Chapter 884 (1/2)
Chapter 884: The Impact of War
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
“How’s the situation in the west?”
As soon as Nail and Uncle Sang entered the central tent, “Eagle Face”, the commander of the garrison in the Northern Region, inquired about the state of the war.
“They’re still increasing.” The veteran administered a military salute and briefly reported the findings of his observation over the past week. “I was indeed surprised. I never thought there’d be such a great force in the Kingdom of Dawn.”
“How many of them?” Eagle Face poured two cups of tea for them, looking completely unperturbed. “8,000? 9,000?”
“I’m afraid it’s over 10,000.” Uncle Sang drained the cup. “There’s a nearly one mile stretch of encampments, along with more than 20 banners whose names I can’t tell. I have no idea where they’ve found so many people that are willing to cast their lives away.”
“Over 10,000?” Eagle Face stopped his writing.
“Ask the unit leader if you don’t believe me.” Uncle Sang pointed to Nail next to him. “In order to get an estimate of their number, we went very close to the old Holy City under the risk of being discovered. The entire suburb is filled with troops commanded by the nobles from the Kingdom of Dawn. They’ve blocked the path that connects Hermes and the kingdom. Most refugees have retreated toward the Kingdom of Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Everwinter. I bet they’ve also deployed forces at Coldwind Ridge as well. At least, I’ve seen several detachments of more than 100 people on the way back.”
“That’s true,” Nail added with a nod. “On the part of the Kingdom of Dawn, they’re now waiting for the rest of their troops to get there whilst enhancing their defense of the surrounding areas. I suggest that our scout team not get too close to the old Holy City in the future, lest they’re discovered by their patrolling knights.”
Ever since they had noticed the unusual situation in Hermes, the garrison in the Northern Region had started to slowly proceed to the plateau area with the assistance of Duke Kant, not only to gather more intelligence but also to prepare for the upcoming battle. However, His Majesty did not approve Eagle Face’s probing and attacking plan, only asking him to instead stay alert and continue to scout. With morbid disappointment, instead of waging a great war, the deputy battalion commander instead picked some capable soldiers from the garrison, instructing them to disguise as refugees to monitor both the new and the old Holy Cities in a rotation. In the meantime, he continued to update Neverwinter on the progress of the investigation.
Nevertheless, Eagle Face had still made a few accomplishments over the past few months. After he had confirmed that the deployment of corps in the Holy City was not a trap, the garrison in the Northern Region had retrieved Coldwind Ridge.
As for the army of the Kingdom of Dawn, they had only appeared two to three weeks ago.
“Sir, do you fear that those people will impede His Majesty’s plan?”
“Hahaha, how is it possible?” Eagle Face burst into laughter. “Even if their number doubles, they’re no more than some waddling targets. Even the God’s Punishment Army failed to break the defensive line under the bombardment of machine guns. How can they possibly approach His Majesty? I’m actually happy to see they have tons of people. Let them attack the city wall of the Holy City first so that they’ll know how fortified the church is. I really hope that the fight would bleed off strength from both of them. By then, I’m sure His Majesty will agree to my proposal.” Eagle Face paused for a few seconds and then said, “Good job, scouts. You can take a rest now.”
“Yes, sir.” Uncle Sang saluted.
Nail, however, did not leave immediately. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Can’t we… beat them off now?”
Both Eagle Face and Uncle Sang were stunned. “What?”
“His Majesty doesn’t allow us to attack Hermes on our own, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t let us fight against the army of the Kingdom of Dawn .” Nail bit his lip. “If we wait until they launch an attack on the Holy City, the villages at the foot of Mountain Hermes may have already been razed to the ground.”
The veteran sighed.
“Did you see something?” Eagle Face frowned.
“Pillage and massacre…” Nail clapped his hand over his forehead, reluctant to revisit the intense and inhumane scene. “They didn’t enter the old Holy City but simply encamped outside. Soldiers have mounted nearby residents on sharpened wooden stakes and used them as the parapet of the battalion. They treat women even worse…”