On the 10th of October, year 178 of the Galinthea Continent's general calendar, the highly anticipated duel between the Storm Sword Saint, Master Maggrut, and the newly promoted Sword Saint, Archduke Norton Lollister, took place at the top of a small hill in the Mana Hill Plain. Although there were no bystanders in this duel, as the scene of the duel, the top of Little Lonely Mountain was left with terrifying sword marks and large amounts of rock damage marks. One could imagine how intense and thrilling the duel between the two Sword Saints was.
As the Norton Family's armed forces had defeated the Trade Alliance's armed forces on the battlefield at the same time, Grand Duke Norton, who had been fighting for half a day, had no intention of continuing his fight with the Storm Sword Sage. He took the initiative to retreat and leave the small mountain. The experienced Storm Swordsman Maggrut didn't give the newly promoted Swordsman Duke Norton any chance to take advantage of him in this duel, and he saved the face of the two of them being injured in their first duel. However, after the duel, the Storm Sword Sage praised Duke Norton's swordsmanship in front of his disciple …
— — From the Chronicles of Galinthea
The decisive battle between the Trade Confederation and the Norton Family took place on the 10th of October in the Mana Hill Plains in the city of Bluvia. This was the first time in the history of war on the Galinthea continent that firearms had decided the outcome of a battle. The Commerce Alliance had a total of 340,000 soldiers, while the Norton Family and their allies had a total of 220,000 soldiers. The Norton Family was at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, but they had a huge advantage in terms of long-range weapons.
Based on the analysis of the battle, it was clear that the tactics and commands of the Trade Federation's armed forces were correct. Not long after the start of the battle, they were able to perfectly suppress the long-range attacks of the Norton Family, creating a favorable environment for a large-scale assault and close combat. However, what the Trade Federation did not expect was that the Norton Family would bring out their Bronze Cannons and Explosive Packs to decide the outcome of the battle.
Many survivors of the Trade Federation who had been through the battle described the bronze cannons and the explosives. They all used words like thunder from the clear sky, thunder from the sky, and earth turned upside down. There were also many people who said that it was simply a weapon of the devil. They only saw a flash of fire and the roar of thunder. Countless small black dots filled the sky, accompanied by an unpleasant burnt smell. When you came back to your senses, you found that your comrades who were like brothers to you were lying on the ground with holes all over their bodies, struggling for their lives. Under such circumstances, very few people wouldn't collapse …
Explosives fell from the sky, blowing up the long-arm trebuchets and the Giant Wooden Shield Carriages. For the thousand-man battle formations of the Trade Federation, there was almost no safe place for them to hide on the battlefield. However, it was very simple for the Norton Family to gather their troops and hold their ground. The Norton Family's highly mobile bronze cannons would soon arrive and fire a few cannonballs from a distance of 200 meters. This would ensure that the soldiers who were determined to hold their ground would quickly crumble.
This was a huge defeat. The Commerce Alliance's armed forces had suffered the most disastrous defeat in this battle. Moreover, the losses were basically the most elite armed forces of each Chamber of Commerce. More than seventy thousand men were killed or wounded, and nearly two hundred thousand of them had entered the Freedom Alliance's prison camp. In the next ten years, they would participate in the development and reconstruction of the Christopher Hills, silently contributing their meager strength to atone for what the Trade Alliance had done.
To the Commerce Alliance, the biggest loss was not the 200,000 elite armed forces of the Commerce Alliance, but the high-end assault team of 14 Master Swordsmen and nearly 100 Golden Swordsmen. This was the trump card that the Commerce Alliance had prepared to use to defeat the Norton Family's armed forces. Using the large-scale assault as a cover, these assault team of Master Swordsmen and Golden Swordsmen would charge into the ranks of the Norton Family's armed forces. It was guaranteed that they would be able to open up more than 10 holes in the Norton Family's armed forces.
This was the high-end assault tactic that the Commerce Alliance had specially created for themselves. With so many Master Swordsmen and Golden Swordsmen on the frontline, they believed that no enemy would be able to withstand this fierce assault. The Norton Family's armed forces were no exception. However, these Master Swordsmen and Golden Swordsmen did not expect that a target that was 40 to 50 meters away, a distance that they could cover in a few blinks of an eye, would be waiting for them to face the black muzzles of the cannons. Many of them only heard a loud bang before their bodies went numb and they lost all their strength. Soon, they felt that darkness had descended …
14 Master Swordsmen and nearly 100 Golden Swordsmen had fallen in the midst of the assault. To the Commerce Alliance's armed forces, this was almost a fatal blow. No matter how elite the armed forces of the Commerce Alliance were, they could still be recruited or trained. However, it was not so easy to deal with these high-end forces. Many of them were the blood and sweat of the Commerce Alliance for decades. However, under the rumbling of the cannons of the Norton Family, these high-end forces were just like the soldiers of the Commerce Alliance beside them. They fell to the ground, their corpses mixed together, and their blood flowed like a river. There was no longer any difference between the two sides …
The commander-in-chief of the three artillery battalions of the Norton Family's armed forces, Howard, did not let all the cannons fire at once. Instead, he arranged for four rounds of firing. As all the cannons used grapeshot, a cannon could seal the space of about 10 meters in front of it. Therefore, after the first cannon fired, the second cannon would follow up with a few moments of delay. After the four cannons had fired in succession, the first cannon that had fired had already been reloaded and could continue firing. This tactic of firing cannons dealt the heaviest and most tragic blow to the armed forces of the Commerce Alliance. Almost none of the 30,000 warriors who charged at the front survived.
This battle that took place under the city of Bruvia was known as the Battle of the Cannons in the history of the Galinthia Continent. This was also the first time gunpowder was used on a land battlefield on a large scale. In the next two to three hundred years, almost all the countries on the continent used all kinds of methods to obtain the secrets of the real gunpowder from the Norton Family. The most ridiculous thing was that the real Norton Family cannons' formulas were spread all over the continent in less than 20 years. However, the researchers turned a blind eye to them because they were too simple and common. Of course, another reason was the lack of saltpeter, which made it impossible to verify the formulas of the various gunpowder. At that time, the researchers of all the countries agreed that the Norton Family had found a substitute for saltpeter, which was why they had the ability to equip the cannons on a large scale …
On his 90th birthday, the president of the Twin-Headed Dragon Merchant Guild, Duke Cambert, agreed to the request of his precious granddaughter. He spent several years dictating a memoir, which was then compiled by his precious granddaughter. The memoir revealed the process of how the Trade Union went from prosperity to decline and eventually to collapse. Among them, the one that left the deepest impression on President Combert was the battle that took place under the city of Brewia, because that battle was the key to the fall of the Trade Union.
After the battle, many people believed that there were no problems with the tactics and command of the Commerce Alliance's armed forces. The only thing worth investigating was that the Commander-in-Chief of the Commerce Alliance, Duke Cambert, seemed to have been too impatient. He had ordered the entire army to carry out a large-scale assault early on, which gave the Norton Family's armed forces the opportunity to strike a fatal blow. However, in this memoir, Duke Cambert stated that at that time, he was forced by the power of the Grand Duke of the Northern Lands, Norton Lollister. He intended to defeat the Norton Family's armed forces before the outcome of the battle between Duke Norton and the Storm Swordsaint was decided. This was to achieve the truth that Duke Norton, the new Sword Sage, had nothing to say.
In his memoir, Duke Cambert reflected on the far-reaching impact of this battle. He believed that Duke Norton, the new Sword Sage, had disrupted all the arrangements of the Commerce Alliance's armed forces. As a result, more than 300,000 elite troops had to suffer bitterly in the main camp for a month, completely losing the initiative on the battlefield. If time could be turned back, Cambert would have chosen to retreat and fight a protracted war with the Freedom Alliance instead of foolishly accepting the challenge. They lost most of the elite forces of the Commerce Alliance's armed forces, and in the end, the Freedom Alliance took over the position of the Commerce Alliance.
As for the Norton Family's weapons of mass destruction and explosives, Duke Cambert admitted that he had been negligent. This was because the Commerce Alliance's higher-ups had heard about the Norton Family's cannons. They had suffered a great loss when they sent their Master Swordsmen to the North to assassinate the heavily injured Duke Norton. Four Master Swordsmen had been killed by the cannons. However, at that time, the Commerce Alliance's higher-ups were attracted by the weapons and equipment blueprints obtained from the Norton Family's secret production base. They had overlooked this important piece of information. As the Master Swordsmen who were sent to assassinate the Norton Family were hired by a large sum of money, and were not the reserve forces of the Commerce Alliance. Therefore, the deaths of the Master Swordsmen did not attract much attention.
The second time was the complete annihilation of the Commerce Alliance's Invincible Fleet. In this naval battle, the Norton Family's Thunderstrike Fleet played an important role. To be exact, the Invincible Fleet was defeated by the long-range cannons. However, it was a pity that the upper echelons of the Commerce Alliance had a wrong idea when they heard the news. They thought that cannons could only be used on ships because they were too bulky and could not be used on land. Therefore, they subconsciously excluded them from their plans.
This was the arrangement that the Commerce Alliance's armed forces had planned in advance to deal with the Norton Family's armored war chariots, steel crossbows, and catapults. However, they had not thought about how to deal with the cannons and explosives. In his memoirs, Grand Duke Camberlet wrote a thought-provoking sigh. Because he had not experienced it himself, he had always doubted the exaggerations of others. It was only when he was faced with the predicament described by others that he realized and regretted his mistake …
Of course, there were still twenty to thirty years before Grand Duke Camberlet wrote his memoirs. Laurist had already left Bruvia City and returned to his manor on top of Bryn Peak in Morent City. All the power to deal with the aftermath of the war had been completely delegated to the higher-ups of the family. For example, Ferocious Tiger Ross had once again led the Flying Tiger Legion into the provinces of the Commerce Alliance's Mana Hill Plain. The latest reports said that they were invincible, and the enemies had fled at the sight of them.
Meanwhile, Fatty Shi assisted Ledos of the Freedom Alliance in dealing with nearly two hundred thousand captives. A few city defense corps of the Freedom Alliance happily turned into arrogant caretakers, commanding these captives to build barracks and dormitories on the Mana Hill Plain for the winter. At the same time, they plundered the personal belongings of these captives. Aire was commanding the guards to deal with the large amounts of military supplies seized from the battlefield and the enemy's barracks. He escorted the captives to burn and bury the corpses of the dead.
Schwald had ordered a cannon battalion to follow Freya's Hunting Cavalry Legion and lead the White Lion Legion to attack the Commerce Alliance's Mawei Fulin Province. Their goal was simple: they were going to make some extra money. After all, the White Lion Legion, as reinforcements, couldn't possibly return empty-handed. So, a few of the higher-ups of the family discussed and decided to go to the Commerce Alliance's territory to make some money. The Commerce Alliance was like a naked beauty that couldn't resist, and it would be embarrassing if they didn't step in. Besides, Ferocious Tiger Ross had already set an example for everyone …
Not to mention how the Norton Family's armed forces and the Andinac Kingdom's White Lion Legion ravaged the few provinces around the Mana Hill Plain, the end result was that these provinces were completely defenseless, and almost no signs of life could be found. The Norton Family wanted everything. They even captured every single one of them. Ross the Ferocious Tiger said that since the few Stronghold cities at the front of the Mana Hill Plains were empty anyway, they could capture these people and distribute them land and houses. In a few years, they would become hardcore supporters of the Freedom Alliance. When the Trade Federation's armed forces invaded again, they would pick up their weapons and fight the invading enemies to the death for their own interests.
It wasn't until the rainy season of 1781 that the Norton Family's armed forces and the White Lion Legion retreated to the Mana Hill Plain. The few provinces around the Mana Hill Plain were actually empty, which was a very strange thing in the densely populated central and southern part of the continent. On the other hand, the Norton Family's armed forces and the White Lion Legion reaped a bountiful harvest. They escorted a large number of captives back to the Mana Hill Plain in satisfaction, causing countless administrative troubles for the Freedom Alliance.
Laurist received a group of high-ranking captives who had been escorted by the Grizzly Bear Knights, such as President Peterson, one of the seven heads of the Commerce Alliance. This old acquaintance of Laurist was unlucky. When he was escaping, a bag of explosives fell beside him, and he was knocked unconscious. Then, his mount fell and pinned him under it. When a few of his attendants rushed back to rescue him, they were surrounded by a group of light cavalry from the Hunting Cavalry Regiment. Hence, President Peterson became Laurist's guest of honor.
He was carrying the Max Milk Tea that Genolio served him. Er, this was Genolio's new invention. He put tea leaves into the pot used to boil the Max Milk Tea, and then add milk to make a cup of rich milk flavor. In reality, Genolio was muddle-headed that day. When he was boiling the Max Milk Tea, he thought he was making tea, so he added tea leaves. In the end, he discovered that it was a strange brown thing. Redi tasted it and said, "Let's add some milk to see what you can make." Hence, milk tea appeared in the history of drinks in the Galinthia Continent.
President Peterson was not in the mood to pay attention to what he was holding. He looked at Laurist with great emotion. Back then, he was just a small instructor in the Dawn Academy, but now, he had become a famous Sword Saint, the Duke of the North, and the head of the Norton Family. The Commerce Alliance had suffered many losses in his hands. Almost twenty years of experience had made this young man he knew grow into a prodigy of the generation, a giant. The only pity was that he was the one who had personally decided to sever his friendship with the Norton Family, turning from friend to enemy. It could not be helped. As one of the seven heads of the Commerce Alliance, the Peterson Merchant Group had to obey the overall interests of the Commerce Alliance.
Laurist calmly recalled the friendly dealings he had with the Peterson Chamber of Commerce in the past. Then, he bluntly told President Peterson that the Trade Union had been greatly weakened after this war. If they did not change course, the Norton Family's armed forces would not hesitate to pursue and destroy the Trade Union. However, the Norton Family's armed forces had already stated that the purpose of participating in this war was to achieve peace in the Mana Hill Plains …
At this moment, Laurist seemed to have forgotten that his family's armed forces were currently plundering the territory of the Commerce Alliance. He clearly told President Peterson that the only way out for the Commerce Alliance was to send an envoy to seek peace as soon as possible, and sign a truce agreement with the Freedom Alliance and the Andinac Kingdom as soon as possible. Only then would they have a chance to survive. Perhaps in a few decades, the Commerce Alliance would have a chance to rise again. Otherwise, it would only end in destruction.
…
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
