landbeastnovel #564 - Have you arrived? Yes!
#564 - Have you arrived? Yes!
The cold wind blew past the skirts of the tavern's songstresses. They wore thin clothes, shivering in the cold wind, yet still forced smiles.
As for the citizen representatives, monks, and minor nobles pushed to the front, they were even more neatly dressed, bracing themselves as they waited by the roadside early in the morning.
They feared the Salvation Army would chop off their heads now, and they feared Prince Condé would chop off their heads later.
Unlike those high-ranking nobles, these people couldn't simply abandon their homes and run away.
In this anxious wait, time passed by the minute, but the Salvation Army never appeared.
They waited from morning till evening, their anxious hearts growing numb with worry. The sun had set, but there was still no sign of the Salvation Army.
Before the sun completely set, they did see about a hundred Kushite Knights scouting, but these knights disappeared after taking away the ten boxes of gold and silver jewelry.
After the moon reached its zenith, nobles led by Samboli appeared in the citizens' sight with hundreds of knights, swaggering arrogantly.
Thus, the welcoming ceremony that had dragged on all day was used on these nobles who appeared out of nowhere.
In the cold night wind, the sniffling citizen representatives walked home through the night with stiff legs.
A question lingered in their minds:
From the Edict Legion camp to Swiftfall Fortress, it's only 20 miles, right? Can't they travel that in a day?
…………
On the afternoon of March 10th, the Salvation Army moved into the Edict Legion camp.
The first thing they did was to have the Protectorate soldiers and local laborers carry out a thorough cleaning and partial reconstruction.
Trenches, walls, drainage ditches, and huts were built. It must be said that the lives of everyone in the camp were much more comfortable than before.
To the disappointment of Valentine Tyler and a group of craftsmen, this Holy Grandson Hohenzollern might be a good person, but he was not as merciful as they had been led to believe.
Not only did he not let the craftsmen in the camp leave, but he also turned a deaf ear to similar requests.
The next day, he even demanded that the craftsmen repair armor and weapons for the soldiers free of charge.
Although the Holy Grandson promised that "when the war is over, I will let you go home," Prince Condé had said the exact same thing, and they were already numb to it.
But in any case, this Holy Grandson was definitely better than Prince Condé.
Because he not only abolished the supervisor system and the brutal corporal punishment, but also opened the granary and sent all the sick craftsmen and laborers to Swiftfall Fortress for treatment.
However, they still did not get what they wanted most—freedom.
But it didn't matter. This Holy Grandson, Lord of Ten Thousand Votes, at least treated them like human beings. Being better than before and being able to see their relatives at any time was enough to satisfy most people.
While sharpening Bloodcloud, Hohenzollern asked Valentine Tyler, "How are those slave laborers and craftsmen doing now?"
"They are full, have beds to sleep in, and don't have many complaints," Valentine Tyler seemed to be holding back a breath.
Hohenzollern helplessly put down the whetstone: "I just need them to provide logistical support for me. After this battle, I will really let them go home."
But the suspicion in Valentine Tyler's eyes did not diminish, and Hohenzollern could only smile bitterly.
The nobles of this world treat promises to civilians like farts, and they have even developed post-traumatic stress disorder. Normal requests are twisted by them.
Patting Valentine Tyler on the shoulder, Hohenzollern walked to the crowd in the wooden house: "Is everyone here? Andrew, tell us about the latest intelligence."
"News from Rapidwater City, Prince Condé abandoned the attack on Highfort City. After leaving the White Maple Mercenary Corps to guard Highfort, he hurriedly returned three days ago."
"Prince Condé went west?" Jeschka, who had been leaning on the chair half-asleep, jumped up from the chair the moment he heard these words.
Hohenzollern was also stunned when he heard the news, and then slowly walked to the long table in the Prince's tent of the Edict Legion: "He should have received the news long ago. Did he only leave three days ago?"
"There are reports that Prince Condé wanted to come back a long time ago, but Grand Duke Melia fought with him for many days. Until three days ago, Prince Condé suddenly knocked Grand Duke Melia off his horse.
In order to rescue Grand Duke Melia, the White Horse Knight had his left hand chopped off and was seriously injured. The Mountain Knights suffered heavy losses, unable to pose a threat to the White Maple Mercenary Corps left behind, so he returned."
"How long will it take approximately?"
"We discovered traces of Prince Condé near the Silver Grasshopper River two days ago."
Andrew blinked his eyes quickly twice: "They should arrive near Swiftfall Fortress in seven days."
"7 days?" Jurdin, the legion commander accompanying the staff, looked back at the map. "They have to travel at least 350 kilometers from Highfort to Swiftfall. Can they travel 35 kilometers every day?"
Prince Condé's main force is cavalry-based, which does not mean he only has cavalry.
He also has two mercenary corps and armed farmers recruited along the way.
Even if they wanted to travel by water, the Magdi Merchant Guild and local nobles sent people to collect most of the barges in advance.
Catherine, with her deep pockets, sank several large ships in the navigable tributaries of the Nauan River to block the way, guaranteeing that Prince Condé and his men could not travel the Nauan River waterway.
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If Prince Condé forcibly clears the sunken ships in the river, then he will fall into the Salvation Army's trap. Fighting along the river can just restrain the mobility of the cavalry.
"Thousand River Valley, Thousand River Valley, there are many small rivers here." Andrew spread his hands. "They can travel by boat section by section through small river valleys, and the cavalry will not be restrained."
Darth, the legion commander of the First Guards Army, looked at the map: "If this is the case, then they may indeed arrive on March 18th, but traveling by land and water is a rather complicated march. Can they repeatedly travel like this without capsizing?"
The Salvation Army can travel by land and water because its soldiers have high qualities, strict discipline, and dedicated clerical staff, so there is a large margin for error.
Can Prince Condé travel so fast?
"What do you think of the Death Legion and the Eagle Legion? They used to march 105 kilometers in three days during their time in Francia. There are still boats in the Thousand River Valley." Andrew rolled his eyes. "Not all infantry are guards and armored sergeants. They are professional elite infantry. If they don't have some skills, would Prince Condé spend a lot of money to hire them for a long time?"
"How much is their monthly salary for an infantryman?" Catherine, who had not spoken before, suddenly asked.
Andrew was obviously very familiar with mercenary prices, and he blurted out: "They can get about 90 dinars a month, and they can divide 60% of the spoils of war.
If they fight, they get 6 dinars a day, which is the salary given to mounted archers in other mercenary groups."
The cheek muscles of the former mounted archer mercenary, Myra, twitched, obviously recalling some unbearable memories.
After writing and drawing on the map, Bernardo rolled up the map and handed it to Hohenzollern: "We need more intelligence and resources. It's best to let the rangers and the nearby Holy Grandson's militia take a look.
But if Andrew's speculation is true, then I think, at this time yesterday, Prince Condé should have already fought with Earl Perzik, who was stationed in Kenk Town."
…………
Not long after the temporary meeting ended, before dinner, a group of heavily wounded knights appeared outside the Edict Legion camp.
A bag was handed to Hohenzollern by the military police through layers of inspection: "Your Highness, it was sent from Kenk Town."
Before the bag was untied, the strong stench of corpses and blood had already spread.
Sure enough, Hohenzollern saw Earl Perzik's head in the bag, as well as a piece of parchment with blood written on it:
"I will knock off your skull and drink blue-blooded wine."