Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 273 The Territory of Death

Claude has good news and bad news. The good news is that there is no deadline for troop contributions to the Kanas Prairie, only by May after the rainy season. It's just the end of the year, and there's still a long way to go before May, enough to get Claude ready.

It also seems clear from the top that it would be unrealistic to ask the marching battalions to contribute to the prairie, which will be January or even winter, snowy, easily lost direction on the prairie, and not even a windshield can be found. Compared to the mountains, the plains are the coldest.

February is a snowmelting ice season. Troopers are not suitable. There is muddy water everywhere on the prairie. It is difficult to find a dry place. Dry firewood needs to be carried by itself. March is the rainy season, and the prairie is said to be covered in muddy swamps that accidentally trap even people with horses. In April, the earth warmed up, the flowers blossomed and the weeds were abundant, and the herders began to rush the herds of sheep and goats out to graze, which was the most appropriate time to send troops.

The bad news is that one battalion of Rangers cannot collect enough horses. Everyone knows that the driving force on the prairie is good riding, but the Principality of Kanas seldom sells war horses to the outside world. They sell cattle and sheep, horses, fur, etc., war horses are included in strategic control materials and cannot be sold to the outside world in private. Even if they do business with allies in the anti-Olympic alliance, they sell horses that have been incited.

The Royal Auvellas Army did not fail to capture the Duchy of Kanas horses on the battlefield after the outbreak of the war, but these horses were divided among several regiments, which all had cavalry regiments and needed to be supplemented by belligerent horses. In the eastern part of the continent, the war horses of the Principality of Kanas are among the best.

While the Principality of Eskirin is adjacent to the Kanas Prairie, it is really difficult to acquire the right horses in the three southern counties. The people of the Principality of Kanas travel by horse, while the people of the Principality of Eskirin travel by carriage. So in the southern three counties, there are a lot of horses and pullers to ride, and Captain Scully has recruited a lot, but he can't find a few suitable horses.

Horses need to adapt to the roar of artillery, the sound of gunfire and the smell of smoke, and even when suddenly attacked on the march, they do not panic and disrupt the team, which can not be done by riding horses and pullers.

The first battalion of Rangers belonged to the infantry field battalion and was not equipped with horses, which were used mainly to transport supplies. Claude, instead, was equipped with more than a dozen horses, which were captured by former guerrilla battalions during the ambush of enemy reconnaissance cavalry and are now used for reconnaissance and messaging. However, if the entire battalion were to contribute to the Kanas Prairie, a soldier would need to be equipped with a horse, otherwise he would not be able to escape.

Unlike the remaining three battalions of the guerrillas, the three battalions entered the Kanas Plains from the border area of the Principality of Eskilin, where the terrain was flat and spacious. Without a ride, a large convoy can be organized, so that even in the event of a light-handed attack by the Principality of Kanas, a large convoy can be used to cover the convoy.

But the mountain lane on this side of the first battalion was already narrow, and Claude had barely been able to drive a four-wheeled wagon, although he had allowed the captives to renovate the mountain lane from Squirrel Village to the southern tri-county entrance. But the highway from Squirrel Village to Kanas Prairie has not been renovated. Now, not to mention pull a car, but to ride on horses, you have to be afraid of riding softly, and you have to plant yourself in the valley next to the highway. The safest way to march is to walk through this mountain path with your own legs...

Markzi, promoted to second lieutenant against the horses, had scouted the highway exit in Tiger Cave last year, the royal nobility of the Duchy of Kanas. The territory of Count Ba Krillaus, whose inhabitants call it the Great Green Mountains, is not the southern mountain area marked on the map of the Principality of Eskilin. Because of this Roycade. Count Ba Krillaus' territory leaned back against the Great Green Mountains, so his inhabitants were semi-accounted for, with villages, rivers, farms and woodlands in the territory, and that Count had a great castle, which was the main reason why he became Commander of the Allied Coalition of Nobles in the territory of the Principality of Kanas last year.

Since the situation is roughly the same as that of Count Roycade and the southern three counties, Markci sees no need to engage in horse recruitment, and at least to capture this Count Leader does not require good motivation from a Ranger Battalion. Those villages, farms, forests, castles and so on won't run away, Claude can beat down one of them on schedule, wait to capture this county leader to collect horses, believe it is much easier than in the southern three counties, and may not need to spend a battalion of soldiers...

Claude adopted Markzi's suggestion, but that doesn't mean he can wait until April. There are still many things to consider, such as my own battalion of eight light infantry artillery, a squadron of artillery, relying on horses to tow on the highway, which is obviously impossible to tow artillery. Without artillery, it is no good. If you encounter a large group of shotguns coming running around, the shotguns fired by these eight artillery cannons will serve as a safety guarantee for your own battalion, blocking the enemy from approaching at least 100 meters away.

Also, before he could gather the horses to give his battalion enough power, Claude needed perfect wartime gear to defend himself from the enemy, so when he handed over what he needed to Captain Skerry in pigeon communications to Battalion, Captain Skerry followed Lieutenant Colonel Ledfunk's advice, not asking what they were for, but trying to help Claude collect and ship them to Squirrel Village.

Soon after the rainy season, Claude began sending Markzi and others to lead the reconnaissance of Count Leucade's territory at the exit of the hill. Only the results of the reconnaissance made Claude suspicious, as the scouts reported that they could not see anyone at all in the Count's territory, nor did they dare to go deeper and look only at the exit of the mountain lane...

In mid-April, battalion headquarters were relocated to Squirrel Village, which will be taken over by the local guard battalion from the rear when the first battalion of the Rangers enters the Kanas Plains.

On April 20, it was the day Claude took his own battalion to officially contribute to the Kanas Prairie, and they were five days behind the second, third and fourth battalions of the Rangers. There was no way, the highway was impossible, and the trans-shipment of supplies required more effort.

Claude's only good thing is that his little lover, Sheila, was kind enough not to drop him off. I heard Claude was leaving Squirrel Village on a trip to Kanas Prairie the other day, and Sheila wanted to go with Claude. Claude gave her up on this plan just to say the least. Just kidding, everyone was fighting with guns. If Sheila showed up on the battlefield and a big fireball threw out, she would be sure that the guns on both sides of the battle would shoot at her...

Make sure you return safely, make sure you have time to visit her, plus Sheila has to wait here for her mother to return, and study her mother's lessons well... Claude finally asked Sheila to nod her head and stay in the witch forest and not wander around...

In addition to the difficult marches on the hillside, this is because the Claude brigade carries too much material and almost two or three soldiers are responsible for caring for a horse. When he got out of the highway and entered the grassland boundary, Claude discovered that taking over Count Leucade's territory would not cost him anything. Just like an armed march, that is, walking through this countess's territory, everything along the way falls under its control, whether it be a village or a farm forest.

As Markzi et al., who had previously reconnoitred, there was no young labor here, and the rest of the village was old and weak, with few numbers, not even young strong women. Spring flowers bloom in April. Few people in this Count's territory see working outside. Occasionally a few elderly people go out with a basket to pick some vegetables or something to fill the hunger...

Until the team arrived beneath the castle of Count Lloyd Cade, when the people in the castle opened the gates and surrendered, Claude discovered that the people in the castle were also old servants. Ask the old superintendent who surrendered. Where is everybody?

The old governor sighed and said that they were all gone. First, Qingzhuang was taken away by the compulsory recruitment of the Principality. The other half was gathered by the lords to go to the three counties in the south to rob a fortune. Boys and men in their teens and forties who thought they could still break into the line followed. In less than half a month, the lord came back with dozens of people. He was said to have defeated the battle and either died or was captured...

After the lord fled back, he packed all his belongings and took his family to the northern bay. He never came back. Leaving this old administrator here was for him to sell all real estate in the territory and send taxes and sold belongings back to the northern bay. But the news of defeat has spread to this lord's land of freedom, not only to his Count Lord, but also to those who fled back, like him, fleeing the North Bay with their possessions and their families, abandoning a territory that was once regarded as life.

All the conscripted inhabitants of the area did not return, and the rest of them were able to walk away, leaving this depressed place. The old administrator just watched as the ever thriving territory became smokeless, no one farmed the fields, no one went to graze cattle and sheep, everything that could be taken away had been taken away by the people, even the shepherd dog could no longer be heard.

This territory is on the verge of death… the old administrator says sadly.

“Where did you just refer to the Lord's place of freedom?” Claude asked.

“This is here, at the foot of the Great Green Mountain, this large area, there are more than a dozen territories, our Count's territory is the largest, and he is also the leader of the Lords. Even Grand Duke drivers cannot enter the area without Lord's permission. So the lords call this area their place of freedom.” The old administrator said proudly that he seemed to be looking back at the glorious years and glorious days of the lords.

When slaves come to be proud, it's the freedom of the lords and they have nothing to do with you as a servant. Claude told Mike to bring the map and ask the old steward, "Except for your lords, all the other lords are gone. Is there no one left? ”

“All gone, they all left...” The old administrator cried and sighed: “This area is already contaminated with the shadow of death and can no longer escape the end of doom. Only those who left, those who never came back. Young man, I advise you to leave, or you will die here too...”

Claude started looking at the map, ignoring this old, silly administrator. What leads to the death of the territory, is whether the territory is young or not conscripted. If you don't want to be a bandit to rob the southern three counties, you will be exterminated in Squirrel Village. The lord who fled back is afraid that the army of the Kingdom of Ovilas will take the opportunity to attack their territory, so you can pack your belongings and flee early.

Without a strong territory and a lord, the rest of the people who are unwilling to wait to die will naturally look for a way to live. After all the people who can walk have gone, the territory without people will naturally be like this, it's nothing strange.

No wonder after last year's triumph, we never saw a trader from the prairie again, who was scared away by these rumors. No, it's not to scare away, but they have nothing to do when they get to this area. People don't come naturally without merchants...

“Murder, Didd, you two take your squadrons from the left and right sides of this county territory, search all the lords' lands in this area, and if there's anyone else, bring them back and put them here. Understand?” Claude pointed to the map and said to Muriel, Diaved.

“Yes, sir.” The two of them saluted and set off.

“Mark, you take your squadron from here to the grassland center, and if you spot pastoralists and nomadic tribes, bring them back what you can eat, and mark the map without knowing. ”

“Aye, sir.” McKeachie rushed out, and Claude's order gave him a lot of freedom of movement. If the live-in tents of the herders were found along the way, he could have been looted at the same time as the arrests, which was a quick move.

“Sergeant Langster, your infantry squadron is stationed on the castle. Sergeant Lockheed, your squadron of artillery unloaded the eight artillery accessories from the horse's back and assembled them, searching for artillery positions in the castle. I think we're gonna have to stay here for the next few days.” Claude ordered the two remaining squadron captains.

It was an unexpected circumstance, and the aristocrats on this side of the territory gave up their territory and fled, thus giving way to this large area at the foot of the Great Green Mountain.

The Kanas prairie is large, and these dozen territories on the map account for one seventh of the grasslands on the map. Although Claude was tasked with investigating the falsity of the Duchy of Kanas, there was no reason not to eat such a large pie in front of him. He believed that Captain Skerry and he shared the same view, first occupied the area, then how to say that the area leaned back against the Great Green Mountain, suitable for farming and pasture, and developed into the best base of departure for the Kingdom's expropriation of the Vacanas Prairie...