Strangulation

When the Barbarians pursuers arrived outside the town, they were met by the fresh troops of the First and Second Regiments led by Victor. Victor mounted his spare warhorse and raised Benjamin's command sword.

Where the sword pointed, the Cavalry of the Second Legion deployed in a wall formation in the twilight, their iron armor reflecting the last rays of the setting sun like waves of blood.

As the Iron Hoof crushed the head of the last Barbarians deserter, dusk fell just as it enveloped the rammed earth walls of the border town.

Victor flicked the blood off his sword, looked at the fleeing enemy light Light Cavalry, and raised his hand to signal them to stop the pursuit.

Ron, covered in blood, rode closer. This burly man, with half an arrow shaft embedded in his left shoulder, still carried two Barbarians Centurion heads in one hand. "Damn it, these three Thousand-man squad are all from the Fierce Horse Tribe. These foals are faster than field mice."

The crisis was temporarily averted after the Barbarians pursuing force was wiped out, but Victor knew that the real war had only just begun.

At that moment, shouts came from the watchtower.

"There's a signal fire in the direction of Hot Water Fortress!"

Everyone looked back and saw three straight plumes of black smoke rising in the southwest sky—this was the signal that Captain Marvin had agreed upon.

Victor breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the others, saying, "This is the signal agreed upon with the garrison of Hot Water Fortress, indicating that the main force of the Barbarians has arrived. However, Hot Water Fortress has ample supplies and a sufficient number of troops stationed there, so it will not fall in a short time. Now we must trust Captain Marvin."

"Take the wounded back to town." Victor tore off his sweat-soaked gauntlets and turned to look at the beacon fire in the southwest. The three plumes of black smoke were particularly glaring against the darkening sky.

"The rest of you, clear the battlefield as quickly as possible, treat the wounded, and leave a few survivors. We need more intelligence."

Victor stood still, calling out "Number 1" in his mind.

"Number One, have the Calculation Module make me a map as soon as possible, and combine it with the border map I have, making the terrain and landforms more detailed."

"Okay, Victor."

"This operation is really dangerous. Number 1, how is the previous operation plan progressing? If possible, add one condition: minimize losses."

"Understood, the task has been modified."

At this point, Knight Jack reported the battle losses to Victor.

"The First Regiment suffered 19 dead and 7 seriously wounded; the Second Regiment lost 31 Light Cavalry. This is truly a glorious victory, sir."

"With our troops in a state of rest and strength, it's not surprising that we achieved such a result."

Victor then led his team back to the camp.

When Victor stepped into the temporary command post, a strong smell of herbs hit him.

Viscount Benjamin lay on an oak bench, his sallow complexion slightly paler than the day before, as the standard-bearer of the Golden Pear Territory fed him broth laced with antidote herbs with a silver spoon.

Several Battalion Commander of the First Regiment and several Detachment Commander of the Second Regiment were already waiting here.

"How is the Viscount?"

"After drinking the detoxifying herb soup, the poison has been relieved a lot. The wound has been re-bandaged with Bitter Bamboo leaves, and the injury is now under control," replied Pim, the Viscount's Personal Guard.

Victor took off his dusty cloak. "After wiping out the three pursuing Thousand-man squad, plus their already collapsed vanguard, even if they gather all the fleeing soldiers, their strength will not exceed 25,000."

He took the parchment map from the clerk, spread it out, and drew three arcs with charcoal. "According to the beacon signal released by Captain Marvin, the main force of the Barbarians right flank should have arrived at Hot Water Fortress, but the main force of the Second Legion has not yet arrived here. We cannot let the Barbarians discover this situation. I want to draw 1,800 Light Cavalry from the First Regiment and Second Regiment, divide them into three teams of 600 men each, and keep attacking the Barbarian Rangers day and night to prevent them from learning our intelligence. At the same time, we must protect our scouts and ensure our intelligence advantage."

"I wonder if the members of the First Regiment will support my plan." Victor drew the command sword that Viscount Benjamin had given him and looked around at the people, especially the Battalion Commander of the First Regiment.

Raymond, the third Battalion Commander of the First Regiment, with a face full of scars, suddenly stepped forward and pounded his chest heavily with his iron gauntlets. "The Golden Pear Territory's Iron Cavalry is at your command!" The three battalions under Raymond's command were the largest and most elite Heavy Cavalry units in the Golden Pear Territory. He had also participated in this night raid and had no objection to Victor taking over command.

Then the other three Battalion Commander exchanged glances, then pounded their armor and saluted, saying, "We are ready to serve you, sir!" The rumble of their armor shook the beams, causing dust to fall.

At dawn the next day, Victor stood on the reviewing stand in the Drill Ground, watching 1,800 Light Cavalry surge out of the town gates in three streams. The Cavalry of the First Regiment changed into light, studded leather armor, while the horse archers of the Second Regiment each carried two extra quivers on either side of their saddles.

The ensuing six-day siege turned the fifty-mile border into a death zone.

Several more units from the Second Legion arrived at the border town one after another.

In particular, when Baron Brown learned that Victor was organizing the strangulation campaign, he also led his troops to participate.

Baron Brown stroked his meticulously manicured beard and chuckled, "Baron Victor, you have to include me in this good fortune. You can't just eat the meat yourself; you have to leave some soup for the old folks, can you?"

"Baron Brown, I am naturally very pleased that you can participate. I have a plan here, and I hope you can support me." Victor stuffed a parchment scroll into the other man's hand.

Brown unfolded the parchment and glanced at it, a glint of light suddenly flashing in his gray-blue eyes. "Victor, are you planning to lure the Barbarians right flank out to fight them in a decisive battle on Black Stone Plain?"

"What a spirit!" He laughed and patted Victor's shoulder armor, nearly causing the young lord to stumble.

"I'm sure you're ready to lure them in!"

Victor pointed to the troops that were escorting prisoners back to town.

"Besides annihilating the cavalry, I also took the initiative to attack their small groups of troops. The major tribes were very annoyed by my actions and dreamed of strangling me. In addition, Hot Water Fortress has abundant resources and sufficient troops, so they have no chance of conquering it in a short time. They also want to break through the situation as soon as possible."

"In that case, I have no problem. I will inform my colleagues in the Fourth Regiment. But you should be careful of the Fifth Regiment Commander; he doesn't respect you very much."

"Don't worry, Baron Brown, this is no problem for me."

Victor then led his troops back to their base to take care of the wounded and replenish supplies.

After everything was sorted out, Victor called Number One: "The operation plan is very successful. You can leave the rest to me. Now I need to check the map. Can you project it for me?"

Then a very detailed three-dimensional map appeared before Victor's eyes. Victor began to refer to the map and make subtle adjustments to his battle plan.