Forced March
Victor had nothing to say when he heard the Lord Commander say that. After all, he was just a pawn, and he had no say in how the player played the game.
Seeing that Victor did not raise any objections, the Legion Commander smiled and nodded.
"Victor, you should be 18 years old this year. You don't need to call me Legion Commander anymore. I'm 39 years old this year, so I should be a little younger than your father. You can just call me Uncle. You and Alexander are good friends, so there's no need to be so formal."
"Uh, okay, Uncle Benjamin." Victor didn't expect the Legion Commander to be so calm.
"Are you engaged, or do you have someone you like?"
"No, starting in June of last year, first there was the Civil War, and after the Civil War ended, my father appointed me to manage the territory. Then Alex came to me to exchange territories, and after that I have been working hard to expand the territory. I didn't have time to think about these things. I was born in May of 1615 in the Continental Calendar. This year is 1633, and I am exactly 18 years and 2 months old."
"At 18, you're already a baron, while at your age I was still spending my days hunting falcons and riding horses, relying on my father's recent appointment as viscount, vying for women with the sons of other nobles in the Northlands counties, constantly causing trouble, and leaving my father to clean up my messes. I remained self-willed and unrepentant, and then..."
"And then, Uncle Benjamin?" Victor also wanted to know about the nobleman's experiences in his youth.
"Later, my sister married Count Colt's second wife, and I successfully inherited my father's title. Relying on the foundation left to me by my father and the support of my brother-in-law, the Golden Pear Family has been developing smoothly and has now become the second most powerful noble family in the Northlands counties after the Iron Birch Family."
Victor was speechless after Versailles' explanation.
"Victor, now that you have established a foothold in the Northlands, why not consider finding a suitable match here? This would allow you to better integrate into the Northern Frontier nobles community and also help your business."
Victor did consider it at first, but with the support of Alex and the funding from the Gorn Trading Company, plus the significant investment from the Golden Sunflower Family and his father Baron Wembley, he became much less interested in using marriage to acquire resources for development.
However, the one who brought this up today is one of the great noble families of the Northlands counties, second only to the Iron Birch Family. Whether it is the Golden Pear Family or other families behind them, it is a deal worth considering if they want to form a marriage alliance with Victor. Victor does not care about using his marriage as a bargaining chip, provided that he finds a partner who is acceptable and agreeable.
So Victor replied directly, "Uncle Benjamin, I have indeed considered it, but I've been very busy lately with the development of the territory, and it's been difficult for me to meet or get to know a suitable person. If you could introduce me to someone, I would certainly be happy to oblige."
"Haha, Victor, you are indeed a remarkable person. Don't worry, the girls from the Northlands are just as outstanding. After this war ends, you will definitely be promoted to viscount. Such a young viscount is very popular. I will definitely introduce you to the most suitable candidate."
"Then thank you in advance, Uncle."
Over the next three days, Benjamin became increasingly enthusiastic towards Victor, treating him almost like his own nephew.
Not only did he introduce Victor to various private rumors about the Northern Frontier nobles, but he also explained to Victor his many years of experience in marching and fighting, combined with battle examples.
This time, we set off from Enzo City to Hot Water Fortress without taking the shortcut. Instead, we took the official road that the duchy had built for the Northlands counties. This road was specially built by the previous Grand Duke to strengthen control over the Three Counties of the Northern Frontier. Later, the Northern Frontier nobles continued to repair it, and the road has been widened by about twenty paces. It is all rammed earth that has been rolled flat with stone rollers.
The army moved very quickly, which was especially beneficial for the Logistics Department who mainly used large horse-drawn carriages. They were able to travel more than 40 kilometers every day. By the afternoon of August 2nd, the entire army had reached the nearest settlement to Hot Water Fortress, a small town in Iron Birch Territory.
The town has a small population, but it has a garrison of about 600 troops, which is normal given its proximity to the border.
Benjamin immediately ordered a two-day rest there and dispatched a large number of scouts to explore Hot Water Fortress.
On the afternoon of August 3, Victor was leading his men to check the logistics supplies to see how much damage had been done when he was summoned to Benjamin's tent by Benjamin's messenger.
As soon as Victor entered, he saw Benjamin's serious expression. There were also several other captains in the tent, including the Battalion Commander of Benjamin's battalion and the Battalion Commander of the Iron Birch Territory stationed locally. At this moment, none of them looked too good.
Upon seeing Victor enter the tent, Benjamin said directly to Victor: "The Barbarians right flank is moving faster than we expected. My scouts report that Hot Water Fortress is now firmly surrounded. Fortunately, the main force should not have arrived yet. My scouts estimate that there are about eight thousand Barbarians surrounding Hot Water Fortress."
"Legion Commander, please give the order directly."
Victor was straightforward and expressed his attitude directly.
Benjamin's expression softened slightly, and he immediately gave the order, "Time is of the essence. The main force of our Second Legion has not yet arrived. We cannot allow Hot Water Fortress to fall. I plan to personally lead elite cavalry in a night raid on the Barbarians besieging force, while also informing the garrison of Hot Water Fortress of our arrival and trying to send them reinforcements."
"I'm willing to participate in the night raid. May I ask who will be in charge of providing reinforcements to Hot Water Fortress?" Victor asked the crucial question.
At this moment, Marvin, the Battalion Commander the Iron Birch Territory, who was standing to the side, said, "I'll go. I was originally from the garrison of Hot Water Fortress. I will take two companies with you. After you break through the encirclement, we will rush directly to the foot of the fort and try to enter the fort."
Victor nodded, agreeing that this was appropriate.
"Enough with the small talk, speed is of the essence. I will lead the two most elite battalions on a night raid. Each ordinary Cavalry will have three horses, and each of the 400 Heavy Cavalry will have five horses. Do not spare the horses. Strive to storm the Barbarians camp at dawn tomorrow. Victor, how many men can you bring?"
"I can send 450 men, including 150 Heavy Cavalry, the same standard as yours." Victor planned to bring the First Cavalry Detachment and Second Cavalry Detachment, the Cavalry squadrons directly under the Detachment Commander and deputy Detachment Commander, plus his Guard Squad.
"Very good. Marvin, although you are an infantryman, in order to keep up with us, I will allocate 400 horses to you. You can find another 400 yourself, ensuring that you have two horses each and can keep up with us."
"Yes, Lord Benjamin, thank you for your help to Iron Birch Territory," Marvin, bowing directly.
"I can spare 200 horses for Battalion Commander Marvin, which will save some time," Victor said generously.
Marvin nodded gratefully to Victor.
"In that case, it's four o'clock in the afternoon now. You have one hour to assemble the troops. We'll set off at five o'clock sharp. We must carry out a forced march."