Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 341 Lieutenant Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel

There is a contradiction in Pierre's account of his experience that old Vogt seems not to have noticed.

In Jiangbei Province, farces involving soldiers getting drunk and causing trouble were a daily occurrence. If military law were strictly enforced, the military government would soon be out of troops.

Therefore, as long as the common soldiers didn't cause any major trouble, they would usually just get a few lashes and that would be the end of it.

Pierre was not imprisoned in Stone Forest Prison for causing trouble, but rather as a "deserter," and there must have been another reason for it.

Pierre only gave a general account of his arrest, not going into detail about what happened before that. The old man, who had lived several decades longer than Pierre, naturally didn't ask any further questions.

What piqued the old man's curiosity was not Pierre's background, but another mysterious figure—the young captain.

With just a glance, the old man could tell who the real leader was.

"Who is that gentleman who came to pick you up?" the old man asked cautiously.

Pierre glanced at the old man and said hesitantly, "He is..."

Just then, the tent flap was lifted. A beam of light shone in, interrupting their conversation.

A burly middle-aged man stood outside the tent, the hilt of his eagle-beak-shaped sterling silver saber gleaming at his waist. Although his temples were graying and his figure was somewhat out of shape, there was no doubt that he remained as sturdy as a stone wall, never to be broken by storms.

"It's time to set off," the middle-aged man said with a stern face.

"Understood." Pierre supported himself with one hand and struggled to stand up.

The curtain was lowered, and the middle-aged man turned and left.

The old man recalled the middle-aged man's appearance and secretly examined Pierre's features, vaguely feeling that the two might be related by blood.

"Your father?" the old man asked tentatively.

Pierre did not answer. His persistent low-grade fever caused him to feel dizzy when he suddenly stood up, and it took him a while to regain his balance.

He forced a smile and extended his hand to the old man: "It's time for us to say goodbye."

Stepping out of the tent, the sun was shining brightly.

Pierre and the old man's tent was just one corner of the camp. Outside the tent, there was a bustling scene just before breaking camp.

Without curses or shouts, the men, young and old, silently dismantled the camp, loaded the carts, and fed the horses finer rations, carrying out the preparations in an orderly manner.

Several skilled riders greeted each other and rode out of the camp ahead of everyone, seemingly to scout ahead.

The old man was led to the young captain, who kindly handed him a money pouch: "Thank you for your help, Mr. Vogt."

……

When infiltrating Jiangbei Province, Winters only took Vahika with him.

When he was about to leave, a small army of more than two hundred people had appeared beside him.

Although far from the center of power, Arpad Duyom was nominally still the supreme commander of the military government. With Arpad's personal assistance, Winters did not encounter too much difficulty or obstruction and successfully reunited with his old subordinates.

Besides the soldiers from Wolftown and Dusak, who was also from Wolftown, Winters also took many of his old men who had fought under him during the Great Wilderness War and were still alive.

Now that everyone is in place, the next question is how to proceed.

Pierre, Vahika, and others were still recorded on the Third Republic's wanted list as deserters; Gerard, Sergei, and others would also be considered deserters once they left the army.

Winters gained the military government's "understanding" through his "personal relationship" with Arpad, but this did not mean that the military government was willing to see "deserters" leave Jiangbei Province in a high-profile manner.

The safest strategy is naturally to come secretly and leave quietly.

However, the group had swelled to over two hundred people, including many cavalry. Their daily needs—eating, drinking, relieving themselves, clothing, and lodging—could no longer be met with the same secrecy as before.

Winters then ordered the procurement of goods and wagons, which were then disguised as a caravan and taken out of Jiangbei Province.

Some of his subordinates worried that the caravan was too conspicuous and would be exposed if it were inspected.

“What the bureaucratic system needs most is ‘compliance,’” Winters explained. “If someone is determined to expose us, even Alpard can’t protect us. But if no one is willing to expose us, then we are safe, even if it’s just through a thin veil.”

In reality, Winters didn't need to explain at all. This hastily assembled team consisted of his old subordinates and their fathers, making it essentially a one-man show under his leadership.

Therefore, regardless of whether others were persuaded or not, seeing Winters' resolute attitude, they consciously upheld his authority, and no one voiced any further opposition.

During the procurement of goods, carriages, and supplies, the potter and thief [Old Vogt], who had lived in Xiaolubao for most of his life, acted as a go-between, helping the stranger Winters a great deal.

Due to war and banditry, the painted pottery of Xiaolu City lost its market, and each workshop had more or less stockpiled goods.

Upon learning that Winters' caravan intended to purchase their goods, the workshop owners were eager to sell and give away their stock as quickly as possible to clear out their inventory and avoid being wiped out in the event of war.

After a series of purchases, the fake caravan actually became quite convincing.

This is precisely why Winters paid old Vogt. In his view, old Vogt, as the middleman, had contributed and deserved compensation.

But old Vogt resolutely refused to accept it.

"No, no, no! I can't accept this." The old man shook his head vigorously: "You rescued me from the dark prison, and I can't repay that kindness enough. I only helped you with a small favor, so I can't take this money."

“Old man, let’s keep things separate.” Winters looked the other man in the eye: “You work for us, we pay you, it’s fair.”

The old man took a step back and gestured with his hand: "May God bless you, sir. I cannot take this money."

Winters sensed that old Vogt wasn't just being polite or playing hard to get, so he also spoke some truths.

He placed the money bag in old Vogt's hand and said sincerely, "Old man, times are tough. You'll still have to live after we're gone."

Old Vogt lowered his head; this time, he didn't refuse. The captain's words couldn't be more blunt: although his debts had been wiped clean, in this world, how was an old man supposed to live? Steal?
Pierre suddenly spoke up: "Old man, why don't you come with us? This is such a large caravan, one more person won't make a difference."

Pierre was far from recovered, and the cold air outside the tent made him cough violently. Between coughs, he said, "My family has a manor, enough space for you to eat. Even if you die, there'll be a place to bury you..."

Standing beside him, Girard glared at his son with a mixture of heartache and anger.

I feel sorry for Pierre because the dark prison almost destroyed his body; I am angry because Pierre was disrespectful and made promises to Captain Montagne without authorization.

Winters and Pierre, however, did not find anything amiss. Since Winters returned to Iron Peak County, Pierre had served as Winters's adjutant until he came to the North River Province to search for someone.

However, in Girard's eyes, who was deeply entrenched in hierarchical thinking, Pierre's behavior was rude and offensive—a difference in perception between the two generations.

Suddenly, Winters remembered that Mitchell Estate had been... requisitioned...

He hadn't had a chance to tell Pierre and Girard about it yet, and now wasn't the right time to bring it up.

“If you’d like, why don’t you come back to the new settlement with us?” Winters subtly steered the conversation away from the topic of the estate. “It may be a bit remote, but there will always be a place for you to stay.”

Old Vogt wiped his eyes, looked up, and smiled broadly at his deeply lined face: "My daughter still lives in Xiaolubao, and I don't want to be too far away from her."

Old Vogt stepped forward and grasped the captain's hand tightly: "'Thank you' is such a useless word... Please believe me, I will repay you if I have the chance."

Winters was taken aback at first, then smiled and shook the old man's hand: "You can bring your daughter too."

“This matter… is a bit difficult to explain…” Old Vogt shook his head, repeating as if making a vow: “If I have the chance, I will definitely repay you. Please believe me, please believe me.”

Farewells are always brief. After all the tents were packed up, all the trucks were harnessed, and all the goods were loaded, it was time to set off.

“One last check of the ropes!” Winters led his horse, inspecting the caravan from the very back. “The carts are loaded with pottery, not grain. Be careful not to break it on the bumpy road.”

Lieutenant Colonel Elek, who was ordered to assist Winters, witnessed this scene and was both amused and exasperated.

Lieutenant Colonel Elek, a graduate of the artillery corps, had overseen the bridge-building project during the Battle of the Styx and was an old acquaintance of Winters. This was precisely why Alpard sent him to contact Winters.

In Lieutenant Colonel Elek's view, with a pass issued by General Alpad and his personal presence, Winters and his party could move freely under the military government; there was no need for them to hide anything.

Therefore, seeing Winters not in a hurry to leave, but instead shopping all over Xiaolu Fortress, Lieutenant Colonel Elek could only sigh helplessly, "As expected... as expected..."

After inspecting the convoy from end to end, Winters tied his horse to the back of the first wagon and nimbly climbed onto it.

For some reason, Winters felt incredibly cheerful. His eyes met those of Gerard Mitchell, who was sitting in the driver's seat, and he suddenly burst into laughter: "Mr. Mitchell?"

"What's wrong, Captain?" Girard became much more reserved.

"The last time we escorted a large truck together, wasn't it to Revodan?"

Girard was taken aback at first, then, recalling the past, he laughed: "Well... I hope we don't run into bandits this time."

"This is Jiangbei Province! Not your newly reclaimed land!" Lieutenant Colonel Elek urged impatiently, "Where are all these bandits? Let's get going!"

"Alright!" Winters took a deep breath and roared, "Let's go!"

The coachmen cracked their whips with glee, while the dashing and valiant Dussacs sang vulgar tunes loudly.

One carriage after another drove away, leaving only clumps of pale ash at the site of the old camp.

Then, that very night, the caravan encountered its first group of bandits.

The following afternoon, they encountered a second group.

……

“Well, this…” Lieutenant Colonel Elek explained to Winters, embarrassed, “I really didn’t know it would turn out like this.”

It was already completely dark when the convoy set up camp in a flat open space, using large trucks linked end to end to form a circle as temporary fortifications.

Winters wanted to laugh, but was too embarrassed to, so he could only silently drink his soup.

Ordinary bandits were no match for Winters' old men; Dussacs' men routed them with a single charge. However, encountering bandits blocking their way for two consecutive days was a real blow to Lieutenant Colonel Elek, who had so confidently guaranteed the security of Jiangbei Province.

The orderly brought Lieutenant Colonel Elek a glass of soup. Holding the glass, Elek remained silent for a long time before saying in bewilderment, "But... it's really strange. Our convoy has never had any problems... Where did all these villains come from?"

Before Winters could speak, old Sergei, who was sharpening his knife by the campfire, let out a heavy snort.

Having spent a considerable amount of time with Lieutenant Colonel Elek, old Sergei realized that the colonel was a good-natured man. Consequently, the sarcastic urge in old Sergei's heart, which he found objectionable to everything, overcame his fear of the officer's uniform.

Sergei—Vashika's old father—deliberately made a loud sound while sharpening his knife, venting all his resentment on the whetstone: "Lieutenant Colonel, don't you think about how many times a bandit's head has been kicked by a horse before he dares to rob an army's wagon?"

"Well."

"Anyway, as long as they don't rob military vehicles," Old Sergei said casually, "it's like bandits don't exist, right?"

Lieutenant Colonel Elek didn't get angry, but his orderly couldn't swallow his anger.

The orderly jumped up and kicked over the whetstone next to old Sergei: "How dare you! You're talking to a lieutenant colonel!"

Old Sergei also flew into a rage. He raised his saber, baring his teeth like a wolf, his face ashen: "You little brat! Watch out!"

The standoff didn't last long. Winters coughed lightly and said, "Mr. Morozov, please go and check on the sentries tonight."

Sergei's tense body relaxed.

Winters gave old Sergei a look and nodded.

Old Dussac left obediently, but he glared fiercely at the orderly as he left.

Lieutenant Colonel Elek gestured for the orderly to sit down, and after old Dussac had walked away, he said with a wry smile, "Did you see the look in his eyes just now? He looked just like a wolf. Sigh, those unruly freemen (Dussac), I really don't know how the old marshal managed to subdue them back then."

Winters thought for a moment and said, "I think that Dusak, who seems unruly, actually admires power more at heart."

Lieutenant Colonel Elek seemed to be deep in thought.

A shadow fell on the carriage as someone approached Winters' campfire. The light was dim, and Winters only recognized the man as Gerard Mitchell when he drew near.

Mr. Mitchell's steps were a little heavy, and he looked somewhat tired.

"How is Pierre?" Winters asked directly.

“Still a low-grade fever,” Girard replied softly. “I let him rest.”

Pierre was still recovering, so Winters wouldn't let him ride a horse and instead found him a carriage.

Mr. Little Cheshire can finally be lazy openly without getting a beating from his father, but not in the way everyone wanted to see.

“The person who went to the next town to fetch a doctor should be back soon, don’t worry.” Winters could only try to reassure old Mr. Mitchell: “Father Kaman is also waiting, he will definitely have a way.”

Tired, Gerard nodded, sat for a while, and then said goodbye to rest.

Only Winters, Lieutenant Colonel Elek, and Elek's orderly remained by the campfire.

Lieutenant Colonel Elek handed his empty cup to the orderly and stood up: "It's getting late, I need to rest too."

"Lieutenant Colonel?"

"how?"

Winters took out a small notebook from his pocket: "There's something I need to tell you."

"What?" Lieutenant Colonel Elek raised an eyebrow slightly.

Winters opened his notebook and said with a smile, "Tomorrow we'll head west."

"West?" Lieutenant Colonel Elek's eyebrows furrowed. "West? Where to?"

"Matoupo Town".

Head west to Matoupo Town; that's the route to the wilderness.

"What are you going to Matoupo Town for?" Lieutenant Colonel Elek's suspicions arose. "If you keep going south, go through Jinghu County and cross the Jinliu River, you'll reach the newly reclaimed land, right? Why aren't you taking the shortest route? What are you doing going west?"

Of course, it's because someone is waiting in the west—Winters couldn't just tell the truth like that.

Therefore, Winters chose to explain another part of the facts.

He pulled Lieutenant Colonel Elek to sit down and showed him his notebook: "You'll understand as soon as you see it... Mirror Lake County is currently occupied by the forces of Kingsburg. After repelling the Hedren raiding party, that force has not withdrawn. As for the other crossings... they are all firmly controlled by the New Reclamation Legion. In other words, I have no way to get close to the Jinliu River; I can only go west, take a long detour, and cross the river upstream."

Winters told the truth: "To be honest, when I came here, I took the western route and entered through Matoupo Town."

Lieutenant Colonel Elek squinted, examining the small notebook in Winters' hand by the firelight.

The small, palm-sized notebook contained a map on two pages. Although it was small, Lieutenant Colonel Elek, who came from the artillery department, could tell at a glance that the rivers on the map were marked very accurately.

Lieutenant Colonel Elek's attention was no longer on the route. He pointed to the notebook and asked sternly, "Map?"

"Yes."

"Where did it come from?"

Winters replied calmly, "I drew it myself... with reference to some old maps."

"Let me see." Lieutenant Colonel Elek reached for the notebook.

Winters quickly put it away: "There are only these two pages."

Lieutenant Colonel Elek slowly distanced himself from Winters Montagne, crossed his arms, and scrutinized [the Ghost of the River Styx]—the officers who had participated in the Great Wilderness War learned that Winters Montagne was still alive, and from some point onwards, they privately used this name to refer to the latter, meaning "the one who crawled out of the River Styx".

"You can draw maps?" Lieutenant Colonel Elek asked.

"Don't you also know how to draw?" Winters retorted. "Isn't drawing a required course?"

"You painted more than one, didn't you?"

Winters neither confirmed nor denied it.

"You've been traveling and drawing all the way through Jiangbei Province," Lieutenant Colonel Elek questioned. "What are you trying to do?"

"You want to hear the truth?"

"Of course!"

Winters braced himself with his hands on the ground, leaned back, and suddenly sighed: "It's just a habit."

"Habit?" Lieutenant Colonel Elek clearly didn't believe it and scoffed, "A good habit."

Winters said dismissively, "You'll understand when you come with me to see someone."

"Where to? Who to see?"

"Go to Fengsui Fortress. I had someone check, and that person should be there."

Lieutenant Colonel Elek frowned as he recalled the location of the beacon tower. He sketched a map in his mind and quickly discovered that the beacon tower was located a little north of the current camp and Matoupo Town.

"Going to the beacon tower? Is that also part of your plan?"

“It wasn’t planned beforehand.” Winters paused for a moment. “But we have to go, even if it’s a detour.”

……

Three days later, at the beacon tower.

Fengsuibao is a desolate town standing on a barren mountain.

Because of its high elevation, excellent view, and easy defense, and because it was situated at the exit of the Flowing Sands Valley, a route that the Hed tribes would inevitably take during their invasions, the ninth Duke of Palatour built a stone fortress and a giant beacon tower here, hence the name Beacon Fortress.

The barren mountains are covered with large and small rocks, and the arable land is limited. In rural areas where agriculture is the main source of income, little arable land means poverty.

Because Beacon Castle was too poor to support a single knight, and its geographical location was too important, it was originally the direct territory of Duke Palatour.

Normally, about sixty soldiers are stationed at the beacon tower. In autumn and winter, this number increases to three hundred.

Thanks to the money and food that slipped through the fingers of the soldiers, the residents of Fengsui Fort were able to make a decent living.

Thirty years ago, Queye Khan died, and the Hede tribes never recovered, and the importance of the beacon towers gradually disappeared.

The fortress no longer needed maintenance, and the garrison would never return. The inhabitants of the beacon tower could only toil in the barren land of the bald mountain, praying for favorable weather.

Thirty years later, the beacon tower is completely dilapidated. Many people have moved away, leaving behind only poor farmers who cannot leave.

Even Lieutenant Colonel Elek was shocked by the poverty of Beacon Tower.

“Unless the Creator exerts his power,” the lieutenant colonel said, “this barren land will never escape its fate of poverty.”

After making numerous inquiries, Winters became certain that the dark wooden cabin on the outskirts of Beacon Tower—or rather, the village-sized town—was his destination.

Winters and Lieutenant Colonel Elek had just reached the fence and were about to push open the gate when the owner of the cabin noticed them.

"Oh, we have a guest." A cold, deep male voice came from inside the house.

John Jessica, holding onto the doorframe, stood in front of Winters.

[Another weekend of millstone destruction!]
[I know I still owe two chapters this week... Please don't hit me, please don't hit me, I'm writing, I'm writing...]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, rewards, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
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(End of this chapter)