Tiny snowflakes danced in the air. The sky was dark and gloomy, and the biting cold wind whistled past the mountain ridges, making people shiver unconsciously. Galini Broput stomped his numb feet and stood on a high cliff, looking at the chaotic camp of the Monolith Regiment of the Norton Family in the north.
From time to time, a soldier would leave the camp, take off his armor, and take off his pants to pee in the direction of the Portorigi Mountains. Laughter and arrogant curses could be faintly heard in the wind. "Idiots, I'm going back to winter. You guys can stay on the mountain and enjoy the wind! Hahaha … "
Then, a few officers came out of the camp and kicked the soldiers a few times, probably to urge them to pack up. After another hour or so, the first group of three thousand soldiers set off. They waved flags and lined up neatly, heading southwest of the southern province. He could vaguely hear them singing a war song in a cheerful mood. Occasionally, a vulgar folk song could be heard, along with a burst of laughter and cheers.
It seemed like they really were going back to winter. Otherwise, the soldiers wouldn't be so relaxed and cheerful. Broopt tightened his cowhide overcoat around him, and felt his heart grow cold and heavy. When the Duchy of Meline was destroyed and they retreated, the soldiers of the 3rd Ranger Corps had also sung like this on their return journey. Although they had suffered heavy casualties that time, everyone had been on the battlefield for a long time and believed that life and death were up to fate. Add to that the bountiful harvest in private, their morale was still high.
But now? The enemy had swaggered back to winter, while the 3rd Ranger Corps still had to stay on the cold Portorigi Mountains. The morale of the entire army was low, especially now that it was snowing lightly. The furs and supplies that the corps needed for winter were far from enough. His Highness had also written a letter. The family had already done their best, but because they didn't expect to be attacked by the alliance of the four northern families this year, the family didn't have enough supplies at all. Even though they received aid from the four central duchies, the large amount of supplies wasn't for winter, but for daily necessities.
Broput didn't blame Duke Fisabulon. As the duke's childhood playmate, he knew very well that the duke had no choice but to write this letter to him. In his impression, ever since he was young, Grand Duke Fisabulon had always been arrogant. He looked down on the decadent nobles of the former Christen Empire. Even if those nobles saw him as a barbarian from the prairie, he didn't care. He was known as the God of War of the Plains and had made great contributions for the empire. However, he had always been suppressed by the former nobles. It wasn't until the three kings fought for the throne that the duke finally broke free from his shackles and gained the power to manage the affairs of Eastern Wastelands and Makino Province.
It was a pity that the Grand Duke's plan could be implemented in just a year's time. At that time, the Fisabulon Family would have become the true overlord of the Northeast region. It was even possible for them to build a real kingdom by themselves in the future. To the Fisabulon Family, that would be the true pinnacle. However, no one had thought that the plan would be disrupted by the alliance of the four northern families. Now, all of their ambitions were like snow in the wind, disappearing without a trace.
"Sir, is the Monolith Legion retreating back to their winter camp?" a family knight asked.
"Yes. From the looks of it, it should be true." Broput nodded. Two days ago, the Monolith Legion's main camp had seen a heavy armor division flying the flag of the Kenneth Family. At that time, he had ordered the whole army to be on high alert to prevent the enemy from launching a sneak attack during the cold weather. In the end, he found out that the enemy wanted to change the troops and let the Monolith Legion retreat to their winter camp. The Kenneth Family's heavy armor division was there to defend the main camp.
"Sir, after the Monolith Legion retreats, there's only one heavy armor division left. Their troops are weak. Should we go and launch a sneak attack? I think this is a good opportunity, "the knight suggested.
Broput was silent for a while. In the end, he shook his head. "Seria, let's not waste time. The weather is already cold, and it's starting to snow. How many people do you think our legion can send out? Most of the soldiers don't even have winter clothes, so they'll freeze the moment they go out. Besides, we've taken in nearly twenty thousand soldiers from the 5th Border Ranger Corps. Many of them are naturalized grass barbarians. They haven't adapted to the tactics and rules of the 3rd Border Ranger Corps yet. Under these circumstances, it's better to stay put. If we go and launch a sneak attack and get caught up, it'll be a disaster for us! "
Patting the chest of the young knight, and brushing away the little snowflakes falling from his shoulders, Broopt said to the young knight with a pleasant expression, "Seria, you are a young lion, and a brave knight. However, victory or defeat isn't decided by how many enemies are killed. Our main objective is to defend Mount Poiriki. This is an order from the Duke. No matter how many victories we obtain or how many enemies we kill, if we lose Mount Poiriki, it means we've already lost.
The Duke already gave us an analysis before he left. As long as Mount Poiriki is in our hands, we'll be able to maintain a certain degree of strategic initiative in the southern province. Not only will the four northern families have to use twice the number of soldiers to trap us, they'll also have to expend far more resources than us. We can attack and retreat, but the enemy can only defend. The scale of this war is huge, and it will be prolonged. What we need to do now is to persevere and force the alliance of the four families in the north to sign a truce with us due to the high cost and consumption of the war. This is also the only chance for our Fisablon Family to turn defeat into peace.
Young Seria asked unwillingly, "Don't tell me we don't have a chance of winning this war?"
Broput laughed bitterly and shook his head. "No one wants to lose, but we've already lost the initiative in this war. The timing of the Northern Four Great Family Alliance's deliberate attack was just too perfect. It was the moment when our family was least prepared. The destruction of the first border ranger corps and the loss of Wendelbri's capital is the heaviest blow to our family. In the southern province, our alliance with the four central duchies failed against the four northern families' armed forces. Although we lost a reserve corps, the consequences weren't too severe for our family.
You should know why. The reserve corps is only a knife to our family. If we lose this knife, we can still recruit more barbarians to forge another one. However, the destruction of the first border ranger corps is the real blow to our family. It's not a pity that the fifth border ranger corps was disbanded. Your Highness, what you need to do right now is to protect the second, third, and fourth Ranger corps. Those three corps are the foundation of House Fisablon and the hope for our clan to rise again in the future. I can't risk the third Ranger corps.
Seria, do you know why His Highness wants to return to the family territory? His Highness isn't going to salvage the situation in Makino Province. Even if he's dealt a heavy blow to the Norton family's hunting corps, this kind of partial victory won't help the current situation. His Highness has two goals. First, he wants to see if he can take down Pidro City and make the war more chaotic. He wants the barbarians to face the four northern families' alliance. Second, if he can't take down Pidro City, then the family will have to prepare for a few years of hardship. His Highness wants to first clear out the barbarian tribes with tens of thousands of barbarian riders in the plains to prevent them from becoming a threat to the family. "
Broput looked at young Seria's shocked and incredulous expression and sighed. "Seria, you have the blood of the Fisablun family flowing in your veins. You're the rising star of the family. The Duke and I both have deep expectations for you. That's why I'm telling you these secrets. Being brave and ruthless is only temporary. Being farsighted is a lifetime. Failure isn't scary. What's scary is that we don't learn from our failure and make the same mistake again. The defeat of the Northern Alliance against the four Northern Noble Families is inevitable. The Grand Duke is well aware of this, but what we are doing now is to minimize the consequences of this defeat and make it seem less frightening. "
The young Seria nodded, his face full of gratitude. "Thank you, Uncle Galini. I understand."
Broput smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Alright, I'm just saying. It's fine as long as you know what I'm doing. Let's go down the mountain. When you're not on duty, you should practice your family's impetus. You're quite talented. I hope you can be like Princess Silvia and reach the gold rank as soon as possible. You'll become the pride of the Fisablun family. "
"Yes, I'll work hard."
"Oh, right, Seria, there's something I need to trouble you with. Can you go to the logistics camp and advise your uncle Wario? As the head of logistics for the 3rd Border Ranger Corps, I hope he won't go too far. For example, the last time the queen passed through here, his actions made the soldiers very angry. Also, I hope you can advise him to properly carry out his duties. For example, he's been doing half-heartedly with the defense of the back mountain passage. In terms of status, I'm a servant of the Fisablun family. It's not good for me to interfere with your uncle's matters. However, I'm also the commander of the 3rd Border Ranger Corps. I hope he won't force me to carry out military law … "
Young Seria's face turned red in an instant. He was speechless. What a humiliation! As the queen of the Iberian Kingdom and the head of logistics of the third border's Ranger army, one was his paternal aunt and the other was his paternal uncle. In his eyes, the two of them had indeed become the greatest disgrace of the Fisablon family!
As the daughter of the queen and the grand duke, his aunt was so strange that she would open a brothel in the military camp. Then, the next day, she cursed the soldiers of the 3rd Border Ranger Corps as all poor bastards who couldn't even afford a single gold coin for entertainment. No wonder they were beaten back by the Norton family's armed forces. At the very least, the Norton family's armed forces had a lot more money. If she said one gold ford, it would be one gold ford. In fact, they could even fork out ten gold fords …
He remembered that Seria was so ashamed that he wanted to dig a hole in the ground. Never in his dreams did he think that his aunt would be so shameless. She didn't care about the reputation and honor of the Fisablun family at all. Fortunately, Galini Bropt handled the situation appropriately. He ordered the soldiers to throw them into the carriage and send them out of the military camp.
In the end, when the queen's convoy arrived at the logistics camp, she was stopped by her uncle. As the head of logistics, Wario and the queen hit it off immediately. The queen brought her maids to open a brothel in the logistics camp. She even gave them a huge discount. For a large silver coin, they could have a night with one of the queen's maids. It didn't matter if you didn't have money. The head of logistics, Lord Wario, could lend you money to have fun. Of course, you had to take out something as collateral. Anything was fine. Even the military equipment for the soldiers would be accepted …
The queen and the head of logistics were in cahoots. They created a foul atmosphere in the logistics camp. It even affected the four divisions in the front camp. General Bropt endured it for three days. In the end, he couldn't take it anymore. He sent his guards to chase the queen and her group out of the military camp. They forcefully escorted their convoy back to the family's territory. In the end, according to the guards who escorted them back, the queen cursed the general the whole way. She scolded him for blocking her from getting rich …
Because of this, Bropt also offended the head of logistics, Wario. Wario was a descendant of the Fisablun family. He was the nephew of the Grand Duke of Fisablun. Broupt's father was just an ordinary odd-job worker in the family. Because Broupt met the young Grand Duke when he was young, he became his attendant and playmate. Under the Grand Duke's guidance, he was able to achieve what he had today. Although he became a Gold Knight and the head of the Third Border Legion, the people in the Fisablun family didn't think much of him. They called him the son of a servant in private …
In the past, Wario was the head of logistics. Even if he was greedy and took some money, Bropt would turn a blind eye to it. As long as the logistics supply of the army could keep up, everything would be fine. However, this time, Wario went too far. From that day onwards, the supplies that were sent to the camp at the frontlines were all short weight. Sometimes, he even used the excuse of not being able to keep up with the supply of supplies. The soldiers at the frontlines kept complaining and complaining. The morale of the army was shaken.
General Bropt was also very angry. This was the most critical moment for the Fisablun family. As a member of the Fisablun family, he didn't wholeheartedly contribute to the family. Instead, he only thought about his own little schemes. He even took the opportunity to take revenge. However, it wasn't good for him to directly shed all pretense of cordiality and use military law to punish Wario. That would offend many people in the Fisablun family. So, it was better to use Seria's mouth to warn Wario and tell him to restrain himself.
…
"Your Highness, this is the third snowfall. The snow on the ground is already half a foot thick. I think it's time for us to set off."
"That's right. It's time for us to give the Third Border Legion a fatal blow."
"Your Highness, you can go if you want, but I refuse to let you lead the way. Otherwise, we'd rather die than go …"
"Haha, Borg, you're threatening me now …"
"Your Highness, I insist. You can go, but you can't lead the way. This is everyone's opinion. The family can only be stable with you around. We can do without you, but the family can't do without you. "
"Alright, as you wish. I'll follow behind you."
On the 23rd day of the twelfth month of the year 1778, the Norton Family's Monolith Army braved the snowstorm to take a detour around the Eastern Wastelands and launch a surprise attack on the back of Mount Pobiliqi. In one fell swoop, they captured the logistics camp of the 3rd Border Ranger Corps and forced the other 4 Border Ranger Corps to surrender. Galini Bropt, the commander of the Third Border Legion, committed suicide in front of everyone after surrendering. Before he died, he left a message: I'm ashamed of the Grand Duke's trust. I'll die to atone for my sins.
…
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