Chapter 845: Forced March

Marching in the rain is hard enough. In a downpour like this, raincoats are practically useless.

Their clothes are soaked within minutes, but the soldiers can take it.

Even the men below Knight Rank were carefully selected and are not far from reaching it.

The real problem is their marching speed.

Their route was scouted and chosen well in advance, but they still make slow progress.

Under normal conditions, these elite warbands can cover more than a hundred kilometers a day on foot, even fully armed.

Every man now wears only light mail armor. Their heavy armor has already been secretly delivered to the designated position.

Yet they manage only forty kilometers in an entire day.

They barely reach their first overnight stop, a small town, before dark.

The soldiers' sudden arrival through the downpour leaves the townspeople at a loss. They have no idea what to do.

Dimir shows his badge and requisitions the town.

More than ten thousand soldiers enter to shelter from the rain and rest.

Each man's pack holds three days of rations and medicine against chills and colds.

Every house is crammed with ten or more soldiers. It is crowded, but they do not drive all the townspeople outside.

They light fires to dry their clothes, then rest in rows against the walls.

Pabos and the other two warband commanders each patrol the town with their own guards.

They check security and the troops' discipline.

The soldiers are staying in people's homes. That calls for stricter discipline.

This isn't a people's army, but it is still an army, with rules and laws to obey.

An army that burns, murders, and plunders can never be a strong one.

At midnight, Pabos and the others return to the constabulary station in the center of town.

None of the three commanders intends to rest yet. They plan tomorrow's march.

The scout teams sent out earlier have just returned. It took them only a few hours to survey the next day's route.

The scouts are all at Battle Knight Rank. They made no effort to conserve their fighting spirit on the journey, so they traveled astonishingly fast.

Their news is bad. A river now cuts across the planned route.

The downpour has clearly created a temporary watercourse.

Though only a few dozen meters wide, it will not be easy to cross.

Viscount Dimir curses. "Damn it! What was the survey team doing?"

"Didn't they examine the terrain here? Someone must have neglected his duty. Once this is over, I'll have the survey team investigated!"

Pabos says, "Viscount, our first concern is getting across."

"We've already planned for swimming across. It shouldn't be difficult."

Dimir frowns. "With no crossing point and no boats, swimming a large force across will be dangerous and slow!"

"At best, we'll barely get across tomorrow. Our march will be badly delayed."

"We won't reach the planned rest stop before dark. How do we spend a night in the open in this rain?"

Pabos taps the map. "We'll march at night! We can reach the next rest stop by midnight!"

Whistler says, "Marching at night is too dangerous, especially in rain this heavy!"

"We have enough time. There's no need for this risk!"

Pabos shakes his head. "Speed is vital in war! The whole plan depends on our timing advantage. I'd rather have time to spare than run short!"

"I'll lead the way with the Ninth Warband. Your two warbands can follow us. We can go slowly, but we cannot stop!"

Dimir objects. "On a rainy night, with no moonlight or any other light to guide us, we'll easily lose one another! It's too risky!"

Pabos sighs. "Generals, perhaps you think I'm only taking this risk because I'm young, reckless, and eager to earn glory."

"Operation Dried Fish has four key conditions that determine whether the whole operation succeeds."

"First, whether the Subterranean River Bandits at Palm Tree Lake cast the Torrential Rain Spell. That determines whether we can begin."

"Second, whether they choose to march through the old river channel. That determines whether the operation can proceed to the next stage."

"Third, whether the water-control works upstream on the Leo River can cut off and divert its flow. That determines whether we can trap them."

"And finally, whether we can stop the river bandits' reinforcements coming from Palm Tree Lake. That determines the outcome of the encirclement!"

Pabos meets their eyes, his gaze steady. "The first three conditions have already been met."

"I believe the Subterranean River Bandits will notice something is wrong by today at the latest. They may already have sent for help."

"We still don't know enough about them."

"We don't know whether they have some special way to move quickly in an emergency like this."

"We've estimated their arrival using the fastest marching speed we can allow for. Even then, we need time to handle the unexpected."

"Whatever happens, this operation must not fail because of us!"

"Our warbands' honor is at stake, but so is confidence!"

"Confidence in the Mobile Strike Group, in the coalition, and in humanity's eventual victory!"

The two men fall silent, exchange a glance, then nod to Pabos.

They decide to force a crossing tomorrow and march on through the night.

At the first hint of dawn the next day, the army is assembled.

The townspeople watch in bewilderment as the three warbands form up and plunge into the rain.

They carry only their long swords and wear mail armor. They look like lightly equipped troops.

But the townspeople see the determination in every soldier's eyes, the powerful frames, and above all the force of their presence. This is no ordinary army.

They pick up the pace and reach the newly formed river before noon.

Muddy water churns past, carrying branches and stones.

At Dimir's order, over a hundred soldiers step out from his warband. All are professionals and superb swimmers.

They tie ropes around their waists, dive into the rushing water, and swim hard for the far bank.

The river is almost fifty meters wide. They cross it in less than a minute.

Once they are all safely ashore, they secure the ropes to trees on that bank.

More soldiers cross using the ropes, bringing the crossing equipment with them.

After more than an hour, the rope crossing rigs are ready.

Each rig consists of two ropes.

The ropes run around thick wooden stakes on the opposite bank. Each stake is half a meter in diameter and driven deep into the ground.

Pulleys fixed to the stakes let the men haul the ropes through.

Men haul on the left-hand rope. Soldiers waiting on the bank grip the right-hand rope and are drawn across.

The men crossing are spaced a meter apart. Men on both banks pull the left-hand rope.

Over a hundred sets of ropes span the river at an angle with the current.

Once the rigs are running, each carries five or six men per minute on average.

In theory, a little more than an hour should get everyone across. But by the time they finish crossing and set off again, it is nearly evening.

Preparation beforehand and forming up afterward both take a great deal of time.

At least they are two hours ahead of the estimate. They can still march some distance before dark.