industrial lord

Chapter 742 Reinforcements are about to arrive
The north wind was blowing, the snowflakes were falling, and inside the Red Waterwheel Fortress, the atmosphere was even colder than the weather.

The remnants of the Rhine Alliance, along with the original Bain army, crowded into this not-so-spacious fortress.

After a day of fierce fighting, the enemy forces temporarily retreated.

The fortress canteen was filled with the stench of randomly canned oatmeal porridge mixed with the sour smell of sweat.

Although the Bain army had sufficient supplies to ensure that no one would go hungry, the despair of being surrounded by the three armies was like a heavy boulder weighing on everyone's hearts.

A suffocating, deathly atmosphere permeated the mess hall; the soldiers' eyes were vacant, and the officers could not hide their anxiety.

At the Royal Knights' dining table, Sir Rattle held a bowl of oatmeal porridge with a strange smell. In addition to oatmeal, the porridge contained finely chopped vegetable leaves, carrots, horse meat, sausage slices, and canned salted duck meat and beans. In short, whatever the cook found, he chopped it up and put it in.

Next to it was the dining area for the minor nobles, and Rattle unexpectedly found Baron Vanke in a corner amidst the crowded and noisy throng.

Van Kerk's face was covered in gunpowder and dust, and there were several new scratches on his armor.

"Fanke! You're still alive!" Larter's voice was hoarse with a hint of relief as he squeezed down next to his friend.

The knight was also a member of the noble class, and no one objected to him sitting with the barons.

"Rat! Thank God of Light, it's so good that you can speak!"

Van Kerk forced a tired smile and patted his old friend hard on the shoulder.

After that great defeat, the army was in disarray. Some people were so frightened that they took off their armor and hid among the soldiers. As the siege began, fewer and fewer people were at the tables in this area.

The two exchanged a silent glance, needing no further words, both understanding that surviving the daytime battle was already a stroke of luck.

Their families' territories were adjacent, and they were close in age, so they were considered cousins. Because Rat was the second son, he had no right to inherit the throne, and they often played together before joining the Royal Knights.

Several mutual friends had also participated in the war. They inquired about each other's situations, followed by a somber silence—those people had all died for their country.

The two lost interest in talking and lowered their heads to eat the strangely flavored oatmeal porridge in their bowls.

Van Kerk's gaze swept across the other side of the canteen, where the Byrne Army's dining area was located.

Although the Byrne soldiers were equally exhausted, their equipment was noticeably superior, with uniform breastplates, well-maintained weapons, and a relatively orderly mealtime.

“Look at them,” Van Kerk said in a low voice, pointing with his spoon toward the direction of Byrne’s army. “They’re really well-equipped… I heard the guys in Wesson’s army are even better; their regular infantry are better equipped than ours.”

There was no jealousy in his tone, only a deep sense of powerlessness and longing.

Rat chewed on a duck neck in a muffled voice, swallowing the bone before replying in a low voice, "Who says otherwise? Many people in the fortress say so. If our equipment were half... no, a third better, we wouldn't be in such dire straits during the breakout..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Many officers and soldiers have privately discussed the huge gap in equipment.

It is said that the guns of the Weisen army can fire bullets like rain, while the guns of the Bain and Mainz armies are said to be slightly inferior, but not by much.

However, other noble armies could not afford such good equipment; many of them only used double-barreled shotguns, which required reloading after firing two bullets.

If they are in formation, it's fine; they can create a continuous barrage of firepower.

In the midst of chaos, things become dire. Without command, there are obvious gaps in firepower, and the enemy can easily break through.

But what could be done? The Duchy of Wessen only sold its best weapons to allied nobles.

The two were silent for a moment. Rattle lowered his voice even further, so that only Van Kerk could hear him: "In the end, if His Majesty hadn't insisted on breaking out and had listened to Earl Shuyun Stiga's advice to hold out for reinforcements, perhaps... maybe... probably... we wouldn't be in this predicament, and so many people wouldn't be..."

Van Kerk glanced around warily, nudged Rattle with his elbow to signal him to be quiet, but his eyes held the same resentment and helplessness.

News of what happened in the main tent that day had already spread, including Queen Antonia's escape. Complaints about Rudolf's wrong decisions and the Queen's escape were already circulating privately among the soldiers and minor nobles, while the major nobles remained silent.

Just then, Earl Delden passed by their table carrying a bowl of oatmeal porridge with an extra duck leg. Hearing the latter part of their whispered conversation, he paused slightly.

As one of the vice-commanders of the Royal Knights, Delden could pretend that some things didn't exist until he encountered them, but when he did, especially when they involved his subordinates, he couldn't pretend not to know.

His face showed signs of fatigue, but his eyes remained sharp. He glanced at Rattle and Vanke, and said in a low voice, with a firm determination to boost morale: "Young men, complaining won't solve anything."

"Hold the fortress and survive!"

“Wesen’s army will definitely come; Grand Duke Wesen will not stand idly by.”

His words were more of a declaration of belief than an analysis. Rattle and Fank immediately lowered their heads, focusing intently on their bowls of oatmeal, and replied in muffled voices, "Yes, Commander."

But after Count Delden had walked away, the two exchanged a glance, which held only deep worry.

Will reinforcements really come? When will they come? And when will I be alive?
These questions weighed heavily on my mind, making it even harder to swallow the food in my mouth.

Meanwhile, in a relatively quiet large wooden cabin in the heart of the fortress, the atmosphere was even more somber.

King Rudolf was listless, and the oatmeal in his bowl contained only canned beef with some pungent spice powder, which was quite appetizing.

He sat around a table with Count Shu Yun Stiga, whose left arm was in a sling; Count Rank, whose head was wrapped in a blood-stained bandage; and Count Pisto, who was coughing incessantly. The oatmeal in their bowls was the same, but none of them had any appetite and remained silent.

A messenger rushed in and handed a telegram to Shu Yun Stiga.

Shu Yun Stiga put down his spoon, picked up the telegram with one hand, and scanned it by the dim candlelight. His tightly furrowed brows seemed to relax slightly.

“News from Guangang,” Shu Yun Stiga’s voice was low and steady. “Wei Sen’s army has coordinated reinforcements from all sides and is making final preparations.”

"The reinforcements are expected to begin their operation in three days. They will first send a mercenary force with a large amount of logistical supplies to reinforce the fortress. We need to ensure the safety of the riverbank."

This news was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water; a faint glimmer of light flashed in the eyes of both Rank and Pisto.

However, Rudolf's intensity startled everyone.

He slammed his silver fork on the table with a jarring sound, splashing boiling water from his beer glass onto the wooden table. His pale face contorted with rage, his eyes fixed on Shu Yun Stiga: "Three days later, we have to wait another three days?!"

"What is Franz thinking? Are they deliberately stalling for time? Do they want to watch us die here?!"

"Tell Wei Senjun back: Now! Immediately! Attack!"

"Otherwise...otherwise..."

His voice, sharp and piercing with excitement and fear, pierced through the wooden wall, revealing his complete mental breakdown.

But after saying "otherwise" a few times, his voice grew softer and softer, and he realized that he really couldn't do anything to Wei Senjun.

“Tell them,” Rudolf’s words turned into a plea, “that I will agree to any condition as long as they come.”

Nowadays, no secrets can be kept in the military.

"Wesen's army is coming!" Fan Ke immediately ran to Rat's tent to share the good news. There were two other knights there, and the group used various odds and ends to build up the terrain around the fortress.

Rat laughed and said, "It's not the Weisen army that's here, it's Grand Duke Weisen's mercenaries."

Their information network is more efficient.

Van Kerk seemed to have been doused with cold water, and was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and said with hope, "As long as their equipment is as good as Wessen's army, that's fine."

Lat said with a hint of pride, "You don't know this, but Duke Wesen's mercenaries come from the Osmaga Empire, the Helvethi Federation, and the Kingdom of Sardinia, so it takes them three days to assemble. It's said that there's even a sword saint among them!"

When Fan Ke heard that there would be top-tier reinforcements, his eyes lit up.

Rat pointed to the makeshift sand table on the ground and continued, "The reinforcements coming are from the Helvetti Federation and the Kingdom of Sardinia, while the Wesen Army and the Osmarca Empire's hussars are operating on the outer lines."

"Therefore, we suspect that Weisen's army is planning a major offensive, preparing to launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside to annihilate all the enemies outside!"

The news quickly spread throughout the fortress, and many well-trained officers made similar judgments.

The soldiers didn't understand much; firstly, boasting was in their nature, and secondly, they needed to boost their morale, so the information became increasingly outrageous.

Kosdorf noticed the sudden bursts of laughter and chatter coming from inside the fortress, so he sent scouts to investigate.

The scout spent two hours sneaking up to the wall, eavesdropping on the conversation of the soldiers on duty, and then brought back the information he heard.

"What?! Wei Senjun has brought eight hundred sword saints to provide reinforcements?!"

The scout nodded, then was kicked out of the tent.

When the second batch of scouts was sent out, the fortress increased its defenses, and the soldiers on duty stopped talking about reinforcements. Many of them were killed by bullets fired from the shadows.

Kosdorf and the others now know that Wesson's army is coming to their aid, but they have no idea how many soldiers or where they are coming from.

(End of this chapter)