Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 452 The Great Alliance Marches Forward (The End)

The setting sun hangs in the west, red flags flutter, and spirited horses gallop.

For a fleeting moment, the battlefield fell eerily silent, as if all the fighting had paused at the same instant. Muskets fell silent, swords ceased clashing, and even the military musicians, bewildered, put down their drums and bugles.

But the eerie silence lasted only a moment, as deafening cheers drowned everything out in the next instant.

From the south bank to the north bank, from the fields to the valleys, from the blood-soaked Tamas at the forefront to the monkeys on the reserve front who have not yet truly joined the battle, every veteran of Iron Peak County is shouting fervently.

Shouting victory, shouting the blood of wolves, shouting the high-pitched battle cry used by all mankind long before the birth of language and civilization.

No matter how many reasons the enemy might have to win, or how likely it was that they would lose, when the warriors who followed Winters Montagne saw that banner appear on the horizon, they had no more doubts about the outcome of the day.

Even the newly recruited prisoners were infected by the emotions of their comrades, shouting even more fervently than the veterans, using their shouts to scare away death and to forget the danger. As members of an invincible army, they shouted from the bottom of their hearts, their voices hoarse with all their might.

In contrast to the jubilation in the Iron Peak County army, the council army, fighting for the high-ranking officials and nobles of the distant Princes' Fortress, was deathly silent.

Even the most oblivious parliamentary soldiers could sense the subtle shift in the balance of power between the two armies, but many of them still didn't understand what was happening.

And every parliamentary officer who gazed at that blood-stained red flag silently recited the same name:
Winters Montagne.

Even newly commissioned honorary officers have more or less heard of another name for that officer from their colleagues:
"The Styx ghost that has been resurrected from the dead."

Having discerned the subtle shifts in the battlefield's momentum, Bart Sharing leaped towards the reserve line, raised his sword high, and pointed it directly at the last two squares of the Sixth Army Corps. Without the slightest hesitation, he issued the order for a general assault:
"All troops! Charge—forward!"

The monkey felt a fire burning in his chest, making his blood rush and his heart pound. Although the fatigue and soreness that permeated his body did not lessen at all, it could no longer stop him from taking steps and swinging his arms.

Upon hearing the Second Battalion Commander's order, Monkey immediately roared and charged towards the enemy ahead of all his comrades on the reserve front.

On the artillery position in the northeast of the battlefield, Cypher Carrington, seeing this scene, snorted and curled his lip in a helpless and disdainful manner, but his eyes revealed envy that he tried hard to hide but could not.

The junior officer next to him coughed kindly and asked impatiently, "Major, what do we do? Should we attack?"

Seber unconsciously raised his eyebrows. He turned around and saw that all his subordinates around him had eager expressions on their faces, and they were all staring at him expectantly.

However, without military orders, the light cavalry of Tiefeng County, who controlled the artillery positions, dared not reveal their identities and locations, so they could only swallow their cheers and their faces turned red.

Cypher Carrington’s gaze swept across the main battlefield on both sides of the river valley village—the puppet government’s infantry had been effectively torn into two parts: the remnants on the east bank who were on the verge of being wiped out, and the four battalions on the west bank that were almost unscathed.

The major then looked southwest—the Allied cavalry, with the assistance of the Iron Peak musketeers, had gained an overwhelming advantage, and the red and blue uniformed cavalry were driving the brown-clad cavalry out of the battlefield.

Finally, the major turned around and counted his men who had rushed to the battlefield—just a few small dogs and a few cats, totaling less than fifty military knives.

All the light cavalry that successfully reached the Serpent Marsh were sent out as search teams, and that was all that could be gathered in a short time.

Major Seber already had a decision in mind. He frowned, grinned at the lieutenant beside him, and asked with a forced smile, "What do we do? You tell me?"

The junior officer who had just asked the question immediately deflated as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water.

Seber, gripping his saber, gave a deep order: "Inform Colonel Skull of our identities; judging from the flag signals, he should still be alive. Send someone to the Redfield County cavalry as well; whoever is in command, tell him to gather his forces and join us. A few light cavalry squads from the West Bank puppet army are enough to keep them occupied; tell him not to waste any more of his horsepower chasing after those few defeated soldiers."

“Major, the commander of the Thundercrow County cavalry…” a lieutenant hesitated, “I’m afraid they won’t obediently follow orders.”

Cypher Carrington glared, revealing his wolf-like fangs, and repeated, word by word, "Send him to see me."

The officer said no more, quickly summoned a few light cavalrymen, and they rode swiftly down the hill towards the west bank.

"So what are our orders, senior?" another older lieutenant asked calmly.

Seber's expression softened a little. He raised his arm and pointed at the battlefield: "The puppet troops on the east bank are almost finished. Once they are gone, the puppet troops on the west bank will not be able to return to their camp and will lose the cover of cavalry. They will be like meat on a chopping board, and we can do whatever we want with them."

"Remember this! Winning battles isn't about being fearless, but about seizing opportunities." After giving his juniors a lesson on the spot, Seber glanced one last time at the blood-red battle flag on the distant hill, turned around, hands on hips, and confidently issued his orders:
"If the puppet troops on the west bank intend to hold their ground, we will continue to monitor them from here; if the puppet troops on the west bank want to support the puppet troops on the east bank, or if the puppet troops on the east bank want to join forces with the puppet troops on the west bank, we will resolutely strike them; if..."

Before Seber could finish speaking, a series of low gasps suddenly arose from the surroundings.

An incredulous shock appeared on the faces of the officers in front of Seber, while the light cavalrymen from Iron Peak immediately turned and galloped to their warhorses.

Cyber ​​cried out in alarm and looked towards the hill to the southeast. He saw the owner of the blood-red banner riding down the slope alone, heading straight for the Grand Council's main camp.

The scouts on the outer perimeter of the Parliamentary Army's front immediately noticed the unusual movement and simultaneously moved to surround him.

Even the newly established cavalry sent to oversee the battle were disturbed, and a group of cavalry was breaking away from the oversight team, clearly heading to intercept and kill them.

Seber cursed and snatched the reins from his warhorse, and the other officers followed suit, running to their own mounts.

"What if that bastard gets carried away and insists on going himself!" Seber grabbed the saddle, stepped on the stirrups, and leaped onto the saddle in a fit of rage, roaring as if venting his anger: "Then everything I just said was utter bullshit!"

In the blink of an eye, the Iron Peak cavalry on the artillery position had completed their preparations. Apart from a few men guarding the gunners, the rest of the light cavalry formed a charge formation behind Seber.

The saber rested on his shoulder, reflecting a blood-red glow in the setting sun; the warhorse tossed its head, puffing out hot air, and incessantly pounded the ground with its forehooves.

"All troops! There is only one order!" Seber drew his saber, swung it through the air, and the blade fell just above the ears of his warhorse: "Protect Winters Montagne—at all costs!"

The cannons roared three times, and the god of war rained down three showers of lead and iron upon the brown-clad soldiers.

Treading through the smoke of battle, Seber personally led the light cavalry of Iron Peak County like arrows released from a bow, charging fearlessly towards the main force of the council army below the hill.

The artillery fire from behind caused the brown-clad soldiers, who had already been forced back into battle by the executioner's blade, to wail in agony.

It wasn't until they heard the sound of hooves and saw unfamiliar cavalry charging down the hill that the parliamentary army's supervisory team realized that the shelling they had just witnessed was not a mistake.

The brown-clad cavalry surrounding the fleeing soldiers immediately stepped forward to meet them in battle, while the brown-clad cavalry who had gone to intercept and kill the rebel leader also immediately turned back.

However, before the latter could return, the light cavalry of Iron Peak County had already charged in front of the former, roaring as they crashed into the line of Parliamentary cavalry.

In the clash of blades, Cypher calmly deflected a fatal slash, then turned and seemingly effortlessly placed his saber on his opponent's right arm, before pulling the saber forward with astonishing force.

After the two riders passed each other, a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on the arm of the brown-clad cavalryman, and his arm immediately drooped down. His saber also slipped from his hand, hanging from his wrist by the tassel.

Cypher neither swung a second slash nor cared about his opponent's fate. This was merely an insignificant moment in the war; he had long since learned to discard superfluous emotions.

However, the other half of Cypher's brain kept warning him, constantly reminding him that something was wrong.

He looked around at the enemy and his own cavalry caught in the melee, still an insignificant fragment of the war, just as before and as before, except that there were no officers among the brown-clad cavalry.

...There were no officers among the brown-clad cavalry.

Cypher's heart clenched, all the blood rushed to his head, and the contingency plan he had taken for granted before the battle became the most imminent crisis.

He almost instinctively turned his head to look southeast, and with his last ounce of strength shouted, "A countermeasure against the spellcaster!"

However, the battlefield was too chaotic, and it was impossible for Cyber's voice to reach the other side of the battlefield.

Even if his voice could reach the other side of the battlefield, it would be too late, because the owner of the crimson banner had already charged into the Parliamentary army's main camp on the hills east of the river valley village.

Immediately following was a deafening explosion.

The shockwave hurled dirt and gravel high into the air, then crashed down again. Smoke and dust billowed in all directions, and the soldiers remaining on the outer perimeter of the Parliamentarian army's main camp were all thrown back by the shockwave.

Cyber, Tamas, Bart Sharing... The heartbeat of everyone on the battlefield paused for a moment with the explosion. Half of them went from surprise to ecstasy, while the other half felt as if they had fallen from heaven to hell.

An unprecedented terror gripped the minds of the people of Iron Peak County, for they had never considered—or even imagined—that such a scene would occur.

Only those who were prepared reacted first, and the last fully-organized parliamentary cavalry charged towards the original position of their main camp at breakneck speed.

As Colonel Sanel had instructed, no one could escape. But the goal of the "anti-magic tactics" was not only to "ensure destruction," but also to "prove destruction."

The council cavalry arrived at the ambush site immediately, charging into the smoke before anyone else could. Everything was proceeding according to plan... except for the reaction of the Iron Peak County army.

The anticipated turmoil and collapse did not occur; after a brief moment of shock, the Iron Peak County army erupted in unimaginable fury.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, the light cavalry of Tiefeng County shook off the enemy and charged towards the explosion site without regard for their own safety.

The bloody battle began again, and this time it couldn't even be called an attack, because it had no other purpose than killing, killing, and killing.

The last three battalions of the Sixth Army Corps were on the verge of collapse, teetering on the brink of total disintegration.

In a desperate situation, the Parliamentary army on the west bank disregarded the threat from the rear and marched out of River Valley Village along the causeway used by the Thundercrow County cavalry, throwing themselves into the battlefield on the east bank.

The situation on the east bank of the valley devolved into a chaotic melee, with brown and blue-gray spots intermingling and the concept of battle lines no longer existing.

There is no longer a front or rear, only survival and death; there are no longer friendly forces or enemy forces, only those to be killed and those not to be killed.

On the outskirts of the battlefield, Colonel Sanel, now dressed in an ordinary soldier's uniform, had effectively lost control of the Parliamentarian army. He had played his last card, exhausted all his reserves, and used every ounce of his strength.

At this moment, Sanel Caroj is like a gambler who has bet everything; the outcome is no longer in his control.

It's possible that the parliamentary forces will collapse completely in the next second, or it could be the coalition forces that collapse completely in the next second, and Sanel will be powerless to influence the outcome in the slightest.

He could only pray desperately—he had never been so devout in his decades of life—for the rebels to collapse a second earlier.

He stared intently at the location of his main camp, placing all his hopes there, expecting the brown-clad cavalry, carrying evidence of the rebel leader's "complete destruction," to emerge from the dust and topple the first domino in the rebels' total rout.

As if some unseen force had heard the prayer, Sanel saw the brown-clad cavalryman, who had disappeared behind the smoke, reappear from the dust.

Like a gambler at a roulette table seeing the red ball land on the number he bet on, Sanel roared madly from his chest: "The bandit leader is dead!"

However, the situation completely reversed the next moment—the brown-clad cavalry were not reporting a victory, but were fleeing for their lives in a panic.

The little red ball eventually bounced and landed in the adjacent square.

The ghost once again emerged from the River Styx, riding the enemy's warhorse through the smoke screen, its tattered battle flags fluttering wildly, and the earth seemed to groan beneath its hooves.

The parliamentary cavalry that stood in his way were literally torn to shreds—only when the soldiers loyal to the Grand Council Army truly faced the legend did they realize that he was a hundred times more terrifying than the legends suggested.

Sanel could only watch helplessly as the ghost of the Styx broke through the encirclement of the rangers, then the phalanx of the Sixth Legion, and finally the thin layer of cavalry entwined around the fleeing soldiers.

What followed was an almost one-sided massacre.

The humans dressed in brown clothes, like sheep being driven by wild beasts, screamed and scrambled away in all directions.

They were forced back to the battlefield by the supervisory team; what drove them was fear, not fighting spirit.

When something even more terrifying than the disciplinary squad appeared, even the disciplinary squad's sabers could not stop the reorganized parliamentary army from fleeing for the second time.

Like glass shattered by a hammer, the parliamentary army's desperate counterattack, pieced together at great cost, exploded into countless fragments in front of one person.

The sudden surge of power even swept up others on the battlefield, and hundreds of fleeing soldiers broke apart the Council Army and Iron Peak County cavalry, flooding into every crevice between the brown and blue-gray spots.

Seber wanted to gather his men, but there was chaos all around.

He reined in his horse and looked around. Everywhere he looked, there were people fleeing for their lives driven by instinct, and trampled corpses. The pale golden wheat fields were trampled into mud, mixed with blood and bits of flesh, disappearing into cries and wails.

The sound of horses' hooves rolled in from the east, but the parliamentary army had already exhausted its reinforcements.

Sanel was plunged into despair—from now on, every new unit that appeared on the battlefield would only be reinforcements for the rebels.

Sure enough, a heavily armored cavalry unit galloped toward the battlefield from the provincial road, its banners adorned with winged lions fluttering in the wind, with Andrea Cellini at the very front of the column.

The Iron Peak cavalry's marching route wasn't through mountains, but along rivers, flowing downstream straight into the Snake Marsh. Therefore, the cavalry unit that should have been the first to arrive at the designated assembly point instead took the longest detour.

But in any case, they still made it to the battlefield.

But when Andrei saw the scene on both sides of the river valley village, he couldn't help but feel surprised and doubtful.

The battlefield had descended into utter chaos, with enemies and allies everywhere; tens of thousands of people were crammed into the fields on the north bank, some fleeing for their lives, others fighting for their lives.

"My lord," Tulin stammered, clicking his tongue in astonishment, "what do we do?"

“Go wherever the enemy is!” Andrei concluded at a glance. He fastened his helmet and drew his sword: “The puppet army is on its last legs. The remnants are all fighting independently under their own flags—then let’s go and seize their flags!”

"Charge!" Turin took a deep breath, raised his lance, turned and roared to his comrades, "Capture the flag!"

"Capture the flag!"

"Capture the flag!!"

"Capture the flag!!!"

The heavy cavalry of Tiefeng County charged toward the "Former King's Banner" in the center of the battlefield, and the sea parted before them.

When Andrei personally cut down the flag of the late king, the last honor, courage, and dignity of the Sixth Army Corps vanished into thin air.

Andrei retrieved the battle flag with its pattern from the blood and raised it high above his head: "Next one!"

"Next!!!" He was met with thunderous cheers.

No one has a second opinion on the outcome of today's victory.

……

……dusk.

The warm sunlight shone on the church and the hills, casting long, narrow shadows across the fields.

Apart from the corpses lying horizontally like black spots stretching for miles, there were hardly any standing "people" left on the battlefield.

The Allied soldiers who had been pursuing the fleeing enemy had disappeared on the horizon, leaving only a cavalry unit to keep watch over the remnants of the Parliamentarian army trapped in the valley village.

When the artillery from Iron Peak County finally arrived at the battlefield, the remnants of the Parliamentarian army were desperately trying to break out.

The last two remaining parliamentary army battalions, along with other fleeing soldiers who had entered the valley village, formed a large square formation of over a thousand men and slowly moved towards the main camp along the provincial road.

The artillerymen of Tiefeng County unloaded their cannons on the earthen mound and continued to bombard them.

Before they had gone a kilometer, the thousand-man formation collapsed under artillery fire, and the soldiers joined the panicked escape.

In this battle, the last organized units of the Grand Council army were wiped out.

Jacob Green, who witnessed this scene, recorded the following in his notebook:

"At four o'clock in the afternoon, Colonel Bode Gates lost the battle;"

"At six o'clock in the afternoon, Winters Montagne tribunal won the battle."

……

……

By the time Winters returned to Valley Village, it was completely dark.

From the main gate to the central command tent, a series of torches were lit throughout the allied camp.

As Winters rode into the camp, the Allied soldiers lining the road lowered their heads involuntarily. Only after Winters had passed did the Allied soldiers dare to raise their eyes and gaze in awe at the back of the "Blood of the Wolf."

Mason had been standing guard outside the central command tent. When he saw Winters looking tired and pale, his eyes immediately reddened.

“It’s all my fault. I was the first one to leave…” Mason was almost speechless, fighting back tears, his voice filled with anguish and self-reproach: “If I had arrived in time, things wouldn’t have turned out this way…”

Winters neither comforted nor blamed Mason. He simply shook his senior's hand, looked into his eyes, and gently shook his head.

Lieutenant Colonel Moritz, who was also guarding outside the tent, helped Mason up and silently patted the latter's arm.

"Is Colonel Bode inside?" Winters asked.

“He’s inside.” Moritz paused. “He’s waiting for you.”

Winters removed his weapon, walked to the tent flap, and silently lifted it.

The dim candlelight shone on Winters, and all eyes in the tent turned to him.

Colonel Gaisa, Colonel Skoll, Captain Loson, Lieutenant Woods... almost all the surviving officers of the four counties coalition were in the tent at this moment.

They looked at Winters Montagne with complex expressions, at this junior of the Army Academy, at this ghost of the Styx, at this leader of the Iron Peak County rebels, at this man who had turned the tide today.

The officers slowly stepped back, making way for Winters.

In the center of the tent, Colonel Bode Gates, reclining on a cot, looked at Winters and smiled.

Winters suppressed his emotions and quickly walked to Colonel Bode's side.

Colonel Bode, whose chest was covered by a blood-soaked shirt, could no longer speak, but looked at Winters and nodded slightly.

Winters, holding the colonel's only remaining right hand, could no longer hold back his tears.

Colonel Bode smiled again and slowly shook his head.

The colonel closed his eyes, and a tear slid down his cheek.

He opened his eyes again, looking at Winters, his chest heaving, his parched, bloodless lips barely parting to barely open, a weak voice escaping from between his teeth:
"The sun...and the stars...sounded...in unison..."

Winters knelt on one knee beside the cot, grasped the colonel's thin hand, and wiped away his tears:

“A majestic song rose from the earth.”

Skul Mecklen stared at Colonel Bode and Winters Montagne:
"The hope of humanity sings out loud."

"A hymn to the birth of a new world."

Gaisa Adonis's face, half-covered with horribly scarred features, trembled uncontrollably. Unable to bear staying any longer, he turned and walked out of the tent. As he opened the tent flap, the officers' low, mournful singing drifted out:
"Great Alliance, forward!"

"The battle flag flies high."

Richard Mason, almost overwhelmed by guilt, choked up:

"Fight side by side for victory."

"A free new world."

……

[West bank of an unnamed stream]
A young man dressed in a parliamentary army officer's uniform awoke from his coma and sat blankly among the corpses.

A group of farmers walked past him as if he didn't exist.

The farmers each carried a long wooden stick, and as they walked, they tapped and knocked on the corpses. If they found any ironware, they would bend down, pick it up, and put it in their baskets. The Allied forces were short-handed, so they recruited farmers from the valley village and nearby villages, hiring them on a piece-rate basis to clean up the battlefield.

The parliamentary officers stared blankly as the farmer rummaged through the corpses of his men and his enemies, disrespectfully stepping on the dead, turning them over with his feet, and stealing their belongings.

A young Allied officer, who was supervising the farmers as they cleaned up the battlefield, dismounted, took out a water bottle, and silently handed it to the Parliamentarian officer.

The parliamentary officer stared blankly at the water bottle in his hand, then suddenly burst into tears.

……

"All oppressed people, unite!"

"Rise up against the evil empire that enslaves you."

……

[East bank of an unnamed stream]
The monkey cradled a corpse clad in a breastplate, sobbing uncontrollably. A large, gaping bullet hole was clearly visible in the center of the breastplate. Above the breastplate, the once honest and simple face of recruit Paco was now lifeless.

Old Sergeant Lu Xirong stood beside the monkey, put his hand on the monkey's shoulder, and didn't say a word.

……

"The people's roar will be like rolling thunder."

"Be as ruthless as the tides and time."

……

[The medical station in a corner of the camp]
Screams and curses rose and fell, and severed arms and legs were piled up haphazardly outside the tent.

An officer whose legs were completely severed below the knees crawled on the ground, digging into the dirt, while laughing hysterically.

……

"Great Alliance, forward!"

"The battle flag flies high."

……

[The field below the earthen mound where the artillery position is located]
A warhorse with its front legs blown off lay on the ground, its blood pooling beneath it.

With tears streaming down its face, it slowly chewed the wheat stalks at its mouth.

……

"Fight side by side for victory."

"A free new world."

……

[East bank of an unnamed stream]
A raging fire broke out on the pyre where the corpses were being burned. An eerie smell of tar wafted into the distance along with the thick smoke.

People covered their mouths and noses with triangular scarves and threw more corpses into the fire with expressionless faces.

……

"Just as the morning will inevitably greet the sun."

"Just as rivers inevitably flow into the sea."

……

[Downstream of an unnamed stream]
The naked, bloated corpse was stranded on the shallows downstream.

The villagers along the river cut off the clothes from the corpse.

……

"A new day has dawned for the people of Senas."

"Our children will live proudly and freely."

……

[Snake Swamp]
Andrei threw the parliamentary army's flag outside the wall.

Snake Swamp opened the gates and surrendered.

……

"Great Alliance, forward!"

"The flags are flying high in the wind!"

……

[Yinqueshan]
The sound of horses' hooves followed relentlessly behind us.

The brown-clad soldiers recklessly plunged into the forest and fled towards the Green Valley.

……

"Fight side by side for victory!"

"A free new world!"

……

[Central Command Tent of the Allied Forces Camp]
Colonel Bode's eyes lit up. With his last ounce of strength, he gripped Winters' hand tightly and smiled with relief.

"Just as the morning will inevitably greet the sun."

"Just as rivers inevitably flow into the sea."

"A new day has dawned for the people of Senas."

"Our children will live freely and proudly."

Winters, too, held Colonel Bode's hand tightly and sang with unwavering conviction:
"Great Alliance, forward!"

"The banner of righteousness flies high in the wind!!"

"Fight side by side for victory!!!"

"A free new world!!!"

As the last line of the lyrics ended, Bode Gates passed away peacefully outside River Valley at the age of 48.

This decisive battle, which determined the fate of the newly reclaimed land, has now come to an end.

[I'm late... I'm sorry]
[But it's a long chapter, and the final chapter.]
[This part of the story could have been written more concisely and better; I wrote it too slowly (bangs head against wall) (bangs head against wall) (bangs head against wall)]
[I will learn from this experience and avoid making the same mistake in future episodes.]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
(End of this chapter)