Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 67 Expedition
"To have such spirit and energy right after the assembly is impressive," General Zio said to António as he rode his horse in front of the formation.

This marks the first time in ten years that the Third Corps has returned to full strength.

This was also the first time that the fully assembled "Big Vinetta" team lined up with all its equipment to be inspected by General Zio and Major General António.

The Third Army Corps consisted of a chief infantry battalion and nine infantry battalions, totaling over 5,000 infantrymen, and two cavalry battalions, totaling over 600 cavalrymen.

Apart from five infantry battalions, which were temporarily recruited reserve soldiers, all the other soldiers were regular troops who drilled once a day.

There was no artillery, because artillery would greatly slow down the march, so the auxiliary artillery units of the Republic of Venetta were formed as a separate army.

Winters, Bud, and Andrei are now three junior trainee officers in the chief infantry battalion. They can stand proudly at the front of the infantry ranks, but at the same time, they must stand humbly behind the senior officers.

After the inspection, General Zio didn't waste any words, but simply gave Antonio a solemn military salute.

Antonio returned the salute with a solemn expression and entered the legion's formation. With a command, Antonio led the entire legion out of the camp in four columns.

No one knew where they were going, but the atmosphere was tense, and no one dared to whisper. The soldiers marched mechanically in line with those in front, as did the officers, except they were on horseback.

The three trainee officers had no idea where they were going, and according to Winters' observation, several regular officers were also exchanging glances, clearly indicating that they didn't know where they were going either.

The Third Legion silently left its post, bypassed the Blue Ocean City, and headed east.

They walked further and further, but Winters found the road increasingly familiar. He and Andrei exchanged a knowing glance; Andrei had clearly recognized the road as well—it led to Haidong Port.

Finally, nearly 6,000 officers and soldiers of the Third Army Corps arrived at Haidong Port.

The battle was long over, but the wounds of Haidong Port would take a long time to heal. Everywhere one looked, there were only blackened, burnt ruins.

This former military dock has now largely lost its function, and neither officers nor soldiers know why António brought the Third Army here.

Antonio leaped onto a high place so that all the soldiers could see him.

He surveyed his soldiers and declared loudly, “Right here, the Tanilian Union launched a shameless sneak attack on us. They attacked without warning, they burned our warships, they slaughtered unarmed civilians. The despicable islanders thought they could frighten the Venetians and delay the trial.”

Every time he spoke, the spellcaster or messenger beside him would repeat it using amplification, the amplified voice resounding throughout the entire Haidong Port.

The legion was completely silent, all eyes focused on the legion commander on the high platform.

"That is why I have gathered you, the bravest and finest men of Veneta. The Republic has trained you, forging you from ignorant children into true men. And now the Republic needs you, expecting each of you to fulfill your duties."

The soldiers below the stage involuntarily gripped their weapons, and Winters involuntarily gripped his sword hilt as well.

Antonio paused for a moment, then roared, "Today! At this moment! I will lead you from here to avenge Tanilia! Blood debts must be repaid in blood, and we will never forgive! The Tanilia Federation must be destroyed! Destroy the Federation!"

"Destroy the Alliance!"

"Destroy the Alliance!"

"Destroy the Alliance!"

……

Amidst deafening cheers, a colossal warship flying the Venetia Navy flag sailed into Haidong Bay, its fully unfurled sails resembling white clouds floating on the sea. Behind it, one large ship after another followed, entering Haidong Bay.

Antonio raised his hands and pressed them down, and the legion's formation fell silent once more.

Antonio sternly issued his first order: "No light loads on long journeys. On this cross-sea expedition, our supply lines are a matter of life and death! All surplus transport capacity must be used to load food and gunpowder. Officers, listen up! Dismount!"

Having said that, Antonio was the first to dismount and stand on the ground. Led by him, everyone in the Third Army Corps, from the major general down to the warrant officer, dismounted.

"The officers' warhorses are kept at the garrison; they can fight without mounts. The entire Third Army Corps, listen to my command! Leave everything at Haidong Port except for weapons, ammunition, tents, and cooking utensils!"

——Cut——

As the tide began to rise after noon, the sailors who remained at Haidong Port to cooperate with the army's operations moved out the wooden planks and small boats they had prepared in advance and built two temporary floating piers for the Third Army Corps to board the ships.

This was a joint operation between the Army and Navy, with the Navy showing the utmost courtesy. They dispatched the Inner Sea Fleet's flagship, the Glorious. The arrival of this ship at Haidong Port meant that the Commander of the Inner Sea Fleet was also present.

In addition to the Glory warship, there were another twenty-one large armed merchant ships that "voluntarily enlisted" as troop transports.

According to the plan, this squadron would first carry the Third Army Corps, and then the remaining warships of the Venetian Navy would join this squadron to eventually form a powerful fleet with more than thirty large sailing ships and more than a dozen galleys.

In theory, this fleet of over forty large ships, plus the Third Legion aboard them, would be sufficient to deal with any enemy in the inland seas.

However, some minor problems arose right from the start of the plan...

The naval liaison officer, who had been sent ashore, looked at the position of the sun in the sky, then at the position of the sea, and said helplessly to Antonio, "Sir, your men need to speed up the boarding process. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome after the tide goes out, and we will have to wait until the tide rises again at midnight."

António had also been worried about this problem. Pointing to the pier, he said, "These buoyant piers are low, and you have to climb onto the ship. My soldiers can't get there any faster. These two piers alone are definitely not enough. We need to have the large ships lower smaller boats down and then use those smaller boats to transport people up. Transporting people by small boat requires coordination; my personnel organization cannot be disrupted."

The naval liaison officer, a colonel, agreed with Antonio's assessment. He nodded to Antonio, then quickly ran to the sea, rowed back to the Glory, and relayed the message. Since army and navy ranks were not interchangeable, the soldiers from both sides did not need to salute each other.

After watching the naval liaison leave, only a few army officers remained with Antonio. Seeing Lieutenant Colonel Contel's hesitant expression, Antonio patted Contel on the shoulder: "Just say what you need to say."

"Isn't it a bit too hasty to send troops now?" Contel asked with a worried look. "We've only just completed our assembly today. Shouldn't we at least give the reserve soldiers a week of training?"

António glanced at the other officers around him, including Contel, who were all his trusted subordinates. If they also questioned António's strategy, then he would need to explain himself.

António countered, "The key to this war isn't how well-prepared we are, but the gap between our and the enemy's preparedness. Those five reserve battalions are useless now, but I still have your five elite standing battalions. The Tanilians, on the other hand, have nothing; they're still individual captains and plantation owners leading their own small groups. Drake preemptively destroyed East Harbor, and we must seize the opportunity to counterattack."

Contel still couldn't hide his worry: "But we only have five battalions of regular troops, while the main islands of Taneria have populations of around 100,000. We are still too few people."

“Of course, it’s impossible for our single legion to conquer the islands. We need to win a victory to boost the morale of the Republic and create an opening for our subsequent offensive.” Antonio added, “If even you think I shouldn’t send troops now, what will the Tanilians think? By taking them by surprise, we’ve already gained the upper hand.”

"But can we really catch them off guard?" Contel pointed to the brightly dressed figures at the Haidong Port dock: "There are no secrets in Hailan City!"

It was impossible to keep the departure of a force of nearly six thousand men from their garrison a secret. While the Third Army Corps was still marching towards Haidong Port, news that Vinetta was going to take a ship from Haidong Port to set off for the campaign had already reached the ears of the officers' families.

When one officer's family member learned of this, it quickly spread to all military families. Military families have always had unique channels for information dissemination; although it's essentially word-of-mouth, the speed and efficiency of this communication are astonishingly high.

Upon hearing the news, the families of the soldiers immediately set off for Haidong Port. No one would miss this opportunity to see them off, as it might be the last time they would see each other...

Thus, the scene before everyone's eyes unfolded: a child clung to his father's sleeve, refusing to let go; a wife who had arrived too late knelt on the dock, weeping bitterly and waving desperately toward the ship; and several elderly women, some of whom were trembling with fear, had come in carriages to bid farewell to their sons, having likely lost their husbands in the war thirty years earlier.

Although the boarding process was proceeding in an orderly and tense manner, the originally solemn and dignified departure began to turn into a sad and desolate scene, which would bring tears to the eyes of anyone who saw it.

António couldn't order the families who had come to bid him farewell to be dispersed. These women, children, and the elderly were undermining the morale of the Third Army, something António didn't want to see. But if he ordered the families dispersed, he would forever lose the respect and trust of his soldiers, which was worse than morale being damaged.

Besides... for many people, this really might be the last chance to see their families. As long as it didn't delay boarding, Antonio could only sigh and let it go.

“The committee of thirteen has already discussed the inability to keep this a secret.” António turned away, no longer looking at the scene on the dock. “Once we send troops, it will be impossible to keep it completely secret, but we can still take advantage of the time difference with the Tanirians. The faster we act, the less time the Federation will have to react. So the key is not secrecy, but how to get to the archipelago as quickly as possible.”

The lieutenant colonels seemed to be deep in thought.

Antonio said quietly, "After all, there are no secrets in the City of Aquamarine."

—Cut— While the Third Officer was busy boarding the ship, a Sheriff from Blue Ocean City was leading a patrol team, busy carrying bodies out of houses burned by fire.

one two three four……

Twenty-five bodies were recovered from the burned-out houses. The charred bodies were laid out on the street, resembling some kind of pagan ritual, which quickly attracted a crowd.

"Fire?" a patrolman asked, shivering.

The sheriff was also feeling panicked, but he still forced himself to reprimand his men: "How could a fire result in twenty-five people not being able to escape? These bodies all have fatal wounds; it must have been a murder before the arson."

“Look at this guy, that blow to the neck would have been fatal enough, but then his head was split open.” Another patrolman’s lower teeth were chattering uncontrollably against his upper teeth, and he was almost crying. “Who on earth is this? Does someone have to be killed twice to die? Have we run into a cult?”

A patrolman squeezed through the crowd and handed a letter to the sheriff.

The sheriff peeled off the sealing wax, glanced at the contents of the letter, and suddenly said with a beaming smile, "We don't need to worry about this case. The sheriff of the dock area is willing to take it on. He said it's a family feud."

"Do you think this is a family feud?" the patrolman who kept shivering asked.

"Will a family feud wipe out the entire clan? Are all the people who die men?" The sheriff said nonchalantly, "But since someone is willing to help us share the burden, I can't care if they say it's like roasting themselves."

——Cut——

Until they arrived at the dock, Winters, Bud, and Andre had no idea that they would be setting off today.

Andrei was eagerly anticipating seeing his family before leaving, while Winters and Budd had little to look forward to.

Bud was not a Veneta, and Antonio had strictly forbidden Cosa and Ella from seeing him off. Antonio had always been extremely averse to such behavior that could dampen the morale of the army.

It's better if he doesn't come; Winters doesn't know how to face the farewell anyway.

Finally, it was Winters's turn to board the ship with his hundred-man crew, but a strange woman stopped Winters as he was about to step onto the temporary pier.

“Mr. Montagne, please wait a moment,” the stranger said respectfully.

"you know me?"

"Someone wants to see you. Please come with me."

"Who is it? Why are they being so mysterious?" Winters shook his head and followed.

Winters wasn't worried about anything else, as long as it wasn't a sheriff with a few patrolmen coming to arrest him.

The strange woman led Winters to a black carriage with silver trim, indicating that the person who wanted to see Winters was inside.

Upon seeing the carriage, Winters gasped and quietly took out a steel awl, clutching it in his hand.

With his other hand, Winters opened the carriage door, and at the same time, he was ready to use his Arrow Technique, his steel cone poised to strike.

However, there was someone he never expected sitting in the car.

"Miss Anna? It's you?"

Anna, somewhat nervously and awkwardly, asked, "Why can't it be me?"

“Uh… are you talking to me about the same thing?” Winters realized he had probably misunderstood.

"What are you talking about? Come in and close the door." Anna grabbed Winters' arms and pulled him into the car. "Don't let anyone see... I'm not married yet."

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward as the two sat in the carriage.

Winters quietly slipped the steel awl back into his pocket. The tension in his nerves eased, making him feel a little tired. He joked, "If you've come to pay me for the painting, this isn't the best time. I'm about to take a boat to Taneria."

In fact, ever since Charles found Winters the day before yesterday, Winters' nerves had been on edge. Last night, the tension reached its limit; he repeatedly planned, checked routes, and prepared contingency plans, but the actual execution was still fraught with danger. Now, suddenly relaxing, a strong sense of fatigue overwhelmed Winters, and he desperately wanted to sleep.

Anna's eyes reddened: "Why are you always like this? Why do you treat me like this again?"

"I was just joking," Winters quickly apologized, sighing, "When we first met, you would slap me when you were angry, but now you cry so easily."

"You're holding a grudge about that slap! You petty bastard! I've known for a long time that you remember everything, you just pretend to have forgotten."

“If you say so, then so be it.” Winters didn’t have the energy to argue right now.

This attitude made Anna even angrier. She suddenly leaned back in her chair, turned her head away from Winters, and said, "You can leave now."

“Alright, I’m leaving.” Winters stood up. He looked at Anna’s neck, profile, and hair, and a thought inexplicably popped into his mind: Anna’s profile might be my last memory of peace; it represents a beautiful vision of another path in life.

"Why don't you leave yet?"

“I want to see you again.” For some reason, Winters really wanted to touch Anna’s hair. So he reached out and ruffled Anna’s slightly curly hair: “Because you are beautiful when you are free and full of life.”

Then he opened the car door and stepped out.

A pair of arms wrapped around Winters from behind. Anna clung to Winters' back, crying, "I only want you to do one thing for me, just one thing... You have to come back, you just have to come back."

"That's too easy. Does bringing back the ashes even count?"

Anna burst into laughter through her tears, playfully punching Winters on the back: "You're such a nuisance..."

Then Anna took out a hardwood statue from her handbag. The statue was only the size of a thumb, but it was full of details and lifelike. It was a goddess holding a shield and a spear.

Anna placed the statue in Winters's palm: "No matter how far or difficult it is, Athena can guide those who have strayed from their homeland back home."

When did you learn wood carving?

"I've never studied wood carving," Anna said somewhat timidly. "You're not very good at it, are you?"

"How stupid of me, how could I not have noticed that?" Winters thought to himself. Anna had several new cuts on the index fingers of her left and right hands, the edges of which were red and swollen, clearly fresh wounds.

“This is the most exquisite wood carving I’ve ever seen. I’ll trade you my most valuable possession for it.” Winters searched his pockets but couldn’t find anything of value, so he took off the golden ceremonial sword and placed it in Anna’s hand: “This sword was my father’s sword, but it doesn’t really have any sentimental value… Anyway, it’s the most valuable thing I own.”

Today's schedule only included a parade, so Winters wore this ceremonial sword.

Anna, flustered and incoherent, said, "No, this sword is too valuable, I can't accept it... Why did you give me your father's sword... Is it an engagement token? No, no, I... I... I... We're not at that stage yet... By the way, my family doesn't have marriage alliances with northerners!"

“When did I say I wanted to marry you?! And why do you always say I’m from the North?” Winters was almost furious. “My mother’s family is from the United Provinces, and my father’s family has always been in Venetia. How did I become a ‘Northerner’?”

“Maybe it’s because you’re tall, but it doesn’t matter if you’re not from the North… I don’t want to get married right now…” Anna said weakly.

The chariots rumbled, the horses neighed, and the travelers carried bows and arrows at their waists. Parents, wives, and children saw them off, but the dust obscured the Xianyang Bridge. They tugged at their clothes, stamped their feet, and blocked the road, weeping, their cries reaching the clouds. (This long poem is still less powerful than the forty-one characters of the Poet Saint, which better convey the charm of language. However, this poem is best appreciated in conjunction with Wang Kewei's painting of "The Ballad of the War Chariots.")
The following plot needs no further hints: in the 1.547th millennium of Dawn, there is only war, war, and more war.

Thank you to all the readers who voted for this book before, especially Ami, kkkkk, writersblock, 161120205936216, and 20181013204343295. Thank you everyone.

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(End of this chapter)