Allies Gather

"Whoo—chugga... chugga... chugga!"

Steam from the whistle condensed into white mist in the cold air, scattering the falling snowflakes. A train convoy on an unprecedented scale set out from the banks of the Danube River, heading north toward Hanma City.

Another convoy raced out through a pass in the Snowy Mountains. Soldiers mobilized from across the region guarded the roads along the way, ensuring the highway to the Duchy of Weissen remained clear.

Deep in the mountains, the workers set down their rail-laying tools and covered the tracks with heavy waterproof cloth. Then they lined up to collect weapons and silently, swiftly filed out of the valley.

The Kingdom of Suomi's main forces entering the battlefield and the Kingdom of Angland's fleet providing maritime transport had both caught Frederick by surprise.

Given that, he'd immediately begun calling in reinforcements.

This wasn't merely a military contest. It was a political one, too.

The response was swift and forceful.

In the Osmagar Empire, Mary's New Army had just returned to Vienna to receive its awards. When Empress Anna received Frederick's request for help, she immediately ordered them to take the train to Hanma City.

After the Kingdom of Sardinia received the news, a small elite force set off by train for the north under the command of someone Frederick knew.

The Helvetian Federation moved even faster. Former mountain mercenaries who had returned home to help rebuild their communities took up their weapons and went back to their old trade.

Thanks to Frederick's years of investment in transportation infrastructure, the railway system was running at full capacity. Personnel, weapons, ammunition, and supplies were being sent to the northern front at an unprecedented pace.

To avoid entanglement in complicated international relations, all these reinforcements entered the battlefield under the name "Duchy of Weissen Mercenaries."