As snowflakes fluttered down from the dusky sky, Loriste suddenly realized that he had overlooked something important. Winter had arrived.
The 11th of November was a bachelor's day in his previous world, but in Galinthea, it was just an ordinary day. To Loriste, it was also the day when the last batch of refugees arrived at Vanades City.
Loriste's expression was dark. The arrival of winter had ruined his plan to return to his family's territory. The most important thing now was to find a safe and comfortable place for the refugees and the convoy to survive the cold winter.
"Twenty-five days to reach here from the border. That's a short distance of 140 kilometers. How long will it take to return to the family's territory? A year? Two years? How much will it cost to feed a hundred thousand people in a day? Everyone, do the math. This isn't something we can afford. "Loriste's expression was stern.
This was the residence of the mayor of Vanades City, but it had now become the base camp for the convoy heading north.
"It's all the refugees' fault. They've slowed down our journey. If it was just our convoy, we could cover 60 kilometers in a day," Yuri muttered. Yuri muttered to himself. As the commander of the light cavalry scouts who could run two hundred kilometers in a day, he naturally looked down on the sluggish refugees.
"Look, there's still more than a thousand kilometers from Vanades City to Midburo River. At this speed, it'll take more than 200 days. That's impossible. Everyone, look outside. It's already snowing. Vanades City is the largest commercial city in the Madras Principality, and we've replenished our rations after occupying it. However, it's still very difficult for a hundred thousand people to survive the winter comfortably. We need to take measures as soon as possible and get here before the snow blocks the roads. Kebo City! "
Loriste pointed at Kebo City on the map, "This is a city directly under the jurisdiction of the Madras Grand Duke, and it's also the largest granary in Delemark Province. All the rations that the Madras Grand Duke has gathered in this province are stored here. From the documents seized from Vanades City, we can see that the grain trade here is all provided by Kebo City. Moreover, last year, the Madras Grand Duke lent the second prince eighty million jin of grain, which was also transported from Kebo City. "
"There's also an official document here that probably hasn't been sent out yet. It's an order from the Madras Grand Duke to calculate the food reserves of Kebo City. It's also a reply to the second prince's request to borrow food. 150 million catties. However, the Madras Grand Duke has requested for the second prince to repay the loan of rations. It seems like the second prince is also greatly weakened. "Laurist picked up a thick document bound with animal skin and threw it on the table.
"One hundred thousand refugees. We have a huge backpack on our backs. Winter has arrived, and we still have to prepare clothing, shelter, wood to keep them warm, and fill their stomachs. Today is the eleventh day of the eleventh month. We must capture Kebo City before the bitter cold of December arrives and move everyone there for the winter. Only then can we allow these one hundred thousand refugees to survive the winter. "
"My Lord, Kebo City isn't easy to attack. Back then, the third prince led the Royal Guard Corps of sixty thousand soldiers to Kebo City, but they suffered a crushing defeat and returned, making the Iron Guard Corps famous in one battle. The news that we have captured Vanades City and Sith Castle has already spread throughout the Delemark Province. The defenders of Kebo City have long since made preparations, and we can't launch a surprise attack. I'm afraid that we won't be able to take them down for long. If we drag things out for too long, we might end up harming our troops instead. "Bodefinger seemed very worried.
"If we want these one hundred thousand people to survive the winter, we can only capture Kebo City. That was then, and this is now. We aren't the third prince's Royal Guard Corps, and we aren't defending some Iron Guard Corps. According to the captured officials, Kebo City currently only has a large garrison. I'm quite confident that we can capture Kebo City. However, what I'm worried about is that even if we take over Kebo City, the hundred thousand refugees will be too slow. We need to think of a way to move them over as soon as possible. We can't let them drag us down. "Laurist was a bit agitated as he drummed his fingers on the table.
Freya stood up and made a suggestion, "I think we can put the refugees under military management. For example, the families of the garrison soldiers. We can also give them the treatment of armed relatives in the convoy. We can gather carriages from here and distribute them to them. That way, at least fifty to sixty thousand refugees would be able to keep up with our convoy." As the commander of the newly formed garrison army, he knew very well that the soldiers under him were most envious of the care and treatment of the armed relatives in the convoy.
"Not bad, that's a good idea." Laurist nodded.
"But my Lord, we can't find any carriages. We've only gathered around two thousand carriages in Vanades City …" Fatty Shi was very worried.
"How about this, Shredder. Try to gather transportation from Vanades City. As for the goods from the merchants, don't even think about it. What we need now is speed, not supplies. While we attack Kebo City, you'll be in charge of this place. Order the craftsmen to build more carriages. If there aren't enough horses, use one horse for each carriage. I don't expect the refugees to have a convoy that can travel sixty kilometers a day, but they should be able to travel at least thirty kilometers a day. "
Laurist knew about Fatty Shi's problem. This fellow's jealousy flared up the moment he arrived in Vanades City. He planned to use the name of gathering military supplies to buy all the goods from the merchants in Vanades City for a third of the price and then transport them to his family's territory. So he had to be warned in advance to prevent him from disregarding people and gathering supplies again.
"Bofgar, has the second prince's royal guards entered Sith Castle?" Laurist asked.
Bofgar replied, "They've already arrived. Ten thousand of them. I'll rush back after I'm done with the handover. Ross will bring our cavalry and archers back here tomorrow afternoon. "
"Strange, the Madras Duke's reaction is so slow. Why haven't they noticed that we've cut off all communications and communications to the outside world?" Laurist rubbed his chin in thought.
Bofgar smiled, "Sir, the Madras Duke must already know that Sith Castle has been occupied. When our light cavalry scouts entered the province to investigate, they found that all the manors and castles they passed through had increased security. I suspect that the Duke of Madras is merely uncertain whether the enemy, who has taken possession of the castle of Sith, will continue to advance on Siddhargrad or simply defend it. That's why he can't order the Seamount Army to attack, lest the enemy sneak attack their nest … "
"That's true." Laurist nodded, "Sith Castle has been handed over to the second prince, and Vanades City will have to be handed over to him soon. That way, he can rebuild this place into a fortress city and use it as a barrier to annex Yungesandra Province. Right now, the second prince has no excuse for us to hand this place over to him. In his heart, he can't wait for us to leave so that we don't waste this place and make it impossible for him to gather resources and manpower.
I want to move to Kebo City for two reasons. Secondly, it's closer to the north. We'll be able to return to our family territory in spring next year. Thirdly, I don't want to stay here anymore. After spring tomorrow, this place will definitely be a battlefield. If we don't leave now, I'm worried that we'll be dragged into these stupid battles next year. When that time comes, we won't be able to leave even if we want to. "
"Then when do we set off to attack Kebo City?" Bofgar asked.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll set off with Yuri's light cavalry scouts. Terman will bring the knights and order Ross to lead three cavalry squads directly to Kebo City. Speed is of the essence, and time is of the essence. We'll meet up there," Laurist said.
… …
Six days later, Laurist sat in a carriage with a dozen guards in front of a castle at the center of Kebo City. The carriage had the flag of the Teberle Family.
The one who received Laurist was a white-haired official in his fifties or sixties.
"Lord Viscount, I'm Manager Broom here. I'm very sorry. Although Kebo City is directly under the jurisdiction of the Madras Grand Duke, it is a military town and an important warehouse. It never receives guests from outside. If Lord Viscount wishes to stay, please follow the main road to the east for another ten or so miles. That's where Count Kroke's manor and castle are. Count Kroke has always been hospitable, and Lord Viscount will receive satisfactory treatment there. As for the purchase of food that Lord Viscount mentioned, to be honest, we can't make the decision here. Without the Duke's approval, we can't transport a single grain of food here. "The old official very politely rejected Laurist's request.
"Is that so, I was wrong. Manager Broom, I'm very sorry. This is my first time coming to your duchy as well. I've only heard that Kebo City is the duchy's food trading center. I thought it would be as lively as those commercial cities and trade on the spot. "Laurist was not without melancholy, fully displaying the regret of a noble making a wasted trip.
"This is indeed very regrettable. Lord Viscount has made a wasted trip. In fact, all of our previous grain transactions were held in the city of Vanades. The amount of grain that was sold there was determined by the amount of money that was printed on the receipts. However, I've heard that Vanades City has been occupied by refugees, so we can only give you the food after receiving the Duke's approval. "The old official bowed deeply towards Laurist.
"Sigh, looks like I'll have to think of a way to meet the Duke, or wait a little longer. Thank you for your guidance, Manager Broom. I'll take my leave first. "Laurist nodded towards the old official and boarded the carriage again, leaving Kebo City.
Seeing Laurist's carriage leave, the old official was a little baffled, 'Why did a noble of the Redelis Kingdom come here to buy food? Even if he bought it, would he be able to transport it back? If he were to transfer to the second prince's Iberian Kingdom, more than half of it would be confiscated. He'd be lucky if he could even transport a third back … '
Laurist's carriage travelled a few miles to the east, leaving Kebo City's security perimeter before turning south. After another half an hour or so, a dense evergreen forest appeared in front of him. After passing through the forest, there was a continuous stretch of military encampments.
Laurist entered the large tent with a gloomy expression. Boddfinger, who was looking at the map, was very surprised, "Lord, why have you returned?"
"The plan didn't work. We were prepared to enter Kebo City in batches and coordinate from the inside, but we didn't expect that Kebo City wouldn't accept outsiders to stay in the inner city. Neither nobles nor mercenaries would work." Loriste said gloomily.
Grabbing a blank piece of animal skin paper and an ink pen, Loriste began to draw. "Kebo City has two layers of walls. The first layer is ten meters tall, just like the information said. The second layer is twenty meters away from each other and is around twelve meters tall. The two layers of walls are densely covered with towers. I don't see any city defense equipment, so they should be placed in the towers. At the center of Kebo City is a castle that is five storeys tall. Even if the outer two layers of walls fall, the garrison can still retreat to the castle and resist stubbornly. As expected of Kebo City made of iron, it's easy to defend and hard to attack! "
Boddfinger looked at the defensive map Laurist had drawn and shook his head. He couldn't think of any good ideas. He looked outside the tent and was startled, "Lord, it's snowing again. This is the second snowfall of the year. If we can't take Kebo City, we'll have to arrange for our troops to retreat to Vanades City … "
Snow began to fall from the dusky sky again. Outside the tent, the snowflakes drifted to the ground and turned into little water stains.
Laurist's eyes moved, and he slammed his fist on the defensive map he had drawn, "Gather all the Silver-ranked troops. I'm going to bring them to attack Kebo City at night!"
Laurist's plan was very simple. It was a snowy night, and there was no silver moon in the sky. It was so dark that one couldn't see more than a metre ahead. The garrison defending Kebo City would definitely be lax. Looking at the thousand years of war in Galinthea, there had never been a case of a night attack on a city in the snow.
He would gather the Silver-ranked experts in the family's armed forces and sneak to Kebo City in the dark. He would climb up the wall, put down ropes, and pull up rope ladders to help his subordinates ascend the city. He would then control the four towers near the city gates to open the gates and lower the drawbridge, allowing the main force to enter the city.
He would do the same for the second layer of city walls. He would control the city gates while bringing people to attack the castle at the center of the city while the enemy was unprepared. As long as he controlled the castle and the two city gates, the main force would enter the city at daybreak, and the guards on the other walls and towers would naturally have the chance to take care of them. This was a small breakthrough that would blossom at the center.
However, there were difficulties in attacking at night. Firstly, it was pitch-black. It was easy to lose sight of one's companions if one was more than a metre in the snow, and lose track of their whereabouts. Secondly, there was a five to six metre wide moat in front of Kebo City. How were they going to cross it? They couldn't possibly use a ten-metre long wooden plank to build a bridge, and there wasn't anywhere to find such a long wooden plank. It was possible to use a long wooden ladder, but it would be a waste of effort if they missed a step and fell into the water in such a dark night and alerted the guards on the city walls.
Laurist's solution was also very simple. The members of the night attack would be connected by ropes. Although they would move slowly, the enemy wouldn't be able to see them. It would be enough for everyone to sneak to Kebo City, and they wouldn't have to worry about losing people.
As for crossing the moat, they would use sheepskin rafts. These were small boats that the local commoners used to fish across the river. They were light and easy to carry. There were a few in the manor castle that we occupied yesterday, and they had all been turned over by the servants to use as roofs on their houses. We didn't need many, just one was enough. As long as the first boat crossed the moat, we could tie ropes to the sheepskin rafts and pull them back and forth, quickly pulling everyone across the moat.
Once the night attack had taken control of the two city gates and lowered the drawbridge, they would blow two long and one short horns. The main force would then be able to light torches and advance towards Kebo City.
"Let's do it!" Laurist said resolutely to his subordinates in the tent. "We must take this risk. Everyone, go and make preparations!"
Before setting off, Laurist thought of Aire, who was recuperating in Nardegath City. That guy had night vision and was actually the most suitable person to do this. It was a pity that he was injured and couldn't risk the night attack with him.
For Broom, who was in Kebo City, it was hard for him to have a good night's sleep. He only slept for three hours at night before he woke up. He couldn't fall asleep no matter what, so he got up and lit a candle to stay up until dawn. Looking at the dark sky outside the window and the snowflakes falling on the green glass, the old butler muttered, "Another year is about to pass …"
At this moment, the old butler seemed to hear three horns. "This must be a patrol soldier who drank too much and went crazy. He won't be able to escape a whipping tomorrow morning."
A series of continuous rumbling sounds of thunder rang out.
The old butler was a little surprised. There was thunder on a snowy day. It seemed like there would be a heavy rain tomorrow morning. He had to check if the granary was leaking again. Sigh …
A clamor came from downstairs. The old butler was a little angry. What was going on tonight? Why was it so noisy? If they didn't sleep now, would the servants still be able to wake up to work tomorrow?
The old butler put on his coat and prepared to go down to scold the servants. Just as he opened the door, he saw three or four people coming up the stairs from the castle and quickly appeared in front of him.
With the light from the candle in his hand, the old butler was dumbfounded to see the young man from the Redelis Kingdom called Viscount Teberi, who had come to visit in the afternoon. He was covered in blood and mud, but he didn't seem to mind. Instead, he revealed his two front teeth in a standard aristocratic smile. "It's nice to see you again, Butler Broom …"
…
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