Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 436 The Great Alliance Marches Forward (Part 9)
"Qiang."

"Qiang."

"Qiang."

When sabers clashed, sparks flew and a resounding clang echoed.

Two light cavalry officers were locked in fierce combat on horseback, and were almost indistinguishable from each other if it weren't for the different colored silk ribbons wrapped around their arms.

Because they not only dressed similarly and were of similar age, but even the stabbing techniques they used were taught by the same teacher.

The sabers whistled as they drew graceful arcs around the two men; the terrified warhorses neighed and kicked and bit each other.

The two lieutenants went back and forth, as if performing some kind of special dance.

However, what they held in their hands were neither harmless tools nor wooden swords for practice, but terrifying weapons that could easily tear flesh and shatter bones.

The "performance venue" was neither a training ground nor a stage in an auditorium, but merely a nameless patch of wilderness near an obscure little village.

The curved-blade sabers danced up and down, as nimbly as an extension of an arm; there were no referees or spectators, and the two lieutenants used their superb skills, which only the other could appreciate, to try their best to take each other's lives.

In this deadly contest, the older man with the white ribbon tied around his arm—Captain Loson of Rykeshire—ultimately prevailed.

As the cold glint of the blade flashed before his eyes, Loson raised his sword to parry, simultaneously using his knees to steer his horse in the opposite direction. Seizing the fleeting opportunity, he took control of his opponent's weak side and swung a fierce slash from his shoulder.

The lieutenant, whose arm was tied with a red ribbon, had no choice but to adopt an extremely awkward defensive posture, inadvertently exposing the side of his general's sword to Loson's blade.

The military knife in his hand let out a faint sigh. The lattice defects hidden deep inside the knife grew rapidly under the influence of enormous stress, eventually leading to disastrous consequences.

The red-ribbon lieutenant's saber was severed by Captain Loson's powerful strike.

Captain Loson's steel blade still possessed considerable power, and he immediately left another horrifying wound on his opponent's back.

The wound stretched from the shoulder to the spine, blood gushing out and instantly soaking through the uniform. Amidst the blurred lines of flesh and blood, the stark white bone fragments were faintly visible.

The officer with the red ribbon tied around his shoulder let out a chilling scream as he spurred his horse and galloped wildly northward.

The situation took a dramatic turn in an instant during this small-scale cavalry encounter outside the river valley village.

The surviving cavalrymen of the newly established settlement were all wounded. Upon seeing their officers retreating with serious injuries, they immediately scattered and fled.

Captain Loson watched his opponent leave without pursuing him. Blood dripped from his saber onto the overgrown ground.

The battle that took place in River Valley Village has not yet been named, and both sides have feared it, cursed it, and longed for it for a very long time.

But in reality, it's only just begun.

Without taking stock of the spoils, Captain Loson led his six men, who were still able to ride, straight eastward at breakneck speed. After crossing several low hills, a large army that was advancing suddenly appeared before him.

What a magnificent sight it was!
The forest of spears pointed diagonally to the sky, drawing an insurmountable straight line on the earth;
Soldiers in full armor, holding gleaming halberds, led the army from the very front of the battle line.

The hooves of the cavalry on both flanks kicked up a cloud of dust, and the ornate feathers on the riders' heads rippled with each stride of their horses.

Behind the enemy lines, Captain Loson also noticed a large column flanking south of the village of River Valley—flying a flag that did not belong to the New Reclamation Corps.

Captain Loson wanted to observe a little longer, but like a beehive and an ant colony, when an army acts in unison, it behaves like a living, intelligent creature.

Soon, the "living creature" being spied on discovered that unidentified cavalrymen had appeared beside it.

Two cavalry units immediately rushed out from both flanks, resembling outstretched arms, and "embraced" Captain Loson and his party.

Captain Loson did not linger and ordered a retreat without hesitation, speeding towards River Valley Village with the latest intelligence on the enemy.

……

[Kyeongho County]
[River Valley Village]
River Valley Village is located on the northern slope of Yinque Mountain, perched on a small mound at the mouth of the river valley, hence its name.

Because of the terrain, the streams that converge in the valley turn in front of it, forming a U-shaped bend; also because of the terrain, the provincial highway also winds around the village, leaving an abrupt corner.

However, its terrain is not so high as to be insurmountable, nor is the stream that shelters it so deep as to be uncrossable.

Just like its unremarkable name, River Valley Village is also an inconspicuous place.

Church, farmhouse, dirt road, small vegetable plots in the backyard, large fields surrounding the settlement...

It consisted of only a dozen or so households and a dilapidated church, just like any farm in the newly reclaimed province—ordinary, peaceful, and untouched by the world.

Even the vast majority of villagers are unclear whether they fall under the jurisdiction of Changhu Town or Sheze Town.

However, regardless of whether River Valley Village was special or innocent, fate chose it to bear the brunt of war, without any reason or consent.

The allied forces from four counties were pouring into the small farm, and with each passing second, the number of soldiers in the village was increasing.

Elno, a new recruit from Baishan County, was one of them.

When the bugle sounded, Elno was confused; when he heard the order to depart, he was at a loss. He followed Lieutenant Woods across the wheat field and straight into the valley village, completely bewildered.

Things were definitely getting serious, because Lieutenant Woods, who was usually so amiable, began to give orders in a stern tone.

Even though he was already behind the low wall made of rubble, what Erno was thinking about most was the pot of meat soup that was cooking in the camp.

"I forgot to extinguish the campfire," Erno thought dejectedly. "The soup is definitely going to burn."

The more he thought about it, the more regretful he felt; the more he missed it, the sadder he became. After all, it was a pot of meat soup, containing not only chicken and duck, but also plenty of onions and carrots. Since leaving Baishan County, it was the only food he had ever looked forward to.

So when Lieutenant Woods patrolled along the wall and came to his side, Elno mustered up his courage and asked the lieutenant, "Sir, may I go back to the camp?"

The soldiers around Erno all turned their gazes to this dim-witted recruit. The sergeant hesitated, but ultimately didn't dare to speak.

Woods, gripping his sword, unconsciously frowned: "What are you going to do?"

"When I came out, I forgot to turn off the fire under the soup pot," Erno answered softly. "I...I want to go back and take the pot down. The soup was so good; it would be such a waste if it burned..."

Woods stared at Elno for a while, realizing that the other man was neither mocking him nor trying to desert, because he remembered who the person in front of him was—a recruit who never slacked off and was always sent to do hard and tiring work.

Lieutenant Woods, an engineer, fell silent. He didn't know how to explain to the simple young farmer what was about to happen. So, in the end, the lieutenant simply patted the recruit on the arm and left without saying a word.

After the lieutenant left, the squad leader approached Erno, his gaze towards the latter quite complex: "You're really lucky. Aren't you afraid of being executed by your superior as a deserter to establish authority?"

"Why?" Erno asked, puzzled. "Why treat me like a deserter?"

The squad leader was instantly enraged. He pointed eastward and shouted, "Don't you understand? The rebels are coming soon!"

Erno was so frightened that he shrank his neck and nodded frantically.

The sergeant, too lazy to explain further, turned and left.

Only after the quartermaster had gone far away did Erno dare to ask in a voice only he could hear, "But...but the rebels...the rebels haven't come yet, have they?"

Yes, from Elno's position, the plains east of the valley village are empty, with nothing special to be seen except for the dust floating behind the outline of the hills.

However, the distance between the "rebels" loyal to the Grand Council and Elnor was not as far as Elnor had imagined. This distance was constantly shrinking as the "rebels" were advancing towards Valley Town according to their meticulously planned battle strategy.

A soldier guarding a small section of the wall could not possibly know this.

However, Colonel Bode's eyes were not blind to the deployment of the parliamentary army. Upon learning that Sanel had launched an offensive, Colonel Bode rushed to the high ground of the valley village—the church bell tower.

From the bell tower of the church in the valley village, one can see the movements of both armies within a radius of three kilometers.

In Colonel Bode's view, the first thing to appear on the distant horizon was the gleaming iron tip, then the dull sleeve, then the pitch-black rod, and finally the indistinct soldier.

The soldiers, their faces blurred, marched out in neat rows, their steps steady, emerging from behind the outline of the hills, only to be gradually swallowed up by the hills starting at their ankles.

But the so-called "engulfing" was just a visual illusion; the enemy had not disappeared, and they were heading straight for the river valley village.

Colonel Bode, holding onto the church bell, turned around and walked from one window to another.

On the fields west of the clock tower, soldiers from the three counties of Baishan, Leiqun, and Bianjiang were blindly converging on the village of River Valley. River Valley was too small to accommodate the troops from the three counties, so the army had camped in the fields west of the village the night before, with Colonel Bode specifically ordering them to avoid the soon-to-be-harvested farmland.

However, the military situation was urgent at this moment, and the officers could no longer worry about anything else, leading their men across the farmland. The yellowish-green wheat fields were trampled into winding "roads," like lines haphazardly drawn by a child on a canvas.

Colonel Bode frowned, returned to the east-facing window, stared at the distant smoke and dust, and subconsciously clutched his severed arm as he pondered the enemy's plans.

The Parliamentarian army's deployment appeared simple and brutal—arranging infantry squares in a straight line, placing cavalry at both ends of the line, and directly crushing towards the location of the Allied forces.

However, if the size of the enemy force as determined by the scouts is accurate, and if Sanel and Chloe are not bluffing, then they will certainly make full use of the Parliamentarian army's numerical advantage to outflank the Allied forces from the flanks as much as possible.

The only advantage that our side, which is at a disadvantage in terms of troop strength, can rely on is its terrain.

Unfortunately, the so-called "advantageous terrain" was not a natural barrier, but merely a small mound, a dozen or so farmhouses, and a small river that was not even knee-deep—but that was all the coalition forces had.

"Dong dong dong dong..."

The rapid, dull sound of boots pounding on the steps came from Colonel Bode's feet, and as the sound grew closer, Gaisa Adonis poked half his body out from the floor.

The top floor of the clock tower is too small to accommodate two people, so the garrison officer of Baishan County could only speak while standing on the steps.

"They want to surround us and wipe us out in one fell swoop," Colonel Geza reported succinctly. "Captain Loson confirmed that at least three battalions of enemy troops are advancing upstream, and they are not flying the New Reclamation Legion's flag."

Colonel Bode was not alarmed; instead, he felt a strange sense of relief. He unbuttoned his collar, pushed aside the bronze bell to make room for Colonel Geza, and nodded to signal the latter to go upstairs.
"Then, the size of the enemy force that we have ascertained and the intelligence sent by Montagne can corroborate each other—they are not using the New Reclamation Legion's flag, because that is not the New Reclamation Legion's troops at all, but the Sixth Legion sent by the Fortress of Kings."

Colonel Bode remarked, half admiringly and half jokingly, "That viper Grove Magnus... he really dares to bet! Apart from the newly expanded New Reclamation Expeditionary Force, which was expanded from the remnants of General Sackler's army, the Grand Council only has two newly formed corps in its field forces. He actually dared to bet half of his chips in one go. That's quite a bold move."

Colonel Gaisa squeezed his way to the top of the clock tower, and to avoid crowding his seniors, he leaned almost half his body out of the window.

Hearing his senior's words, Gaisa gritted his teeth, the veins on his fingers bulging as he gripped the window frame, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"Alpad and his gang are all useless! They actually allowed the puppet government to so easily spare half of their field troops to reclaim new land. If they could put even the slightest pressure on the Jinliu River defense line, the Kings' Fortress would never dare to mobilize troops like this!"

Colonel Bode's gaze swept across the newly cleared wilderness, and he breathed in the air, which was filled with the smell of dust, wilderness, and the sweetness of malt, before he spoke.

He neither complained that the military government on the north bank was not strong enough in containing the Kings' Fortress, nor did he pursue the responsibility for failing to build defensive fortifications in the River Valley Village in advance.

He simply leaned against the windowsill, laughing, and said, "Arpad won't hear your complaints. That half of the 'Sixth Army' that's flanking us is our problem now."

Gaisa lowered his head, his Adam's apple bobbing. After a long silence, he said guiltily, "Senior, my judgment was wrong... I'm sorry."

"Gesa Adonis actually apologized?" Colonel Bode laughed heartily, affectionately punching his junior on the shoulder. "From the day you entered the school, you've always been the toughest guy, always accepting punishment but never admitting your mistakes! What? After wasting a few years in the newly reclaimed land, has even this stone in the latrine been worn smooth down?"

Hearing Colonel Bode's seemingly disparaging but actually tolerant words, Geza felt even more guilty.

The day before, when the Allied forces arrived at River Valley, Colonel Bode proposed at the officers' meeting that River Valley had excellent terrain and could be expanded into a garrison camp; it could serve as the Allied forces' main camp and also as a transit point for their supplies, protecting their supply lines and preventing the enemy from using delaying tactics.

However, the officers of the three counties, who had just discovered the whereabouts of the enemy's main force and were eager to seek a major battle with the Parliamentarian army, voted against Colonel Bode's proposal.

Their reasons were also quite valid: First, after marching for days, the soldiers were exhausted and anxious, and had no energy to build a permanent camp.
Secondly, if the enemy wants to use delaying tactics—refusing to come out while attacking our supply lines—the Allied cavalry is sufficient to handle them.

Finally, and most importantly, now that the enemy's main force has been identified, it should be annihilated as soon as possible. Wasting precious time digging trenches and building walls, which would allow the enemy to escape, could mean that all our efforts would be in vain.

After the meeting, some officers even whispered among themselves that Colonel Bode must have been traumatized by the Battle of the Great Wilderness, which made him hesitant and lacking in courage.

By the time the scouts ascertained the size of the enemy force, it was already too late.

In fact, even as the scouts brought the urgent report that a large enemy force was advancing toward River Valley Village, the officers of the three counties were still arguing over whether to "take the initiative," "hold their ground," or "temporarily retreat and join forces with the Iron Peak County troops."

No one could have imagined that the person who would finally end the strategic debate within the coalition forces would not be the three colonels of the coalition forces, but Sanel, who was on the other side of the battlefield at that moment.

With Sanel making the first move and initiating the attack, the coalition forces were left with only one option.

Colonel Bode leaned against the windowsill of the clock tower's top floor, his empty left sleeve fluttering in the wind outside. He spoke eloquently, as calmly as if he were playing chess, rather than deciding the fate of tens of thousands of people:
"It's too late to retreat, we'll be hunted down and killed—not to mention we have nowhere to retreat to to begin with; we can't count on Montagne's support either—the enemy is coming too fast."

Colonel Bode took out a small note from his pocket: "According to the message just delivered by Montagne, he only set off last night, and there's no way he'll make it in time. Besides, we shouldn't have relied on him in the first place. He's already done his duty by holding off the other half of the Sixth Legion at Green Valley."

Colonel Gaisa took the letter, glanced at it quickly, and his eyes became hesitant.

“We can’t rely on anyone.” Colonel Bode’s gaze was calm, but his tone was resolute: “Here, in River Valley, we are the only ones, and we can only rely on ourselves.”

He looked at Gaisa Adonis and said with a smile, "Adonis, this might be our last battle. We need to fight it well so that John Jessica won't smear us as incompetent and useless cowards later. You agree, right?"

Gaisa gazed at his weathered senior, and the tough man's eyes suddenly reddened. He spat out the window, and the hesitation and gloom in his eyes vanished.

He raised his hand sharply in salute, and answered rudely, arrogantly, and loudly, "Yes!"

"That's more like it!" Colonel Bode laughed heartily, slapping Gaisa's shoulder hard with his thin, almost bony right hand. "I wanted to see your toughness! I admire your stubborn, rock-solid temper!"

Gaisa scoffed, "Just tell me how you want to fight!"

"Come here." Colonel Bode pulled Gaisa to the window and made him look towards the eastern wilderness. "If you were Sanel, with a superior infantry force and a roughly equal cavalry force, but inferior in quality, what would you be most worried about?"

Colonel Gaisa answered without hesitation: "After our cavalry was driven out of the battlefield, the cavalry from Leiqun County and Bianjiang County turned back and directly overwhelmed the infantry in one wave."

“Yes. Sanel wants to take advantage of his numerical superiority, so he needs to occupy as much of the battlefield as possible. But he can’t occupy the battlefield indefinitely—he’s afraid of our cavalry launching a counterattack.”

Colonel Bode pointed to the lush Silver Sparrow Mountain south of River Valley Village: "So his chosen main attack direction must be the south. This little river is shallow and not reliable, so there's not much difference between the upstream and downstream. But the terrain to the south is undulating and the vegetation is dense, which is not conducive to cavalry movement, and the battlefield width is just right—perfect for a vicious left hook!"

Gaisamo stroked the scars on his face, unconsciously squinting his eyes.

“So I’m deploying my best troops to the south.” Colonel Bode patted Gaisa on the back: “That is, the troops of White Mountain County, your troops.”

“No problem,” Gaisa replied without hesitation. “Leave it to me.”

"The cavalry unit was concealed on the reverse slope of the river valley village. Although the small mound was not high, it was more than enough to hide them."

"Yes."

"Also, River Valley Village doesn't need so many troops to defend it." Colonel Bode pointed to the village square, which was already packed with soldiers and was still pouring in, and said with exasperation, "Can such a small, dilapidated place fit two battalions? Are they all going to be used as targets? Leave only one battalion to defend! Leave another battalion in the back as reserves, and move the rest of the troops out to defend the riverbank."

"Yes."

“Listen up, Adonis.” Colonel Bode buttoned up his collar, his tone suddenly becoming solemn and serious: “If we want to win this battle, we must hold off the enemy’s left flank and crush their right flank to create opportunities for our cavalry.”

“I understand.” Colonel Gaisa had already grasped the meaning. His gaze swept from the south of the clock tower to the north: “You mean, we should block Sanel’s left hook, and at the same time, using River Valley Village as a pivot, deliver a hard left hook to Sanel as well!”

“Not bad.” Colonel Bode smiled. “You understand me best, kid.”

“Just like before, senior.” Gaisa grinned. “Leave the dirty work to me, you just focus on winning.”

“Just like always, Adonis,” Colonel Bode laughed. “But this time it’s a little different.”

Gaisa was puzzled.

“The enemy’s advantage is too great. So we also need to stay here…” Colonel Bode patted the rusty church bell beside him: “In River Valley, in this only place where we have a terrain advantage, we need to tie down and kill as many enemy troops as possible, and weaken the enemy forces on both flanks. The more enemy troops we can attract here, the greater our chances of victory.”

“But,” Gaisa frowned, looking down at the terrain of River Valley Village, “although River Valley Village is not a particularly dangerous place, its high elevation and rapid water flow make it somewhat easy to defend and difficult to attack.”

Gaisa turned to Colonel Bode: "There are easier crossing points to the south and north. Senior, Sanel isn't a fool; I don't think he'll commit a large force here."

"Don't you know how? I have an idea." Colonel Bode smiled and gently pulled the bell hammer, letting the deep sound of the bell sweep across both banks of the valley:

"Raise my flag right here in this clock tower!"

[A brief explanation of the timeline (it would be too lengthy to include in the main text, so I'm putting it here)]
[Communication between the Iron Peak County Army and the main force inevitably suffers from increased delays as the distance between them increases.]

[From Green Valley, where Winters was in the previous chapter, to Riverdale, where Colonel Bode is in this chapter, the communication route is Riverdale - Long Lake Town - Blue Silver Pass - Green Valley. A one-way message delivery takes anywhere from one night to a whole day.]

[So Winters sent a letter to Colonel Bode the night before (previous chapter), and Bode only received it at dawn (this chapter), even with post stations along the way and messengers changing horses but not people.] [Moreover, because of the fear of the messenger being intercepted, military communications generally dared not be written in too much detail—even if codes and passwords were used.]

[The consequences of overconfidence can be seen in the German army during World War II and the French army during the Napoleonic Wars. Their excessive confidence in their code-breaking capabilities led to their complete ignorance of codebreaking. Ultimately, all military intelligence and important communications were exposed, resulting in one-way transparency on the battlefield.]

In summary, the chronological order of the most recent chapters is as follows:

[Yesterday during the day (Chapters 20 and 21), in the Battle of Green Valley, Felt's forces were ambushed; the main force of the Allied Army discovered the whereabouts of the main force of the Parliamentarian Army, and the Allied Army arrived at River Valley Village.]
[Last night (Chapters 22 and the first half of Chapter 23), Winters led his troops to withdraw from Green Valley to meet up with Colonel Bodle, and sent a messenger; at the same time, Allied scouts ascertained the size of the Parliamentarian army.]
[During the day today (the latter half of Chapter 23, Chapter 24), Felt's forces recaptured the undefended Green Valley; the Parliamentary army launched an attack on River Valley Village][All in ascending order]
(End of this chapter)