Ironvine Territory (9)

At the ferry crossing in the middle of the Green Water River, the Ironvine soldiers stationed there have been very anxious these past few days. They know that their territory is being attacked by the enemy, who are said to have already reached Ironwire City, which is not far from here. They don't know if they can defeat the enemy this time, and everyone is somewhat confused.

The troops stationed here consist of a large battalion, given the important location of this place, which serves as a transportation hub. Following the battle with the Sixth Legion of the Duchy at the end of last year, Count Lloyd strengthened the defenses of this ferry crossing, not only fortifying the facilities on both sides of the crossing but also adding a significant number of troops.

The battalion Battalion Commander had noticed the state of his soldiers recently. He understood their concerns, but he couldn't let things continue like this. So today, he led the soldiers in training to distract them.

Even so, the Battalion Commander did not forget his duties and arranged for several shifts of teams to continue guarding the ferry crossing.

The soldiers in the camp were divided into two groups and competing against each other. Most of them were very serious. The Battalion Commander stood at the edge of the camp's Drill Ground, watching all of this with a smile.

Just as he was satisfied with the results of the training, he suddenly heard a bell ring. This was the alarm signal he had arranged; if the enemy was spotted, the bell would be rung immediately to sound the alarm.

However, ever since Ironwire City was besieged by the enemy, enemy cavalry would frequently come to the ferry to scout. In order not to be disturbed by these small groups of enemies, the Battalion Commander ordered that the number of times the bell rang be used to indicate the number of enemies.

One syllable indicates fewer than 100 people; two syllables indicate more than 100 people and a scale of 1,000; three syllables indicate more than 1,000 people but less than 5,000; and four syllables indicate an enemy force exceeding 10,000.

During this period, there was only one instance of two bells ringing. The enemy sent a large force to the vicinity of the ferry crossing. Perhaps seeing the heavy defenses at the crossing, they did not launch an attack but instead retreated.

Upon hearing the bell, the Battalion Commander immediately perked up and listened attentively, trying to ascertain the exact number of enemies.

The first bell rang, but a long time passed before the second one rang. The Battalion Commander breathed a sigh of relief, guessing that they had only discovered a small group of enemies. Just as he was about to order the soldiers to continue training, the second bell rang.

Although the Battalion Commander was puzzled as to why so much time had passed, he immediately ordered the soldiers to be assembled to prepare for a possible enemy attack.

Just then, the third bell rang, and the Battalion Commander's face turned pale instantly. With so many enemies, it seemed they might be serious.

The Battalion Commander quickly led a horse towards the watchtower, and just as he reached the foot of the tower, the fourth and fifth tolls of the bell reached his ears.

When he dismounted, his legs were already weak. So many enemies—did that mean Ironwire City had already fallen? The thought of his family trapped inside the city tore at his heart.

But his duty told him he couldn't stop now; he still had things to do. He climbed the watchtower and saw the soldiers at the top preparing to ring the bell again.

He told them to stop, and then ran to the watchtower to look towards Ironwire City, but there was nothing there; the overwhelming enemy he had imagined did not appear.

Just as he looked at the soldiers with a questioning expression, the soldiers guarding the tower pointed in another direction, towards the upstream of the Green Water River.

He looked in that direction and saw a huge fleet of ships on the upstream river. Although most of them were small boats for inland waterways, each ship was full of fully armed soldiers.

The fleet was so long that even from the watchtower he couldn't see the sterns. Based on his experience, he estimated that the fleet, which was within sight, numbered no less than 20,000 people.

Although the enemy didn't come from the direction of Ironwire City, the Battalion Commander was relieved a lot, at least Ironwire City hadn't been breached yet.

However, the arrival of so many troops by boat was not a good thing. The Battalion Commander gritted his teeth and gave the order to lead his troops to defend the crossing to the death. If they could not hold it, they should immediately ignite the prepared fuel and destroy the crossing facilities before defeat.

Shortly after he gave the order, he discovered that the fleet had stopped in front of the ferry and sent out a small boat.

The Battalion Commander thought they were trying to persuade him to surrender, and he mentally prepared his words of rebuke. But to his surprise, the people on the small boat shouted at them, "We are the Southern Marching Legion of the Northern Frontier Allied Army. We have been ordered to reinforce Count Lloyd and Ironvine Territory. Please allow us to land." Then they raised a flag with the Iron Birch inscription on it.

The Battalion Commander was skeptical. He felt that what the other party said seemed to be true. After all, with so many troops, they could easily take the crossing by force, so there was no need to go through all this trouble.

But he was still somewhat worried and dared not easily trust the army. Just as he was hesitating about whether to agree, the fleet continued its journey.

The Battalion Commander was now in a difficult position. Watching the fleet approaching, he didn't know how to give orders: should he destroy the crossing or allow the fleet to land?