The continent of Nubissia, Balingana, Aueras.
On the 7th of the November, Year 584 of the Sacred Light Calendar, Claude led Tribe 131 to recapture the town of Feru and annihilate a Shiksan garrison of Krado.
On the 15th of the November, Claude led Tribe 131 to launch a night raid on the enemy camp near the pontoon bridge at Dorinibla River and burned down two of the bridges, cutting off Krado's supply line.
After wiping out one of the enemy's sentries, they set up an ambush and annihilated another mobility battalion that came as reinforcements, seizing a large number of pack horses and four-wheeled carriages.
Influenced by those two victories, Claude led the high-spirited Tribe 131 to launch a night raid on Krado's supply base in Giinke at 11 p.m. on the 19th of the November in an attempt to seize or burn down the enemy's supply depot.
However, the enemy was well prepared and after fighting for eight hours, Claude had no choice but to retreat with Tribe 131 after learning that Krado's reinforcements had arrived.
Even though the operation wasn't a success, Tribe 131 still dealt a heavy blow to the enemy garrison in Giinke. The garrison lost about a full line of soldiers and three of the four defensive lines they set up were breached. Five of the supply depots were burned down as well.
Thus, the enemy had no choice but to deploy two regiments to Geninco Town in case of another surprise attack …
Claude, however, was filled with regret. The operation wasn't worth it. Tribe 131 lost 352 soldiers in the battle, which was equivalent to losing one and a half companies.
Captain Dyavid, the captain of the 2nd Field Brigade, charged too quickly and was hit by a cannonball from the enemy's defensive cannons. He was heavily injured and only managed to survive after much difficulty.
As the saying goes, war is the best teacher for a soldier. Claude admitted that he had underestimated the enemy due to the two previous victories.
But reality slapped him in the face. The enemy wasn't stupid and knew the difference in power between the two sides.
The four defensive lines they set up in Giinke acted as bait to lure Tribe 131 deeper into the town and entangle them with the enemy's fire, successfully delaying the enemy until reinforcements arrived.
Claude reflected on himself after the battle and realized that he had made quite a few mistakes during the operation.
Due to the success of their assault on the enemy's outer perimeter, Claude and Tribe 131 had underestimated the enemy's combat prowess. Even though the enemy consisted of two garrison lines, Claude and his men didn't take them seriously at all.
Nobody expected the enemy to concentrate most of their cannons on the last defensive line. The first three defensive lines only had a small number of cannons and they even hid them in the residential houses. The surprise attack dealt a heavy blow to Tribe 131.
When they broke through the first three defensive lines, Tribe 131 didn't think the enemy was much. They used their muskets to suppress the enemy's cannons and launched a surprise attack.
But who would've thought that there was another cannon in the house next to the cannons? The sudden barrage of grapeshot killed a dozen soldiers, and Dyavid was lucky enough to only be hit by two grapeshot bullets.
That was how Dyavid got injured. Fortunately, he only got hit by two of the cannons. That was how he got injured.
When he returned and reviewed the battle, he realized that the enemy's fourth line of defense was well-organized. The area of effect of the cannons' cannons was carefully calculated.
Fortunately, Tribe 131 was well-trained and understood the importance of not huddling together during a charge. That was how they managed to reduce the number of casualties. The injured soldiers were also given first aid and most of the wounded were saved.
Fortunately, the soldiers of Tribe 131 were well-trained and understood the importance of not huddling together during a charge. That was how they managed to reduce the number of casualties as much as possible. Moreover, the injured soldiers were immediately rescued and given first aid, saving the lives of most of the injured.
But as more and more of their comrades died, Tribe 131's eyes turned bloodshot. That was why Claude ordered a retreat when he learned that enemy reinforcements were about to arrive. Many of the soldiers wanted to hold on for a little longer before launching another attack.
The fallen warriors were cremated and placed in urns, while the injured were sent to Anfiston to recuperate in the rear.
Claude calmed himself down after some reflection. However, he made up his mind that he wouldn't bring Tribe 131 to attack a heavily fortified stronghold unless he was a hundred percent certain of success.
The weather on Nubissia was warmer than on Freia. It was almost December and there wasn't any snow yet.
The weather, on the other hand, was getting colder, especially the gusts of wind blowing through the wilderness. It was very easy to freeze one's limbs while on horseback when scouting. This was a huge problem for the soldiers of Tribe 131.
"Sir, Krado has slowed down the pace of their attack. It should have something to do with us burning the pontoon bridge and cutting off their supplies.
I don't think they're lacking in ammunition and rations. The town's logistics base has a lot of them.
However, I noticed that their soldiers are still on sentry duty in unlined clothing. I think they might be lacking in clothing to keep warm.
Also, they've slaughtered all the cattle grazing by the kingdom's citizens. Their tanned sheepskins are drying on the empty ground in town, "Berklin reported.
Berklin reported the results of his investigation. "The enemy stationed a line of soldiers at the bridge. They've dug a trench around the original sentry camp and built a wall that's as tall as half a man's height to strengthen the defences.
There are five or six ferries on the river. I can see from my binoculars that they're preparing to repair the two pontoons we burned.
There are a lot of wooden planks and ropes on the other side of the river. There are also many carpenters working on something. "
Repair the pontoons?
Dream on.
Claude wouldn't allow Krado to restore their supply route. Winter had arrived and the weather was getting colder.
The enemy wouldn't starve or die of thirst if they were by the river. Their ammunition reserves were sufficient and they could still fight. However, the enemy wouldn't be able to move around without warm clothing. Once they lost the ability to move, they would be sitting ducks waiting to be hit. The initiative on the battlefield was in his hands.
Some things were simple. Without clothing to keep warm, the enemy would have to use the opportunity to cut down trees to stock up on fuel to keep their soldiers warm.
Claude had ordered Moriad to lead three companies of soldiers to carry out sniping operations against the enemies who went out to cut wood.
After suffering a few losses, the enemy now had to be escorted by a line of soldiers when they went out to cut down trees. Even so, they still suffered dozens of casualties each time. On the other hand, Tribe 131's soldiers would flee after a fight and the enemy would chase them into traps, causing them to suffer heavy casualties.
Dozens of casualties a day meant that they would lose more than a thousand people in a month.
Claude wasn't in a rush at all. Many a little makes a mickle. Taking it slow would allow him to fully utilize Tribe 131's fighting prowess and mobility while suffering very few casualties.
But now that the enemy was preparing to repair the two pontoons, Claude wouldn't allow it.
If the bridge was repaired, all the hard work Claude and 1st Ranger had put in during this period would be for naught.
By using the cold weather to reduce the enemy's fighting prowess, they might really be able to swallow Krado whole when the next folk arrived.
Myjack walked in. "Sir, there are still a hundred or so households in town that refuse to leave. Also, our spies noticed that they have close ties with the Shiksan officers. Some of their young women have become lovers of the enemy officers. I believe that our persuasion to evacuate has been discovered by the enemy and they've strengthened their defences."
Claude nodded. "Forget it then. We don't have to care about those who seek death. Their actions are already evidence of treason, so we don't have to worry about their safety."
What Claude wanted Myjack to do was to persuade those who hadn't evacuated to Feru or the colony behind Geinke. The excuse was simple: the kingdom's army was about to launch another attack on Geinke.
Considering that the attack this time would be much fiercer than the previous one, it was best for the townspeople to leave the war zone in advance to ensure the safety of their families and belongings.
There were only about three thousand or so of the kingdom's citizens left in Geinke and around five hundred households.
When the war broke out, half of the townspeople fled to Brikaman while the rest went to the colonies to seek refuge with their friends and family. Some of them left after Krado took over the town.
Those who remained in town were those with large families and businesses who couldn't leave. Their assets were all in the town's real estate and they would be wiped out the moment they left.
Claude had Myjack persuade the remaining citizens to leave the town. He wasn't really planning on launching another attack, but rather, it was a precaution against enemies who didn't have enough clothing to keep them warm during the snowfall. That way, the citizens would be harmed.
Compared to the heavily guarded north of the town, it was much easier to sneak into the residential area in the south.
Myjack had personally gone to persuade the townspeople the first two times. After that, he entrusted the more reputable figures in town to do the same.
The sentries in town noticed that someone had informed the enemy garrison and they sent a squad to the home of the informant to capture Myjack. Naturally, they ended up waiting for nothing for two nights.
Before the kingdom's citizens were evacuated, Claude instructed them not to engage the enemy in the residential area in the south of the town to prevent the enemy from inflicting damage on the kingdom's citizens in a fit of rage.
Even though both sides in Nubissia had to abide by the unspoken rule of not harming their own citizens, there was nothing they could do if the enemy took it out on them.
Snow usually fell between the end of December and the end of January on Nubissia. It was said to be the coldest period of the year.
The rainy season in March wasn't as long as it was on Freia. There were only about ten days of rain and there wasn't much precipitation either.
However, there was another fifteen days of rainy season between the middle of June and the beginning of July. That was when the rain was the heaviest.
Since most of the townspeople had left Geinke, Claude didn't care about the hundred or so households that had defected to Shiks.
After some thought, he said to Myjack, "Let's carry out the barbecue plan."
Fire was needed for barbecuing and Claude wanted to burn the residential area in the south of Geinke to ashes. That way, the enemy wouldn't be able to use the houses to keep out the cold.
At the same time, Claude hoped to use the fire to burn down the supply depot the enemy had set up in the north of town.
If it worked, Krado, who lacked food and ammunition, would be nothing more than meat under Claude's blade. He could do whatever he wanted with them.
At ten o 'clock on the 27th of November, Myjack led Gum and the security squad into the residential area south of Jinke Town. They poured kerosene on the houses that had been evacuated and set the entire residential area on fire.
Claude and the rest of Tribe 131 set up an ambush at the north of the town in hopes that the fire would spread to the north and cause chaos in the enemy's defences. That way, they would be able to burn down the supply depot and force the defending enemy to retreat.
When that happened, Tribe 131 would be able to launch a fatal attack on the enemy.
Unfortunately, Claude's hopes were dashed.
The town of Geinke was located near the Albatol Plains and Dorinibla River on Nubissia. Most of the residents built their houses with stone and sand as walls to increase their defences.
It was said that when the first settlers built the town, there were many wild beasts and wolves in the area, so they had to consider the sturdiness of the houses.
Because of this, the fires of these dwellings did not appear to be very great, and the flames were mostly leaping out of the roofs and windows and doors, rather than burning so fiercely and fiercely as those which were all built of wood.
The stone walls served as a barrier to the flames, much to Claude's dismay. If he hadn't poured oil on them beforehand, the fire might not have even spread.
The fire was huge and the residents who didn't listen to the warnings to evacuate had it worse. They were jolted awake from their sleep and hurriedly brought their families out of the burning area.
Even though the entire residential area was set ablaze, the enemy in the north of the town reacted even faster. Squads of soldiers rushed into the streets and tore down the houses. Soon, they set up a wide fire barrier.
At the same time, they passed buckets of water over and poured it all over the roofs and walls of the warehouse.
Claude and the soldiers of Tribe 131 could only lie on the ground and watch as the fire in the south died down.
What pained Claude the most was that the southerly wind he wanted only came when the fire was almost extinguished.
Had it been two hours earlier, the southerly wind would've brought a large amount of sparks to the north of the town. The enemy wouldn't have made any preparations then. As long as a few warehouses were set ablaze, the southerly wind would help the fire spread and Claude's wish would be fulfilled.
"Let's return to camp. Looks like there's nothing we can do."
Claude shook his head and instructed Berklin, "Go to the river tomorrow and see if there's a more suitable place to cross."
"Sir, you want to cross the river?" Berklin asked.
"Yes. Didn't you report that the enemy camp on this side of the river is guarded by a full line of soldiers? They're heavily guarded and we won't be able to attack them like we did last time.
Claude pondered for a moment. "Since the security here is tight, we can definitely cross the river to take a look.
The enemy thinks that we won't be able to cross Dorinibla River, so I believe that the camp on the other side of the river must be quite relaxed. If we can't attack this side, we can cross the river and attack that camp and burn the materials there. The result will be the same for us and the enemy. They won't be able to repair the bridge. "
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