Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 536 Future Prospects (Part Two)
Maplestone City
[Officers' Housing Area]
[The Residence of Winters Montagne]
As night fell, Maplestone City gradually sank into darkness and silence, making the brightly lit Montagne Palace appear particularly vibrant.

The enticing aroma of food filled the entire two-story building. Winters and Mason set the table while chatting about what had happened in the city.

“Colonel Geza, Colonel Skull, and Lieutenant Colonel Matthias all want to complete the reorganization as soon as possible,” Mason smoothed the tablecloth and carefully adjusted the candlesticks, as if setting up an artillery position. “As you know, they suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Howling Valley, but did not capture many prisoners.”

"They've been recruiting new soldiers, but it doesn't seem to be going very well. So Colonel Geza and his men are still hoping to recruit soldiers from prisoners of war to quickly replenish their losses."

"Therefore, the faster the reorganization is completed, the sooner the troops in the Baishan counties can restore their combat effectiveness."

Compared to the senior's meticulousness, Winters, who was in charge of setting the plates, had a very casual style. He would just put the plates wherever he wanted, as long as there were enough cutlery.

“Of course they’re anxious, otherwise they wouldn’t have agreed to our proposal so readily,” Winters replied. “But we don’t need to rush this. I think we can delay it a bit longer. The longer we delay, the more bargaining chips we’ll have.”

“This is what I wanted to tell you,” Mason finally found a suitable firing position for the candlestick, which could evenly illuminate the entire dining table.

He looked at Winters and said worriedly, "The reorganization probably can't be delayed any longer."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Winters put down the basket of cutlery on the ground, casually pulled out a chair in front of him, sat down, and gestured for his senior to sit down and chat as well.

Mason didn't sit down. He leaned against the table and asked, looking down, "You've seen the intelligence on the 'Southern Army,' haven't you?"

“I saw it in the briefing you sent me,” Winters said, both suspicious and curious. “Really four legions? If you include the original six, that’s a full ten legions, fifty thousand men! And that doesn’t even include auxiliary troops! Can the United Province really support so many soldiers?”

Mason's worry deepened. "The intelligence I sent you came from Colonel Gaza and Colonel Skul. They are far more well-informed than we are. They know immediately if anything happens in Kingsburg."

"The intelligence about the Southern Front came from Kingsburg. There's a lot of gossip in Kingsburg right now that the four legions of the United Provinces Army will be arriving soon. Grove Magnus is so eager to add 'four legions' to the prayers of the citizens of Kingsburg."

“Of course he would do that,” Winters sneered. “It’s his lifeline. Without it, the citizens of Kingsburg could tie him up and send him to Maplestone.”

"Maybe." Mason wasn't as confident as his junior.

“However, senior, I’m not asking where the intelligence came from, I’m asking for your opinion,” Winters stretched out his arm and reached for a piece of bread from the bread basket at the far end, “Do you really think the United Provinces can support such a large army?”

Mason didn't want to talk about it. "I've been in Paratul for five or six years. How would I know anything about the United Provinces?" he sighed. "Besides, when I left the United Provinces, I was just a greenhorn. What did I know?"

“Tell me,” Winters persisted. “Anyway, you certainly know the United Provinces better than I do.”

Mason, unable to resist Winters's insistence, hesitated for a moment before cautiously replying, "I can't speak for the long term, but arming four more legions should be enough to sustain operations in the short term...."

He gave a bitter smile. "After all, the United Provinces Army has been preparing for the 'doomsday battle' with the Empire since its inception, and it has no shortage of weapons."

“Yes, we don’t lack any,” Winters snorted, tearing a loaf of bread apart. “It’s just a pity that not a single lead bullet has been fired at the Imperials; instead, they’ve been used on us first.”

Mason was speechless and silently tidied up the plates that Winters had scattered around.

"This smoked fish is really good!" With a loud and energetic voice, Andrei stormed into the restaurant like a whirlwind, carrying a large plate piled high with smoked trout.

Apart from a large opening in its belly, the smoked fish's silver skin remained perfectly intact, exhibiting the texture of matte leather.

The edges of the smoked fish were dyed an enticing honey color, making it incredibly tempting.

Of course, one of the smoked fish was unfortunately killed before it was even served. The beautiful skin was torn off and the succulent flesh was roughly plucked out—the perpetrator of this crime was, of course, Lieutenant Andrea Cellini, who was still chewing.

“It was a gift from Mrs. Mitchell,” Winters said with a smile, raising his hand. “I’ll have one too.”

Like their distant relatives, the true Parat people never touch fish unless there is a very good reason.

Therefore, although the fish resources in Paratú are not as abundant as those in coastal areas, the advantage lies in less development, resulting in a large stock and making fishing very easy, making it a paradise for anglers.

This benefited the groups that migrated to Paratú later—such as the Dusa people.

The people of Dusa love to eat fish, especially smoked fish. No matter the type of fish, they'll smoke it. Regardless of the season, their tables are always adorned with whole or sliced, golden-brown smoked fish.

However, the smoked fish that the people of Dussa love so much is something that outsiders cannot enjoy.

Winters felt nauseous every time he ate there, and the reason was simple—it was too fishy, ​​so fishy that it made him want to vomit.

Mrs. Mitchell's method, however, was unlike any other smoked fish Winters had ever tasted from the Dussac family. It wasn't fishy or dry, but juicy, tender, and deliciously flavorful—you could eat as much as you wanted.

Unfortunately, it's complicated to make and doesn't keep well, so it can only be enjoyed at Mitchell's family table.

This time, it was Mrs. Mitchell who, upon learning of Winters' return to town, specifically asked Scarlett to deliver it.

“That’s right, I’ll ask Mrs. Mitchell for some tomorrow,” Andrei said, placing the plate in front of Winters and sitting down next to him with an air of nonchalance.

“This fish is quite a hassle to prepare,” Winters said, handing half of his bread to Andrei. He then skillfully peeled back the skin, sandwiched the juicy fish meat between the bread, and began to enjoy it, mumbling, “It takes more than ten hours to smoke over a low flame.”

"Huh? So troublesome?" Andrei was taken aback, but he quickly came up with a good idea and laughed loudly, "Then I'll find a boy to go to Mitchell's house to learn. Once he learns, we won't have to bother Mrs. Mitchell anymore, right? Hmm, Alexander Nikolayevich is very smart and good at fishing. He's Dussac, so let's send him."

The restaurant door opened again, and Scarlett walked in carrying a stew pot.

Seeing Winters and Andre devouring the smoked trout in a whirlwind, Scarlett put down the stew pot, turned around, and ran out of the restaurant to complain.

"Sister Anna! They've already started eating!"

Upon hearing this, Andrei immediately jumped up from his chair, hastily wiped his mouth clean, threw his napkin under the table, and tossed the unfinished bread into Winters's plate.

"Wow! You!" Winters, who wanted to do the same thing but was a step too slow, was both surprised and angry.

However, Andrei had already pushed all the dining chairs back into place, and the hussar lieutenant wore a victor's smile and even whistled.

The next second, Anna appeared at the restaurant entrance like a ghost. Ms. Navarre's gaze first swept over the tableware on the long table, then over the mess of plates of smoked trout, and finally settled on Winters.

Her brow furrowed slightly, her delicate nose wrinkled, and her lips pressed into a thin line. Without a word, her expression spoke volumes.

Winters was unwilling to admit it, but he couldn't deny it. He actually really enjoyed seeing Ms. Navarre when she was angry—Anna was more adorable and lively when she was emotional than when she was usually concerned about her image.

However, we shouldn't be thinking about that right now; the most important thing right now is to stay alive.

Winters raised his hands in surrender and solemnly promised, "I won't touch it again, never again."

“Mr. Mason,” Anna nodded and bowed to the other two people in the restaurant with satisfaction, “Mr. Cellini.”

Mason and Andrei nodded in return.

Anna then left the restaurant.

Until she disappeared from sight, her gaze remained fixed on Winters, and she subtly made a gesture of running a finger across her throat.

Winters smiled and blew a kiss.

Winters' expression changed immediately after Anna left.

"Traitor!" He grabbed a spoon and threw it at Andrei.

Andrei raised his hand to catch the spoon, but his arm couldn't keep up, and he could only narrowly dodge it by turning to the side.

He retorted with a grin, "I've always been on Ms. Navarre's side."

"Wow, how could you say that?" Winters got even angrier and replaced the spoon in his hand with a knife.

"Why can't I say it? I didn't lie to you, I just haven't told you yet."

"Alright, stop fooling around." Mason had to put on his senior's airs and speak up to maintain order. He picked up his spoon and pulled Andrei back to the table. "Where were we?"

"Hmm?" Andrei thought for a moment, "Should I find a kid to learn how to smoke fish?"

Mason painfully rubbed his forehead, and after a moment, sighed, "Yes, speaking of military reorganization."

Andrei yawned and reached for a smoked fish.

“Yes, speaking of ‘can’t delay.’” Winters also wanted to eat fish, but Anna’s influence was still strong, so he didn’t dare to make any rash moves and could only watch Andrei eat heartily.

He said regretfully, "It seems we have to play this card as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this card is not 'ripe' yet, and it may not be enough to gain Colonel Gaisa's understanding regarding the newly reclaimed land."

“You’re the player, so you decide when to play,” Mason replied, quickly revealing his true thoughts. “The problem isn’t this card, but how to play the next one after playing this one!”

“What do you mean?” Winters raised an eyebrow.

“Although Baishan County and Leiqun and Bianjiang Counties share the same opinion on the matter of ‘the new army needs to complete its reorganization as soon as possible’,” Mason said seriously, “I can assure you that when the new army has finished its reorganization and it’s time to decide ‘where to go next’, Colonel Gaisa, Colonel Skul, and Lieutenant Colonel Matthias will definitely not be of one mind.”

"Oh?" Winters immediately became interested and poured his senior a glass of water. "Please tell me slowly."

Mason took a sip of saliva and began to speak eloquently: "From the intelligence I've gathered, it seems that White Mountain County is more inclined to launch a direct attack on Kings' Fortress."

"Lieutenant Woods of White Mountain County is organizing a team to repair the main road leading east from Maplestone City."
"Moreover, Lieutenant Woods was also setting up a military supply depot in Sifang Town and collecting large wagons; "
"The officers of Baishan County paid particular attention to the patrols that blocked the road between Maplestone City and Kings' Fortress;
"Most obviously, Colonel Geza showed an unusual interest in the cannons in our hands... All indications suggest that Colonel Geza hopes to take the snake's head and solve the problem once and for all."

Winters has always trusted and admired Mason's ability to organize, summarize, and unravel complex and trivial information.

He still remembered the first time he met his senior, who, based on just a few outdated gazettes, was able to guess that the Paratul army was going to conscript soldiers for war again, and thus organized prisoners to harvest hay in advance to prepare for the cold winter.

Although Mason used a lot of "should" and "maybe," Winters knew his senior well—Richard Mason wouldn't have spoken at all unless he was 90% sure.

"Straight to Kings' Castle?" Winters frowned.

As a man who had accomplished the legendary feat of "single-passing through Kings' Castle"—a feat unprecedented and yet to be repeated—Winters recalled the fortifications of Kings' Castle with rapt attention, his brow furrowing more and more as he thought about it.

As an ancient capital that has stood since the "Dark Ages," the defensive design of Zhuwangbao is outdated, but it is still a very, very, very tough nut to crack. Moreover, with proper renovation and expansion, it can be revitalized in the age of artillery.

Not to mention, Kingsburg is a city situated by the water, and the Jinliu River behind it is firmly in the hands of the United Provinces and the Red Rose.

“Even if the breach Alpard blew open isn’t plugged,” Winters said with a wry smile, already mentally planning a siege, “with our current resources, a direct assault on Kings’ Castle would be… a very ugly fight. Besides, if we can’t cut off Kings’ Castle’s water supply, a siege is simply a pipe dream…”

“I think so too,” Mason murmured. “But White Mountain County believes that the forces in Kingsburg are currently weak and the morale is unstable.”

"If we attack now, we might be able to take it in one fell swoop. Once we capture Zhuwang Fortress, no one will be able to question our legitimacy, and there will be no more major battles on the south bank of Jinliu River."

"If we don't fight now, once the four legions of the United Provinces are in place, who knows when we'll be able to fight again..."

“Sigh, their ideas are actually…actually quite reasonable,” Mason scratched his head in frustration, then simply waved his hand. “Anyway, I don’t understand it anymore, you decide.”

Winters didn't rush to judgment. Instead, he crossed his arms and asked, "What about Leiqun County and Bianjiang County? Didn't you say they weren't on the same page as Baishan County? What have they done?"

“We don’t need to watch their actions,” Mason chuckled. “Lieutenant Colonel Matthias has already spoken to us.”

"Oh? What did he say?"

Mason paused for a moment, then replied meaningfully, "He's convinced you'll support him because he wants to get through the Venetta Corridor first."

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