Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 416 - 52

Chapter 416: Chapter 52

The scouts trailing the Herd’s main force reached The Styx and brought back one piece of bad news and one piece of good news.

The bad news was that the floating bridge had been burned down.

Blackened remnants of small boats littered the riverbank. The West Camp across the river had also been set ablaze, with not a single survivor found.

The wounded, merchants, and Colin’s Centurion who had stayed in the camp had all perished. Even those returning to Paratu probably couldn’t escape their fate.

The good news was that various signs indicated the enemy had already crossed the river in its entirety, so the supply column was temporarily safe.

But… could it really be considered good news?

The old marshal had once said, “The most difficult thing in war is to guess at the enemy’s intentions.”

An experienced old commander might easily discern the barbarians’ intentions, but not everyone possessed such a skill.

As the enemy moved their pieces, Winters gradually outlined the big picture: from start to finish, the Herders’ goal had been the floating bridge—they wanted to bring the flames of war back to Paratu.

…

Once the war began, the most important thing was how to end it.

Paratu’s desire to end the war didn’t lie in conquering cities.

The wealth of an agrarian nation was concentrated in its cities, but the Herders, being nomadic, had no cities for the Paratu army to attack.

The real objective for the Paratu People was to hurt, to make the Herd Barbarians cry, and to soften them up through killing their soldiers, capturing their populations, and plundering their livestock.

As long as the Herders acknowledged defeat and moved westward, the war would end immediately.

Moreover, Paratu was not at war with all the Herders but fought only the nearest faction each time.

Sometimes they even exploited the divisions among the factions, hiring Herders to fight Herders.

Despite the Paratu People’s reluctance to admit their ancestors were a branch of the Herders, there was no denying that both sides’ war patterns were full of nomadic traits.

For nearly thirty years, the Herders had been disorganized internally.

In times of conflict, the tribes would often retreat to preserve their strength as the foremost priority.

At most, they would dispatch small groups of light cavalry to harass supply lines, waiting for the Paratu People to exhaust themselves and naturally withdraw.

After all, the Paratu People would come and go, while the other tribes residing on the steppe were the real enemies.

Therefore, everyone, including Winters, assumed that the first encountered Centurion was a vanguard, considering the following day’s arrival of Alaric’s force as the main body.

However, in reality, the Herders had deployed a substantial army, at least half of a Naiman [ten thousand men squad].

The thousand-strong Alaric’s Centurion that fought Paratu until the heavens turned dusky was actually just an advanced guard.

…

The worst estimation made by the officers earlier was merely being cut off by the Herders.

When Colonel Castor was informed that thousands of Herd cavalry had crossed to the east of The Styx, he nearly fainted from anger.

What was on the east side of The Styx? A hundred kilometers of uninhabited land. Yet, beyond those hundred-odd kilometers lay Paratu’s homeland.

The Herders… were heading towards Paratu, and there was nobody to stop them.

After thirty years, the hooves of the Herd Raiders would once again tread on Paratu’s soil.

Colonel Castor immediately dispatched messengers to the forces ahead and behind.

However, with the floating bridge destroyed, the messengers could only take a detour upstream to cross the river, but it was already too late.

The news was so shocking that the Paratu People in the ranks were all somewhat dazed, even Winters felt dizzy when he first heard it.

The Paratu People had been winning battles for so long that they had forgotten the Herders also had teeth.

The last time the Herders had penetrated into Paratu, Jeska was still a babbling toddler, and most people in the camp hadn’t even been born.

Over those thirty years, Paratu maintained absolute suppression over the Herd tribes.

When the Paratu People threw a punch, the Herders retreated; when the Paratu People threw another punch, the Herders retreated further.

From one victory to another, the Paratu People built an unwavering confidence in their invincibility.

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What Winters saw, amidst the wagons and behind the camp walls, no matter how dire the battle, the Paratu People never doubted the ultimate victory in this war.

Now, Winters was witnessing this confidence begin to crumble.

More than one Centurion ran to him, subtly or openly asking about retreating back to Paratu.

But this was not something Winters could decide.

…

The cavalry squadron and the supply column’s officers urgently convened to discuss the next course of action.

The atmosphere of the meeting was heavy, with officers keeping somber faces without speaking a word.

Seeing no one willing to speak, Colonel Castor angrily exclaimed, “All gone mute? Start with the lowest rank, one by one speak up!”

Another silence followed, and Winters stood up, probably no one there had a lower rank than him.

“Good, you start!” Castor banged the table and pointed, “Then the person on your right.”

Andre’s face immediately turned into the look of a bitter gourd.

“I think,” Winters said as succinctly as possible, “we should head west and find the main force.”

The air suddenly fell cold.

“Why?” Colonel Jeska’s eyelids twitched.

“The floating bridge is destroyed, and there are only two ways to cross the river. Either detour upstream or build a boat to cross. The detour is too long, and boat building takes time. We don’t know how many Herders are still lurking around here; seeking the main force is safer.”

“How do you know the main force hasn’t been defeated?”

“Because the enemy troops crossing the river still wore lamellar armor and leather coats,” Winters replied. “The Herders don’t waste anything. If the main force ahead had been defeated, they would be carrying more than just that junk.”

“That’s right!” Castor immediately spoke in agreement: “What capability do the Herders have to devour a twenty thousand strong army? They must have played a risky move, placing a gamble on this battle—it hasn’t been lost yet!”

The others looked at Jeska; if he shared the same opinion, there was no need for further discussion.

“You fight your battle, I’ll fight mine.” The one-eyed Colonel suddenly shook his head with a bitter smile: “That was the old marshal’s strategy, when did the Herders learn that?”

With the tone set, the officers decided to set out immediately and sent out Cavalry to gather the other three companies of Castor’s unit.

Because most of the supply camps along the route had been plundered, Castor’s Cavalry would travel with the supply trains, procuring supplies while also offering protection.

The accompanying merchants were scared out of their wits and just wanted to go home, but by now it wasn’t up to them.

The two Lieutenants-Colonels, fearing that deserting merchants might leak the supply train’s movements, conscripted all of the merchants’ wagons and draft animals, and enlisted the merchants themselves into the militia.

Unperceived, the mentality of the Paratu People had quietly shifted.

Before the encounter with Hurd’s army, the Paratu People regarded the supply line as the rear, subject only to sporadic raids.

Now everything was different; the vast wilderness seemed the same, but in the eyes of those setting out again, danger lurked everywhere, and Herders seemed to be ambushing from behind every hill.

The supply train changed its route. Castor dispersed scouts twenty kilometers out, with everyone on edge, they even dared not light fires during the day—smoke was too conspicuous over the open plains.

Military and civilian personnel alike could only cook at night using earthen stoves.

However, the advantages of the iron stove crafted by Berlion became evident.

Iron stoves, without open flames and concealed and safe, do not leave pits. They use less fuel, so they produce minimal smoke.

The more experienced the officer, the more invaluable they found these iron stoves.

To soldiers hungry, cold, and exhausted, nothing could boost their morale more than a bowl of hot soup.

Lieutenant-Colonel Castor thoroughly inspected the iron stove inside and out, marveling without end.

“Are you a blacksmith?” the Lieutenant-Colonel abruptly asked Berlion.

“Apprenticed for two years.”

“Not married?”

“Sir, no.”

“Come work for me.” Castor recruited Berlion straightforwardly, “I’ll make you a Sergeant. You’ll save up for a wife’s dowry in three years.”

Winters, standing nearby, hadn’t expected the Lieutenant-Colonel to recruit directly from his ranks, and to offer such generous terms at that.

The term ‘Sergeant’ has slightly different meanings in the various Republics. In Vineta, it is synonymous with Centurion.

In Paratu, a Sergeant stands between Centurion and Centurion, a very favorable position. A seasoned Sergeant’s salary can even exceed that of a lower-ranking officer.

Hearing Castor’s words, Winters felt somewhat nervous; he truly did not want to lose such a good cook.

Berlion hesitated for a moment, then answered woodenly, “My lord’s favor humbles me, but I have a younger brother at home. I can’t leave him.”

Lieutenant-Colonel Castor snorted. Having personally extended the offer was honor enough; he could say no more.

Before leaving, Castor looked back and asked, “Does this stove have a name?”

“Yes. It’s called the Soria Stove.” Berlion’s eyes reddened a bit, “It was designed by my father.”

That very night, the blacksmith Berlion received the fire iron from a Lieutenant and was gloriously promoted to the exclusive cook for the officer’s mess of the Cavalry and supply train, and thus was relieved from duties and combat.

He immediately became the most closely guarded individual in the company, even more secured than the two Colonels.

…

Proceeding with utmost caution over three days, the leading scouts encountered friendly units.

Behind the friendly scouts were forty companies of Cavalry, constituting over five thousand light and heavy Cavalrymen.

Soon after, Major General Alpad rushed to the supply train with his personal guards, urgently enquiring about information from the two Lieutenant-Colonels.

The large movement of Herder troops could not have gone unnoticed; sensing the enemy’s actions, the Paratu army immediately dispatched all their Cavalry in pursuit.

They were just a step too late; only after the Herders had crossed the Styx three days earlier did the pursuers finally catch up.

When Alpad learned that the Herders had already destroyed the Floating Bridge, he was quickly incensed.

Further learning that Herd Raiders had crossed eastward over the Styx, heading straight for Paratu, Major General Alpad nearly died of rage on the spot.

The silver-haired Alpad berated both Lieutenant-Colonels until they were soaked in metaphorical blood. If fury had a temperature, Jeska and Castor would have been scorched, inside and out.

But the bridge was already destroyed; anything said was too late.

Alpad could only regroup with the main infantry forces before making further plans.

While Jeska and Castor were being harshly reprimanded by the Major General, their subordinates stood at attention behind them.

The dressing down of Lieutenant-Colonel Jeska made Winters uncomfortable, and he couldn’t help remarking to the others, “It was clearly the forces ahead who failed to stop the Herders, yet he belabors his point by scolding us!”

“It’s not like that,” said Lieutenant Sutter, waving his hand.

Having stirred the pot together for many days, the officers of the Cavalry had grown familiar with Winters and the others.

“How is it then?”

“Major General Alpad has already routed three Herder Centurion units on his way here; otherwise, he wouldn’t have arrived so late,” Lieutenant Sutter quietly explained, adding, “I heard it from someone in the first company.”

Winters’ pupils dilated sharply, “There are three other routed Centurion units, plus the Herders who crossed the river, doesn’t that mean…”

“Exactly,” Sutter wiped the sweat from his brow, “An actual Naiman, a legitimate force of ten thousand.”

“Over ten thousand Cavalry! How could they hide in the wilderness?”

“What else? Dividing and conquering.” Sutter sighed, “The Herders’ signature tactics.”

…

The impetuous Major General Alpad left the slow-moving supply train behind, leading the Cavalry to meet up with the main force ahead.

After fourteen more days of grueling journeying, Jeska’s supply train finally reached their destination.

The setting sun slanted to the west, and the sky was covered in red clouds.

Winters, riding a sturdy horse at a leisurely pace, climbed the hill and saw the vast expanse of the Paratu encampment completely exposed to his view.

Only now did he truly understand why this battle had been so delayed.

In front of the Paratu encampment stood a quiet earthen city, erected on the wilderness.

The Herd Barbarians… had built a fortress.