Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 430 Another Encirclement by the Winter Wolves

The Winter Wolves were stationed separately in three towns, not because they didn't want to be stationed together, but because they had no other choice.

The towns in the North are not large and have a small permanent population, so they cannot support the entire Winter Wolf Guard and have to be divided into three squads to be stationed there.

The last encirclement and suppression of the resistance army seemed to have been successful, at least that's what the officers said, but only a small fraction of the soldiers who went to suppress them returned, and most of them were still in shock and full of fear.

It is said that the resistance was nothing special, but their leader Nora was really too strong. She went head-to-head with the cavalry charging and actually killed all the people who charged up. If they hadn't been so numerous, they almost wouldn't have been able to defeat her alone.

No, perhaps they really didn't fight; those people were more like escapees, but they did bring back Nora's head.

The nobles forbade any discussion of this matter, so all sorts of bizarre rumors spread like wildfire.

Some say Nora had three heads and six arms; after one head was cut off, two more grew back, and with her six arms wielding six longswords, she slaughtered an entire cavalry unit.

Some say that Nora is the true form of the evil god, and her head is merely a seal. After her head was cut off, the evil god descended and nearly wiped out the knights.

Some say that Nora is the incarnation of the Bone Raven, and that mortals cannot pierce her armor. However, there is a design flaw in the neck of the Icefield Heavy Armor, which allowed the knights to succeed by chance.

The various rumors became increasingly outrageous, yet they were all presented with remarkable detail, causing widespread panic.

Regardless of the rumors, one thing is certain: Nora charged forward despite the Winter Wolves' gunfire.

The Winter Wolves have a specific tactic for shooting from horseback. The first rank charges forward and fires, then immediately spurs their horses to flank the ranks, making way for the next rank to fire. The next rank repeats this process, making almost perfect use of the cavalry's mobility.

The knights charged like an endless tide, and the bullets flying in were like raindrops falling on the sea, whipping up the wind and smashing through the enemy lines.

This is the famous half-turn tactic. If it hadn't appeared so late, when the Empire had already effectively split, this tactic would definitely have been included in the Royal Army's textbooks.

Count Bazel used this tactic to conquer the North, transforming himself from a mere border Count into the Wolf of the North, on par with the three Grand Dukes.

But just as the Queen suffered a setback at the hands of the Silent Sanctuary, it proved that this advanced tactic could not defeat Nora's tactics.

Nora's tactic was to don heavy armor and charge forward.

It wasn't until the flail struck his face that the Winter Wolf realized that the times didn't seem to have changed.

Therefore, no matter how many times their superiors assured them that Nora was dead and that the headless burial man could not have survived, the soldiers refused to believe it.

This is a fear etched into one's blood, hammered into the head again and again by the priests of the Silent Church with their chains; how could it be easily forgotten?

Therefore, the Winter Wolves' assembly was delayed until their superiors urged them several times before they finally completed the assembly.

This is a wasteland beyond three towns.

The soldiers huddled together somewhat nervously as the portly quartermaster distributed gunpowder and lead bullets.

"Our mission this time is to encircle and annihilate them near the forest!" The squad leader shouted loudly to his men, cracking his whip.

Mili's eyes darted around, and she leaned closer, asking in a low voice that only a few could hear, "Sir, is it really a siege or..."

The captain glanced at the timid soldiers, his face not looking too good. He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and replied, "The soldiers who went out to scout last time were all killed. The commander wants to intimidate the resistance and also see if there are any other forces involved. In short, we may not necessarily kill them this time. Understand?" "Understood! Don't worry, we will fight bravely and won't cause you any trouble!" The team members nodded hurriedly.

The captain snorted but did not respond.

Although he was the captain, he did not dare to be too harsh on his soldiers.

The superiors could disregard the lives of their soldiers, but he could not. Often, captains who were not sensible enough would be shot in the back.

These captains were promoted from among the soldiers, with no background. If they died, they died. Perhaps someone would investigate and avenge them, but that wouldn't bring them back to life from the grave.

The soldiers understood the situation and marched forward in formation, shouting loudly, though they were somewhat dismissive of it.

The scouts we sent out last time died. It could have been the work of the three grand dukes, the Papacy, or the Empire, but those are questions for the noble lords to ponder, not for us soldiers.

They just need to put on a show; those people can't possibly kill their entire Winter Wolf Guard, can they?

Just kidding, the Winter Wolf Guard that has gathered this time numbered several hundred. To deal with all of them, there might not be many armies in the entire North that could do it.

As for whether it was the resistance forces who did it, how could that be?

They'd seen resistance fighters before. Nora might be strong, but her resistance force was just a bunch of refugees with hardly any weapons. One charge and they'd be running for their lives.

With this in mind, they waited where they were, as more supplies were to be delivered and a few more horse-drawn carts would be coming from the town.

But this wait lasted for half a day.

Several hours have passed, and the second batch of supplies for the three towns still hasn't arrived.

This was rather strange. The alpha wolf of the Winter Wolves, who was also the officer, was furious. Such synchronized movements suggested that someone was trying to sabotage him.

The Wolves of Winter are not the only force in the North; they have many enemies as well.

After hesitating for a moment, the alpha wolf decided not to wait any longer. After all, today was just a reconnaissance mission, not a formal operation. So what if there was less logistics? He could deal with them when he got back.

After all, if he regrouped his troops and then went back, the only thing he would lose was his prestige.

"Gentlemen, let's not wait any longer, let's set off now. If we leave now, we can still make it back to town for dinner tonight!"

The soldiers responded to him enthusiastically, but slowed down when they set off.

They dawdled along until they reached the edge of the woods. It was past noon. The alpha wolf hesitated for a moment, then decided to set up a stove on the spot so that the soldiers could have some food.

They came out in the morning, and if they don't eat now, the soldiers will be hungry and may not be very effective in combat by nightfall.

The main reason is that no enemy was found along the way, and people were sent to patrol the area near the woods. The resistance fighters were hiding deep in the woods, and there was no one on the outskirts.

Even though this was just a show of force, the alpha wolf remained cautious, keeping the soldiers quite a distance from the woods so that they would have enough time to react should the resistance suddenly attack.

(End of this chapter)