Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios While Lollister was racking his brains to fight for the daily necessities of millions of people in Moronte City, on the 33rd of June, the seventh day after the Norton Family's armed forces landed in Moronte City, the four hundred thousand troops of the Commerce Alliance at the Mana Hill Plains finally received the news that Moronte City had fallen into the hands of the Norton Family's armed forces. Following that, news of Thomas City and Gipsies City falling into the hands of the enemy also arrived.
The commanders of the entire Commerce Alliance's armed forces felt as though they had been stabbed in the ass. They gathered in the main tent and made a ruckus like a market. At the same time, they finally understood why the Andinac Kingdom's cavalry units had been attacking the small defensive fortresses set up by the Commerce Alliance's armed forces on the Mana Hill Plains like mad dogs. The Commerce Alliance's armed forces could not figure out their intentions for a while, and instead, they had to work hard to defend the fortresses that were not vital.
This was especially so for the two famous cavalry regiments that had reappeared on the battlefield — the Flying Tiger Regiment and the Hunting Cavalry Regiment of the Norton Family in the North. These two cavalry regiments had always won more than they lost against the Trade Federation's armed forces. They were invincible and invincible. There was also the Monolith Regiment, whose defense was as solid as a mountain. If the three legions had not been forced to return two years ago due to a rebellion in their family's territory, the Commerce Alliance's armed forces would not have had the upper hand in the confrontation with the Andinac Kingdom's Allied Forces, and they would not have been able to recover two fortresses from the second prince.
Whether it was the quality of the soldiers or the equipment, the commanders of the Commerce Alliance's armed forces had to admit that the Norton Family's armed forces were much stronger than their own troops. However, the Commerce Alliance's armed forces had also experienced several years of war in the central and southern part of the continent, and they were much stronger than the Andinac Kingdom's Allied Forces led by the second prince.
Without the participation of the Norton Family's armed forces, the Commerce Alliance's armed forces would be able to beat the second prince like a coward. Even if there were more casualties, it would be worth it as long as victory was in sight. But now, the Norton Family's Flying Tiger Legion and Hunting Cavalry Legion had appeared on the Mana Hill Plains. Not only did they switch from defense to offense, but they also led a few of the Andinac Kingdom's nobles' more powerful armies to become active on the battlefield. For example, the Felim Family's Pegasus Legion, Duke Fisablun's Border Ranger Legion, and the Reserve Legion.
The Flying Tiger Legion and the Hunter Legion that had returned to the frontline did not clash head-on with the Trade Federation's heavily armed defenses. Instead, they took other routes and attacked the remote corners that were not vital. Although it was a big turn in terms of the efficiency of the attack, it could not stop the rapid speed of the two cavalry legions. When the Trade Federation's armed forces were not paying attention, they found that the right side of the defensive position had been torn open. The Hunting Cavalry Legion rushed forward and took only three days to get to the rear of the army, forcing the Trade Federation's armed forces to mobilize 100,000 men to block the opening.
The movement of the Trade Federation's armed forces did not cause any confusion to the Flying Tiger Legion and the Hunter Cavalry Legion. They made a feint and did not intend to fight the Trade Federation's armed forces in the field. They only used the mobility of the cavalry to move from the north to the south, and once again tore open a big opening on the left side of the Trade Federation's defensive position. It only took four days for the Trade Federation's armed forces to run all over the place, complaining and busying themselves with plugging the opening. Unknowingly, the initiative of the battlefield had shifted to the Andinac Kingdom's nobles' allied forces, and the Trade Federation's armed forces were very passive.
The leaders of the Trade Federation's armed forces, led by Duke Cambert of the Double-headed Dragon Chamber of Commerce, were naturally aware of the changes in the battlefield, but there was nothing they could do. In terms of mobility, most of the Trade Federation's armed forces were infantry, and only a few elite private guards were equipped with warhorses. It was not that the Trade Federation's armed forces did not have the money to build a large-scale cavalry unit, and it was not that the leaders did not realize the importance of the cavalry. The key was that they could not buy a large number of warhorses to form a cavalry unit.
There were only two areas on the Galinthia Continent that produced warhorses: the north and the south. The north used to be the Crisen Empire, and the Northern Land and the Northeastern Prairie were places that produced warhorses. The Romon Empire and the Havestan Khaganate in the south were also places where warhorses were produced. In fact, the three great empires of the continent all relied on their elite cavalry units to dominate the continent.
When the Glass War broke out, the Trade Federation even formed a cavalry unit of twenty to thirty thousand men. However, as the Trade Federation adopted a policy of expansion, the two great empires in the south closed their doors to the Trade Federation to purchase warhorses. Needless to say, the Andinac Kingdom in the north and the Norton Family in the north were even more so. It was not that Loriste had not thought of doing business with the Trade Federation with warhorses, but the cost of shipping them by sea was too high. Furthermore, the quality of the Northern horses was slightly lower, so the Trade Federation was not interested in them.
In the past, the Trade Federation and Fisablun had an agreement to purchase a large number of warhorses from the Northeastern Prairie through the four central duchies. Unfortunately, the plan was ruined by Loriste's interference. Following that, the Trade Federation and the central and southern countries fought for a few years, and the warhorses of the cavalry unit were gradually depleted. Now, they could not be replenished.
Now, the Norton Family was using the mobility of their cavalry to bully the reinforcements of the Trade Federation's infantry. Anyway, they did not need to keep an eye on a single place. As long as they found an opening, they could attack it. When the reinforcements of the Trade Federation arrived, they would often find that the small defensive strongholds that needed reinforcements had already been smashed into ruins or flattened.
In the past two years, the cavalry of Fisablun and the Filim Family suffered heavy casualties because they could not do anything to the small defensive strongholds on the Mana Hill Plains. Forcefully attacking them would definitely result in heavy casualties. However, the Flying Tiger Army's Thunderbolt Catapult Battalion was the nemesis of these small defensive strongholds. They did not even need to get close to them. They could smash the defensive facilities and small defensive strongholds from a distance of three to four hundred meters. Then, they could use these openings to advance deeper into the Mana Hill Plains.
Although the Trade Federation had obtained many blueprints of weapons and armaments from the Northern Lands, and had also produced some long-range weapons such as catapults and large ballistae, compared to the weapons of the Norton Family, there was still a huge gap in terms of distance, power, accuracy, and other aspects. The soldiers defending these small defensive strongholds and defensive facilities basically had two choices. They could either watch as they were smashed into meat paste or raise the white flag to surrender and live on.
The commander of the Trade Federation, Grand Duke Camberlet, had been racking his brains over how to deal with the Flying Tiger Army and the Hunting Cavalry Regiment. He was so anxious that his mouth was on fire. Just as he was discussing how to set up a trap to lure the two regiments in and capture them in one fell swoop, he received news of the fall of Moriente City and the Norton Family's armed forces. Grand Duke Camberlet vomited blood and fainted on the spot.
The people in the tent finally woke Grand Duke Camberlet up. Then, they received news of the fall of Thomas City and Gipsies City. However, Grand Duke Camberlet had already calmed down. He waved his hand to indicate that he was fine, and asked everyone to discuss how to deal with the unfavorable situation before them.
Some of the more impatient members of the upper echelons of the Chamber of Commerce wanted to go back and take back Moronte City immediately. Some of the more experienced ones thought that it was impossible to go back immediately. The actions of the two cavalries of the Norton Family and the few cavalries of the Andenac Kingdom's nobles were clearly hindering the frontline army. If they went back to take back Moronte City, it was very likely that the enemy's cavalries would launch a large-scale surprise attack on the Commerce Federation's armed forces. If they succeeded, the Commerce Federation's armed forces would suffer another huge defeat …
Both sides quarreled fiercely in the tent. Duke Camberlet used the excuse of waiting for everyone to finish their discussion to come to a decision. He secretly invited the leaders of the other Chambers of Commerce to leave the tent and entered his own sleeping quarters. He ordered his guards to be on high alert and began to discuss countermeasures in private.
The former President Peterson, now Grand Duke Peterson, curiously asked Grand Duke Camberlet why he didn't discuss with everyone else in the tent.
Grand Duke Camberlet shook his head. "There are too many people, and it's easy for information to leak. We've already lost this war. I'm not talking about Moriente City falling into the hands of the Norton Family's armed forces. I'm talking about the Invincible Fleet and the transport fleet … "
Grand Duke Chickett's expression changed. "That's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible …" Grand Duke Camberlet's face was solemn. "The Norton Family's armed forces have landed at Hidden Gold Bay. This means that the Invincible Fleet can no longer stop their attack. Everyone has seen the report of the battle between the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet and the Fourth B Squadron. It's called a victory, but it's actually a terrible defeat. The remaining warships don't dare go out to sea and can only hole up at Hidden Gold Bay.
The First B Squadron and Second B Squadron escorting the transport fleet are more than twenty days late, and there's still no news of them even now. Add to that the fact that the Norton Family's armed forces have landed at Hidden Gold Bay and taken over Moriente City, there's no need to think about the result. The transport fleet is gone. The sea route isn't connected to the land, and information travels slowly. We'll definitely receive a detailed report from the Invincible Fleet and the transport fleet in a few days. We have to prepare for the worst … "
"Then shouldn't we split up and take back Moriente City?" Grand Duke Peterson asked. Moriente City was the Trade Federation's capital and central city. Falling into enemy hands was like slapping the Trade Federation in the face. They couldn't afford to lose face like this.
"No, we can't go back." Grand Duke Camberlet shook his head.
"What? We're not going to take back Moriente City? "It wasn't just Grand Duke Peterson. The other Trade Federation presidents cried out in surprise.
"Of course. Think about it, what's in it for us if we take back Moriente City now?" Grand Duke Camberlet said calmly, "Don't forget, Moriente City still has more than a million citizens and a hundred thousand poor people. If we take back Moriente City, these people will become our burden. The Mana Hill Plain is in ruins, and the transport fleet is gone. How are we going to feed these people if we take back Moriente City now? Plus, we're still fighting against the Andinac Kingdom's noble coalition army. Our military supplies are already very tight …
Don't forget, after the implementation of the lordship system, the Trade Federation's foundation is no longer in Moriente City, but in the territory of our own Trade Federation. Moronte City is equivalent to the offices of our Merchant Associations. Think about it, if the Norton Family attacks Moronte City, our Merchant Associations will suffer some losses, but we can afford to lose these profits, especially since we will no longer have to bear the burden of feeding over a million people. If we're serious about it, we're actually making a profit.
It's more beneficial for us if the enemy takes over Moriente City. First, as I said, we don't have to bear the burden of feeding a million people. Second, it won't be easy for the Norton Family to occupy Moriente City for a long time. Don't forget, after the implementation of the lordship system in the Trade Federation, the Mana Hill Plain and Moriente City were excluded from our fiefdom and made into an independent special region. It's very simple. For the sake of freedom and equality, we've been fighting against the Crimson Empire for hundreds of years. If we take the Mana Hill Plain as our fiefdom, we're definitely asking for trouble. Just like how the people of Moriente City are the most unsuitable to be our subjects.
Whether it's the Norton Family's armed forces or the Andinac Kingdom's, it's easy to occupy Moriente City, but it's very difficult to escape. We'll let them occupy Moriente City, then send people to infiltrate the city and stir up conflict between the residents and the occupying army. From time to time, there will be riots. Even if we lose this war, the Norton Family's armed forces and the Andinac Kingdom's noble coalition army will not have an easy time.
When Moriente City and the Mana Hill Plain ignite the flames of resistance against them, it will only take a few years for them to be drowned in the anger of the people fighting for freedom and equality. When that time comes, we can easily launch a counterattack. Not only will we be able to recover all our lost land, but we can even fight our way to the north and include the land in the north into the territory of the Trade Federation. "
Grand Duke Camberlet's words did not lift the spirits of the leaders present. Instead, Grand Duke Ford of the Ford Merchant's Association sighed. "Grand Duke Camberlet, have we really lost this war? Is there no turning back? "
"Sigh, I don't want it to be like this. Even though we haven't lost, we can no longer continue fighting." Grand Duke Camberlet smiled bitterly. "The Norton Family's armed forces have dealt us a fatal blow. It's obvious that they've set a trap for us. If our army turns back to Moriente City to take back the city, it means that the 400,000 soldiers of the Trade Federation will no longer exist. We will be beyond redemption. "
"It can't be that serious. At least we still have 400,000 soldiers. The enemy can't possibly swallow us whole …" Grand Duke Leeward of the Leeward Merchant's Association said.
"Brother, you don't know much about military affairs. That's why you think so. War doesn't rely on numbers. We have 400,000 soldiers now, but in half a month, they will be gone even without the enemy fighting us. Our supplies of food and logistics will be cut off. War is all about logistics. Without food, the army will collapse immediately. There's no need for the enemy to fight. If we go back and attack Moronte City, the enemy will take all the supplies and run away. Even if we recover Moronte City, the result will be the same. Once the army collapses and the order is disrupted, we will be finished … "
"Then what should we do now?" Grand Duke Peterson asked.
Grand Duke Camberlet replied thoughtfully, "The core of the 400,000 soldiers of the Trade Federation is the armed forces of our respective Merchant Guilds. There are nearly 200,000 soldiers. This is the armed force of the Merchant Guilds that we must protect. Then there are the 100,000 soldiers recruited from Moriente City. We can let these idiots who talk about freedom and equality return to attack Moriente City and attract the enemy's attention to help us escape. The last 100,000 soldiers are recruits from the southern provinces. We can use them to cover our retreat and ensure that we can escape from the Mana Hill Plains smoothly … "
Pulling over a map, Duke Camberlet pointed at it and said, "If we want to shake off the pursuit of the enemy's cavalry legions, we'll have to create a diversion. We'll have the hundred thousand men heading for Moronte make a big show of it, so that the enemy cavalry's attention will be focused on them. We won't care if the recruits from the south are dead or alive. The armed forces of the Merchant Guilds will set off as the second wave of reinforcements. We'll make a turn here and head for Mawei Fulin Province. Our family has set up a defensive line there. Once there, we'll have sufficient supplies. "
…
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
