An animal skin map was laid out on the table. The map depicted the topography of the Pederona Hills. The Pederona Hills stretched for hundreds of miles between the duchy of Fulondor and the duchy of Falkor. The area was covered with dense pine forests and steep hills, as well as numerous streams, valleys, and cliffs.
After being blocked by the trenches and earthen walls set up by the duchy of Fulondor, the second prince had thought of attacking the Pederona Hills. As long as they could break through the Pederona Hills, they could pose a threat to both the capital of Fulondor and the capital of Falkor at the same time. However, the White Lion Army that was sent out to test the waters retreated. The mountain roads were rugged, winding, and not suitable for a large army.
The main problem was that the duchy of Fulondor had set up a mountain army here. The soldiers of this army were mostly made up of mountain people who lived in the mountains. They moved quickly up and down the mountains, were familiar with the environment, and were good at setting traps. They were aggressive, brave, and unafraid of death. The advance party of a thousand men from the White Lion Army was ambushed by more than four hundred soldiers from the mountain army. A small-scale battle ensued, and the second prince and Laurist's jaws almost dropped to the ground.
In less than half an hour, the White Lion Army had suffered nearly seven hundred casualties, while less than half of the mountain army's four hundred soldiers had died. Although their numbers were more than double, the battle took place in a forest on a hillside. The heavily armoured soldiers of the White Lion Legion had no way of dealing with the Mountain Legion soldiers, who were clad in tattered leather armor and wielding short weapons. They flew through the forest as if they were flying and let out strange cries as they fought.
They were really too good at using the terrain to their advantage. Just like a wounded centurion who was rescued, he reported, "You never know where they will appear. Maybe they will jump down from a tree, or maybe they will suddenly drill out from the bushes and catch you off guard. They won't fight you face to face, unless they have nowhere to run. But it's very rare to see that happen …
We've chased them to a dead end several times, but they'll still run up the trees or jump down to escape. Furthermore, we were too slow to catch up with them. When you discover them, they will either appear behind you or have completed their attack on the target. You can only watch as the enemies who hurt your comrades quickly leave … "
The second prince had no choice but to cancel the decision to break through from the Pedrona Hills. No one could bear such casualties. The White Lion Legion consisted of five divisions and a logistics camp, totaling 56,000 men. Each legion only had ten thousand people, and there were ten thousand-man squads. In addition, the attack on the trenches a few days ago had almost lost an entire division. Based on the current casualty rate, even if the entire White Lion Legion was sent in, they still wouldn't be able to break through the Pederona Hills. If the White Lion Army had attacked on flat ground, they wouldn't have been able to deal with five mountain legions. However, in the mountains, they really couldn't do anything to this mountain legion.
After occupying the capital of the Flondor Duchy, the second prince heard that the mountain legion was still entrenched in the Pederona Hills and hadn't retreated to the Handa Duchy with the Grand Duke of Flondor. However, the second prince wasn't in the mood to send troops on an expedition, so he let them stay in the mountains. If they dared to go down the mountains, did they really think that his cavalry was weak?
Since the second prince didn't care about the mountain legion, Laurist couldn't be bothered to find trouble with them. Besides, if they stayed in the Pederona Hills and sent the Flying Tiger Legion to fight in the mountains, they would be crazy. But just as Laurist was prepared to mind his own business, the Flying Tiger Legion that went to clean up the territories of the nobles were frequently attacked by the mountain legion. There weren't many casualties, but it was really annoying to keep buzzing around their ears like a fly. It wasn't until the end of December that the snowstorm became heavier and the Flying Tiger Legion finished cleaning up the nobles' territories in the Fabsia Province and moved to the Samora Province that the Mountain Legion finally stopped their harassment attacks.
Laurist was furious. You're lucky I didn't find trouble with you, but you didn't know your place and instead went down the mountains to harass us. You've gone too far. If he wasn't busy moving the refugees, Laurist would've killed his way up the mountains. Thus, he issued a secret order for Bodefinger and Malek, who had been idling at the border of the southern province, to lead three divisions to the Fabsia Province. They used the refugees' sleighs on the way back and secretly set up camp in the empty refugee camp.
"During this period of time, I've used the cover of the snowstorm to get Redi and the guards to scout the entire Pederona Hills. Fortunately, it's winter now. If not, we would have been easily discovered by this mountain legion. Although the enemy has some measures to protect themselves from the cold and can send small troops to harass us in winter, they aren't very vigilant. But they are not very vigilant, and they are not very willing to go down the mountain in winter … "
Laurist pointed at a circle drawn with a red pen on the map. "We purposely stopped at the edge of the Pederona Hills every time they went down the mountains to harass us. This is to give them the impression that we aren't willing to enter the mountains. Redi brought some men to track them in secret and found out their camp. It's right here on the circle I drew.
This is the Hot Springs Valley, the largest valley in the Pederona Hills. It's said that there are many hot springs inside, and the valley is as warm as spring. It's where the mountain people of the Pederona Hills stay during the winter. According to the information obtained by the spies of the Fulondor Duchy, there are about seventy to eighty thousand mountain people who stay here during the winter. In addition to the thirty-five thousand from the Fulondor Mountain Legion, the total number of people we're targeting this time is over a hundred thousand. This is also the main reason why I transferred three divisions of the Monolith Army here.
This time, the two divisions left behind by the Flying Tiger Legion will move together. They will dismount and enter the mountains to seal off all the routes to prevent the enemy from escaping. Borg, you will lead three divisions to attack the Hot Springs Valley with me. We must capture all the enemies in one fell swoop. You've already seen the specific arrangements and procedures. However, we don't need to eliminate them this time. We need to capture more captives. These strong mountain people are the best labor force. There are still a lot of development projects in our family's territory that require their help. “
The family knights in the tent all laughed knowingly. They knew that His Highness was once again targeting the mountain people.
Laurist also laughed a few times and had Genolio spread out another map. "This is the detailed topographic map of the Hot Springs Valley. According to Redi's reconnaissance, the Mountain Legion has sent people to set up sentry posts and fire alarms on the eleven mountain ridges around the Hot Springs Valley. If we want to attack the Hot Springs Valley, we must first destroy these eleven security points. Otherwise, once they alert the people in the valley and make preparations, they will block the three paths to the valley. If we want to attack the valley, there will be more trouble and casualties. However, I, Redi and the guards will be in charge of these eleven checkpoints. Borg, you will be in charge of attacking the three tunnels in Hot Springs Valley.
Other than the high cliff on the north side of the hot spring valley, there was a passage to the outside world on the east, south, and west sides. The valley was not flat. There were more than ten small hills, and the hot springs were basically located on these hills. Therefore, most of the mountain people who stayed here during the winter had built simple residences on these hills. On the other hand, the Folonto Duchy's Mountain Legion has a complete camp on the east side of the valley. The Folonto Duchy mainly relies on this Mountain Legion and the camp in the valley to exercise effective rule over the people of the Pederona Hills. So, if we want to fight, we must uproot everything here and leave no loose ends. Do you understand? “
"Understood, Your Highness. The family knights and high ranking commanders in the tent answered in unison.
…
"Close the door, it's freezing!" Old Chiek shouted in dissatisfaction. Perhaps it was due to his old age, but he was getting more and more afraid of the cold. Every time the weather turned cold and humid, his limbs would always ache violently. This should be a very serious cold joint disease. According to the pharmacist of the Mountain Legion, this disease was mainly caused by Old Chiek's excessive drinking when he was young. The treatment was very simple. One only needed to spend ten gold coins to buy a bottle of potion to treat this disease. Three bottles would guarantee full recovery.
"What an unscrupulous merchant!" Old Chiek muttered to himself. Gold coins were not that easy to earn. He had risked his life in the Mountain Legion for most of his life. He was already past forty years old, but the money he had saved up was less than twenty-three gold coins. If not for the fact that he had ambushed and killed a cavalry scout of the Norton Family and obtained three gold coins from the scout, and was rewarded by Noori, he would have been closer to his goal of thirty gold coins.
But now, Old Chiek was faced with a difficult choice. Once he had accumulated thirty gold coins, should he buy potions to treat his cold joint disease, or use the money as betrothal money to marry the widow Serena? He was getting on in his forties, and his days of being paid by the Mountain Legion were numbered. Serena had told him that with thirty gold coins, he could buy twenty acres of good mountain farmland and build a home. Then, he could hunt and dig for herbs in the hills and mountains. His life would be wonderful. It was time for him to have a family, have a few children, and live a good life …
"Sigh, Old Chiek, it's really cold in the mountains. My hands and feet are almost frozen from just walking around like this. I really miss the hot springs in the valley. In this kind of weather, soaking in the hot springs with a pot of piping hot ale would be such a wonderful experience … "The one who entered the house was Massoklai. He and Old Chiek were in charge of the outskirts of the mountain peak.
"You think I don't want to?" Old Chiek rolled his eyes at him. "But don't think about enjoying the Gold Coins. If you didn't lose so many gambling debts, would you be willing to stay here with me for the whole winter?" “
That was why Legion Commander Noori had offered two Gold Fords as a reward. Old Chiek and Massoklai had left the warm hot springs valley to come to the top of the mountain for the reward. As long as they could survive this winter, they would have two gold coins in their hands.
"Is there any movement outside?" Old Chiek asked.
Massoklai shook his head. "Isn't it the same? It's all white as far as the eye can see. My eyes hurt after looking at it for a long time. I walked around the top of the mountain. The surrounding wilderness was quiet, but there was a muntjac looking for food at the bottom of the cliff. It's a pity we can't go down. Otherwise, we would have fresh meat soup for dinner. I'm sick of eating this salted meat soup and black bread every day. " “
The cliff they were on was the outermost outskirts of the hot springs valley. It was also the highest and most rugged place, especially in winter. Once it snowed, it was impossible to go up or down the mountain. Basically, the path that people could only walk sideways was blocked. The two of them could only survive the winter in a simple wooden shed built at the top of the cliff. They had to rely on ropes that were lowered from the cliff to transport their supplies.
"The winter is easier to endure. The melting snow and the rainy season are the worst. When the snow melts, we will know if there are any leaks in this broken shed. If there are, we will have to fix it immediately. Otherwise, we won't be able to sleep well during the rainy season." Old Chiek said with experience.
"Hmm …" Massoklai suddenly pricked up his ears. "Old Chiek, do you hear anything? There seems to be some noise outside? " “
"Impossible, who would climb up such a high cliff …" Before Old Chiek could finish his sentence, he heard a knock on the door. Then, the broken door of the wooden shed was opened, and a figure stood at the door. Cold wind poured into the wooden shed from the figure's back …
"Surrender. I'll give you a chance." The figure wearing a white scarf and a white cloak said lightly.
Old Chiek's teeth were chattering. It was unknown whether it was due to fear or the cold. "You, you, how did you, come, come up …"
"How did I come up?" The figure seemed to be puzzled by the question. "Isn't there a way? How did you come up?" “
He stealthily pulled on Massoklai's clothes and said in a low voice, "You block him for a while. I will light up the fire beacon and deal with him with you." “
The smoke signal was set up behind the wooden shed, but there was a vent in the wooden shed that led to the bonfire that warned of the smoke signal. Old Chiek had already thought it through. As long as Massoklai blocked the enemy at the door for a while, he could bend over and pull out a piece of burning firewood from the brazier on the ground. Then, he would push open the wooden window of the vent and throw the firewood onto the bonfire beacon. The bonfire that had been doused with oil would immediately start burning, and the people in the hot spring valley behind would know that the enemy had arrived …
If he moved quickly, it would only take a few blinks of the eye. The enemy would definitely fly into a rage out of humiliation and attempt to kill the two of them, or flee in panic. No matter what, Old Chiek had completed his mission very quickly. As for fighting, Old Chiek was not afraid. He had spent most of his life on the battlefield and naturally had strong confidence in his skills. The opponent was just a pretty boy, so there was nothing to be afraid of …
"Do it!" Old Chiek roared and immediately bent over to pick up a piece of burning firewood from the brazier. Then, he turned around and rushed towards the wooden window behind him. Just as he turned around, he saw Massoklai draw his sword and rush towards the figure at the door.
"It's done …" Old Chiek was overjoyed. Just as he was about to push open the wooden window, he suddenly felt a chill in his chest. He lost all his strength and fell towards the wooden wall. What happened? Old Chiek lowered his head and found a shiny blade protruding from his chest.
"Hmm …" Old Chiek turned around with great difficulty and saw that Massoklai, who had been standing just a moment ago, was now lying on the ground. It was unknown whether he was dead or alive. The figure in white was standing behind him, pretending to draw his sword as he cursed, "You don't know what's good for you …"
His vision turned black and his body seemed to have been cut open. A gust of air leaked out, and Old Chiek fell to the ground. He was dead.
On the third day of the second month of the 1782 calendar of the Galinthia Continent, the armed forces of the Norton Family launched a surprise attack on the hot spring valley of the Pederona Hills. The entire mountain army of the Fulondor Duchy was annihilated. The leader of the army, Knight Noori, refused to surrender and died under the sword of Boddfinger, the leader of the Monolith Army, the armed forces of the Norton Family. More than ten thousand strong mountain people persisted in resisting and were massacred. The remaining fifty thousand mountain people were forced to lay down their weapons and surrender, becoming captives of the Norton Family …
…
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