Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 285 Width
A fire broke out, and the wooden-walled, thatched-roof farmhouse was instantly engulfed in flames.

While the last vestiges of peace remained in Jungcheolbong County and Sangcheolbong County, the situation was far from peaceful elsewhere.

County Vaughan, Hammerhead, Oak Village.

Unarmed men and women were tied together with ropes, whips lashing their backs mercilessly, as they stumbled and cried as they left their homes.

Among the hundreds of Palatine civilians who were abducted, not a single elderly person could be seen, because the elderly who were unable to work were either left in their homes to be consumed by fire or were killed outright.

Besides the captives, there were wagons carrying grain and utensils, chariots laden with clothes and valuables, and... the cheerful Teldun people.

If they continued forward and passed the grove of trees ahead, these Paratus would embark on a path of no return.

Suddenly, a young Platonic man broke free of his restraints. He had concealed a small knife on his person and, taking advantage of the barbarian's momentary lapse in attention, quietly cut the ropes.

The young man immediately tried to untie the woman behind him, but she pushed him off the road with tears in her eyes.

The sound of horses' hooves and whistles came from behind, and the young man, tears streaming down his face, staggered towards the woods.

But two legs can't outrun four, and the sound of hooves grew closer and closer.

Fear gripped the young man's mind, and he instinctively turned to look, only to see a dark shadow approaching.

Amidst his mother's screams, the young man was struck on the head with a mace and knocked to the ground.

The one who defeated the young Paratul man was a Hed man of about the same age as him.

Urged on by the other Heds, the young Hed dismounted. Trembling, he drew back the bowstring, pointed at the heart of the man on the ground, turned his back to the riders, closed his eyes, and released the bow.

With a resounding clang, the other Hed people cheered and applauded.

The young Hud man opened his eyes and found that the arrow had gone slightly off course and was stuck in the ground. He made no sound, silently retrieved the arrow, mounted his saddle, and rode off with the other Hud men.

This young Hed man is the son of [Yuanguang], a minor chieftain with forty households, who is a friend and subject of Qinglingyu Nayan [Hongyue].

The Qinglingyu [Red Moon] tribe has 600 households and can be considered a small but powerful outsider tribe within the Teldun tribe.

Following the traditions of the Hed people in military campaigns, the fire-bringers divided the Teldun tribe into left and right wings.

The left wing consisted mostly of unreliable foreign noyan (a type of military cavalry), totaling over ten thousand cavalry.
The right wing was led by Nayan, a close relative of the Jin people, and consisted of nearly 8,000 men, personally commanded by the fire-maker.

According to the route agreed upon before the war, Teldun's two flanks would spread their wings like birds and plunder the newly reclaimed provinces separately.

The left wing crossed the river downstream, roughly from [Vorgne County] and [Maplestone City] into the newly reclaimed land.

The right wing crossed the river upstream, roughly from [Tiefeng County] into the newly reclaimed land.

Another force launched a feigned attack on Jinghu County to distract the Parat people.

On the surface, the upstream area is barren and sparsely populated, while the downstream area is rich and densely populated. Allowing the foreign noyans to plunder the downstream area is a kind of favor.

In fact, quite the opposite was true. According to the fire-breastener's idea, although the downstream area was more fertile, crossing the river was also more difficult, and the main fighting force of the Parat people was deployed downstream.

Even the combined forces of the Hart tribes on the south bank failed to gain an advantage in the great looting in mid-September.

The plan of the Fire-Burning Man was to send the outer Nayans downstream to distract the Paratu people, while he himself would lead his own troops to plunder upstream, and then, depending on the situation, decide whether to move north, east, or retreat.

The Telden people readily accepted this clearly biased strategy, and even Na Yan, from an outsider faction, didn't find it strange. Was it a case of favoritism, giving the best cut to outsiders instead of family?

However, things don't always go as planned.

While Iron Peak County displayed remarkable resilience, stubbornly holding Teltown's right wing back outside the Great Horn River, Teltown's left wing inflicted severe damage in [Worne County], even threatening the Maplestone City territory.

Knowing their own inferior fighting strength and lacking a leader, the Left Wing Zhunayan simply abandoned the idea of ​​"fighting a battle".

Before they even entered the newly reclaimed land, the left wing of Teldun scattered. The various Noyan and Kota groups, big and small, went their separate ways, each relying on their own abilities to cross the river; whoever grabbed it first got to keep it.

Some of them even secretly turned their livestock around, slipped away unnoticed, and went home.

On the other hand, the military governor of Vaughan did not follow the advice of the rebel leader Montagne to evacuate villages, reduce troop strength, and focus on key defenses.

He deployed his troops along a riverbank more than 200 kilometers wide, with the overall structure resembling an egg, "hard on the outside and soft on the inside," with a hussar squadron inside responsible for clearing out scattered enemy units.

It's hard to say that his decisions were bad, while Winters' decisions were good.

Winters made his judgment based on the premise that [Worgheshire was militarily weak].

With insufficient troops, it would be impossible to effectively defend the river. Therefore, Winters advised Worgne County to cede the riverbanks, evacuate the countryside, and carefully defend forts and towns to minimize losses.

But the reality is that [seven infantry battalions are secretly assembling in Worgneshire in preparation for the next year's campaign against the rebels]—Winters, of course, was unaware of this.

If arranged properly, Vaughan County might be able to keep the Teldun barbarians out of the river, just like Central Iron Peak County.

However, the Teldens arrived much faster than the military commander of Vaughan had anticipated; before the Vaughan troops were even in position, the Telden left wing vanguard had already crossed the river.

The Telden men scattered like mercury as soon as they entered Worgneshire.

Lacking cavalry, the Vaughan garrison found itself in a passive situation where it could "outmaneuver but not catch up."

If they were to deploy their forces and engage in a fair and square battle, even with inferior numbers, the Plattus army was confident of fighting the Teldun.

However, the Hurds were never ashamed to flee; they avoided wherever resistance was fierce and went elsewhere when reinforcements arrived.

Vaughan had only about a hundred hussars, but the first wave of Terdun barbarians to invade Vaughan had fourteen turu (centurions) and over a thousand riders.

A single squadron of cavalry was simply no match for so many barbarian cavalry; a slight misstep could result in them being wiped out.

The commander of Vaughan County hardened his heart and did not send any troops to reinforce the river defenses. Instead, he sternly urged all troops to rush to their deployment positions.

As for the Teldens who had already entered Vaughan County, the Vaughan County commander's strategy was to intercept and kill them when they crossed the River Glorious to the west and withdrew from Vaughan County.

For the military commander responsible for the safety of the entire county, this was perhaps the most rational decision. Because if the riverbank defenses collapsed, more and more barbarians would flood into Vaughan County.

But for the villages that lacked protection and failed to evacuate in time, this was nothing short of a catastrophe. They were like eggs without shells, and the Telden people could eat them however they wanted.

The tragedy of Oak Village thus occurred.

When the Hammerhold cavalry arrived at Oak Village, the village had already been erased from the map, leaving only charred ruins and a flickering ember.

As the gateway to Ironpeak County, Winters left a small force to garrison Hammerhold.

Upon seeing the thick smoke rising into the sky to the north, the commander of Hammerhold immediately led his cavalry to provide assistance, but it was too late.

Smelling the acrid stench of death, the warhorses snorted restlessly.

The commander of Hammerburg was a gloomy man whose face was half covered by a red birthmark.

"Search," he commanded succinctly and deliberately.

The scouts dispersed, splitting up to search for survivors and any remaining clues.

"We found some corpses, all burned beyond recognition. There were no survivors." Some of the older soldiers reported, while the old soldier was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead: "Not a single one was spared; they were either killed or kidnapped."

The man with the red birthmark grew increasingly gloomy.

"There are fresh ruts and hoofprints on the road west of the village!" Another scout reported, "The barbarians must have headed west!"

"How much?" the man asked.

“I can’t tell.” The scout shook his head. “The tracks of people and livestock are mixed together. There are at least a hundred people and a hundred riders.”

"Chase them!" the man with the birthmark ordered.

"Sir, no! Wait!" The old soldier hurriedly blocked the man with the birthmark's horse with his own: "We are too few, only eighteen riders in total. It's no use catching up!"

The man with the birthmark remained silent, staring intently at the old sergeant. The old sergeant, a native of Dussac, was the most senior of the eighteen cavalrymen present, and even he felt intimidated by the man's gaze.

He forced himself to dissuade them: "If the barbarians under Hed have a hundred-man squad, then we can't handle them. If the barbarians can appear here, they can take the land route into Iron Peak County. The most urgent thing is to send a message to Revodan."

Besides, this is Vaughan County; we shouldn't be here at all. If someone sees us, they might pin the blame on us!

"This man isn't dead!" another scout shouted from afar.

Upon hearing the sound, the man with the birthmark and the old soldier immediately spurred their horses to approach.

In the field lay a young man with his face covered in blood. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have been indistinguishable from a corpse.

The old soldier struggled to dismount, touched the young man's neck for a while, and looked up at the man with the birthmark: "Still alive."

"Take him away." The man with the birthmark tugged on the reins. "Retreat."

……

……

Tiefeng County, Niuti Valley.

Following the orders of the Montagne tribunal, nearly a hundred “splitters” were erected in the town square, completely filling it.

A split stake is a sturdy log, with one half driven into the ground and the other half exposed above ground.

Whether they were military nobles or ordinary soldiers, the first lesson in learning swordsmanship was to chop wooden stakes and practice generating power.

The proverb "If you can chop a wooden stake for three days, even a fool can go to the battlefield" means the same thing.

The word "exerting power" sounds simple, but it's difficult to do. Even something as seemingly simple as [keeping the sword blade aligned with the swing trajectory] requires consistent practice.

If the sword is held incorrectly, it's like striking someone with the blade, which not only fails to unleash its power but also easily leads to the sword breaking.

It's better to just use a stick—after all, sticks don't discriminate based on angle.

So Winters improved the split stake by adding a crossbar to the originally bare wooden stake.

“Many of you have never even touched a weapon before,” Winters said, standing on the platform with a spiked mace in his hand. His voice carried clearly to everyone’s ears. “That’s good.”

Of the adult men in Oxhoof Valley, all those who could ride horses, shoot arrows, and wield firearms had already been selected, leaving only these "clubs who can't do anything" in the square.

These people were also given a weapon that literally meant "club"—a spiked club.

“Those who have learned how to use weapons are often arrogant and unwilling to accept new knowledge, so they are not as good as you blank slates.” Winters swept his gaze across the square with an air of authority: “Listen carefully, you don’t need much in battle; just learn one move.”

Winters first demonstrated how to hold the weapon: "Right hand at the end, left hand in the middle."

Then he walked up to the chopping post and demonstrated his steps.

Finally, let's demonstrate how to use it: First, deflect the horizontal bar to the side, then take a step forward and thrust.

"Just these two moves, practice them." Winters released his hands, the club was driven deep into the stake, and the end of the club trembled.

The commoners of Niuti Valley in the square were initially confused, but then stiffly began to practice under the soldiers' reprimands.

Winters stepped down from the platform, and Samukin ran over and asked, "Is it too late, Centurion?"

“There wasn’t enough time, so I only had them practice two moves.” Winters flicked his wrist and asked rhetorically, “Believe it or not, if they were really put in action, they would forget all of those two moves. In the end, they would just be swinging clubs around randomly.”

"I believe you." Samukin chuckled. "When I first went into battle, I just swung my spear and kept hitting people. I never even remembered that the spear had a point. Since there's no time to learn, what's the point of having them practice that?"

"Is it useful? It might be somewhat useful, or it might not be. But practicing is better than not practicing."

Samukin nodded and then asked, "Some people from Niuti Valley came to me saying they could fire guns and wanted to join the musket squad after they were given spiked clubs. What do you mean?"

"No." Winters said coldly, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Yes."

"Have the scouts who crossed the river returned?" Winters asked for the fifth time.

"Not yet." Samukin asked tentatively, "If they don't come back, should we send another one?"

“Send,” Winters said firmly. “Send more. I’ll go myself!”

The probe attacks by the Teldun tribe are becoming more and more frequent.

The first day involved three times, the second day six times, the third day twelve times, and the fourth and fifth days sixteen times each. Each time, at least thirty or forty people were mobilized, and sometimes over a hundred.

Time is not limited to dawn; sometimes it is morning, sometimes afternoon, and sometimes late at night.

The distance between the attack points is also increasing, reaching as far south as the confluence of the Pangtuo River and as far north as Duanlu Township.

The Telden people didn't just measure the water depth. When the time was right, they would also smuggle small groups of people ashore to spy on the situation in Zhongtiefeng County.

In just the first three days, the four companies stationed in Niuti Valley and the two companies stationed in Duanlu Township were already exhausted.

Winters knew perfectly well what the people warming themselves by the fire were up to.

The Telden's tactics were like bullfighting: they waved red flags around the arena to lure the bull into chasing and running, and then attacked when the bull was exhausted.

The enemy had a large number of soldiers, all on horseback; Winters had a smaller force, mainly infantry.

The battlefield is so vast—the Central Iron Peak County alone has eighty kilometers of riverbank—given the mobility of the Teldun troops, it would be strange if they didn't make use of the battlefield's width.

In response, Winters deployed an increasing number of troops along the riverbank, including the 9th and 10th Companies stationed in St. Clair, as well as expanding the force locally.

According to the emergency powers granted to the garrison commander by the Tord Agreement, all males over the age of fifteen in Bullshoe Valley were conscripted as temporary militia.

Brave, energetic, but still physically strong boys and young men were given bows and arrows and slings. They were organized into auxiliary units and assigned to the main infantry companies.

Among the remaining adult men, those who had practiced with weapons, could ride horses, or knew how to fire guns were selected separately and led by several gentlemen who had served in the military. They were called "adult soldiers" because these men usually came from wealthy families and were older.

The other adult men, who were practicing how to use the mace, were led by sergeants appointed by Winters and were called "young men".

If it's just this kind of low-intensity fighting, Winters can continue with the Teldonians.

The fire-gatherers wanted to wear down the energy of the Iron Peak County people, while Winters was wearing down the fire-gatherers' time.

The longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be for Tiefeng County.

The situation seemed to be developing in a positive direction, but there was a small black spot on the smooth white paper: where did the Telden people, who had nothing to eat but hay and could only dig up grass roots, get the confidence to continue to drag on?
Winters cares a lot about this.

The frequent probing attacks also consumed a lot of the Teldens' energy, causing gaps in their defenses along the riverbank.

According to records from the coastal watchtowers, the patrol frequency of the Teltown cavalry has been declining significantly over the past three days.

Winters then began sending scouts across the river to investigate, sparing no expense in doing so.

"They're back!" Charles shouted, spurring his horse forward at full gallop. "They're back!"

“Where?” Winters asked.

"At the medical clinic, with Father Kaman."

At the Cowshoe Valley Church, which had been temporarily requisitioned as a medical center, Winters met the brave scouts who had returned wounded.

"Centurion!" Only after seeing Winters with his own eyes did the scout speak: "Empty! The Telden camp is empty! The main force of the barbarians is no longer on the other side of the river! Their whereabouts are unknown!"

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(End of this chapter)