Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 76 Support
Gibson rode on his horse, the cold wind hitting his face, as cold as a knife.

The knights behind him marched forward in formation, their hooves clattering heavily.

"Faster! Faster!" he urged in a deep voice.

They had been traveling for five days, using their fighting spirit to keep going, with almost no rest.

Because he understood the importance of the operation here, and also knew that the situation at Qingyu Ridge was not optimistic.

Two barons and a little over a hundred men were fighting against eight hundred Snowsworn cavalry. It would be a miracle if they could hold out for even a few days.

"Hurry up!" Gibson growled. "If it's too late, we won't even be able to retrieve the body!"

The warhorse was panting heavily, foaming at the mouth, and even splattering blood under its hooves.

He didn't stop, he just kept rushing forward.

But when they finally arrived at Qingyu Ridge, the scene before them surprised him slightly.

The camp was neat and orderly, the fires were burning, and the soldiers were patrolling. Everything was peaceful and normal.

There are no enemies.

There are no bodies.

There was no trace of a battle.

"What's going on? Is the intelligence wrong?" Gibson frowned and dismounted.

He had traveled for five days and rushed through the night, only to be met with this scene, which immediately filled him with anger.

Upon seeing him wearing the coat of arms of the Duke of Edmund, the guard immediately stepped forward and saluted: "Are you the reinforcements sent by the Duke of Edmund? Lord Calvin has instructed me to take you there."

Gibson nodded, suppressing his anger, and followed the guards into the main tent.

Louis stood before the battle map, his expression focused.

Hearing the noise, he turned around and gave a faint smile: "You must have had a long journey."

"Where is the enemy?" Gibson couldn't help but ask, his voice hardening. "You weren't attacked? Or is the intelligence false?!"

He stared intently at Louis, his voice filled with anger.

If the five days and nights of travel had turned out to be a scam, he simply couldn't swallow his anger.

“We encountered it,” Louis nodded, “but it’s been resolved.”

"Solved?" Gibson was stunned. "You mean, you wiped out all those Snowsworn Wolf Riders?"

Louis didn't explain, he just waved his hand: "Come with me."

The two climbed up a slope and arrived at the side valley of Qingyu Ridge.

As soon as I got closer, a pungent smell hit me.

Gibson frowned and instinctively covered his mouth and nose.

The fog had not yet dissipated, and a pale yellow toxic smoke permeated the valley.

The stench, the burnt smell, and the stench of blood mingled together, flowing slowly in the cold wind, like an invisible venomous snake slithering and flicking its tongue.

He looked down and saw that the entire valley looked as if it had been burned.

The charred remains of corpses piled up into small mounds, some so corroded that only vague human shapes remained, with exposed bones, like offerings thrown up from hell.

Gibson stood there, his pupils slightly constricted, his throat moved, but he couldn't utter a word.

He had imagined the most brutal battlefields, but this scene far exceeded his expectations.

"How...how did you do that?" he finally asked, his voice low and hoarse.

"A mere trick, not worth mentioning," Louis said nonchalantly, feigning arrogance.

Gibson turned his head to look at him, observing the young nobleman closely for the first time.

Louis remained calm, showing neither pride nor pity.

But beneath his feet lay the corpses of eight hundred elite Snow Oath warriors.

…………

The night wind was biting, and a swift bird soared through the air.

"The battle report has arrived; it's from Qingyu Ridge." The attendant quickly handed over the envelope.

Duke Edmund, dressed in his military robes, stood before the map. Upon hearing the words "Qingyu Ridge," his brow furrowed immediately.

"Qingyu Ridge?" He reached out and took the envelope, saying in a low voice, "Gibson's reinforcements have only just set off, how come a letter has arrived so soon?"

A sense of unease settled over him, a vague feeling of foreboding creeping in.

Has that pass already fallen?

He sat down in a deep voice, tore open the envelope, and quickly scanned the contents.

The next instant, his expression changed drastically. From confusion to astonishment, and then to shock and ecstasy, it only took a few seconds.

"Eight hundred enemy troops, ambushed and annihilated? Magic Explosion Bombs, Hidden Mirror of Mist... how many minutes will it take to finish the battle?"

He kept repeating it to himself, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The letter contained no superfluous words, only a concise report:

The enemy forces misjudged the disguised stronghold and fell into an ambush. They were defeated by multiple magic bombs and a landslide, and were then surrounded and annihilated by the Red Tide Knights. None of the enemy survived.

Qingyu Ridge is safe and sound.

The one who led this battle was a young baron who lacked practical combat experience.

"What an amazing kid."

He suddenly burst into laughter, slammed the battle report shut, and ordered, "Send another thousand knights and six thousand soldiers to Qingyu Ridge within eight days! Order Gibson to seal off that valley completely!"

"Yes!"

"Also, the nine thousand people who gathered earlier, don't stop, immediately turn towards Snow Eagle City and regroup!"

"understand!"

In fact, before receiving this battle report, the Duke of Edmund had already decided to adjust his strategy.

It is impossible to completely eradicate the Snow Oathers this year.

Those rats were cunning, scattered, and difficult to deal with; several large-scale encirclements failed to eradicate them.

The army is showing signs of fatigue from continuous fighting, and with the autumn harvest approaching, the northern border needs to prepare for winter food storage.

He has ordered a change in the battle strategy:

Abandon the full-scale advance and concentrate forces to eliminate the remaining Snowsworn in the Empire's controlled territory.

Then, they gradually compressed and drove the enemy into Binghai County and Xueluo County.

That's where the main battlefield for next year's decisive battle will be.

The victory at Qingyu Ridge undoubtedly gave this plan a good start.

"Well done, Calvin's kid," he murmured, a smile playing on his lips.

…………

Snow Eagle City has now been completely turned into a bloody paradise for the Snow Oathbringers.

The streets are filled with tattered flags and collapsed mansions; the former banquet halls are now only places for the oath-breakers to amuse themselves.

Barnes lay on a bench covered with bearskin, drinking the last of his strong liquor. At his feet was a noblewoman with her hands and feet bound, her eyes vacant and covered in bloodstains.

He was not worried about the imperial army besieging the city.

Once Qingyu Ridge is breached, reinforcements will arrive from the rear in droves.

Now he can simply enjoy the afterglow of victory.

However, a disheveled, vacant-eyed wolf rider stumbled into the hall.

"Report...report!!"

"Who let you in like that?!" Barnes waved his hand impatiently.

But when he heard the news Barnes brought, his expression changed instantly.

"Qingyu Ridge was not captured... Eight hundred brothers were all wiped out!"

"What did you say?" He stood up abruptly, the wine glass in his hand falling to the ground.

"They...they used something strange...the ground cracked open, fire! Poison gas! Everything was gone!!"

"Are you crazy?!"

The cavalryman, crying and laughing at the same time, knelt on the ground: "I saw it with my own eyes... one by one... they burned, they twisted... I... I don't want to die..."

"Shut up!!"

Barnes flipped the table in front of him, cold sweat pouring down his forehead and his fingers trembling slightly.

All eight hundred wolf riders were wiped out.

How could that be? That was his so-called most elite assault force!
Worse still, the best opportunity to attack had passed, and imperial reinforcements were arriving in droves.

Qingyu Ridge is a place that is known for being easy to defend and difficult to attack.

We can only hope that Icesea County can launch a large-scale attack quickly.

Otherwise, he would surely die.

(End of this chapter)