Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 434 The Great Alliance Marches Forward (Part 7)
The green valley is burning.

The once lush, verdant valley has now turned into a red valley.

The fire on the south bank spread up the mountain and, instead of being extinguished, became increasingly out of control; ash and embers drifted across the Niuxi River, and the wheat fields on the north bank were also set ablaze.

The valley walls were ablaze with firelight, and the Oxbeam River, reflecting the flames, looked like molten glass. The clouds were painted with the colors of hell by the revelry of demons, and the alluring yet terrifying river of blood could be seen even from kilometers away over Green Valley Town.

Major Alder Felt merged the remaining three well-organized infantry battalions into a large square. As he attempted to regroup, black-clad cavalrymen continuously emerged from the thick fog, launching surprise attacks from all sides on the still-assembling square, intending to utterly crush Felt's forces.

Felt not only had to do everything in his power to repel the enemy's light cavalry attacks, but also had to do his utmost to prevent the large square formation from collapsing on its own.

Fortunately, the black-clad cavalry, armed only with a Platto saber and a small Hedde horse, lacked the ability to deliver a decisive blow; they could only launch intimidating charges and were unable to break through the hail of bullets.

The enemy infantry did not catch up—the fire isolated the battlefield, cutting Felt's forces in half and causing considerable trouble for the enemy.

Major Felt's troops fought and retreated, eventually reaching an unnamed farm outside the valley.

In the southwest corner of the farm stands a large granary with half-meter-thick stone walls and two stories high; it serves as a shared granary for the villagers.

When Felt passed by this place in the afternoon, he immediately noticed the sturdy and tall building.

So when he led the remnants of three large battalions to retreat outside the valley, he immediately occupied this large granary.

It was the lean season, and the barn was empty except for some hay.

Felt ordered firing holes to be drilled in the barn wall and also ordered the demolition of farmhouses near the barn to clear the firing line.

Timber and stones salvaged from farmhouses were used to reinforce barns, while items that could not be taken were burned.

After buying himself a little breathing space, Major Felt finally found an opportunity to take stock of the losses:

The Sixth Battalion, which had entered Green Valley Town, was completely wiped out—if it weren't for Felt's cautious nature, the remaining five battalions would probably have faced the same fate as the Sixth Battalion.
The seventh and eighth battalions, which were at the front of the marching order, also ceased to exist. The battalion commanders were nowhere to be found, the unit's structure was destroyed, and only a few scattered routs escaped.

The Ninth and Tenth Battalions escaped the disaster because of their rearward location, but a small number of soldiers had already deserted in the chaos, and the remaining soldiers were filled with anxiety and had lost all will to fight.

In addition to the loss of personnel, Felt's troops also lost all their supply wagons, along with food, ammunition, and equipment.

Under normal circumstances, Old Felt would probably already be considering which era's war history to choose as the focus of his life's research.

However, Major Felt at this moment has no energy left to think about anything, not even the day after tomorrow, let alone plan for the future.

At this moment, he was only thinking about one thing—how to get through the night?
The residents of this unnamed farm have discovered that their home has become a battlefield, and they are fleeing with their families overnight.

Standing on the barn roof, Major Felt could see wagons laden with livestock and people fleeing along the main road, heading away from Green Valley. And in the direction of Green Valley, the fire still burned.

The flickering, dim lights almost formed a line, and the faint sound of children crying could be heard in the wind.

The sight before him made Felt inexplicably sad, but he soon lost all interest in being sentimental.

Perhaps the burning farmhouses attracted the enemy's attention, because shortly after Felt ordered the line of fire to be cleared, the enemy caught up.

It was completely dark by then, and the fire at the farmhouse temporarily blocked out the darkness around the barn.

However, in places untouched by the firelight, in the depths of the night, the black-clad cavalry once again emerged from the thick fog.

At first, there were only scattered hoofbeats, then more and more cavalrymen joined in the chorus, as if they were performing some kind of mysterious ritual, rushing around the granary where the Felt tribe was located without stopping.

In the end, the sound of thunderous hooves echoed from all sides of the barn, making it impossible to tell how many enemy cavalrymen were galloping through the darkness.

The morale of some of the defeated soldiers trapped inside the barn was also driven to the brink of collapse.

"Wolves! That's not a man! It's a wolf!" A disheveled soldier threw down his weapon and scrambled toward the barn door, shouting frantically, "I've seen wolves! Wolves run around their prey! Only wolves run around their prey! This is a sacrifice! The wolves are offering us up as sacrifices to the devil! Run! Run for your lives!"

Without Felt even needing to say a word, Lieutenant Kadar, who was guarding the gate, knocked the crazed deserter to the ground with a single punch.

Kadar stepped on the deserter's back, grabbed his hair, gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and looked at the major questioningly.

Felt hesitated, then shook his head.

Kadar stuck his sword into the crack in the brickwork, ordered his men to tie the deserter up tightly, and stuff his mouth with straw.

Throughout the entire process, the crazed deserter struggled desperately, whimpering and screaming incoherently.

The other soldiers' attention was drawn to the crazed deserter, and they watched silently as Lieutenant Kadar brought the deserter under control, lost in their own thoughts.

Major Felt signaled to Lieutenant Kadar to take the deserters into the barn attic and keep them under separate guard, so as not to further demoralize the already low morale.

"Wolves? Demons? That's all nonsense!" Major Felt said loudly on purpose. "I think he's been scared out of his wits!"

Felt patted the walls and doors of the barn, feigning nonchalance, trying to downplay the impact of the recent incident: "This house is very sturdy; it could even be used as a fortress. If the rebels could break in, they would have done so already! Why would they be crawling around like ants outside? Tonight, each hundred-man squad will take turns on watch, and the rest of you should get some rest."

The barn was silent except for the booming sounds coming from outside the walls.

The soldiers neither spoke nor rested as the major had suggested; they simply stood quietly in place, leaning on their weapons.

A soldier belonging to the Maplestone City Battalion mustered his courage and asked timidly, "Major, but I heard that among the rebel generals, there really is a wolf..."

The soldier asked the question in a very soft voice, but the barn was so quiet that everyone heard his trembling murmurs.

Major Felt was the last person he wanted to hear about the "wolf," but he had to maintain what little loyalty his soldiers had left. So he beckoned to them kindly: "Don't be afraid, come forward and say it out loud! What did you just say? There's a wolf among the rebel generals?"

No matter how much Major Felt waved, the soldier who asked the question didn't dare to step forward. A lieutenant, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed the soldier by the collar and dragged him to an open space in the center of the barn.

"What wolves? Wolves can be generals?" Major Felt looked around at the soldiers and asked with a smile, "Does it mean the orders are written on the food bowls, and the wolves follow the orders based on which bowl they eat from?"

Some soldiers from Xilin Province laughed along, but the soldiers from Maple Leaf Fortress showed no sign of a smile.

“No, not a wolf, a man, but also a wolf.” The soldier who asked the question swallowed hard, incoherently repeating the legend he had heard: “The rebels call him [Wolf Blood], some say it’s because he can turn into a wolf during the full moon…”

"So it's a nickname." Major Felt wondered what kind of officer would receive such a nickname, and his interest was piqued.

He pressed the soldier who had asked the question down on a pile of hay and encouraged him, “Don’t be afraid, speak slowly. Tell me everything you know about ‘wolf’s blood’.”

……

Just as Major Felt was listening to a story that had been passed down through countless hands, the protagonist of the legend he was listening to was less than five kilometers away from Green Valley Town.

The command post of the garrison of Tiefeng County is being moved.

The clerks at the command post destroyed communications and archives that could not be taken with them, while loading documents that could not be destroyed onto horses.

Without Captain Mason overseeing the operation, the relocation process at the command center lost its usual orderly style and appeared somewhat disorderly and chaotic.

Winters himself was organizing maps, and when Jacob Green entered the tent, he merely glanced up and nodded slightly.

“My lord,” Jacob bowed, “the clerks are all ready.”

Jacob cautiously glanced at the map on the tribunal's small table and was surprised to find that the parchment marked with complicated symbols was not a map of Green Valley, but rather a map of the valley and rivers of Long Lake Town, Snake Marsh and Bazenauer.

Winters was completely absorbed in his work on the map, taking measurements and writing calculations as he went, seemingly oblivious to the shouts and neighing of horses outside the tent: “Get ready and set off. The sooner you catch up with Tribunal Mason, the safer you will be.”

“Yes.” Jacob turned to leave, but he couldn’t resist the chance to peer into the Blood Wolf’s inner world and boldly asked, “You’ve just achieved a glorious victory, and you’re already setting your sights on the next one?” “A glorious victory?” Winters repeated the word, his tone full of sarcasm and bitterness.

“Yes, a glorious victory! At least that’s how I’ll record it!” Jacob insisted. “Four battalions against six battalions, crushing half and repelling the other half—at a negligible cost! If this isn’t a glorious victory, what is?”

"A negligible price?" Winters calmly retorted. "Look at the view outside the tent. I've turned Green Valley into Fire Valley."

"It's just a seasonal harvest. The withered trees will sprout new buds, the seeds will be sown again, and the green valley will eventually return to its original state."

"Maybe. But they'll never trust us again."

Jacob fell silent, carefully choosing his words: "These are all... the necessary price to pay for victory."

“Don’t try to comfort me, Mr. Green. I know what I’m doing. But that doesn’t change what I’ve done…” Winters paused for a moment, then continued scratching his ruler and charcoal pencil, “nor should I—and should not offer any comfort.”

Jacob fell silent and stayed quietly with Winters Montagne for a while. The latter did not send him away, but continued his calculations.

An angry footstep sounded outside the tent, and Cypher Carrington kicked open the tent flap and stepped inside.

Upon seeing that there were other people in the tent, Major Seber swallowed back the question that was already on the tip of his tongue. He stood by the door with his arms crossed, silently watching Jacob Green.

Jacob hurriedly took his leave.

The troublesome fellow had barely left the tent when Major Cyber's roar rang out: "Why didn't you let me give chase?!"

“Your light cavalry lacks the ability to attack fortified positions,” Winters explained rationally and with restraint. “Besides, they are too valuable. They have the courage to break through large phalanxes, but I don’t want to waste them on a head-on confrontation.”

"Where are your infantry?! Can't I take a siege?! And where is Captain Mason's cannon?!"

"The fire is out of control, and the infantry units have to retreat, or they will be swept into the fire. Captain Mason's artillery has already withdrawn, and without artillery support, a head-on confrontation with the phalanx would result in heavy casualties."

Major Seiber was practically going berserk, his roars growing louder and louder: "High casualties? When we should be pressing our advantage, you're worried about casualties?! Do you know that once the United Provincial Government gets a foothold, we'll suffer even higher, higher, higher casualties than we are now?!"

"We can only accept the fact that we cannot completely annihilate the enemy today."

"You missed your chance!"

The two men's voices carried outside the tent, startling the guards and causing them to shrink back. The clerks tried their best to stay far away, not daring to even listen in.

Another series of heavy footsteps sounded, and Andrei, shirtless, lifted the tent flap and walked into the tent with his head down—it was Jacob Green who had run to find him.

Upon seeing Major Seber spitting at Winters from his superior position, Andrei was not angry but rather pleased.

"Don't look at me, I'm not here to mediate. Only Mason would do something as thankless as mediating a fight, I don't care."

Andrei leisurely strolled to the other end of the tent and poured himself a glass of water—Winters' tent only had plain water.

He turned around, leaned against the small dresser, and said with great interest, "Besides, I've always been curious about which of you two has the better swordsmanship."

Major Seber gave a light snort, straightened his back, and quickly straightened his old military uniform.

He took a deep breath, gripped his saber, and said coldly, "The fire on the south bank has already reached the mountains, and the provincial highway is perfectly passable. The Allied forces are just outside Green Valley, and my men have already pinpointed their location. If we set off now, we still have a chance to annihilate them in one fell swoop. Any later, and that Allied man will have fortified that granary like a tortoise shell!"

“We will not waste any more time on them.” Winters paused for a moment, then pulled out a map from the bottom of a stack of maps of different scales and handed it to the major. “Bazenaur’s troops have been replenished, and Colonel Bode’s forces are at a disadvantage. We need to join up with Colonel Bode as soon as possible.”

Seber took the map, frowned, and asked, "Are you sure the other half of the puppet government's legion has arrived in Bazenaul? Maybe they're still on the ship."

“Unless I see it with my own eyes, I can’t be sure. But intelligence from different sources can currently corroborate each other.” Winters handed Seber a declassified letter: “This is the latest report from Colonel Bode. The colonel has discovered the whereabouts of the enemy’s main force. Among the enemy’s main force, there are flags that do not belong to the New Reclamation Legion—which also confirms the information we already know.”

After a moment of silence, Seber gritted his teeth and said, "Emotionally, I want you to go and support Colonel Bode as soon as possible. But rationally, I still think it's a more prudent strategy to annihilate the enemy at hand before advancing on Maplestone."

“I’ve seen Maple Leaf Castle; it’s a very fortified fortress.” Winters shook his head slightly. “To take it down with the artillery we have is nothing short of a pipe dream.”

Winters had a good reason, but with such a tempting prize right in front of him, who would give up without a try?

Seber eagerly added, "Maple Leaf Fortress is certainly difficult to attack, but Maple Stone City's defenses are very weak! Maple Stone City is the essence of the newly reclaimed province! Wealth! Population! Resources! It has everything! If we take Maple Stone City, all the supplies and weapons that Adams has accumulated will be ours! We can recruit soldiers and rebuild the New Reclamation Legion."

Andrei, who was standing to the side, nodded repeatedly.

Winters retorted firmly but unequivocally: "The army is everything to us. If Colonel Bode's main force is defeated, then even if we temporarily gain Maplestone, we will lose it again sooner or later. If we can defeat Colonel Sanel's forces, then even if we give up Maplestone today, we can take it back sooner or later."

“I’m worried.” Seber’s voice was no longer as loud as it had been at the beginning, and his face had turned ashen. “If we miss this opportunity, we may never be able to take Maplestone City and Mapleleaf Castle.”

Winters also stood up, looked directly at Cyber, and said firmly, "Even so, we will never betray our allies!"

Sylph was cornered by Winters's gaze. He gritted his teeth and stomped his foot: "Fine! Let's do it!"

Having made up his mind, Cypher Carrington no longer hesitated and reverted to his usual unruly demeanor.

He licked his fangs and said coldly, "But I must warn you, if the troops from the other three counties have already made contact with the main enemy force, then even if we rush to join Colonel Bode now, it will probably be too late!"

Seber leaned on the folding table and drew an invisible line along "Green Valley," "Silver Pass," "Long Lake Town," and "Snake Marsh": "Even if we march day and night, it will take at least two days to get from Green Valley to the north—two days is the most optimistic estimate. A large portion of your troops are infantry! By the time they reach the battlefield on foot, Colonel Bode and Sanel will have already decided the outcome!"

“I know.” Winters pointed to the single-page map in Seber’s hand. “I have a solution too.”

It was only then that Seber began to focus his attention on the map Winters had handed him. He studied it for a while, trying to match the lines and markings on the map with the mountains and rivers in his memory.

When he truly realized what the map meant, even the daring Cypher broke out in a cold sweat.

“You…this…I…” Cypher couldn’t utter a complete sentence for a long time, and finally stared wide-eyed as he asked, “What about the United Provinces’ army outside Green Valley? If they catch up with us, we’re all doomed!”

“Judging from Major Alder Felt’s performance, he is a conservative and extremely cautious commander.” Winters sat back in his troop chair, toying with the shepherd’s knife in his hand. “It was his caution that saved his troops today.”

"Careful," Andrei scoffed. "I think he's just a coward!"

This time, it was Major Seiber's turn to nod in agreement. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Not bad luck either!"

“Caution is a valuable quality.” Winters’ fingertips traced the blade as he pondered, “However, perhaps we can make Major Felt’s ‘caution’ work for us.”

“Then…” Seber asked unwillingly, “Are we just going to let him go like this?”

“Who said we’d let him go?” Winters raised an eyebrow. “I just said we can’t wipe him out today.”

Seber was dumbfounded, and Andrei was equally bewildered.

"Hey! Don't talk big!" Major Seber slammed his fist on the table, somewhat annoyed. "While the provincial lads aren't much in the field, they're experts at defending the city! The more time you give him, the more trouble it will be to deal with him. Besides, once we go to meet up with Colonel Bode, where will we find the extra troops to deal with him?"

“Major Seb Carrington,” Winters unusually addressed Seb by his full name. “While you are an expert in using light cavalry, your thinking is still that of the Paratists, always seeking to end all battles in a single major engagement, within a morning or even an hour.”

"Captain Montagne!" Seber instantly flew into a rage: "If we don't use the Paratulans' methods, are we supposed to use the barbarians' methods?!"

Winters stood up and slammed the dagger in his hand onto the table: "That's right! The next battle will be fought using the methods of the Herd tribes! If the Herd methods allow us to win with fewer casualties, then it proves that the Herd tactics are superior! Whatever method works, I will use it! I will never waste the lives of my soldiers!"

Seber was speechless for a moment, and Andrei behind him belatedly asked, "You sent that kid Pierre out with the troops just for this?"

“Yes.” Winters pulled a knife from the table and said calmly, “Major Old Felt will be under Pierre Mitchell’s command.”

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(End of this chapter)