My father was hospitalized a few days ago. He finished his surgery yesterday, so he had time to write at home today. It happened so suddenly, so I had no choice but to stop updating. I can only apologize. Also, this book will not be left unfinished. I've already written so much, and I'm already at the second half of the outline. I will definitely finish this story. This is my first time writing a book, so I don't have much experience. Please forgive me.
Chapter 370: Arrival
Five days later, the light cavalry scouts encountered the vanguard of the Northern Four Family Alliance for the first time. A hundred-man squad from the 3rd Border Ranger Corps was suddenly ambushed by another hundred-man light cavalry scout squad at the border between the Southern Province and Winston Province. After leaving behind thirty-seven corpses, the 3rd Border Ranger Corps' scout squad chose to retreat. In this ambush that lasted less than ten minutes, the Northern Four Family Alliance won the first round with a score of thirteen to thirty-seven. At the same time, it also opened the curtains of the battle known as the Southern Province Offensive and Defensive Battle in the history of Galinthea Continent.
Grand Duke Fisabulon had gathered information from the defeated soldiers who had escaped over the past few days. This wasn't a sudden attack launched by the Northern Four Family Alliance, but a premeditated operation to destroy the Iberian Kingdom. The last dozen or so Family Fisabulon guards who had escaped from Winston's capital city said that they had found the flags of the Norton Family's three corps and a group of knights, as well as the flag of the Felim Family's Pegasus Corps …
The Norton Family's Monolith Corps, Flying Tiger Corps, Imperial Guard Corps, Grizzly Knights Corps, and Pegasus Corps. Grand Duke Fisabulon's brows tightened. The Norton Family had already sent all of their corps and main forces to Winston Province. Did they really want to fight to the death with the Fisabulon Family? Or did Laurist actually receive the second prince's order to directly attack the central four duchies after destroying the Iberian Kingdom?
If it was the latter, Grand Duke Fisabulon wouldn't mind retreating and giving up the southern province to watch the four central duchies and the four northern families fight to the death. He might even be secretly delighted. After all, the second prince's resentment towards the four central duchies was well known. It wouldn't be surprising for him to order his family, which was loyal to the four northern families, to destroy the Iberian Kingdom and occupy the Winston Province and the southern province to attack the four central duchies. The armed forces of the Fisablon Family could totally wait until the two sides were exhausted before making their move. They could then give Laurist and the Northern Four Family Alliance a lesson and reap the benefits without doing anything.
However, this wish of Grand Duke Fisabulon's was shattered two days later. A few fast horses brought back two pieces of bad news. The first was that the only gap in the Pisberg Mountains between Winston Province and Makinohara Province, the fortress city Pisberg City, had been captured by the Flying Tiger Legion of the Norton Family in the North. Of the ten thousand men of the 4th Ranger Division stationed at Pitro, only two thousand managed to escape. The second piece of bad news was that the Norton Family of the North had captured Makinohara Province and suffered heavy losses. Close to twenty thousand citizens had been taken to the North. The commander of the 4th Ranger Corps, the Gold Knight Bakri, had led a group to pursue the Norton Family, but they were ambushed and suffered heavy casualties. Bakri died on the battlefield with three arrows …
Currently, the 4th Ranger Corps only had twenty-eight thousand men left. While reporting the two pieces of bad news to the Duke of Fisabulon, the Vice Commander, Knight Benrys, had also asked for help from his family. Because they had to guard a few settlements, the 4th Ranger Corps was at a disadvantage against the Norton Family of the North's so-called Hunter Corps. Fire had broken out in Makinohara Province, and the Norton Family's Hunter Corps had entered an uninhabited land. Some of the scattered citizens, cattle, sheep, and horses had been forced to the North, resulting in heavy losses.
Grand Duke Fisabulon angrily threw the golden cup in his hand onto the ground. There was no need to think about it. Without a doubt, Laurist was leading the Northern Four Dukedoms to attack the Fisabulon Family. He thought that the Northern Four Dukedoms were loyal to the second prince and would fight with the central four dukedoms. That was just wishful thinking. It was very obvious that even if the alliance of the four northern families were to attack the four central duchies in the future, they would only do so after they had removed the thorn in their backs, the Fisabulon Family. Right now, the war that Grand Duke Fisabulon was facing was related to the survival of his family …
However, the Duke of Fisabulon was unable to split himself. In the past two days, the Pegasus Corps of the Felim Family had arrived in the South Province. As a light cavalry corps, the Pegasus Corps' light cavalry scouts were engaged in an intense battle with the 3rd Ranger Corps' scouts. There were more than ten clashes every day, and from the looks of it, the Pegasus Corps' light cavalry scouts had the upper hand. The territory in the northwest of the South Province was slowly being covered by the Pegasus Corps, and the 3rd Ranger Corps' scouts were unable to pass through the Pegasus Corps' warning line.
Grand Duke Fisabulon found himself delayed in the southern province. When the Norton Family's Grizzly Bear Knights, which he was most concerned about, arrived at the border of Winston Province and the southern province, they strangely stopped in their tracks and set up a military camp on the hill. What's going on? Shouldn't they be forcing their way to the 3rd Ranger Corps' main camp and preparing to attack?
The 5th Ranger Corps would arrive in another two days, and the Duke of Fisabulon would have two corps of nearly 70,000 men under his command. However, the Duke was very suspicious of the 5th Ranger Corps' fighting strength. From the reports of the 3rd Ranger Corps' scouts, the Duke concluded that the Pegasus Corps of the Felim Family wasn't much stronger than the 3rd Ranger Corps. In fact, they weren't even as ferocious and courageous as the 3rd Ranger Corps. However, they had the advantage of better equipment, so they too took a hit. The third Ranger scout's intestines spilled out and he died on the spot. On the other hand, the Pegasus Corps' scouts only had their breastplate split open. They were heavily injured, but not fatally. This reminded the Duke of Fisabulon of what Laurist had said about goods worth a copper. The standard equipment Fisabulon purchased from the Norton Family was the cheapest.
If House Norton's Ursa Fury Knights launched an attack on the 3rd Ranger Corps' main camp, Duke Fisabulon was confident that the camp's defences would be enough to make the Ursa Fury Knights bleed. Although the Ursa Fury Knights were heavy cavalry and far surpassed the 3rd Ranger Corps' light cavalry in both attack and defense, attacking the main camp was a tough task. Duke Fisabulon had plenty of ways to deal with these human meat cans.
The Duke wasn't surprised that the Bear Fury Knights were the first to arrive in the South Province. The Duke had always paid close attention to the Norton Family's armed forces. The Monolith Corps were heavy infantry, so it would take some time for them to reach the South Province. The Flying Tiger Corps were lancers, between light cavalry and heavy cavalry. They had already taken down Pidro City, so they wouldn't be coming to the South Province for the time being. The Royal Guard Corps was a garrison force. They were sent to Winston Province to take over the defense of a few strategic locations. As the main force of heavy cavalry and field warfare, it was only natural that the Bear Fury Knights would be the first to arrive in the South Province.
What was Laurist planning? Could it be that he wanted to gather a few of his family's corps and have a decisive battle with Fisabulon's armed forces in the South Province? Otherwise, what was the meaning of the Bear Fury Knights stopping at Serhik Hill? Garrison? That was impossible. The knights were used for offense, not defense. However, wouldn't they be giving Fisabulon time to redeploy their troops? Originally, the best course of action would have been to attack without hesitation and chase the 3rd Border Ranger Corps out of the southern province, cutting off any possibility of the reinforcements from the central duchies meeting up with House Fisabulon's armed forces.
Grand Duke Fisabulon couldn't leave the South Province at this moment. He suddenly realized that the current situation had become that he had to defend the transportation route from the South Province to the central four duchies, while the armed forces of the four northern allied families were unhurriedly doing their own thing. They simply didn't care about Fisabulon's heavily guarded military camp, which was located at the transportation point of the South Province. Not only did the Norton Family's Bear Fury Knights set up camp on Serhik Hill, but even after the Filim Family occupied the northwestern region of the South Province, other than setting up a tight blockade, they had also launched an operation to suppress bandits in the northwestern region …
What the hell was going on? Grand Duke Fisabulon was a little confused. After looking at the map for a long time, Grand Duke Fisabulon realized that the northwestern region occupied by Count Filim was originally the old territory of the Filim Family a hundred years ago. However, it was now a wasteland with no signs of human habitation. It turned out that Count Filim only wanted his family's old territory. It was no wonder that the Pegasus Corps had set up a blockade at the edge of the old territory.
Grand Duke Fisabulon snorted disdainfully. The South Province would soon become a pot of porridge. So what if you occupied the old territory? Develop it? That was simply throwing gold coins into the water. There was nothing in the Filim Family's old territory — castles, fields, manors, subjects — there was nothing. There were only roaming bandits and bandits. Who knew how much manpower, time, and gold coins would be needed to redevelop it. Moreover, once the flames of war started, all the efforts would be wasted.
One had to know that the Filim Family's old territory occupied a quarter of the South Province's area. Although it was located in the northwestern region, the Pegasus Corps might have the upper hand in the battle with the light cavalry scouts, but once the war started, the northwestern region would not be able to avoid being affected. No matter how strong the Pegasus Corps was, it was only a light cavalry corps. Just two of the Fisabulon Family's border patrol corps would be enough to send the Pegasus Corps fleeing in defeat.
Let the Filim Family's Pegasus Corps off first and let them be proud for a while. This was what Grand Duke Fisabulon thought. The main opponent of the Filim Family should be the armed forces of the Norton Family. The biggest possibility for the Bear Fury Knights to stop at Serhik Hill was that the Monolith Corps' mobility was insufficient. It would still take a few days for them to reach here. It seemed like Laurist was trying to provoke him into a field battle or a decisive battle …
Am I that stupid? Grand Duke Fisabulon would never engage in a field battle or a decisive battle with the armed forces of the Norton Family. Only a fool would make such a brainless decision to use light cavalry against heavy armored knights and infantry. The Grand Duke's original plan was to use the fortified walls and numerous defensive facilities to resist step by step and wear down the enemy's strength and morale. Then, he would send out the Ranger Corps to harass and ambush the enemy's logistics and supplies, ultimately forcing the armed forces of the Norton Family to retreat out of the South Province. This would give the Ranger Corps a chance to break into the Winston Province and spread the flames of war to the Winston Province.
After thinking for a long time, Grand Duke Fisabulon decided to ignore the disadvantageous situation in the Mureno Province for the time being. He wrote a letter to promote the family's Gold Knight, Ben Ries, to the position of Corps Commander. He told him that the family couldn't spare any reinforcements for the time being. If they really couldn't hold on any longer, they could evacuate all the people in the northern part of the province to the east bank of the Socus River. They could rely on the Socus River to defend themselves and wait for the situation to clear up. Once the Fisabulon Family gained the upper hand, they could then reclaim their lost territory.
The Sochus River was a river that originated from the Piesper Mountains and flowed across the Muye Plain Province to the prairie. It was the main water source of the Muye Plain Province. Whether it was for irrigation or grazing, the two sides of the Sochus River were the most fertile areas of the Muye Plain Province. However, the Socus River wasn't in the center of the province. It was closer to the Eastern Wasteland Province. Grand Duke Fisabulon's order was equivalent to giving up two-thirds of the Mureno Province's territory. He only asked the crippled Ranger Corps to defend the eastern part of the Socus River. In the Grand Duke's heart, the war in the South Province was the most important.
… …
On the 32nd day of the fifth month, the Monolith Corps finally arrived at the South Province.
Laurist was helpless. It was all that damned road's fault. It was full of potholes, and the journey that was supposed to take twelve days had been dragged to twenty-six. The Monolith Corps acted as a road repair team during the march, repairing the road as they marched. Otherwise, even if they reached the South Province on time, the large amount of supplies they would need would never be able to supply the frontlines with the condition of the road.
Laurist finally understood why the second prince and the nobles of the southern province did not talk about returning to the southern province after they evacuated. Instead, they competed with the nobles of the traditional territories in the Winston province and the Royal City of Windbridge. It turned out that not only was the South Province in ruins, even the national road connecting the two provinces couldn't bear the burden. Small caravans might be able to get through, but it was very difficult for large caravans to pass. To put it bluntly, the national road was even more difficult than a dirt road.
However, there were benefits to stalling for time. First, the Flying Tiger Corps led by the Ferocious Tiger Ross had successfully captured Pidro City. Secondly, they had swept away the stragglers in Winston Province. It could be said that the Winston Province was now firmly in the family's hands. Next was the Hunter Corps led by Josk and Yuri. They had launched an assault on the Mustang Province from the east and dealt a heavy blow to the 4th Ranger Corps. Josk had even killed their corps commander, Bakri, with three arrows in the ambush, earning a good start for the Hunter Corps. Currently, they had the upper hand against the 4th Ranger Corps, suppressing the 4th Ranger Corps into a sorry state.
After Winston Province and the capital of Wendebri fell into the family's hands, all the follow-up arrangements were carried out in an orderly manner. Baron Camorra was already presiding over the transfer of all the supplies stored in Gildusk City to the capital of Wendebri. In addition, the military supplies, rations, and other valuables seized from the capital of Wendebri surprised Lorist. He didn't expect that the gains from Duke Fisebrun's annihilation of the nobles in the South Province and the nobles in Winston Province would all fall into the family's hands. This was truly an unexpected gift.
As for the four battalions of the 5th Imperial Guard Corps led by Baron Freya, they had gone to Walker City, Pidro City, the capital of Wendebri, and Sunset Lake respectively to defend and build fortresses. The remaining 25th Imperial Guard Corps was following the Monolith Corps to the South Province. The Bearfury Knights had built a sturdy camp on Serhek Hill, which would greatly reduce the construction work of the 25th Imperial Guard Corps.
It was just that the original lightning attack plan had been disrupted by this damned road. Lorist had planned to drive Fisebrun's armed forces out of the South Province and have the Monolith Corps set up camps and dig trenches at various strategic locations to compress the space of the rangers' battlefield. He threw the plan into the bonfire. Based on the current situation in the South Province, it seemed that he would have to fight a defensive battle with Duke Fisebrun. Although he was on the road, the scouts of the light cavalry constantly sent back news from the frontlines. From Duke Fisebrun's arrangements, it was obvious that the old man wanted to rely on the depth of the camp's defenses to wait for his family's armed forces to attack. He wanted to use this opportunity to deplete his family's military strength and morale. After all, attacking was always more difficult than defending.
Unfortunately, old man, you've got the wrong idea. Lorist smiled proudly as he watched the catapults steadily pass through the repaired road. Hehe, old man, you'll soon have a taste of the power of these offensive weapons of the Norton Family. The times have changed. It's time for you, the old god of war, to retire.
…
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