Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 541 Login (Part 2)

[Kings' Castle]
[Barracks of the United Provincial Army]
Silence enveloped the officers' mess hall, which served as a makeshift meeting room; the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

The breeze blowing from the direction of the playground did not alleviate the stuffiness; instead, it carried the noisy sounds of unloading trucks.

The members of the Southern Army Headquarters, who had left the main force behind and arrived at Kingsburg earlier with the commander himself, sat on one side of the long table.
Lieutenant Colonel William Lordwick and his men, who had arrived even earlier than the Southern Army Headquarters, sat on the other side of the table.

Both sides remained silent, looking towards the end of the long table, quietly waiting for the highest-ranking commander of the United Province Army in the South Paratu direction to finish reviewing the report in his hand.

"Hmm," after an unknown amount of time, Jason Cornelis placed the report presented by Lieutenant Colonel Lordwijk back on the table, took off his monocle, rubbed his sore eyes, and calmly summarized:

"The situation is bad, worse than I had imagined."

While ostensibly describing the dire situation facing their own side, the Southern Army Commander acted as if evaluating the enemy, not only failing to "conceal the faults of his superiors" but also resorting to sarcasm and ridicule:

"That fool Grove Magnus lost all the troops we had painstakingly recruited, armed, and trained for him in just one battle."

"He was like a gambler who had swallowed two pounds of horse urine, with gold lent to him in his pocket, stumbling to the gambling table, seeing what he thought was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and immediately being blinded by the dream of winning everything, he bet all his savings without thinking, or even wanting to think, what would happen if he lost?"

Cornelisto stroked his chin, pretending to think, paused briefly, then changed his tune: "No, Your Excellency the Grand Speaker is not even as good as a gambling addict. At most, a gambling addict gambles away his own, his family's, and the property of his relatives and friends."

"And our Grand Speaker has gambled away the entire field force of the legitimate government of Paratú—that is, he has gambled away the 'legitimacy' on his signboard, and the entire South Paratú."

"What's even more ingenious is that, in order to preserve his power, Grove Magnus also ruthlessly attacked the peacemakers, successfully stripping away his last shred of legitimacy."

Upon hearing this, William Lordwick became somewhat uneasy—Grove Magnus was able to "go on a killing spree" precisely because he had Lordwick's backing.

However, the former chief of staff completely ignored Lieutenant Colonel Lordwick's embarrassed expression and continued:

"Nowadays, towns throughout South Paratú, even those that haven't yet secretly colluded with the rebels, tend to remain on the sidelines and wait and see."

"What's worse is that, while sending away the field troops, His Excellency the Grand Speaker also sent away the last Paratul officer corps that was loyal to the Grand Council, leaving not even a single seed behind, thus personally eliminating the possibility of the Parliamentary Army being rebuilt in the short term."

Cornelius picked up the report on the table again and flipped through it casually. "No matter how you look at it, Grove Magnus's rule in South Paratú is over."

Upon hearing the minister's words, Lieutenant Colonel Lordwick's men exchanged bewildered glances.

The headquarters members across the long table, however, showed little reaction, appearing as if they were already used to it.

Finally, Lieutenant Colonel William Lordwick broke the silence.

William Lordwick was a gray-blue-eyed, stern-faced man with a sharp, angular appearance. After arriving in Palatour, he became even thinner, with his cheeks and eye sockets visibly sunken.

His tightly pursed lips, the wrinkles etched between his brows, and the unconcealable signs of fatigue all indicated that he had been under tremendous pressure during this period.

“You’re right, Speaker Magnus’s seat is teetering on the brink of collapse.” Lordwijk bowed slightly. “So it’s wonderful that you were able to arrive in Palatour so quickly. We’re all counting on you to save the day…”

"Stop pretending," Cornelius waved his hand impatiently. "If I were you, I would have cursed my entire family."

“When I was in school, you weren’t even enrolled yet; when you were in school, I was just a junior instructor. I’m not your teacher, and you’re not my student. There’s no need for us to go through this pretentious formality.”

Cornelius tapped the table. "You've already answered my questions in the report. Just ask me whatever you want."

This was the first time William Lordwick had witnessed the former director's mannerisms. He was taken aback at first, and then his brows furrowed involuntarily.

He couldn't tell if Cornelius was joking or not from his face. But after scanning the expressions of the command members sitting across the table, he was certain they weren't kidding.

Since that's the case, Lordwik didn't bother with any more pleasantries. He quickly organized his thoughts and asked directly, "How many troops did you bring this time?"

Cornelius answered just as readily: "Not counting artillery, this batch is a battalion, five hundred men."

"What about the next batch?"

"Still five hundred."

Lordwick's furrowed brows slowly relaxed. "Will a whole squadron be sent on every flight from now on?"

“No!” Cornelius shook his finger unexpectedly. “Just these two for five hundred.” Lordweke’s nerves, which had just relaxed, tensed up again.

The officers under Lieutenant Colonel Lordwick also looked surprised and unsure if they had misheard.

The members of the command headquarters, however, still acted as if they already knew.

"Only a thousand men?" Lordwack was somewhat prepared for the Southern Army's outward strength but inner weakness, but he couldn't have prepared for such a low number.

"Including your troops, two thousand, for now."

"Then...what about later?"

“While we are speaking, Major Van House is putting all his efforts into training the troops remaining on the home front,” Cornelius said calmly, “I advise you not to have any unrealistic expectations about the size of the follow-up troops.”

The restaurant fell silent immediately; the commander's meaning was crystal clear.

"Excuse my bluntness," Lordwik licked his teeth, barely suppressing his anger, and asked, "No matter what, the Southern Army has four legions and 20,000 troops on paper. How could they only be able to muster 1,000 men?"

Cornelius didn't answer directly, but instead asked another question: "Lieutenant Colonel, what do you think of the five hundred soldiers I brought?"

Lordwijk paused for a moment, the image of Cornelius's troops marching through the streets of Kingsburg, singing military songs, flashing through his mind.

He commented fairly: "Although they lack real combat experience, they are all promising young soldiers."

Cornelius gave a half-smile. "How could soldiers handpicked from four legions be bad?"

Lordwijk was speechless.

Cornelius even had the mind to joke: "Don't worry, the next flight of 500 soldiers will be just as good as this batch."

Lordwijk was both angry and anxious. "Do you really expect to hold off the newly reclaimed land rebels with just two thousand men?"

“Two thousand men are certainly not enough,” Cornelius paused, then said heavily, “but this is all the Southern Army can muster at the moment.”

Cornelius's sharp gaze swept over Lieutenant Colonel Lordwijk's men, and he warned sternly, "So, don't let any Paratus know about this. Whether on the table or in bed, you only need to tell them one thing—the main force of the Southern Army is about to arrive, understand?"

Lordwick sensed the threat in the former chief's words and immediately retorted, "Rest assured, my men will keep quiet. But I must remind you, nothing stays secret forever."

"The later the ventilation, the better."

“No matter what, two thousand men are too few,” Lordwik still wanted to try. “If all four legions are in place, at least we can deter the autonomous towns and prevent them from easily surrendering to the enemy; we might even scare the newly established rebels and force them to adjust their strategies and avoid fighting.”

Cornelius gave the colonel a cold look: "The quality of soldiers is more important than the quantity. Bringing 20,000 useless soldiers to Palatul is no better than bringing 20,000 pigs. At least pigs can be eaten, while people will only eat them all."

“If you only have two thousand people,” Lordwik immediately retorted, “you will be eaten up just the same.”

“Listen up, William Lordwick,” Cornelius stood up, looking down at the lieutenant colonel and then at all the officers present.

"If you're hoping to win this war by bringing in troops from the United Provinces, you might as well surrender now."

"The military can't give us troops, and it won't give them to us."

"Even if the military really gives us troops, it cannot change this ironclad rule—only the Palatul people can decide who is the master of the Palatul land."

“Therefore,” Cornelius sat back down and calmly explained, “the only way we can win this war is to rebuild the army of the Republic of Palatour.”

"Are you still thinking about 'winning'?" Lordwijk asked incredulously.

“Why not?” Cornelius said calmly. “I’m here to win this war.”

“So how do you plan to win…” William Lordwick’s expression was as dark as ink. “How do you plan to rebuild the army of the Republic of Palatour?”

Jason Cornelius smiled. "First, we need to talk to the New Reclamation rebels."

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