Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Hearing about land, hearing about money, the soldiers' eyes shimmered with hope.

"Don't you agree?" Bart Xialing looked at his subordinates, his words meant for everyone: "If we haven't got the land and money yet and die here, wouldn't that be like working a whole year without getting paid? Come on, let's persevere a bit longer."

With that, Bart Xialing reached out his hand to a soldier sitting on the ground.

The latter also grasped the acting Centurion's hand.

Bart Xialing gave a strong pull, lifting the soldier up from the ground.

The small detachment of thirty-seven men resumed their march; everyone was still tired, but their steps were firmer than before.

"Hold on, just a little further," Bart Xialing waved his arms, trying to boost morale: "Once we rendezvous with Lord Chelini's Cavalry, we'll have horses to ride."

"Centurion!" A soldier suddenly remembered something and asked loudly: "What if I can't ride a horse? What do I do?"

Faced with someone ruining the mood, Bart Xialing was furious: "Why all the nonsense? We'll tie you to the horse's back! Or drag you if we have to!"

The soldiers burst into laughter.

"Centurion!" Another soldier spoke up: "If I die here, will Lord Montagne give my wife and children the land?"

Centurion Xialing initially wanted to directly answer, "Of course."

But after mulling it over, he decided to answer differently.

"Brother," Xialing said to a soldier clearly much older than himself with a smile: "If you have a wife and kids, then you've got to live to go back to them. Think about it; if you die here, your wife remarries with the kids, your child calling another man 'dad,' that man sleeping with your wife, hitting your kids, all on the land you died for—don't you think you'd be losing out?"

The laughter exploded, filling the entire valley with a cheerful atmosphere.

...

When Bart Xialing finally crossed the threshold, his Centurion was not idle either.

Winters Montagne was in a simple grass hut, speaking to a man who was tied up.

He puzzledly offered water to the man: "Senior, how could you dare come after me with just eighty men? I'm not alone; I have a Cavalry, you know!"

Winters had his Cavalry reassigned:

Half to Andre, to make a detour and raid the military stables;

The other half he led himself, looking to create some chaos in Mont Blanc County, to draw the enemy's attention and make space for the other small units to retreat.

Washington, the ensign securely tied up, kept drinking as he grumbled resentfully: "I was just unlucky to run into you. Your men won't be as lucky! The others will definitely catch up to them!"

"Good! That's right! You are correct!" Winters asked helplessly: "Would you like something more to eat?"

"Yes!" Ensign Washington was famished.

Winters took out some bread, breaking it into pieces and feeding it to his senior.

"Got any meat?" Washington chewed on the bread: "Give me some more water; this bread is too dry!"

Washington, fellow infantryman, was two grades senior to Winters. While they had not been close at the Land Academy, they recognized each other's faces.

Captured by a junior, Washington let himself go, eating what was given and drinking what was available.

Winters took out his water skin and offered it to Washington: "Senior, eat well and drink well; we'll be on the road shortly."

Washington spat out the bread crumbs mixed with water in his mouth, choking on a foreign object that went down the wrong pipe, which caused him to cough violently: "You... you really going to kill me?"

"Oh! Where did that come from!? Of course not!" Winters patted Washington's back vigorously.

"Then what are you going to do?" Washington became bolder: "Straight out—kill or release, give me a straight answer!"

"An officer is a precious resource in war. Why would I simply kill you?" Winters said with a smile: "You're coming back with me to Iron Peak County, to learn basket weaving."

After securing a gag in his senior's mouth and tying him onto the horse's back, Winters gave a whistle.

The resting Cavalrymen got up one after the other, silently mounting their horses.

"We'll leave the prisoners here, it's time for us to go," Winters laughed loudly: "My guess is, Colonel Gaisa should be rushing to the Anya River by now, trying to catch us on the riverbank!"

...

Winters guessed correctly; Colonel Gaisa was indeed hurrying toward the Anya River.

Gaisa had it clear in his mind that no matter how Montagne's forces fragmented, they would ultimately have to return to Iron Peak County.

To return to Iron Peak County, they would have to cross the Anya River.

However, the stretch of river forming the border between Iron Peak County and Mont Blanc County spans over one hundred fifty kilometers.

With half of Gaisa's troops in pursuit of the enemy, he had only about a thousand men left—insufficient to control such an extensive riverside.

Therefore, Gaisa ordered the local militias of the villages along the riverbank to keep a close watch on the Anya River, while he took his troops to an anticipative yet logical place—Manyun Valley.

To be precise, the opposite bank of Manyun Valley.

Because after the troops of Mont Blanc County crossed the river, the second Floating Bridge had been dismantled under Gaisa's orders to prevent Montagne's forces from using it to cross the river again.

While Gaisa waited in vain on the East Bank of Anya River, Winters had already crossed the river quietly upstream and paid a visit to Manyun Valley along the way.

Upon arriving in Manyun Valley, Winters called a town meeting in the square as usual.

First, Winters declared the rights to the citizens of Manyun Valley.

Put simply, he told everyone that Manyun Valley would still fall under the rule of Revodan.

Then, Winters compensated for Manyun Bridge at a fair price—of course, with money looted from the public treasuries of the towns in Mont Blanc County.

Whether to remain loyal to Revodan or Falconflower Fort was of little concern to the townspeople of Manyun Valley.