Claude wanted to spend the rest of his days in the army and survive the war.
But that didn't mean he didn't feel a sense of crisis.
Even though this area was voluntarily given up by the Canas nobles and it was rather remote compared to the Great Plains of Canas, it didn't mean this place would remain peaceful forever.
He had a feeling that the Canas nobles would return with their army. There would be a war sooner or later.
That was exactly why Claude urged Major Skri to stock up on all sorts of supplies in preparation for the upcoming battle.
At the same time, he urged his men to turn Landes Castle into a sturdy fortress.
Fortunately, Skri had unconditional trust in Claude and was very supportive of his preparations.
No matter what, they were alone in the enemy's territory and occupied such a large area. Furthermore, they had to rely on a narrow and dangerous mountain path to transport supplies from the rear. Any clear-headed commander would inevitably feel nervous.
Given the geography of this region, the enemy only needed to send a light cavalry unit to trap 1st Ranger Tribe in the four castles. At the same time, they could cut off all communication between the mountain path and the castle.
That was why no one objected to Claude's suggestion. Everyone knew that if the fortress ran out of food and ammunition, the only fate awaiting the defenders would be death or surrender.
In July, all of the Auvilis army's attention was focused on Rimodra. The frontline command had decided to destroy Rimodra before the end of August.
They had mobilized four or five second-rate corps under the command of the imperial guard to launch a fierce attack on the Anti-Austrian Alliance. They were preparing to hand over the credit for destroying Rimodra to the imperial guard.
Bluefeather, which was originally guarding the three southern prefectures and the Rimodra Principality, had been replaced and moved to the former capital of the Askilinian Principality, Braveso, to rest and reorganize.
Once the war in Rimodra was over, Bluefeather would lead two secondary corps into the Great Plains of Canas and press towards Canas's northern bay.
The situation was great for Aueras. Everyone knew that the fall of Sidins, Askilin, and Rimodra had rendered the so-called anti-Aueras alliance unworthy of its name.
The remaining Canas and Nasri couldn't stop the advance of Aueras no matter what.
The war that engulfed the entire eastern region of the continent had been going on for nearly four years. All the participating nations felt like they were at the end of their rope. The only difference was that Aueras was in a victorious position, so it was easier for them to persevere until the final victory.
"We've already stored enough rations for one and a half months, and ammunition can also be used for three months in a defensive battle.
The soldiers who go out to transport the food are all complaining that it's too tiring. Also, the crops we planted have already been harvested, which has greatly reduced the food shortage. Do you think we should rest for a while and let the soldiers relax a little? "Skri asked.
Claude's main purpose in coming to the barracks was to get some news about the frontline. Skri was the aide of the first prince and had many friends at the frontline command. So, he was able to quickly get some intelligence from the frontline with the use of messenger falcons.
To Claude, it was a great way for him to grasp the latest news and understand the progress of the war.
Looking at the reports sent by the falcons over the past half a month, he shook his head. "We have to increase our rations and military supplies as soon as possible. At the very least, we have to have enough rations to last us for three months.
Don't you think it's strange looking at these reports? Even though they're all news of victory, they're all against the armed corps of Rimodra. Not a single soldier from the other nations of the anti-Austrian alliance appeared on the battlefield. "
Skri really didn't notice that. He picked up the reports and found something strange. "That's right. I remember that there's a standing corps from Nasri, three light cavalry corps from Canas, and four from Askilin. The rest are the armed corps of Rimodra.
"The Nasri corps is the personal guard of the alliance and doesn't go to the frontline easily.
"The three light cavalry corps from Canas are very active at the frontline, but they only have two corps left due to their losses.
"The four armed corps from Askilin are the main force defending the frontline. Even though they have four corps, they only have two and a half corps left.
"After Duke Askilin surrendered, the soldiers of those four corps rebelled and surrendered to us. It's said that they didn't even have enough men to form a corps.
"While Rimodra has more than ten corps, most of them are forced conscripted soldiers. They aren't very strong and are treated poorly.
They've always been treated as cannon fodder and aren't a match for our second-rate corps at all. They rarely take on independent defense missions.
"Right now, all these reports are about the annihilation of some corps from Rimodra. There's no news from other nations. Looks like the enemy has started to move. I have to send a letter to the frontline right away."
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the only place the enemy could move was by sea. Their destination was Canas's northern bay. That was the nearest port of the anti-Austrian alliance. All they had to do was stick to the coastline of Askilin and it would take them three days and three nights to get there.
"Let me handle the transport," Claude volunteered.
He wanted to use the opportunity to meet up with his lover, Sheila, in the Witch Grove.
In any case, the transport team had to rest for a night after arriving at Squirrel Village, and they could only set off the next day. They could use that night to visit Sheerah. "As for the soldiers responsible for the transport, we can rotate them and assign a new batch of soldiers every time. They can also relax in the tavern in Squirrel Village."
"Alright, you can make the decision on this matter," Major Skri agreed without hesitation.
However, when Claude returned from Squirrel Village with the pack horses, he saw that Skri was in a bad mood.
"What's wrong?" Claude asked.
Soon, Claude found out what was going on. It turned out that the strategists at frontline had noticed the changes in Rimodra's frontline and came to the same conclusion that the enemy was moving.
The problem was that they had no way of stopping the enemy.
On land, they had to set up defensive lines one after another to slowly approach the three port cities of Rimodra. The reason the coalition pushed the temporary corps of Rimodra to the frontline was to be used as cannon fodder to slow down the advance of the Aueran army.
Since Rimodra was going to be destroyed anyway, he might as well make use of the temporary corps and have them serve as cannon fodder rather than surrender to the Aueran army as captives.
The coalition didn't have high hopes for the temporary corps to hold the defensive lines. Instead, they hoped that the Aueran army would inflict more casualties on the temporary corps when they took over the defensive lines.
The reason was simple. The more casualties there were, the more Aueras would have to pay to govern the area in the future and the longer it would take to develop.
It was an overt plot that would be hard to break even if it was seen through.
In the past half a month, the Aueran army at the frontline had used their cannons and soldiers to take over the enemy's defensive lines, inflicting heavy casualties on the temporary corps of Rimodra. Even though frontline command had ordered them to use bait to force the enemy to lay down their weapons and reduce casualties, it took time and allowed the coalition to slow down the pace of their attacks to speed up the movement of their troops.
It was said that if one stood on the shores of the former duchy of Askilin, they would be able to see countless ships sailing along the coastline towards the northern gulf of Canas. These were the ships escorted by the anti-Austrian Alliance's fleet to transfer the allied forces from Rimodra to Canas.
The reason Skri was in a bad mood was because he heard from his friends at frontline command that the first prince, Hansbach, had completely lost his temper. He was cursing the kingdom's navy in front of everyone for wasting such a great opportunity to wipe out the coalition army. If the navy had allowed Fearless to roam the seas of Rimodra, the enemy wouldn't have dared to move their troops so brazenly.
The enraged first prince even smashed up his own office. The new aide didn't understand the first prince's personality as well as Skri did, so none of them had the courage to persuade him to calm down.
Skri said that if he was by the first prince's side, he would have stopped the first prince from throwing such a tantrum.
As the heir apparent, the first prince couldn't expose his likes and dislikes in front of others to prevent others from taking advantage of him.
Additionally, the first prince's opinion of the kingdom's navy might affect his ascension to the throne.
Even though the first prince had the support of the kingdom's army, the navy had great influence in the royal capital. They used the profits from smuggling between the two continents to form a huge network of connections and interests among the nobles.
That was the first time Claude had heard about the conflicting interests of the upper echelons, but Skri only briefly mentioned it.
Having served as the eldest prince's aide for six years, he had seen many of the shady dealings between the upper echelons of society. Thus, he was worried that the eldest prince's outburst in front of the frontline command would bring about some bad consequences.
"You're the commander of 1st Ranger Tribe, yet you worry about the affairs of the first prince's aide. You might as well return to the first prince's side." That was all Claude could do to tease Skri.
The duchy of Rimodra was destroyed by the end of the 8th month, but the anti-Aueran alliance left a huge mess in Aueras before they retreated. All the nobles of Rimodra left with their families and properties. The alliance also retreated. The alliance fleet even blasted three of Rimodra's port cities into ruins.
All Aueras got in return was a land scorched by the flames of war and nearly three million refugees who were starving for food.
Most of them were old, weak, women, and children. Among them, many of the young and strong were disabled. They had become disabled in this war.
Prince Hansbach now felt that it would be better not to attack Rimodra. Destroying Rimodra would only sound good in name, but in reality, it would not benefit the kingdom at all. In fact, it would be a huge burden to bear.
It was unknown how much money and resources the kingdom would have to invest in this land that had been reduced to ruins in order to restore the lives of the people.
Almost all their plans were delayed by the terrible state of Rimodra. 1st Ranger Tribe, which occupied a remote area on the Great Plains of Canas, was completely forgotten by frontline command.
The most important task for frontline command wasn't to come up with a plan to attack Canas. Instead, it was to provide disaster relief and help the people of Rimodra.
After all, Rimodra was already part of Aueras's territory. If they didn't provide aid, countless people would die of starvation when winter arrived. It was a responsibility the kingdom couldn't ignore.
After the anti-Aueran alliance moved to Canas's northern bay, they rested for a while before resuming their scouting operations on the plains.
Claude received reports of enemy scouts at the end of the eighth month. There were even a few small skirmishes.
In the short span of a week, nine of the twenty-four scouts had been lost, and three of them had managed to escape with injuries. It was as if an entire combat team had been wiped out.
"A week ago, our scouts reported that they found traces of enemy scouts here," Claude said as he stuck a small red flag on the map.
Claude stuck a small red flag on the map. "It's only been a week, and we've already found an enemy cavalry squad here. They're only a day's ride away from us.
It's obvious that they're expanding their scouting range. They're getting closer and closer to us.
I estimate that in less than three days, the enemy's cavalry scouts will come to our area to investigate.
Once they find out that we only have a single tribe stationed here, they'll launch an attack. "
Skri looked worriedly at the location where Claude had placed the red flag. The red flag that represented the enemy's scouts were indeed nearing their area. "How do you think we should deal with them?"
Claude chuckled. "Have you forgotten why we formed Ranger Camp in the first place?
Back then, the first prince had established the Ranger Battalion to deal with light cavalry scouts from Canas, using them as an ambush to deal with light cavalry scouts who could come and go as they pleased.
Now, we can do the same thing and prevent them from coming. "