Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 421 Join forces
At that time, the situation was turbulent, and Isaac and his newly established Ash Alliance could barely protect themselves. They had no time to investigate, especially since these anomalies, which were clearly related to the supernatural, would inevitably attract the attention of the Church. Isaac couldn't even hide in time.

Later, the empress was assassinated, and the empire fell into chaos, making it impossible to verify these rumors.

"It seems I'll have to investigate myself," Isaac sighed.

"Are you going to Castel?" The girl's eyes lit up.

"Yes, Castells has likely encountered some trouble; his current state is not normal."

Nora left too early and doesn't know about Castel's later development. Although Isaac also left a long time ago, the lord had already made many things by then, such as the steam engine and nitroglycerin, both of which had great potential.

With these resources, dealing with pirates shouldn't be a problem, so it's rather unusual that no one else has been sent.

There must be some big trouble holding up the lord. Could it be that Castel and the pirates have gone to war?

It is quite possible that, given the pirates' capabilities, they could indeed blockade the entire island.

"As you can see, we are also facing difficulties here, and we may not be able to help you much. What kind of help do you need?"

Isaac paused for a moment, then chuckled. The people opposite him saw that he had come alone and mentioned that he was going to Castells, so they assumed he had come to ask for help.

“You misunderstand me. I’ve come here to form an alliance—the Ash Alliance has now established itself in the Empire and can free up its resources to come here.”

The girl raised an eyebrow and tentatively asked, "Would you offer us some assistance?"

“Yes.” Isaac nodded solemnly. “In fact, I’m not the only one who came here. There are some other people who are temporarily stationed outside the forest. We have weapons and equipment, which may be able to help you get out of trouble.”

Escape?

Seeing Isaac's confident demeanor, the girl was momentarily unsure.

All three grand dukes of the four northern territories had issued warrants for their arrest, and anyone who set foot on their land would be hunted down.

Lord Barzel, the lord of this area, had sent cavalry to sweep through these resistance forces several times. These cavalrymen were not only numerous but also well-equipped; even Lady Nora was defeated by them.
The priests of the Silent Sanctuary are masters of charging into battle; they can fight against the fully armed Lady Nora, and defeating these resistance fighters would not be difficult for them.

If Lady Nora hadn't taken the initiative to cover their retreat, this group of resistance fighters might not exist today.

"I actually brought some news with me this time, bad news."

Isaac sighed: "Those winter wolves are coming over here to catch you."

"Winter Wolf?"

"It's the Knights under Bazel, the Winter Wolves. They were the cavalrymen who carried out the previous sweeps. This group has participated in many battles in the North and is quite infamous."

Bazel is a border count, and border counts who can establish themselves all have capable troops under their command.

This Winter Wolves was the core of Count Bazel's expansionist forces. He managed to withstand the encirclement of three Grand Dukes and even form an alliance with them, all thanks to his formidable fighting prowess.

Although the four northern territories were easily suppressed by the royal family, that was after all against the royal army. Their soldiers were not bad in combat, and they could handle the battle against the White Raven Duchy without much trouble.

Later, the White Catastrophe occurred, the White Raven Duchy collapsed, and in the chaos, Count Bazel rose to prominence. Relying on his Winter Wolves, he plundered everywhere and eventually became equal to the three Grand Dukes.

After a brief explanation, the girl's expression turned grim.

She knew that cavalry was strong, but she didn't expect them to be this strong. No wonder they had surrounded and killed Nora's army head-on.

She spoke with a grim expression: "No matter how strong the Winter Wolves are, they are still cavalry. In this forest, we will avenge Lady Nora!"

Most people in the North are skilled hunters. These resistance fighters are mostly White Crows and refugees from further north, and a large part of them are hunters who are quite familiar with fighting in the woodlands.

Cavalry has difficulty maneuvering in the woods, and it is easy for them to get caught on tree branches while riding.

Hunters are mostly skilled in traps and archery. If they are well-positioned in the forest, the cavalry will not have much difficulty dealing with them due to the disparity in strength. This is why these resistance fighters, who were just refugees, were able to hold their own against the regular army—the advantage of fighting in the forest is significant.

Isaac shook his head: "Those soldiers have stockpiled a lot of kerosene; it's been sunny for quite a while now."

The harshest snow season in the North is over; the wind season is here.

Despite the thick snow, most of it melts away in less than a day when the sun shines. The trees here are mostly pine, which are rich in oil and flammable; if you add kerosene...
"Are they crazy?! This is a forest at the foot of the Canary Mountains! If it gets on fire, half of the forests in the North will be engulfed in flames!"

"Chopping down some trees and creating a firebreak can prevent the fire from spreading."

The girl thought for a moment and said, "Impossible. The windy season has arrived. With such strong winds, even a small spark can cause a fire that is impossible to control!"

A hint of approval appeared in Exa's eyes, but her voice was a few degrees lower: "This place is close to the Canary Mountains. When the snow at the foot of the mountains has just melted, the snow on the mountains will not, which is like a natural firewall."

As we all know, the temperature drops by 6°C for every 1000 meters increase in altitude. However, this is just the normal temperature. On mountain slopes where the sun shines directly, the ground absorbs solar radiation and becomes even hotter, resulting in stronger ground radiation and more heat being absorbed by the atmosphere near the ground. Therefore, the temperature is higher at the foot of the mountain.

In other words, the temperature difference between the foot of the mountain and the top of the mountain is greater!

Isaac knew that this knowledge was imparted to him by the lord.

Although the girl did not know the principle, she had seen many of them with her own eyes.

The northern region is mountainous, and during the windy season, it's common to see places where the foothills are sweltering while the mountains are covered in snow.

The girl opened her eyes wide and pondered for a while, then broke out in a cold sweat.

"Then let's cross the Canary Mountains and leave."

"Can you get over it?"

The girl was silent.

Crossing snow-covered peaks during the windy season is almost an impossible task.

Perhaps some strong soldiers will survive, but most will freeze to death in the snow.

They had no choice but to leave, no choice but to break through.

How many of Winter Wolves came?

"There are troops stationed in several nearby towns, at least several hundred."

Several hundred men! All of them were well-equipped knights. This number was practically enough to make them invincible in the North. Were they all here to deal with these resistance fighters?
The girl swallowed hard.

How many people are there with you?

“Twenty people.” Isaac smiled. “You should have noticed that I am a superhuman, and my abilities are well-suited for combat in the woodlands.”

The girl stood up without hesitation and extended her hand: "Thank you for your help. The people of White Raven will always repay kindness!"

The two held hands together.

"To be honest, I didn't know your name."

The girl had a cold and stern face, and when she stood up, she was almost as tall as Isaac.

"Gwen."

(End of this chapter)