A vast expanse of snow, dressed in silver-white. The Iron Snake danced westward, breaking through the bitter cold. Waves of heat surged from the Red Iron Furnace, transforming into the fire of civilization.
In winters past, heavy snow closed the roads, making travel impossible. Civilization sank into dormancy during winter, and people could only reconnect with other villages and cities once the snow melted the following year.
Now, snow-clearing trains pushed the snow aside, and with workers on duty, roughly four hours of snow removal was enough to keep the railway running.
The season least suited to war had become a season in which war could be waged.
The true frontline command headquarters of the General Staff Headquarters for the war against the Empire was in the rear. Because of communication issues, the headquarters had been set up in a city, which also had a train station.
Watching workers unload box after box of cargo, Lynn opened them himself to inspect their contents.
Winter was a Reaper even deadlier than war. It could easily cause casualties from frostbite.
Mages and Battle Qi masters could tough it out, so they weren't a problem.
But Lynn relied on large numbers of cheap foot soldiers to rapidly build up his forces and make up for his lack of elite troops. Keeping those soldiers warm had become his top priority.
In the past, they stopped fighting in winter. The only exception had been when the Orcs attacked the city just as he was getting started.
This year was different. They had to keep fighting through winter.
Industrialization was both difficult and not so difficult.
Lynn had too many enemies to face, and the country still suffered from a serious drawback: it would take time to bring everything together and strengthen his rule, to turn