Conflict

Jack quickly sent back new information. This tribal outpost was unusual; they seemed very familiar with the Duchy's light cavalry tactics. They had been actively driving away Jack's reconnaissance cavalry, but always kept their actions in check and didn't harm anyone.

Facing this situation, Jack had been trying to infiltrate his cavalry behind the outpost, but he hadn't succeeded. The outpost had been organizing small groups of barbarian cavalry to intercept Jack's men. Since Jack's numbers weren't superior, he couldn't spare anyone to infiltrate the rear for reconnaissance.

When Jack reported this to Victor, Victor wasn't in his tent but was inspecting the assembly of various detachments in the main camp. After hearing Jack's report, Victor frowned.

This tribe was indeed unusual. The reaction speed of their outpost was unlike the Green Grass and Wind Roll tribes Victor had encountered since arriving on the Great Plains.

Not only were they well-equipped, but their tactics and fighting will were extraordinary. Most importantly, they had been deliberately controlling their actions to avoid causing harm, which led Victor to have some guesses about their origins.

At this moment, young Paru, standing nearby, said, "Dogs, they must be dogs raised by Baron Colt." Victor quickly understood what Paru meant. Baron Colt was powerful and had many subjugated barbarian tribes under his command. This tribe was likely one of the barbarian tribes serving the Iron Birch Family.

These tribes had always operated on the borders between the Northern Three Commanderies and the Northern Barrens. The nobles of the North would trade with them and provide them with some weapons. In return, they would try to prevent other barbarian tribes from approaching the borders of the Northern Three Commanderies. They would directly eliminate and annex weaker tribes, and when encountering stronger tribes, they would communicate with the Northern nobles to launch wars together, expelling or even annihilating these tribes.

The bloody conflicts among the prairie tribes in recent decades, which Paru of the Green Grass Tribe mentioned, were mostly caused by them. They would also actively capture members of other barbarian tribes and the prisoners from their spoils to sell as slaves to the Northern nobles.

Paru himself was brought to the Northern Three Commanderies as a slave; Victor only learned this later. Little Mouse wasn't his biological sister but an abandoned female infant he found from other slaves. He didn't want to see the infant starve to death, so he kept her with him. Later, he treated her as his spiritual support, recognized her as his sister, and named her Little Mouse, hoping a humble name would make her easy to raise.

After learning these things, Victor renamed Little Mouse Minnie, as a blessing, hoping she would grow up healthy.

After confirming the characteristics of these types of tribes with Paru, Victor directly ordered Ron to take the First Cavalry Detachment to support Jack's troops. They were not to engage directly yet, but to use their numbers to suppress and control the tribal outpost, allowing Jack's reconnaissance troops to infiltrate the outpost's rear smoothly and gather information.

Ron quickly departed with the assembled First Cavalry Detachment. There were 400 cavalrymen, each equipped with two horses: one for riding and one as a spare. This brought the total number of magnificent horses gathered together to nearly a thousand, creating a spectacular sight.

These cavalrymen and horses were neatly arranged in front of the dock. At Ron's command, the cavalrymen moved swiftly. They methodically led the horses onto the troop transport ships at the ferry crossing. The sound of hooves echoed through the sky, as if the very earth trembled. For a time, the entire dock was crowded and boisterous. Soldiers shouted and directed each other, ensuring that every step went without a hitch.

Captain Jack had left behind another troop transport ship when his fleet returned last time. Now there were two troop transport ships, enough to transport the entire detachment in two batches.

The two troop transport ships, laden with cavalry and horses, slowly pulled away from the shore and headed towards the opposite bank. The river water sparkled under the sunlight, reflecting golden rays.

Upon seeing this scene, Victor immediately notified the other detachments. Except for the Second Infantry Detachment, which was to remain in Wood Fort Town, the other detachments no longer needed to wait in the main camp. They were to proceed directly to the dock and prepare to cross the river. He also instructed Powell to organize supplies immediately to be delivered to the north bank after the troops crossed.

Regardless of whether the other side was friend or foe, Victor believed that facing such uninvited guests, they had to heighten their vigilance, eliminate all potential threats, and not show any weakness. Directly overwhelming them with force was the most reasonable approach.

Currently, the First and Second Cavalry Detachments had completed the recruitment of barbarian cavalry squads and were fully operational. Each detachment had 400 men and nearly 1000 warhorses. Victor had essentially deployed all the horses he had that could be used as warhorses.

The First and Second Infantry Detachments were understaffed because the recruitment of auxiliaries was not yet complete. Each currently had only 300 men. The Second Infantry Detachment also had to be responsible for garrisoning the northern outpost, so Victor decided to let the Second Infantry Detachment stay behind.

Victor now had 800 cavalrymen under his command, including 50 mail-clad cavalry and 50 heavy cavalry equipped with Iron Knight Armor. They could be considered a strong force, ranking among the middle tier of Viscount nobles in the North. Such strength was not something a subordinate barbarian tribe could contend with.

Victor learned from Paru that the barbarian tribes subjugated by the Iron Birch Family had their numbers deliberately restricted, with populations not exceeding 8,000 people. They could muster at most 1,000 able-bodied men and were permitted to trade with the various noble families in the North. Although they could obtain weapons, equipment, and various supplies, their strength was not very great. There were dozens of such tribes, as long as the Iron Birch Family kept track of their exact numbers.

This tribe that had migrated here should be one of them, but it was unclear whether they had simply migrated or intended to trade with the Northern nobles.

Jack, leading his direct company, had been harassing them about 60 kilometers north of the north bank. Although the barbarian tribe's outpost could hinder Jack's reconnaissance, Jack had also firmly held them in place, preventing them from advancing. The conflict between the two sides had begun to intensify. Although weapons had not yet been used, physical altercations had started to occur, and their tempers were flaring.

As soon as Ron crossed the river, he took his direct company north to support Jack. The remaining cavalry and the troops yet to cross were handed over to Jackson. Jackson was also helpless; the commanding officer was both his superior and the second heir to the Edelweiss Territory, so he couldn't offer any advice.

Victor remained at the dock, waiting for all the troops to cross. It wasn't until 1:00 AM on the 19th of the next day that all the departing troops were sent to the north bank. Victor ordered all outposts to strengthen their guard and conduct night patrols. The other troops were to rest and depart promptly at 8:00 AM on the 19th.