Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 816 - 80 Mason

Chapter 816: Chapter 80 Mason Chapter 816: Chapter 80 Mason The night was deep, and it was uncertain when and where this was.

Soldiers carrying spears and muskets gasped for breath as they followed their comrades at a quick march.

On the other side of the road, horses laden with armor took up space, occasionally causing an out-of-control horse to break into the marching column, prompting a wave of exclamations and curses.

“This won’t do,” Bard surveyed the people around him, furrowing his brow into a knot, “The leading companies are almost at Saint Town, and the militia from the back haven’t even left Niutigu Valley. There’s nothing to eat, nothing to drink. Soldiers can’t find the ammunition wagons, and the packhorse teams can’t find the soldiers.”

Winters, holding a lantern, marked the map in silence.

Present were two formal officers and all the company-level commanders and militia-appointed captains that could be summoned.

Everyone knew that a forced march at night was dangerous, but was it possible to go slowly?

...

The majority of the supplies for this nearly ten-thousand-strong force—if the militia were included—were in Revodan.

The battle of Panto River relied on the [Revodan-Shizhen-Panto River] artery to supply provisions; only then did the front line have food, drink, and ammunition.

If Revodan were lost, it wouldn’t just be like an artery being blocked, but the heart being gouged out.

Not to mention that Revodan was also the evacuation site for military families, and while the militia might lack sympathy for this, the soldiers whose families were in Revodan wished they could sprout wings and fly back there.

“Soldiers with sweat-soaked backs, warhorses foaming at the mouth—such a force can’t fight!” Bard said emphatically, seeming to address his subordinates, but in fact aiming more at Winters:

“In this state, five hundred cavalry could break our entire army. Until there’s confirmed news from Revodan, we should assume it has been lost and make further operational plans based on this.”

People listened in silence; here there were only two officers in the true sense, and only one person who could direct this army.

“Change the destination. Have the Second and Third Battalions head to Saint Town to regroup and reorganize; let the mounted infantry battalion cross the river from King’s Bridge Town, taking the north bank to Revodan,” Winters suddenly commanded, clearly issuing his orders:

“Have Tamas’s First Battalion turn back, take the Niutigu Valley militia to the [Tie Feng Mountain mouth], and build fortifications there—nail down the entrance to Tie Feng Mountain.”

[Note: Tie Feng Mountain mouth means the narrow, perilous path between Niutigu Valley and Forging Village. Winters surveyed the terrain there in Chapter 60.]

Before others could react, Bard already took out his notebook and began transcribing the verbal instructions into written orders.

“What about the arrangements for the other militia units?” Bard asked, his hand never pausing.

“Any units without specific orders must converge on Saint Town,” Winters folded the map and handed it to Bard, “Hand the map over to the acting battalion commanders. Have messengers from various towns and villages been dispatched?”

“All have been sent out.”

“Send more, set the rally point at Saint Town. Collect provisions from Saint Town and King’s Bridge Town, compenate at equivalent value after the battle.”

“I’ll handle this.” Bard nodded; he was still nominally the Garrison Officer of Saint Town.

The two clarified the military deployment with a quick question and answer.

The subordinates received their orders and returned to their units, leaving only Winters, Bard, and a few guards behind.

Bard looked at Winters, unsure what to say.

From the moment Winters learned Revodan was threatened, his emotions gradually became calmer and detached, as if stripped of human sentiment.

It seemed to be some kind of stress response or self-protective instinct, Winters would never talk about his worries for Revodan.

This instead showed that Revodan held treasures dear as life to Winters, precious to an extent he could not bear to envision losing them. So he filled his mind with endless battle deductions, refusing to think of anything else.

Bard felt sorry for his close friend and wanted to say something to comfort Winters.

But it was Winters who spoke first, “Has the fleet set out?”

Bard paused slightly, “A messenger from Samujin has come; he has already set out.”

“Good,” Winters nodded and turned to walk into the inner tent.

When Bard looked at Winters again, the latter had already fallen asleep on his camp bed.

…

At dawn, Revodan came into view of the vanguard of the Terdon Tribe.

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Revodan situated in the middle of the valley’s steady plain was also the lowest part of the river plain terrain, open on all sides with no natural defenses on which to rely.

The people from Terdun looked down from their high ground, with an unobstructed view of Revodan: the north and south towns faced each other across the river, connected by a wooden bridge.

At this moment, the lights were bright around the city walls, indicating that the defenders were preparing in earnest.

The men tending the fires seemed unsurprised; once the army was on the move, its presence was inevitable— they had been spotted by coastal watchtowers while crossing the river.

A predator must approach its prey quietly, but it is the final sprint that decides whether it will feast.

The fire keeper, pointing to the outline of the city wall limned by the lights on the south bank, laughed heartily, “Are these pitifully low walls worthy of being called city walls?” in Herde language.

His guards also laughed unrestrainedly.

The “city wall” in sight was embarrassingly low, barely higher than one person, not much different from a farmer’s fence.

Not to mention comparing it to the sturdy walls of famous cities and towns, it seemed quite short even when compared to the enclosures around noble estates.

In the previous war on the plains, the fire keeper’s own men suffered heavy losses. Now, the guards of the night and the arrow bearers included many who had been newly promoted.

These young men of Terdun nobility all eagerly sought to prove their bravery, to achieve honors and rewards.