Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 430 The Great Alliance Marches Forward (Part 3)
[Kyeongho County]
[Intersection at the foot of the mountain]
The rammed earth road splits into two ahead: one leads to Changhu Town, and then to Bazenaur; the other leads to Qingyin Pass, and then to Fengshi City.

The marching army also split into two groups at the crossroads:
Troops from Baishan County, Leiqun County and Bianjiang County continued north along the Dajiao River to reinforce Bazenaul, whose whereabouts were unknown.
The troops from Tiefeng County headed east, crossed Qingyin Pass, and marched towards Green Valley Town.

The bugles fell silent, the war drums ceased, and fully armed soldiers hurried into the unknown fog. Only the morning bells of prayer drifted from distant villages, bidding them farewell.

An old soldier and a young soldier stood side by side on horseback at the crossroads, watching the soldiers who might face drastically different fates.

"The mission you bear is even greater than the mission of the Styx Camp when you were attacking the Red River Tribe. The enemy's reinforcements may or may not come, but no matter if they come or how many come, you must ensure that the army's rear is secure."

Colonel Bode, an old soldier, turned to look at the young soldier Winters, his tone serious and sorrowful: "Let's not repeat the mistakes of the Great Wilderness War."

“I obey your command.” Winters solemnly raised his hand in salute: “Congratulations on your victory!”

Colonel Bode solemnly returned the salute with his remaining right arm: "For peace."

……

[Two days ago]
[Scene from the pre-war assessment meeting]
Pre-battle assessment meetings were always conducted without regard to rank or any taboos. The officers present sat or stood around the map, and a cavalry captain spoke first:
"If the intelligence is correct, Sanel took at least two-thirds of the troops from Maplestone City and Mapleleaf Castle. The remaining troops are holed up in Mapleleaf Castle, leaving the city to be defended by the city militia. As long as we can reach Maplestone City, reaching an agreement with the city council will not be difficult. At that time, we will only need to deal with the enemies in Mapleleaf Castle. Whether we besiege or launch a direct attack, the initiative will be in our hands."

"Commander," the captain volunteered to Colonel Bode, "I am willing to go to Maplestone City as an envoy to persuade the city council to open the city gates and surrender."

"Your thinking is too optimistic! It's entirely based on the premise that 'the enemy will act according to your plan.'" Another major present shook his head: "What if Maplestone City doesn't surrender?"

“If they won’t surrender, then we’ll fight them until they do,” the cavalry captain replied neither servilely nor arrogantly.

The major retorted coldly, "Maplestone City and Mapleleaf Fortress are not so easy to conquer. They are the headquarters of the Legion! If we fail to capture them after a long siege, are we just going to wait for Sanel to send his troops back to reinforce them and annihilate us all under the walls of Maplestone City?"

The cavalry captain explained his strategy: “We don’t need to launch a real assault—we just need to make it look like one. Once we learn that Maplestone has fallen, Sanel will be frantic and rush back to reinforce it. Then we can choose our battlefield, wait for them to tire themselves out, and annihilate Sanel beneath the walls of Maplestone.”

"Losson," Colonel Skull, who had been listening to the two men's argument, quietly called out the name of the cavalry captain.

"Yes."

Colonel Skull pondered for a moment before asking, "Have you considered what situation we would face if Sanel didn't come back to reinforce, or if he did return in a cautious and methodical manner?"

"How could they not be in a hurry to return and reinforce?" Captain Loson asked, startled. "The traitors' supplies, weapons, and provisions are all stockpiled in Maplestone City and Mapleleaf Fortress. Once Maplestone City falls, they will be like withered grass without roots or stems in the newly reclaimed land, easily destroyed by fire. Not to mention the symbolic significance of Maplestone City. How could they not be in a hurry to return and reinforce?"

“Rootless, withered grass? In a hurry to return to reinforce?” Colonel Skull repeated the two words, shook his head, and said in a deep voice, “That’s not necessarily true.”

Skul stood up, drew a line along the Jinliu River on the map with his sword sheath, and looked around at the officers participating in the assessment: "Don't forget, there is also an unobstructed road here."

The wind rattled the map, and Colonel Skull, gripping his sword hilt, looked grim. "The United Provinces have reinforced the Grand Council's fleet, and the Emberflow River is now firmly in their grasp. Ships flying the Red Rose flag now sail freely on the Emberflow River."

Skul pointed to the map with his sword sheath: "If we choose to attack Maplestone City, then Sanel can take Bazenauer first, obtain supplies directly from Kingsburg via the Ember River waterway, and then slowly maneuver against us."

"What will happen then?" Skull asked Rosson. "Have you thought about it?"

The simple stable fell silent. Before Captain Loson could speak, Colonel Skull asked and answered himself:

“Even if we manage to capture Maplestone City and Mapleleaf Castle, we will lose the initiative. Our main force will be tied down in Maplestone City by Sanel and unable to move; the Grand Council army of the Northern Slope Province will launch an offensive against Leiqun County and Bianjiang County to support Sanel; seeing us caught in a dilemma and attacked from both sides, Sandel of Vöne County will probably also join the fray. At that point, our annihilation will only be a matter of time.”

The junior officers present exchanged bewildered glances. In a standing army corps, junior officers wouldn't have the opportunity to participate in military assessment meetings. However, in newly reclaimed lands lacking officers, junior officers were required to assume mid-level command positions.

However, the lieutenants who were attending the pre-war assessment meeting for the first time did not expect that the colonel would describe the situation as so dire, it was simply... simply boosting the morale of the enemy and diminishing their own.

"Alright! Stop scaring the kids!" Colonel Gaisa laughed heartily, pointing at the officers: "Look at them, one by one, their faces have turned white from fear!"

The officers also laughed sheepishly, temporarily easing the somber and oppressive atmosphere.

“No, I’m not exaggerating.” Colonel Skull was unmoved. He scrutinized the face of each lieutenant: “Most of you have been assigned to new settlements right after graduation and have never experienced real war. So before you step onto the battlefield, I want you to understand what situation you will face and what risks you will take.”

Some lieutenants bravely faced Colonel Skull's scrutiny, while others lowered their heads in shame.

Skull's gaze finally settled on Winters Montagne, who neither met his eyes nor showed any remorse, but simply sat upright with his knees on his hands, eyes downcast and mouth down.

Colonel Skull withdrew his gaze and told everyone present in a cold voice, "In fact, I believe that Maplestone City is simply bait thrown out by Sanel to lure us into sending troops and attacking. Once we swallow this bait, Sanel will turn the tables and seize the initiative."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I even think that Sanel and Chloe's eagerness to attack Bazenauer is actually a ploy to lure us out. He wants to kill two birds with one stone: encircle and annihilate Arpad's forces while drawing us out to wipe us out in one fell swoop. Then he can sweep through the newly reclaimed lands and eliminate all those who oppose the Grand Council and that traitor Grove Magnus."

Although it was already May, the officers present felt a chill in the air.

Colonel Skull remained silent for a long time, waiting until the officers present gradually accepted reality before speaking, asking, "Since we already know that the other side is deliberately luring us into sending troops, why are we still here now? Knowing it might be a trap, why did we still step into it?"

The stables were completely silent.

The colonel took a deep breath and sternly rebuked the officers whose faces showed worry:

"Today you will learn your first lesson from real combat—there is never a strategy that guarantees victory in war! Like a duel between swordsmen, whether Sanel deliberately revealed an opening is irrelevant to us. The important thing is—seize the opportunity! A feint might help you win, but it could also cost you your life! Whatever Sanel's plan is, the important thing is to execute our plan, it's that simple!"

"Well said!" Colonel Gaisa clapped his hands and laughed. "Who cares what tricks he has up his sleeve? Let's just stab him with our swords! We'll settle this on the battlefield!"

Colonel Skull noticed that Winters Montagne, who had been silent all along, also looked up at him.

"Senior." Colonel Skull bowed slightly to Colonel Bode: "[Planning can rely on many, but decisions must be made alone], Maplestone City or Bazenauer, please give the order!"

Colonel Bode did not answer directly, but looked at Skul and said with a smile, "You should be in the standing army, in Army Headquarters. How did you end up in the new settlements?"

All the officers present were stunned.

"You've already made your reasoning clear, so what else is there to say? If we deal with Sanel, Maplestone will fall without a fight; if we don't deal with Sanel, even if we take Maplestone, we won't be able to hold it." Colonel Bode stood up and clearly issued the order:

"Detour through Changhu Town, advance straight to Bazenaur, and seek an opportunity to engage in a major battle with the Saner forces!"

All the other officers present stood at attention and saluted in unison: "Yes, sir!"

However, Captain Loson was still unwilling to give up. After much hesitation, he finally asked:

"Perhaps we can try going to Maplestone first. If Maplestone doesn't surrender, we can go to Bazenauer—it's just a slightly longer route. The supplies in Maplestone's warehouses are piled up like mountains, all looted and accumulated by General Adams. Getting those supplies back will be of great help in the upcoming battles."

“Take a detour?” an officer retorted. “Going through Maplestone City would add at least two days to the journey. We can’t afford to wait even a day longer with Bazenaur. Perhaps just because we’re delayed by a day, Bazenaur’s entire army will be wiped out.”

Silence fell over the stable.

Suddenly, an officer asked with a smile, "Wouldn't that be even better?"

Upon hearing this, many officers laughed. However, a few officers looked displeased, clearly not finding the joke amusing.

Winters neither laughed nor got angry; he simply observed the expressions on everyone's faces.

As luck would have it, Skull was also observing Winters.

Their eyes met, Winters nodded slightly, and then turned away.

Colonel Skull patiently explained to Captain Loson, clearly valuing his subordinate highly: "Our whereabouts will be exposed sooner or later—in fact, I think Sanel probably already knows our movements. So every day we waste is the same as giving Sanel another day to rest."

Colonel Skull's brow furrowed involuntarily: "Moreover, ever since the day we captured Maplestone and forced General Adams to his death, Sanel has been appealing to the Grand Council for help. Every day we delay, Sanel's reinforcements get closer to us. Time is our ally—and our enemy."

"Alright, enough with the nonsense." Colonel Gaisa chuckled. "Let's defeat Sanel first. We'll talk about what comes after we defeat Sanel."

Once their superior officer had spoken, the lieutenants said no more.

Colonel Bode did not speak; he was unfamiliar with the lieutenants serving in the New Reclamation Corps, and those lieutenants did not know him either.

Once the stables had quieted down again, and the officers were brushing the straw off their trousers and preparing to leave the Iron Peak County New Army camp, Colonel Bode suddenly spoke up: "Captain Montagne."

"exist."

“Your unit does not need to go to Bazenaul with the main force. Colonel Gaisa, Colonel Skul, and I have other plans for you.”

……

[Kyeongho County]
Green Valley Town
Located on the banks of the Niuxi River, Green Valley Town is a beautiful, tranquil, and peaceful town. Qingmeng Mountain and Yinque Mountain embrace it like two outstretched arms. The valley is covered with lush and verdant vegetation, hence the name "Green Valley".

The Niuxi River, which originates from the Qingmeng Mountains, provides abundant irrigation water for agriculture. As a result, the flat land along both banks of the river was reclaimed into farmland very early on, making it one of the most densely populated newly reclaimed areas.

Furthermore, because Green Valley Town has the only stone arch bridge over the Niuxi River, most caravans choose to cross the river from there, making the town even more prosperous.

Within thirty years of the newly reclaimed land being conquered, Green Valley Town had become one of the wealthiest towns in the province.

At first glance, the town with its green walls and red tiles, nestled in the middle of the valley, is a feast for the eyes.

However, for Winters, who wanted to conquer Green Valley, the fact that most of the town's buildings were made of stone meant that the green walls and red tiles were not a good thing.

Sanel had clearly left troops stationed in Green Valley. When Winters approached to scout, he found that Green Valley was already on high alert: the gates were closed, there were no pedestrians, patrols were on the walls, and sentries were stationed in the towers.

After circling the high walls of Green Valley Town, Winters counted fourteen flags of the hundred-man squads and the battalion flags, that is, two battalions, each with a size of a thousand men.

The high walls of Green Valley Town are not the hastily constructed wooden walls like those in Shovel Harbor, but rather solid earth and stone structures.

The town's accumulated wealth allows it to enjoy a higher level of security, and with a garrison of over a thousand men, it is indeed a tough nut to crack.

Fortunately, Winters also discovered another situation—the defenses in Green Valley were mainly directed towards the south bank, rather than the north bank where the Iron Peak County New Army was located.

Colonel Bode believed that when the army was less than 50 kilometers from Maplestone, concealment became meaningless, and speed was the key to victory.

Therefore, over the past two days, while the main force of the four-county allied forces marched along the Dajiao River toward Qingmeng Town, the allied light cavalry carried out a large-scale feint outside Fengshi City, creating the illusion that the allied forces were about to attack Fengshi City.

The garrison in Green Valley Town was clearly deceived by the movement of the light cavalry, thinking that the attack would come from the south. Little did they know that the enemy had already crossed the Qingyin Pass and circled around to their rear.

Therefore, Winters chose to launch the attack at dusk. The offensive would be initiated from the south bank by the Second Battalion, which had secretly crossed the river upstream. However, the main attack would be carried out by the First and Third Battalions, which were hidden on the north bank. Winters kept the remaining battalion in his hands as a reserve force.

……

[At dusk]
[Outside Green Valley Town]
All units of the new army in Tiefeng County have entered their attack positions and are waiting for the starting gun to fire.

Winters set up his command post in a vineyard on the west side of town, from where he could see the entire town from the roof of the vineyard owner's house.

As Winters closely observed the situation in Green Valley Town, Andrei kept sighing beside him.

"What is it now?" Winters asked.

"What now?" Andrei was furious. He gulped down a mouthful of wine and said bitterly, "Bastards! They look down on us! They go to fight big battles themselves, leaving us to clean up their messes!"

After saying that, André took another swig of wine. He had found the wine in the vineyard owner's cellar—the vineyard owner very readily took out the cellar key.

“Drink less,” Winters said.

"If I don't numb myself, what else can I do?" Andrei sniffed. "Anyway, you don't need me in this battle, do you?"

“Who said that?” Winters took out the Nuremberg clock and checked the time. “You are my last resort.”

Andrei sighed, then peered out from under the eaves: "Turin!"

Turin, who was guarding outside the house, quickly responded. "Catch!" Andrei threw the bottle down.

Turin caught the bottle and shouted happily, "Thank you, sir! Alexander! Come quick! The lieutenant is distributing the liquor!"

"Keep your voice down!" Andrei snapped.

"Yes."

After dealing with the bottles, Andrei climbed back to Winters' side, still somewhat annoyed, and asked, "Aren't you angry? They left us here; it's obvious they don't trust us!"

"So you trust them?" Winters retorted. "If we go to Bazenauer with the main force, aren't you worried they'll use us as cannon fodder and wipe us out along with Sanel's troops?"

Andrei fell silent.

Winters said calmly, “They don’t trust us, they’re afraid we won’t do our job, they’re afraid we’ll turn against them; we can’t completely trust them either. So Colonel Bode’s arrangement may not be the best way, but it’s the most feasible way—and it’s very considerate of us.”

After a while, Andrei said hesitantly, "Actually, I'm worried that without us, Colonel Bode and his men will suffer a defeat..."

Winters chuckled: "Even if they split into two groups, they will have a numerical advantage in each battlefield. You should have faith in Colonel Bode."

……

After repeated discussions, Colonel Bode, Colonel Gaisa, and Colonel Skul decided to assign Winters' troops to independently take charge of a direction. This would avoid confusion in the command system and give full play to the initiative of Winters' troops.

Colonel Bode gave Winters a progressive order:

First, the garrison of Tiefeng County must clear the enemy forces along the "Qingyin Pass - Lvgu Town" line to ensure that the army's rear is not threatened.

Having fulfilled the previous duty, the Iron Peak County Garrison was required to closely monitor the actions of the Vaughan County Garrison.

Colonel Schuur had always harbored deep suspicions about Vaughanshire's attitude.

Both Skull and Bode were worried that Vaughan County was only feigning neutrality and was actually waiting for the Allied forces to attack Maplestone or cross the Silver Pass so that they could launch a surprise attack from the Allied flank and rear.

If Colonel Skull's prediction comes true, then Iron Peak County must hold Green Valley until reinforcements arrive, and must not allow a single soldier from Vaughan County to cross the Silver Pass.

In addition to the two responsibilities mentioned above, Colonel Bode's orders to Winters also included a third part:

When the garrison of Maplestone learns that Sanel's retreat has been cut off, it is possible that they may take the initiative to support Sanel.

If the garrison of Maplestone City launches an attack, then the garrison of Tiefeng County "must find an opportunity to annihilate them" and should "seek every possibility to reclaim Maplestone City".

……

At this moment, Winters was carrying out the first part of this order—clearing out the enemy along the line from Qingyin Pass to Green Valley Town.

Unable to refute Winters's words, Andrei reached for the bottle, only to find it had already been thrown to Turin. Sullenly, he pulled out his dagger and began slashing at the wooden shingles... as if carving insults.

Winters joked, "I thought you were going to say, 'Fight! Let them fight! The more blood they bleed, the better!'"

Andrei was somewhat provoked. He sat up and asked unhappily, "What kind of person do you take me for? When have I ever betrayed my comrades? When have I ever betrayed friendly forces?"

"I apologize."

Andrei snorted, pursed his lips, lay back down, and continued to idly fiddle with the dagger.

Winters took out the Nuremberg clock and squinted his eyes: "It's time."

……

On the south bank of the Niuxi River, Battalion Commander Bart Sharling drew his sword: "The tribunal thinks we are inferior to the First Battalion and ordered us to launch a feint attack! Today we will prove that even Blood Wolves can be wrong!"

"Beat the drums!" Bart Sharing roared, "Forward!"

Four small military drums sounded simultaneously, their rapid beats echoing through the valley like thunder.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion carried makeshift ladders and supports, scaled the embankment, and charged toward the high walls of Green Valley Town, shouting as they went.

……

On the north bank of the Niuxi River, a monkey hiding behind a field ridge gripped the hilt of a sword with both hands, nervously repeating, "It's almost our turn! It's almost our turn!"

Lu Xirong inspected the helmets and armor of each soldier under his command. When he reached the monkey, he instinctively wanted to scold it, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He raised his hand at the monkey, which instinctively shrank its neck to avoid him.

But Lu Xirong simply tapped the monkey's breastplate: "You're the head of the cauldron now, you need to set an example for your fellow soldiers, they're all counting on you."

The monkey turned to look at his comrades in the tent and found that everyone was looking at him, especially Paco. The big, burly man's eyes were filled with fear, and the memory of his last battle was clearly still tormenting him.

The monkey gritted its teeth and nodded.

"boom!"

The clarion call sounded.

A small figure leaped out from the edge of the field: "Um... um..."

The short acting company commander hesitated for a long time before finally roaring like a wild beast: "Follow me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he was the first to rush towards the north gate of Green Valley Town.

Behind him, soldiers surged out of the fields like a tide, heading towards the small town with green walls and red tiles in the center of the valley.

The cannon, which had also been holding back its pent-up energy, finally unleashed a powerful roar, tearing the tower of Green Valley Town to shreds.

……

The battle in Green Valley Town was already over before it was even completely dark.

When Peter Bunir led his men to blow open the north gate and storm the south town, they were surprised to find that their allies had already cleared the defenders of the high walls and were taking prisoners in a chaotic frenzy throughout the town.

The "honorary officers" who remained in Green Valley were immediately escorted to Winters' command post.

After a brief interrogation, Winters and Mason looked at each other, utterly bewildered and amused.

It turns out that Green Valley Town was actually guarded by only two hundred-man squads. Long before the troops were dispatched, Sanel and Chloe had decided to use the river to transport supplies, so the importance of the land supply line was greatly reduced.

The "honorary officer" defending Green Valley Town knew that he had too few troops and that his defensive position was particularly dangerous.

He was somewhat clever, so he hastily made more than a dozen flags, pretending that there were two large battalions of troops stationed in Green Valley Town, hoping to scare away the enemy.

Then, he met Winters Montagne.

"Spare me! My lord! Have mercy!" The honorary officer knelt on the ground in a sorry state, begging for mercy with tears streaming down his face. "I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Have mercy on me, my lord!"

Andrei grew angrier the more he looked at the captured honorary officer. He stepped forward and kicked him, yelling, "Crying! You dare call yourself a soldier?"

The captured honorary officer cried even harder: "I just paid money to get an officer's rank, I never thought I'd actually be fighting! Ahhh!"

Andrei yelled angrily and stormed off to find Major Seber to relieve him.

Mason was also helpless. He pulled up the captured honorary officer and brushed the dust off his clothes: "Sigh, if you didn't do these tricks, I could save some shells."

Winters sighed, but still objectively praised his opponent: "Even if you only wasted our time, you did your job to the best of your ability. You did well, don't cry."

The captured honorary officer wiped away his tears, revealing a still-childish face. He sobbed and asked, "Sir, who exactly are you?"

Mason cleared his throat and, before Winters could react, introduced with a smile: "This is Winters Montagne—the Blood of the Wolf."

This caused the captured honorary officer to burst into tears again.

Senior Mason couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Winters signaled to Heinrich to keep an eye on the prisoners, then summoned Charles and the scribe Jacob Green, and dictated some orders regarding the receipt of supplies and the defense of the city, which Charles then personally delivered to Tamas and Bart Sharling.

While Winters dictated the orders, Jacob secretly observed the honorary officer who was wailing loudly.

He waited until the crying subsided before returning to the side of the captured honorary officer.

Winters, in a fit of desperation, patted the honorary officer on the shoulder: "Since you know who I am, I don't need to say anything more. I ask, you answer. Lie, die; don't lie, live."

The captured honorary officer nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

"name."

"Daniel."

Surname.

"Méser".

"Place of origin."

"Maplestone City".

The sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, growing ever closer. Winters looked up in the direction of the sound and casually asked the captured honorary officer, "Tell me something I don't know."

The captured honorary officer was taken aback.

Seeing that it was Pierre who had arrived, Winters felt relieved. He turned around and glanced at the captured honorary officer.

The captured honorary officer, Mercer Daniel, shuddered and hurriedly replied, "I have a sister! She's as beautiful as an angel!"

The guards around couldn't help but laugh.

Winters barely suppressed the urge to slap the kid in front of him and said coldly, "Military intelligence!"

After thinking for a while, Mercer Daniels suddenly shouted, "Reinforcements have arrived!"

While Mercer Daniels was deep in thought, Pierre arrived at the command post.

He dismounted and strode over to Winters, whispering in his ear, "Centurion, reinforcements have arrived!"

"Where are the reinforcements from?" Winters frowned.

Pierre calmly replied, "Maplestone City."

“Kingsburg!” Mercer Daniels shouted hastily.

Holding pre-war military deliberation meetings is considered a fine military tradition of Plato, essentially a custom left over from the nomadic era. Military deliberation, in effect, is military democracy, a practice present in many nomadic tribal societies where might makes right.
During the Battle of the Great Wilderness, Plato's expeditionary force held several pre-battle military conferences to discuss how to meet the enemy. However, at that time, the lowest-ranking officers participating were field officers. The situation in the newly reclaimed lands was different; after nearly two years of troop expansion, junior officers often actually commanded more than a battalion, thus qualifying them to attend the conferences.
[Captain Loson is a newly introduced character, and one of Skull's favorites.]
[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)