from September to November, the weather gradually gets colder, rainfall decreases, grassland vegetation turns yellow, and the dry conditions make them easy to ignite.]
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(End of this chapter)