CHAPTER 557: CHAPTER 535: RETREAT? OR FIGHT?

The snow on the slanted roof fell down noisily, forming small piles under the eaves.

After ten days of intermittent heavy snow, the year 1446 finally welcomed the first sunny day after the snowfall.

Icicles hung from the eaves, brightly reflecting the glaring snow and sunlight, and the falling droplets struck deep holes in the snow.

Amid the vast white snow, an estate stood like a yellow patch on a white cloth, towering in the thick snow.

The roof was adorned with the pennant flags of various families, alongside the blue-red bullhead emblem of the Land Servants.

The village paths cleared of snow were crowded with people—soldiers, merchants, knights, and monks, nearly filling the small estate.

The Land Servants carrying long spears wore a coat over their chainmail, yet couldn’t help but shiver while patrolling.

The warhorses in the stables exhaled white mist, trembling, prompting the knights to put on horse blankets with their family emblems to prevent illness.

This was the garrison of the Church Army advancing eastward. Fortunately, the civilians of the estate had fled before their arrival, saving the effort of expelling them.

As the commander of this army, Count Layenna Mala stood on the steps of the wooden house, frowning while reading the letter in his hand.

"...Sir Layenna, Sir Lakunio’s target for me is to hold the Blago Basin, not to support an offensive.

If troops are sent for support, it could lead to a surprise attack by that Witch Jeanne, please forgive me for refusing your aid plan...

However, if you need to retreat, I am prepared to assist your return, never letting those short-haired rebel soldiers step into the Blago Basin...

Regarding your inquiry about Sir Lakunio, I’m sorry, the Shadowless Man discovered Count Gelinon’s secret activities with the Saint’s Grandson’s Army, His Highness the Prince caught him and imprisoned him in the dungeon...

Currently, several counts and bishops are trying their best to defend him, and Sir Lakunio returned to Hotam County the day before yesterday to mediate for them...

I have forwarded your letter to Hotam County, and the reply should reach you in about 8-12 days..."

"I’ll be out of food in ten days, what good will it do to receive a letter then?" Layenna couldn’t help but curse at the letter.

After cursing, he found it absurd, smiled bitterly, shook his head, and sighed deeply.

Starting from January 25, under the attack of nearly four thousand troops, those Salvation rebel soldiers indeed retreated repeatedly, leaving about 20 kilometers of area.

Layenna originally thought they had an unstable foothold, and this tentative attack succeeded.

So he immediately sent a letter to the Blago Monastery, saying the enemy army was "collapsed and wide open."

But unexpectedly, from January 27 until now, February 12, half a month has passed, and they advanced less than 15 kilometers, averaging 1 kilometer a day.

Even 4000 old grandmas marching wouldn’t take just 1 kilometer a day; after all, they had warhorses and large carts!

With repeated reconnaissance and the return of fleeing soldiers, Layenna gradually pieced together the real situation from their accounts.

Though these people had different stories, they could all be summarized as "unexpectedly encountering elite infantry at the roadside, as formidable as monsters, unable to win despite their best efforts."

In 15 days, the Salvation Army changed from their usual large decisive battles to breaking up into smaller units, continually conducting small-scale ambushes and skirmishes.

Almost every three or four days a detachment was ambushed, with casualties ranging from dozens to over a hundred, or the supply team was attacked, leaving knights rushing around without eliminating even a squadron.

The best result was when Count Mala led 900 cavalry on patrol for four days, successfully capturing a squadron, and annihilated and captured two teams of fifty.

But the cost was that the rear infantry was ambushed, causing nearly 400 casualties, and even burning several days’ worth of rations.

Thus, the soldiers preferred to concentrate on a major road, dragging their feet along.

After covering 15 kilometers, the 4000 Church Army was reduced to below 3000, and the supplies could only last at most 10 more days!

The main force led by Layenna had no losses on the King’s Path, but the need to constantly receive deserters slowed their progress increasingly.

At a distance of 10 miles, they began to struggle to move due to insufficient supplies, requiring large numbers of cavalry to transport food and recruit guards from further away.

Self-reflecting, Layenna asked himself if he had been negligent or if he hadn’t been diligent.

Knowing his mediocre ability, he had Lakunio draft the plan before setting off, and he strictly adhered to it.

He hadn’t underestimated these farmers and even specifically sought additional guidance from Lakunio on the command styles of the Salvation Army’s two military leaders.

Witch Jeanne excelled in cavalry and surprise attacks, often using streamlined forces for widespread high-speed maneuvers to assault the rear, disrupt command, and then divide and conquer.

Demon Horn preferred large decisive battles, directly concentrating the main force against the enemy’s main force for a decisive victory when fully prepared.

Both styles had their pros and cons but were conventional tactics within the Empire, differentiated only by the level of execution, not by superiority.

Layenna had prepared for both styles, but he had never encountered this swamp-fighting style, which was quite beyond him.

He followed the plan and studied the opponent, but Layenna didn’t understand how it turned out like this.

In one direction, the short-haired rebel soldiers of Langsande County absolutely had fewer troops, yet the result of this confrontation left their numbers equal.

Logically, it was just a tentative attack, easily retracted if it wasn’t going well.

The problem was, even if they wanted to retreat, it would still take more than ten days!

Supplies had been collected through next year, the populace fled, so whether the supplies could support their return was uncertain.

The option to retreat was cut off by the Salvation Army, leaving only the option to continue attacking.

But the Demon Saint’s Grandson seemed to foresee his thinking; just as he considered this, the Lapper River Camp, 10 miles away, gathered six squads of more than 3000 infantry.

The only solace was that, to ensure the rear ford was not lost, the Salvation Army could only send at most five squads of 2700 people along with 300 Holy Gun Cavalry.

Judging by the cavalry ratio and total numbers, they still held a slight advantage.

Should the attack continue then?

Gazing at the thousands of soldiers moving before him, Layenna bitterly pulled out a bottle of Dwarf Strong Alcohol from his coat and drank it.

The best choice was undoubtedly retreat, to preserve strength as much as possible, yet running without a fight at this point would mean the family’s honor was lost.

The question of ability is different from the question of will; he didn’t want to face a post-battle reckoning from the Church.

He could only apologize to these guards.

"Click-clack-click-clack—"

Hooves splashed mud and snow; a reconnaissance light cavalry detachment appeared from the curve of the road.

Layenna knew new intelligence had arrived and hurried to meet them.

"Lord, a group of short-haired rebel soldiers are building a pontoon bridge and fortress about 6 miles from us on the riverbank. What should we do? Should we drive them off?"

Layenna didn’t answer immediately but took a swig of Dwarf Strong Alcohol: "No need, give the order to merge the soldiers from nearby posts, and tomorrow morning we’ll fight the rebels."