Chapter Summaries

As Victor prepared to lead part of the army north, the Interim Management Committee secured livestock and supplies from Blackwater City's merchant guilds. Gaita obtained over six thousand cowhide waterskins from President Boli, whose eagerness to help showed how the guilds' attitude toward Victor had changed.

• Troops moved through Blackwater City and the curfew was imposed again, unsettling residents who feared another siege.
• The Interim Management Committee and the Northern Frontier Chamber of Commerce informed merchant guilds that Victor would lead part of the army north while the main Southern Marching Legion force stayed in the city.
• Gaita assured the guilds that they would receive above-market rent for livestock and compensation for any losses, backed by the Governor's Mansion and three months of commercial tax revenue.
• Gaita asked President Boli for supplies, and Boli offered more than six thousand cowhide waterskins at cost and arranged overnight delivery to the military camp.
• President Boli personally escorted Gaita to the gate, treating him far more warmly than when he had served Viscount Krick.

Gaita secured the urgent military supplies and reported their delivery to Victor, who entrusted him with governing Wright County and protecting Blackwater City during his absence. Victor then rode to the camp to join the troops preparing for the campaign.

• Gaita gathered the needed supplies from the Great Merchant Guilds and arranged for the goods to reach the camp.
• Victor praised Gaita for his work and made him responsible for all affairs in Wright County after his departure.
• Victor ordered Gaita to preserve Blackwater City's commerce and avoid acting against independent nobles aligned with the Grand Duchy for the time being.
• Victor left Foss and Jackson to help Gaita defend Blackwater City and authorized Gaita to direct them and deploy troops if needed.
• Gaita escorted Victor to the Governor's Mansion gates, where Victor mounted his horse and rode to the camp.

Victor arrived at the Southern Marching Legion's camp outside Blackwater City before dawn and checked on preparations for the operation. James and Ron reported that the units were ready to depart on time once supplies and draft animals had been distributed.

• Victor reached the crowded camp gate and halted his group while guards managed the flow of soldiers and pack animals.
• A squad of guards recognized Victor, saluted him, and explained that their captain was directing another convoy at a second gate.
• The guards cleared a path so Victor could enter the camp ahead of the mule teams.
• Victor found the units sorting equipment and receiving warhorses in an otherwise orderly camp.
• James and Ron told Victor that the units were in place and would be ready to depart on time after supplies and draft animals were distributed.

Victor urged the Southern Marching Legion to prepare for an immediate departure and warned James to guard against the Grand Duchy’s tactics. At the First Regiment’s camp, Victor shared breakfast with James and saw the remaining milk oatmeal porridge packed into waterskins as emergency food for the Cavalry.

• Victor ordered the legion’s officers to speed preparations and accompanied James to the First Regiment’s camp.
• Victor praised James’s newly replenished Heavy Cavalry and cautioned him not to underestimate the Imperial Guard Legion.
• James took Victor to breakfast after Victor’s hunger gave him away.
• Victor tasted the regiment’s milk oatmeal porridge, learned James had used supply quotas to obtain White Sugar, and promised to restore the quotas and provide extra supplies.
• The cooks filled waterskins with the leftover porridge for the First Regiment’s Cavalry to use on forced marches.

Two farmers tending livestock on the western bank of the Blackwater River discussed poverty, taxes, and rumors of rebels before a huge Cavalry force suddenly thundered past. They hid in a thicket as the soldiers swept into the meadow, fearing they would be discovered or trampled.

• Two farmers complained about hunger, heavy taxes, and the hardships facing local families.
• The farmers discussed rumors that rebels across the river offered food, lodging, and land, but dismissed the claims as lies.
• One farmer spotted wild ducks near the reeds, but his companion suddenly dragged him away as a rumble shook the riverbank.
• The two farmers fled into a thicket after seeing soldiers on horseback approaching and warned each other to stay silent.
• A massive Cavalry force surged across the western riverside meadow while the farmers crouched in hiding, afraid the horsemen would spot or trample them.

A black-armored knight stopped his cavalry beside a thicket and questioned two farmers who had been hiding there. After reassuring them he meant no harm, he learned they were in Black Duck Village and that Moke Town lay about twenty kilometers north along the river.

• A black-armored knight spotted two men fleeing from a thicket and ordered his cavalry to lower their bows.
• One farmer explained that they were local shepherds who had hidden because they feared the passing army.
• The men panicked when the knight mentioned their scattered livestock, believing he planned to seize the animals belonging to Lord Dede.
• The knight reassured the farmers and asked where they were and how to reach Moke Town.
• One farmer identified Black Duck Village in Wright County and said Moke Town was about twenty kilometers north along the river.
• The knight questioned why the farmers feared Lord Dede despite being subjects of the Grand Duke.

Michael questioned two farmers and learned details that allowed Victor to determine the army’s location near the Blackwater River. Victor identified the outdated map’s errors and prepared to plan the rest of the march.

• Michael questioned two farmers, who described Lord Dede’s influence and taxation before hiding their complaints out of fear.
• Michael gave the farmers a bag of coins as a reward, and they hid in the brush until the army passed before leaving to search for their livestock.
• Michael reported the farmers’ information to Victor and explained that it revealed the army’s location.
• Victor compared the report with the marching map and concluded that the Blackwater River’s shifting course had made the twenty-year-old map unreliable.
• Victor explained that the army would continue overland because its Cavalry could travel faster than boats and lacked enough boats for the journey.

Michael reported how Landlord Dede and corrupt officials exploited the people of Wright County, prompting Victor to write Gaita a plan to use the crisis for the Interim Management Committee’s benefit. Victor stopped writing when he realized his scheme would make the inhabitants suffer, leaving him troubled by his own plan.

• Michael told Victor about Landlord Dede’s power and the abuses inflicted on the people.
• Victor said he would send word to Blackwater City and ask Gaita to take charge of the matter.
• Michael returned to the main force, relieved that Victor had taken his report seriously.
• Victor wrote Gaita a proposal to intensify the food crisis, drive inhabitants from Wright County, and later seize the landlords’ wealth and supplies.
• Victor stopped writing when he considered the suffering his plan would cause the inhabitants.

Victor sent a letter instructing the Interim Management Committee to help subjects who chose to flee the Grand Duchy. Meanwhile, Viscount Borey announced that the Duchy Army would abandon Sextus County’s defenses and face the Northern Alliance Army in an open battle, though his crude plan left Rabia and Kimberley confused.

• Victor overcame his self-reproach, wrote the letter, and ordered a messenger to deliver it personally to Mr. Gaita in Blackwater City.
• Legion Commander Rabia warned Viscount Borey that his newly reinforced legion was unprepared to withstand the Northern Alliance Army’s imminent attack, while Kimberley mocked him.
• Viscount Borey told Rabia and Kimberley to meet people at his camp who would help them command their troops.
• Viscount Borey announced that the Duchy Army would leave the city and fight in the open, with Rabia’s legion as the left wing, the Imperial Guard Legion as the right wing, and Kimberley’s legion in reserve.
• Rabia and Kimberley questioned Viscount Borey’s simple deployment plan, but he only told them to meet the people at his camp to understand what to do.

Kimberley and Labia discovered that the Grand Duke’s forces were preparing to attack, then met Hurst, the Grand Mentor of the Silver Maple Secret Guard. Hurst said he would join their forces with released independent nobles to help integrate the noble armies and carry out the Grand Duke’s orders.

• Kimberley and Labia left Viscount Borey’s meeting without receiving definite information and saw the Imperial Guard Legion preparing for battle.
• Kimberley told Labia they would inspect the reinforcements Lord Borey had arranged for them.
• Kimberley and Labia found several independent nobles who had been imprisoned after resisting the Grand Duke’s annexations.
• Hurst introduced himself to Kimberley and Labia as the Grand Mentor of the Silver Maple Secret Guard.
• Hurst said he would lead his subordinates and the nobles into their forces to integrate the private armies and carry out the Grand Duke’s orders.

Labia and Kimberley prepared the Duchy Army for a decisive attack while Hurst revealed that his trainees had infiltrated Labia’s camp. At dawn, the Northern Alliance Army launched an all-out assault, and both armies formed up around Sextus County with Grand Duke Mora present.

• Labia and Kimberley invoked Grand Duke Mora’s authority and assigned independent nobles, watched by the Silver Maple Secret Guard, to help reorganize their units.
• Hurst told Labia that ten squads of trainees had infiltrated his camp and would fight as the Seventh Platoon of the Fourth Regiment’s Second Infantry Battalion.
• Labia criticized the plan as a desperate gamble, then left to inspect the camp as Hurst disappeared into the shadows.
• After learning that the Duchy Army was preparing for battle, Count Colt ordered the Northern Alliance Army to launch an all-out attack.
• Duchy sentries spotted the advancing enemy and raised the alarm, and the Duchy Army assembled into battle formation around Sextus County.
• By sunrise, Labia’s Third Legion held the left flank, Viscount Borey’s Imperial Guard Legion held the right, and Viscount Kimberley’s Fifth Legion guarded the city with Grand Duke Mora present.

Count Colt and Viscount Borey rallied their armies with promises of noble titles and rewards before ordering them to attack. The Northern Alliance Army and the Duchy Army charged into each other, beginning the decisive battle.

• Count Colt offered a title and riches to anyone who captured the false grand duke alive.
• Alex remained wary because his intelligence team had learned little about the Duchy Army's confidence, but he saw that the Northern Alliance Army was eager to fight.
• Viscount Borey announced that the grand duke was at the front and promised noble titles to those who captured rebel Colt.
• Both armies' commanders ordered their troops to attack after hearing their soldiers' cheers.
• The Northern Alliance Army and the Duchy Army collided, and a bloody battle began.

The Northern Alliance Army’s attack on the Duchy Army’s left flank stalled when Rabia’s troops displayed extraordinary courage, which Alex recognized as the effect of a scarce secret drug. Count Colt rallied the alliance and committed himself and Philip’s legion to attack the Imperial Guard Legion, leaving Alex worried as the battle began.

• Viscount Edmund’s troops met Rabia’s drug-enhanced soldiers, and their fierce fighting stalled the Northern Alliance Army’s attack on the left flank.
• Hurst explained that the drug’s effects would last only an hour or two and could leave the soldiers dead from its backlash, so Rabia ordered his troops to seize the opportunity.
• Hawk blamed Edmund for the setback, but Alex warned Allied Command that the Duchy Army’s left flank was fighting with unusual resolve.
• Count Colt rallied the commanders, then ordered every Iron Birch Family unit except Alex’s cavalry into the battle and assigned Philip’s legion to strike the Imperial Guard Legion with him.
• Alex protested, but Count Colt ordered him to obey and address him as “General” on the battlefield before leaving to command the attack.

Alex worried that Count Colt had left him behind because of an unknown enemy plan as the Northern Alliance Army charged the Imperial Guard Legion. The Northern Alliance Army broke through the duchy archers, leaving the Imperial Guard Legion’s front line facing an immediate assault.

• Alex told Hawk that he was troubled by the enemy’s unknown plans, not angry at his father for leaving him behind.
• Count Colt ordered the Northern Alliance Army to charge as the Imperial Guard Legion formed its ranks.
• The duchy archers fired eight volleys into the Northern Alliance Army’s advancing vanguard.
• Count Colt’s army charged during the archers’ eighth volley, catching them before they could fire the next coordinated volley.
• The Imperial Guard Legion’s frontline commander ordered the spearmen to hold their formation, forcing the archers to retreat around the flanks.
• The Northern Alliance Army overwhelmed the trapped duchy archers, killing many as it pressed forward.

The Northern Alliance Army and Imperial Guard Legion fought fiercely as Count Colt and Viscount Borey committed forces to the battle, while Mora celebrated his plan from Sykes County’s walls. A small enemy unit slipped away from Labia’s left-flank army and raced toward the Northern Alliance Army’s right rear.

• Count Colt split the Northern Alliance Army to attack the Imperial Guard Legion’s flanks, while Viscount Borey and Geis discussed whether to launch a cavalry strike.
• Mora watched the battle from Sykes County with Audrey and ordered Kimberley’s legion to reinforce the right flank.
• Count Colt sent reserves from White Earth City into the fighting, and Alex and Hawk joined the battle as his personal guard dwindled.
• Labia’s left-flank formation broke apart, prompting Viscount Edmund to order his troops to press forward.
• A unit of just over a hundred soldiers withdrew from Labia’s force and raced toward the Northern Alliance Army’s right rear.

Little Paru learned from Gale that the battle had already begun and Count Colt's forces were on the battlefield, then reported the news to Victor. With the battlefield less than five kilometers away, Victor ordered his Cavalry to speed up and prepare to enter the fight.

• Gale caught a rabbit while scouting the enemy's movements and returned to Little Paru with information about the battlefield.
• Little Paru learned from Gale that fighting had begun, many troops were involved, and Count Colt's banner was present.
• Little Paru rode to Victor and reported everything Gale had seen.
• Victor learned the battlefield was less than five kilometers away and ordered the Cavalry to increase its speed.

Alex and Hawk defeated Gais’s cavalry, but Gais warned that Count Colt was in danger before dying by poison. Alex hurried to return to the Northern Alliance Army’s main formation, suspecting the cavalry battle had been a diversion.

• Alex and Hawk’s cavalry pursued Gais into a crossbow ambush, and the resulting melee separated Alex from Hawk.
• Alex regrouped with several hundred Northlands cavalrymen and fought his way back to Hawk.
• Alex and Hawk led their forces against Gais’s retreating cavalry and broke the Duchy force.
• Surrounded, Gais rejected Alex’s offer to surrender and claimed Count Colt was about to die.
• Gais swallowed poison and died, so Alex led his troops back toward the main formation, fearing a plot against Count Colt.

Count Colt sent his hidden elite units to reinforce the battle, leaving Northern Alliance Command lightly guarded. A band of battered Duchy soldiers attacked the remaining guards, and their black-cloaked officer killed the squad leader.

• Count Colt sent his concealed elite units to support the Northern Alliance Army’s front line.
• With fewer than a thousand guards left at command, sentries spotted battered Duchy soldiers approaching Count Colt.
• A squad leader refused to call on the soldiers to surrender and led his guards in a charge.
• The supposed fugitives formed compact battle groups and overwhelmed the guards with their skill and tactics.
• A black-cloaked Duchy officer cut through the guards and beheaded the squad leader.

Grand Mentor Hurst revealed that the routed duchy soldiers were disguised trainees and ordered them to take a secret medicine and attack the guards. The drugged trainees overwhelmed the guard unit, and one pursued Count Colt as the guard captain fell.

• After the guards recognized the routed soldiers as unusual and charged, Hurst revealed himself as Grand Mentor of the Silver Maple Secret Guard.
• Hurst ordered the trainees to discard their disguises, take the secret medicine, and pursue the fleeing Count Colt.
• Most trainees survived the medicine’s painful effects, emerging with bloodshot eyes, immense speed, and a ravenous, seemingly pain-free frenzy.
• The trainees collided with the guards and began slaughtering them; the guards found that only severing limbs or heads stopped their opponents.
• A black-clad figure pursued Count Colt as a spear pierced the guard captain, who fell from his horse.

After Count Colt and other Northern Alliance commanders went missing in a sudden enemy attack, Alex rallied himself to help the scattered army while sending Hawk to find his father. Victor learned of the rout and chose to ride to the battlefield, preparing his forces and Heavy Cavalry for combat.

• Alex learned from Ian that Count Colt and other senior commanders had disappeared after their formation was attacked, causing the Northern Alliance Army to collapse into chaos.
• Hawk urged Alex to stay focused, and Alex decided to rally the fleeing troops while sending Hawk with the cavalry to search for his father.
• Alex led Ian and the others back toward the battlefield and ordered them to raise the Golden Sunflower Family's banner.
• Victor learned from Little Paru that the Northern Alliance Army had been routed and decided to join the battle rather than retreat.
• Victor ordered his soldiers to rest and prepare, while Ron and James readied the Heavy Cavalry and fed the horses Boiling Blood Grass.