industrial lord

Chapter 756 Sending Some Gifts
"All is well in the north. A fire broke out in the 'Pine Forest' residential area last night due to people using fires for heating. Fortunately, it was extinguished within an hour and the fire did not spread. The fleet was loaded onto ships overnight and will soon set sail."

Inside a wooden fortress in the forest, a young knight from the Kingdom of Sverrière is reporting the situation in the north to the main force of Kosdorf in the south.

He spoke at a steady pace, striving for clarity.

The other party received the message and then repeated it.

However, behind him, an Osmarca knight held a cold blade tightly against his neck, the blade pressed against his skin, ready to sever his neck without mercy at the slightest movement.

A nation that does not possess core technologies is subject to the control of others in every way. The ship radio signal of the Kingdom of Sverrière was weak and the transmission distance was seriously insufficient, while the crucial telegraph relay station was easily located by the expert team sent by the Duchy of Wesen.

After successfully escorting reinforcements, Mary quickly headed north and decisively seized the key telegraph relay hub connecting the north and south.

Inside the massive allied camp outside the Redwaterwheel Village fortress, candlelight blazed through the deerskin tents, and the air was filled with the aroma of wine and meat. Kosdorf, looking relaxed, said to Snellman and Kazimir at the same table, "The fleet responsible for transporting the grain should arrive here in two or three days at most."

Upon hearing this, Kazimir smiled and replied, "Our army heading south encountered some resistance along the way, but it seems more like the enemy was helping their retreating troops. Our vanguard decisively set fire to a large area of ​​forest surrounding their positions, and then successfully bypassed them. Now we are almost at the foot of Hamma City."

The situation seemed to be looking very promising. Snellman said cheerfully, "Once the food arrives, and Hanma City is also in dire straits, and once Wesen's army is transferred away, we can concentrate all our forces and launch a general offensive!"

The three chatted and laughed as they began to enjoy a sumptuous dinner.

In the nearby Hongshuiche Village fortress, wisps of smoke also rose from the chimneys.

Inside the fortress, Maria, Rudolf, and the others had not eaten. They were gathered together, intently watching Count Tot, the vice-captain of the Royal Mage Corps, fiddling with something that looked strange.

There were many empty barrels in the camp. Although these barrels could be used as firewood to keep warm in the cold weather, it is clear that Thoth discovered another, more lethal use for them.

Count Tot was carefully stuffing a bottle of soda filled with angina medication into a huge wooden barrel that could hold a hundred kilograms of beer. The remaining space inside the barrel was filled to the brim with all sorts of unrecyclable metal junk, such as broken arrowheads, twisted bullets, and fragments of broken swords.

Not far from them, the soldiers erected an isosceles right-angled triangular wooden frame about two people high, with an acute angle of about 45 degrees.

The sloping sides of the wooden frame were made of two thick tree trunks that had been shaved exceptionally smoothly, and someone was carefully applying grease to the surface of the trunks.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Earl Rank asked, "Thoth, what exactly are you doing?"

This question clearly reflects the concerns of many onlookers. The device in front of them certainly looks like a giant bomb, but with such an astonishing weight, how can it be used effectively?

Earl Pistor answered Earl Rank: "I heard from Baron Adigen that during naval battles, magicians have frozen wine barrels into solid blocks of ice, which they then used to smash through the waterline of enemy ships and even break their masts."

While intently installing the fuse, Count Tot explained without looking up, "The principle is the same. Later, we just need to apply a powerful gust of wind magic to the bottom of the barrel, and it will hit the enemy's head accurately, just like a boulder thrown by a catapult."

Those around him listened and their faces showed interest.

After being besieged by the enemy for so long, everyone's hearts were filled with gloom. Now that they finally had the chance to smash something on the enemy's head to vent their anger, how could they miss such a cathartic opportunity?

Thoth continued, "However, it doesn't have precise accuracy; it can only guarantee that it will roughly land within the enemy's camp area. As for which unlucky soul will actually get hit, that depends entirely on the will of the God of Light."

Pistor nodded and said, "That's enough. It's enough to keep the enemy from sleeping soundly at night and to make them tremble with fear. That's enough to achieve our goal."

Thoth quickly installed the fuse and nailed the lid of the barrel firmly in place with wooden planks.

He called to several strong soldiers, and together they carried the heavy wooden barrel to the bottom of the smooth sloping frame.

"Oh!"

With a muffled thud, a powerful and rapidly rotating gust of air suddenly erupted from the bottom of the wooden barrel, instantly kicking up a cloud of dust. Many onlookers had their hats blown off by the sudden gust.

With a "whoosh," the huge wooden barrel shot out like an arrow along the smooth, grease-coated tree trunk.

Driven by the swirling airflow, the barrel rotates at high speed, stabilizing its flight attitude.

Many people only saw a blur before their eyes and didn't see where the bucket went. They only heard a sharp, piercing sound of wind breaking away rapidly.

A deafening roar, like muffled thunder, echoed from afar. On the fortress wall, the lookout soldier immediately waved his arms excitedly and shouted at the top of his lungs, "They've broken in! They've really broken in!"

Count Shu Yun Stiga, who had been quietly observing the entire process, nodded in satisfaction upon hearing the explosion and the urgent bugle calls that followed from the enemy camp. He simply ordered, "Good results. Make more."

Upon receiving affirmation, everyone immediately perked up and busied themselves with even greater enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, at the explosion site, Snellman's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

Those guys from the Rhine Alliance have truly lost their conscience. They've gone so far as to destroy the largest and most luxurious steam room in the military camp, making it impossible for anyone to comfortably work up a sweat. I don't even want to think about what they're planning to blow up next. Are they going to destroy even the toilets?!
His men quickly ran over to report the damage: "Your Majesty, fortunately, no one was in the steam room when the explosion occurred. Only some people nearby were injured by shrapnel and debris from the explosion, but their injuries were not too serious and no one died."

This steam room has an exceptionally sturdy structure, built from logs as thick as a human leg.

Most of the shockwave from the explosion was blocked and absorbed by the thick wooden walls, while most of the energy that dissipated was violently released from the relatively weak roof, tearing the roof planks off like pieces of paper and injuring many people.

Therefore, the damage caused by the explosion to the surrounding area was far less severe than expected.

"Could they have mistaken the steam room for our granary or armory?" Many officers thought of the same possibility. "After all, the steam room is large and sturdy, and it is indeed easy to mistake it from a distance."

Everyone discussed and speculated about the Rhine Alliance's true intention in blowing up the steam room—whether it was an accident or something else—but they all subconsciously overlooked the power of the explosion.

Inside the fortress, the atmosphere was completely different.

Several knights from the Kingdom of Sardinia delivered a batch of wooden barrels to Thoth, each capable of holding ten kilograms of beer.

“Count Toth, try this one! This one might be even stronger!” a knight grinned.

Count Toth readily agreed and gladly accepted the new materials.

Several launchers were quickly built, each aimed at one of the three enemy camps surrounding the fortress from different directions.

In the quietest hour of the early morning, everything was ready.

With each command, more than twenty wooden barrels of varying sizes activated their wind-spraying magic, soaring into the air like packages of death, one after another flying into the deep night sky.

After each barrel was launched, the soldiers would carefully adjust the position and angle of the launcher to ensure that the gifts could cover a wider area of ​​the enemy camp.

Inside the Redwaterwheel Village fortress, the soldiers of the Rhine Alliance slept soundly amidst the continuous, thunderous explosions.

The frustration and resentment that had been building up for days seemed to vanish with the sound of the explosion.

However, the situation was quite different in the Allied forces' camps.

The piercing sirens and horns sounded one after another, echoing through the night sky, and flames flickered in several places.

The army camp of the Kingdom of Piast was the most unlucky. A bomb landed near the middle of the stable. The horses that were killed were relatively unharmed, but it took a long time to calm down the frightened warhorses.

All the lamps and torches that could be lit in the military camp were hastily lit, illuminating the area around the camp as if it were daytime.

The entire Allied forces were on high alert, ready for battle. Soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, wary of a possible breakout attempt by the Rhine Alliance.

However, under the flickering firelight, the battlefield shrouded in night was deathly silent, with only the blurry outline of the fortress in the distance, the flames burning in their own camp, and the groans of the wounded.

The anticipated breakout force was nowhere to be seen.

Maria walked around the camp and saw that morale had improved, so she thought to herself that this method was indeed effective.

The question is whether the enemy will launch a full-scale attack at dawn or remain hesitant.

What we lack now is time. Once the assault troops are deployed and join forces with the hussars, it will be time for the final battle.

(End of this chapter)