Sheffield's army had grown in size, reaching roughly 50,000 men. Joined by the forces of other counts, they now had a combined strength of 150,000.
The new tactics had proved effective, at least giving Louis's Army a significant boost in combat strength. They had yet to be widely adopted, but they were already proving very useful at the spearhead of the offensive.
Over the course of a few days, they gradually recaptured county seats and seized more than a thousand weapons.
In response to the situation, the tactical reports were first submitted to General Staff Headquarters. Following its usual approach, the Frontline Staff Department continued with its policy of luring the enemy in deep.
The enemy's offensive was fierce, but the troops fought as they withdrew. Their strategy of attacking enemy supply lines and striking at weak points remained unchanged.
They relied on the intelligence advantage offered by the guerrilla zones.
Although Sheffield had gradually recaptured many villages and towns, his army's casualty rate remained high.
That made him sense something was wrong, but he didn't think much of it.
The enemy they faced this time was merely skilled at mountain warfare, yet the farther they advanced, the more extreme the enemy's scorched-earth measures became.
There was no one in any of the villages.
The villages and towns had all prepared to hide their inhabitants, and there were no supplies to be found.
At this point, he could only step up his requests for help from Mikhail, sending more manpower and materials to transport ammunition and weapons and maintain the supply lines.
Mikhail, meanwhile, urged him to hurry and attack the enemy's strongholds on Holy Sword Mountain, as well as retake the mountain's various passes and build defensive lines in preparation for a retreat if they lost the frontal battle