Ironvine Territory (47)
The rain poured down, and soldiers marched in rows through the valley. To avoid getting stuck in the mud, the soldiers tied themselves together with hemp ropes around their waists.
To prevent the wagons carrying supplies and equipment from getting stuck in the mud, the soldiers laid large planks and rafts in front of the wagons to make temporary floating bridges, and the whole team moved forward carefully.
The continuous rain made the valley dark and poorly lit, making it impossible to light torches and slowing down the march.
Victor led his horse and walked in the middle of the column with his guards. Everyone in Victor's guards and the soldiers around him looked exhausted. He looked at the serpentine marching column with some anxiety.
Just after they withdrew all their troops to the left camp, rain suddenly began to fall around the entire Yalori Valley, and the land, which had been slightly dry, immediately became muddy again.
The heavy rains further ravaged the mountainsides that had already been eroded by mudslides, and landslides occurred from time to time.
Many of the pontoon bridges that were originally built were damaged by these landslides and falling rocks.
The heavy rain continued for three days without stopping. In addition, it was the rainy season in the Southern Four Counties, and sometimes the heavy rain could last for half a month to a month.
Not only did the road back become muddy again, but water also began to accumulate inside the valley.
After discussing it, Victor and his two companions decided not to wait for the rain to stop and instead led their troops to retreat in the rain.
As for Viscount Ferry, who had already fallen ill, the good news was that after being diagnosed by the medical officers of Victor's Medical Department, it turned out to be a common infectious disease caused by damp heat. Most healthy people could recover quickly with enough rest and plenty of hot water.
The other soldiers who showed the same symptoms also had the same illness, and there was no severe plague that some people had worried about.
Viscount Ferry, on the other hand, left a portion of the infected soldiers and a healthy contingent in the valley, waiting for the rain to stop before slowly retreating.
Victor and Lenster led the main force out of the valley first, and after resting, they went to Ironwire City to provide support.
As a result, after marching halfway through, Victor and Lenster found that marching in the rain was too difficult, especially since the original roads in the valley had been destroyed and they could only march through the mud. Even the pontoon bridge had to be built in sections to prevent it from being destroyed by falling rocks.
But with things having come to this point, Victor and Lenster had no choice but to grit their teeth and persevere. If they suddenly stopped marching at this time, it might cause chaos in the troops.
Actually, Victor didn't want to wait until the rain stopped before retreating. On the one hand, reinforcements were continuing to arrive from Ironwire City, and on the other hand, as time went on, more and more soldiers were getting infected with disease.
Although the army was not short of food and supplies, even though most of the baggage was destroyed, the remaining food was enough for the entire army for two months.
However, resources in the valley are very limited, especially with the impact of mudslides and heavy rains. Clean water sources are becoming increasingly scarce, and there is also a shortage of firewood. The once lush shrubs have been buried under the mudslides.
Those sick soldiers needed hot water and hot food. If the main force remained in the valley, even if most of them survived, the sick soldiers would likely die from the lack of hot water and food.
Victor and Lenster could not accept this, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and march in the rain.
Lenster, being the local strongman, led the scouts ahead, while Victor followed the main force. After all, the main body of this army consisted of Victor's Southern Marching Legion, making Victor better able to handle any issues.
At least during this march, several unexpected situations occurred, such as a sudden rockfall that startled the horses pulling the carts, causing the temporary pontoon bridge to become paralyzed; or conflicts between the two troops due to the order of marching.
Victor knew that this poor marching condition had caused many soldiers to become severely demoralized, leading to these problems, but in order to maintain the marching speed, Victor had no choice but to maintain a high-pressure state.
The weariness of Victor's guards wasn't just from the march, but more so from Victor taking them around as firefighters.
Just as Victor was about to send someone to contact the vanguard to find out about the road conditions ahead, a messenger suddenly ran over with good news that delighted everyone.
"Viscount Victor, Lord Lenster has found a new marching route, and the vanguard has successfully emerged from the valley."