"What are you doing here?" When Sword Saint Cindy returned to her quarters, she was surprised to find Grand Duke Fesabrun sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping tea.
This was Cherry Blossom Ridge Manor. Ever since Sword Saint Cindy had received
"I came back together with Lorist," Grand Duke Fesabrun replied. "By the way, how is Silivia doing?"
"Rather well. She'll probably give birth in about a month or so. Now that that fellow is back, she's so delighted she can't even be bothered with me, her own foster mother..." Sword Saint Cindy complained with obvious displeasure.
"Haha — at your age, you're still getting jealous of the younger generation?" Grand Duke Fesabrun laughed. "Come, sit here with me. We haven't spent time together in ages."
Sword Saint Cindy walked over, settled down beside Grand Duke Fesabrun, and nestled into his warm embrace. Whenever the two of them were together, Cindy would become like a little girl, utterly dependent on the Grand Duke.
"Traveling such a long way through this terrible blizzard — you must be exhausted?" Sword Saint Cindy reached out to caress Grand Duke Fesabrun's face.
Grand Duke Fesabrun let out a long sigh. "Honestly, you wouldn't believe it, but I'm not the least bit tired. I traveled with Lorist from Westwood Province, pushing on day and night without stopping, and the whole journey took only four days and three nights..."
"That's impossible!" Sword Saint Cindy said in shocked disbelief. "The route passes through so many provinces — let me count: Westwood Province, Perolina Province, Folivord Province, Chixes Province, Meishan Province, Limard Province, the Southern Province, Winston Province, and finally the Northland. Think about it — even riding day and night, it would take at least a full day and night to cross a single province. That's nine provinces total, and in this kind of blizzard on top of it! How could it possibly have taken so little time..."
"It's true, I'm not lying to you." Grand Duke Fesabrun lowered his head and planted a kiss on Sword Saint Cindy's face. Sword Saint Cindy giggled and nestled into the Grand Duke's arms.
"You'd never guess it — we didn't ride horses on our way back, we used a sleigh carriage. Except for the uphill mountain road, where we needed cables and pack horses to haul us, on the downhill slopes and across the plains we actually used sails. I never would have imagined that sails could be used on land. And the worse the blizzard got, the faster the sleigh carriage went — it was practically flying. The scenery along the way flashed past in a blur, impossible to even make out clearly.
"Lorist said the
"That guy just loves using these underhanded tricks," Sword Saint Cindy said.
"Underhanded tricks? Ha, you underestimate these things far too much." Grand Duke Fesabrun's mood turned somber. "I only realize now that when he attacked our family back then, he was already showing mercy and sparing my life. If not for his worry that destroying the Fesabrun Family would leave no one to hold the barbarian cavalry of the northeastern steppes in check, he would have marched straight on Tiger Perch Castle long ago.
"And don't give me any talk about how East Wasteland Province is vast and sparsely populated, how our Border Reconnaissance Corps is fierce and skilled at guerrilla warfare — all he'd need to do is wait until winter, when all our family's soldiers are holed up inside the castle for the season. The Norton Family could easily use the sleigh carriages to transport troops, surround the castle, and take it in one stroke. We wouldn't even be able to flee — we'd have no choice but to surrender."
Sword Saint Cindy's eyes widened in surprise. "No way — since when did you become this pessimistic? Is this sleigh carriage really that miraculous?"
"It's not about the sleigh carriage. While these sleigh carriages are indeed perfectly suited for use on the vast, endless steppes — especially when winter snow covers everything — what I'm talking about is our mindset. The Fesabrun Family is far more conservative compared to the Norton Family, and the younger generation doesn't have anyone outstanding with the ability to innovate or embrace change.
"Oh, and just about six days ago, the Norton Family's Flying Tiger Corps used the cover of heavy snow and skis to seize the defensive position at Weilongni Pass. I witnessed that battle with my own eyes. I watched Lorist ski in at the head of the Flying Tiger Corps soldiers, sweeping like lightning across the white expanse of snow to appear behind the defensive position.
"I'm certain the Red Dragon Corps of the Handral Duchy, who were defending the pass, never imagined that in this kind of snowstorm the enemy would appear at their rear. Thanks to several massive blizzards, snow had piled up all across the mountain terrain — peaks that were normally impossible to cross became open paths with the help of skis, allowing Lorist to launch a completely surprise attack.
"The Red Dragon Corps was completely routed — they couldn't even figure out how the enemy had appeared. Nearly a hundred catapults positioned at the mountain pass fell into our hands completely undamaged, and the number of enemies who managed to flee could be counted on one hand. The defensive position that had stalemated us for eight months was taken just like that, and the Flying Tiger Corps suffered barely any casualties. I finally believe what Lorist said — that winter has no effect on their family's armed forces, and that the heavier the snow and storms, the greater the advantage..."
"Then you could train our Fesabrun Family armed forces in winter warfare too! If that fellow can do it, you should be able to as well," Cinty, the Sword Saint, offered in consolation.
"That's the problem. I carefully observed the Flying Tiger Corps soldiers' equipment and the way they carried out their assault orders. This isn't something that can be achieved with a short period of training — it takes years of routine winter drills to reach that level.
Every single soldier had specially made cold-weather gear. They knew exactly how to avoid getting lost in a blizzard, how to camouflage and conceal themselves in the vast white snowfields, and they were intimately familiar with everything from preventing snow blindness to conserving stamina and maintaining body temperature.
I truly can't believe Lorist invested so heavily in his family's armed forces. I also asked around — it's not just the Flying Tiger Corps soldiers who undergo winter training. All of their family troops receive the exact same training."
Grand Duke Fesabrun let out a long sigh. "I've always been rather full of myself, dreaming of creating a legendary era for the Fesabrun Family. But now I realize that compared to Lorist, I'm utterly lacking in every way — whether in personal martial prowess or in the strength of our family's armed forces. I'm not being discouraged for no reason; the gap is simply too vast.
Having such a neighbor appear right beside our family territories — what an unfortunate fate for me. The only thing that brings me comfort is that the boy married my granddaughter and became part of my family's younger generation. As long as he behaves himself, at least I won't have to worry that the family will decline after I'm gone. For Sylvia's sake, the boy will lend us a helping hand..."
...
On the eleventh day of January in the year 1783 of the Galentea Continent's common calendar, the mistress of the Norton Family — Princess Sylvia, wife of Northland Grand Duke Norton Lorist — gave birth to a healthy baby boy at the Cherry Blossom Ridge estate. Lorist named him Andbell, which means "little bear of peace" in Old Elvish.
After the rainy season ended, envoys from the
It was not until May that Lorist finally packed up and returned to the front lines. The Second Prince had grown so exasperated that the tone of his urgent letters became increasingly impatient. If not for his regard for the dignity expected of a king, Lorist suspected the man would have started hurling abuses in his correspondence.
Sure enough, the situation at the front was a tangled mess. The capture of Weilongni Pass had been an unexpected pleasant surprise for the Second Prince. By the time the report arrived, Lorist had already returned to his family's territory — Princess Sylvia's impending childbirth was a perfectly valid reason, and there was nothing the Second Prince could do about it. When the Second Prince braved the fierce blizzard and arrived at the front, he quickly learned that it was the very skis he had once taken note of that allowed the Flying Tiger Corps to achieve this great feat.
Back in the marshlands of White Heron Lake, the Second Prince had witnessed Lorist glide through the snow on skis as swift as the wind, and he had even learned how to use and craft skis himself. But he had forgotten the most important detail — when he returned home and attempted to assemble a winter assault unit equipped with skis, he discovered that every member of the force would need a set of expensive cold-weather insulated clothing.
The fact that Lorist could outfit every soldier in his family's forces with cold-weather gear was thanks to the magical beast tide of that year. Having slain millions of magical beasts, he had acquired so much fur yet lacked the means to sell it in bulk, so he simply used these precious magical beast pelts to clothe his troops for winter operations.
The Second Prince, however, had no such stockpile of magical beast pelts. He realized that equipping every soldier with a set of cold-weather gear that would allow free movement in winter would become an enormous financial burden. And so, for the sake of his wallet, the winter assault unit he had planned to establish quietly died stillborn.
The Second Prince was green with envy at the individual equipment of the Flying Tiger Corps soldiers, though he knew full well that Lorist had the money for such things. He desperately wanted the Flying Tiger Corps to press on and continue their winter offensive to expand their gains. But Tiger Ross refused his proposal, king or no king. Tiger Ross solemnly informed the Second Prince that Lorist's orders were to hold Weilongni Pass, lest the enemy counterattack and all their previous efforts go to waste. Besides, using skis only worked as a surprise attack against an unprepared enemy. Now that the enemy knew about them, they would naturally be on guard, and pressing the attack would only result in devastating losses that far outweighed any gain.
What utter nonsense. Even if the enemy was prepared, what could they possibly do to you? There was no way they could huddle in trenches through blizzards waiting for your attack — they would freeze to death before a single blow was exchanged. Who else had cold-weather gear as complete as yours, allowing soldiers to come and go as they pleased through snow and storms, appearing and disappearing like ghosts? Unfortunately, the Flying Tiger Corps was not under his direct command — they were Norton Family forces. Tiger Ross's refusal of his order was entirely justified and above reproach.
The Second Prince returned seething with frustration, secretly swearing that even if he had to spend his very last gold coin, he would build a winter-capable assault force. But for now, all he could do was watch valuable opportunities for battle slip away. So the moment the rainy season ended, he sent messenger after messenger to urge Lorist to return to the front: your child has already been born, so what are you still doing in your family's territory? Get back here at once!
The enemy had reorganized their defensive positions and established a second line of defense.
Currently arrayed before the attacking forces were six legions. The four central Grand Dukes had deployed nearly all the military strength at their disposal along this second defensive line: the First and Second Garrison Legions of the Ferrundo Duchy, the White Dragon and Black Dragon Legions of the Handral Duchy — the defeated Red Dragon Legion had already withdrawn to the Delama Province to recuperate and be replenished — and the Green Forest and Blood Spear Legions of the Fakel Duchy. As for the division under Grand Duke Sabagi, it had been positioned along the banks of the Nibaraku River to prevent the enemy from advancing downstream.
Perhaps spurred by the Flying Tiger Legion's capture of the Weilongni Mountain Pass defensive position, by the time Lorist arrived at the front, the Second Prince had already directed his White Lion Legion and Grand Duke Fasaburen's reserve legion to launch several attacks against the Handral Duchy's second line of defense. Yet under the defenders' desperate resistance, the Second Prince had failed to breach the line, suffering heavy casualties in the process—even the reserve legion's steppe cavalry had lost nearly three thousand riders.
"Lorist, the defensive line before us is nothing but a line. Break through a single point and the enemy's entire line will collapse. I believe in the Flying Tiger Legion's striking power, and I hope you can take on this responsibility." Thus did the Second Prince address Lorist at the war council.
After carefully studying the defensive layout map the scouts had drawn up, Lorist shook his head. "I refuse, Your Highness."
"Why?" The Second Prince's expression turned ugly.
"It's simple. I led the Flying Tiger Legion to capture the Weilongni Mountain Pass over the winter in order to increase the defensive pressure on the Handral Duchy. The four central Grand Dukes will soon collapse from insufficient military supplies. One look at the defensive line ahead tells you everything—they've deployed six legions here, which means they must have re-formed new legions behind this line for defense in depth, while also stationing forces along the river to guard against a surprise crossing."
We can imagine just how many troops the Handral Duchy needs to mount a comprehensive defense. With only two provinces left, they simply can't sustain it. As long as we maintain this offensive spearhead and hold it in check without striking, the Handral Duchy will have no choice but to frantically bolster its defenses until it can no longer maintain them. If that's the case, why should we waste our troops attacking this line and getting bogged down with them?"
"But our attacks would apply even greater defensive pressure on them! If the attack succeeds, breaking through this line will make the enemy collapse even faster!" The Second Prince rebutted loudly.
"Perhaps, but that would cost us heavily. Throwing our soldiers into meaningless sacrifice at the very moment when victory is within reach—I consider that pointless," said Lorist.
Just then, a voice from outside the command tent interrupted the argument between the Second Prince and Lorist. "Your Highness, the Handral Grand Duke has sent an envoy requesting an audience."
...