Translator: Cinder Translations
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The Royal Infantry's Second Regiment immediately began preparing defenses after entering Frog's Croak Town.
Chambers ordered the soldiers to guard the various entrances and exits of the town, and also sent people house by house to "invite" the townspeople to a large open area in the town center, where he introduced himself.
Unbelievable! The royal army has actually reached here! The townspeople of Frog's Croak Town were shocked, looking at each other in disbelief.
"My lord, what has become of General Giles... now?" The gray-haired town mayor asked cautiously, leaning on his cane.
"The rebel Giles is still stubbornly resisting at the Eagle's Beak Pass. We've come here to encircle him and prevent his escape to the south!" Chambers didn't hide his intentions. In fact, he even planned to spread the news soon to quickly demoralize the rebels and create widespread panic.
"Everyone, I will issue a series of orders. They may not seem very friendly to you right now, but I assure you, as a soldier of the Kingdom of Aldor, that the losses you suffer will be properly compensated, and we will not directly involve you in the fighting."
A sense of unease spread among the townspeople, but in reality, everyone had already prepared themselves to some extent. Since the war broke out, they had been psychologically prepared. The wars between lords over the past centuries had taught the lower-class people many ways to survive. The rule was: obey whoever comes, and don't resist with your life.
Chambers requisitioned all the able-bodied men in the town, collected all the building materials—bricks, stones, and timber—and even dismantled several empty buildings. He ordered all soldiers and townsfolk to fortify a high ground near Frog's Croak Town. The high ground was next to the town, where there was a wooden lookout tower, originally built to guard against mountain bandits. It was the highest point in the town, and it was close to the main road leading north from Frog's Croak Town.
The soldiers waved shovels and picks requisitioned from the town to reshape the terrain of the high ground, turning the original slopes into a roughly vertical surface. The townspeople laid bricks, and after a full day of work, a rudimentary fortress took shape, divided into two levels: the upper level equipped with muskets, cannons, bows, and crossbows for ranged units, while the lower level's breastworks housed pikemen.
Because they had come across mountains and couldn't carry heavy artillery, the Second Regiment only brought along a type of three-pound cannon, specially designed by Alden to support infantry in rugged terrain. Nicknamed "Grasshopper," this lightweight cannon had a barrel length of about 120 cm and weighed about 94 kg, making it possible to move quickly with just one horse or four soldiers.
Although it was a lightweight cannon, it still had formidable power, capable of inflicting significant damage at 600 meters, and its solid shot could easily pierce a breastwork made of stone and gravel.
For this diversionary operation, the Second Regiment brought 10 "Grasshopper" light cannons.
Due to bad weather encountered earlier and the lack of time to dry them during the march, the gunpowder carried by the kingdom's army had become severely damp. Now that they had arrived at Frog's Croak Town, they finally had time and space. The townspeople watched curiously as the kingdom's artillerymen spread barrels of black powder on the threshing ground, drying it for half a day before hurriedly collecting it. Many locals speculated that the black powder might be some kind of medicine.
After a busy day, by the time the sun was setting, a report came from the soldiers stationed outside the town: a large group, numbering around two thousand, was approaching from the south.
Chambers deduced that this group was likely the reinforcements that the rebel conscription officer Nielson had called for.
He made a bold decision, ordering two soldiers to watch Nielson and lure the reinforcements into the town's main street.
The cowardly Nielson obediently followed the orders. Chambers' plan worked perfectly: when the reinforcements encountered "their own people," they didn't suspect a thing. They marched recklessly into the town, but not long after, figures began emerging from the houses and alleys, aiming muskets and crossbows at the stunned rebel reinforcements.
With Nielson nearby giving instructions, the kingdom's army quickly locked onto the rebel commander with him. A burst of gunfire rang out, and the unlucky commander was struck with blood splattering from his body, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Most of the rebel reinforcements were newly conscripted men, hastily trained for a few days before being sent to the battlefield. They lacked any effective organization, and when their commander was killed, they immediately fell into chaos, rushing to surrender to the kingdom's army.
Chambers accepted their surrender, and during the interrogation, he discovered that many of them had received combat training and were equipped with weapons like swords and crossbows. He decided to expand his forces.
All the officers were detained, while the soldiers were dispersed to various camps. Chambers judged that without their officers, these surrendered soldiers would have no rebellious thoughts; at most, they would try to escape during the chaos.
The next morning, the kingdom's army, stationed across from Eagle's Beak Pass, launched a fierce attack as planned.
The rumble of cannon fire echoed through the valley as shells pounded against the sturdy walls of Eagle's Beak Pass.
At this critical moment, a messenger from Giles arrived.
"Your Grace!" The messenger, bruised and battered, cried as he saw Giles. "Frog's Croak Town has been occupied by the northerners!"
Everyone present was struck as if by lightning.
"Impossible!" Giles roared, grabbing the messenger by the collar and nearly lifting him off the ground. "Could they have flown over there?"
"I don't know!" The messenger sobbed. "When I entered the town, I saw the royal soldiers on the street. I realized something was wrong and tried to run, but they spotted me!"
His words were somewhat slurred due to the swelling.
"Nielson was among them; he must have already surrendered. That bastard revealed my identity. I was beaten by those northerners, and their leader told me to return to Eagle's Mouth Pass and inform you to surrender immediately... Ow, take it easy."
"Damn it!" Giles threw the messenger to the ground.
Those around him, including Wendell and Samal, were speechless at the sudden news.
The fall of Frog's Croak Town meant they had lost contact with Five Goats Fortress. Even if they could hold Eagle's Beak Pass for a time, without reinforcements, their troops and supplies would eventually be exhausted, and they would be overtaken by the kingdom's army. If they split forces to retake Frog's Croak Town, their defensive strength would be greatly reduced.
(End of the Chapter)
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