Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 300 New City
Dajiao River, near the floating bridge.

A thin man in a Hart robe stared at the tips of his boots and said haltingly to another group of ragged men, “The Khan praised us…you did a good job. After the war ends, we will give you felt tents, cattle and sheep…and female slaves…”

Why do men suffer so much when they are being rewarded?

They showed no joy or pride; most of them had only numbness in their eyes, while a few had faces filled with anger and resentment.

Another masked, gaunt man ripped off his scarf and spat fiercely.

The spitting sound wasn't loud, but the thin man in the Hart robe seemed to be stung by a wasp.

He abruptly raised his head, scanned the crowd before him, and shouted hysterically, "You dare run away! You won't do it! What are you complaining about? What are you hating me for? You treat me like a dog of the Heds, but who the hell cares about me! You..."

The masked man, having ripped off his scarf, stepped out of the crowd and walked straight up to the man in the Hed's robe, coldly saying, "Enough."

Everyone who looks directly at the masked man's face will be deeply shocked.

Where the masked man's nose should have been, there was only a horrific scar and two leaky holes.

Upon closer inspection, the masked man's hair also lacked any visible ears.

The masked man didn't have a congenital defect; his nose and ears had been cut off.

The Harts did not cut off hands or ankles—they wanted to keep them for work. So, for runaway slaves, they would cut off an organ that wouldn't hinder their work or subject them to torture, even to the point of death.

The thin man in the Hed's robe dared not meet the masked man's gaze. His body trembled, and he fell silent instantly, tears welling up in his eyes: "Captain..."

The masked man wrapped his scarf around himself again, his gaze dimming: "I'm no longer your captain."

A pontoon bridge spans the wide Dajiao River between the two banks.

The formidable barrier has been transformed into a thoroughfare, and hundreds of armored soldiers and warhorses are crossing the pontoon bridge into Iron Peak County. Everywhere, there are shouts and curses in the Hede language, but this small group of people speaks a common language with a Paratist accent.

Suddenly, one of the ragged men knelt down and wailed, crying so sadly and sorrowfully.

Why is he crying?
Is it because they have already returned to their homeland, but cannot go home?
Or was it because he personally built the pontoon bridge?

……

Before the beacon fire reached Oxhoof Valley and the riders calling for help were still galloping, Winters had already learned of the existence of the pontoon bridge from Taichi.

Technology proliferation is one of the side effects of war.

During the Battle of the Great Wilderness, many of the artisans and officers accompanying the Plato expeditionary force were captured, and the Teldun tribe thus mastered the technology of using prefabricated components to build pontoon bridges and even more advanced techniques.

Winters finally understood what was happening with the incessant hammering all night long—it was preparation for the construction of a pontoon bridge.

Winters' bargaining chip was a choice: Taichi could choose to believe that the head belonged to the fire-maker, or he could not.

If Taichi does not believe that the Fire-Baker is dead, then Winters will kill all of Taichi's tribe first, and then turn around to deal with the Fire-Baker.
Or... Taychi chooses to believe the fire-breastman's death, lays down his weapons and surrenders, giving Winters time, while Taychi and his men are spared.

When faced with a choice between the two, Taichi chose himself without hesitation.

Trust is the prerequisite for negotiation. Did Taychi trust Winters? Probably not. The same goes for Winters.

But when drowning, even if it's a rope thrown by an enemy, you can only hold on tightly.

Having made up his mind to betray the fire-breastener, Taichi immediately revealed the fire-breastener's plan in its entirety, a decisiveness that surprised even Winters.

The Terdon region lacked fodder, making it difficult for the warhorses to travel long distances.

Therefore, from the very beginning, the fire-bringer only sent out a portion of his main force to outflank the enemy, while his direct subordinates retreated to the unburnt grasslands to await an opportunity to attack.

Perhaps the presence of the fleet disrupted the fire-gatherers' "routine," or perhaps the fire-gatherers harbored darker intentions.

When Taichi led his troops to the east bank of the Great Horn River and tied down all of Winters' forces, the elite troops of the Fire-Burning Khan's camp did not appear.

Where is the fire-warmer? Taichi no longer cares. Winters can roughly guess, but he must first quell the remnants of Taichi's army before he can deal with the fire-warmer.

After a high five, Winters, alone, followed Taichi into the camp of the remaining soldiers of Teldun.

Holding the Khan's symbol—a blue nine-tailed banner—and the head of the fire-breastman, Taichi announced the fire-breastman's death to the Teldun people.

The head was fake, but the banner was real.

The Khan's banner was originally left behind by the Fire-Burning Warriors at the western bank camp as a diversionary force. During the Second Crossing of the Great Horn River, the Teldun tribe's western bank camp was breached by Winters, and the quiver-wielding warriors guarding the banner fled with the flag.

Winters pursued the quiver-wielder fifty miles and finally seized the banner from under a corpse.

With the genuine blue nine-tailed banner and Tai Chi's recognition, the fake head became a real head.

The Teldun people passively accepted the news that the fire-maker was dead. They had been repeatedly beaten down and lost their will to fight. Their greed for plunder had dissipated, leaving only the instinct to survive.

Winters, under the identity of "Herstus," swore an oath with Teich in public, promising not to harm those who surrendered.

The surrender ceremony was simple. Winters himself was in charge of the Telden camp. One by one, the Teldenans came out of the camp, leaving their weapons, armor and horses in front of his flag, and took a loaf of bread.

The prisoners were escorted to the south bank of the Pangtuo River—there were simply not enough people to guard them.

Winters gave Taychi a hundred horses and fifty bows, yet Taychi was still allowed to control his people.

After completing these tasks, Winters summoned all his commanders, village chiefs, town mayors, and representatives of the local gentry.

The tent was completely silent, the air as cold as an ice cellar. Everyone who entered the tent in high spirits noticed the strange atmosphere.

Cheers echoed through the tents—the surviving Iron Peak residents were celebrating their victory.

Amid a barrage of questioning glances, Winters calmly and composedly informed everyone: "The battle is not yet won. The elite troops of the Teldun Khanate may be attacking Thevordan."

...It was another uneventful day in Zhevodan.

The recent issues of "War Bulletin" have been delayed, and although people are eager to know the latest war situation, they still have to go on with their lives as usual.

Compared to news about the torrents of water, the police situation on the north bank is of greater concern to citizens.

It is said that a small group of barbarian cavalry sneaked into the eight northern towns and were burning, killing, and looting in the rural areas.

Martial law has been declared in Zhevodan, and the citizens are on edge. Flour prices have started to rise again.

On the contrary, the farmers and townspeople who fled to Jervodan were already somewhat numb to such news. They earned their bread by working hard, and the rise in flour prices had nothing to do with them.

The city walls of the new city are largely completed, but the refugees are constantly on the move.

According to the plan of Magistrate Mason, the labor teams began to build convex forts on the outskirts of the new city, and to lay drainage pipes, pave roads and build houses inside the new city.

What was originally a large military camp-like "new city" has actually taken on some of the lively atmosphere of a city.

The new city resembled a giant construction site, and among the refugees working diligently, there was an inconspicuous one-eared man.

The one-eared man rarely spoke, so much so that people often thought he was mute. But he worked very hard, so whether he was mute or not didn't matter.

At noon that day, while distributing bread, the one-eared man met another man and exchanged a few words.

That evening, Ivan, who had been promoted to acting sheriff, rushed to the officers' quarters, carefully woke up Tribunal Mason, and reported anxiously, "Sir, someone else has gone missing!"

At this very moment, the one-eared creature Ivan mentioned had already arrived at Forge Township, twenty kilometers away.

He wasn't called One-Eared anymore; he used to be called [Ilse], and perhaps some people in Vaughan still remember this notorious bandit and smuggler.

"The notorious thief Ilse" was wanted for robbing a military vehicle, and eventually fled into the wilderness, disappearing without a trace. However, his family was implicated and punished.

Now, he uses his German name [Brugh] more often, which means red dog.

Red Dog knelt on one knee, staring at the toe of his boot, recounting the details of the new city of Gervodan: "...The leader stationed in Gervodan is named 'Mason'..."

Standing before him were none other than the man tending the fire and the old translator.

"Mason?" the fire-gatherer interrupted the red dog. "What do you mean?"

Red Dog racked his brains to explain: "It means a stonemason or builder who manipulates stones to build houses."

"What? Is he a stonemason?" the man warming himself by the fire asked.

“The names of the two-legged people are different from those of the other tribes; they have lost their specific meaning.” The old translator opened his eyes and slowly said, “Go on, pick the important points—start with the city defenses.”

Red Dog picked up a twig and drew on the ground: "There was no city on the south bank of the River Vordan before. This city was newly built by the stonemason chief, and people, livestock, wealth, and food are all stored inside."

"How many people are there? How much wealth do they have?" The man warming himself by the fire asked, his pupils dilating slightly.

"There are several thousand people, both men and women. They fled to the new city, taking all their valuables with them. They also have a lot of grain, which was transported from neighboring counties and stored in the new city on the south bank to supply the people there, and was also being transported southward."

How high is the city wall?

“Not tall, very short, only one and a half people tall.” Red Dog pointed with a branch to the junction of the city wall and the river: “And there is a weakness here.”

"Weakness?" The man by the fire stared wide-eyed.

Red Dog offered a suggestion: "The stonemason chief only built half a wall along the riverbank. There are no high walls or moats on the side facing the river, so I guess... we can wade across."

"It's so cold, how can you wade through the water?" the old interpreter immediately rebuked in a stern voice, then asked, "How many men are guarding the city?"

“There are no defenders; the city guards have all gone to the south.” Red Dog shook his head vigorously, then suddenly looked up at the man warming himself by the fire, before quickly lowering his eyes again: “The Khan can advance quickly and take advantage of the defenders’ lack of reaction time to launch a surprise attack.”

A hint of dissatisfaction flashed in the old translator's eyes, but he remained expressionless.

"Did they spot you?" the man by the fire asked the red dog.

"Absolutely not!"

"Have you found anyone else?" the man by the fire asked again.

"nor."

"Very good, you can go and rest now." The man tending the fire took out a gold medal and threw it in front of the red dog.

Red Dog picked up the gold medal and returned it to the man warming himself by the fire: "Thank you, Khan, but I don't want the gold medal."

The man warming himself by the fire frowned: "Then what do you want?"

"I am willing to be a slave within the Great Khan's household! To be the eyes you look at by day and the ears you hear by night!"

The old translator gave a half-smile.

The man warming himself by the fire was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter: "Then you may stay by my side and become a servant within my household."

Red Dog practically shoved his head between a pair of boots, desperately offering his thanks.

"Just get down."

Red Dog left, thanking everyone profusely. Once out of sight of the fire-gatherer and the old translator, his smile vanished as if the obsequious man from just moments before had not been him.

Late that night, the main force of Teldun Khan's camp, which had just arrived in Duanlu Township, rushed to the new city of Rewodan without stopping.

Meanwhile, the regrouped Iron Peak County troops also marched toward Theovodan.

[This chapter is theoretically the weekend update, making up for what I missed.]
[Will midday updates be possible?]
[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)