Chapter 289:

Words : 1764 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

After a not-so-long period, the Pioneer Fortress in East Prussia finally welcomed back its master, which was a joy of mutual anticipation. Because Marshal Loren, returning to the military camp, was also filled with a simple kind of happiness. Ah, finally no need to deal with those annoying nobles and damned complicated etiquette anymore. He could return to the simple, efficient, and mood-lifting military life. As usual, he meticulously inspected every key post of the fortress with a few guards and found no mistakes that he could reprimand, which further improved the Marshal’s mood. Even the recruit barracks were kept exceptionally tidy, proving that his men hadn’t wasted their lives or idled away their time during his absence. But if only these superficial aspects were achieved, it still wouldn’t satisfy the picky Marshal. The officers of Pioneer Fortress were well aware of this, so when the Marshal returned to his office in the castle, there was immediately a line of system heads waiting outside the door to report military affairs. “Whew” The Marshal enjoyed the fine tobacco gifted by his cousin Livrosa Silverheart using his beloved dwarf pipe. After maintaining his mood in a state of delight, he tidied up his appearance and then tapped the table. “Come in!” The door opened, and General Soros, the acting commander of the Pioneer Army, strode in. After a crisp and full of military etiquette salute, the 50-something-year-old veteran soldier shouted: “Marshal Loren, according to the non-wartime regulations of the Pioneer Army, I hereby transfer the highest command of the Pioneer Army and Pioneer Fortress to you!” “At ease, General.” The Marshal nodded and reached out to take the command staff handed over by General Soros. However, due to the height difference, the General had to bend down to complete this gesture properly without stimulating the strange self-esteem of the half-dwarf. “Sit.” Marshal Loren pointed to the sofa nearby. Although extremely strict in military discipline, necessary familiarity and appropriate relaxation were still essential when facing his long-time cooperating old adjutant. As the two sat on opposite sides of the office sofa, an orderly immediately brought in red tea at a suitable temperature. “Has anything noteworthy happened here during my absence?” The Marshal asked while playing with his pipe. General Soros had naturally prepared his speech in advance. After taking a sip of tea, he replied: “Before you left, the beautiful war had already ended, Marshal. What could you expect to happen in this frontier region that’s worth your attention? Although there were no major battles, small conflicts have been frequent, mainly with our ‘neighbors’. Transia To be precise, the Count of Kadman’s domain and Crimson Citadel. That lucky young vampire governor doesn’t seem to be a quiet fellow. I think it’s necessary to give you a report on a series of actions he’s recently carried out.” RA????o₿Ɛs “I heard about it on my way back.” The half-dwarf said with interest: “I heard that fellow defeated a newly risen gnoll warlord?” “Yes, a very swift decapitation operation, and with a strategy of fighting on two fronts, he not only crushed the leader but also broke the gnolls’ newly straightened backs in one fell swoop.” General Soros said in an appreciative tone: “A classic case of the few defeating the many, fully utilizing the vampires’ advantages in the night. Moreover, the unity and extremely high execution demonstrated by the military and civilians of Crimson Citadel during those few days gives a glimpse of some kind of rising power in that place. But most importantly, that vampire governor isn’t as annoying as his kindred. He knows very well how to unite all forces that can be united. This is the key point I want to report to you. Those Seicob Wing Cavalry who have been constantly clashing with our vanguard for the past two years also appeared in that night’s crushing battle and took on quite important responsibilities. It was precisely because of the sudden appearance of the Wing Cavalry formation that the gnoll vanguard besieging Crimson Citadel fell into chaos in an extremely short time.” “No wonder they could achieve such a beautiful war result.” Marshal Loren snorted, raising his pipe to his mouth for a puff. As the rich tobacco aroma spread throughout the office, the half-dwarf Marshal said in a low voice: “I still can’t forget how ferocious those Wing Cavalry were on the battlefield. When we were attacking Seicob City back then, for a full seven days! Every time our army reorganized a defense line, it would be scattered by them. That was the first time I saw such stubborn opponents that couldn’t be dealt with even using artillery combined with spirit energy. Heh, plague. If it weren’t for those mages using this thing, our battle at Seicob City would probably have turned into a mess.” “At that time, the Pioneer Army didn’t have today’s level of organization. Our firepower, personnel quality, and logistics were all very average then. We even had to use that cruel war to train troops and complete the final command system setup.” General Soros shook his head and said: “If it were the Pioneer Army two years later executing the order to attack Seicob City, even the Wing Cavalry wouldn’t be able to interfere with our steps. Of course, I know you don’t like such hypotheticals based on the past, so let me continue reporting on that battle. The Wing Cavalry finally left their forests, allowing our detection mages to finally figure out their current organization. The good news is that our guess was correct. After the heavy losses at Seicob City and two years of continuous conflict, the Wing Cavalry, which once had a full strength of 5,000 men with an equal number of reserves, now has less than 500 able-bodied fighters left. The bad news is that hardship hasn’t crushed those mountain folk; they seem even more ferocious than before. “If they can’t do a good job as soldiers, perhaps mindless hard labor would suit them better. If appeasement can’t make them grateful, then it’s time for the whip to come out.” “Let’s do it!” The half-dwarf spat out a smoke ring and cursed: “Start with those border guards who messed up, and send our soldiers to take over there while starting a large-scale gnoll hunt. Finally, we don’t need that much manpower, right?” “Yes, even if we start reinforcing all the fortress groups and building trench positions simultaneously, according to the staff department’s calculations, we only need half the manpower of those border guards.” General Soros replied: “The other half of the ruffian soldiers will still be a problem.” “But not our problem.” The half-dwarf revealed a strange smile. He returned to his desk and quickly wrote a marshal’s order, saying: “Governor Murphy’s victory at this stage means a victory in the preparation for defense against the Black Disaster. As a member of the civilized camp, we should show our congratulations and goodwill to our neighbor. Soros, select some of the armed blood servants we’ve captured, and find a good time to send them all back. By the way, send the remaining half of the ruffian soldiers to Governor Murphy as manpower aid from the Goldflower Kingdom to Transia! Don’t be stingy with supplies, equip them with necessary weapons. Also send a batch of artillery that’s about to be phased out. Finally, purchase a batch of good military equipment that can arm 500 men as a gift in my personal name.” “Ah, why don’t I participate in such a good deed as well?” General Soros stood up laughing and said to his Marshal: “I’ll also donate military equipment for 200 men, as a thank-you gift to Governor Murphy for helping us solve this headache-inducing problem.” “700 pieces doesn’t sound quite proper.” The half-dwarf stroked his chin, rolled his eyes thinking for a moment, and said: “Let our ‘Colonel Carpe’ make up the last 300 pieces.” “Colonel? Jumping two ranks at once?” General Soros clicked his tongue in wonder and said: “It seems Frayzer’s little essay was deeply appreciated by His Majesty. Come to think of it, who wouldn’t like an excellent young man who’s good at fighting, has a family, and has a good writing skill? Sigh, back in the day, it took me a full ten years to grow from major to colonel, fighting at least six battles.” “Who told you not to have a good father?” Marshal Loren shrugged and took out another transfer order, signing his name. He said: “We also need to send a military chief to Transia to assist Governor Murphy in building an effective defense. It just so happens that Frayzer’s promotion speed is too fast. He needs some presentable military achievements to prove himself. What do you say, if I send the heir of the Carpe family to the front line of resisting the Black Disaster, would it cause me trouble?” “Are you still afraid of them?” General Soros said with a sneer: “Your family background is more... ahem, alright, alright, I won’t say it. I know you hate this topic. All your achievements come from your own efforts, okay?” “Hmph!” Marshal Loren let out a displeased nasal sound, added a name to the transfer order, and said: “Then let Colonel Frayzer be the chief of the military observation team sent to Transia by the Pioneer Army, and your youngest son as his deputy.” “Very good, that little brat indeed needs some hardship to grow up.” General Soros had no objection to this and willingly signed his name on the transfer order as well. A few minutes later, General Soros raised another question, saying: “The few production lines that the Carpe family is preparing to send to Transia have been held up in our defense zone for a week. Should we let them through now?” “Of course.” The half-dwarf Marshal exhaled the last smoke ring and said: “That is the right of the victor. I had you hold those goods before just to prevent them from falling into the hands of the gnolls. Now that they’ve won, these should naturally be delivered to Murphy’s hands. After all, he paid for it. That vampire... Indeed not bad, already showing promise. Perhaps we can compete on the battlefield in the future. A good opponent, tsk tsk, the God of War has truly blessed us.”

Chapter 289:

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