Reinforcements Arrive

After confirming the location of the Green Grass Tribe's settlement, the news was relayed back to the camp, and Victor summoned all military officers to a meeting again.

"The location of the Green Grass Tribe has been confirmed. We will cross the river and head north for about 60 kilometers. If we only use cavalry, we need to ensure their combat stamina, which will take two days. If we bring infantry, it will take three days. After the battle, we still need to transport the captives to the riverbank. Round trip, it will take 5 to 8 days. Time is very tight," Victor explained the difficulties of this campaign to several people.

"We can fight. The Green Grass Tribe has less than 500 people who can fight, but as you said, even if we take it, besides the 500 young and strong who can fight, the Green Grass Tribe has over two thousand elderly, weak, women, and children, and tens of thousands of livestock. If we take it, we must be able to hold it. If we can't bring back the spoils, this battle is not worth fighting," Santos supported Victor's view.

"But if we don't fight, we won't be able to recruit barbarian soldiers from the captives later, and our current troop shortage won't be resolved," Ron was more inclined to fight.

Jack also agreed with Ron's approach. There would definitely be many difficulties in fighting, but if they didn't fight, many of the current difficulties would be even harder to resolve.

James thought for a moment and said, "What if we equip all the infantry with horses and dismount to fight when we arrive? That might reduce the total time needed for the operation."

Victor raised an eyebrow and thought to himself, I didn't expect this, James. You big, dumb ox, to come up with such a feasible suggestion.

Then, Victor directly asked Powell, who was standing nearby and listening, "Do we have enough horses to meet the needs of 500 infantry?"

"Don't worry, my lord. We definitely have enough horses. Our cavalry originally had two horses per person, and we have a large number of inferior horses for transportation. I'm just not sure if all the infantry know how to ride, and many of the horses are draft horses that can pull carts and are not suitable for riding," Powell replied.

Victor pondered for a moment and answered, "No problem. Many infantry soldiers know how to ride, though their skills are very basic. And since we have carts, those who can't ride will ride in the carts. We just need to ensure the speed of the troops' advance."

"But even if the marching speed increases and saves time, it doesn't guarantee that the time to move the captives will speed up. After all, that's 3,000 people and tens of thousands of livestock. We only have 150 cavalry available. If they scatter, we won't be able to catch them all," Santos continued to pour cold water on the idea.

Ron said angrily, "It all comes down to a shortage of people. But if we don't fight, the problem of lacking people won't be solved."

Just then, a messenger arrived at the tent entrance, saying he had important matters to report. Victor let him in. The messenger handed over a message tube. Victor opened it, read the contents, and his brow immediately relaxed.

"Everyone, prepare for battle. Please return to your units now and make immediate deployments. We will set out tomorrow morning."

Everyone was puzzled by Victor's sudden change in attitude. Ron, seeing the message tube, suddenly thought of something and directly asked, "Has the cavalry from Edelweiss Territory arrived?"

Victor nodded and said, "The 200 light cavalry we leased from Edelweiss Territory have arrived. Their vanguard has already contacted our patrol team. The main force will arrive at Wood Fort Town by noon. With their arrival, our cavalry force will more than double, and the manpower shortage will be resolved."

Everyone was overjoyed. This meant they could proceed with the plan to conquer the Green Grass Tribe. The captured barbarian herders could serve as laborers and also as a source of soldiers. The large number of livestock could also aid in the development of the territory and the distribution of spoils.

At noon, the cavalry from Edelweiss Territory arrived at Wood Fort Town. Victor had already arranged a welcome banquet. The knight leading the Edelweiss Territory troops was named Jackson Edelweiss, Ron's cousin. Upon meeting Victor, he handed over the half-sword that symbolized military authority to Victor, signifying that they would henceforth obey Victor's command.

After the banquet, Victor pulled Jackson along to a meeting and explained the next operational plan. Jackson readily agreed, stating that he would act according to Victor's orders.

Victor was very happy to see how understanding Jackson was and was inwardly grateful to his maternal grandfather for providing such great assistance.

However, for more efficient command, Victor divided the 200 light cavalry into two teams, with Jackson and Ron each leading 100. Ron's original subordinates would be under Jack's unified command.

With everything finalized, the final departure time was set for the next morning. The troops from Edelweiss Territory needed at least one night to rest. Even though Jackson said it wasn't necessary and they hadn't marched rapidly, Victor told him, "Good food is not afraid of being late. The more thorough the preparation, the more glorious our victory will be."

The remaining tasks were to gather supplies and organize the horses, ensuring that all 500 infantry departing would have a horse if they knew how to ride, and a cart if they didn't. Powell, along with a group of his civil officials, was busy up to his neck.

Seeing this, Victor decided to have Number 1 create a textbook for the civil officials to study, so they could be more adept at handling such statistical allocation problems.

Victor did not disturb the overwhelmed civil officials in the end. After all, if he got involved, he would likely have to participate himself. As the one who worried, he would not do the labor, especially since Baron Victor had plenty of oxen and horses.

Victor walked over to the field hospital. This was Victor's daily routine. After all, by simply spending a little time and offering comforting words to the wounded, he could gain a group of loyal warriors. There was no more profitable business than this, which was why Victor couldn't bear to treat these soldiers, who pledged their lives for a few words of comfort, as expendable resources.

After chatting with the wounded soldiers for a while, Victor left and returned to his tent.

As he sat at his desk, he pondered for a moment, took out a piece of papyrus, and began to write. He had been in the territory for 8 days and had left Golden Sunflower Territory 18 days ago. It was time to write a letter home. After taking the Green Grass Tribe in two days, the fleet should return. Otherwise, it would be difficult to complete two more transports before winter.

Victor wrote and thought, focusing on his experiences during this period, introducing the general situation of the territory, and the key allocations for the next batch of supplies. Finally, he wrote about his longing for his family.

Victor had integrated into this world and had a new family. That was why he was willing to become the heir of the Beacon Lighthouse, not only to realize his ambitions but also to protect this world that had gently accepted him.