Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 284 They were the first to take action!
Since the arrival of winter, the northern wilderness has experienced several consecutive heavy snowfalls. After the snow stops, the sun often comes out for a while. Although the sunlight is scorching, it does not feel warm at all. However, the air has become fresher than usual, which makes Harvey feel much better when he works every day.

When you open the window of the castle, you can smell a faint floral fragrance wafting from the garden. This is the fragrance of winter frost flowers that Egno specially transplanted to the lord's castle. It is the time when they bloom in the dead of winter in the snowy north.

Harvey has been paying special attention to the situation at the valley outpost recently, because sporadic signs of evil orc activities have been found in the valley area located at the northernmost end of the territory. From the reconnaissance report sent back by the outpost, it can be learned that only some very small tribes have arrived nearby, which is not enough to be feared.

The outpost fort in the valley would send out several reconnaissance teams every week to conduct reconnaissance on the other side of the valley. They would wipe out several small tribes that had obviously just arrived and settled here. They found that the number of people in these tribes was less than a hundred, and they were obviously not the main force heading south to plunder.

"Tell the officers at the outpost not to underestimate the enemy and advance too far into the icefield. Our primary goal is to launch a defensive counterattack while waiting for the enemy to tire. We must also take into account the work of receiving and rescuing the refugees fleeing from the north. Absorbing the population is the most important thing, not just focusing on the heads of those evil orcs and their military exploits!"

Harvey knocked on the table and repeatedly reminded Pierce to suppress his urge to lead his troops to the valley outpost in person. Don't forget that there are human nobles in the south who are eyeing the territory and may attack it at any time.

Compared to Pierce, Asdalen was much calmer and more measured. He said with a hint of worry, "If Earl Fagan and the evil orcs attack us at the same time, fighting on two fronts, will we be put in a disadvantageous situation..."

Harvey chuckled and said, "Are you worried about the army's combat effectiveness?"

The chief advisor shook his head and explained, "Our combat capability is unquestionable. I'm worried about the morale of the troops. They've never faced an attack from both sides, and they might be under tremendous psychological pressure going into battle."

Upon hearing this, Pierce puffed out his chest and responded, "Sir, there's absolutely no need to worry about this. I can guarantee that the army's morale will not be affected by the intensity of the war in any way... I can even say that due to the lack of combat operations over the past six months, almost everyone in the Defense Force and the Northern Army, whether officers or soldiers, is constantly eager and anticipating new combat missions and target enemies..."

Harvey interrupted Pierce and added with a smile, "It's a soldier's nature to be belligerent, especially since war and fighting against enemies can bring them a wealth of rewards and honors. That's why I insist on cultivating such a large, completely unproductive professional army."

When the desire for achievement is directly linked to the reward of real wealth, these professional soldiers holding weapons of overwhelming power are much more powerful than the ordinary peasant soldiers forcibly recruited by the nobles. They are more hungry than the giant bears and gray wolves that have been dormant in the wilderness for an entire winter. That is the hunger for battle and victory.

……

Over the past two weeks, the newly formed artillery battalion has officially begun joint training with the Northern Army and the Defense Force, whether it is to establish a fixed line of defense on the territory's walls to meet the enemy, or to cooperate with the Northern Army in field pursuit or ambush operations.

The main target of the current external war is the imaginary enemy, the coalition of southern nobles headed by Earl Feigen of Grizzly Castle. According to Harvey's prediction, within half a month, Earl Feigen will definitely attract reinforcements from the church of the royal capital of Golden City. By then, he will surely be unable to hold back and will immediately send troops to Jackdaw Town. The defense line he had set up in Jackdaw Town early on can be used to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out and quickly defeat him with long-range artillery fire and well-trained magic and thermal weapons troops.

During this period, the two forum spellcasters stationed in Jackdaw Town will monitor the situation from the direction of Grizzly Castle throughout the entire process. They only need to use flying magic to float high in the sky from a distance, and the movements of the enemy army can be seen almost at a glance.

After all, a large-scale march from Grizzly Castle to Jackdaw Town would take at least two days. Even if the baggage train and ordinary militia were abandoned and only elite knights and the Church Inquisition were sent for a quick assault, it would still take no less than half a day. Therefore, the enemy would have to camp in the wild to rest, which provided Harvey with a perfect fixed target for artillery fire.

The ground forces could take advantage of the nighttime bombardment to encircle the enemy, then launch a volley charge after the bombardment ended, annihilating them directly in the field camp. The only issues that needed to be addressed now were the actual combat accuracy of the magic-powered artillery and the availability of ammunition.

The repeated live-fire training and multi-service cooperation training during this period have consumed most of the magic artillery shells hastily produced by military factories and alchemy laboratories. If Harvey's plan to engage the enemy cannot be produced as soon as possible to allow twenty magic-powered cannons to fire at the same time and pour firepower on the enemy positions, his plan to engage the enemy will become pure talk.

"Notify Reiner and Chris as soon as possible. Suspend all other unnecessary production projects and fully operate the artillery production line. Even if we have to work three shifts, we must ensure the logistical supply of ammunition. I want to see the military factory brightly lit at night."

……

After the three of them discussed the upcoming war in the study, Pierce hurriedly took his leave and returned to the barracks.

Asdalen then began to discuss post-war development plans and target selection with Harvey. "My lord, after defeating Earl Fagan's noble coalition, what is our next plan? Jackdaw Town is now essentially under our control. Should we station troops there permanently and bring the town's residents under our jurisdiction?"

In fact, Harvey had thought about this problem for a long time. Although Jackdaw Town seemed to be only separated from the Pioneer Territory by a mountain, the actual distance was not short. Even if one drove a magic vehicle or a war beast vehicle that could quickly cross mountains and ridges, it would take most of the day to arrive, and this was only the time spent on the one-way journey.

Although this small border town on the national border is, in a sense, the main transit point for import and export trade between Harvey and the Southern Chamber of Commerce, and is also his outpost fortress for monitoring the movements of the surrounding Southern nobles and the church, directly occupying it and incorporating it into the territory is not a good option.

Jackdaw Town did not have any high-value products that interested Harvey, and the town's permanent population was pitifully small. Most of them were free farmers and hunters who owned a small amount of barren land, which did not have much appeal to Harvey.

The best way to deal with it is to leave it alone, neither allowing the southern nobles to intervene, nor investing too many troops and resources to affect the existing structure of the town itself.

Of course, if the townspeople voluntarily relocate and join the territory, Harvey will certainly welcome them. What he lacks most now is labor and money.

While chatting with Asdalen, the magic brain instrument placed in the study suddenly started beeping, and Asdalen immediately took the initiative to go forward to check.

"What happened? Is this a message from the forum?" Harvey asked leisurely, taking a sip of hot tea.

The Chief Advisor turned around and said solemnly, "Sir, Grand Duke Saint Valen and the Church of Radiance have officially declared war on the Spellcaster Union!"

(End of this chapter)