CHAPTER 555: CHAPTER 533: DELAWAN’S MILITARY CAMP LIFE (PART 1)

The leaden clouds crawled across the sky, casting a sinister light on the gun and saber tips that barely reflected light.

Delawan wore a tight-fitting service soldier’s rough cloth garment; the cold wind swept over his forehead, turning the freshly shed warm sweat into cold sweat, which slid down his cheek.

On the frozen hard dirt road, every step echoed with the sound of four pickaxes and clinking bottles and jars behind him.

Each time he lifted his head, he saw the backs of the soldiers marching in formation ahead; when he turned his head, he saw the elongated, sour expression on the mule beside him.

"Can you carry a bit more? I’m about to collapse." Delawan almost pleaded with the mule, but the mule turned its head away as if it hadn’t heard.

With winter setting in and temperatures dropping, most of the previously muddy and difficult roads turned incredibly hard after the snow stopped.

But when the sun comes out, even a brief shine melts the snow into the grass, making the roads even muddier.

Amidst the snowy grounds on either side, a group of about six hundred men in black clothing were speeding through in neat formation.

According to Horn’s military policy, every ten men were allocated a service soldier and a mule.

Each soldier carried a breastplate, helmet, a long spear, and a holy gun, along with roughly 15 kilograms of food in the form of dry rations and clean water.

Meanwhile, a dagger, tinder, cooking equipment, blankets, bandages, and other small communal gear, weighing approximately 10 kilograms, were carried by unarmored service soldiers.

The mule’s responsibility was to carry tents, fodder, reserve rations, lead balls, mallets, pickaxes, wood-cutting axes, loot, and even the wounded—bearing a weight of approximately 80-100 kilograms.

Typically, service soldiers primarily aided and cared for the mule and did not carry much themselves, as they also had the task of receiving orders from the Legion Commander.

However, in reality, since the mule refused to walk with too much burden, Delawan had to help carry some of its luggage to keep pace.

"I’ll castrate you when we get back.", Delawan muttered through gritted teeth, frustrated by the mule’s indifference.

Coming from Kush nobility, Delawan was not as resentful as McGowan might have been.

McGowan was Delawan’s friend, but McGowan’s father was a Falan Knight, so he grew up in a more privileged environment.

But Delawan was a purebred Kush, belonging to the Kush Knights. Even when at the family’s manor, he was no stranger to menial farm work.

What’s wrong with serving tea and water? What’s wrong with tending livestock? His father, as a pure-blooded Kush Knight, still worked the fields during the busy harvest season.

At Delawan’s small estate, serving tea and water was considered light work. He always reckoned that someone like McGowan would settle down after being sent to the fields to harvest wheat for two days.

"Just hold on a little longer.", said a nearly fifty-year-old service soldier nearby who effortlessly led his mule. "We’ll reach the supply point ahead soon, feed your mule some eggs and carrots, then it’ll behave."

In Delawan’s Fifth Legion Guard, most service soldiers were young, with only seven or eight old service soldiers.

These old service soldiers actually served as instructors and teachers for the young service soldiers.

"It eats better than I do.", exclaimed Delawan, panting heavily, his breath forming clouds of white mist. "How much longer do I need to endure? I feel like I’ve been walking for nearly a year."

"Hahaha.", the old service soldier laughed, "You’re nearly as tall as me, even sturdier, practicing breathing techniques. How could you be tired?"

"But I’m still really exhausted.", Delawan protested with some grievance.

"It’s not your body that’s tired; it’s your mind.", the old service soldier replied effortlessly as he walked, "Marching is tedious, repeating the same things stretches time infinitely, making it seem like you’ve been working forever, but you’re far from truly tired."

Delawan’s heavy panting eased a bit: "How many times have you been on the battlefield?"

The seemingly frail old service soldier carried his various belongings effortlessly: "Three or four times, can’t remember clearly, I was present during the Battle of Long Bridge."

"What were we like on the battlefield?" Delawan, though envious of the battlefield glory the other soldiers enjoyed, still harbored war-related anxieties.

The old service soldier scratched his head: "If it’s a planned field or skirmish battle, we’ll camp five miles ahead, then have the Defensive Army stay in camp while the War Monks make a swift strike.

If it’s a pitched battle, we’ll circle ten large wagons, placing the wounded and supplies inside them. However, so far, I haven’t encountered any breeches into the wagon camp."

"Why?"

"War Monks have a base salary, rushing the wagon camp might only make enemies more united, unlike mercenaries or labor soldiers who, without loot, would have come in vain.

During the battle at Rapids City, the Church Knights charged our wagon camp, but our War Monks fought as usual. Eventually, the Knights wised up and stopped attacking our camp."

"Will we encounter battle this time?"

"Certainly.", the old service soldier explained casually, since service soldiers weren’t as disciplinarily strict as regular War Monks.

On January 20th, the Church Knights began marching toward South Nao’an River, trying to push the Salvation Army back.

On January 22nd, 23rd, and 25th, they launched attacks on the northern bank of Nao’an River heading toward Xiaochi City.

Due to being outnumbered, the two legions on the northern line both defended and retreated approximately 20 kilometers to camp on a hill.

According to the Rangers’ reconnaissance, as these Church Knights pressed on, their supply dwindled, forcing them to requisition supplies along the way.

If they attempt to assault Xiaochi City, they’d face the same predicament Count Musaq did during his offensive against Xiaochi City—

A single route could at most supply over a thousand people, and this attack was planned by Lakunio, led by Titled Knight Count Mala Layenna.

Including the armed monks recruited from Kasha County, about four thousand men in total, they had to split into three or even five routes.

Due to fewer villages on the side paths, less supply can be requisitioned. The other two routes had to continue branching further.

The Knights’ troops camp for the night and must rise early next morning, limiting their range and time for gathering supplies, resorting to plundering as they march.

Eventually, news spread, and even roadside villages fled with their supplies to the forest to hide; surely, they couldn’t chase villagers into the woods for supplies.

They weren’t unaware that plundering villages made supply requisition increasingly difficult, but refraining from plunder left the Master Knights hungry, not that they deliberately chose to raid.

There are three ways for convenient supply gathering:

The first is thorough preparation before battle, obviously too late for the Church’s army; second is travelling densely populated roads, but the main route was already taken by the Land Servants main force; the third is advancing in small teams of hundred or two hundred, then regrouping at nightfall.

At the start of their pursuit of the Salvation Army, they used this tactic, but repeated attacks from the Holy Gun Cavalry forced a minimum grouping of four or five hundred to move forward, and must include Knights.

The Salvation Army could send a thousand soldiers down pathways without looting thanks to supply points.

With supply points, the Defensive Army had ample time to purchase and transport supplies from farther afield.

"According to the Rangers’ reconnaissance, after this supply point, there’s a small river branch. We’ll cross it and walk through the grassland, where Rangers will meet us.

We just need to wait for Rangers to locate the enemy, then ambush along the Church’s army’s marching route; after the skirmish, we’ll retreat via the same path.

Don’t worry about our chances against them; there’re roughly a hundred Knights and four hundred infantry. Including the Defensive Army, we’ve over six hundred.

Unless they have Imperial Knights, even if there’re two hundred Knights and eight hundred infantry, we’ve quite a fair fight."

Delawan nodded half-understandingly, then asked again, perhaps both relieved and disappointed: "So we’re engaged in an ambush, doesn’t that mean we won’t see the battlefield?"

The old service soldier looked at him in disbelief: "Most avoid going to war asap, but you look forward to it. Moreover, who said ambushes don’t see battle?

The manual states that in small-scale engagements, service soldiers must be within 100-200 meters. Seeing wounded soldiers, they’re obligated to rescue them at once, bind up, or send them to surgeons."

"Being a service soldier is temporary for me; this is early battlefield adaptation", Delawan felt burden and fatigue dissipating somewhat, "Come on, let’s hurry."

Delawan regained vigor without noticing the amused expression on the old service soldier’s face.

"I hope you truly adapt to it."