Chapter 152: Who Dares?
"What! The cement was stolen?"
"Exactly, Your Highness. I just received the report." Baldwin said.
Aiden was responsible for repairing Dunmere City’s defences, but logistics and transportation fell under Baldwin’s jurisdiction. Naturally, he was the first to know when something went wrong.
Simon’s anger over the saltpetre crisis had barely subsided when this new outrage ignited his fury again. "You’re coming with me to the Brambleford military camp immediately. Those remnants of the noble clans, I won’t rest until they’re torn limb from limb!"
Baldwin paled. He had never seen such violent rage from Simon before.
But it wasn’t unwarranted. The local aristocratic clans had been either exterminated or absorbed by Simon’s reforms. However, after centuries of entrenchment, eradicating them was no easy task.
In Brambleford, the presence of the Brambleford Army had allowed for swift and thorough suppression. But other cities, with weaker militaries, gave the clans time to react. Many had rallied their private armies and rebelled, throwing their regions into chaos.
Thankfully, with popular support and the disciplined New Army, the uprisings were quickly quelled.
Yet some remnants had fled deep into the mountains and marshes, emerging occasionally to cause trouble.
"My Lord, there’s no need for haste. The bandits have already been cornered in a fortified manor by the Dunmere Army. However, this particular stronghold once belonged to the Stone Clan of Dunmere; it’s the most defensible of all the manors across the six cities. The Dunmere Army has launched several assaults but was repelled each time, with dozens of casualties."
"No need for haste? The cement is critical to Dunmere’s repairs! Any delay could spell disaster!"Simon seethed. Now he truly understood the saying: Misfortunes never come alone.
Baldwin fell silent and followed Simon to the Brambleford military camp.
At that moment, Benjamin was standing atop the training platform, overseeing soldiers drilling in formation. Lancelot and Liam were each correcting manoeuvres among the troops.
When Simon and Baldwin arrived, Benjamin immediately halted the exercises.
"My Lord." Benjamin descended from the platform.
The other day, he had drunk himself into a stupor and woke up the next morning filled with regret, fearing he had behaved improperly in front of Simon.
Simon, however, was too agitated for pleasantries. His greatest fear was that the bandits would destroy the cement. There was no time to waste.
"General, I’m afraid I must ask for your assistance. A group of bandits has seized a fortified manor and stolen supplies meant for Dunmere."
Benjamin was momentarily surprised, but having seen everything in his long career, he quickly regained his composure.
"In that case, this old general will lead the Bambleford Army to suppress them at once." He then asked. "How many bandits are there?"
"According to reports, roughly a thousand," Baldwin replied.
Benjamin frowned. "Military strategy states that attackers should outnumber defenders five to one. We’ll need five thousand men."
He ordered Lancelot and Liam to muster the troops.
As the initial fury subsided, Simon grew calmer. Every soldier was precious now. These clan remnants, knowing capture meant death, would fight desperately. The Brambleford Army would suffer heavy casualties.
Then an idea struck him; he had been searching for a place to test the cannon. This was the perfect opportunity.
"General, go ahead and besiege the manor. But wait for my arrival before launching the assault."
Benjamin clasped his fists. "As you command, Your Highness."
While Simon and Benjamin spoke, Lancelot and Liam remained silent. It seemed Benjamin had them well disciplined.
On the way back from the camp, Simon suddenly thought of something. "If the Stone Clan’s manor is so impregnable, how did the bandits get in?"
"The manor originally belonged to the Stones. The rebels among them must have known its layout. No one expected a hidden tunnel inside. Survivors said the bandits initially planned to loot the manor’s grain and funds, but when they saw the cement convoy, they mistook it for valuables and attacked."
"Afterwards, when the Dunmere Army arrived, they tried storming the tunnel, only to find the bandits had blown it up."
"Blown it up?" Simon’s eyes sharpened. "You mean with explosives?"
"Yes, Your Highness. The bandits used gunpowder to collapse the tunnel."
Baldwin’s words hung in the air as both men realised the implication simultaneously.
"How do these rebels have gunpowder?"
Gunpowder wasn’t a secret in the Eldorian Empire, but it wasn’t something just anyone could produce. The materials alone were a hurdle, as Simon was painfully aware.
Now, these clan remnants had gunpowder. The implications were troubling.
"No matter. We’ll deal with them first and ask questions later." Simon steadied himself.
Returning to Brambleford City, Simon headed to the Machinery Department. He ordered carts prepared to transport the cannon to the Stone Clan’s manor.
He also instructed Fjord to polish cannonballs overnight and sent men to retrieve gunpowder from James.
The next day, a wagon pulled by four horses departed Brambleford City, carrying a large object wrapped tightly in hemp cloth.
Escorting it were the Brambleford Army’s elite cavalry.
The distance between Brambleford and Dunmere was over four hundred miles, with the Stone Clan’s manor roughly two hundred miles from Brambleford.
The cannon weighed around a ton. Even with four horses, the journey would take five or six days.
Simon’s stated purpose was to suppress the bandits, but his real goal was to test the cannon’s power.
Though he had seen countless schematics and records, witnessing its actual performance was another matter.
Naturally, Fjord and his team would accompany the cannon.
Simon, Benjamin and the others set out ahead. Three days later, they arrived at the manor, now surrounded by the Dunmere Army.
"Colonel Kai Halsten of the Dunmere Army pays his respects to Your Highness."
The officer in charge of the siege was a Brambleford Army veteran later assigned to Dunmere.
"Report," Simon said.
"Your Highness, the bandits remain holed up inside. The manor has ample food and water, enough to last months. This won’t be easy."
Kai had already attempted assaults, each ending in failure.
Simon studied the manor. Unlike the Goldwynd Clan’s earthen fortifications, the Stone Clan’s stronghold was built entirely of stone, with walls over ten meters high.
More critically, it commanded the official road between Brambleford and Dunmere. After its capture, it had become a waystation between the two cities.
That the Stones had dared to build it on a major highway spoke volumes about their former arrogance.