Ironvine Territory (Thirty-Eight)

Outside the camp, on the battlefield, the Allied Army War Department was still carrying soil to fill the trenches. This time, the right flank had used all its Serf Soldiers, and with the suppression from ranged units, the trench-filling speed was very fast.

Basically, the trenches around the front half of the camp have been filled in, creating more than a dozen flat areas. Even in some high places with significant elevation differences, gentle slopes have been created.

The three major shareholders of the right wing army stood on a high platform, looking at their achievements over this period of time, and were very satisfied.

Melendo said happily, "It's going very smoothly, the progress is very fast, and our troops will be able to launch an attack soon."

The enemy doesn't dare to stop us at all. Just as the intelligence said, their forces are probably small. I feel we can finish the battle by this evening."

Dawan was also optimistic. "If we can get the top credit, I will give you both extra money. I will definitely not let you down."

Although Asur was satisfied with the current progress, he couldn't help but pour some cold water on the two men's optimism. "The enemy's camp is very well built. Even if we fill in the trenches, it won't be easy to break in. It's better not to be too blindly optimistic."

I just sent men to check on the situation at the other two battlefields. The enemy resistance is fierce, progress is not going well, and casualties are considerable.

Dawan nodded. He agreed with Asur's words, after all, Viscount Asur was the most knowledgeable commander among the three, and his judgment should be the most accurate.

"Viscount Asur, take your time. I'm not in a hurry. Anyway, there's not much progress on the other two battlefields. You can make your own plans. My troops are all in your hands, and the extra rewards are still available."

Asur was very satisfied with Dawan's support for his command, and his attitude towards Dawan improved. He found it quite nice to have an investor who did not interfere with his command.

"By the way, Dawan, I'll be launching a probing attack later. May I use one of your big toys?"

Asur was referring to the heavy weapons from the East Sea Alliance that Dawan had brought. Dawan naturally wouldn't object, and he was also looking forward to seeing how these weapons would perform in actual combat.

Soon the right flank army stopped filling the trenches, Serf Soldiers, driven away by their officers, quickly retreated, each with a happy smile on their face.

Although they were safe while filling in the trenches, the thought of the enemy launching a counterattack at any moment had been troubling them. Now, being able to retreat safely to the rear was a stroke of luck for these Serf Soldiers.

Melendo curiously, "Asur, why don't you use these Serf Soldiers to launch a charge? Isn't it a bit of a waste to use our regular War Department for the first charge?"

Asur explained, "These Serf Soldiers have run back and forth so many times to fill the trenches, their strength is severely depleted. Sending them to charge would only be a death sentence for the enemy, with little effect whatsoever."

Dawan asked, "It would be good if we could wear down the enemy's strength. Anyway, these Serf Soldiers are just casualties. Viscount Asur, you don't need to worry about their casualties. It doesn't matter if they all die. My territory has plenty of serfs. It's very cheap to buy serfs from the East Sea Alliance. Many noble territories can even give away serfs for free."

After listening, Asur smiled at Dawan, "Morale is very important in battle. If soldiers see their own troops being slaughtered by the enemy, their morale will definitely drop sharply. This has nothing to do with whether they are Serf Soldiers or not. Moreover, such sacrifices may even boost the enemy's morale, which is a bit of a waste."

"By the way, Dawan, I'm very interested in the free serfs you mentioned from the East Sea Alliance. My territory is currently short of serfs, and I'd like to try and get some free serfs through your channels when I have time. What do you think?"

"No problem, it's nothing, it's a small matter, not worth you coming all the way to me."

"Alright then, after this Civil War ends, I'll personally send you a batch of 2,000 serfs from the East Sea Alliance, guaranteed to be all able-bodied young men."

Asur was somewhat surprised by Dawan Dawan's generosity in giving away 2,000 serfs right off the bat. "Thank you so much! But has something happened to the East Sea Alliance? Why are all the able-bodied serfs being given away for free?"

"It's not all young and strong serfs; it includes the elderly and children. But don't worry, I'll definitely send you only the young and strong. I'll take good care of the elderly and children."

"Really? Thank you so much."

Melendo added enviously, "Give me some too. Why not take advantage of free labor?"

"Don't worry, Melendo, you won't be shortchanged. 1,000 serfs, the same standard as Asur."

In a few simple words exchanged by a few people, the future fate of thousands of serf families was decided.

Dawan continued, "As for what happened over in the East Sea Alliance, I'm not entirely sure. It seems that there was a major flood there at the end of last year, affecting a large area. Many territories suffered no harvest and there wasn't enough food to eat."

Therefore, many serfs in the territories were driven by their lords to areas unaffected by the disaster. The Emerald Crescent Province, which borders us, is said to have seen a million refugees pour in since the beginning of the year. In addition, some of the territories in the province have also been affected by the disaster, so the number of refugees may well double.

The refugees are now running rampant throughout the Emerald Crescent Province, causing headaches for many local nobles. It is said that in order to quell the unrest in the province, many nobles have joined forces to send troops, since a private army of at most a few thousand men in a territory is simply too weak in the face of a wave of millions of refugees.

The free serfs I mentioned were all given to us by the East Sea Alliance. Many nobles in Hampshire are doing this, since they share the same language and culture as us and are much easier to manage than the slaves brought from the Scorching Sun Islands.

If there hadn't been a Civil War, the nobles of Hampshire might have made a fortune from this opportunity.

It is precisely because the East Sea Alliance is too busy to attend to this matter that the nobles of our Hampshire dared to mobilize private troops from the border to participate in this Civil War."

When Asur heard this news, his heart skipped a beat. No wonder the nobles of Hampshire had stopped wavering since the end of last year.

They thought that Grand Duke Mora of Silver Maple City had made some promise, which made them abandon the safety of the border and take the initiative to lead their troops to intervene in the Civil War.

In retrospect, the fundamental reason was that the nobles of Hampshire felt that the East Sea Alliance posed no threat and that the border was safe, which gave them the courage to send troops.

However, Asur felt that this matter posed a great risk. After all, in the event of a famine, the best way to resolve internal conflicts was to transfer them out. What if the nobles of the East Sea Alliance suddenly drove those refugees into the Southern Four Counties in a large-scale influx? He did not believe that the Southern Four Counties could so easily handle the refugee crisis that had already caused the East Sea Alliance such a headache.

Seeing Asur's solemn expression and silence, Dawan quickly understood why he was acting this way. "Viscount Asur, you don't need to worry. The nobles of Hampshire aren't fools. Rusa has already made arrangements."

This time, although we sent two legions, they were both expanded units. As you can see, even I brought so many Serf Soldiers, and the private armies of other Hampshire nobles also have quite a few Serf Soldiers.

We still have a considerable number of troops stationed on the border of Hampshire. After all, we've been entangled with the border and the East Sea Alliance for two hundred years, so we won't let our guard down."

Dawan Dawan's words reassured Asur considerably, and he realized that he might have been overly sensitive.

By this time, the Serf Soldiers of the right flank army had almost all retreated, and the battlefield between the two armies was once again empty.

Viscount Asur felt it was time to launch an attack. He nodded to the other two, signaling them to prepare.

Melendo and Dawan naturally wouldn't object; both were looking forward to this round of attacks.

Asur gave the order to attack directly. Soon, bugle calls and drumbeats resounded through the sky. The three battalions of the right flank army participating in this attack raised their military flags, and the soldiers began to prepare to charge under the command of officers at all levels.

The archers in the formation also began to fire volleys at a faster rate, and the Scorpion Ballista and heavy crossbows brought by Dawan Dawan's army were also pushed to the front and began to fire.

Round stone projectiles and short spear-like crossbow bolts began to be fired at the defending camp. The instant these weapons were fired, at a command from the front, the soldiers began their charge.

The armored soldiers, like a forest, charged forward madly, their weapons in hand. Shouts of battle and the sound of war drums mingled together, pushing the grim atmosphere of the entire battlefield to a climax.