The Witcher: Make Witcher Great Again

Chapter 423 The situation is reversed
"Barracks, granary, bombs."

No complicated explanation is needed; a brief command is enough for the demon hunters to understand.

Everyone scattered in a flash, amidst the firelight and shadows.

A few minutes later, an officer who got up in the middle of the night accidentally discovered the body lying next to the latrine, but before he could raise an alarm, the granary burst into flames and thick smoke with a loud bang.

The towering flames reflected the officer's shocked expression.

However, the soldiers in the barracks remained motionless.

If someone were standing outside the barracks at this moment, they could see the unique, highly toxic smoke from the Demon Dust bomb drifting out of the barracks windows.

A silver light flashed from behind the officer, and his headless body fell to the ground, his head rolling into the shadows beyond the reach of the torchlight.

As dawn broke in the eastern sky, scouts sent from other places arrived at the outpost, only to find the entire outpost engulfed in flames.

……

Almost on the same day, several important supply points in Nilfgaard within Nasser fell simultaneously.

Large quantities of supplies, including food, medicine, and shoes, were destroyed in the burning stronghold.

Although the front-line army camps and other supply depots still under Nilfgaardian control had some supplies remaining.

However, these supplies alone were clearly insufficient to support the entire Western Army Group, a force of 80,000 men.

If the Empire cannot send new supplies from the rear in time, the sun flag will not be able to fly high atop the Manada Valley fortress.

……

Imperial army positions outside the Manada Valley fortress.

Menno Kuhorn's knuckles gripped the edge of the sand table, causing the small flag representing the supply line to tremble.

The whites of the army group commander's eyes were covered with spiderweb-like blood vessels, and his cheekbones were sunken into two deep pits due to continuous insomnia.

The Western Army Group had halted its offensive a week earlier due to a lack of supplies.

Menno diverted more soldiers from the front lines to protect rear transport convoys and supply depots.

However, the supply routes were still attacked every now and then.

And once an attack occurs, the transport convoy or supply depot will be completely wiped out.

Because there were no survivors, the Nilfgaardians still do not know the true identity of the attackers.

Scouts who arrived at the scene later determined that there were traces of an explosion.

It looks a lot like the alchemical bombs used by Witcher.

Therefore, Menno had a bold idea: that the Witchers who claimed to be neutral were finally beginning to abandon their principles and fight for the North.

Unlike the northern nations, the Nilfgaardian Empire has always had a clear understanding of the combat capabilities of its Witchers.

But the usurper emperor went too far.

Back then, the Viper School and the Cat School, which were still active in the south, were unwilling to serve the empire. To avoid any unforeseen complications, the usurper emperor directly sent a large army to destroy their headquarters.

As a result, those survivors who escaped the empire's sights fled to the north and have now become the empire's most threatening enemies.

But what's the use of thinking about the past now that things have come to this?

After Fringilla Vigo defected to the North, the Imperial Magic Academy's training of magic soldiers became extremely slow; otherwise, Menno could have organized a sorcerer force to contend with it.

Thinking of this, Menno had the soldiers guarding the door call over the quartermaster.

"How much food do the soldiers have left?"

As soon as the quartermaster arrived, Menno went straight to the point and asked.

The quartermaster's face fell: "We can only hold out for another week at most."

"Change the previous two meals to one meal and reduce the portion size for each person."

"Sir, you've forgotten that you've already given this order. I've reduced their rations several times. Apart from the soldiers on guard duty and patrolling, the other soldiers aren't even getting enough to eat."

The quartermaster paused for a moment, then continued, "Many soldiers are now dissatisfied. If this situation continues to deteriorate, a mutiny will break out in the army sooner or later."

Menno did not answer the quartermaster, but instead placed his hands on the sand table and stared intently at it.

After a long pause, he seemed to have made a major decision.

Slowly exhale the stale air from your chest.

……

Nasser Province, Karel Village.

While most of the villagers were still asleep, a thick morning fog, carrying an aura of slaughter, swept across the wilderness. The sound of hooves rang out, and dozens of black-armored cavalrymen stormed into the village, shattering its tranquility.

Before long, cries, curses, and beatings rang out. The villagers, dressed only in thin clothes, were forcibly taken to an open space in the village, surrounded by Nilfgaardian soldiers with sun emblems embroidered on their chests.

The village chief glanced at the trembling villagers and, suppressing his fear, said, "Sir, please have mercy! We are all the most obedient citizens of the empire, and we have never done anything to betray it!"

The cavalry captain leading the troops didn't even glance at the village chief. He placed his hand on his sword and said coldly.

"By order of Lord Menno Kuhorn and the Empire's Wartime Conscription Act, the Imperial Army has the right to temporarily conscript food from any Imperial citizen. At the same time, Imperial citizens are also obligated to cooperate with all the Imperial Army's requests."

"Therefore, I hereby declare that all the grain in the village now belongs to the Western Army Group. This is an IOU, and someone will bring you the money after the war ends."

After the cavalry captain finished speaking with a cold expression, he nodded to his men, signaling them to begin their operation.

One horse-drawn carriage after another drove into the village, and the soldiers loaded all the grain they had found in the granary onto the carriages.

The village chief and the villagers were all angry but dared not speak out.

However, after the soldiers emptied all the grain from the barn, they did not leave as the villagers had hoped, but instead broke into the villagers' homes.

"Wait, please don't do that."

"What are you robbers doing? I..."

Some villagers couldn't sit still any longer and tried to step forward to stop them.

They had only taken a few steps forward when the soldiers guarding them struck them down with the shafts of their spears.

The village chief pleaded for mercy, but he was punched as well, and blood streamed down his face.

"stop."

Upon hearing the cavalry captain's order, the soldiers who had started the beating stopped.

"This is the first warning. If it happens again, we won't be so lenient. Be thankful that if it were any other imperial army, they would only respond to uncooperative mobs with gallows and guillotines."

The cavalry captain stepped on a villager who was groaning in pain.

Then he kicked the villager back into the crowd.

At the command of the cavalry captain, the soldiers also pointed their spears directly at the crowd.

Faced with a forest of spears reflecting a cold light, the villagers were too frightened to move.

They could only watch helplessly as the soldiers, like robbers, ransacked their homes and took away all their valuables.

As dusk fell, the Nilfgaardian cavalry finally departed, pulling wagons laden with supplies. The cavalry captain, bringing up the rear, said, "Thank you for your contributions to the Empire," before catching up with the rest of the group and disappearing from the villagers' sight.

……

The next night.

Several people, all cloaked, drove a horse-drawn carriage into the village.

The truck was loaded with grain.

Although this amount of grain was not enough to make up for the amount that was stolen from the villagers, it was enough to feed them for a while.

With the help of the villagers, all the grain on the cart was moved into a cellar hidden behind the village.

The syndicate members were invited by the village chief to rest at his home.

They smelled the stench of blood wafting from the neighboring house and couldn't help but sigh.

"That's really going too far."

“Who says otherwise?” The village chief brought over a few cups of boiled water. “I’m so sorry, this is all we can offer you. We really have nothing else to offer.”

"It's alright, I was just a little thirsty." Everyone took the cups without hesitation and took a sip.

The village chief sighed again.

"This world is truly driving people to the brink of despair. They've taken everything from us, those damned Nilfgaardians!"

A syndicate member asked疑惑地问道, "Village Chief, didn't we already tell you that if the Nilfgaardians came to steal our food, the villagers shouldn't resist?"

Back when Drake handed over the information the Syndicate had gathered about the routes of Nilfgaardian German transport convoys and the locations of their supply depots to Lynn.

Drake had already anticipated that the Imperial Army would resort to forced requisitioning of food when their supplies were running out.

After all, the Nilfgaardians only claimed to be civilized and advanced.

They have never claimed to be a benevolent and righteous army.

Moreover, even though everyone is a free person in the Empire, the Nilfgaardians of the Golden Tower are still freer than the people of the provinces.

Therefore, Drake had already instructed the syndicate to deliver this message to the village chiefs of every village:
If the Nilfgaardians really come, tell the villagers not to resist.

They will find a way to replenish the food that the Nilfgaardians have stolen, and they will never let a single villager starve to death.

Drake dared to make such a guarantee only after reporting to Lynn and obtaining Lynn's consent.

This may seem like a losing proposition, but if it wins the hearts of the Nasser people and reduces the control of the province over Nasser, then it's actually a profitable deal.

However, to the surprise of these syndicate members, some villagers were still injured.

"This...hey..."

The village chief had, of course, given prior instructions.

Of course, he didn't go into that much detail.

However, I also told everyone that I heard the German army in Nilfgaard was having some logistical problems and they might come to requisition food.

If they really come, do not resist.

Anyway, they have weapons while they don't, so resistance is useless.

But even though the villagers agreed, when they saw the German soldiers from Nilfgaard breaking into their houses and taking their belongings, some villagers couldn't hold back anymore.

……

A syndicate outpost somewhere within Nasser territory.

The oil lamp cast a flickering halo in the room, reflecting a thoughtful expression on Lynn's face.

Drake walked in from outside.

"My lord, most of the villages are willing to support our actions. Only a few villages, under the pressure of the Nilfgaardians' power, dare not offer us any help, but they promise not to inform the Nilfgaardians."

Lynn nodded and said, "That's enough. Now the plan will move to the next stage: give the Nassers weapons and incorporate them into our army. Also, starting today, we will suspend attacks on Nilfgaardian convoys and supply depots."

“You mean…” Drake lowered his head, “I understand.”

……

For a long time afterward, Nilfgaard's supply routes were not attacked again, and all the food brought from the rear arrived safely at the front.

With supplies restored, the morale of the German troops in Nilfgaard at the front lines soared once again.

However, Menno still left 30,000 troops in Nasser to protect supply routes.

This situation changed again when reinforcements from the United Kingdoms of Lyria and Livia arrived at the Manada Valley fortress.

The total strength of the Northern Allied Forces suddenly exceeded 40,000.

This emboldened Marshal Visekid, the Duke of Sintra, who was also the commander-in-chief of the allied forces.

Previously, the northern army had been passively defending the Manada Valley fortress, but now they dared to take the initiative and fight against the Nilfgaardian army outside the fortress.

Of course, the Northern Alliance was composed of multiple countries, and their cooperation and coordination were somewhat lacking. In addition, they were still at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. Therefore, Visekid had no intention of fighting a decisive battle and only launched small-scale conflicts.

Winning is best, but losing and suffering losses isn't too serious.

Visekid's actions significantly tied down the main forces of Nilfgaard's Western Army Group, forcing Menno Kuhorn to shift more of his attention to the front lines.

At this moment, Lin Enjun, who had been lying low, finally took action again.

Originally, Lynn only had five hundred witchers under his command, plus five thousand regular troops who later landed in Nasser.

However, the Nilfgaardians' forced requisition of grain ignited the anger of the Nasser, who had endured oppression for many years and finally erupted.

Countless young men and women enthusiastically joined the volunteer army, and its size quickly expanded to 20,000.

Of course, Lynn knew that although the 20,000 volunteers were numerous, they would only collapse at the first touch if they clashed head-on with the Nilfgaardian army.

Therefore, Lynn broke up and dismantled these 20,000 men, and then incorporated them into his standing army, with one veteran leading four new recruits.

Each team was also reinforced with several demon hunters.

The previous suspension of attacks on Nilfgaard's supply routes was partly to lull the Nilfgaardians into a false sense of security, and partly to train new recruits.

Now, the Northern Alliance is putting pressure on the Nilfgaardians at the front, forcing them to shift their attention back to the front lines, and Lynn has begun his operation as well.

Although Menno had previously left 30,000 troops in Nasser, these troops had to protect the supply routes and were scattered in various towns, which gave Lynn the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Incidentally, when the Nilfgaardians were robbing the people outside the city of their food, they naturally didn't spare the people inside the city either.

The Nassers in the city also had no goodwill towards the Nilfgaardians.

Therefore, when the Syndicate contacted the Nassers in various towns, they were also willing to cooperate with the Lynn army outside the city, working together from the inside and outside.

In just one month, Lynn's army captured most of the towns in Nasser, leaving only the two major cities of Les Lane and Essengre in the territory actually controlled by the Nilfgaardian army.

……

When news reached the front lines that most of Nasser had fallen, Menno could hardly believe his ears.

He clearly left 30,000 men in the rear, so how did the Sair people defeat them?
Also, why didn't he know anything about it?
Even if there are 30,000 pigs, at least they will squeal when they are slaughtered.

After his anger subsided, Menno suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

If the soldiers in the army knew that their retreat route had been cut off, their morale would probably collapse instantly.

Without a second thought, Menno drew his sword and killed the soldier who had come to deliver the message. He then ordered the guards outside to drag the soldier's body out and burn it.

Then, Menno quickly mobilized 15,000 troops in an attempt to break through the border between Ras Lane and Eisengre, who were still under Nilfgaardian control.

However, outside the city of Les Lane, they encountered an ambush by Lynn's army, who were already prepared to besiege the city and attack any reinforcements.

Lynn's army was well-rested and had more than twice the strength of the Nilfgaardian army.

Therefore, without any suspense, the Nilfgaardian army, which was shouldering a heavy responsibility, was completely annihilated, and not a single survivor escaped.

Menno waited in vain for news, supplies from the rear failed to arrive, and the food stockpiled at the front gradually ran out.

Having previously experienced a near-supply shortage, the army's morale plummeted once again due to the recurring situation.

At the same time, various rumors began to circulate within the military.

Faced with such rumors, Menno's approach was very traditional and classic: he killed.

All soldiers who spread the rumors were executed.

After dozens of soldiers were killed, the rumors seemed to have been temporarily contained.

then……

Something even more serious happened.

Desertion began to appear in the army.

Even though Mennoga sent out night patrols, desertion continued unabated.

What put even more pressure on Mennon was that the officers were not on his side; they generally believed that a retreat was necessary.

There's no chance of winning if we continue fighting.

In fact, Menno was well aware of this, but Emperor Emhyr entrusted him with the important task of Commander-in-Chief of the Western Army Group, hoping that he would break through the Manada Valley in a blitzkrieg and occupy Sintra.

As a result, he even lost Nasser.

If we withdraw our troops like this, what will the emperor think of us?

Unless the emperor is foolish, he wouldn't execute all the officers in a self-destructive manner.

But someone has to take the blame for the bad luck in the war, and that person can only be himself.

Since going back would mean certain death anyway, I might as well stay; maybe things will turn around.

The army's predicament and the potential punishment upon returning to Nilfgaard weighed heavily on them. Even the once-renowned general Menno Kuhun finally succumbed to selfishness and squandered his last chance to preserve his strength.

On the eve of the Western Army Group running out of food, the Northern Allied Army left the Manada Valley fortress and launched a massive offensive against the Nilfgaardian army's positions.

(End of this chapter)