Claude breathed a long sigh of relief as he looked at the majestic Wickhamsburg in the distance.
On the 8th of February, Year 587 of the Sacred Light Calendar, Claude led Line 131 to Wickhamsburg, the capital of Cromwell's colony, after more than ten days of trekking. They hid in a snow-covered forest.
"Sir, according to our scouts, there are two enemy lines stationed at Wickhamsburg. One of them is the supply line of Shiksan Cybok, responsible for the transportation of supplies.
The other is a garrison line from the Shiksan colony. They're responsible for the defense of Wickhamsburg, "Major Berklin reported to Claude.
The light cavalry battalion commander, Major Berklin, who had already arrived at Cromwell's territory, reported to Claude, "Due to the massacre last November, the slums around Wickhamshire Castle have long been cleared of nikancha people.
That means we can't disguise ourselves as nikancha people to sneak into the city or move around the castle.
"Due to the repeated attacks on their supply lines, Wickhamsburg has stopped sending supplies to Auberhound Town in Balingana. However, the supply caravans from Port Vebator still make a trip here every two weeks.
"I once pretended to be a lost adventurer and snuck into one of the caravans. I heard from the coachman that there aren't many supplies left in Port Vebator and most of them have been sent to Wickhamsburg."
Claude pulled his robe tighter. The winters on Nubissia were far too cold. Even though it was February, he could still feel the cold seeping into his clothes.
Even though he was wearing leather pants, gloves, boots and a robe, he still felt his body freeze up.
But after standing there for a while, he felt his entire body stiffen.
Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that he had been riding a horse for half a day. Riding a horse in such weather was nothing short of torture.
Claude stomped his feet and cursed. It really wasn't the right time to attack Wickhamsburg in such weather and destroy the supplies in the city.
But a military order had to be obeyed no matter how reluctant he was.
It was an order personally written by Michelc for Claude to burn down the enemy's supplies in Wickhamsburg before the end of the second month. That was to cut off the enemy's last hope and end the war that had been going on for over four months.
Since the start of the war last October, Line 131, led by Claude, cut off the enemy's supply lines according to the plan, preventing the enemy's supplies from reaching the frontlines.
Even if the enemy used a regiment of troops to escort the supply convoy, the result would still be the same. The escorting troops would either be completely wiped out, or those who didn't see the situation would run away.
As for the supplies, they were either seized for their own use or burned on the spot.
On the other hand, the regiment had gained more than two hundred brand-new four-wheeled carriages, all of which were the best spoils of war that had been carefully selected.
Micheki led Ranger and a part of 1st Field Division to annihilate Shiksan's Tanya and ambush Kujoa. Claude's Line 131 didn't take part in the battle.
At that time, Claude was busy leading his troops to attack the Shiksan convoys all over the place and seized countless rations and armaments.
It was enough for Ranger and 1st Field Division to use for the better part of a year. That greatly reduced the burden of supplying supplies from Robisto and earned him a huge reward from the corps.
In December, the enemy learned their lesson and no longer used a single battalion to escort the supply convoys. Instead, they gathered the forces of a garrison line.
But at the same time, Claude gathered four battalions under his command and ambushed the garrison line escorting the convoy. Then, he took over the enemy's frontline logistics base in Balingana, Rocky Kid, and burned the town that used to be famous for its bison leather products to ashes.
Ever since then, the Shiksan logistics bases knew that they couldn't defend against the attacks of their fleets with their own strength.
Apart from strengthening the defenses of the supply towns, they could only hope for the frontline corps to send some troops back to escort the supplies.
Unfortunately, the three remaining corps at the frontline couldn't even fend for themselves. They finally managed to send a folk to escort the supplies, only to be swallowed up by Ranger before they even reached their destination.
It was snowing heavily in the first month of the new year. The Shiksan corps of Wicklan, Cybok and Faybort huddled together by Dorinibla River for warmth and stayed put.
The few supply towns lost their morale and didn't plan to send supplies to the frontline anymore. They stayed in their towns and defended themselves to the death.
As such, Line 131 could only endure the cold in the wilderness of Balingana. Claude was so angry that he wanted to take over the next town to survive the cold.
But in the middle of the first month, Claude received an order from General Michelic to launch a surprise attack on the capital of Cromwell, Wickhamsburg, and burn down the Shiksan military supplies there.
It wasn't some far-fetched mission that couldn't be accomplished. Rather, he had been ordered to dig a secret tunnel to the outside of Wickhamsburg during the evacuation last year, just in case.
Back then, the five corps of Shiks had set up their logistics base at Wickhamsburg to store all the supplies from Port Vebator.
Even though Claude's Line 131 successfully cut off the enemy's supply line, Michelic still had to be wary of the enemy's three corps suddenly retreating back to Wickhamsburg. If that happened, the battle would be dragged out once more.
"Sir, we could've taken Wickhamsburg if we gathered the entire corps. Why did we have to burn down the supplies?
The military resources needed by the five standing legions was a huge sum of wealth.
If we could take it back, we'd be rich, "Berklin said.
Claude shook his head. "Burning down the supplies will cut off the enemy's hope. If we take Wickhamsburg and take the supplies, we'll lose the initiative on the battlefield. We'll be out in the open and can only wait for the enemy to attack.
In other words, we'll lose our mobility and agility. We'll have to defend Wickhamsburg to the death to protect the supplies and fight the enemy to the death.
The enemy's military supplies in Wickhamshire Castle may be valuable, but they are not what we urgently need.
"The captured enemies have already told us what the supplies are. It's nothing more than rations, winter uniforms, firearms, daily necessities and luxuries for high-ranking officers.
"The only things we can use immediately are alcohol and high-grade food. It's not worth sacrificing the lives of our soldiers for that.
"We have our own rations and we can't use the enemy's winter uniforms. As for the firearms and ammunition, they don't match the standard equipment of our kingdom. I'm sure you won't be interested in them either. Those daily necessities will only be a burden.
"If we take Wickhamsburg, those things can be exchanged for quite a bit of money after the war.
But for the enemy, it's their only hope of survival. They'll definitely attack Wickhamsburg to the death before they run out of supplies.
Think about it and you'll understand. If the three standing corps were to break camp and retreat, Ranger wouldn't be able to stop them.
"It'll take a month to get here from Dorinibla River. I'm sure the enemy's rations will be depleted by then.
"Even if we take Wickhamsburg, it'll be the only way for them to survive and they'll attack with everything they have.
"Do you think we can defend against two hundred thousand enemies alone?
"On the contrary, we've burned down the supplies in Wickhamsburg. Even if the three corps retreat now, they'll only feel despair when they see their warehouses reduced to ashes.
"Once they're relieved, they won't be in the mood to fight anymore. Without rations, they'll have no choice but to surrender to us in order to survive.
General Michelci ordered us to burn down the supplies here in order to eliminate the enemy's three standing corps with the least amount of effort.
Do you understand? "
Sometimes, Claude had no choice but to break down the details of strategy and teach them to his trusted aides in hopes that they would grow up quickly.
Sometimes, it wasn't a good thing to be promoted too quickly after making too many contributions. For example, after Berklin was promoted to Major and became the Light Cavalry Battalion Commander, he was rather outstanding in terms of tactics, but he had a poor view of the overall situation and was easily deceived by what he saw on the surface.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have said that he wanted to take over Wickhamsburg Castle. It sounded like he was greedy, but the truth was that his victory over the enemy's logistics convoy had increased his arrogance, and he didn't take the enemy seriously …
"I understand, Sir," Berklin said, embarrassed.
Berklin said shamefully. Bloweyk, Myjack and a few other aides nodded in agreement.
"Alright, we have to think of a way to get close to the castle," Claude said with a smile before furrowing his brow.
Claude chuckled before furrowing his brow. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have dug the exit near the moat. I'd rather dig it further."
The exit of the tunnel they dug last year was inside the moat outside the castle. It was camouflaged and the enemies wouldn't be able to find it easily.
But the problem was that it was winter now, and the snow in the moat was a foot deep. Coupled with the thawing period, it looked like a vast expanse of white on the surface, but in reality, if one stepped into the moat, it was guaranteed to be muddy.
If an enemy were to poke their head out to take a closer look, they'd be able to see the traces left behind by someone sneaking into the moat.
Just as Claude and the rest were pondering how to infiltrate Wickhamsburg to commit murder and arson, the Seaking fleet that Wicklan, Cybok and Faybort were waiting for finally arrived at Robisto's capital, Port Patres. Without a word, they launched an attack on the port.
The intense cannon battle lasted for three days and three nights. Relying on long-range cannons during the day and close in at night, Seaking nearly destroyed the entire port.
This was the largest naval attack that Port Patres had ever suffered since it was built. The bombardment from nearly a hundred battleships from Sea King's Fleet had almost turned the port into ruins.
Sea King's Fleet had yet to achieve victory. There were still seven or eight cannons firing back at the ruined Port Patres …
Forty-seven warships were damaged and had to return to Port Vebator for repairs. Twenty-one warships sank in the waters around Port Patres.
But to Seaking, the destruction of the cannons at the entrance of Dorinibla River was a huge victory. It meant that the river could now be unimpeded.
Therefore, the remaining 32 warships of the Sea King Fleet carried nearly 50 ocean-going transport ships upstream and prepared to reach the camps of the three standing legions.
What Seaking didn't expect, however, was that Michelc had already set up iron chains along the river to block the fleet's path.
Following that, three secret heavy cannons along the coast opened fire and sank three transport ships and one warship in the first round.
Caught off guard, Seaking only retaliated after suffering heavy losses. By then, Ranger had mobilized almost all of their light infantry cannons to join the battle.
Although the fist-sized projectiles of the light infantry field artillery could not cause direct damage to the warships of the Sea King Fleet, the red-hot projectiles still ignited the sails when they fell on the deck, posing a great threat to the sailors and crew on the ship.
The ships caught fire one after another. The scale of Seaking's counterattack grew smaller and smaller. Warships were hit one after another and slowly sank. Sailors jumped off the ships in search of survival.
But in February, the river was bone-chillingly cold. Many sailors and sailors suddenly sank as they swam in the river, never to resurface again …
The battle at Dorinibla River on the 12th of February was the most tragic day for Seaking's fleet. It wasn't at sea, but in a battle of fleet against fleet.
Instead, they were ambushed by the enemy's land forces in the inland rivers. Most of their warships and transport ships were destroyed by heavy artillery and light infantry cannons. Only eight warships and eleven transport ships were lucky enough to escape destruction and return to Port Vebator.
From the bombardment of Port Patres to the ambush at Dorinibla River, the Shiksan fleet had suffered heavy losses.
While there were still more than 50 warships that returned to Port Vebator, they were all heavily damaged and couldn't even return to Shiks before they were fully repaired. Within a year and a half, Seaking's flag and patrolling warships would no longer be seen at sea.
After learning about the tragic end of Sea King's fleet, the three standing legions no longer hesitated. They immediately broke camp and embarked on the road back to Wickham Castle, which was directly under Cromwell's jurisdiction.
Ranger didn't block the enemy's path of retreat. Instead, they occupied the three enemy supply towns and emptied them of their supplies so that the enemy wouldn't be able to replenish them.
On the 25th of February, Claude personally led a small squad dressed in Shiksan uniform and took advantage of the enemy's carelessness to sneak into Wickhamsburg through a secret passage.
Then, in the middle of the night, several warehouses that stored rations and fodder were set ablaze.
While the enemy was busy putting out the fire, Claude opened the gates with his men.
The well-prepared Line 131 charged into the castle and quickly routed the enemy before taking over the entire castle.
The next day, more warehouses were set ablaze. Claude led Line 131 and escorted the captives out of Wickhamsburg in hundreds of carriages filled with spoils of war.
The fire continued to burn for two days, and the whole of Wickhamshire Castle was burned to ashes.
On the 10th of the 3rd month, the rainy season arrived. The three corps of Shiks finally arrived at Wickhamsburg after a 28-day march amidst the cold, humid rain. What awaited them was only a pile of black ruins.
The starving Shiksan corps finally gave up all hope. They wouldn't be able to last another half a month before they returned to Port Vebator. The mounts of the officers and the leather goods of the soldiers had all been eaten up.
When Ranger's flag appeared before them, all the Shiksan soldiers put down their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.