Tug-of-War

Victor looked at the army crossing the river and fell into thought. Just a few days ago, when Sodoma arrived in Sunset City, he brought him news that the Fifth Legion the Northern Frontier Allied Army, which was originally planned to be sent to him as reinforcements, could not arrive as expected.

Sodoma also brought a letter from his father, Wembley: "Victor, the main force of the Northlands army led by Count Colt is making very little progress in Sextus County and is engaged in a tug-of-war with the main force of the Grand Duke Mora."

Meanwhile, at the Carson Mountains Pass, your father-in-law Viscount Benjamin, has run into trouble. The Duchy Army on the other side has suddenly captured the first fortress on the north side.

Viscount Benjamin discovered the situation in time and led his troops to the second line of defense, blocking the Duchy Army. However, since the fortress had already been breached, Turas was leading the Duchy Army across the Carson Mountains in droves.

Despite Viscount Benjamin's valiant efforts, his legions were unable to withstand the onslaught, and he himself was seriously wounded in the relentless fighting.

The frontline troops in the Carson Mountains lost command for a time, and only the timely arrival of the Iron Birch Territory army led by Viscount Albert was enough to barely hold back the Duchy's advance.

To avoid trouble in his own backyard, Count Colt had no choice but to send the Fifth Legion to the Carson Mountains in Durham County, since he still had a portion of his troops stationed in the north to guard against the Barbarians.

Because of this arrangement, the Fifth Legion certainly cannot continue south, and the support that the Northlands can provide for you in the future will be very limited. You will have to rely on yourself to fight in the south.

I will take good care of Two Rivers Territory. At the same time, I will continue to train new militia and prepare supplies. The southward fleet from Sodoma should remember to return north to Two Rivers Territory to receive these troops and supplies.

Be extra careful!

The new information is simple: it's an overview of the current situation. Victor has been fighting all this time and has just arrived in Sunset City. Communication is poor, so he only knows that the Northern Alliance Army are still fighting the Grand Duke's army in Sextus County.

Victor never expected the situation in the Northlands to be this bad. He had thought that with his addition, the Northern Alliance Army Forces would be greatly strengthened and might be able to achieve a crushing victory.

In retrospect, it seems that he and the Northern Frontier nobles led by Count Colt underestimated the duchy's strength. The main force of the Northern Alliance Army was blocked in Sextus County, and after nearly a month of fighting, they had not achieved any results.

Meanwhile, the Carson Mountains fortress on the western front fell rapidly for some unknown reason, almost allowing the Duchy Army to penetrate deep into the heart of the Northern Alliance Army. According to Wembley, this news was not made public by Count Colt.

After all, if the other Northern Frontier nobles knew that there was a problem along the Carson Mountains in Durham County, it would definitely shake their morale. Therefore, Count Colt could not mobilize the Northlands troops in Sextus County to reinforce Durham County. In the end Count Colt could only mobilize the Fifth Legion, which had not yet completed its preparations for marching south.

The only front in the entire Northern Alliance Army that has achieved a breakthrough is the Eastern Front's Southern Marching Legion led by Victor. In the Battle of Rotten Tree Beach, they decisively defeated the Duchy's First Legion and the entire eastern Coalition of Nobles.

Logically speaking, if Victor had led his main force and the troops of Great Oak Territory directly north along the Blackwater River and tried to attack the flank and rear of the Duchy's main force, he might have been able to break the stalemate in one fell swoop.

However, after Count Colt mobilized the Fifth Legion, he also issued a military order Victor, which was to continue south to support Lloyd Ironvine in Cornwall County, to hold back the enemy, and to prevent the Duchy Army in the four southern counties from being able to easily break away Count go north to provide support.

Victor was surprised that even after things had come to this point, Count Colt still kept his promise to Count Lloyd. Logically, Victor would have been more helpful going north under these circumstances, but Count Colt still chose to let Victor continue south as planned.

Since his boss, Count Colt, had made such arrangements, Victor would not disobey orders. After preparing the troops, he ordered them to march south to provide support to the Iron Vine Family as soon as possible.

However, Victor was completely unaware of the situation in Cornwall County. The entire Cornwall County was blocked by the Duchy and the loyalist nobles from the south, and not a single piece of news could get out.

Even if they continued south, Victor dared not order his troops to advance rapidly. If the Duchy's Fourth Legion and the private armies of the nobles in the Southern Four Counties were to ambush them in advance, his troops would not be able to withstand the attack.

The roads south from Suffolk County Cornwall County are mainly by river, and the rivers along the way are narrow, making it very dangerous in case of a surprise attack. Victor must understand the specific situation before he can travel south with peace of mind.

Victor summoned James to him because of this very issue. He planned to use James's Light Cavalry as the main force, sending them directly to the front of the army to act as the vanguard, while simultaneously gathering information about the various situations along the way, and ideally, to make contact with the Iron Vine Family.

"I hope everything goes well!" Victor muttered to himself.

In White Earth City, Sextus County, inside the Lord's mansion, Count Colt is reviewing documents.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and before Count Colt could ask who it was, the door was pushed open.

As soon as Alex entered the room, he quickly said, "Father, why won't you let me participate in this operation?"

"Even though Hawk and I were the ones who devised the battle plan, and my army was ready, Viscount Edmund's legions were simply incapable of carrying out this mission!"

After saying that, Alex took out the map that was underneath the documents and pointed to the county town of Sextus County, saying loudly.

"Only my Cavalry and Viscount Hawke's mounted infantry will be able to land, quickly outflank them, and force the Third Legion to relinquish their positions."

Viscount Edmund only has a few Cavalry; how could his entire infantry force possibly execute this plan?

"I've already told you, Alex, you can only enter the house when I give you permission. This is not the Count Iron Birch, but the command post for the battlefield, not a place for you to act as you please."

Count Colt berated him sternly. Seeing his father so angry, Alex instantly lost his previous courage and stood before Count Colt with his head down, like a child admitting his mistake.

Seeing Alex's performance, Count Colt sighed, "Your troops are indeed faster and stronger. Hawk's cavalry and infantry can keep up with your pace. I believe you can complete this battle plan."

But now you have seen the strength of the Duchy. Because of my carelessness, the Iron Knights were directly and severely damaged by the Ducal Guard Legion's Cavalry and Heavy Infantry. Our elite Cavalry suffered heavy losses.

The Cavalry force you command is already our most elite rapid-fire unit. Once you carry out this mission, you will be the ones surrounded. Even if you manage to achieve the battle plan, how many men will be left in this force, and how much combat power will be retained?

That's why I assigned this task to Edmund. Although he doesn't possess the speed of Cavalry, his legion has suffered the fewest losses and maintained the most complete fighting strength. Even if surrounded, they can hold out much longer than you do."

Alex understood that Count Colt's statement was correct; if he and Hawk were to carry out this mission, it would undoubtedly be a matter of life and death.

In a sense, Edmund wasn't stealing credit, but rather paving the way, since only those who survived could gain merit.

Alex was so angry because he felt this was a good opportunity to end this swamp-like war as soon as possible.

Seeing Alex's expression, Count Colt knew that Alex had already understood.

"Although the strength of the duchy has exceeded our expectations, and even the western defense line has been breached, we are now only in a tug-of-war. Although we have suffered heavy losses, we can still hold out for a long time, so there is no need to take too many risks."

After saying that, Count Colt took out another document and handed it to Alex, saying, "If we hold on a little longer, we will naturally achieve victory."

Alex curiously took the document, opened it, and began to read. Then he said happily.

"That's fantastic! I thought the Eastern Front was also at a stalemate, but I didn't expect Victor to have already achieved a decisive victory."

In this way, if he can lead his troops north to attack the Grand Duke's flank and rear, he can definitely turn the tide of the entire situation.