"Report, Wolffang has returned. They wiped out three Shiksan light cavalry squads and brought back 31 nameplates and 26 warhorses. Only one of their soldiers was lightly injured," Mason Hughes reported.
Claude was furious. "Call First Lieutenant Bloweyk over. I'll have 3rd Line send a squad to ambush the enemy light cavalry squads. What's he doing with Wolffang? Attacking without orders? Does he still respect me as a corps commander?!"
The younger brother, Bloweyk, soon appeared before Claude and was given a good scolding before being locked up for five days.
However, with that, Bloweyk's mistake of leading Wolffang without orders was swept under the rug and no one would be able to pursue it.
Claude knew that Bloweyk's decision to lead Wolffang without orders was instigated by Dyavid.
Ever since Dyavid's 3rd Line was resupplied with ammunition, Claude ordered his 3rd Line to attack in small squads to wipe out the Shiksan light cavalry squads and patrol squads stationed at the northern border. He wanted to blind and deaf the Shiksans.
However, Dyavid, the one who carried out the order, was troubled. Back when he and Berklin were in Ranger Camp, he was the one who didn't like to use his brain.
Since Claude was the one in charge, all he had to do was carry out his orders.
In the end, he didn't manage to learn Claude's method of hiding and analyzing the enemy's movements.
Now that Claude wanted him to send a squad to ambush the enemy light cavalry squads like he did in Ranger Camp, he didn't know where to start.
He wanted to discuss it with Berklin, Moriad and the others, but he was afraid of being laughed at.
In the end, he simply called over the four battalion commanders under him and ordered each battalion to send two squads to the border of the mountainous region to carry out this mission. He casually explained the method of digging pits and concealing them with weeds, and then let the four battalion commanders do as they pleased.
However, there was a problem with the completion rate of the mission. Of the eight squads that were sent out, four didn't encounter the enemy for a whole day. While the other four did, they didn't fare too well.
Even though the soldiers of these four squads were all equipped with the new rifles and possessed a new supply of a hundred rounds of ammunition, when they ambushed the enemy's light cavalry scouting squad, not only were they easily discovered by the enemy, in the end, they only managed to defeat the enemy, paying the price of two deaths and fourteen injuries.
So, Dyavid was harshly reprimanded by Claude and ordered to train the soldiers of Line Three in the art of ambushes and how to set up ambushes so that they could produce satisfactory results.
Berklin, on the other hand, took pleasure in their misfortune and said that 3rd Line was equipped with the new rifles incorrectly.
In the end, Moriad had to remind Bloweyk on account of being an old friend. Was there anyone in the entire corps more proficient at hiding and ambushing than Wolf Fang?
It wouldn't have been a problem if Dyavid had invited Bloweyk and Wolf Fang to train the soldiers of 3rd Line in hiding and ambushing them.
But Dyavid just had to remember what Claude said. Ten rounds of training couldn't compare to one real battle experience. So, he had Blovid lead Wolfang to the border of the mountains to ambush the light cavalry scouts and let the soldiers of the third line see how they fought with their own eyes.
However, they didn't manage to find any enemies at most of the ambush points. They encountered three Shiksan light cavalry squads in one day and were annihilated without any accidents. Apart from five Shiksans who were killed because their feet got stuck in the stirrups and had to be dragged away by their horses, the other 31 Shiksans had their nameplates confiscated.
The only casualty of the Wolf Fang Platoon was when he went to collect the enemy's mounts. In a moment of carelessness, he was kicked by a fierce warhorse …..
While the results weren't bad, Bloweyk made a huge mistake by attacking without orders and was sentenced to five days of solitary confinement. That was the end of his sentence.
Claude then gave Wolf Fang an order to teach Line 1303 how to use hiding and ambush tactics in the next half a month. At the same time, Wolf Fang was allowed to train in actual combat, which was to bring 3rd Line's soldiers to the border of the mountains to ambush the enemy and clear out the sentries.
In less than ten days, the Shiksans couldn't handle the small skirmishes and lost an average of three light cavalry squads every day. That was more than a full brigade's worth of losses.
Now, it was the patrol squads' turn to leave camp every day as if they were sending themselves to their deaths. All of them would hang around the camp with long faces and wouldn't wait to return to camp when it was time.
When asked about the situation at the border, all of them shook their heads, indicating that they didn't know anything.
It wasn't that the Shiksans hadn't thought of getting rid of the hunting squads around the camp, but their camp was too close to the border of the mountains. If they sent out a large force, it would be easy for the ambush squads to retreat the moment they noticed something.
Once, a large group of Shiksan cavalrymen caught up to an ambush party and trapped them on a small mound. They were about to trample over them when they were about to ambush them.
Just as they were about to trample them, two more ambush squads came over and opened fire with more than thirty new rifles.
They were no more than fifty metres away, and within five minutes, around seventy of the two hundred-strong light cavalry squad fell. The remaining Shiksan light cavalry were so frightened that they turned their horses around and fled. None of them wanted to charge and fight to the death.
In the end, the two and a half corps that were gathered in the burnt camp had no choice but to retreat five kilometres back and build a new defensive camp.
Claude knew when to stop and ordered 3rd Line's ambush squads to stay within five kilometres of the border of the mountains. Both sides would guard the abandoned Shiksan camp.
Claude knew that if he ordered the ambush squads to set up an ambush five kilometres ahead, they would fall right into the Shiksans' trap.
Five kilometres away from the border was enough to ensure that the squads would be able to retreat, but ten kilometres was a different story. The Shiksans would have to send light cavalry to seal their retreat and send the veterans to wipe out the ambush squads. That way, the squads wouldn't be able to return.
After another half a month, Beechlin came to tell Claude that the nikancha forces stationed at the eastern front had retreated with the excuse that they wanted to spend the new year with their families in their new territory.
Beechlin said that the nikancha suffered heavy casualties in the battle against the Shiksans. A hundred thousand young men were handed over to the theatre, and only forty thousand of them returned to their new territory. Their casualties exceeded sixty thousand, which was something nobody expected.
The nikancha camp that was stationed at the eastern front was bombarded by the Shiksans' iron pumpkins and had to abandon their posts in a sorry state. They lost three to four thousand men.
Then, when the first line of defense on the eastern front fell, they lost another ten thousand men.
What was worth noting was that all the young men who fell into the hands of the Shiksans were executed regardless of whether they were injured or not.
Perhaps the Shiksans believed that armed nikancha weren't good slaves, so it was better to kill them all.
By the time they retreated to the second eastern line, the Shiksans were already at their wits' end. Claude also led Thundercrash's 131 to infiltrate their rear and wipe out two of their main corps.
That was why the Shiksans' attacks on the second line were all bark and no bite. Even the nikancha forces could easily repel the Shiksans' small forces.
During that period, the nikancha only suffered light casualties, numbering only around a thousand.
After that, Claude led Thundercrash to attack the Shiksan supply base in Cape Loducus. The two Shiksan corps on the eastern front received the news and secretly began to retreat.
Before they left, they even launched a fierce attack and successfully confused Beechlin.
It wasn't until a day later that Beechlin realized he had been tricked. The Shiksans had already retreated and their main camp was empty.
Beechlin decided to give chase and stall the Shiksans in the eastern mountains.
The nikancha no longer listened to orders and believed that victory was in sight. With the Shiksans fleeing in a sorry state, it was the perfect opportunity to beat them up.
So, they fought to be the first to leave, not caring about Beechlin's troops at all and swarming away like a swarm of bees.
The nikancha thought that chasing after victory was too simple and thought that they could easily take revenge after catching up to the enemy's retreating troops. In the end, what awaited them was a painful ambush.
Thirty thousand strong nikancha soldiers charged into the Shiksans' ambush. It was a huge valley with no exit and iron pumpkins rained down on them. Coupled with the cannons' cannons and the veteran soldiers' accurate shots, the nikancha were met with a nightmarish massacre.
Fortunately, Beechlin's troops arrived quickly and attacked from the rear.
The Shiksans were no match for them and retreated, saving ten thousand lucky nikancha and a few thousand wounded soldiers.
It was just that this ambush had destroyed the courage of the nikancha youths. The remaining thirty thousand or so nikancha were trembling in fear. They would turn pale at the slightest sign of trouble, afraid that they would be ambushed again.
Beechlin had no choice but to arrange for the nikancha to be in charge of the transport of supplies.
He then led Monolith's troops in pursuit.
At that time, Birkin only had three lines and a division battalion under his command. There was also Thunderbolt 131, which was led by Myjack. That was the unit that fought the Shiksans in the mountains to the east. The nikancha didn't contribute much and even lost a portion of the supplies they were in charge of transporting them. The reason they gave was that they accidentally fell off a cliff.
In fact, the nikancha also had their eyes on the new rifles and bullets. Beechlin was well aware of that.
The nikancha had seen how powerful the new rifles were and sent a few of their elders to ask the theatre to provide them with them. They were even willing to pay the exorbitant price of two hundred crowns for each rifle, but they were rejected without hesitation.
But considering that the frontline troops still needed the nikancha's cooperation during the war, after Bolonik and Skrein discussed, they decided to let Liboyd put on a show for the nikancha elders.
In a mysterious room near HQ, Bord used an alchemical rune formation to make a gun barrel and various accessories in front of the nikancha elders. It took him a whole day to assemble a new rifle and ten bullets.
General Bolonik and General Skri told the nikancha elders that all the new rifles in the war zone were made in this way by rune mages from alchemy magic runes.
Had it not been for the sake of resisting the Shiksans, they wouldn't have given such precious magic items to the troops. It was the result of the rune magi's hard work over the past few years. Now, not even half of the troops in the theatre could equip them. Let alone two hundred crowns, the nikancha would have to reconsider even if they were willing to pay two thousand crowns for it.
Although they managed to fool the nikancha elders, Bolonik and Skri were well aware of the nature of the nikancha. They wouldn't give up so easily, so they deliberately sent eagle messages to warn Claude and Birkin at the frontlines to be wary of the nikancha's dirty tricks to steal the new rifles from the troops equipped with the new rifles.
Naturally, Thundercrash was fine. Apart from Eiblont tricking the nikancha and 2nd Folk into attacking the Shiksan camp, Eiblont kept a close eye on the 3rd Folk that was equipped with the new rifles. The nikancha couldn't get close at all.
Things were a little more complicated for Birkin's side. They were all on the same defensive line and the nikancha liked to circle around the regiment equipped with the new rifles.
There were all sorts of excuses such as going to the wrong camp, looking for someone, or giving gifts to a friend. In the end, Birkin was forced to learn from Myjack.
Thundercrash's Tribe 131, which was also equipped with the new rifles, refused to have any dealings with the nikancha. Any nikancha who approached them were given the same treatment. After three warnings, those who approached would be shot and arrested.
All the soldiers equipped with the new rifles were warned to sleep with them. Night patrols were tighter and they had to bring the new rifles with them even if they had to go to the bathroom or hand them over to their comrades for safekeeping.
The severity of the measures prevented the unexplained disappearance of the new rifles. After a month on the second line of defence, the regiment equipped with the new rifles had captured several times more Nikancha thieves than the other regiments, who were said to be persistent and unrepentant.
After the pursuit began, the regiment equipped with the new rifles was moved to the front, finally avoiding the nikancha's entanglement. Even if there were casualties in the battle, they were the first to control the new rifles that the dead and wounded were equipped with.
Even the delivery of the ammunition was personally escorted by the Monolith Army so that accidents like falling off the cliff would not happen …
Birkin sighed. Compared to the Shiksans, he actually spent more time and energy on the nikancha.
It was just like when he sent the nikancha to serve as a staff officer for the officer in charge. At first, the nikancha obeyed orders, but they soon stopped listening and let their own leaders make the decisions.
So, the staff officers really became staff officers and could only offer their opinions to the nikancha leaders. In the end, they would rather return than stay in the nikancha camps.
During the pursuit, the greatest contribution was the thousand mines Claude gave to Tribe 131.
They had originally planned to have Myjack lead the tribe to infiltrate the Shiksans' retreat and disrupt their transportation, but they didn't expect the entire Shiksans to retreat.
Myjack led the tribe and rushed to the front of the Shiksans' retreat and managed to delay them by planting the mines. In the end, Birkin led the pursuing troops to wipe out the Shiksans' retreat.
The Shiksans had wanted to send reinforcements to the besieged rearguard, but they suffered heavy losses from the mines Myjack planted. They had no choice but to retreat and watch as the rearguard was wiped out.
However, that was the best Birkin could do. If it wasn't for his regiment equipped with the new rifles and Myjack's tribe pincer attack, he really wouldn't have been able to do anything to the resilient Shiksans.
Due to the fact that the pursuing force he commanded was at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, Monolith paid the price of nearly ten thousand casualties when they took out the Shiksan veterans that brought up the rear.
Another thing happened at this time. Mines, a new weapon, were not looked after as rigorously as rifles, so a box of four mines entrusted to the Nikancha for transport to the front was, of course, included in the list of those lost when they fell off a cliff in transit.
The nikancha who were transporting the mines even swore that they had really fallen off the cliff and even lost a donkey.
That was obviously a lie, as there had never been a case of a donkey carrying only a crate of mines. The nikancha's lies were illogical.
However, when Birkin thought about how the mines weren't as secretive as the new rifles, he decided to forget about it. He couldn't be bothered to bicker with the nikancha.
In the end, the nikancha immediately reaped what they sowed. That night, two loud explosions rang out in the camp, giving everyone a fright. They thought the Shiksans had launched a night attack.
However, after a patrol, they discovered that the explosions came from the nikancha camp.
They went over to take a look and found two missing mines.
They also learned from one of the injured nikancha that it was the result of the other two mines.
The truth of the matter was simple. After the nikancha stole the crate of four mines, a few chiefs held a celebratory feast that night and took out the mines to admire.
However, they mistook the mines for projectiles like the Shiksans' iron pumpkins.
The nikancha didn't know that the four mines were pressure mines. They looked around for a match or a fuse, but they couldn't find it.
The chiefs gathered together to study it. One of them accidentally pressed the spring on the mine and happily said that the mechanism was there.
Another chief picked up a mine and pressed it down, but he still couldn't find a match or fuse, so he tossed it on the table impatiently.
Then, then this mine exploded, and so did the mine in the hands of the other leader …
The two explosions killed seven of the nikancha's armed chiefs and a dozen or so nikancha who were in the tent for the feast. If the nikancha who confessed hadn't been standing quite a distance away from the tent, he would've died long ago. Claude was speechless.
He knew the nikancha were weird, but he hadn't expected them to be this weird.
Because of that, Birkin even got into a huge argument with the four nikancha elders who came to clean up the mess.
The four nikancha elders actually pushed the blame to the war zone. They believed that if the war zone had told them about the landmines earlier, such a tragedy would not have happened.
The death of the seven chiefs was proof that the theatre didn't trust the nikancha who worked with them.
"Claude, we were lucky to win against the Shiksans this time, but I can't stand working with these nikancha again. They're more worthy of our caution than the Shiksans.
I hope you can support my point of view in the post-war meeting at the war command headquarters. I'd rather the nikancha be our enemy than our ally … "General Birkin said.