Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1301: Preparations Before the War?

According to the Imperial Military Academy's training for its officers, a qualified field camp should at least include trenches, walls, a temporary command post, ditches, stables, living quarters, toilets, two entrances and exits, readily accessible water sources, and terrain with good visibility. Although Grayhill Eagle had not systematically studied the military theories of the Western Continent, the camp he built under his command, based on his many years of combat experience, was no less impressive than that of any professional officer from another continent. Even General Franzand, a regular soldier, was amazed by his learning ability.

The insurgents' encampment transformed this normally deserted place into an unusually bustling hub. When Ling and his companions arrived, it was midday, but the weather wasn't too hot, and everyone was still in high spirits. The shouts, the prayers that could be heard everywhere, the clatter of pots and pans from the cooks, and the occasional explosions from the military workshops all mingled in the air, creating a rhythmic yet harmonious melody that lingered in every corner of the makeshift camp.

Praying, polishing armor, maintaining weapons, feeding horses, standing guard, patrolling, cooking, waiting for meals… the soldiers moved swiftly and intently, some conversing quietly in small groups, others silently packing their gear. Weapons occasionally gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and horses snorted, exhaling white puffs of steam. Everything seemed chaotic, yet it was actually perfectly orderly; an order that outsiders could neither understand nor integrate into guided all actions.

Along the way, Lin Ge met many familiar faces.

For example, Mitch and Kyle were facing off. They stood in a corner piled with junk. Mitch had a subtle expression on his face, while Kyle had a few simple dice scattered at his feet. It seemed that they had just been doing something that teenagers shouldn't be doing and had been caught red-handed. Meanwhile, the guys who had conspired with him had already run far away and were hiding behind the warehouse, watching the scene furtively. Several heads were peeking out from under the covers.

“I wasn’t gambling,” Kyle said with a grin, spreading his hands. Compared to the past, his youthful face now bore a few scars, but he made no attempt to hide them, revealing a carefree and unrestrained air. Even his tone had become much slicker. “It’s just that Brother Carson said we should relax a bit before the final battle and not be too nervous. So we got together… well, to have some fun, you know what I mean, Mitch?”

Mitch's expression softened slightly. His change was greater than Lin Ge had imagined. If one ignored his height and appearance and only listened to his voice and sensed his demeanor, one might think that the person standing in front of them was actually a battle-hardened and unyielding soldier, although that was indeed the case: "Brother Carson did say something similar. It seems you guys are quite relaxed..."

"Right, so—"

“But that’s not a reason for you to gamble.” He said quietly.

"So this isn't gambling, and there are no stakes between us... Uh, does it count as the person who loses the most cleaning the toilets? Anyway, don't be so rigid, Mitch. These are special times and special circumstances, why not be a little more flexible?"

“Then you go and talk to Regina,” Mitch said expressionlessly. “I’m only responsible for taking you to see her.”

Regina was the discipline officer of this temporary camp, specifically responsible for overseeing discipline. This position was created by the Greyhill Eagle, modeled after the Kingdom's army led by General Franzand. He believed that since the Liberator's Front was to become more organized, it could no longer be as loose and disorganized as before. Regina appeared gentle and often followed others' opinions without her own, but that was only because she was used to being a deputy. In reality, this red-haired girl from the mining town of Lostella, who was designated by the miners' leader as the successor of the Miners' Brotherhood, was as stubborn as stone, unwavering in her convictions, and once she lost her temper, she was far more fearsome than the Greyhill Eagle—the perfect person for the role of discipline officer.

After the establishment of military discipline officers, discipline within the Liberator Front did improve. Ironically, however, the Kingdom Army, which the Greyhill Eagles had emulated, was not much better in terms of internal discipline. This was because it was originally an army composed of slaves and prisoners. Legions like the Mountain Falcon Knights, which originated from the Northern Army, were relatively well-behaved, but other legions had been involved in numerous heinous incidents of bullying and oppression. In contrast, the most serious disciplinary problems within the Liberator Front were merely personnel chaos, unclear division of labor, and other minor issues caused by loose organization.

For example, Kyle's gambling was just for fun, and although it violated military discipline within the Kingdom's army, everyone turned a blind eye, and basically no one took it seriously. The problems they truly monitored, such as corruption and arms smuggling, didn't exist within the Liberator Front.

Looking at Kyle's dusty, slightly baggy old uniform, Lin Ge couldn't help but shake his head. The battlefield truly was the place that changed people the most. Kyle had only been away from school for a few days, yet he had transformed from a naive student into the seasoned veteran he was now. But the young man only sighed; he didn't think this change was bad. He wasn't a harsh person. As long as Kyle hadn't hurt others and hadn't forgotten his original aspirations, there was no need to criticize him no matter what he became.

Of course, if possible, it's best to transform in a more normal direction, like Mitch.

At this moment, Mitch and Kyle also noticed the arrival of Linger and his group. Mitch subconsciously raised his eyebrows, clearly pleased, while Kyle initially tried to avoid them, seemingly feeling somewhat guilty. He even subconsciously kicked the dice at his feet into the pile of junk, but after Mitch nudged him in the ribs with his elbow, he grimaced and turned his head away, no longer intending to run away.

Ling waved to the two men, signaling them to continue with their own business and not to worry about his arrival. Before they could react, he led his companions onward. Even after they left, he could still hear Mitch and Kyle arguing behind them; the former insisted on dragging him to see Regina, while the latter stubbornly refused, even declaring, "You might as well just kill me now..." Seeing their energy and lack of tension due to the impending battle, the young man felt much more at ease.

Further on, we encountered Mr. José, the leader of the Pale Knights. He was wiping his mount in the stable. Although he was a knight, he had no servants and did all the chores himself. Perhaps for this reason, Nightmare, a half-demon who was always hostile to humans, trusted him completely and rubbed his neck against his master's armor obediently. The scene was incredibly heartwarming.

Before the Mountain Falcon Knights joined, the Pale Knights were the only mobile combat unit in the Liberators' Front, playing a crucial role in the siege of Lostella, the mining town. Now, despite receiving aid from the Kingdom's army, their status hasn't diminished. After all, the Mountain Falcon Knights primarily deal with enemy air mobile forces, such as mechs, while ground tank units still rely on these Pale Knights to hold them off with their bare hands. Beside the stables, several other knights were silently maintaining their weapons and armor, the metallic scraping sound low and rhythmic. Ling had met this taciturn knight once at a war council; the latter knew he was a friend of the Grayhill Eagles and the Liberators' Front's most important ally, but upon meeting again, he still didn't show much enthusiasm—perhaps it was due to his personality. He merely nodded to the young man before turning his gaze back to intently wiping his beloved horse's body. It seemed to have just run a lap; sweat dripped from its coat, reflecting brilliantly in the sunlight.

“He is a true knight.” Hino suddenly whispered. She had mentioned a similar assessment when talking about her grandfather. However, the girl did not give a clear answer as to what a true knight is, and said vaguely, “It’s probably… a kind of spirit? There is a knight’s spirit in his bones.”

After speaking, Xinuo went over to exchange some tips on raising mounts with him. The Nightmare, which was cold and indifferent to everyone except its master, was as docile as a lamb under the young female knight's hands, which surprised Jose. However, after learning that Xinuo came from the Gostaff family, he was relieved. It seemed that the White Thorn Flower family's reputation was widespread, and even the distant Eastern Continent had heard of them.

Further on, they encountered Giovanni, the "leader" of the Miners' Brotherhood, who was vigorously patting the shoulders of the Brotherhood warriors about to step into battle, laughing heartily to boost morale. His hearty laughter could be heard hundreds of meters away. Of course, he had already passed on the special title of "leader" to Regina, and now called himself an ordinary old miner. However, anyone who had seen his giant physique and rock-solid muscles would not think so. Ling even felt that he could pick up a hammer and go into battle right now, and might even swing it with more force than anyone else.

However, the old man himself did not think so. So when his old comrades, who had similar thoughts, asked him half-jokingly and half-probingly if he wanted to return to the battlefield, he still laughed heartily and waved his hand to refuse without hesitation. He also said that an old man like him should stay obediently in the rear and not cause trouble for the young people.

Everyone felt a little regretful. It wasn't that they thought they would be defeated without "Boss" Giovanni's leadership, but rather that they felt that Boss Giovanni was one of the earliest pioneers in the Ansers region to resist the colonists. He had fought hard for so many years, and they had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. It was really unfair that they couldn't personally participate in the battle and share in this honor.

The old man didn't seem to mind. His eyes held satisfaction, expectation, and encouragement as he looked at these young people, but no regret. This was the path he had chosen. Sunlight fell on his gray hair and deep wrinkles, making him appear exceptionally peaceful.

After a brief greeting to the old man, Ling and his companion continued walking, passing through a relatively quiet area of ​​tents, and finally saw Medien outside the field hospital. The hospital consisted of several large, relatively clean white tents, with simple markings at the entrance. Clean bandages were drying in the open space next to the hospital, and a faint herbal scent filled the air. If you lifted a corner of the tent, you could vaguely see neatly arranged hospital beds and some rudimentary medical equipment inside.

Compared to other simply constructed buildings, the field hospital was significantly more robust and had more complete internal facilities. Since the war had not yet begun, the field hospital was relatively deserted, with only wounded soldiers from the previous war receiving treatment there. Their injuries varied in severity, but their spirits were generally good. Even the most seriously injured were striving to live, without complaining or blaming others, which filled the entire hospital with a resilient vitality.

Ling believed it was all Medien's doing, because when he arrived at the hospital, he happened to see his sister standing under a tree outside, preaching the Goddess's teachings to the lightly wounded gathered in the shade. She clasped her hands together, speaking softly and gently; frankly, she lacked the impassioned tone and rousing gestures expected of a preacher, but the audience listened attentively, some sitting, some leaning, their expressions focused and serene, no one distracted. Among the young people, he recognized many familiar figures, including Kadora. The girl sat at the front of the crowd, her back ramrod straight, a bandage wrapped around her forehead—mentioned in Mitch's last letter, an injury she sustained while covering her teammates' retreat.

Medien noticed their arrival, but preoccupied with preaching, she merely smiled at them with narrowed eyes before turning her attention back to her mission. Sister Livia walked over to the group and spoke softly, especially to Ling, "When she's not working, Medien is always sharing the teachings of Her Majesty the Goddess with everyone, but I believe she does this not for preaching purposes, but so that the wounded can find comfort in Her Majesty's teachings and be less in pain."

The scene before us is proof of her efforts and achievements.

Lin Ge nodded gently, looking at his sister's focused profile with a soft gaze: "I know."

He glanced at Sister Livia and nodded in gratitude: "Thank you for staying by Medien's side all this time, Miss Livia."

Many times, when her brother was unable to look after Median, it was Sister Livia who cared for her. However, the latter never took it to heart, because: "This is my choice, and my mission."

The nun smiled slightly: "Everyone has their own mission, and so do you. So, please keep going, Mr. Ringer. Medion and I will pray for you."

Following her gaze, Ling looked up and saw Carson Berg standing quietly outside the makeshift command post, waiting for the group to arrive.

Give me some cats