Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Monkey mechanically responded with a sound.

"We survived only because we were very lucky. Pako didn't survive just because he was unlucky." Lu Xirong raised his hand to Monkey's shoulder, but in the end, he put it down halfway: "You don't need to feel ashamed or guilty for your good fortune."

This time it was Monkey's turn to fall silent. His head drooped, and his shoulders couldn't stop trembling. When he spoke again, his eyes were already filled with tears.

The soldiers in front and behind had long noticed that Sergeant Lu Xirong and Monkey seemed to be quarreling and wished to stay as far away as possible. Unknowingly, the distance widened, leaving only Monkey and Lu Xirong alone around them.

Monkey stared straight into Lu Xirong's eyes and questioned angrily, "I just don't understand why everyone can be so happy! Why is everyone calculating military merits, calculating how many acres of land they can get, calculating who will become a lord in the future? We clearly lost so many brothers! So many died! Yet no one mentions them, no one thinks of them, as if they have all been forgotten!"

Lu Xirong listened silently to Monkey's words until the latter vented all the anger and grief since the end of the battle.

Then, the old sergeant asked calmly, "After the Battle of Blood and Mud, why didn't I see you like this?"

"Because…" Monkey instinctively wanted to answer but didn't know what to say, as he had never thought about this question before.

Lu Xirong answered for Monkey, "Because during the Battle of Blood and Mud, your friends didn't die."

Monkey was left speechless.

"Listen carefully." Lu Xirong's rock-like face finally showed a slight movement. He closed his eyes and opened them again: "No one will forget the brothers and comrades who died, no one… Every night, I remember them. But this battle will only be commemorated as a great victory, never remembered as a massacre where thousands died. No one will remember them, and no one will remember us. Only we will remember them, but we won't bring it up. You must learn this because only in this way can you live with peace of mind."

Monkey shook his head in despair, "I can't do it."

Lu Xirong coldly replied, "Then maybe you're not suited to be a soldier."

Just then, the crisp sound of hooves was heard by both of them.

A neat formation of cavalry approached, led by an officer in splendid attire, impressive and highly noticeable.

Everyone hastily made way, and Lu Xirong pulled Monkey back into the field.

The cavalry majestically rode past Lu Xirong, Monkey, and the others, with the leading officer not even glancing at the infantry beside him.

After the cavalry passed, the infantry returned to the space between the farmland and the main road.

Someone looked enviously at the cavalry's backs, "Truly impressive! Truly majestic! Who is leading them?"

"Who else could it be but Cherini Commissioner?" another person replied matter-of-factly.

The cavalry's passage caused only a brief disruption, and Lu Xirong's and Monkey's unit soon re-formed and set off again toward Green Valley.

Though Monkey followed silently, he occasionally turned his head toward the direction where Cherini Commissioner had disappeared.

Finally, Monkey couldn't hold back and stopped walking, throwing caution to the wind as he asked the old sergeant, "What about the officers, then? Will they remember? Will they feel sad? Captain Tamas said if you don't know why you're fighting, tell yourself it's for Commissioner Montaigne. But does Blood Wolf really care about us, remember us?"

"That's something you'll have to ask him yourself," Lu Xirong replied. "Let's keep moving."

...

On the other side, Andre rode against the main force, continuing until he reached the middle of the convoy beside a four-wheeled carriage, where he dismounted.

He casually handed the reins to Xial, who was standing outside the carriage, and his eyes couldn't help but sweep from the top to the tail of Longwind tied to Xial's saddle.

Then he swept Longwind again from tail to forehead.

After completing this routine, Andre couldn't help but sigh, yanking open the carriage door and stepping inside.

Inside the carriage, Richard Mason was bent over a small tabletop, writing and calculating.

Winters leaned back, sitting opposite Mason, holding a letter full of writing as he read.

"The area near Green Valley is quite safe, no sign of enemy activity." Andre familiarly reached under the seat for a bottle of aperitif, bit open the cork, took a hearty sip, and laughed, "Pierre did a good job, even took away the prisoners, didn't leave a single one for Colonel Skool."

"Pierre says in his letter that after failing in the frontal engagement, Major Felter voluntarily abandoned Green Valley, retreating overnight," Winters curled up his legs, lying sideways, but his eyes never left the letter: "He has already routed the rearguard left by Major Felter and now plans to continue pursuing Major Felter's main force."

"When was the letter written?" Andre asked.

"Four days ago," Winters glanced at the date and handed the letter to Andre, "Want to read it?"

"Four days ago? Then what's there to read." Andre stretched out his legs, grinning, "For all we know, Major Felter might already be done for by now."

Mason nudged the tabletop forward—a spacious carriage initially, but with Andre inside, it felt a bit cramped.

Andre still had the lack of tact to squeeze by his senior's small tabletop, eagerly asking, "Is it done? How much did we earn from this battle?"