Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 165 Riders
The Hed people scattered and fled.

The black-armored cavalry escorted an officer with a gleaming helmet to Lieutenant Colonel Jessica.

"In the end, it's me who will save your life," said the officer with the gleaming helmet.

The one-eyed lieutenant colonel, however, was unimpressed: "I'd like to know what you're good for? How could you miss an entire thousand-man squad?"

"Even overseas assignments couldn't cure your meanness," the other person laughed. "I really regret bringing you back!"

The officer dismounted, removed his helmet, revealing a meticulously groomed beard and a pair of wild eyes—he was none other than Lieutenant Colonel Caster Roderick, who had come to Wolftown a few months earlier to hunt down smugglers.

Castor and Jessica stared at each other for a long time, then burst into laughter and gave each other a bear hug.

……

The situation took an unexpected turn for the better, and everyone was overjoyed.

The survivors slaughtered pigs and sheep, drank heartily, temporarily forgetting the death and pain, and celebrated.

After the revelry ends, it's time to clean up the mess.

The battlefield was cleared, the dead were buried, and a simple funeral was held.

Many horses were left behind in Heard's camp. Apart from some being given to Dusak, who had lost his warhorse, the rest, along with the captured warhorses, were all taken away by the Black Armor Cavalry.

Other spoils of war follow established rules: smaller items, such as swords, are kept privately; larger items, such as armor, are kept by the public.

Lieutenant Colonel Caster looked down on Zaga and gave them all to the Jessica Battalion.

Saddles and other miscellaneous items were sold directly to the merchants accompanying the group.

"Everything has a price," and the merchant's desire for profit amazed Winters.

Bloodstained boots and robes stripped from corpses were bought; armbands and silver ornaments belonging to the Hed people were also bought.

A businessman approached Lieutenant Colonel Jessica and bought all the horse carcasses in one go.

Horse hides can be sold; horse meat, cut into strips and marinated, can be resold to the army; even horse bones have a place to go.

There was even a merchant who bought the left ear of a Hedman at a discount, and he took the ear back to Palatine to exchange for a reward, while the soldier could receive the cash directly.

Just a day ago, these people were weak and easily bullied civilians, their legs trembling as they held their flintlock pistols to protect their belongings.

A day later, they transformed into crows that fed on war, scrambling to peck at the corpses of the Hed people.

"The fastest way to create wealth is to build an empire, and the fastest way to destroy an empire is to destroy it."

Winters couldn't remember where he had heard this phrase before, but everything before him made it echo repeatedly in his mind.

……

With the road ahead cleared, the supply train was ready to set off again.

Although the JASKA squadron had a moment of insubordination, the lieutenant colonel never mentioned it again, and the second lieutenants kept quiet, as if nothing had happened.

After a series of hard-fought battles, some businessmen found opportunities, while others decided not to go any further and turned back.

The wounded from the supply train also returned to Palat with them, while some seriously wounded who were unable to move remained in the Hexi area to recover.

Many merchants have already perished at the hands of the sword, buried in the wasteland without even a tombstone.

Their possessions were either divided among others or taken back by loyal companions.

Some people get rich, some people get unlucky, it's always been like this.

……

Winters stood guard at the west gate of the camp, watching as carriages slowly drove out of the camp.

The caravan was much shorter than it had been when they had crossed the River Styx, and it looked rather empty.

A carriage carrying passengers drove by, the curtains of the carriage were drawn back, and in the window frame was Brother Reid's face. The old charlatan smiled and waved at Winters.

Winters wanted Brother Reid to return to Palatour with the merchant, but the old man used a poisonous oath as an excuse to brush him off.

The old charlatan refused to return to Palatine, and neither did Father Kaman. So the two clergymen continued to accompany the army, traveling with the supply train.

Lieutenant Colin also came to see him off. He found Lieutenant Montagne and sincerely uttered a single word: "Thank you."

Winters simply shook his head.

The lieutenant saluted the second lieutenant and turned to leave.

Lieutenant Colin's hundred-man squad has been largely rendered ineffective, and Lieutenant Colonel Custer has promised to help him request the Legion to send replacements.

The supply wagons of the entire convoy departed from the Hexi camp, and Winters mounted his horse, ready to set off.

Charles and another man helped each other run out of the camp, shouting as they caught up with the lieutenant.

"What are you doing here?" Winters frowned. "Stay and recover from your injuries."

During the fierce battle for the western camp wall, Charles was pierced through the right leg by a heavy arrow. Fortunately, the artery and bone were not damaged, but he was left with limited mobility and was classified as wounded.

“I want to go with you,” Charles said.

“No.” Winters hadn’t initially thought the militia would also be sent to the battlefield, and he couldn’t bear to take Benway’s brother to a dangerous place again.

“If you won’t let me go, I’ll just follow behind.”

"Nonsense! Is that a good place ahead?"

Charles stiffened his neck, clearly having made up his mind.

“I don’t want to stay here either,” another wounded soldier with a bandage on his head said in a low voice.

Winters didn't recognize Vahika until another person spoke.

Whether a heavy blow to the back of the head kills you or knocks you unconscious is entirely up to fate.

Vahika was lucky to survive, but the cheerful and lively young man had already been killed.

Winters wanted to refuse, but he suddenly remembered the old charlatan's words, "misfortune and fortune are intertwined."

He thought serving in the militia was a good thing, but instead he led many Dusaks to the River Styx. Fate is a bitch; who knows what the future holds?

Winters sighed: "Do we really have to go?"

Charles and Vahika nodded.

“Find a big carriage to ride in, and say it was my idea.” Winters thought for a moment and added, “Wahika, go find Lieutenant Bard and ask him to help you get a Herd horse.”

"Yes!" Charles shouted happily.

Vahika helped Charles up and hurried after the wagon.

The supply wagons were no longer fully loaded with food and supplies. Therefore, the lieutenant colonel began to allow the militiamen to put their weapons on the wagons and take turns resting in them.

Also setting off were the Black Armored Cavalry. Lieutenant Colonel Caster divided three squadrons to pursue Heard's fleeing troops, while he personally led a squadron to escort the supply train—a small perk for his old friend.

Lieutenant Mason's pig herding team also joined the supply train.

More than 400 militiamen and coachmen, 300 pigs, more than 100 horse-drawn carriages, more than 50 convicts, 5 officers, 2 clergymen, and a lion set off from the Hexi camp.

……

The official designation of the Black Armored Pistol Cavalry was the Fifth "Galloping Horse" Legion, the Second Cavalry Regiment, also known as the Caster Cavalry Regiment.

Facing the Hurd light cavalry, who move swiftly across the wasteland, scattering troops to guard supply lines would tie up a large number of soldiers and make them easy targets for being defeated one by one.

Therefore, passive defense was never within the scope of consideration for the Plato military.

Using cavalry to defeat light cavalry and inflict casualties on the enemy's mobile forces was a consistent strategy of Plato's military leadership.

The Castells Cavalry Regiment that rushed to the aid of the Hexi camp was such a cavalry unit.

This unit routinely patrols the supply lines, and quickly assembles to provide support should an alarm be raised.

The entire cavalry regiment consists of four companies, with a rated strength of 720 men.

However, when they fought Hart's 1,000-strong cavalry regiment, the regiment only had about 500 men. Now, less than 450 cavalrymen are still capable of fighting.

This is because cavalry is difficult to replenish and often dwindles with each battle, so cavalry units are never fully staffed during wartime.

In addition to the four combat squadrons, the Caster Regiment also has a reserve squadron, which is responsible for recruiting, training and replenishing personnel.

This was a truly elite standing cavalry unit, with twenty-six officers alone.

In contrast, the Jeska supply train had nearly 600 militiamen and wagon riders, but only four officers.

Palatine has a long history of producing fine horses and has a deep-rooted cavalry tradition.

In Venetta's standing army, cavalry only made up 10% to 20%. For example, the Third Corps only had a cavalry battalion of 600 men, and when they went to the islands, they simply didn't bring it because they thought it would be a waste of transport capacity.

More than 40% of Palatine's standing army consisted of cavalry, with the Fifth Army consisting of three cavalry regiments plus several cavalry squadrons.

The Kingdom of Galloping Horses not only has more cavalry, but also invests more heavily in them.

Andrei went for a stroll around the Caster Cavalry Regiment, and when he came back, he kept muttering, "Those are the real cavalry!"

Caster's cavalry had at least three horses: one riding horse, one pack horse, and one warhorse.

There were specialized gunsmiths accompanying the army, responsible for repairing and maintaining firearms.

Many cavalrymen also had attendants to take care of their daily lives—and these attendants also had horses.

In comparison, the Dusak cavalry of the Jessica's battalion were extremely poor.

Andrei could have been happily leading the cavalry, but ever since he witnessed the Caster Regiment, he has been sighing and complaining.

However, these cavalry units were heavily reliant on supply lines and somewhat slow in movement. But their combat prowess more than made up for all their shortcomings.

……

As the supply train headed west, just as Lieutenant Colonel Jessica had predicted, the first three camps they encountered along the way had been burned down and their supplies looted.

The third camp, even with half a hundred men stationed there, was easily defensible and difficult to attack, yet it still couldn't escape its fate.

The fourth camp, however, remained unscathed. This camp was pitifully small, guarded by only a team of ten men.

The soldiers in charge of the camp said they had not seen the barbarian Hed; they had only seen smoke signals to the west, so they relayed the message.

During a meal at the fourth camp, officers from the cavalry squadron and the supply corps casually chatted about the strange things that had happened along the way.

“The supply line is too long,” Lieutenant Mason complained. “People lose weight, let alone pigs. We’ve driven pigs for over a hundred kilometers, and they’ve lost all their fat.”

Cavalry officer Captain Grell replied, "There's nothing we can do about it. He's always been like this. If you hit him, he runs away; he's as slippery as an eel. You have to catch him and give him a good beating before he'll sign the peace treaty."

“I don’t understand why the Heds let this camp go. They’ve taken down much harder camps.” Winters was baffled by the enemy’s behavior.

Castor casually explained to Winters, "The Hed barbarians lack siege tactics and generally don't attack camps; they usually harass caravans. If they get bogged down—like when they attacked your Hed caravan—they'll suffer heavy losses by the time the scouts arrive."

Caster was impressed by the garrison officer of Wolftown and was surprised to meet him again in the wasteland, so he was still willing to give Lieutenant Montagne a few pointers.

"Excuse my bluntness, but with that 1,000-man squad, it wouldn't be difficult for them to take down any camp," Winters said.

“That’s the strange thing. A thousand-man squad is too obvious to hide.” Caster was surprisingly patient. “In the past, the Heds’ harassment of supply lines was mainly carried out by hundred-man squads. To be honest, I would like to see the Heds’ barbarians deploy a thousand-man squad.”

"why?"

Castor sneered, "Barbarians gather in droves; it's more satisfying to kill them. Chasing ten hundred-man squads running amok across the grasslands is nowhere near as easy as annihilating a thousand-man squad in one fell swoop."

Lieutenant Colonel Custer spat viciously and concluded, "I'm not afraid of the barbarians coming; I actually hope more of them come."

……

after one day.

The fifth camp.

Caster, Jessica, Winters... everyone stood on the camp wall, dumbfounded.

Outside the walls, countless Hart cavalrymen were galloping around the camp.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves made one's chest feel heavy, and even the sun was obscured by the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves.

The small Platu camp was trapped in the Hedsky Sea, like a small boat in a raging storm, which would be smashed to pieces in an instant.

This far exceeds what a thousand-man team could possibly have.

After stampeding the camp three times in a demonstrative display, thousands of Hart's raiders marched eastward.

“How much… is that?” Castor stammered.

“At least four thousand.” One-eyed Jessica’s face also turned pale.

"What the hell is General János doing! Useless!" Caster's face was contorted with rage as he cursed, "How could he possibly let four thousand cavalry slip through?"

The others in the camp were still reeling from the shock and were trembling with fear.

"Oh no!" Winters exclaimed in horror: "The pontoon bridge!"

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(End of this chapter)