Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 296 Storms
Zhongtiefeng County, Xiaoshi Town.

On the mountain path, a messenger carrying a red flag rode swiftly.

"Red Flag!" The sentry on the watchtower spotted the approaching red flag from afar and shouted, ringing the alarm bell: "Red Flag!"

The alarm bells reached the town center before the sound of horses' hooves, and Li Wei, the company commander of the 7th Company stationed in Xiaoshi Town, rushed towards the town square.

Three warhorses, spewing white foam, stopped in the square. The lead blue warhorse suddenly reared up, its hind legs buckling as it collapsed.

Amid the gasps of others, the messenger tumbled off his saddle, nearly having his left leg crushed on the spot.

"Military order?" Li Wei strode over to the messenger.

The messenger immediately went to retrieve the saddlebag, but it was already pinned down by the warhorse, and the exhausted messenger couldn't pull it out no matter what he tried.

Li Wei shoved the messenger aside, steadied himself, and with a sudden burst of strength from his waist and legs, lifted the horse carcass, which weighed several hundred pounds.

The military police nearby quickly removed the saddlebags.

Li Wei snatched the saddlebag, pulled out the military order, and tore open the lacquered seal. The letter contained no letters, only a red cross smeared in blood.

Livy could not read or write, yet he would not mistake this symbol.

In Xiaoshi Town, regardless of whether it was a town area or a village area, everyone who could still walk was mobilized.

The roar of the explosion echoed through the canyon, and the dam blocking the Huiqing River was broken down layer by layer, allowing the river water, which had accumulated enough potential energy, to roar and rush downstream.

……

Zhongtiefeng County, Rewodan New City.

As the sun began to set, Sergeant Ivan stood atop the arrow tower, watching for any movement on the horizon, the damp heat seeping from his palms.

He was waiting for news from the Pangtuo River.

The city of Zhevodan sits on solid ground in the middle of a valley, surrounded by flat plains, with no natural defenses except for the fortifications under construction.

The main force of the Iron Peak County Infantry Regiment has all rushed to the Pangtuo River, and the defense of Revodan has been completely taken over by the city guard.

Whether Ivan liked it or not, as a former city guard and sergeant, he took up arms again.

Ordinary people who know nothing about war are easily prone to developing blind trust in Montagne's tribunal.

But Ivan was different; he had experienced the most unpredictable side of war, and he was deeply afraid of it.

Moreover, he was well aware that the outcome of this battle did not depend on Zhevodan, but on the fierce fighting a hundred kilometers away.

But Ivan didn't know what the situation was like at the Ponto River—nobody knew, and the citizens of Zhevodan and the refugees who came to seek refuge were all eagerly awaiting the next issue of the War Bulletin.

Ivan glanced out of the corner of his eye at the square in the center of the new city. There, men and women, having finished their day's work, were lining up to receive their pay—food.

Richard Mason was also in the square, walking with his assistant past the food stalls and randomly taking bread to check.

Initially, according to tradition, the people who participated in the project were paid in the form of food.

However, the people who came to Zhevodan for refuge had neither millstones nor cooking utensils. They had to exchange the grain they received for bread, which ultimately enriched the miller and the baker.

After careful consideration, Mason decided to emulate the Second Company's method of preparing military rations: to produce bread in a unified manner and then distribute "rewards" in the form of bread.

A wave of unrest, a wave of up again.

While the unified bread production model may seem to benefit the public, it actually provides opportunities for unscrupulous individuals to cut corners and cheat on production.

Anyone else might have been misled, but Captain Richard Mason was more proficient in statistics than in artillery.

Merlin temporarily recruited students from the accounting school to implement a new, computationally intensive inspection method—sampling inspection—in Gévordan's bread production.

The expansion of scale presented both an opportunity for parasites and an opportunity for Richard Mason to practice statistics. This is because the larger the total sample size and the smaller the statistical sampling error.

One after another, parasites who knew nothing about mathematical tools were exposed. Although there may still be some who slipped through the net, the corpses swaying under the gallows were enough to temporarily deter the wicked.

Another carriage carrying freshly baked bread crossed the wooden bridge, and Mason, seeing the newcomers, quickly went to greet them.

Mason took the reins and said apologetically, "Thank you for coming here in person. I will send a coachman for you."

Two women were driving the carriage: Scarlett, dressed as a boy, held the reins, while Anna, wearing a top hat, sat beside her.

Anna nodded slightly, while Scarlett gave Captain Mason a somewhat comical salute.
The war did not spread to Ghevordan, which was at the eye of the storm and enjoyed the last peace of Iron Peak County.

Gévordan ultimately failed to implement the system of separating men and women in camps. However, with the help of the Catholic Church, Mason temporarily housed the women and children among the refugees in the old city.

Baking bread requires a lot of manpower, and the women and children settled in the old town also took on a considerable part of the baking work.

Mason knew what Ms. Navarre wanted to ask in person, and his apology deepened: "I'm sorry, there's still no news from Winters."

A hint of disappointment flickered in Anna's eyes, but she quickly rallied and smiled openly, saying, "I think no news is perhaps good news."

Scarlett was also somewhat disappointed, though Miss Littlecher tried her best not to show it. She gazed into the distance and asked, "Captain, is the wall finished?"

"There are a total of 128 work sections, of which 113 have been completed," Mason replied meticulously.

“What a pity it would be if the walls were repaired, but the Harts never came,” Scarlett said, sitting back in the driver’s seat with a hint of regret.

Mason smiled faintly and shook his head: "Miss Mitchell. The purpose of building this new city is to keep the Hurds away from here."

……

Hammer Fortress, Upper Iron Peak County. There are two Hammer Fortresses in Hammer Fortress Town. The Old Hammer Fortress is an old, tall wooden fortress.

Newhammer Fort was built by Captain Richard Mason to prepare for an attack from County Vaughan, and it is located further north.

The old and new Hammerholds stand one behind the other on the main road between [Worgieshire and Ironpeakshire], firmly guarding the gateway to Ironpeakshire.

However, the old and new Hammerhead bunkers have a design problem: due to the lack of a wall structure, the two Hammerhead bunkers can only block the passage of large armies, and are difficult to defend against small groups of enemies.

At this moment, the "birthmark" company commander, responsible for defending Hammerburg, squatted next to a pile of horse manure, his brow furrowed deeply.

“There must have been some barbarians from Hed.” Old Dusak sergeant poked at the horse manure. “It’s all frozen solid, at least from last night. Judging from the hoofprints, there weren’t many people or horses. They were probably barbarians driven into our area from Vaughan County.”

"Light the signal fires." The company commander with the birthmark coldly gave the order, silently thinking, "Even Shangtiefeng County is not at peace now."

……

Ha Tie Feng County, on the banks of the Da Jiao River.

Samukin's fleet not only captured the ferry crossing, but also seized a large number of sheepskin rafts.

Using small boats and captured sheepskin rafts, Major Ronald led the militia and women and children across the Bighorn River and set up camp on the west bank.

The situation has taken a miraculous turn:

People from Xia Tiefeng County, whose homes were on the east bank, ran to the west bank to build camps.

Meanwhile, the Teldenans who came from the west bank, having no boats, stood on the east bank staring at each other in bewilderment.

Leaving behind some sheepskin rafts, Samukin led his fleet to the downstream battlefield.

Before departing, Samukin told Major Ronald: "The total strength of the right wing of the Telden army should be seven to eight thousand men."

The Firebringers left at least two thousand men on the west bank to hold back the Teldenans, who, though repelled, could return at any time.

The Montagne tribunal wants you to know that you not only need to guard against the enemy crossing the river on the east bank, but also be wary of a surprise attack by the Telden people on the west bank.

……

The Great Wilderness, the winter pastures of the Teldun people.

The once fertile winter pastures of Teldun have now been turned into a devastating fire.

In the wilderness, wind direction may be unpredictable in small areas, but the monsoon pattern in large areas is unavoidable.

Spring and summer monsoons move from east to west, while autumn and winter monsoons move from west to east. This is an ironclad rule that has remained unchanged for thousands of years in the area between two mountains.

Andrea Cellini and Don Juan led their cavalry westward at breakneck speed, slaughtering the cattle of the Teltuns when they were hungry, milking the sheep when they were thirsty, and stealing horses from the Teltuns when their warhorses were exhausted.

Then they turned back and, taking advantage of the monsoon winds, set fire to grasslands along the way.

Like a spark falling into a haystack, in a dry, rainless winter, once the flames start, they become uncontrollable.

Thick smoke billowed over the winter pastures of the Teldun tribe, and the Teldun people scattered in various places drove their cattle and sheep and carried their belongings to flee.

But where could they escape to?

Fire may not kill people, but smoke can be fatal. Even if you manage to escape the fire, the grasslands you've been using for the winter will have been reduced to scorched earth.

Looking at the hellish scene he had created on the hillside, Don Juan's expression was slightly solemn: "Perhaps we went too far. If we burn it down, the Hed people will have nothing to eat or drink, and they will come back next year."

“They’ll come back if they have food and drink,” Andrei replied in a muffled voice. “Let’s go, let’s go around the fire and go home.”

……

Zhongtiefeng County, Pangtuo River crossing site.

The river at Tushechang was once again stained red with blood, and this strategically important place changed hands again.

The Teldun left nearly a hundred armored soldiers to guard the Tushechang camp, while Winters personally led four main companies and militia auxiliary forces to encircle and annihilate them from both sides.

Compared to the Teltowns' previous style of fighting and running away when they could win and retreating when they couldn't, the Teltowns, who were defending without ever touching the field, showed amazing resilience.

This war is no longer a low-intensity conflict where a quick victory or defeat can be achieved and the conflict resolved; it has revealed a more brutal side.

"Set up camp here." Winters changed to a different warhorse and called the second company commander, Bart Sharling, to his side: "I'll give you two companies and four militia 100s. Don't let a single Teldenman escape, and don't let a single Teldenman in."

With a wounded right arm, Bart Sharing struggled to raise his left arm in salute.

"The water's rising!" Charles rushed over, shouting excitedly, "The water's rising!"

Charles rushed up to Winters and Bart Sharing, panting, and said, "The water has already submerged the second pillar!"

Twenty years ago, when the Pangtuo River was being dredged, stonemasons drove five stone pillars downstream of Xiaoshi Town to mark the water level.

Once the water submerges the second stone pillar, it means that the canyon path exposed by the low water level will be blocked by water again.

"Have the Fourth Company repair the horse-stopping wall in the canyon!" Winters ordered without hesitation. "Now that they're in, don't let the Teldens come out again."

Charles and Bart Sharling looked at each other, unsure of how to issue this military order.

"Charles, go and relay my command." Winters fastened his helmet again.

Charles raised his hand in salute, then spurred his horse and rode away.

[Sorry, I still haven't finished writing this battle.]
[I'm so sorry for the two-day delay, Orz]
[To paraphrase a quote from Napoleon's army in Poland: "Updates? No! Big chapters? Immediately!"]
[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)