industrial lord

Chapter 752 The noose is in place
"Hanma City?"

Franz's gaze was fixed on the huge battle map spread out on the table, the labels indicating the enemy's and our own situation having just been updated by the staff officers.

The marked area of ​​the Redwaterwheel Village Fortress remains calm, with no new changes reported.

However, an allied cavalry force of over ten thousand elite soldiers was moving southwest on the map at an astonishing speed, its target Hanma City, its charging momentum seemingly able to pierce through the paper.

About twenty kilometers to the east of this massive enemy army, a small flag representing a part of the border guards of the Duchy of Wessen was quietly planted next to the marker of a riverside castle.

This force was drawn from the border defense forces of the Duchy of Vesen. Its original mission was to receive and accommodate friendly forces that might retreat from the direction of Redwaterwheel Village Fortress. It numbered about three thousand men and was composed entirely of light infantry, lacking heavy armor and heavy firepower.

Facing a tidal wave of over ten thousand cavalrymen, the defensive pressure on them was suffocating.

Even more critically, the terrain in this area is flat, with only rivers and forests to delay the enemy's movements. There are almost no hills or valleys that can be used for defense, and the rivers may not necessarily hinder the march when the weather is cold and water is scarce.

If the defensive line is laid too thin, it will be easily torn open by the surging tide of iron cavalry. If the troops are too concentrated and hold a single point, they will be easily bypassed by the highly mobile enemy, becoming isolated targets and offering no help in relieving the siege of Hanma City.

Looking at the big picture, Franz Jr. felt heavy-hearted.

The northern corps, with the 1st Division at its core, is currently engaged in small-scale battles with the enemy's main force on a broad front and is unable to spare any attention.

The assault troops, mainly composed of the 4th Division, have been launched into a more important battlefield and cannot be withdrawn.

The special forces, centered around the 3rd Division, were located hundreds of miles away in the city of Burling, beyond their reach.

The coalition forces of the Elbe Convention were busy strengthening the defenses of Hammam itself and were unable to spare any resources.

The 2nd Division was far away overseas on missions, so it was not considered.

Looking around, the only mobile force that could still be mobilized was this isolated, poorly equipped 3,000 light border infantrymen.

The border guard commander was Stefan. Although he was also a member of the second generation of knights of Wessenburg, his military talent was not outstanding. In the officer corps full of talent, he was more responsible for logistical support and commanding relatively stable second-line troops like the border guards.

Franz Jr. knew his younger brother's capabilities well; to ask him to command a light infantry force to fight against a much larger, well-equipped, and highly motivated elite cavalry force on a plain with no natural defenses was simply asking the impossible.

Out of basic respect for his subordinates and for the integrity of his command, Franz Jr. decided to seek Stefan's opinion.

He turned to his staff officer beside him, his voice steady yet tinged with barely perceptible worry, and said, “Send a telegram to the border guards, clearly asking Commander Stefan what specific countermeasures he has against this massive cavalry force that is rapidly advancing towards Hamma City.”

After the order was given, Franz Jr. couldn't help but feel a bitter sigh.

This was, after all, his first time independently commanding such a large-scale campaign, and the fact that he failed to reserve a strong strategic reserve force before the battle to deal with such unforeseen circumstances showed that his decision-making was indeed somewhat hasty.

Half an hour later, Stefan's reply was delivered to Franz Jr.

He took the telegram, his sharp eyes scanning every word and sentence, studying it repeatedly.

Five minutes passed, and he raised his head, his face expressionless, and clearly said to the waiting staff officer: "Reply to the border guards and approve Stefan's operational plan."

The radio waves carrying the command, traveling at a speed far exceeding the biting north wind, instantly pierced the sky and were precisely transmitted to Stefan, who was far away on the other side of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, in the allied army's southward march towards Hamma, Commander Count Grositz was reporting to His Majesty Kazimir far behind via a ship's radio carried on his carriage. His voice was loud and confident: "Your Majesty, my army is moving unimpeded, unimpeded!"

Kazimir's authoritative yet slightly worried voice quickly came through the radio receiver: "Your whereabouts and destination have been exposed. You must be on high alert against a sneak attack by the Weisen army. Do not be careless in the slightest!" Grositz immediately straightened his back and replied firmly into the microphone: "Your Majesty, please rest assured! The legion is fully prepared! A large number of elite scout cavalry have been dispatched to guard the perimeter. The camps are deployed in a dispersed manner. If one camp is unfortunately attacked, the other camps can quickly assemble and rush to its aid to ensure the overall safety of the army!"

Casimir's voice seemed to soften somewhat: "Very good! I look forward to you bringing back news of victory!"

After ending the call, Grositz directed his troops to set up camp at a suitable location found by the scouts.

The campsite is located at the confluence of a small river flowing from north to south and another wide river running east to west. Not far from the riverbank is a vast pine forest, lush and green, exuding a rich aroma of pine resin, where pheasants and rabbits can be seen from time to time.

On the opposite bank of the river, a small timber processing plant and a simple wooden dock stood quietly, all the workers long gone.

The high-quality pine wood produced here is an important shipbuilding material. Relying on the booming shipbuilding industry in Hanma City, the timber is roughly processed here and then continuously transported to the shipyard by waterway.

Just then, Father Perse, a special envoy sent by the local lord, arrived at the camp with a caravan of more than a dozen carriages, bringing plenty of beer, sausages, and canned goods to comfort the troops.

Grositz personally received the priest and solemnly assured him: "Please tell the lord that we are only passing through your territory, with a clear objective. We will not disturb the villages or towns, much less plunder the people."

Father Perth nodded slightly and replied with a kind expression, "The God of Light will surely protect everyone who has a good heart."

However, the supplies delivered were limited. The beer and canned food were only enough for the officers to distribute, and the ordinary soldiers could only get a small piece of sausage each to satisfy their cravings.

Five camps were quickly set up along the winding river before nightfall. After sending out the necessary sentries, the soldiers took turns leading their warhorses to the river to drink.

The wisps of smoke rising from the camp were quickly torn away by the strong, howling north wind.

Count Grositz patrolled the camp. The weather was unusually dry, and the north wind was biting. The mages who could cast water spells or control fires were all left behind to besiege the crucial Redwaterwheel Village fortress.

He looked worriedly at the dry, dense pine forest. If a fire were to break out, the consequences would be unimaginable in this windy conditions.

In one corner of the camp, a group of soldiers were nervously gathered around a ceramic jar, taking turns reaching inside to feel for a slip of paper.

Those who touched the red slip of paper felt relieved and their faces lit up with joy.

The person who touched the white paper instantly turned ashen-faced, their eyes filled with terror.

Last night, many sentry posts were silently destroyed by the enemy and were not discovered until the changing of the guard. The sentries were nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead.

Recalling the terrifying rumors that the entire outpost along the defense line had been wiped out by a mysterious demon, no one was willing to stand guard at night. Fear permeated the air, and in the end, they could only decide their fate by drawing lots.

After a simple dinner, the vast military camp quickly fell silent. The daytime hustle and bustle was replaced by deathly silence, with only the howling north wind whistling through the tents and the heavy, rhythmic footsteps of the patrol teams echoing in the darkness.

At midnight, all was quiet.

Countless ghostly black shadows appeared silently in the deep pine forest, then quickly and silently dispersed and disappeared into the darkness.

In a concealed tent a few kilometers to the west, Stefan sat in front of a simple combat map, while several communications soldiers and staff officers busied themselves around the radio, marking the latest intelligence from the front on the map.

Stefan clutched a seemingly ordinary yet unusually heavy black iron box tightly in his hand; tonight's success or failure depended on it.

(End of this chapter)