The warhorses' iron hooves shattered the white frost that had formed on the grass at dawn, churning up the soil and releasing a damp, earthy tang.
At the head of the column, Veylin rode onward. He did not look back, but the endless black torrent behind him constantly reminded him of the army's presence.
Diana urged her horse forward to ride beside him. She kept glancing back at the gray-white outline of Velvet Flower Town to the south, gradually disappearing behind the hills.
"Veylin," Diana finally said, unable to hold back her lingering concern, "are we really just leaving? Dumping that whole mess at Southgate Fort, along with several thousand prisoners, on those... those opportunists from Golden Thread Province who only know how to follow the wind?"
She could not understand it. By conventional military wisdom, Southgate Fort was the gateway to Eastern Foothills Province, stocked with vast quantities of provisions and weapons and occupying a crucial chokepoint.
Although the garrison's supply lines would soon be severed, they still had sturdy fortifications. If they failed to pull out this thorn before the army advanced deep into enemy territory, the garrison at Southgate Fort could join Marquis Donglu's main force in a pincer attack. The consequences would be disastrous.
Besides, could those nobles from Golden Thread Province really be trusted?
"You think they'll betray us?" Veylin turned toward her, amusement in his eyes, as though they were discussing dinner rather than affairs of war and state.
"They're merchants and speculators." Diana tightened her reins, her delicate brows drawing together. "Now that you've won, they're singing your praises. But if we suffer a setback at the front, they won't hesitate to stab us in the back. Entrusting our supply lines to people like that is gambling with the future of this entire