After Major Liedefonk left, a few days later, the number of pedestrians on the mountain road gradually became sparse.
Those who should have fled had mostly left. The few that did come were small traders who braved the cold to earn some money.
They led their donkeys and carried two bamboo baskets filled with all sorts of goods. They stopped by the villages along the mountain path to sell their goods and try their best to earn a few copper coins from the villagers.
However, in Squirrel Village, they were more willing to use their goods to trade for a type of ointment that the villagers had, a dark green paste.
It was said that the ointment was extremely effective against headaches, fevers, and colds in children. Claude believed that it was some sort of folk remedy.
The villagers didn't have herbalists to treat them when they fell ill. Over the course of their lives, they learned how to use the herbs they grew in the mountains to treat their ailments and turned them into the ointment.
It was already the middle of February, the melting season. The frozen snow on the mountain path began to melt and the ground was wet. Every step they took would leave a trail of mud behind.
It was a really annoying weather. Even though it was getting colder and colder, the heat from the ground melted the snow. The humidity was so high that it was easy to catch a cold or a fever if one wasn't careful.
Claude had no choice but to reduce the number of soldiers on duty.
Some time ago, Maziq and his platoon had set up checkpoints on the mountain path and earned quite a bit. Apart from the portion that was handed over to the battalion, Claude got around two gold crowns for himself and the platoon's soldiers each received a thale or so.
Naturally, Claude didn't care for that bit of money. He ordered his share to be sent to the village to buy a few pigs, lambs, and barrels of rye wine for the soldiers' meals.
Recalling what Major Ledefonk said about the gunny sacks, Claude asked Myjack to call the village elder over and tell him about it.
Claude had thought that the village elder would be delighted to be able to earn some extra income, but he didn't think that he would tell Claude that the village was so poor that they didn't even have enough thread to weave sacks with.
However, the village elder suggested that they could find some old vines in the mountains to weave baskets to replace the sacks. Claude agreed after some thought.
The ammunition and rations that Ledefonk promised were quickly delivered. He also brought along a light, live cannon. It was a type of infantry cannon produced by Askilin for field use. It could only fire fist-sized solid projectiles and its maximum range was only around 300 metres. It couldn't fire canister shells and was considered an obsolete type of light cannon. The only advantage it had was that it was light and portable. It could be split into several parts and carried on a pack horse.
Bluefeather didn't think much of the light cannons that could only fire solid projectiles and had a short range. So, Liedefonk decided to give Claude one just in case.
The one in charge of the logistics was Moriad. His platoon was ordered to set up camp at Blackrock Village, which was about ten kilometers away from Squirrel Village. That way, they would be in charge of providing reinforcements should Claude's side of the battle break out.
Moriad complained the moment he saw Claude. The mountain path was far too difficult to traverse. Putting aside the mud and potholes, they also had to remove the mud from the horses' hooves and wheels.
Fortunately, even though most of the ground was melting, it was still sturdy enough for the carriages to pass through.
Claude estimated that the supplies were enough to last the sixty of them for more than two months. Even if the enemy attacked, they would be able to hold out for a long time with enough ammunition. Coupled with the support of Moriad's band, it wouldn't be too difficult to seal off the mountain path and prevent the enemy from entering the three southern prefectures.
Moriad said that after Liedefonk inspected the checkpoints that 1st Ranger Tribe was in charge of, he ordered the dismantling of more than ten less important outposts and reorganized the other ones. Now, there were two more bands in reserve.
Even the outpost he was in charge of was removed. His band was sent to Blackrock Village as backup and was in charge of setting up a second line of defense there.
Another piece of news was that the road to Piklete Mountains had been completed and the large cannons that Bluefeather required were being shipped over.
Currently, Bluefeather was deploying all its manpower and resources to build a defensive line at the border between the three southern prefectures and the Principality of Rimodra. They had also recruited countless workers from the three southern prefectures and forced them to help build the defensive facilities.
The anti-Auerian alliance in Rimodra had already learned that the three southern prefectures of Askilin had fallen and their morale was shaken. Several of their defensive lines were broken through by the Auerian army.
They mobilized a light cavalry division from Canas to check out the situation in the three southern prefectures, but they were ambushed by Bluefeather at Crombo Valley and were almost completely wiped out. Only a few hundred of them managed to escape.
The higher-ups of the alliance believed that they were heavily surrounded and didn't dare to make a move in Rimodra, giving Bluefeather time to build a defensive line.
Bluefeather crossed the Piklete Mountains and took over the three southern prefectures of Askilin. It was the biggest highlight of the war that engulfed all the nations in the eastern part of the continent.
Aueras had the advantage of the right time and place to cross the Piklete Mountains in the middle of winter. They managed to catch the enemy off guard, especially during the winter.
It was customary for people to stay indoors during the winter.
Rimodra's anti-Auerian alliance, for example, apart from maintaining the frontlines, most of the other nations' armed forces were holed up in their camps and couldn't respond in time.
When they first received news of the enemy's appearance in the three southern prefectures, they thought it was a drunken joke.
By the time it was confirmed that the three southern prefectures of Askilin had been taken by the enemy, more than a month had passed. That gave Bluefeather ample time to react.
At that time, the higher-ups of the alliance believed that Aueras had sent a small portion of their forces to harass the three southern prefectures. They weren't willing to use the majority of their forces to launch a counterattack during the winter, worried that it would drag down the rest of the army.
On the other hand, the Auerian army had stepped up their attacks in Rimodra, putting a lot of pressure on the alliance.
Many of the higher-ups of the alliance believed that it was a diversionary tactic by Aueras to prevent the alliance from recovering their morale during the winter.
So, after several days of discussion, they decided to send a light cavalry division from Canas to check out the situation.
Bluefeather, on the other hand, responded well. The scouts at the frontlines noticed that the enemy had only sent out a light cavalry division. They set up an ambush at Colombo Valley, which was the only way to get to the three southern prefectures, and almost wiped out the light cavalry division.
The higher-ups of the anti-Auerian alliance became suspicious. They believed that Bluefeather's appearance in the three southern prefectures meant that Aueras was pressuring them and wouldn't dare to send out any more reinforcements. That gave Bluefeather some time to set up a defensive line.
Claude, on the other hand, was rather interested in how the two second-rate corps were able to build cannons in such a short period of time. 1st Ranger Tribe, as the pathfinders of Bluefeather, suffered quite a bit while searching for a path in Pikleit Mountains.
Claude knew very well how the roads there were. It was one thing to cross them with light equipment, but it was extremely difficult to transport heavy equipment like cannons.
There were many places that people could crawl over, but four-wheeled carriages wouldn't be able to cross.
However, Moriad was well-informed and managed to find out quite a bit of insider information.
He told Claude that Bluefeather's plan to cross the Piklete Mountains and build a road there, as well as the snake trap they used to ambush the enemy light cavalry division, were all part of a major-general's plan.
It was said that the major-general's name was Michelic Priest. He was a 48-year-old commoner and was a professor of war history in the royal capital's Stellin Military Academy.
This time, he had followed the army to the frontlines as the first prince's advisor. While the kingdom's army was in a stalemate with the anti-Austrian Alliance, he had come up with a strategy to cross the Pikleit Mountains and launch a surprise attack on the three southern prefectures. He had won the first prince's appreciation and was promoted to be the new chief of staff of Bluefeather.
After crossing the Pikleit Mountains, General Michelci Priest commanded two second-line corps to cut down trees and pave a road. In just over two months, a trestle road was paved in the Pikleit Mountains, which could be used to transport heavy equipment such as large cannons.
After receiving news that the Modra Duchy's anti-Auerian alliance had sent a light cavalry division to the three southern prefectures, he had rushed back to Bluefeather that very night and convinced all the high-ranking officers to leave the base. They had set up an ambush in Colombo Valley and surrounded and annihilated the light cavalry division, giving the enemy the impression that Bluefeather was preparing to launch an attack. They hurriedly went on the defensive and won precious time for Bluefeather.
Moriad's eyes shone like stars and his tone was filled with reverence. "The latest news is that Michelic Priest has been promoted to lieutenant general by the first prince for his three contributions.
It's also said that the first prince has asked the king for permission to make him a viscount and give him a courtesy name.
If that's true, Michelic Priest will be the first soldier to receive a noble title in the kingdom since the start of the war. "
It was obvious that Michelic Priest was one of the rising stars of Aueras during the war.
However, Claude was rather puzzled. The general was originally a major-general. Logically speaking, generals of the kingdom were all nobles, so why was he a commoner?
Even if he was a commoner, he should be granted a noble title after being promoted to major-general, yet he didn't. Was there some sort of story behind it?
It was a pity that Moriad wasn't Berklin. That fellow was quite good at gathering information. If he was interested in someone, he could even find out what colour of pajamas they liked to wear at night.
Moriad worshipped Michelic Priest out of the respect a soldier had for an ever-victorious general. There wasn't a single soldier who didn't want to serve under a general who could always win battles.
Moriad stayed for a night before returning with his men. Claude spent the next few days quite leisurely.
He wanted to organize his troops for training, but there wasn't much for them to do in the weather.
Apart from looking at the dark clouds in the sky, Claude would occasionally go to Squirrel Village to check on the quality of the rattan baskets the village elder and the others were making.
Occasionally, he would hear the villagers mention a waterfall and a lake in the mountains, so he decided to go for a stroll.
When the village elder and the others heard Claude ask about the waterfall and lake, they looked rather flustered and hurriedly told him about the water monsters in the lake, the wild wolves and ferocious black bears in the mountains.
It was already the end of February and the rainy season was about to arrive. Many of the hibernating black bears had already woken up and were hunting in the forests. It would be dangerous for humans to go there.
In short, the villagers wanted to dispel Claude's thoughts of going for a stroll in the mountains, which made him suspect that they were hiding something.
Of course, he still pretended to accept their suggestions humbly and decided not to go for a stroll in the mountains. He noticed that the villagers and the village elder were visibly relieved.
"Myjack, keep an eye out for the next few days. See if there's anything strange about the villagers. I suspect they're hiding something." After returning to camp, Claude called for Myjack and ordered him to keep an eye on the village.
One day later, Myjack reported with reddened eyes, "Sir, I found the village elder's wife going up the mountain at ten at night last night. She didn't go far though. She put down a small basket in the woods on the hillside and went down the mountain.
This morning, I found her going up the mountain again and took back the basket in the woods.
But the appearance of her basket had changed.
I remember that she took a flat rectangular basket, but what she brought back was a round and straight basket … "
Claude nodded. The villagers were indeed hiding something. "You didn't sleep the whole night. Go get some rest.
Tell Germi to take turns with you at night. If you find any villagers going up the mountain again, call me immediately. "
Two days later, just as Claude laid down to rest, Myjack woke him up. "Sir, the village elder's wife went up the mountain with a basket again."