Green heard the malice thick in Cyrabelle's voice. It seemed the countess, formidable general though she was, had suffered bitter frustration at the Red Fortress. Her resentment had been building, and now she was ready to unleash it all.
Green looked toward the distant lights of the Red Fortress, a measure of anticipation stirring in him as well. To bring down an entire city in one stroke and extinguish two hundred thousand lives...
Half an hour later, the soldiers in the camp had eaten and drunk their fill, and all of them assembled again.
Most of them still knew nothing of the real plan. They assumed they would continue retreating toward the Royal Capital once they had eaten. But after their officers assembled them, they began issuing fresh ammunition and replacement weapons.
Many soldiers had dropped their weapons and supplies in their hurried flight. Fortunately, Cyrabelle had anticipated this and prepared ample reserve arms and provisions here.
Holding rifles again made many of the soldiers feel more secure. With full stomachs as well, their morale rose considerably.
To their surprise, though, they did not retreat after receiving their weapons. Instead, the assembled units were led toward the Red Fortress.
Their stomachs churned as all kinds of guesses ran through their minds. Had their officers gone mad? Were they going to launch a counterattack even now? The Revolutionary Army had nearly two hundred thousand troops! They had failed to hold the Red Fortress with its high walls and deep defenses. Fighting in the open without those walls would be courting death!
Whatever the soldiers thought, Cyrabelle's troops continued to maneuver in orderly fashion...
Standing atop the temporary camp's wooden palisade, Cyrabelle watched the fifty thousand troops remaining under her command finish assembling. She turned toward the Red Fortress once more and