When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1036: The Defeated General
Compared to the deciduous broad-leaved forests and mixed forests of Red Leaf Hill, the Lilac Corridor is dominated by evergreen broad-leaved forests.

As the army marched along the dirt roads in the countryside, all they could see were rounded tree canopies, dark green yet subtly reflective.

Along the hills and riverbanks, you can always see large banyan trees, acacia trees, and camphor trees that are as thick as a person's embrace.

On the afternoon of September 18, 1454 in the Imperial Calendar, wooden sandals trod the ground, which had been tamed by horses' hooves and footsteps, but always kicked up a ring of dust.

Twenty thousand soldiers of the Fran Stormshead Legion, including three thousand royal cavalry, marched toward Dragonfly Harbor in three columns.

September was still a bit hot, and most ordinary soldiers wore leather armor, while only sergeants and officers wore breastplates.

Armor such as skirt armor, arm armor, and helmets are not unbearable to wear.

They all had at least two breathing techniques, so putting on more armor wasn't difficult; it was just that it was too hot once they put it on.

Count Kazi stood on a mound by the roadside, his eyebrows furrowed, whether from the sunlight or the chaotic procession.

Since his defeat and capture at Black Snake Bay, despite the loss, he has become an expert in the region and in the fight against the Holy Alliance.

Others have no experience of defeat, let alone fighting in the vicinity, let alone facing the Holy Alliance directly.

The damp autumn wind, carrying the lingering heat of summer, caused the blue feather ornaments on the soldiers' wide-brimmed hats to sway from side to side.

Most of them wore linen shirts with a thin woolen robe printed with white irises on a blue background.

Holding the base of the spear shaft in his hands and resting it on his shoulder, he could see the spear tip vibrating with each step he took.

After battling the Holy Alliance army, Thierry and his men returned to the Kingdom of Fran with firsthand military experience.

Chancellor Lorenzo was quite adept at critical absorption, taking the essence and discarding the dross, and reforming little by little.

The first change was to the military uniforms. The 120,000-strong standing army customized uniforms according to their respective regions to enhance their sense of honor.

Secondly, a resident military chaplain should be assigned to monitor the generals to prevent them from wandering off alone, and to boost the morale of the soldiers.

Finally, a large number of alchemists and wizards were brought in from Black Serpent Bay, from various parts of Fran, from the Zealand Islands, and even from the royal court.

This "introduction" is actually a matter that deserves serious consideration, since it is not uncommon for noble families to secretly recruit alchemists.

As for their identities, Lorenzo simply wrote them down as "rune craftsmen".

Count Cazi looked at the most distinctive group in the army: among the 15,000 infantrymen, there were twelve companies of 250 muskets each.

Each of them carried a wind-up musket and followed the infantry's pace.

Originally, this clockwork gun required a lot of magic power, but with the advent of the terracotta electrolytic winding box, a lot of magic power loss was reduced, making it possible for ordinary alchemists to use it.

This kind of technology is actually very difficult to hide, and the Kingdom of Fran is not at the level of Leia.

With a hefty reward offered, the court rune artisans of Fran cracked the secret of electrometal in just a year and a half, and even made some improvements.

However, the trade-off is that this type of clockwork gun has slightly inferior armor-piercing capability compared to the Canned Dee IV, and its cost is twice that of the Canned Dee IV.

For the wealthy and powerful Franz, this was not a problem, since they had few alchemists anyway.

In addition, they imported a number of Horn's clockwork muskets and retired clockwork musketeers from the Holy Alliance to complete Fran's own clockwork musket force.

After several attempts, each French musketeer was able to fire four or five volleys.

However, due to the small number of soldiers, they did not follow the almost one-to-one ratio of guns and muskets used by the Holy Alliance, but instead adopted the large square formation of the Moriatti style.

In other words, Horn's musketeers in the straight line are shock units, while Farron's musketeers are projectile units.

Although it is not as powerful as the former, it is worse than having no way to fight back.

"...So our clockwork gunners are only for counter-attacks, not for offenses."

Count Kazi turned to look at the young legion commander before him, Monteil from the Stormcap Vulture family.

He was probably thirty years old, with two thick, black mustaches and eyebrows that looked like wild, tangled weeds.

Beneath his eyebrows, on a face roughened by the sea breeze and covered in wheat-colored skin, were two extremely narrow eyes.

I don't know if it's because the sea breeze is too strong or the sun is too hot, but they always squint like venomous snakes.

Upon hearing Count Cazi's words, Montyer nodded solemnly: "I understand. So, what are our attack methods?"

“Still cavalry, the royal cavalry.” Count Cazi saw Montyr looking at the royal cavalry and reached out to tug at his arm. “Listen carefully.”

Montel's nose twitched slightly: "Please speak."

"The Saint Union's spring-loaded musket is powerful, but it has a major problem: it's rather rigid."

Their formation was fixed; they had to stand still to fire, and their movement was not flexible compared to cavalry. When cavalry entered their firing range, their first shot often failed to rout a large cavalry force.

It takes a second and third shot, as the distance closes and the accuracy and damage increase, to finally defeat our cavalry.

Now you know why I collected a large number of powerful bows and specially made armor-piercing arrows before the battle?
Wang Xian's cavalry charged, and in the first volley, the soldiers lay prone on their horses to avoid the arrows. In the second volley, they used powerful bows to shoot through and break through the front ranks of the musketeers.

By the time they recovered from the chaos and launched their third volley, we had already broken in.

“Zambithus, have you remembered?” Monteil asked the valet behind him.

Zambitus smiled obsequiously at Kazi, "I've remembered everything. How could I dare not remember something so important?"

Although Montaire was the legion commander, and Count Cács was merely an advisor.

However, in terms of battlefield experience and knowledge, the two men are roughly equal in their level of trust in command and orders.

Montaire was indeed clueless about this battle and still needed Count Cács's guidance.

"This is the field battle part." Count Kazi looked at Montel, who was listening attentively, and was in a good mood. "As for the initial operations, remember to wait until everyone is present."

"Waiting for everyone to arrive?"

"Yes, in the early stages we must defend strongholds and fight a protracted battle. We are willing to expend more food and fodder to keep our people together."

Once we've confirmed their main force has arrived, we must engage them head-on; we absolutely mustn't try any tricks.

"why?"

Count Kazi looked up at the sky and suddenly felt a sense of melancholy and desolation: "The Holy Alliance army is strong in marching and is best at defeating enemies one by one."

If you camp too far away, or launch a rash attack.

They are likely to use a small force to entangle your main force, and then gather their main force to gradually erode your other troops.

Once their wings are clipped, they will be able to defeat you with overwhelming power.

I have studied the history of the Thousand River Valley War for four years; this is a common tactic used by the Holy Alliance.

On the contrary, a direct, unstructured entry into the decisive battle would throw them into disarray, causing heavy casualties and even forcing a retreat and reorganization.

“I see.” Montaire clapped lightly in agreement. “Truly, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. I have learned a lot, Count Cazi.”

"Hahahaha." Upon hearing Montaire's words, Count Cazi couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as traveling with a famous general, is it?"

“Yes, yes, yes, hahaha.” Montel quickly joined in the laughter.

"Okay, I'll go check the campsite. You lead the team, I'll be going now."

"I'll see you off."

"The commander must not leave the ranks for too long. I'll leave on my own. Don't bother seeing me off!"

Watching Count Cazi leave, Montaire stared blankly at the longbows on the backs of Wang Xian's cavalry.

The male servant Zambittus leaned over and said, "Your Excellency, isn't Count Cazi far too cowardly?"

Montel remained silent, as if still in a daze.

The servant leaned closer: "Prime Minister Lorenzo told you that the kingdom's spies discovered that the Holy Alliance cavalry in Black Serpent Bay all ride donkeys and nags."

Count Kazi believed they should defend the fortified castle and fight a protracted war, but the Holy Alliance's forces were already small; wasn't this just giving them time to regroup?

"What are you questioning?" Monty turned to the side, a glint of light appearing in his narrow eyes, shaped by years of exposure to sunlight at sea.

"Your Excellency, Count Kazi is so cautious because he was defeated by the Holy Alliance."

Even if the plan is to defend the fortress and then launch a counterattack, they should first test the waters. Count Kazi is old; he only asks for a passing grade.

But you have a long life ahead of you, a bright future, and people are quite tolerant of your mistakes.

I think that compared to defending the fortress, it would be more satisfying to take a risk and try to attack first and take a bite out of the Holy Alliance..."

“I will not allow you to disrespect a count!” Montaire roared, interrupting the servant.

"Yes, yes!" Startled, Zambitus quickly returned to his original position, not daring to say another word.

Standing atop the hill, Monty's previously humble brows slowly furrowed: "A defeated general..."

　P.S. I think I can update Chapter 2 before 12 o'clock, but I don't think my opinion is reliable.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)