Chapter Summaries

Ron’s cavalry detachment reported its results after sweeping the battlefield, though Ron questioned why so few enemy soldiers had been captured. Kent explained that his troops had been frustrated since their defeat and had fought too fiercely.

• Ron cleaned blood from his lance while his company commanders argued over battle merit.
• Ron warned the company commanders not to gamble, then Kent arrived and apologized for being late.
• Kent’s companies reported defeating enemy squads, with fewer than 50 casualties and many enemy dead but few prisoners.
• Ron questioned the low number of prisoners and dismissed his subordinates to clear the battlefield.
• Kent told Ron that his men had been holding in their frustration since the defeat and had hit the enemy too hard.

Ron had Kent conceal his detachment’s killing of captured duchy soldiers and took half its spare horses before leading it west to join the other units. At Ironwire City, Ursus learned the southern front had been devastated by a flood, but refused to withdraw and reassured his officers that the enemy reinforcements were weak.

• Ron questioned Kent about his men’s conduct and ordered him to clean up the aftermath of their battle, while telling military judge Wesley to monitor discipline and gambling.
• Kent’s men buried dozens of captured duchy soldiers, and Wesley decided to report the incident after the battle.
• Ron took half of Kent’s remaining spare horses in exchange for crediting his unit with the merits, then led the unit west to join the coming operations.
• A messenger delivered news that a flood had devastated the southern Coalition of Nobles’ forces and destroyed the route through Yalori Valley.
• Ursus kept the messenger under guard and rejected calls to retreat, citing the grand duke’s expectations and assuring the officers that the reinforcements were weakened.

Ursus received news that Regimental Commander Bush’s cavalry was under heavy attack and surrounded near Greenbelt Mountain. Believing the attackers were remnants of the scattered enemy cavalry, Ursus planned to send two thousand cavalry and an infantry regiment to rescue Bush.

• A messenger reported that roaming cavalry patrols had suffered heavy losses and that Bush’s First and Second Cavalry Battalions were surrounded at Greenbelt Mountain.
• The messenger showed Ursus the attack locations, including three patrol squads near the ferry crossing that had lost contact.
• Ursus’s officers debated whether the attackers were a large new force or the remnants of the cavalry Ursus had previously scattered.
• Ursus concluded that no more than three or four thousand enemy cavalry were surrounding Bush.
• Ursus decided that two thousand cavalry and an infantry regiment could rescue Bush.

Ursus sent Jindio to relieve Bush’s cavalry and ordered him to hold a strategic hill if the enemy proved too strong, while promising rewards for success. Victor’s army advanced toward Ironwire City, and Victor ordered it to cross the river at night to avoid enemy scouts.

• Ursus ordered Jindio to lead cavalry and infantry to drive off the troops besieging Bush’s company.
• Ursus told Jindio to retreat only to a nearby hill and hold it, explaining that he hoped to capture Ironwire City and avoid fighting on two fronts.
• Gutierrez reported to Victor that Ursus’s forces were moving and that Victor’s cavalry had besieged enemy scouts.
• Lenster described the crossing preparations and said the army could cross by the following afternoon after resting overnight.
• Victor ordered the army to cross the Green Water River at night so enemy scouts would not discover the situation at the crossing.

James’s Southern Marching Legion cavalry ambushed and destroyed the Fourth Legion’s scattered cavalry as they tried to reach Bush on Jade Belt Mountain. Bush remained trapped on the high ground, while James explained to Jackson that the brutal close-range fight was meant to break the remaining troops’ morale.

• James let two or three hundred Fourth Legion cavalrymen enter a meadow on Jade Belt Mountain, then attacked their flanks and routed them.
• The Southern Marching Legion cavalry killed the fleeing survivors with mounted bows as they scrambled up the slope.
• Bush watched from the hilltop with only seven or eight hundred riders and decided to hold out for reinforcements.
• Jackson reported that the cavalry had taken no prisoners and questioned why James had chosen a close-range fight.
• James showed Jackson the frightened troops on the summit and said the attack was meant to break their will.

James and Jackson discussed the scattered Great Oak Territory cavalry and the trapped enemy force on Jade Belt Mountain. James realized how to deal with the mountaintop troops before reinforcements arrived.

• James boasted about his psychological warfare plan, and Jackson reminded him that Victor had taught it in officer training.
• Jackson reported that Ron was regrouping Great Oak Territory's cavalry, and he explained why its poorly disciplined soldiers had scattered or fled toward banditry.
• Jackson said he preferred becoming a Court Noble to ruling an independent territory, and James accepted that choice.
• James and Jackson considered besieging the enemy on Jade Belt Mountain, but James worried about the rainy season, uphill casualties, and arriving reinforcements.
• James suddenly seized on the thought of reinforcements and announced that he had an idea.

James planned to take the main force to deal with the Fourth Legion’s reinforcements while Jackson kept the enemy cavalry remnants contained on the mountain. He left Jackson with at least five hundred men and instructions to delay the enemy without risking a direct fight.

• James asked Jackson about their cavalry scouts and learned that more than 140 men were watching the enemy’s likely routes.
• Jackson reported that their forces could reach about four thousand once Ron returned, though James could currently mobilize only two thousand.
• James assigned Jackson one reinforced detachment to keep the seven or eight hundred enemy cavalrymen on the mountain from escaping.
• James told Jackson to use tricks such as raising dust or making dummy figures and said he could even allow enemy messengers to go, provided they stayed in the area.
• Jackson warned that the enemy reinforcements could bring several cavalry battalions and elite infantry, but James said he had considered the danger and would not act recklessly.

James lured part of Bush’s force into a disastrous breakout attempt, then moved to intercept enemy reinforcements heading toward Jade Belt Mountain. Meanwhile, Ron captured a bandit camp and learned that Hank’s men might be persuaded to return to the army, though the soldier he questioned denied knowing about Ron’s earlier emissaries.

• James used a staged opening to draw more than two hundred of Bush’s troops off the mountain, then ambushed and scattered them while Bush’s cautious force returned safely uphill.
• Bush abandoned plans to break out, and James left Jackson to maintain the blockade before leading his troops toward a scouting rendezvous.
• James learned from Bulka’s scouts that seven to eight thousand enemy infantry and cavalry were advancing toward Jade Belt Mountain, and planned to delay them until Ron arrived.
• Ron interrogated survivors after destroying one of Hank’s bandit camps, seeking the remaining camps and Hank’s location.
• A former Great Oak Territory cavalryman recognized Ron and explained that Hank had recruited him by claiming Ron and James were dead, but said he had never seen the officers Ron had sent.

Bick told Ron how Hank had led routed soldiers into raiding farms and villages, killing and looting before becoming a bandit leader. Ron hunted down Hank’s forces, rescued their captives, and executed the bandits with blood debts at White Stone Shoal before leaving to rejoin the campaign.

• Bick recounted how Hank tricked soldiers into raiding a farm, killed the steward’s family, and took the routed troops into the mountains to become bandits.
• Ron learned the locations of Hank’s camps and led troops to suppress them despite the urgent order to secure the road to Ironwire City.
• Ron identified Hank with Bick’s help, killed him in battle, and accepted the surrender of the remaining bandits.
• Ron recovered plunder and rescued women from Hank’s camp, then handed them over to Ironvine Territory’s civil official, Luke.
• Ron refused Luke’s offer of money and supplies, named a riverbank White Stone Shoal, and ordered the execution of bandits with blood debts.

Ron punished the criminal soldiers in Ironvine Territory, then hurried to support James, whose Cavalry was delaying Fourth Legion reinforcements. Jindio grew suspicious of an ambush and ordered his troops to camp, leaving the two forces poised for their next move.

• Ron thanked Steward Luke for Ironvine Territory’s help and rode away after punishing the criminal soldiers.
• Ron forced-marched to Jade Belt Mountain, learned James faced 7,000 to 8,000 enemy troops, and left to reinforce him with about 1,700 men.
• Ron exposed his troops to worry Bush’s Cavalry on the mountain, then sent James letters with updates as he advanced.
• James received word that Ron was coming, rested his troops, and sent mounted scouts to watch the enemy reinforcements.
• Jindio interpreted the lull in James’s harassment as a sign of an ambush and ordered his troops to camp for the day.

James prepared to meet Jindio’s Fourth Legion reinforcements after they halted, then resumed their march early the next morning. Their cavalry clashed on restricted terrain, where Jindio’s numerical advantage failed to break James’s forces, who used a Wall Charge.

• James ordered his troops to withdraw and rest after the enemy unexpectedly stopped to camp.
• Jindio explained that he had camped to avoid a suspected ambush and marched early to catch the enemy off guard.
• James learned that Jindio’s army was advancing before dawn and ordered his units to prepare for battle.
• James’s cavalry met Jindio’s cavalry in a violent clash, but the confined terrain prevented Jindio from using his numerical advantage to break through.
• Jindio watched the deadlocked battle and failed to recognize that the opposing cavalry was using a Wall Charge.

James used the Fourth Legion cavalry’s poorly trained horses to disrupt its infantry formation, then sent three hundred Chainmail Cavalry to break through the phalanxes. The charge tore open the front ranks and spread panic, while James waited for Ron’s forces to arrive and strike.

• Jindio began withdrawing his cavalry and moving the infantry phalanxes forward, so James launched his concealed Chainmail Cavalry charge.
• The Fourth Legion cavalry’s frightened horses tried to flee through the infantry, disrupting the formation as soldiers stabbed down the horses and riders.
• James saw the enemy ranks in chaos and hoped Ron would arrive through the open road to attack them from another direction.
• Three hundred Chainmail Cavalry slammed into the Fourth Legion infantry, broke through the front ranks, and sent panic spreading backward.

Jindio blamed Broly and the Cavalry for the broken vanguard as James's Heavy Cavalry drove the fleeing First Battalion soldiers toward the Duchy Army's center. With both armies facing off across open ground, a mournful horn sounded and James welcomed its arrival.

• Jindio ordered Jax and Ves to reform the battle line and told them to deal with the First Battalion's fleeing soldiers as they saw fit.
• Jax's central formation fired three volleys at the fleeing soldiers, then directed them toward the hills instead of into its ranks.
• James's Heavy Cavalry stopped herding the First Battalion soldiers once they scattered, and James formed up behind his Cavalry.
• Jindio signaled the war drums, and the Duchy Army's central formation advanced with pikemen and shield-bearing soldiers protecting its flanks.
• As James considered retreating from the formation, a mournful horn sounded and he said, "Finally!"

James led the Heavy Cavalry in a chain-linked charge that broke through the duchy army’s spear formation, while Ron’s approaching force signaled the attack. The cavalry gained support from the Light Cavalry, but Jax ordered archers to fire into the melee, leaving both sides under an arrow rain.

• James linked the Heavy Cavalry together with iron chains and accelerated toward the duchy army after hearing Ron’s horn.
• Jindio realized the horn was coming from the left and ordered cavalry to protect the central army’s flank, but James’s charge struck before they could respond.
• James and the Heavy Cavalry smashed through the central army’s spear formation, then severed their chains and fought the surrounding Sword-and-Shield Soldiers.
• The Light Cavalry arrived and scattered the duchy soldiers surrounding James’s men, giving the Heavy Cavalry room to recover.
• Jax ordered Ves to have the archers fire despite the risk to their own troops, and arrows struck both the Northlands Cavalry and the duchy soldiers.

Bom’s squad was overwhelmed by Northlands Cavalry and then struck by arrows from its own rear formation. He fled to surrender to the enemy and learned that the Fourth Legion’s First Regiment had been defeated.

• Bom organized seven soldiers to kill a Heavy Cavalryman and took his chainmail.
• As enemy Light Cavalry joined the battle, Bom began retreating with his companions.
• A volley of arrows from the Duchy’s rear formation killed many of Bom’s comrades and wounded him.
• Bom abandoned the chainmail and ran to surrender to the Northlands Cavalry.
• The Northlands Cavalry celebrated victory, and Bom saw that his regiment’s flag had fallen.
• A blood-covered Cavalry officer directed Bom to drop his weapons and ordered Physician Enda to gather the wounded with prisoners’ help.

James and Ron defeated the Duchy Fourth Legion, though its commander Jindio escaped after using Finks as a decoy. James then persuaded the last resisting enemy unit to surrender, leaving the battlefield under their control.

• James watched Ron's cavalry break the Fourth Legion's left flank and rout its main force while the enemy commander fled.
• Ron reunited with James and revealed that his troops had captured Finks, an adjutant who explained how Jindio had escaped in disguise.
• James and Ron found a disciplined square of more than three hundred Duchy soldiers that resisted the Light Cavalry's attacks.
• James had Light Cavalry circle the enemy formation with the captured Fourth Legion banner and call for surrender.
• Several officers raised a white flag, and the remaining Duchy soldiers surrendered to James and Ron.

Victor heard a report that James and Ron had defeated the Fourth Legion reinforcements and most of its cavalry, clearing the way for the Southern Marching Legion to advance toward Ironwire City. He left the army’s next move poised to proceed after the celebration of their victory.

• A messenger chosen by James reported to Victor that James and Ron had defeated the Fourth Legion reinforcements after the ducal officers surrendered.
• Victor thanked the messenger and sent Michael to take him to the logistics camp for a meal and rest.
• The eastern nobles praised James and Ron, while some proposed matches between them and eligible women from their families.
• Victor announced that the army could now advance toward Ironwire City without enemy interference, prompting applause from the officers and nobles.
• Victor recalled that he had sent James and Ron ahead to eliminate the Fourth Legion’s roaming cavalry and scouts, a task that had delayed Viscount Lenster’s hopes of reinforcing Ironwire City.

Victor ordered the allied army to march on Ironwire City and planned a forced night approach to reach it before the Fourth Legion could finish its attack. Lenster persuaded Victor to let a group of Ironvine Territory’s elite soldiers join the night march, while his recovering troops stayed behind to guard the rear.

• Victor ordered the army to leave at dawn and march without stopping unless he gave the command.
• Victor discussed the rear’s defenses with Lenster and Yellen, and explained that Viscount Ferry would guard the valley and nearby passes.
• Victor apologized to Yellen for Great Oak Territory’s Cavalry losses and warned that more troops would be needed to suppress the southern region.
• Victor judged that the Fourth Legion had probably taken Ironwire City’s outer city, but had not yet secured the entire city.
• Victor revealed that the army would rest near Ironwire City and set out at midnight for a night raid.
• Lenster asked to join the vanguard, and Victor agreed to let him choose elite soldiers for the night march.

Victor insisted on a night raid to reach Ironwire City before Count Lloyd could be struck by the Silver Maple Secret Guards. The Southern Marching Legion began its march, and Victor reunited with James and Ron, relieved to find them alive and recovering.

• Victor explained to Yellen and Lenster that Ursus might use the Silver Maple Secret Guards to infiltrate Ironwire City's inner city and attack Count Lloyd, making speed essential.
• Yellen and Lenster accepted Victor's night-raid plan, and Victor ordered his regimental commanders to select troops for it.
• The Southern Marching Legion left Green Water River Ferry before dawn and marched east toward Ironwire City.
• Victor's army reached its planned campsite by dusk without encountering Duchy scouts.
• Victor reunited with James and Ron, who assured him they had recovered from their battle despite Ron's injury.

Victor prepared a midnight raid on Ironwire City after confirming James and Ron had destroyed the Fourth Legion remnant and seized substantial supplies. The army marched by three routes in darkness, but James’s unit lost its way and pressed on with barely a hundred men.

• Victor questioned James and Ron about the heads displayed at the camp gate, then accepted their account that the dead officers had resisted surrender or killed soldiers who wanted to surrender.
• James and Ron reported that they had eliminated nearly eight thousand enemy troops, captured more than four thousand horses and supplies, and retained about 2,660 cavalry.
• Victor ordered a secret midnight march toward Ironwire City with a little over eight thousand troops, while Marvin would lead the remaining forces after dawn.
• The army split across three routes and marched silently, relying on junior officers to keep the scattered units organized.
• James’s unit became lost after marching for more than three hours, followed a guard’s report of distant light, and found markers and army tracks.
• With only a little over a hundred men nearby, James ordered his unit to hurry forward to catch up with the friendly forces.