Ironvine Territory (4)

On a riverbank of the Green Water River, a giant otter, unique to the Green Water River, is dragging a tree trunk two or three times its own length. This is the material it plans to use to build its small river dam. The huge tree trunk leaves a long drag mark on the riverbank.

A small flock of birds hovered around it. The drag marks left by the tree trunk were deep, and the soil on the riverbank had been turned up by the tree trunk. Many small insects that rarely see each other and usually stay in the soil were also exposed to the sunlight, which was a feast for these birds.

These giant otters are a specialty of the Green Water River that flows through the Southern Region. They are characterized by their large size, with adults exceeding 3 meters in length and weighing up to 200 kilograms. They are ferocious and can capsize even small fishing boats if provoked, especially in the water.

Under normal circumstances, this otter is also the dominant species in the Green Water River ecosystem, forming the top of the food chain along with several other large freshwater fish in the Green Water River.

Even humans are reluctant to provoke them easily. Their meat is not tasty, their hide is not as easy to care for as cowhide, and they are large and good swimmers, making them difficult to catch. Therefore, caravans and other travelers keep their distance when they encounter them.

As a result, they have no natural enemies, and these otters naturally live a very comfortable life, always living a carefree existence.

But just as the otter was dragging the tree trunk, it suddenly sensed something was wrong. It stopped and stood still for a moment. Suddenly, it leaped up and, as swift as a rabbit, rushed from the riverbank into the water at an extremely fast speed, leaving the tree trunk, which had already been dragged a long way, behind.

The birds that were hovering around were startled by the otter's movements and all took flight. However, after circling around a few times and finding nothing had happened, they returned to their original spots and continued enjoying their buffet.

Just then, the ground suddenly shook, and within a dozen seconds, not only did the ground shake more frequently, but ripples also began to appear on the water's surface.

Even the most obtuse birds sensed something was wrong and began to take flight. Just as they reached the treetops, a large troop of Cavalry suddenly charged along the riverbank. Their dining table was instantly crushed to pieces by the Iron Hoof of the warhorses, startling the birds into a chorus of cries. In the nearby woods, many birds also began to take flight, all awakened by the commotion.

The Cavalry was enormous; it took them several minutes to run across the riverbank, and it took the birds, with their limited minds, a while to realize that they were gone.

Just as most of the birds were lamenting the loss of their feast, a few wading birds with good eyesight suddenly landed on the riverbank they had just been on.

While the other birds were still wondering why they had suddenly landed, they saw the wading birds stretching out their long beaks and scratching at the ground. Only then did the birds notice that the riverbank, trampled by the Cavalry, had become pitted and uneven, the ground turned upside down, and countless small insects shaken out. At this moment, flocks of birds quickly landed on the riverbank and began a feast.

After a while, the otter that had run into the river slowly climbed ashore and went to the tree trunk it had abandoned, where it continued its work.

Dozens of kilometers upstream from this section of the river, Victor sat on a boat, standing at the bow gazing in the direction of the rain, his brow furrowed, as if troubled by something.

Just as he was about to return to his cabin, someone called out to him, "Viscount Victor, are you still worried about the situation in Ironwire City?"

Victor turned his head and saw that it was Baron Brown. In order to save time, Victor had brought all the infantry troops onto the ship, and all the senior officers were on one ship.

"Baron Brown, why are you out here? You must be tired after just getting back. Why don't you rest a bit more?"

After Baron Brown annihilated the Duchy Army, they discovered important intelligence. In addition to sending someone to deliver the intelligence to Victor immediately, they also rushed back with the captured Fourth Legion Battalion Commander.

Victor already knew some of the intelligence, and in order to reach Ironwire City as soon as possible to provide support, Victor immediately made adjustments to the Southern Marching Legion.

Originally, a large number of Cavalry units were led by Ron and James as the vanguard and responsible for perimeter security. This time, Victor canceled all of them. He directly ordered the two to take all the Cavalry units, abandon their reconnaissance and security duties, and rush to the foot of Ironwire City along the Green Water River as quickly as possible. They were to try to attack the Duchy Army and delay their time to break through Ironwire City.

This explains why a large Cavalry unit suddenly galloped across the riverbank. After receiving the order, Ron and James immediately assembled their troops. Apart from leaving behind a detachment of scouts, the remaining 6,000-plus cavalry of the Southern Marching Legion sped towards their target.

As for the rest of the Southern Marching Legion, Victor dared not continue marching along the river. Victor devised a plan to take most of the boats from the Logistics Department, bringing as many troops as possible on board, intending to use the speed of the waterway to reach Ironwire City as quickly as possible.

However, there were simply not enough ships, so Victor had no choice but to leave behind a small contingent of troops and Logistics Department to guard the army's supplies and slowly march along the river.

This was already the fastest marching speed Victor's Southern Marching Legion could achieve, but Victor was still worried that the speed was not fast enough, because intelligence indicated that Ironwire City was more dangerous than imagined.

Baron Brown looked at Victor's serious face, knowing that Victor was very worried about the situation in Ironwire City. "Lord Victor," he said, "The person we captured is just a Battalion Commander. His intelligence may not be comprehensive, and he may have exaggerated it to save his own life. I think you have done enough. There is no need to worry so much."

"The Count Lloyd is a renowned general; he won't let the Duchy Army succeed so easily."

"Baron Brown, thank you."

Actually, I'm not worried about Ironwire City. Even if Ironwire City is breached, it was once the core defensive stronghold of the Duchy in the south, with an inner and outer city structure. Even if the outer city falls, Count Lloyd's troops are enough to defend the inner city.

But another piece of news is truly astonishing. If it's true—no, I might be wishful thinking—even a Battalion Commander knows about it, so it can't be too far off.

I am pessimistic about the situation in the south. Even if we manage to reach the city in time and join forces with Count Lloyd's army, we may have to abandon the entire Southern Four Counties."

Victor was deeply worried; he genuinely lacked confidence because the contents of the intelligence report were truly astonishing.

Baron Brown nodded in agreement. He understood Victor's thoughts; this was no pessimistic statement. When leading troops into battle, if one only thinks about victory and ignores the possibility of defeat, problems are bound to arise.

"However, Viscount Victor, do you really think the Grand Duchy will agree to the East Sea Alliance proposal?"

It turned out that after Baron Brown captured the Battalion Commander, before he could even interrogate him, the man voluntarily confessed the mission of his battalion. They were responsible for escorting a group of envoys from the East Sea Alliance to Silver Maple City, which was why they had separated from the main force.

After the escort mission was completed, Silver Maple City returned to the Southern Region, and it was only then that Victor and his Battalion Commander discovered the captain's extra work.

This delegation of envoys came from the East Sea Alliance. They carried a document from the East Sea Alliance Noble Council, which stated that they were negotiating with the Duchy and were willing to send troops to help the Duchy eliminate the rebellious noble group led by Lloyd Ironvine Count.

If the Duchy agrees to transfer Devon County and Dorset County Southern Four Counties, which directly subordinate to the Duchy, to them, the East Sea Alliance can immediately send three legions to participate in the battle.

This intelligence did indeed cause concern for Victor and his men, but Baron Brown believed that the enmity between the two countries ran deep, and the Duchy would not agree to send troops from the East Sea Alliance to help suppress the rebellion, especially since the conditions were so harsh, requiring the Duchy to cede two directly controlled counties.

It should be noted that these two counties were the foundation upon which the first Grand Duke Silver Maple built his empire. Although they combined were less than 30,000 square kilometers, they had become quite prosperous over time. At its peak, the duchy could support four legions to fight East Sea Alliance in the Southern Region, relying on these two counties.