Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 153 The Butcher's Path
Spring of Imperial Year 520.

A light drizzle fell from the sky, and the biting spring chill seeped into the bones.

A tall, thin, and stern-looking old man was riding away from Wulu Palace alone. Although the weariness in his eyes was almost impossible to hide, the old man still kept his back straight.

He is about to set off for the foothills to take full responsibility for quelling the rebellion, eliminating the rebels, and restoring the authority of the empire.

There, he would face his former servant, disciple, and vassal—Ned of Tormes.

Only when people are choked awake by the thick smoke do they start to wonder: what was that tiny spark at the beginning?
An insult? A slap? A personal vendetta?

Those things are no longer important; what matters is that the flames of rebellion have now spread like wildfire.

Not only is the entire Duchy of Frosland engulfed in flames, but even the autonomous cities of the Duchy of Veneta are stirring with rage.

This fire must be extinguished as soon as possible, otherwise the territory south of the Shade Mountains will be reduced to ashes.

But a problem loomed before him: his troops were stationed on the northern border of the empire, while the war-torn frontier was located at the southernmost tip of the empire's territory.

Maritime transport was virtually shut down. Rebel galleons set out from the Taniri Islands, relentlessly disrupting the Empire's sea routes.

The emperor's fleet was completely annihilated in a naval battle with Sultan Freman two years ago and has yet to recover.

His soldiers could only reach their enemy by traversing the entire empire on foot and scaling the towering, cloud-shrouded mountains.

……

On January 12, 559 of the Imperial Calendar, the Jesca Battalion departed from the Twin Bridges Camp, with only about a hundred double-horse wagons in the column.

Six days later, the supply convoy arrived at the border town of Matoupo, where more than two hundred trucks were already traveling on the dirt road.

Less than half of them belonged to the military supply trains; the rest were merchants, brokers, and speculators who joined the trains along the way.

The distinction is simple: supply trains use double-headed four-wheeled carts; while civilian carts come in all shapes and sizes, including two-wheeled, four-wheeled, mule carts, donkey carts... and even slow oxcarts.

……

The Duke of Arlian defined logistics as "the practical art of deploying troops and supplying them."

The seemingly simple words "deployment" and "supply" are actually incredibly difficult to implement.

In order to move his troops from the northern frontier to the Gulf of Senas, the Duke of Arlian meticulously planned a troop transport route, which later became known as the "Butcher's Road".

The Butcher's Road begins at Rockhold, a fortress in the northern border of the Empire, passes through more than twenty important Imperial towns to ensure supplies, and finally crosses the Shaded Mountains via the Vankush Pass to reach the Gulf of Senas.

Duke Arlian dispatched artisans in advance to build camps, widen roads, and construct bridges along the route, and set up supply stations according to the daily marching distance.

The sound of military boots pounding through mud, the clanging of rifles against each other, the weary soldiers marching in silence... many elderly people still vividly remember these moments.

Under normal circumstances, soldiers can travel 22 kilometers per day on Butcher Road, while those on forced marches can travel 37 kilometers per day.

In the two campaigns, the Empire dispatched more than 100,000 soldiers south via the Butcher's Road, and there were no casualties during the resupply period.

Countless military supplies were also supplied to the troops suppressing the rebellion via this route.

However, the biggest impact of the Butcher's Road was not in the military, but in people's livelihoods.

Because it connected more than twenty major cities and had camps and supply points along the way, many merchants began to transport goods via this route.

The road named "Butcher" eventually brought prosperity to the area, something its original planners probably never anticipated.

……

Although the soldiers of the various republics are unwilling to admit it today, the tactics, organization, training and other systems of the Allied forces were actually learned from "The Butcher" Arlian.

There's nothing shameful about it; learning from the enemy is a respectable skill.

For example, the current phalanx tactics are an improvement on the Butcher's phalanx of spears and halberds: adding musketeers to make up for the weakness of the spear and halberd phalanx in long-range firepower, and retaining a small number of elite swordsmen and shieldmen to counter the clumsy long spears.

In the year 520 of the Imperial Calendar, Duke Arlian led his troops to quell the rebellion. At that time, the "Southern Rebels" were just a group of merchants, craftsmen, and farmers—a motley crew.

Eight years later, when "Madman" Richard personally led the army, the enemy the Mad Emperor had to deal with was now a real army.

The Alliance army's logistics system was naturally inherited from the Butcher, mainly learning two things:

First, resupply locally whenever possible;

Second, camps were set up along the supply lines.

At the same time, we learned a lesson: do not let irrelevant people accompany the camp.

In wars like the one between the Republic of Palatour and the Hed tribes, quartermasters would collect supplies from the Hed people as much as possible, while the supply of goods from the rear to the war zone was handled by both the military and private individuals.

Military supply trains have limited transport capacity, so they carry only supplies that are difficult to replenish at the front, such as guns and gunpowder.

For supplies such as flour, salt, and non-staple foods, quartermasters would be happy to buy them from merchants at high prices, paying with spoils of war, and sometimes even "advance" land quotas.

Often, with just one trip, merchants can make a fortune. Even land quotas can be easily resold.

Therefore, every time a military supply train sets off, a large number of merchants, brokers, and speculators accompany it. They follow the supply train both out of herd mentality and in the hope of receiving some protection.

……

"Listen carefully! Your safety is your own responsibility! You must also bear all risks along the way!" Winters was explaining the policy to the unauthorized personnel accompanying the group, as they were about to cross the border river tomorrow: "No non-supply wagons are allowed in the column! We'll walk in front, and you'll follow behind. If you can keep up, great; if you fall behind, there's nothing we can do..."

The lieutenant stood on a rock, his throat parched from speaking. The people in front of him listened in silence; they all knew these rules.

After saying a lot of harsh things, Winters saved the good news for last: "But Lieutenant Colonel Jessica allows you to rest at campsites along the way! Entering supply convoy areas is strictly prohibited during encampments; anyone who disobeys will be treated as an espionage agent!"

The crowd's emotions fluctuated somewhat. Few of the officers in charge of the supply train liked these civilians who were trying to take advantage of their protection, and in most cases, for safety reasons, they strictly prohibited them from staying overnight in the camp.

It is rare to see an officer like Lieutenant Colonel Jessica who allows unauthorized personnel into the camp.

……

Seeing Winters return, Lieutenant Colonel Jessica casually asked, "Finished talking to them?"

Winters nodded. Because of his experience escorting the Wolf Town convoy to and from Ghevodan, Winters was considered quite capable, so Lieutenant Colonel Jessica let him do all sorts of menial tasks.

"Talk is cheap. Those who dare to come are either bold or greedy, and most are both. We need to deal with a few scoundrels who want to take advantage of the situation to keep them in line."

"Then why don't you just not let them into the camp?" Winters retorted.

“Letting them into the camp will make it easier to manage them,” Lieutenant Colonel Jessica replied. “Besides, they’ve had it tough, so we should take care of them as much as we can.”

……

Winter days are very short, so we must make the most of our time to march.

The sky was just beginning to lighten when the quartermaster on duty struck the bronze bell with all his might.

Berrian was already awake before the bells rang; he had bought goat's milk and eggs in town the night before.

When Winters put on his uniform and opened the tent, Berrian brought in warmed goat's milk, bread, and hard-boiled eggs.

Berleon is now a lieutenant's orderly. The Dussacs who used to share a tent with him have been transformed into cavalrymen, so the lieutenant simply kept the blacksmith by his side as a guard and orderly.

The once quiet military camp came alive, and the militiamen climbed out of their tents wearily, stretched, and started preparing food.

Diligent people will cook some hot soup, while lazy folks will simply eat cold bread.

It must be said that since Berion became an orderly, Winters's meals have improved dramatically. Even Bud and Andrei have benefited, and the two now come to Winters for dinner every day.

While the main force was still busy, Andrei and his five cavalry units were ready.

With gold bars sponsored by a friend, Lieutenant Cellini generously commissioned a Palatine Hussar officer's uniform—from the best tailor in Maplestone.

Despite his constant use of the nickname "Sun Sheep Guy," Lieutenant Cellini has a real fondness for the flashy hussar uniforms.

Winters and Bader were still wearing Army Academy cadet uniforms, while Andrei had already eagerly changed into his Plattul uniform.

“Cavalrymen, you never know when you might die,” Lieutenant Cellini said. “Isn’t it a waste not to dress well?”

However, he specifically chose a red belt with blue piping—the colors of the Venetta flag. It can be described as "Wearing the Plattau uniform, my heart remains Venetta's."

Lieutenant Cellini, dressed in a flashy jacket and topped with a tall leather hat, stood out conspicuously among the group of mismatched militiamen.

After greeting the lieutenant colonel, he led his light cavalry to scout ahead.

As the strategic offensive force, Palatine's army currently uses a fixed supply route with a fortified camp every ten kilometers or so.

Ten kilometers is the daily distance traveled by a large truck.

Soldiers can walk 20 to 30 kilometers a day, but a cart can only travel 10 kilometers at most.

Traditional four-wheeled farm carts are extremely heavy. The front wheels are small and the rear wheels are large, resulting in a very large turning radius.

Without a differential, suspension, or bearings, it was prone to breaking down. While a passenger wagon could be fitted with a belt-driven suspension, a cargo wagon couldn't.

Andrei's duty was to scout out the situation within the ten-kilometer radius and notify the forward camp to prepare for his arrival.

By the time the other militiamen had eaten, packed up their tents, and were ready to go, it was already broad daylight.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica didn't waste any words and immediately ordered the march to begin.

Leaving Matoupo Town, the Jieshika Brigade will cross the boundary river and enter the "no man's land," and everyone is inevitably a little nervous.

Lieutenant Montagne led the way, with one trolley after another driving out of the camp, followed by Lieutenant Bader with a team of carpenters and several empty trolleys.

Mapotou Town is a very prosperous town with a permanent population of over a hundred households. As the supply train passed through the town center, it attracted many townspeople to stand by the roadside and watch the spectacle.

Many of the men and women had smiles on their faces, while Winters on horseback and the militiamen carrying weapons waved some kind of paper.

"What does this mean?" Winters slowed his horse and asked the old charlatan in the carriage, "Waving paper? Is this some kind of local custom?"

Redra opened the curtains, yawned, and stroked the lion cub, chuckling, "What kind of ridiculous custom is this? If you have to name one, it should be the custom of all Parat people."

……

The old mendicant monk rode in a specially designed carriage equipped with a belt-driven suspension system, ensuring a smooth ride. A charcoal stove was installed inside, and felt was nailed to the walls. While the wind outside was biting cold, the interior was warm and comfortable.

It's too extravagant for a mere hundred-man squad to have two accompanying priests. Now, Father Kaman and Brother Reid have officially become the accompanying priests of the Jesca Squadron.

No one knows where the old charlatan got his powers, but now everyone in the supply convoy, from laborers and cart drivers to peddlers who try to take advantage of his protection, treats him like a living saint.

Winters estimated that if the old man were to die one day, the believers in the convoy would fight to the death for his body.

However, precisely because of this, no one objected to the old monk having the entire carriage to himself. The old charlatan was happy with his comfort, and Winters wanted to hide the little lion; the two were in perfect agreement.

……

"What do you mean?" Winters asked, puzzled. "What Paratist customs? I don't understand."

“You don’t understand?” Brother Reid raised an eyebrow.

"don't know."

The old monk smiled and asked, "Do you know what they're waving?"

"What is it?"

"Their waving is the secret to how the Parat people have been able to defeat the Hed tribes so thoroughly over the past thirty years."

"What does that mean?" Winters was increasingly puzzled.

“Boy, those are bonds! War bonds!” The old monk’s smile was meaningful: “Your pay, your weapons, the gold coins burning in this war… all came from here. If you lose, it’s just a piece of paper. But if you win, that paper will turn into land, slaves, and real gold and silver! They’re waving at you? They’re hoping you win!”

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(End of this chapter)