Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 520 Trouble in the North

"The expeditionary force currently has ample food reserves, even including the newly arrived resistance troops, as well as ammunition and weapons, uh..."

Hodge hesitated for a moment, then asked with some confusion, "My lord, if I may be so bold, the expeditionary force probably won't even use all this ammunition and equipment. Aren't our reserves a bit too much?"

Hughes waved his hand and laughed.

"That's alright. Castells and Bloodharbor's factories have no shortage of production capacity, and rail transport doesn't consume much either. It's never a bad thing to have more equipment. Wasting production capacity is much better than having soldiers risk their lives to fill the gaps in ammunition supply, right?"

Hodge pursed his lips and nodded heavily.

"Besides these reserves, how are the evacuation arrangements for the resistance forces going?"

"We first arranged for the evacuation of the wounded. After all, although the expeditionary force camp was not short of supplies, the medical conditions were still poor. Sending them back to Blood Harbor could save many lives. Now, except for those whose injuries are too severe to withstand the train journey, the rest will be sent back to Blood Harbor as a priority."

“Let’s send them back first. Bloodharbor is actually a bit short of doctors, but at least the conditions are better than on the front lines,” Hughes sighed.

Castells' biggest weakness right now is actually healthcare.

In previous battles, Castel either completely overwhelmed his opponents with few casualties, or he fought monsters where getting even slightly involved meant certain death, leaving no chance to escape unscathed.

This results in low demand for doctors, and doctors don't have many patients to practice on.

The arrival of the wounded resistance fighters immediately overwhelmed the hospitals in Blood Harbor.

"I've urgently transferred a batch of doctors from Castel. Those Hospitallers, damn it, let's just call them the Hospitallers. Those banshees can forget about going to the battlefield now. All the medical students have been transferred to the hospital. Only medical students can save Castel now!"

Hodge nodded. Although he didn't understand some of the words, he grasped the general meaning.

"Besides these wounded, there are still several thousand resistance fighters left. Lord Alexei has temporarily arranged accommodations for them near the expeditionary force's camp. After the wounded are sent away, they will be sent in batches, which will speed things up considerably."

Many of the wounded are unable to move easily and need beds to stabilize their injuries. Once they are all transported, seats can be placed in the carriages, allowing each carriage to carry more people, which is equivalent to adding a lot of transport capacity for no reason.

Hughes nodded, a look of delight on his face.

Castells needed a large population, and these resistance fighters arrived just in time.

Unlike the natives of Bloodharbor, these Northern refugees had lost their homeland and had been searching for Castell for a long time, so their loyalty to this place was naturally very high.

Having survived the trials of war, those who survived were undoubtedly smarter and stronger, and would likely adapt to Castells' new environment more easily.

More importantly, this was his promise to Nora; Castells would be a home for the refugees, and now was the time to fulfill that promise.

Nora, the resistance, and Castel were all striving to fulfill their promises, never giving up despite numerous obstacles. It was a miracle that the refugees were able to reach Castel.

A miracle written by everyone together.

“My lord, there is actually one more thing.” Hughes turned around and found that Hodge’s expression had become somewhat strange.

"what happened?"

"Well, that's how it is. After news of the resistance's presence here spread throughout the North, many of the North's original inhabitants flocked here and chose to join the resistance."

Hughes raised an eyebrow; this was unexpected. "I remember the resistance was mostly composed of White Crows, right? How come Northerners have joined as well?"

The White Crows have very distinctive features; their pure white hair and white eyes make them instantly recognizable. In contrast, most Northerners are blond, and Alexei is a typical Northerner.

Hodge gave a wry smile.

"Indeed, but they still joined the resistance. The entire North has been at war for more than half a year, and the lords have been raising taxes again and again. They really can't survive. Wherever the resistance goes, there is no need for much mobilization; large numbers of people will join."

Hughes was silent for a moment, then sighed.

He was born in a time of peace. Although he had experienced the hardships of life during his previous few descents, he had never encountered war.

When they arrived at Castel, this island, though remote, had never been affected by war. By the time of the Deep Sea War, Castel was already a force to be reckoned with.

Hughes had never truly faced the people living under the shadow of war.

How many of them came?

"Our trains are transporting the wounded to Bloodharbor day and night, but the number of resistance fighters in the North is increasing."

Hughes's expression gradually became serious.

The fact that so many people are still coming to the expeditionary force, even though it is not close to major cities, can only mean that the situation in the North is already very precarious.

"No, we can't delay in dealing with these noble forces. If we drag this on any longer, they'll drag the entire Northern Territory down with them. Hodge, how's your offensive going?"

Hodge took out the map he had prepared beforehand and laid it flat on the table.

"My lord, as you can see, there are four lords in the North: three dukes and Earl Bazel. The Grand Duke of Dragonfang in the South has mobilized almost all the soldiers he can. This army has been annihilated by us."

"Grand Duke Alvarez on the east side chose to surrender directly and ordered all his vassals not to resist. We thought it was a trap, but we didn't expect him to actually hand over all his power. Lord Alexei is still dealing with this matter, and future developments will depend on the specific situation on the other side."

"Then there is Grand Duchess Octavia on the west side. Her territory is quite far from where our train is being laid. There has been no news from the expeditionary force sent by Lord Alexei yet, so it should take some more days."

"Finally, there's the Earldom of Bazel to the north, and that's where we really run into trouble—we can't find Bazel and his army at all!"

"Can't find it at all?"

"Yes, it was an entire army. Barzel took all his elite troops and slipped away just before we were about to attack Wolfsburg. Logically speaking, such an army should have left behind a lot of clues. The daily food and drink of the army is also a big problem, but we just can't find it."

"Could it be related to Lina? I remember Isaac reported on this before, that Lina and Bazel were together."

"That's possible, sir."

Hughes nodded heavily. Bazel's disappearance cast a shadow over this victory, and he had a premonition that a battle between the two sides was inevitable in the future.

"My lord, there is one more thing, concerning Nora and her body."

(End of this chapter)