As fine snowflakes drifted down from the grey sky,
November 11th. In his past life, it was Singles' Day, but in Galentea, it was just another ordinary day. For Lorist, it was also the day the last batch of refugees was set to reach Vanners City.
Lorist's face was as sombre as the weather. The arrival of winter meant his plan for the convoy to head north and return to the family's territory was now a pipe dream. The urgent task was to find a safe and comfortable place for the convoy and the refugees to survive the cold season.
"It took twenty-five days just to travel from the border to here—barely over a hundred and forty li. At that rate, how long will it take to return to our territory? A year? Two years? Calculate how much tens of thousands of people consume daily! That is a cost we cannot bear," Lorist said, his tone harsh and severe.
This was the city lord's mansion in Vanners City, which had now become the northern convoy's headquarters.
"It's all because of those refugees. They slowed us down. If it were just our convoy, we could cover sixty li in a day,"
"Look—from Vanners City to the
Lorist pointed at Kibo City on the map. "This is a city directly under the Grand Duke of Madras and also the largest granary in the Dreimark Province. All the grain the Grand Duke collects in this major grain-producing province is stored here. From the documents we seized in Vanners City, we can see that all grain transactions are supplied by Kibo City. Furthermore, last year, the eighty million pounds of grain the Grand Duke lent to the
"There's another document here. It looks like it was never sent out—an order from the Grand Duke of Madras to conduct an inventory of Kibo City's grain reserves. This is also in response to the Second Prince's request for another loan—this time for one hundred and fifty million pounds. However, the Grand Duke requires the Second Prince to repay the previous loan first. It seems the Second Prince has also been severely weakened." Lorist picked up a thick document bound in beast parchment and tossed it onto the table.
"A hundred thousand refugees — we've taken on an enormous burden. Winter is already here, and we still need to prepare winter clothing, shelter, firewood for heating, and food to feed all of them. Today is November eleventh. We must capture Kibo City before the severe cold of December sets in and move everyone there for the winter — it's the only way these hundred thousand refugees will survive."
"My lord, Kibo City won't be easy to take. Back then, the Third Prince led over sixty thousand soldiers of the Royal Guard Corps and still suffered a crushing defeat beneath its walls, retreating in disgrace and making the Iron Guard Corps famous in a single battle. We've already seized Vanners City and Sis Castle — the news has spread throughout Dreimark Province. The defenders of Kibo City will have been on high alert long ago. We won't be able to pull off a surprise attack, and I fear that if we get bogged down in a prolonged siege outside the walls, it will only wear down our convoy's armed forces." Bodifinger looked deeply worried.
"If we want over a hundred thousand people to get through the winter safely, our only option is to take Kibo City. Times have changed — we are not the Third Prince's Royal Guard Corps, and what defends the city is not the Iron Guard Corps. According to the captured officials here, Kibo City currently has only one battalion of garrison troops. I'm quite confident we can take it. What worries me is that even if we capture Kibo City, these hundred thousand refugees march far too slowly. We need to find a way to move them there as quickly as possible — we can't let them hold up our advance." Lorist drummed his fingers on the table, his expression tinged with irritation.
"I think we could put the refugees under military-style organization. For those who are family members of garrison corps soldiers, we could give them the same treatment as relatives of the convoy's armed forces — requisition horse-drawn carriages here and distribute them for transportation. That way, at least fifty to sixty thousand refugees would be able to keep up with our convoy." Faleria stood up and offered his suggestion. As the newly appointed commander of the garrison corps, he knew all too well that what his soldiers envied most was the care and treatment given to the relatives of the convoy's armed forces.
"That's right, it's a good solution." Lorist nodded.
"But my lord, we can't find enough carriages. We only managed to requisition a little over two thousand in Vanners City..." Fatty said, looking troubled.
"Here's what we'll do, Shrade. Try your best to gather more transport from Vanners City, but don't even think about the merchants' goods — what we need right now is speed of movement, not hauling supplies. While we attack Kibo City, you'll be in charge here. Order the artisan camp to build more carriages. If there aren't enough draft horses, one horse per carriage will do. I don't expect the refugees to match the convoy's sixty-li-a-day pace, but they need to maintain at least thirty li per day."
Lorist knew Fatty's habits all too well. The moment the man set foot in Vanners City, he got greedy eyes — his plan was to use military requisition as a pretext to seize all the merchants' goods at a third of their price, then haul everything back to the family's territories. That was why Lorist had to give him a warning in advance, to keep him from ignoring everything else and just hoarding supplies again.
Have they?" Lorist asked.
Bodifinger replied, "They've already arrived — ten thousand men were sent. I completed the handover and rushed back ahead of them. Ross will lead our armored lance cavalry battalion and horse archers back here by tomorrow afternoon."
"Strange, Grand Duke Madras's response is remarkably slow. We've already cut off all transportation and communication from Cidegla Province to the outside — how have they not noticed yet?" Lorist stroked his chin in thought.
Bodifinger chuckled. "My lord, Grand Duke Madras has certainly already learned of Cis Castle's capture. When our scout cavalry entered Cidegla Province, they found that every manor and castle they passed had heightened its defenses. I suspect Grand Duke Madras simply isn't sure whether the enemy that seized Cis Castle intends to press the attack into Cidegla Province or is merely holding a defensive position. That's why he can't order the Haishan Legion to advance — for fear of leaving his own base vulnerable to a surprise attack…"
"That makes sense." Lorist nodded. "In any case, Cis Castle has already been handed over to the Second Prince, and Vanades City will be handed over to him soon enough. Only then can he convert this place into a fortress city to serve as a barrier for annexing Yungashandra Province. Right now, the Second Prince has no excuse to demand we hand it over early, though he's certainly eager for us to get lost before we turn this entire region into wasteland and deprive him of supplies and manpower.
The reason I want to relocate to Kebo City is threefold. First, they have ample food reserves there. Second, it's closer to the Northland, so come spring we can return to the family's territories quickly. Third, I simply don't want to stay here any longer. Once spring arrives, this will be a constant battlefield. If we don't leave now, I'm worried we'll be dragged into these pointless wars again next year. By then, it'll be too late to leave."
"So when do we set out to take Kebo City?" Bodifinger asked.
"Tomorrow morning, we and Yuri's scout cavalry will move out first. Termon will follow with the knights' order. We'll have Ross take three battalions of armored lance cavalry and head directly to Kebo City — speed is essential, time is tight, and we'll regroup there." Lorist said.
…
Six days later, Lorist arrived at a castle in the center of Kebo City, seated in a carriage and accompanied by a dozen guards. The Tobley family's banner flew from the carriage.
The official who received Lorist was a man in his fifties or sixties with graying hair.
"Lord Viscount. I am Blum, the Steward here. I must apologize — although Kebo City is under Grand Duke Madras's direct control, it is a military stronghold and a major storage depot. We do not, as a rule, receive outside guests. If the Lord Viscount wishes to find lodging, please travel ten li east along the main road. That is where you'll find Count Corlock's manor castle. Count Corlock has always been a gracious host, and the Lord Viscount will receive satisfactory hospitality there. As for the grain purchase the Lord Viscount mentioned — frankly, we have no authority over that. Without an official authorization document from the Grand Duke, we cannot ship out a single grain." The old official politely declined Lorist's request.
"So that's how it is. I had the wrong idea about it. Steward Blum, I do apologize — it's my first time visiting your duchy. I'd only heard that Kebo City was the grain trading hub of the duchy, and I assumed it would be as lively as those commercial cities, with transactions happening on the spot." Lorist couldn't hide his disappointment, fully playing the part of a noble who had made a wasted journey.
"That is indeed most regrettable, making your Lordship come all this way for nothing. In truth, all our grain trades were previously held in Vannades City — we would release grain here based only on the amount documented and sealed on the invoices from their sales. However, word has come that Vannades City has been seized by refugees, so now we can only hand over grain upon receiving an authorization document from the Grand Duke." The old official bowed deeply to Lorist.
"It seems I'll have to find a way to request an audience with the Grand Duke, or simply wait for a while longer. Thank you for the guidance. Steward Blum, I'll take my leave now." Lorist nodded to the old official and climbed back into his carriage. Then he departed from Kebo City.
Watching Lorist's carriage disappear into the distance, the old official muttered to himself in bewilderment: "Why would a noble from the Reddish Kingdom come here to buy grain? Even if he bought it, could he transport it back? If he detoured through the Second Prince's Kingdom of Iberia, he'd be taxed half of it at least. Getting a third back would be his lucky day..."
Lorist's carriage headed east for several li until it was beyond Kebo City's patrol range, then turned south. After another half hour or so, a vast stretch of dense evergreen forest appeared ahead. Passing through the forest, a sprawling military encampment came into view.
Lorist entered the command tent with a grim expression. Bodfanger, who had been studying a map, looked up in surprise: "My lord, why have you returned?"
"The plan won't work. We intended to infiltrate Kebo City in batches by lodging inside, then coordinate an inside-outside attack. But we didn't anticipate that Kebo City refuses to accommodate any outsiders in the inner city — whether nobles or mercenaries, none are admitted." Lorist said darkly.
Grabbing a blank piece of animal-hide paper and an ink stick, Lorist began sketching: "Kebo City has two rings of walls. The outer wall matches what the intelligence reported — ten meters tall. The inner wall stands about twenty meters behind it, roughly twelve meters high. Both walls are studded with towers. I didn't see any siege equipment, which means it's probably all stored inside the towers. At the center of Kebo City stands a five-story-tall castle. Even if both outer walls fell, the garrison could retreat inside and fight to the last. It truly deserves its reputation as Iron Kebo — easy to defend, hard to take!"
…
The gray sky began to snow again. He watched the snowflakes drift outside the tent and melt into tiny patches of water on the ground.
Lorist's eyes narrowed, and with a resounding *bang*, he slammed his fist down on the city defense map he had drawn. "Gather every Silver-rank in the army. I'm leading them in a night raid on Kebo City!"
Lorist's plan was simple enough. On a snowy night, with no silver moon in the sky, the darkness was so thick you couldn't see more than a meter ahead. The garrison defending Kebo City was bound to grow lax. In all of Galentea's thousand years of military history, there had never been an instance of a city being assaulted on a snowy night.
He would gather the Silver-rank experts from the family forces, slip through the darkness to the base of Kebo City's walls, climb up, and lower ropes. Rope ladders would be hauled up to bring the rest of his men onto the wall. Control the four towers near the main gate, then open the gates and lower the drawbridge to let the main force pour in.
The second ring of walls would follow the same approach — secure the gate on one side while rushing the castle at the city's center before the enemy could react. Once they held the castle and both gates, the main force could enter at dawn, and the guards on the remaining walls and towers could be dealt with at leisure. This was the principle of a single breakthrough, blossoming from the center.
But a night raid had its difficulties. First, visibility was near zero. On a snowy night, beyond a meter or so you could easily lose sight of the companion ahead of you, lose track of your group, and lose all sense of direction. Second, a moat five or six meters wide lay in front of Kebo City. How were they supposed to cross it? They couldn't very well haul a ten-meter-long plank to use as a bridge — besides, where would they even find one this time of year? Long wooden ladders might work, but in pitch-black darkness, one misstep into the water would risk alerting the guards on the walls and render the whole effort pointless.
Lorist's solution was straightforward. The raiding party would be tied together with rope. Movement would be slower, but since the enemy couldn't see them either, it would be enough to guide everyone to the foot of Kebo City's walls — and there would be no risk of anyone wandering off.
As for crossing the moat, they would use sheepskin rafts — the small boats the local commoners used for fishing and crossing rivers. They were light and easy to carry. The manor castle they had seized yesterday had several of them, though the servants had flipped them over and used them as rooftops for their houses. They didn't need many — one would do. Once the first batch of men crossed the moat, they could tie a rope to the raft and pull it back and forth, ferrying everyone across in short order.
Once the raiders controlled both gates and lowered the drawbridge, they would sound two long blasts and one short blast on the horn. The main force could then light their torches and march on Kebo City.
"That's the plan!" Lorist declared to his subordinates in the command tent, his voice iron-edged. "We have no choice but to take this risk. Everyone, get to work on your preparations!"
Before setting out, Lorist recalled Ail, who was recovering from his injuries in Nadegas City. The man had the ability to see in the dark — he would have been the ideal candidate for a mission like this. Unfortunately, his wounds kept him from joining the night raid.
For old Steward Blum in Kebo City, getting a good night's sleep was a luxury of the past. After only three hours, he woke and found himself unable to drift off again. He gave up, got out of bed, found a book, and lit a candle to wait out the remaining hours till dawn. Gazing at the dark sky outside and the snowflakes drifting against the green glass of his window, the old steward muttered, "Another year nearly gone..."
Just then, the old steward thought he heard three blasts of a horn. "That must be some patrol guard who's had too much to drink again, going mad out there. A whipping come morning is the least he deserves."
A low, rolling peal of thunder rumbled through the air, echoing without end.
The old steward was somewhat surprised — thunder in the snow. That likely meant heavy rain come morning, and he would have to inspect the granaries for leaks again. Sigh...
A burst of clamor rose from downstairs. The old steward grew annoyed. What in blazes was going on tonight? Why all this racket? If these servants didn't get to sleep soon, would they even be able to get up and work tomorrow?
He threw on a coat, intending to go downstairs and give those servants a thorough scolding. He had just pulled open his door when he saw three or four people coming up the castle staircase, and in moments they stood before him.
By the flickering light of the candle in his hand, the old steward stared in dumbfounded shock. There, drenched in blood and mud, stood the young man who had visited that afternoon — Viscount Tribli, or something of that sort, from the Kingdom of Redlis. Yet the young man seemed entirely unconcerned, flashing a polished aristocratic smile that showed two front teeth. "A pleasure to see you again, Steward Blum..."
…(To be continued.)