Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 455 Another Wolf Cub

[Kyeongho County]
[Green Valley]
The sun, veiled in a thin layer of gauze, lazily strolled across the sky. In the distance, beneath wisps of cotton-like clouds, the Qingmeng and Yinque Mountains exuded a cool, verdant hue.

The provincial highway from Qingyin Pass to Lvgu Town has been completely occupied by the marching column of the Tiefeng County Army.

A long line of horse-drawn carts carrying the wounded and supplies crawled slowly along the road, stretching as far as the eye could see, both in front and behind.

Soldiers carrying weapons marched across the fields on either side of the road. Although their gait showed signs of fatigue, most of them appeared relaxed and cheerful.

Laughter and cheers frequently erupted in the ranks, and even the military band boldly switched to playing more cheerful tunes.

Six days have passed since that nightmarish battle.

The initial fear and grief in the hearts of the participants gradually dissipated, replaced by the relief of "surviving" and the joy of being victors—at least on the surface.

Villagers from the settlements along the way also abandoned their farm work in the threshing grounds and ran to the crossroads to watch the excitement.

Before the battle, the farmers would have stayed far away and would never have dared to come out and join in.

However, the farmers of Green Valley have now learned from the previously dispatched troops of Leiqun County and Bianjiang County that "the war is over."

Because the Allied forces were extremely efficient at capturing prisoners, there were no large groups of defeated soldiers who banded together and caused chaos after the war.

The farmers who hadn't been harmed by the chaotic war also grew bolder. Many farmers squatted at the crossroads, vigorously selling anything they could use for exchange.

It is common knowledge that an army that has won a battle will have its backpacks stuffed with all kinds of spoils of war, and ordinary soldiers can never save money.

As a result, wherever the Tiefeng County army went, the place became lively.

The soldiers bartered with farmers selling their wares along the way, passing fresh fruit, homemade wine, and cured meat among themselves.

The officers and military police chose to turn a blind eye to such harmless acts.

The marching column of the Tiefeng County Army was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, and laughter could be heard everywhere.

However, even among victorious armies, there are those who are unhappy.

For example, monkeys.

Among the cheerful soldiers of Tiefeng County, only Monkey remained expressionless, appearing out of place.

Another soldier, from the same town as the monkey but not from the same village, came over, trying to get on the monkey's good side.

However, no matter what compliments his "fellow townsman" offered, the monkey just kept its head down and walked on. Seeing this, the soldier who came to build rapport could only offer a few dry words of congratulations before leaving sheepishly.

Lu Xirong watched the whole process once again. He glanced at the monkey with concern, but ultimately remained silent.

As if sensing the old soldier's gaze, the monkey spoke up on its own initiative.

The monkey shifted the tent pole to its other shoulder, poked its head out, and forced an unnatural smile at Sergeant Lu Xirong: "Why aren't you scolding me anymore?"

Lu Xirong sighed: "You're about to become an officer, so you'll be the one to lecture me, not me."

Somehow, the news still leaked out.

As a result, everyone in the Iron Peak County army knew that the Montagne baumann was going to run an officer's school, and that the baumann's officer's school would select students from among the common soldiers.

For a time, the only topic of conversation throughout the entire army was which lucky individual would leapfrog the ranks of officers.

As the soldiers counted their battle achievements on their fingers, they congratulated their comrades who were sure to be promoted with a mixture of envy and jealousy. The world of soldiers is simple: performance on the battlefield speaks for itself, and everyone knows who is capable and who is not.

Not long after, another rumor circulated: the skinny guy from the First Battalion who had only enlisted after the Battle of Blood and Mud was also on the cadet list, and that he had been personally recommended by Company Commander Peter Bunier.

So the nickname "Monkey" spread throughout the entire army overnight, which is why so many "fellow villagers" came to congratulate Monkey.

"I know what you're trying to say." The monkey mimicked the old sergeant's tone, feigning a playful grin, and said, "You little rascal, what are you so smug about? You haven't even become an officer yet, and you're already wagging your tail!"

Lu Xirong listened calmly, his deeply lined face showing no reaction.

"But what? I don't know them at all, and they don't know me either. They never thought they would get to know me before. Now they suddenly come over and act like they know me very well, saying this and that, but they're all cursing me in their hearts, cursing me for getting lucky."

The monkey spat, paused for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "I know, hey, aren't all people like that? They try every means to curry favor with those who are rich and powerful, and kick poor guys as far away as possible. I also know you don't want to see them hold a grudge against me..."

"But I just don't want to hear these people I don't even know saying these silly congratulatory things to me."

The monkey's voice trailed off as he spoke. He switched the tent pole back to the shoulder on the same side as before, using it to block the old soldier's view. He wiped his eyes and laughed nonchalantly, "Because these bastards only know how to talk nice things. Not a single person helped me hold the tent pole."

Lu Xirong listened to the monkey's words in silence, walked a little further, and then said to the monkey earnestly, "We survived only because we were very lucky."

The monkey responded mechanically.

“We survived only because we were lucky. Paco didn’t survive only because he was unlucky.” Luciano raised his hand to the monkey’s shoulder, but then put it down halfway. “There’s no need to feel ashamed or guilty about your good luck.”

This time, it was the monkey's turn to fall silent. He hung his head, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably, and when he spoke again, his eyes were already full of tears.

The soldiers in front and behind had long noticed that Sergeant Lu Xirong and Monkey seemed to be arguing, and they wished they could stay as far away as possible. Before they knew it, the distance between them had increased, and only the two of them remained around Monkey and Lu Xirong.

The monkey stared directly into Lu Xirong's eyes, asking with grief and indignation, "I just don't understand why everyone is so happy! Why is everyone calculating military merits, how many acres of land they can get, and who will become a master in the future? So many of our brothers have died! So many have died! But no one mentions them, no one thinks about them, it's as if they've all been forgotten!"

Lu Xirong listened to the monkey's words in silence until the latter vented all the anger and grief he had felt since the end of the battle.

Then, the old sergeant asked calmly, "Why haven't I seen you like this since the Battle of Blood and Mud ended?"

"Because..." The monkey instinctively wanted to answer, but didn't know what to say, because he had never thought about this question before.

Lucy answered for the monkey: "Because your friend didn't die in the Battle of Blood and Mud."

The monkey was speechless.

“Listen carefully.” Lucien’s rock-solid face finally showed a flicker of emotion. He closed his eyes and then opened them again: “No one will forget the fallen brothers and comrades, no one… Every night, I think of them. But this battle will only be remembered as a great victory, never as a massacre that killed thousands. No one will remember them, and no one will remember us. Only we will remember them, but we will not mention them. You must learn this, because only then can you live with a clear conscience.”

The monkey shook its head in anguish: "I can't do it."

Lu Xirong coldly replied, "Then perhaps you are not suited to be a soldier."

Just then, the crisp sound of hooves rang in their ears.

A well-disciplined cavalry unit approached, led by an officer in fine clothes and riding a fine horse, exuding an air of grandeur that drew considerable attention.

The crowd quickly made way, and Lu Xirong also pulled the monkey back into the field.

The cavalrymen rode past Lu Xirong, Monkey, and the others with great pomp and circumstance, the leading officer not even glancing at the infantrymen beside him.

After the cavalry passed, the infantry returned to the open space between the farmland and the main road.

Some people looked on with envy at the cavalrymen's retreating figures: "How impressive! How majestic! Who's that leading the way?"

"Who else could it be but Tribunal Cellini?" the other man replied matter-of-factly.

The cavalry's passage only caused brief chaos. Lu Xirong and Monkey's company quickly regrouped and set off for Green Valley again.

Although the monkey followed silently, it would occasionally turn its head to look in the direction where Tribunal Cellini had disappeared.

Finally, the monkey couldn't hold back any longer. He stopped and, as if throwing caution to the wind, asked the old sergeant, "What about the officers? Will they remember? Will they be sad? Battalion Commander Tamas said that if you don't know why you're fighting, tell yourself you're fighting for the Montagne tribunal. But does Blood Wolf really care about us, or remember us?"

“Then you’ll have to ask him yourself,” Lu Xirong replied. “Let’s keep going.”

……

On the other side, Andrei rode against the main force until he reached a four-wheeled carriage in the middle of the column before dismounting.

He casually handed the reins to Charles, who was standing guard outside the carriage, his eyes unconsciously sweeping over the long wind tied to Charles's saddle from his forehead to his tail.

Then he swept Changfeng from tail to forehead over the other side.

After completing this set of procedures, Andrei couldn't help but sigh, yanked open the car door, and stepped into the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Richard Mason was hunched over a small table, writing and calculating.

Winters was leaning back opposite Mason, reading a letter covered in writing.

“Green Valley is safe, no enemy activity detected.” Andrei familiarly pulled a bottle of aperitif from under his seat, tore off the cork with his teeth, took a hearty sip, and laughed loudly, “That Pierre kid did a good job, even taking the prisoners, not leaving a single one for Colonel Skull.”

“Pierre said in the letter that after Major Felt suffered a defeat in the main battle, he abandoned Green Valley and retreated overnight.” Winters curled up his legs and turned his body sideways, but his eyes did not leave the letter: “He has defeated the rearguard left by Major Felt and is now preparing to continue pursuing Major Felt’s main force.”

"When was the letter written?" Andrei asked.

“Four days ago.” Winters glanced at the date and handed the letter to Andrei: “Want to see it?”

"Four days ago? What's the point of looking back then?" Andrei stretched out his legs and grinned. "Major Felt might already be dead by now."

Mason moved the table forward a bit—the carriage was originally spacious, but it became a little cramped once Andrei sat down.

Despite his tactlessness, Andrei moved closer to his senior's small table and asked with great interest, "Are you done? How much did you make in this battle?"

"Not yet." Mason shook his head helplessly.

……

Before Andrei returned, Mason and Winters were drafting a formal report on the battle.

The news of the victory had been sent back to Zhevodan immediately, but the formal, statistical battle report could not be written until the dust had settled.

As for the announcements published in the "Newsletter" to inform the entire county, every word and every sentence must be carefully considered.

The main battle that broke out in River Valley Village lasted less than nine hours, from the arrival of the Parliamentarian army at noon to the defeat of the last organized Parliamentarian troops in the evening.

On the day the battle ended, Winters, Gaisa, and Skul discussed and assigned tasks for the next phase:
Colonel Gaisa led the relatively intact troops of Baishan County to continue north and recapture Sheze and Bazenaur;
Colonel Skul led the remnants of the Leiqun County and Bianjiang County southwards, with their targets Green Valley and Maplestone City.

The Iron Peak County New Army, whose combat strength was best preserved, was assigned the task of staying behind to clean up the battlefield.

The plan was just as absurd as the subtle atmosphere that arose when Winters, Gaisa, and Skoll were discussing it.

That night, in the tent where Colonel Bode died, in front of his body draped with the military flag, Winters, Gessa, and Skul looked at each other in silence.

What else is there to say?

The allied forces won, but it was a Pyrrhic victory.

Furthermore, due to the heavy losses suffered by the troops in Baishan, Leiqun, and Bianjiang counties, the already fragile balance within the Allied forces was completely shattered.

Colonel Bode's death was tantamount to severing the most crucial link in maintaining the four-county coalition.

To put it bluntly, from the moment the last organized parliamentary army was defeated, the biggest threat to Gaisa and Skul became the Iron Peak County New Army, which was right next door.

Because once the new army of Iron Peak County is fully assembled, it will be capable of annihilating the combined forces of the three counties—whether Winters Montagne intends to do so or not.

Winters also had to consider whether Gaisa and Skul would take risks under pressure.
Thus, a chain of suspicion was formed.

If we continue to deduce this further, both sides will arrive at the same conclusion—only by striking first can one remain invincible.

“So?” Winters spoke first, looking at Colonel Bode’s body, and asked softly, “Are we going to fight each other in armor?” Gaisa and Skul exchanged a glance.

“No.” Gaisa let out a long, weary breath: “Too much blood has been shed in the newly reclaimed land today.”

"And tomorrow?" Winters looked up, his gaze sharp as an arrow, and asked aggressively, "And the day after tomorrow? And after that?"

Gaisa pursed his lips and remained silent.

Colonel Skulel cleared his throat and replied ambiguously, "That's up to you, not us."

Winters glanced at Colonel Bode's body again, recalling Major Moritz's words: "For the dead, death is utter annihilation. But the thoughts, actions, voices, and smiles of the dead do not disappear. They are stored in the memories of the living. But that does not mean the dead are still alive, much less live in memories. Because memory is nothing more than a painting, a page of a notebook, a sound, and it will never respond to you again."

“The Iron Peak County Army will not attack you proactively.” Winters looked at the two colonels and said calmly, “My men and I will remain in River Valley until the cleanup is complete.”

Colonel Skull and Colonel Gaisa exchanged glances again, the former's eyes revealing confusion and suspicion.

"Are you going to stay and clean up the battlefield?" Skul asked.

Cleaning up the battlefield may seem like an easy and pleasant task, but in reality, it means handing over the opportunity to seize the spoils to others.

“Yes.” Winters bluntly ripped off the pretense: “Bazenauer is the most prosperous port in the newly reclaimed lands, while Maplestone City has a huge amount of supplies stockpiled by General Adams. Which one do you want to give me?”

Skoll and Gaisa both fell silent.

“You don’t want to give me any of them, do you?” Winters sighed. “That’s why I don’t want any of them.”

Not only did Skul's expression change, but even Gaisa's face looked a little unnatural.

Colonel Skull asked sternly, "How can we know you don't intend to defeat them one by one?"

“I will send my troops out in companies to hunt down the fleeing soldiers,” Winters said, crossing his arms. “If that’s not enough, I have something else I can offer you as collateral.”

"what?"

"My reputation."

Gaisa chuckled, while Skul hummed softly.

"Then what should we offer you as collateral?" Skull countered, "to convince you that we won't turn against you?"

"You've already given it to me."

"what?"

“Your lives.” Winterstan smiled calmly. “All of your lives.”

The day after the battle ended, after a day of rest, Colonel Gaisa led his troops to the Serpent Marsh, while Colonel Skul headed towards Green Valley.

Winters also kept his promise and devoted all his efforts to the cleanup work, including treating the wounded, cleaning up the battlefield, capturing prisoners, tallying casualties, and taking in the retreating soldiers.

It wasn't until the fourth day after the battle ended that the Iron Peak County Army, having buried the last body, escorted Colonel Bode's remains to Green Valley.

Then today—six days after the end of the battle—Winters, who was about to arrive at Green Valley, suddenly discovered that the development of the situation seemed to have deviated slightly from the direction he had expected.

……

[Inside the carriage]
“Pierre…sigh, he’s a good lad, just too impatient.” Mason sighed, hesitated, and finally said only, “Repelling the Green Valley garrison is a merit, but it’s not right not to give Colonel Skull a single prisoner. There’s no need for that. Our problem now is not that we have too few prisoners, but that we have too many.”

Winters understood what Senior Mason meant—Colonel Scour was in dire need of reinforcements, and Pierre's actions were undoubtedly an expression of hostility.

"Hmph, defeating the Green Valley garrison is Pierre's skill." Andrei scoffed at Mason's opinion, sneering, "If you ask me, the guys from Thundergren County can't get anything for themselves. They can only blame their own incompetence!"

Winters sighed, turned his back, and didn't want to look at his senior and Andrei anymore.

Unexpectedly, the movement of turning around aggravated his ribs, and his ribs began to ache again, causing him to groan softly in pain.

There was no need for Mason's subtle reminder, because no one knew the army he had personally created better than Winters.

However, there were some things that Winters found troublesome—such as the attitude of the Iron Peak County Army towards the former New Reclamation Corps.

From its inception to its growth, the Tiefeng County Army has been fighting against newly reclaimed land armies all the way.

If Winters and the officers of the New Reclamation Corps still retained some camaraderie from their school days;
Therefore, the junior officers of the Tiefeng County Army, who had been tempered in the flames of war, only harbored pure hostility towards the newly established army.

“These little brats.” Winters said quietly, his back to his senior and Andrei, “They were even more ruthless than me—to be precise, they showed no mercy from the very beginning.”

Senior Mason sighed again.

"Hey!" Andrei slapped his thigh and said impatiently, "If you ask me, the responsibility for the friction is entirely yours."

"Oh?" Winters propped himself up, slowly turned around, and stared intently at Andrei.

Andrei leaned back, his long legs draped over Winters's, and said nonchalantly, "What do you mean by 'show mercy'? Whether you show mercy or not has nothing to do with them, it's all up to you! These little brats of yours, even if you told them to jump off a cliff, they would jump without batting an eye—they might blink, but they would still jump! So what attitude do they have? They have no attitude! Your attitude is their attitude!"

Whether Winters was convinced by Andre's theory is unknown, but Mason, who was standing nearby, clearly understood.

“Yes, Winters.” Mason let out a sigh of relief, his expression becoming much more relaxed. He looked at Winters and asked, “What exactly is your stance on White Mountain County, Thunder Hill County, and Border River County?”

Winters closed his eyes.

……

Green Valley Town
Upon returning to Green Valley, Winters found the scene before him vastly different from when he set out.

The once prosperous town with its red-tiled roofs and green walls is now visibly dilapidated.

When the Felt troops moved in, they treated it with no care—the fine walnut desks were chopped into firewood, and the expensive ceramic tableware was smashed.

When Felt's troops retreated, the mutinous soldiers looted their last remaining wealth.

Standing at the gate and looking into the town, the stone-paved roads were littered with garbage, ash heaps and rubble, and the corners of the walls and under the eaves were covered with stains left by excrement.

The mayor of Green Valley Town also returned to Green Valley with the Iron Peak County Army.

The last time the Iron Peak County army withdrew from Green Valley, the mayor of Green Valley Town fled to Long Lake Town with his entire family and all their property.

At that time, he was regarded as a stray dog.

Now, the Iron Peak County Army has returned to Green Valley, and the former mayor who had fled has also returned to the town with his head held high.

Now, he has become the wisest man in the whole town.

However, upon seeing the ravaged Green Valley, the mayor's smug expression vanished.

The Tiefeng County army did not enter the town to stay overnight this time, but instead camped in an open area outside the town. However, soldiers of the Tiefeng County army did enter the town to help the townspeople who were returning home to clear the ruins and sweep the streets.

As the streets gradually returned to their original state, several gallows were erected in the town square.

The trial began immediately, and the prisoners of the Felt tribe were brought to the square and handed over to the townspeople for identification.

Ultimately, four Felt soldiers who took advantage of the chaos to commit murder were hanged, twenty-seven Felt soldiers who were identified were publicly flogged, and one identified corpse was beheaded after death.

The townspeople of Green Valley watched the entire execution. The crowd was initially silent, but gradually became enraged. By the time the final hanging ended, many people shed tears—not because they had avenged any great grudge, but simply because they remembered what their homeland used to look like.

The mayor of Green Valley Town participated in the entire trial and execution process as a representative.

After the execution, the mayor immediately sought out the tribunal of Montagne.

The mayor originally wanted to flatter him lavishly, but when he saw "Blood Wolf's" expression, he wisely shut his mouth.

"What do you want to say?" Blood Wolf asked calmly, gazing at the corpse hanging on the gallows.

"From this day forward, everyone in Green Valley will be devoted to you." Just one glance from you made the mayor of Green Valley's heart pound uncontrollably. He lowered his head and said, "You have brought us justice."

"These petty tricks won't bring you any loyalty. What I'm giving you isn't justice, it's only revenge... bitter revenge."

Upon hearing this, the mayor of Green Valley Town couldn't help but steal a glance at the young man's face.

On Blood Wolf's face, he saw a sarcastic, bitter smile. Then, Blood Wolf turned around and met his gaze.

The mayor immediately lowered his head.

“I can’t compensate you for all the winter wheat that was burned with grain. So I’ll give you half grain and half gold.” Blood Wolf took out a small notebook from his pocket and then a graphite strip: “Tell me if you need anything else.”

The mayor instinctively tried to flatter him first, but when he looked up, he was met with a pair of sincere eyes.

The mayor nodded silently in acknowledgment and stated the needs of Green Valley Town.

……

……

After leaving Green Valley, Winters summoned all his commissioned officers.

Standing on the scorched fields, facing the gazes of his men, Winters offered no explanation, but issued a clear and direct order:
"From today onwards, we will try our best to merge or assimilate the various units of the former New Reclamation Army Corps without bloodshed."
Before confirming the external environment, we will not proactively use force against the former New Reclamation Army units;

But we will not stop, our goal has never changed—Iron Peak County! New Lands! Palatour! The Alliance!

The officers listened quietly.

“Next target, Vaughn County.” Winters finally smiled. “The ultimatum has been sent. We will be in Green Valley, awaiting Vaughn County’s final response.”

"Yes, sir!" The officers raised their hands in salute.

That night, the order to prepare for battle was issued again.

The new army of Tiefeng County honed their weapons and were issued ammunition, preparing for the next battle.

Unfortunately, Winters didn't get a final reply from Vaughan County before he received a letter of accusation written in anger by Colonel Scully.

……

Three days later, outside Maplestone City.

“Colonel Bode is gone, and no one can speak for us anymore. Now this has happened…Colonel Skull has retreated to camp five kilometers away.” Mason said gloomily, “Those bastards are really good at causing trouble.”

Winters remained silent.

"We'll worry about the future later!" Andrei laughed heartily. "Now, let's enjoy the victory!"

Ahead, the main gate of Maplestone City stood wide open.

In the distance, Maple Leaf Castle, still flying its red rose flag, weakly emitted a plume of white smoke.

The citizen representatives who came to present the city gate keys all had smiles on their faces.

Little Priest, who was waiting to be praised, stood proudly at the front.

[The real troublemaker is right here!]
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(End of this chapter)