Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 425 New Equipment for the Resistance

The meeting ended, and Castel, this massive steel ark, slowly adjusted its course, embarking on a new journey. The fates of countless people changed as a result, and even the situation on the continent shifted slightly.

But people at that moment were unaware of these things, thinking it was just an ordinary afternoon.

Zoe walked out of the house with a heavy heart, still thinking about the last issue.

Finally, the lord solemnly asked Nora, the participant who had remained silent until now:
"Does the resistance still exist? Should we send reinforcements first?"

Nora's face remained tense, but her eyes dimmed slightly: "In the end, I fought against the regular army of the North. I don't know who they belonged to, but their fighting strength was far superior to that of the guards responsible for maintaining order."

"They were all cavalrymen, wearing standard armor, and their combat skills and fighting spirit were quite good. I have only encountered such opponents on the battlefield."

She raised her eyes and stared intently at Hughes: "The resistance is unlikely to survive against them. Without me, they can't hold out."

The meeting room was quiet.

"I remember the resistance seemed to be hiding in the woods?"

"It's no use. That's a regular army. The resistance is just a bunch of refugees. Even if those cavalrymen dismounted and walked, they could easily win. As for escaping—they're cavalry."

Nora's voice carried a hint of bitterness. The resistance might have some fighting spirit, and some might be able to survive, but they could not possibly win in a direct confrontation.

The enemy is fully armored, while you don't even have many proper weapons. How are you going to fight?

Armor wasn't that effective against firearms, but the resistance fighters didn't have firearms either.

Do you have any other superhumans?

Nora wanted to shake her head, but found she couldn't. She sighed, "Let alone the superhumans, we have no support at all. The Church and the nobles of the North have reached an agreement to abandon the refugees in order to save themselves."

Hughes was silent for a moment, then looked into her eyes: "I will avenge you. Castell will provide asylum to refugees in the North, as we agreed before."

Nora lowered her gaze in gratitude: "Keeping promises is a noble virtue, one that the people of Saint White Raven will never forget."

After speaking, she hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly again:
"Perhaps we can gather some of the surviving refugees; maybe some of them can survive by hiding in the forest."

Hughes nodded and wrote a line in the booklet in his hand—

With no hope of rescue from the resistance forces, the expeditionary force focused on a steady advance.

After formulating the strategy, Castells gradually began to take action.

Ship after ship of steel rails were delivered to Blood Harbor, and the railway construction officially began. Currently, all the rails and construction are being done by Castells. In the future, after the first phase of the project is completed—that is, after the first wave of personnel training and the first wave of factory construction are completed—Blood Harbor will gradually take over the project independently.

Hughes devised a three-phase plan. Once the first phase, namely the aforementioned Phase I project, is completed, Blood Harbor will have the basic capacity to assemble and lay railways.

The second phase will train a group of advanced students who can support more factories and transfer some outdated production capacity that consumes a lot of manpower.

In the third stage, Blood Harbor will be able to independently produce steel. At that time, Castells' military factories will be able to complement the production lines here, and Blood Harbor will have a certain industrial base, which can then radiate outwards to the entire continent.

As the railway was laid, waves of expeditionary forces arrived at Bloodport. In the early stages, they mainly undertook construction tasks, and battles only began after the railway reached the North.

Blood Harbor, which was originally a wasteland, suddenly became bustling with activity, and its prosperity was even greater than before.

The northern border, a resistance camp.

"So... what happened next?" Gwen asked in a low voice.

"I don't know the specifics, I only heard that the Winter Wolf Guard's cavalry were utterly defeated, so I thought Nora had won."

The girl took a deep breath, her eyes fixed intently on Nora sitting by the campfire: "Some of us saw her beheaded. We thought it was all over, but then no pursuers came. Could it be..."

Isaac's eyes gleamed with admiration: "Even after Nora was beheaded, she continued fighting, eventually defeating the entire Winter Wolf Guard, forcing them to retreat and recuperate. Nora, however, returned alone."

hiss!
The two looked at each other, both somewhat incredulous.

"Uh, I don't know much about the extraordinary. Are all extraordinary people this strong?"

“How is that possible? If superhumans could defeat an army head-on, you would be the ones in the city right now. The Winter Wolf Guard is the real resistance.” Isaac rubbed his temples. “I’ve seen the Burialers before. Nora shouldn’t be that strong.”

Gwen's expression became complicated: "So...there are still people helping us?"

"Not necessarily. Perhaps Nora had some extraordinary encounters. A steadfast will in the Sea of ​​Ignorance can go further. Perhaps her will caused the whole world to shift, who knows?"

"I don't understand those things, so let me tell you about the upcoming battle."

Gwen's voice sounded noticeably more tense.

"As you said before, the Winter Wolf Guard is very strong, while we..."

She glanced back at Nora.

"Lady Nora may not be able to fight in her current state. Do you have any good ideas?"

Gwen's concerns were not unfounded.

Nora may be strong, but that's when she's fighting alone. The resistance needs a plan and orders to fight the Winter Wolf Guard.

Nora doesn't look like she can execute commands at all right now.

Isaac chuckled softly: "Don't worry, I've sent men to nearby towns to observe the Winter Wolf Guard's movements. That's what we do best, and we'll get the news as soon as they make a move."

The Winter Wolf Guard are cavalry that come and go like the wind; how could they let news travel faster than the cavalry? Gwen didn't understand.

But it must have been the work of an extraordinary being.

“My men have seen a lot of battles. Letting them participate in your training will greatly improve the resistance.”

Gwen was still somewhat uneasy: "What exactly do we rely on to win? Forgive my bluntness, but if the enemy is really as you say, I'm afraid the resistance forces are completely outmatched."

"It's very simple: with a firm will, the determination to fight to the end, unwavering faith, and my few boxes of muskets."

"Hmm?" Gwen listened for a while and then suddenly felt something was wrong; she even started to stutter.
"Fire, firearms!? You, you must be joking with me, right?"

Isaac laughed loudly.

“Hahaha, Miss Gwen, what do you think I came to the North for? Meeting you was just an accident. Even without Miss Nora, I would have developed my own power here—we didn’t come empty-handed.”

(End of this chapter)