Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 432 The Great Alliance Marches Forward (Part 5)
[Kyeongho County]
[Outskirts of Green Valley Town]
Far from the lush forests of Qingmeng Mountain, the terrain becomes increasingly flat.

Major Alder Felt stood on a mound by the roadside, his gaze stretching along the sun-dried road, where the town of Green Valley with its green walls and red tiles was already faintly visible in the center of the valley.

Beside him, six battalions, totaling more than 3,000 soldiers, a mix of the "Sixth Legion" and the "New Reclamation Legion," were marching toward Green Valley Town.

Major Felt gazed at Green Valley Town under the setting sun, and the unease that had been lingering in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

What others see as a peaceful and tranquil valley town is, in Felt's eyes, like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast, waiting for its prey to walk into its trap.

The reason Old Felt felt this way was not because the journey from McMurray to Green Valley was difficult.

On the contrary, the small group of rebel cavalry that had been bothering them vanished overnight after they left McMurray and headed to Green Valley.

It was as if an invisible giant hand had gently wiped the rebel light cavalry off the canvas. Felt's troops were never harassed again, and the journey from Wheat Hill to Green Valley was peaceful.

Honored officers at all levels were overjoyed, and the morale of the rank-and-file soldiers was also greatly boosted.

After all, the situation of "being arrested even for urinating on the roadside" put everyone under tremendous pressure; in contrast, although marching was tiring, at least there was no danger to one's life.

But Felt couldn't laugh at all. He subconsciously touched the newly scabbed wound on his cheek—a souvenir left by a small squad of fierce rebel light cavalry.

……

Without warning, the other party leaped out from the reverse slope of the roadside mound and charged straight at Felt like lightning.

Because the enemy was riding captured horses and dressed in the attire of their own light cavalry, no one, including Felt, had time to react.

By the time Felt came to his senses, more than twenty rebel cavalrymen had already rushed up to him.

The surrounding soldiers scattered in panic, and Felt tumbled off his horse in a sorry state, hiding among the soldiers to escape. The cut on his face, which had just scabbed over, was left at that moment.

Felt's entourage was not so lucky; along with the two honorary officers present, they were all killed in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, the rebel cavalry were not only ruthless in their attacks, but also decisive in their retreat. When the lead rebel cavalryman saw that his first strike had failed, he blew a whistle, and the twenty-odd rebel cavalrymen immediately fled into the distance.

By the time their own light cavalry rushed to the rescue, the rebel cavalry had already disappeared behind the hillside.

……

Recalling that harrowing moment, Major Felt unconsciously reached out and touched the wound on his face.

Although the rebels' "killing blow" failed, it left a deep scar on Felt's mind.

The hard scab covering the wound served as a reminder to Felt that his enemies were cunning, ruthless, and decisive, drawing their swords without hesitation and sheathing them without fuss, unlike the desperate and vulnerable rebels portrayed in the Great Council's propaganda.

This also gave Felt a deeper understanding of the meaning of "the swift and elusive Palatine cavalry".

Vastly different natural and cultural environments shaped vastly different arts of war.

In the former Duchy of the Foothills, and today in the Republic of the United Provinces, war was fought outside the bastions, in the trenches, and on small polders between fortified towns.

Therefore, the provincial armies were good at defending cities, skilled at besieging cities, adept at earthwork, and accustomed to making short-distance maneuvers between two cities.

In the latter half of the Sovereignty War, it was by relying on fortified towns that the United Provinces finally stopped the mad emperor who was leading the army in person, ensuring that Plato and Veneta were not affected by the war and ultimately achieving victory.

However, in the vast Plato—especially in the newly reclaimed lands with extremely low levels of development—the war was fought on endless plains, rolling hills, and towering forests.

Between villages lay vast stretches of wasteland, and between towns lay impassable distances. The journey from the seat of Xilin Province to Maplestone City alone was longer than the distance that stretched across the entire province from north to south.

"Speed! Speed! Speed!" Major Felt exclaimed belatedly, "An army lacking speed and mobility will only be beaten at every turn in Palatour!"

Major Felt vaguely regretted his rash decision to accept the mission of leading half a legion into battle, and his ambition to achieve great things was also dampened by the imminent threat.

He did not believe that the enemy would relinquish their numerical advantage in cavalry and allow him to pass undisturbed along the road between Minehill and Green Valley.

Moreover, Felt was certain that the enemy cavalry had not withdrawn, because although the harassment by small groups of scouts had ceased, his own light cavalry was still being firmly suppressed.

If his light cavalry dared to leave the sight of his main force, they would never appear on the horizon again.

The messengers sent by Felt disappeared without a trace, and the messengers from Bazenaul and Maplestone City have not appeared since the day before yesterday.

In the past, Felt often resorted to logic whenever he encountered a difficult problem.

But this time, his logic gave him an answer he was unwilling to accept:

Since the enemy cavalry can still firmly suppress our own cavalry, it proves that they still have the ability to "weaken our own troops through continuous harassment".

If someone has the ability but doesn't use it, ignoring the possibility that the enemy commander is an incompetent and foolish person, then there is only one reasonable answer left—the enemy commander deliberately stopped the harassment of the exhausted enemy.

“The other side doesn’t want to slow down my march,” Felt thought. “Not only that, he’s also eagerly awaiting my arrival.”

Thinking of this, Felt looked at Green Valley Town, which was surrounded by farms and orchards, and felt that the seemingly peaceful town was actually full of hidden dangers. Even the flock of birds startled from the distant farmland seemed like a sign of the approaching enemy.

Felt then looked at his troops: nearby, soldiers carrying weapons strode forward, silently following those in front; in the distance, the tips of spears floated above ears of wheat.

In fact, Felt didn't even need to look; the entire marching column was already in his mind:
Six brigades, totaling thirty-six teams of one hundred men each, were lined up in order on the road;

Three battalions were in the front section, three battalions were in the rear section, and the supply wagons were protected in the middle section;

Although he had ordered the troops to advance in the densest eight-column formation, with 100-man squads as the smallest unit, the size of the troops inevitably caused the marching column to extend for two kilometers, stretching the entire army's formation into a long strip.

As for the enemy forces?

According to the information Felt received, the main enemy force had bypassed the Qingyin Pass and was heading towards Bazenaur from the Qingmeng Town and Changhu Town line, "seeking to engage in a major battle with the newly established land expeditionary force."
Between Maplestone and Mirrorlake County, the enemy left only a few lightly armed cavalry units operating independently, whose purpose was likely to "monitor our movements in Maplestone and Vaughan," "create the illusion that the enemy's main force was about to attack Maplestone," and "intercept communication between Colonel Sanel's troops and Maplestone."

Until they left Mach, the enemy's performance was consistent with the intelligence Major Felt already possessed.

While small-scale cavalry harassment is difficult to prevent and severely damages troop morale, it also proves that the enemy force is small in size and lacks the ability to launch a frontal offensive.

However, the unusual calm along the way from McMurray to Green Valley made Major Felt sense that something was amiss.

However, what worried Major Felt more than the enemy's movements were his own men.

Major Felt's half of the "Sixth Legion" first trekked from Xilin Province to Xinkendi Province, rested briefly for one night in Maplestone City, and then marched non-stop toward Mirror Lake County.

The continuous march had severely depleted the soldiers' physical strength and willpower, and they urgently needed rest.

However, the battle situation did not allow them to rest. Felt's troops had to capture Qingyin Pass as soon as possible, cut off the rebels' retreat, and ensure that not a single rebel officer escaped.

If the prey that has already fallen into the trap escapes, then Old Felt, who has finally gotten a chance to make a name for himself, can pack his bags and wait to return to the United Provinces to write the war history.

Felt couldn't help but feel frustrated. If it weren't for the various unfavorable conditions, he would have been confident in facing any enemy head-on simply by training five battalions of infantry.

But he quickly rallied—throughout history, generals and commanders have always overcome adverse conditions to achieve victory. "Sound the bugle," Major Felt ordered. "Halt the march and summon all officers to a meeting here."

The long marching column, due to "inertia," continued forward for a while before finally coming to a complete stop.

Officers of all ranks rode their horses and arrived one after another from various parts of the column at the mound where Major Felt was located.

Of all the officers, only six "battalion commanders" were graduates of the Army Academy, and all of them were recent graduates of the 22nd class who had just returned to China.

The remaining thirty-four "centurions" were all honorary officers appointed by the Grand Council—there would have been thirty-six if two hadn't been killed in an ambush on the way.

Green Valley Town was right in front of them, but the soldiers weren't in a hurry. Since they had a rare chance to rest, they all took the opportunity to rest on the spot.

On the contrary, the officers were impatient. As soon as everyone was assembled, someone asked eagerly, "Green Valley Town is just around the corner, Major, why are you halting the troops now?"

The question came from an honorary officer. Major Felt sighed and countered, "Haven't you noticed that the enemy hasn't harassed us like they have all day?"

"That's...they retreated?" the young honorary officer asked, his eyes wide.

Two of the battalion commanders crossed their arms impatiently.

Major Felt was quite tolerant, patiently explaining to the novice officer, "These light cavalry units operating independently don't retreat easily; their duty is to cover the battlefield. The further we advance, the greater the resistance they should give us. It's too quiet today; it's a bit strange."

The honorary officer who had asked the question remained silent.

"What do you think?" a battalion commander asked in a deep voice, "Their silence today is a concentration of forces, a desperate gamble?"

Major Felt nodded: "There is no reasonable explanation other than that."

The air grew heavy, and the honorary officers suddenly felt the evening breeze turn chilly.

Major Felt then changed the subject with a smile, saying, "But don't forget, we are a force to be reckoned with. As long as we don't lose our composure, they'll have to see if they have the teeth to devour us."

The atmosphere eased a bit, and some people chuckled quietly in agreement.

Felt gazed at Green Valley Town in the setting sun, his fingertips lightly tapping the hilt of his sword. "Our communications have been cut off. None of the messengers sent to Green Valley Town have returned; the messenger cavalry regularly dispatched from Bazenauer have also disappeared in the past few days. To prepare for the worst—Green Valley Town, and even Silver Pass, may have already fallen. The rebels won't sit idly by while their supply lines are cut off. If they want to prevent us from controlling Silver Pass, then Green Valley Town is their last and best chance."

Several battalion commanders nodded in agreement.

“So we’re not in a hurry to enter Green Valley Town.” Major Felt waved his hand. “Send another light cavalry squad to Green Valley Town to find out the situation first. The battalion commander stays behind, and the centurion goes back to prepare. If nothing unexpected happens, we’ll camp outside Green Valley Town tonight.”

"Yes!"

Three light cavalrymen were dispatched to Green Valley Town. Their figures darted swiftly through the wheat fields and tree branches, and they soon arrived at the high walls of Green Valley Town.

The gate rose, letting the three cavalrymen in.

A short while later, the gate rose again, and three cavalrymen rushed out, galloping back to Major Felt's temporary command post.

"My lord," the lead cavalryman reported, sweating profusely but overjoyed, "there are no enemies in Green Valley Town!"

Major Felt remained noncommittal, simply asking, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"I saw it with my own eyes!" The light cavalry squad leader thumped his chest and swore, "The old mayor said that there was still a group of rebels in Green Valley until yesterday, but they all left during the day today. They must have heard that we were coming and ran away!"

The captains present looked at each other in bewilderment.

Major Felt frowned: "Withdrawn? Withdrawn to where?"

"They retreated towards Qingyin Pass!" The light cavalry squad leader pointed to the distant Qingyin Mountain and vividly recounted, "The old town mayor said that the rebels not only took away all the supplies stored by the legion, but also looted all the grain and fodder in the town! The wagons were all loaded high, and they left one after another, taking a whole morning to completely pass by!"

"Scrape it clean? Is there enough time?" A captain chuckled contemptuously. "The 'old mayor' has quite a few tricks up his sleeve, doesn't he? He's afraid we'll come and take over their territory too."

"Perhaps the rebels really have retreated?" another battalion commander asked optimistically. "Maybe they realized they were outnumbered? Or maybe they're planning to defend Qingyin Pass?"

Major Felt remained noncommittal and continued to ask the light cavalryman, "How many rebels are there?"

"Several hundred, I guess?" The light cavalry squad leader scratched the back of his head and said hesitantly, "The old town mayor said he didn't know either. The rebels didn't enter the town, nor were they allowed into the rebel camp. But according to him, the camp wasn't very big."

Major Felt rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

"Major." A battalion commander stepped forward and volunteered, "How about I take a hundred-man squad and go check it out? Whether it's a snake pit or a beast den, we'll know once we step in."

Major Felt shook his head, then nodded: "We should send someone to take a look, but not you—you should choose a centurion."

Soon, an honorary officer led a squad of soldiers and swaggered into Green Valley Town.

A moment later, the honorary officer rode out at breakneck speed, reporting the victory to Major Felt: "Great victory! Major! There are no enemies in the town! We have recaptured Green Valley Town without bloodshed!"

Felt's brow furrowed even more. He pondered for a moment, then ordered the captain who had just volunteered: "Take your men and move into Green Valley. Remember, search the town first, then take control of the city gates. Report to me immediately if anything happens... Oh, and bring the mayor to me. I want to question him personally."

"Yes, sir!" The officer, a graduate of the Army Academy, saluted, accepted the order, and left.

Soon, five hundred-man squads separated from the column and marched in a grand procession toward Green Valley.

Another battalion commander asked hesitantly, "Then... what about us? Major?"

Major Felt pursed his lips, finally making up his mind: "We won't go into town; we'll spend the night outside of it."

He stood on the mound and gazed around, hesitating for a long time before finally choosing a good spot. He pointed with his whip and said, "Order the whole army to set up camp on that meadow tonight!"

Meanwhile, on the meadow that Major Felt pointed at with his riding crop, Andrei, lying in the tall grass, was cursing loudly: "[angry, sky-high profanities]! Aren't you going into town yet? Is that guy named Alder Felt some kind of bastard? How can he be so cowardly?! Bastard! Rabbit! Mouse! [furious, sky-high profanities]!"

With nowhere to vent his frustration, Andrei stared with bloodshot eyes, looking left and right, then suddenly grabbed a handful of grass and bit down hard, trying not to make a sound: "[Indistinct monosyllabic profanity]!!!"

Winters, standing beside Andrei, glanced at the setting sun, squinted slightly, and looked at his waiting subordinates: "Although the enemy hasn't fully entered the ambush zone yet, waiting until it's completely dark will be detrimental to our reorganization. If Major Seber can't restrain himself and acts prematurely, our preparations are more likely to be in vain."

Andrei instantly perked up, spitting out the grass stem in his mouth and becoming radiant.

"All units," Winters calmly ordered, "proceed with the plan."

……

On a road not far from Green Valley Town, the light cavalry of the Felt tribe, who were marching, suddenly found that their warhorses were becoming restless.

Immediately afterwards, the soldiers watched in horror as thick smoke swept across the fields of winter wheat, which were already turning yellow and ready for harvest, and hurtled towards them from both sides of the road.

Then came the towering flames.

[However, that's all for today...]
[This chapter focuses largely on the situation faced by "Old Felt," the decisions he made, and the reasons behind those decisions.]
[I originally intended to write about Winters' decisions and the reasons behind them, continuing until the end of Midoriya's part, but... I didn't have time...]
[So, to be continued...]
[Furthermore, the story of someone being arrested and killed for simply using the roadside toilet is not something I made up. I have seen similar descriptions in the records of at least four wars of different eras, regions, ethnicities, and types. These include, but are not limited to: the Russian campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars, Liu and Deng's advance into the Dabie Mountains, the Vietnam War, and the Pacific War of World War II… Often, an army may appear to "occupy" a certain area, but in reality, it can only control the roads—not even including the drainage ditches on either side of the roads, just the roads themselves. In such situations, going down to the road to use the toilet is truly dangerous, because you never know if there is an enemy hiding by the roadside…]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
(End of this chapter)