Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Chapter 476: Chapter 78: Review and Re-evaluation_2

Laszlo stared at Winters, his expression still numb like that of a puppet: “I have already sent someone to ask for instructions; the two generals will handle this matter. You may leave now.”

Winters was still somewhat dissatisfied, but he indeed had no say in this matter. The Colonel had used the Legion Commander’s authority over him, and he had nothing to retort.

He saluted and rode away.

Walking back in a huff, Winters suddenly recalled his days in Wolf Town.

Though he had encountered dangers twice in Wolf Town, looking back now, he actually had a good time.

The folks in Wolf Town respected him; he spoke with authority, and no one second-guessed him.

Even leading the hundred-man team from Wolf Town as laborers was more comfortable than his current situation.

He finally understood why the old soothsayer would say, “A Garrison Officer, an emperor in his own right, I wouldn’t trade it for a thousand households.”

Being subject to others was truly the most frustrating thing in the world, especially within the strictly hierarchical military.

The angrier he thought about it, the more he wanted to vent, and Winters gripped his riding crop, scanning his surroundings, before lashing out at the air with great force: “[Vulgar Language]!”

This was his last bit of calm—he hadn’t lashed out at Strong Luck, because he couldn’t bear to.

“When have we ever suffered such indignity? In my opinion, you should have worn your Grand Cross medal just now, and shown it to him!” Andre wasn’t adept at consoling others and unusually, he sighed, “Bear with it, endure until we get home, then we won’t have to work for those idiotic sheep-shagging idiots!”

“Don’t mention going home.”

“Why not?”

“Every time you mention going home, I get a bad feeling.” Winters held the pendant box in his hand, his longing to return home stronger than ever before.

He didn’t open the pendant box; at this moment, he simply couldn’t face Anna.

“Fine, I won’t mention going home until we are home,” Andre spat on the ground, somewhat annoyed, “Damn it! They want to kill old people and children too! Barbarians! Truly damn barbaric!”

For some reason, the word [barbaric] coming from Andre’s mouth naturally carried a hint of dark humor.

After a moment of silence, Winters pondered and asked, “That infantry Colonel, called Laszlo? I always felt there was something odd about him.”

“Laszlo?” Andre thought for a moment and slapped his forehead, “I heard some big-wig’s son died in battle, surname Lasz—lo, wasn’t it?”

Winters couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

Meanwhile.

Watching the two Centurions ride off into the distance, Colonel Haug offhandedly said to Colonel Laszlo, “Hmph, who would have thought that those innkeepers from Vineta could be as blunt as highlanders?”

If he were speaking to his own subordinates, this quip might have elicited a round of laughter.

But Laszlo ignored it, as if he heard nothing at all.

Colonel Haug inspected Laszlo’s face carefully; his colleague’s features now resembled those of a puppet, devoid of their usual spirit.

Although they tended not to get along on a daily basis, Haug also had sons and daughters and could hardly bear the thought of the pain of losing a child.

But Haug was not adept at consoling others, and could only let out a nearly inaudible sigh.

…

Time was pressing; they could not wait for the entire army to assemble.

Early the next morning, four large units that had already gathered set out as the vanguard.

Since Jeska’s battalion was prepared early, it was also among the vanguard units.

There was no sense of ceremony, no mobilization, no speeches. Once the orders were given, all units, both the Standing Army and the auxiliaries, led out their carts and left.

Jeska’s battalion had one advantage: as they had been a logistics unit previously, and had also conscripted many merchants’ carts and mules, their rate of possession of horse-drawn carts was much higher than that of other units.

The more than four thousand Hurd horses captured in the night raid on the Terdon Tribe camp were partly slaughtered, with the majority taken by the Legion.

There were still over five hundred left in Colonel Jeska’s hands. Although they weren’t fit for use, they were better than nothing.

Adding the original mules, warhorses, and a few donkeys, they had nearly a thousand large animals, so Jeska’s battalion was not short of horses for pulling carts.

Bard was worried sick: getting horses to do heavy work required not just hay but also feed. The daily consumption of grass and fodder for nearly a thousand large animals was a terrifying figure.

When setting out, they had to carry as much as possible, yet they were afraid that the animals wouldn’t hold up.

Therefore, Bard selected over forty militiamen who had experience with horses, led by Anglu, to supervise the battalion’s use of mules and horses.

“Mr. Anglu not only understands horses, but he also knows how to pity the beasts,” Bard commented to the Colonel during his report, “He pities them even if they aren’t his own.”

“Then let it be him,” Jeska agreed with a nod, “Promote him to temporary Sergeant and sort out a few troublemakers. Otherwise, he is too young to command respect from others.”

With the order issued, the militiamen from Wolf Town were saying, “Little Groom Anglu has really turned into a Horse Officer.”

[Note: Anglu means hook, officially a full name, affectionately a nickname]

In the morning light, the vanguard units crossed the temporary bridge to reach the southern bank of Confluence River, and then marched eastward.

The situation was as follows:

Paratu was to the east; to retreat, they needed to head east;

Confluence River ran from west to east before merging into The Styx; they could go along the south bank or the north bank;

On the north bank, Hurd Cavalry roamed;

On the south bank, it was temporarily safe.

The problem was: [if they took the south bank, the Paratu People couldn’t cross The Styx].

The closer to the north side, the fewer tributaries flowing into The Styx, the narrower the river, hence the easier it was to cross.

The engineering battalion and two infantry battalions that had been dispatched earlier had gone north to find a suitable location for constructing a Floating Bridge.

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