Chapter 340: Master Strategist

"Take these gunpowder jars with you too."

Outside Cardiff city, Timothy and his cavalry and musket troops were lined up, ready to march.

The arrival of Ethan and the others was perfectly timed; if they had come any later, Simon’s troops would’ve already left.

Aiden also planned to accompany the mission to Preston. Because hot air balloons couldn’t fly long distances, they had to launch from nearby to be useful. Simon’s forces would both fight and protect the balloons as they advanced.

Right now, Cobblestone was under siege. They had lost all contact with Benjamin. No orders could be given. No coordination could be made.

Before leaving, Prince Simon handed a few gunpowder bombs to Jayden. Though the balloon team’s main job was recon and delivering messages, dropping an occasional explosive into the reaver camp might just create chaos.

Once everything was ready, Simon gave Jayden and Martin a firm pat on the shoulder.

He was putting a heavy responsibility on their backs.

But both men were brave enough to fly the balloon and didn’t seem afraid.

After all, from the sky, nobody could touch them.

"Aiden, these are the last of my elite troops. I’m entrusting them to you."

Simon felt a sudden wave of sadness.

It reminded him of that old war phrase:

"Commander, pull out. If we keep fighting, none of our brothers will be left."

He was in exactly that kind of desperate situation now, no help from the heavens, no support from the earth.

If he had even one more unit he could trust, he would never have let Prince Gerad’s trash troops escort the grain.

For days, he’d been worrying. The first batch of grain barely made it. The second was robbed.

His frustration ran deeper than anyone’s.

"The King, you’re enjoying your victories now. But I’ll settle this debt with you. One account at a time."

Simon clenched his fists.

---

Cobblestone

Lancet had set up camp five kilometres from the town with his 50,000 cavalry. Scouts constantly came and went, updating him on the situation.

The reavers had begun setting up camps all around Cobblestone.

Clearly, they intended to starve the Brambleford army into submission.

The long line of cavalry stretched for miles.

But Lancet couldn’t attack yet; he had to wait until all forces arrived.

"Set up camp!" He ordered.

With tens of thousands of soldiers from Brambleford, the Imperial Army, and the reavers all gathered in Preston, this war wouldn’t end quickly.

Just like them, the reavers had travelled far. Their soldiers needed food, too. They couldn’t fight all day.

They had to stop and cook.

As cavalry continued to arrive, engineers began setting up tents.

Lancet looked back, worried for Randy.

If his son hadn’t stayed behind to hold off the reavers, their main force would’ve been harassed and unable to settle here.

Through his spyglass, Lancet peered toward Cobblestone.

The reavers moved about like ants between their tents.

Scouts were now approaching his own camp; they had definitely spotted his army.

But the reavers seemed in no rush to fight either.

Some of their troops gathered as if to guard against a surprise attack.

Seeing this, Lancet ordered shifts for meals and guard duty.

Some ate. Others stood watch.

In his eyes, the reaver army’s true goal was still Cobblestone, not him.

"Benjamin, my old friend, I’ve come to rescue you," Lancet whispered with a bitter smile.

That night was quiet.

The next morning, scouts reported that Randy was still locked in a standoff with the reaver cavalry.

Lancet breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as his son kept the formation steady, they could keep stalling the enemy.

Now reassured, Lancet began analysing the bigger picture.

Clearly, the reavers held the upper hand.

They had 15,000 cavalry and 200,000 slave troops, and they knew that the Brambleford army’s food would only last 15 more days.

If they kept the siege up, the Brambleford army would collapse on its own.

Lancet was anxious but couldn’t contact Benjamin.

He had no idea where to strike.

He knew one thing: he couldn’t win this war alone.

Only by working from inside and outside the siege could they break through.

His 50,000 soldiers weren’t enough to defeat the reavers and free Cobblestone on their own.

But they couldn’t just sit and wait either.

He had already sent word to Prince Simon, hoping to plan their next steps.

Just then, a cavalry officer rode in at full speed.

"General! The reavers have sent 20,000 cavalry to attack our grain convoy. Our guards suffered heavy losses. Please send reinforcements!"

The grain line stretched for miles, carried by conscripted workers from Eldora and guarded by Imperial troops.

If they lost that grain, their entire force would only last a few days.

"How’s the situation now?" Lancet asked urgently.

"We fought our way out, but the enemy moves too fast. Even though our men resisted bravely, they won’t last long. Sir Randy is still surrounded and can’t help. I had no choice but to come find you."

Lancet’s brow furrowed deeply.

This expedition had been cursed from the start.

Normally, they would’ve used the cities of Preston to store supplies.

But the southern half of Preston had fallen into chaos; the King’s rebels held all the cities.

So they had no choice but to haul grain from afar.

A long supply line was always vulnerable.

He had already assigned elite troops to guard it.

But clearly, the reaver cavalry weren’t so easy to handle.

"Send 10,000 cavalry to reinforce the grain line," Lancet ordered another officer.

Just as he spoke, they heard a faint sound.

A reaver horn.

Everyone looked toward Cobblestone.

A massive wave of reaver cavalry had appeared in the distance.

"Fern truly is a brilliant strategist," Lancet muttered.

"He blocks my reinforcements, cuts my supplies, and now he strikes all at once to pin us down."

"General, what should we do?" The cavalry officer asked anxiously.

Lancet’s expression was stern.

"Food is the foundation of war. It must be protected. Go now. I’ll hold the line here."

"Yes, General!"

The officer quickly rode off with 10,000 troops.

At the same time, the reaver cavalry charged, trying to stop them from escaping.

Lancet gave a thunderous roar and led his troops into the fight.