Departure and Conversation
By dawn on July 29, Victor's army had already assembled. After Victor finished reporting to Viscount Benjamin, the viscount issued the order without hesitation, commanding the first and Second Regiment to set off immediately.
Although these two regiments had only about 5,000 men, far fewer than the other three regiments, their march was spectacular and awe-inspiring thanks to the large number of warhorses they were equipped with.
The tall, magnificent horses, their manes billowing in the wind, stood in neat rows, forming a spectacular marching formation alongside the warriors. The warriors, mounted on their horses, stood tall and straight, their eyes resolute, their weapons gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
When the bugle call to battle sounded, the Cavalry of the First and Second Regiments marched with orderly and powerful steps, their hooves kicking up clouds of dust that seemed to tremble the earth. The mighty column, like a galloping dragon, bravely advanced towards its distant goal.
Its momentum was so immense that it seemed to encompass everything in the world in this magnificent expedition, making the enemy tremble with fear.
Throughout the march, Victor observed Viscount Benjamin's army, which was mainly composed of Light Cavalry, with most riders on two horses. However, Victor also noticed a cavalry unit of about 400 men, each rider on three horses, followed by a corresponding number of mounted squires. This was likely the Golden Pear Family's Heavy Cavalry, although the armor on the packhorses was covered by cloth, obscuring its specific design.
Such a large Heavy Cavalry force gave Victor a concrete understanding of the strength of Viscount Benjamin's Golden Pear Family. As expected of a powerful noble family that could form an alliance with the Iron Birch Family through Cavalry, their cavalry force was almost comparable to the Cavalry units Duchy's Direct Legion's command.
The Golden Pear Family is a rising power among the Northlands counties, having only prospered in the last generation or two. The previous lord had just been promoted to viscount, yet they are now able to support Alex in competing for the next lordship of the Iron Birch Family. In terms of both family strength and influence, they are second only to the Iron Birch Family among the Northlands counties.
Just as Victor was pondering this, a messenger from the First Regiment rode up on horseback.
Upon meeting Victor, he immediately saluted and reported to Victor that Legion Commander Benjamin had summoned him.
Upon hearing that he had been summoned by the Legion Commander, Victor immediately led his guards on horseback towards the First Regiment.
In the marching column, the First Regiment was in front, the Fifth Regiment was behind, and Victor was between the two regiments.
After confirming that Legion Commander Benjamin had summoned him, Victor followed the messenger's directions and ran for five minutes before finally spotting the Legion Commander. Viscount Benjamin was also on horseback by the roadside, watching the marching troops.
Victor urged Grape to run quickly over and gave Viscount Benjamin a military salute.
"Legion Commander, this Victor Golden Sunflower, the Regimental Commander of the Second Regiment, reporting to you."
"Just as Alex said, a very handsome young man. How about your army keeping up with the marching speed? After all, it's your first time participating in such an expedition."
"Legion Commander, the entire Second Regiment is eagerly anticipating this battle and hopes to achieve victory for the Duchy and the Governor. Although my troops have not been established for long, they are all trained and experienced in war, and they will definitely not let you down."
"You are indeed very reliable. Alex has been strongly recommending you to me, and I wanted you to be the Regimental Commander of the Second Legion. I didn't expect you to take the initiative to lead so many troops this time. It is now justified for me to appoint you Regimental Commander. You have also saved me a lot of unnecessary troubles."
"Thank you for your high regard. Although I have never held this position, I have participated in and led many battles, and I believe I will not let you down."
"I think so too. The Golden Sunflower Family truly lives up to its reputation as an old baronial family among the Eastern nobles. Not only do they have such an outstanding heir, but they can also raise such a large army while expanding their territory." Benjamin seemed somewhat envious.
"You flatter me, Legion Commander. The Golden Sunflower Family is only a baron, and its strength is far inferior to that of the Golden Pear Family."
Victor quickly denied it, as he didn't know Viscount Benjamin's true attitude, and humility and modesty were always the right thing to do at this time.
When Benjamin saw that Victor wasn't responding, he simply changed the subject.
"Our mission this time is to snipe the right flank of the Tribal Alliance, and ideally, to defeat or annihilate them. Do you have any good ideas you can come up with?"
"Legion Commander, there is indeed something I don't understand. Since the right flank of the Tribal Alliance is aimed at North York County, and they want to cause some trouble for the governor, why are they attacking Hot Water Fortress instead of other areas in North York County, such as the area along the Great Fish River near the sea? That area is mostly inhabited by settler nobles, and their territories are poorly defended and have fewer troops."
"Just like you said, the Tribal Alliance could easily pick on the weak first, but you have to understand that the Great Fish River is a real natural barrier for these Barbarians, especially in the last two years, the noble territories on both sides of the Great Fish River have increased, and the scale of inland waterway transportation has also grown, which poses a huge challenge to the Tribal Alliance."
"But Hot Water Fortress is different. It's 60 kilometers from the nearest settlement, and there are no natural barriers around it. The reason for establishing a stronghold there was because there was a hot spring there, which could provide water in winter. For the Tribal Alliance, there was no need to risk crossing the Great Fish River to play there. Once they broke through, they could attack Durham County to the west, North York County to the east, and Iron Birch Territory to the south."
Victor frowned.
"Lord Commander, what is the terrain like there? Can the Tribal Alliance bypass Hot Water Fortress?"
"Very good, you've hit the nail on the head. It's a valley plain, a natural pass formed by the mountains. After all, the entire North York County is bordered by the Wrath of Ice and Snow Mountains, and a large part of the mountains are extensions of Wrath of Ice and Snow. Hot Water Fortress is located in the middle of the valley plain, at a high elevation. With the Catapult and ballistae in the fortress, it can firmly hold that pass. The Tribal Alliance simply can't bypass it; they have to take it."
"But can the Tribal Alliance really take down such a fortress, given how treacherous the terrain is?"
"With the capture, Count Colt has already withdrawn most of the garrison there, leaving only two small squads of 200 men. They might hold out for two or three days, but they certainly can't hold out for much longer."
Upon hearing this news, Victor was speechless for a moment, thinking to himself, "Count Colt is too crazy. Isn't he worried about making things worse?"
Benjamin, observing Victor's changing expression, said, "Don't worry, I've already deployed scouts and reconnaissance Cavalry in advance, and we've also set off ahead of time, so there's absolutely no chance of anything going wrong."