Chapter 174. Conditions on All Fronts
When Eli brought the stooped Count Ochi to the lord’s residence of Monta City, the residence was indeed holding a simple victory banquet, just as Viscount Armand had said.
It could hardly be called extravagant, but enough torches and candles had been lit inside the hall.
They not only dispelled the chill of night, but also illuminated every face filled with exhaustion and excitement.
Many officers sat around long wooden tables, talking loudly.
They boasted of their bravery on the battlefield that day, while the clatter of wine cups and rough laughter rang without end.
Wolfgang and the Wolf-kin warriors under his command had also occupied a corner. Although they did not drink, piles of meat were stacked before them, and they were feasting heartily.
Their low growls and satisfied grunts formed a sharp contrast with the commotion of the other officers.
Eli’s arrival immediately drew many gazes.
“Oh! Lord Eli is here!”
“Lord Eli, come have a drink with us and eat something!”
Many familiar officers of the Winterbourne Family warmly called out to him.
With a gentle smile on his face, Eli waved his hand and politely declined their kindness.
He signaled that Buck and Wolfgang could stay behind and join them for a little relaxation.
Then he asked a nearby attendant, “Where is Viscount Armand?”
“My lord and Sir Soren are dining in the small dining room inside,” the attendant answered respectfully.
Eli nodded and brought the silent Count Ochi through the noisy hall to a quieter small dining room within.
Only Viscount Armand and Sir Soren were there, eating at a small table covered with clean linen.
When Soren saw Eli, a friendly smile appeared on his face. “Eli, please sit. Join us for dinner.”
Viscount Armand’s gaze, however, passed over Eli and fell on the white-haired old man behind him.
A trace of uncertainty and thought appeared in his eyes. He felt that this old man looked somewhat familiar, but for the moment, he could not remember where he had seen him.
Eli did not immediately sit down. Instead, he stepped slightly aside and introduced the old man to them.
“Viscount Armand, Sir Soren, allow me to introduce him.
“This is... the Count of Monta City, Count Ochi Gabriel. We encountered him just now inside that black tower.”
Hearing Eli’s answer, Viscount Armand was stunned at first. Then realization appeared on his face.
He immediately stood, his tone filled with surprise. “Count Ochi! It truly is you!
“By the gods, I never expected you to still be alive! This... this is wonderful news!”
He quickly walked around the table and came before Count Ochi.
“I remember... your son said that you had likely met with misfortune. We all thought that you and the countess had already...”
Before Viscount Armand could finish, the formerly silent Count Ochi seemed to be struck by lightning. A light of disbelief instantly burst from his cloudy eyes.
He abruptly took a step forward, and his thin, withered hands seized Viscount Armand’s arms in excitement, shaking him hard.
“What... what did you say? My son?
“Timmy... Timmy is truly still alive?! Are you certain it is Timmy Gabriel?!”
Viscount Armand was shaken so hard by the old man’s sudden burst of strength that he nearly lost his footing, but he understood the old man’s feelings and nodded firmly.
“Yes, Count Ochi. I remember Lord Mellon once mentioning it by chance.
“Your son, Timmy, successfully fled to Thorne City under the protection of loyal vassals and received the protection of the La Roche Family.
“At this moment, he should still be in Thorne City, safe and sound.”
“Wonderful... wonderful! Thank the gods! Timmy... my Timmy is still alive...”
Count Ochi murmured excitedly to himself. His knuckles turned white from how tightly he gripped Armand’s arms.
On his aged face, muddy tears finally slid down beyond his control and fell onto his tattered robe.
This sudden, immense joy seemed to scatter the guilt and despair that had pressed upon him for so long.
“Count Ochi, this is wonderful news. Let us sit down first, have dinner slowly, and then talk in detail. How does that sound?”
Seeing this, Eli stepped forward and comforted him softly, supporting the old man’s slightly swaying body.
Soren also hurriedly rose and helped Eli guide the emotional Count Ochi to the table, then poured him a cup of warm water.
“That is right, Count Ochi. Please calm yourself first. This is a good thing.”
After Count Ochi’s emotions calmed a little, the four of them sat back down at the table.
Viscount Armand ordered the attendants to add tableware and food.
During the meal, Viscount Armand briefly recounted to Count Ochi the great changes that had taken place in the Kingdom of Orlando during this period—the assassination of the king, the young lord’s ascension, and the Regent’s rise to power.
He also spoke of the fall of the Western Frontier, the victory in the Defense of Thorne, the current full-scale counteroffensive, and the recovery of lost territories.
When he mentioned Eli, he did not stint on praise for Eli’s outstanding achievements in the Defense of Thorne and in the rapid capture of Kael City and Monta City.
Count Ochi listened quietly. The expression on his face gradually changed from shock and grief to complexity, with a trace of relief.
He needed time to digest all of this information.
“I never imagined... that while I was hiding away, so much would happen to the kingdom and the Western Frontier...”
He let out a long sigh, then turned his gaze back to Eli.
“Nor did I imagine... Viscount Eli, that despite your youth, you truly earned such astonishing merit through your own ability.”
After saying that, he looked toward Viscount Armand.
“From what you said earlier, after recovering Monta, you still need to continue advancing with the army?”
“Yes, Count Ochi.” Viscount Armand set down his wine cup and spoke with a serious expression.
“According to the established plan, after we rest, we must immediately head toward the edge of Dragonbreath Plain to the north.
“On one hand, we will attempt to intercept any remnant Federation forces that may be withdrawing from other strongholds toward Storm City.
“On the other hand, we must also rendezvous with the main armies on the central and northern fronts as soon as possible to prepare for the final recovery of Storm City.”
Hearing this, Count Ochi pondered for a moment.
He raised his head and looked at Viscount Armand. “The road to Dragonbreath Plain is harsh, distant, and difficult to supply.
“Inside that black tower, I still have some grain and supplies stored by the Gabriel Family. They were originally reserved as the family’s final emergency provisions.
“Now... perhaps they can be put to use. Take them with you when you set out.”
At those words, unconcealable delight immediately appeared on Viscount Armand’s face.
He had indeed been worrying over the supply pressure brought about by their swift, lightly equipped advance. Count Ochi’s gift was undoubtedly timely aid in a snowstorm.
“Excellent! Count Ochi, on behalf of every soldier of the southern route army, I thank you for your generous assistance!”
He paused, then continued, “Since you have returned, the governance of Monta City should naturally be handed back to you.
“I will leave behind a portion of the troops to assist you in stabilizing order within the city and clearing out any remaining hidden dangers.
“At the same time, I will immediately send men to report news of your survival to Thorne City and Marquess Mellon.
“Furthermore, Thorne City’s supply convoy should also arrive in Monta before long. When that happens, everything will return to order.”
Count Ochi looked at Viscount Armand, and a trace of complexity flashed through his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he slowly nodded.
“Return to order... Very well... These old bones of mine should do something for this land again.”
..........
While the southern front was advancing in triumph, the other fronts of the Western Frontier were also pushing forward at full speed.
On the northern front, because the branch ranges extending from the Dragonbreath Mountains had extremely harsh and complicated terrain, with rolling mountains and rugged roads that were difficult to traverse, the main force led by Marquess Kola could only advance slowly, clearing out the enemies entrenched in the mountain passes and fortresses one by one.
In this special terrain, the Frontier Lords who were already familiar with the local conditions and highly mobile instead played an unexpectedly great role.
They used their knowledge of the terrain to scout and guide the main army, and they could even cooperate to remove some small enemy strongholds.
On the central front, however, the situation was completely different.
Under the joint command of Marquess Marcus Hohenzollern and Marquess Frey Claire,
the Western Frontier army relied on its absolute superiority in numbers and its soaring morale to recover several cities of varying sizes within just a few days, sweeping through them like a storm through dead leaves.
However, the cities in the central region were relatively dense.
Every time they recovered one location, they needed to devote energy to pacifying the people, maintaining order, settling the wounded, and assigning troops to remain behind.
To a certain extent, this slowed the overall pace of their advance.
Just as they were busy digesting the fruits of victory, a messenger from Thorne City brought Sir Lucius’s latest order.
Marquess Marcus broke open the wax seal on the letter and quickly read through it.
As his gaze swept over the words on the parchment, his originally resolute face gradually darkened.
He silently handed the letter to Marquess Claire beside him.
Somewhat curious, Marquess Claire accepted the letter, opened it, and read it carefully.
The main content of the letter was precisely the intelligence Eli had provided earlier.
At present, all cities occupied by the Federation forces were being systematically abandoned, and their forces were withdrawing and gathering in the direction of Storm City.
In the letter, Lucius strictly ordered the three armies to accelerate their advance at all costs.
Before the enemy completed its regrouping, they were to annihilate as much of its living strength as possible, and they absolutely could not allow too many troops to safely gather in Storm City.
After finishing the letter, the formerly casual expression on Marquess Claire’s face was also covered by a layer of shadow.
“In that case, Marcus, we must split our forces!”
Marquess Marcus looked at him, his brows tightly furrowed. “Split our forces? What do you have in mind?”
Marquess Claire walked to the hanging map, his finger swiftly tracing the route from the central region toward Storm City.
“Look. If these enemies abandoning their strongholds want to rendezvous, in the end, they must all pass through this place—Kigaka Gorge.
“This is the convenient route leading to Dragonbreath Plain, and then onward in the direction of Storm City.”
“Since the defenses of these cities are hollow and no longer worth worrying about, you should take the main infantry force and continue advancing steadily. You will be responsible for clearing and occupying these cities and ensuring the rear remains stable.”
“And what about you?” Marquess Marcus asked in a deep voice. He had already guessed Claire’s plan.
“Me?” Marquess Claire abruptly turned around, and his white cloak flared with the motion.
“I will personally lead all four thousand of our cavalry. The most elite Claire Cavalry and Hohenzollern Iron Cavalry.
“We will set out immediately, bypass these unimportant cities, and rush toward Kigaka Gorge at the fastest possible speed.
“And I will block them there, turning their path of retreat into their graveyard.”
Marquess Marcus’s brows drew together. “Frey, you will face enormous pressure.
“You will have no supplies and no reinforcements, and you will only have four thousand men. The routed enemy may outnumber you several times over!
“If they launch a desperate counterattack...”
“No, Marcus!” Marquess Claire cut him off.
“If Iman successfully gathers tens of thousands of defeated soldiers into Storm City,
“then with the unfallen fortress’s sturdy defenses, how many Western Frontier soldiers’ lives will we have to throw away in order to recover it later?
“That is a price we absolutely cannot afford. So we must weaken them as much as possible in the open field, when they are at their most vulnerable.
“This risk must be taken, and it is worth taking!”
He drew a deep breath and did not give Marcus another chance to argue. His voice was decisive.
“It is decided! I will immediately assemble the cavalry and set out overnight!”
With that, he sharply pulled his white cloak around him, turned, and strode out of the command tent. His figure swiftly vanished into the darkness outside.
Only Marquess Marcus remained standing where he was, looking in the direction Claire had gone. His expression was grave, and in the end, it turned into a heavy sigh.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
ReportUse arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter
Loading comments…