Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

As soon as they crossed the river, Winters immediately led his troops straight to Falconflower Fort.

He took the main road, sang songs of triumph, banners and drums abounded, marching majestically without any desire to hide his tracks.

Andre's cavalry also arrived to join him. With both foot soldiers and cavalry, the force was even more imposing.

However, the situation was not as optimistic as he made it appear.

The sword still hung over their heads, the thread holding it could snap at any time.

The battlefield was currently shrouded in fog; the more they could see, the closer they were to victory.

Winters had already deployed all of his reconnaissance cavalry, and most of Andre's had been sent out as well.

Because they kept capturing horses and using them in concentration, Winters actually had a cavalry advantage over the Newly Reclaimed Land garrison troops.

Apart from the three cavalry scouts leading the way, the rest of the cavalry closely monitored the movements of the Mont Blanc County garrison troops.

According to Winters' calculations, if the enemy were to send reinforcements, he would have at least a two-day advantage.

Firstly, it would take the Mont Blanc County garrison a day to return to Manyun Valley.

Secondly, they did not have bridges.

Destroying bridges was easy, building them was hard, and repairing them more troublesome still; this could delay them by another one to two days at least.

It was a risky move because no one could guarantee how the enemy commander would make his decisions.

War is the art of gambling, and Winters had made his move; now it was his opponent's turn.

How the opponent would respond was up to them; he had no control over that.

But the situation was as precarious as a pile of eggs; without taking risks, there could be no victory.

"Turn back to reinforce?" Winters mused as he sketched on the map board, "Or clench their teeth and charge toward Revodan?"

With too little information, his understanding of the situation in Mont Blanc County was very limited.

From Major Ronald, not a word could be wrung. The major simply wouldn't speak; he refused to have any form of communication with the rebels.

Winters could only obtain intelligence through public channels.

He knew that the officer of Mont Blanc County was a colonel named Gaisa Adonis, and that was all.

As for what kind of person he was, what his combat style was like, or how experienced he was, Winters knew nothing.

He had only heard that Colonel Gaisa seemed to be quite fond of money and was adept at accumulating wealth.

"Gaisa Adonis," Winters silently repeated the name of his adversary, pondering, "Adonis? An ancient term meaning 'handsome.' Could he be a handsome man?"

Distracted, he pressed too hard, and the graphite stick "snap" broke in half.

Winters was accustomed to this. He put away the broken piece and took out a new one.

Drawing with graphite was far more convenient than using a quill pen for quick sketches, except for one downside—the graphite was too brittle and would break easily if not handled carefully.

Winters straightened his back, taking in the surrounding terrain by heart, and continued to sketch on the map board.

The jostling saddle made his lines squiggly.

Conditions on the march were limited; he would have to redraw a detailed map in the evening.

After occupying Revodan, Montaigne's cartographers finally didn't have to worry about running out of graphite.

He had cleared out all the graphite from the shelves in Revodan, drawing whatever he pleased.

So now, wherever he was, Winters always tried to record as much of the surrounding terrain as possible.

Colonel Jeska's map collection hadn't been updated in a long time, and he was working hard to fill the twelve-year void left by John Jeska.

Xial ran back panting and brought news: "Brother! The town of Deer Horn is just ahead!"

Winters sighed and put away the map board: "Any news from the back?"

"Uh," Xial scratched his head, "Not yet."

"That will do."

"So, what about Deer Horn Town?" Xial asked excitedly, "Are we attacking?"

"Nonsense," Winters smiled as he pulled out his baton and tapped Xial on the head, "Having come all this way, who wouldn't take the opportunity for a meal?"

...

Newly Reclaimed Lands Province was overall an underdeveloped area, Iron Peak County was even less developed within these areas, a comparative degree of underdevelopment.

Like other frontier provinces, Mont Blanc County was much richer than Iron Peak County; she was like the better-off small family within a poor large family.

The most obvious difference was in the roads.

Upon entering Mont Blanc County, Winters immediately felt the roads were much better than those in Iron Peak County.

In Iron Peak County, the main roads were simply compacted earth, and in some places, there wasn't even that—where many walked became a path.

Meanwhile, Mont Blanc County even had paved "Guzhi Roads," clearly the work of the military.

Winters was surprised that the commander of the enemy—Colonel Gaisa whom he had never met—turned out to be a diligent and people-loving officer, which made Winters feel rather ashamed.

After all, Montaigne as a garrison commander (self-appointed) had not really done anything practically beneficial for the people of Iron Peak County.

Winters secretly resolved that when he got the chance to breathe, he would pave the roads of Iron Peak County as well.

Despite his respect for the "handsome" colonel, it did not hinder Winters from attacking the towns under his control.

Having come all this way, he wasn't about to return empty-handed. The finances of Iron Peak County were a bit tight at the moment, and any subsidy for household expenses was good.

Therefore, Winters had no qualms about blowing open the gates of Deer Horn Town.

This was another difference from Iron Peak County:

Compared to the "bachelor" towns under Winters' control, the towns of Mont Blanc County not only had more people but many had also built walls.

Andre's cavalry could do nothing against towns with walls.

Once they joined forces with Winters, not only would they be able to knock on the door of a walled town but Falconflower Fort as well.

Winters had twenty "Battering Rams" specifically brought for shelling the turtle's shell.

Deer Horn Town had built a wooden wall as a precaution against bandits and marauders, never imagining that one day they would face an army.

The alarm bell had just sounded, the militia were still scrambling to assemble, when "boom" the town gate was blown open.