Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 488 Rebuilding the Nation (Part 4)
The devastating explosion occurred at noon, but the negotiating envoys did not appear outside Maple Leaf Castle until dusk.

Before this, the Tiefeng County army had been busy rescuing people from the river.

To ensure the culvert would collapse in one go, Mason ordered the watertight coffin to be filled with a "guaranteed destruction" dose.

But no one expected that the power of underwater explosions would be so terrifying. On land, explosions are just loud bangs, but underwater they can literally "turn the tide."

Once a coffin full of gunpowder was thrown, not only the underground canal, but also all the boats of all sizes moored on the river were instantly overturned.

Fortunately, before the official detonation, the ever-cautious Mason ordered the evacuation of any bystanders from the scene.

However, when the explosion occurred, all the sailors who remained on the ship and the engineers who operated the winch were thrown into the river.

So the soldiers of the Tiefeng County Army spent the entire afternoon doing their best to rescue people.

In particular, Mason ordered his men to find Moser Jack, who had detonated explosives underwater in the "Diving Bell," whether he was alive or dead.

Upon hearing of the incident on the river, the light cavalry squadron stationed on the outskirts of the city was also dispatched urgently to assist friendly forces in the search and rescue.

However, the soldiers of the Iron Peak County Army searched every beach and every clump of reeds along both banks of the Anya River and brought everyone else back, but they still couldn't find the stonemason apprentice.

It wasn't until dusk that the farmers living downstream of the Anya River drove their horse-drawn carts to take the semi-conscious stonemason apprentice back to the Tiefeng County army.

It turns out that when the underwater explosion occurred, not only were the boats on the river surface overturned by the huge waves, but a large number of river fish were also killed by the shock and washed ashore downstream.

Although the Parathu people traditionally do not eat fish, such a spectacular sight still attracts many coastal residents to come and collect this "gift from nature."

So, about five kilometers downstream, on a riverbank, the residents along the river found the stonemason's apprentice on the verge of death.

Thankfully, he was still breathing.

Having cleaned up the chaos at the explosion site, the next step is to deal with the remaining enemies in Maple Leaf Castle.

……

The newly arrived "rebel" negotiator was a tall, ruddy-faced young man.

Although his rank could not be discerned from his attire—in Major Felt's view, the rebels, regardless of whether they were officers or soldiers, all dressed like beggars and paupers—the major instinctively sensed that this was a figure of far greater importance than the messenger from yesterday.

The newly arrived negotiator walked fearlessly through the dark gates of Maple Leaf Castle, ignoring Major Felt's invitation for a private meeting. Standing in the small open space inside the gates, he bluntly announced: "Stop wasting time, Major! Surrender now, you, and all of you..."

The negotiator scanned the faces around him, their light flickering in and out of the torchlight: "No soldier in Maple Leaf Fortress will be executed arbitrarily. You will all be treated fairly and mercifully."

The last thing Major Felt wanted to see was the "rebel" negotiators speaking directly to the garrison soldiers.

“This… sir,” Major Felt gestured discreetly, then said loudly, “please come with me into the fortress to discuss this further.”

The major's only two remaining regular officers—Second Lieutenant Nemet and another second lieutenant—immediately stepped forward, intending to subdue the "rebel" negotiators.

"Get out of the way!" The rebel negotiator roared, instantly intimidating the two lieutenants and preventing them from making a move.

He demanded of Felt, "Major! Maple Leaf Castle belongs to everyone, you said that! If that's the case, what can't be discussed in front of everyone?"

Major Felt knew things were going badly and quickly ordered his officers, "Don't let him say any more."

"You!" The rebel negotiator shouted at the surrounding soldiers before the two lieutenants could make a move, "Aren't you afraid this provincial bastard will sell you out?!"

Before he could finish speaking, his hands were tied behind his back, he was forced to the ground, and his mouth was gagged.

Major Felt attempted to regain control of the situation, signaling two lieutenants to bring the "rebel" negotiators into the fort, and then waving his hand to dismiss the soldiers gathered around him.

But no matter how many times the major repeated it, not a single soldier on the small open space moved.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade the soldiers to leave, Felt decided to retreat into the fortress himself. After all, once the "focus" was lost, the crowd would naturally disintegrate.

But the dark figures blocked his way and surrounded him instead.

"That's right!" someone in the crowd shouted, "Why can't the negotiations be conducted in front of us?"

Major Felt knew that explaining was not an option at this moment; it would only complicate matters. He could only glare at him and retort, "Who's speaking? Come before me!"

No one stepped forward, but questions rose and fell, growing increasingly angry.

"Is there something you're hiding?"

Why won't you let us listen?

Are you going to betray us?

The soldiers began to move forward step by step, and the space around Major Felt became increasingly cramped.

Left with no other choice, Major Felt resorted to the worst possible tactic—attempting to explain to the angry crowd: "If we negotiate in public, the rebel envoys will surely incite you against me, and then Maple Leaf Castle will fall without a fight!"

However, the enraged soldiers wouldn't listen to the major.

"lie!"

"Go to hell!"

Some were even shouting, "Beat this bastard from another province who's spouting nonsense to death!"

Major Felt couldn't help but lament in his heart: the water supply being cut off was ultimately the last straw that broke the back of the defending soldiers; even though there was still a lot of water left, the harm caused by losing hope was a hundred times greater than the water shortage.

Moreover, the major has consistently ignored a fact in his propaganda to the soldiers—that even if he were captured and executed, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for the soldiers.

Ultimately, his interests differed from those of the defending soldiers, and his reasoning was untenable.

Once the soldiers are stirred up, the already crumbling tower of trust between the two sides will quickly collapse.

"Very well!" Forced into a corner, Major Felt made a desperate decision. He surveyed the soldiers around him and shouted, "Let's talk here! Right here! In front of everyone! Let's hear what the rebels have to say!"

The rebel negotiator was brought out again. He rubbed his swollen wrist and looked at Major Felt without saying a word.

“Sir Envoy, you have great courage,” Major Felt praised meaningfully, then quickly changed the subject, spreading his arms wide: “But to take Maple Leaf Castle, courage alone isn’t enough. You have courage, and so do we…”

“I know,” the rebel negotiator sneered. “You have tens of thousands of kilograms of gunpowder.”

Major Felt paused for a moment.

“You have tens of thousands of kilograms of gunpowder,” the rebel negotiator repeated, stamping his foot. “It’s buried in the water storage pool below—I’m sick of hearing about it.”

"If Blood Wolves don't satisfy us," one of the surrounding soldiers threatened, "we'll go to Maple Leaf Castle..."

"To perish together?" The rebel negotiator whirled around, staring intently at the speaker: "Fine, you can set it on fire now."

Everyone could hardly believe their ears, even Major Felt was caught off guard.

The rebel negotiator glanced around dismissively and repeated, word by word, "If you have the guts to die together, go and set it on fire now."

The soldiers were enraged.

They shoved the rebel negotiators and led them to a hidden bunker beneath the western wall.

The hidden bunkers are spaces carved directly into the fortress walls, about the size of a bedroom, originally used to conceal personnel and store ammunition. Inside the bunkers, there is a staircase leading down into the pitch-black underground.

A soldier pointed to a coil of hemp rope at the top of the stairs and told the rebel negotiator in a threatening tone, "See that? This is the fuse that leads directly to the powder keg! If your men dare to come, we'll..."

"To perish together?" The rebel negotiator scoffed, saying dismissively, "Well, I'm here now, so light the fire."

The defending soldiers froze. The rebel negotiator glared and shouted, "Light the fire!"

One of the garrison soldiers was so angry that he cursed loudly, gritted his teeth, and with red eyes, extended the torch to guide the fuse.

The soldiers inside the hidden cave cried out in surprise, but it was too late for others to stop them.

But just as the flames were only a foot or so away from the rope, the torch stopped. No matter what the soldier holding the torch did, he couldn't lower his hand even an inch further.

The hearts that had nearly jumped out of everyone's throats finally started beating again.

Major Felt wiped the sweat from his brow and was about to say something when the "rebel" negotiator darted forward, grabbed the torch-bearer's wrist, and slammed the flames onto the fuse.

The hissing sound of burning immediately followed.

Realizing what had happened, the garrison soldiers screamed in agony and scrambled to escape from the hidden bunker.

Only Major Felt, after a brief moment of distraction, leaped into the depths of the hidden bunker, grabbed a bucket of water that had been prepared in advance in the stairwell, and swiftly extinguished the fuse.

After a great uproar, only the rebel negotiators remained standing, unmoved.

"Don't try to scare people with things you can't do." The envoy's gaze toward the garrison was no longer tinged with disdain. He stood proudly in the center of the garrison soldiers and calmly stated a fact: "When it comes to being fearless of death, you can't beat us."

"I...you..." Major Felt held the bucket, his hands still trembling involuntarily.

He struggled to find the right words, then finally lowered his head: "I am willing to hand over Maple Leaf Castle intact to Captain Montagne, but is it possible...?"

"Impossible. Don't even think about it!" The rebel negotiator coldly rejected the major in advance: "The more you resist, the more preferential treatment you receive? We will never allow such a false message to be spread. If it weren't for your mercy, you would all be hanged in the square of Maplestone City as a warning to others!"

The crowd's expressions instantly darkened, and their gazes toward Major Felt were tinged with resentment.

The negotiator changed the subject, looking at the surrounding soldiers, and assured them, "But if you surrender now, I can guarantee that that fate will not befall you. Your treatment will not be better than that of the previous prisoners, but it will not be worse. Most of you will work in the prisoner-of-war camp for a period of time, and then you will be released and go home. However, remember that Blood Wolves' patience and mercy are limited. Don't waste your last chance."

Having said that, the messenger opened the document pouch at his waist, took out a large stack of folded letters, and showed them to all the garrison soldiers: "These are letters from your families in Maplestone City, sent to you by your families. If you don't believe me..."

He tossed the letter over the heads of the crowd: "Then listen to what your families have to say."

The arrival of the letter completely shattered the defenders' psychological defenses. The soldiers frantically scrambled for the letters scattered on the open ground, even if they could only grab half a scrap of paper or even if they couldn't read at all.

“That’s a clever tactic.” Major Felt walked to the rebel negotiator’s side and nodded silently. “So, what’s next…”

“We will send people into the fort tonight,” the envoy replied directly. “There will be a surrender ceremony tomorrow.”

“Yes, yes.” Major Felt nodded hesitantly. “Who will accept the surrender?”

The envoy smiled politely: "His Excellency values ​​you highly and will personally receive your surrender... Please send a few men to open the gates."

“Okay,” Major Felt replied.

The rebel negotiator stopped smiling, straightened his boots, solemnly raised his hand in salute, and turned to leave.

“Um…” Major Felt remembered something and asked loudly, “I still don’t know your honorable name.”

"My name is Bart Sharling," the envoy replied proudly. "I was the one who launched the attack on your left flank and defeated your forces in the Battle of Green Valley Town."

……

The next day, noon.

With the opening of the "New Reclamation All Free People's Congress" imminent, many "free people" who are willing to attend have arrived in Maplestone City one after another.

Those "free agents" who arrived earlier were all invited to attend the ceremony.

They were led to the siege camp opposite Maple Leaf Castle, where they watched as the red rose banner on Maple Leaf Castle was slowly lowered.

Then the gates of Maple Leaf Castle opened, and the garrison marched out in formation, crossing the trench-lined ground. Under the watchful eyes of the Allied soldiers, they discarded their weapons and walked barehanded through the main gate of the attack camp.

The leading officer approached Blood Wolf and respectfully presented his sword.

Blood Wolf took the sword, and the salute began.

The azure winged golden lion banner rose slowly above Maple Leaf Castle.

The fighting in the newly reclaimed lands was finally quelled.

……

On the night of Maple Leaf Castle's surrender, Winters, returning home from a banquet celebrating the return of peace to the newly reclaimed lands, was surprised to find little Priskin already waiting in the living room.

"Another 'urgent matter' already?" Winters asked jokingly.

Little Priskin looked mournful, as if he had something difficult to say.

"Go ahead and say it," Winters said, sitting on the soft couch. "I'm in a good mood today, so even if nothing important happens, I won't let Charles and Heinrich beat you up."

Little Priskin lowered his head and asked with a pitiful look, "Do you remember... Mr. Mikesh Kelemin, the old man who helped you find that stonemason apprentice?"

"How could you forget so quickly?" Winters was speechless for a moment, then laughed. "You just helped me out, and you're already asking to repay the favor?"

Little Priskin nodded reluctantly.

Winters leaned comfortably against the back of the couch: "Tell me, what does he want?"

Young Priskin quickly shook his head: "Your Excellency, Mikesh Kelmin isn't asking for anything; he... he wants you to see someone. According to him, the stonemason apprentice named Messer Jack wasn't found by him, but by that other person. So the one who really helped you was someone else; he was just doing you a favor."

Little Priskin scratched the back of his head: "But I think it's all just a lie, an excuse to make you meet that person no matter what."

"Sir, do you wish to see me?" young Priskin asked tentatively, "or not?"

“If I don’t see him,” Winters asked with a smile, “you probably won’t be able to walk around in front of Mikesh Kelmin anymore, will you?”

Little Priskin nodded sheepishly.

“Then bring that person here.” Winters stroked his chin. “I also want to know who it is that would make the ‘big shots’ of Maplestone City go to such lengths to help.”

Little Priskin shrank his neck: "That person can't come...you'll have to see him in person."

Winters raised an eyebrow.

……

Maplestone City
[Mikesh House]
Accompanied by Father Carmen, Winters entered the mansion of one of Maplestone's most prominent wealthy merchants for the first time.

The elderly Mikesh, who was reportedly bedridden due to a serious illness, personally led his son and female relatives to greet them in the hall.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Mikashi led Winters deeper into the mansion.

In a secret room beneath the mansion, a handsome man of medium build, with curly hair and bright blue eyes, who appeared to be in his early thirties, had been waiting for a long time.

The man's face was somewhat pale, but he was impeccably groomed and dressed, clearly taking this meeting very seriously.

Upon seeing Winters and Kaman enter the secret room, he immediately stepped forward and extended his right hand.

“Your Excellency Montagne, I am Kai Morland.” The handsome man introduced himself: “Member of the Grand Council of the Republic of Palatour, and representative of the New Reclamation Province in Kingsburg.”

Before Winters could answer, the handsome man bit his lip and earnestly requested:
"Major Ronald sent me to you—I need your protection."

[Kay Morland is the rider whom Major Ronald risked his life to cover the escape of Kingsburg at the end of Chapter 46, "Cumbulous Clouds," in this volume.]
[Sorry, so much time has passed. Orz]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
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(End of this chapter)