Chapter Summaries

Dude tried to provoke Chris into attacking but had his envoys ambushed, prompting Chris to investigate Minisia’s urgency and assign missions to his battle groups. Chris left the main battle plan unchanged and prepared the troops for a difficult frontal assault.

• Dude ordered his men to kill the envoys at the stream after realizing his earlier plan had failed to provoke Chris.
• Chris learned that Minisia Musketeers had killed both sets of envoys and concluded that Dude was afraid and anxious to force a battle.
• Chris and his commanders suspected that winter, the Bohemian Empire, and Dude’s abandoned supplies might explain Minisia’s urgency.
• Chris assigned the Mountain Wolf Battle Group to take the Northern Ridge Heights within two days, with extra troops and rewards for success.
• Chris opened the Birchwood mission to competing battle groups and warned them not to attack their own forces.
• Chris outlined the hazards of a frontal assault and decided that his troops needed to conduct earthworks before attacking.

Prince Chris's Army launched an assault on the Minisia camp, and players attacking the northern Ridge Watchtower fought their way through heavy fire to seize the summit. The Minisians killed the first wave, but a second wave had already reached the hill as the chapter ended.

• The Mountain Wolf Battle Group and other players charged uphill, but Minisians on the ridge fired from cover and killed several attackers.
• The players used four Crouching Tiger Cannons to suppress the defenders, but ten Minisian Swivel Guns unleashed a devastating volley that killed or wounded many players.
• Iron Claw rallied the survivors and led a charge that reached the summit, where the fight turned into close-quarters combat.
• Iron Claw and the remaining first-wave players fought fiercely against the better-equipped Minisian infantry, but all of them died after ten minutes.
• A second wave of players arrived while the Minisians were still shaken from the battle, and the attackers charged to take the hill.

Chris observed the players' battles on the northern ridge and at Birchwood while his army prepared artillery to bombard the Minisian camp. As the cannons were positioned, a Minisian frontline commander rushed to warn General Dude that the camp's earthen wall could not withstand them.

• Mia asked Chris why the players charged straight uphill, and Chris explained that they could use a gentler route and coordinated tactics instead.
• The players' third assault on the northern ridge fell back after Minisians reinforced the defenders, but the Mountain Wolf Battle Group burned the unfinished watchtower as they withdrew.
• Nearly a thousand heavily armored players fought through the woods at Birchwood, and Chris estimated they would capture it within an hour or two.
• Chris directed his army to build camp fortifications and position thirty cannons to bombard the Minisian camp.
• A Minisian frontline commander saw the artillery array and hurried to warn General Dude that the overnight earthen wall would likely crumble under the cannons.

General Dude watched Prince Chris’s forces open an accurate long-range bombardment of the Minisia camp, revealing that their field guns outranged Minisia’s artillery. Dude ordered the fortifications reinforced and his cannons readied, but his gunners struggled to aim at the distant enemy positions.

• General Dude saw that Prince Chris had deployed thirty cannons beyond the range of most Minisia artillery, while Minisia’s forces were losing ground on both flanks.
• Little Lackey used a rangefinder to calibrate the six-jin guns, and Prince Chris’s artillery fired a volley at the Minisia camp.
• General Dude inspected a cannonball and watched the volley tear holes in the earthen wall and damage the watchtower.
• Dude ordered engineers to thicken the defenses and gunners to ready the Bronze King Long Cannons.
• Dude’s adjutant warned that Minisia’s gunners could not aim at the distant targets, so Dude ordered them to use a telescope and adjust their shots.

Little Goon directed the six-pounders to fire on the Minisian artillery, killing an officer and breaching the earthen wall. He then tested the remaining cannon types and concluded that the nine-pounder field gun was largely redundant.

• Little Goon spotted concealed Minisian guns firing back and ordered his gunners to take cover while continuing their bombardment.
• Little Goon used a Rangefinder to identify a blue-cloaked Minisian officer and ordered twelve six-pounders to target him.
• The six-pounders killed the officer and collapsed a three-meter section of the earthen wall, throwing the Minisian gunners into chaos.
• Little Goon tested the nine-pounder and other cannon types, then decided to recommend reclassifying or eliminating the nine-pounder field gun.

The lackey’s artillery shattered the Minisian defenders’ will and blasted a wide breach in their earthen wall. Beaver Regiment engineers then cleared and improved routes across the marsh and stream, leaving the Minisians pinned behind their battered defenses as dusk fell.

• The Minisian cannons kept firing inaccurately while their noise helped restore the infantry’s morale, and the lackey’s field guns struggled to break the earthen wall faster than the defenders repaired it.
• The lackey ordered four heavy siege guns to fire, demolishing part of the wall, destroying a Bronze Cannon, and killing dozens of Minisians.
• The heavy guns fired two more volleys, opening a hundred-meter breach, then stopped for barrel inspections while the field guns continued suppressing the defenders.
• Beaver Regiment engineers drained the muddy shallows, laid plank-and-gravel roads, and cleared stream obstacles for a planned bridge before dusk forced them to withdraw.
• The Beaver Regiment players threw caltrops into the stream, while the Minisians abandoned attempts to fire back after artillery and Flintlock fire punished those who showed themselves.

Dude sent Captain Lacey to seek Bagnian reinforcements while preparing for a breakout, but Prince Chris’s army launched a deadly nighttime bombardment. Dude ordered his men to pull back and hoped Chris could not sustain the shelling all night.

• Dude told Captain Lacey that the two-sided attack had failed and ordered him to cross the northern ridge to find the Bagnia Republic's army.
• Dude instructed Lacey to return to Minisia with the news if the Bagnians refused to send troops, while he prepared to lead a breakout.
• A watchtower reported unusual activity at Prince Chris's camp, where orderly lights and glinting metal appeared in the darkness.
• Prince Chris's artillery began pounding the Minisian defenses, killing soldiers building the rear walls.
• Dude ordered his men to pull back and said he doubted Chris could keep up the bombardment all night.

Chris’s army bombarded the Minisian defenses all night while players seized a ridge, leaving the camp exposed to attack. Just as Chris prepared to cross the stream and assault the camp, he learned the wildfire behind the enemy was spreading toward his battlefield after Bagnia Republic troops disrupted the firebreak.

• Chris learned that his cannons had fired 2,500 shells overnight, leveling a two-kilometer stretch of the Minisian wall.
• Iron Claw led the Mountain Wolf Battle Group in repeated charges that captured the ridge after the Minisians withdrew near daybreak.
• Chris ordered medals, hot food, extra rations, and rum for the soldiers and players who fought through the night.
• Chris ordered engineers to build at least three pontoon-bridge attack routes before noon.
• A messenger gave Chris Lin Ruoyu’s letter explaining that Bagnia Republic troops had attacked the Extreme Warriors and spread their fire toward Votradnoi.
• Chris looked toward the wildfire’s black smoke and wondered whether he had encountered a whole bunch of fools.

General Dude learned that the Bagnia Republic had started a wildfire that threatened the Minisian camp, and he ordered his army to break out east against Chris's forces. Chris recognized the Minisians' plan and learned that the Republic's army had scattered, with many soldiers fleeing or surrendering.

• Captain Lacey told General Dude that the Bagnia Republic had set fire to the western plains to drive back Chris's army, leaving the Minisian camp in the wildfire's path.
• General Dude ruled out breaking out west or north and ordered the Minisian troops to prepare three days' rations and burn their remaining supplies.
• Dude ordered the entire Minisian army to attack east at noon.
• Chris estimated that the wildfire would reach his position at six thirty that evening and identified the Minisians' plan to fight with their backs to the fire.
• Chris learned that the Bagnia Republic's army had scattered while setting fires and that many of its soldiers had fled or surrendered to the Extreme Warriors.

Toby and the noble vanguard crossed the stream under orders to hold position while the main army built a bridge, expecting to die beneath enemy fire. Instead, Prince Chris's Army withdrew, leaving its camp abandoned, and General Dude concluded that they had lost.

• Toby marched with the shield-bearing vanguard, fighting his fear as they advanced beyond the camp.
• Toby and the other shield bearers laid their shields across the stream and crossed, then formed a spear line to protect the troops building a pontoon bridge.
• Company Commander Dude spotted Prince Chris's Army retreating with its cannons and received orders to scout its camp.
• Toby and his comrades entered the deserted camp and found pots of hot food still cooking.
• General Dude heard the news of the retreat and declared, "We've lost..."

Chris used the abandoned camp and its hidden explosives to unsettle the Minisians, then prepared his army for battle when they withdrew and formed up. As the fighting began and Republican reinforcements approached, Black-and-White Bear rode out while ordering Langduo to remain behind unless he was killed or defeated.

• Chris explained to Mia that leaving the camp could weaken the Minisians’ will to fight, and he revealed that he had left explosives and Players hidden there.
• The Minisians withdrew from the camp, apparently discovering Chris’s traps, and formed up in the open instead.
• Chris ordered his army into battle formation and learned that five thousand Republican troops were approaching from the north.
• Chris rejected the Minisians’ renewed surrender envoys and ordered his ten heavy siege guns to fire on their formation.
• The Minisians sent cavalry toward Chris’s camp and advanced with three infantry squares as Chris’s cavalry rode out to intercept them.
• Black-and-White Bear mounted up to attack and ordered Langduo to stay behind unless he was defeated or killed.

Colonel Sackley led the Dragoons in a charge against Player Heavy Cavalry, while Chris watched his forces’ artillery bombard Minisia’s infantry. The Dragoons were routed, and Minisia’s soldiers began fleeing as their morale broke.

• Sackley kept the Dragoons in a tight formation as they charged through accurate cannon fire toward the approaching Heavy Cavalry.
• Sackley ordered the Dragoons to fire their Flintlock Pistols, and some enemy riders fell before the two cavalry forces collided.
• A Cavalry Lance pierced Sackley’s breastplate and left him impaled as the Player Heavy Cavalry smashed the Dragoons’ formation.
• Chris watched the Player Heavy Cavalry defeat the Dragoons on the flanks and turned his attention to the bombardment of Minisia’s infantry.
• After five artillery volleys, one Minisian formation collapsed, and its soldiers began fleeing toward the sides of the battlefield.

Dude drove the battered Minisian army forward under Chris’s artillery fire, and his Eagle Cannons managed to silence two enemy guns. As the Minisians closed to close range, Little Lackey stayed at his Six-Pounder Cannon and fired grapeshot into the charging troops.

• Dude ordered the remaining Minisians to advance despite the routed cavalry and the enemy’s heavy-gun barrage.
• Chris’s field guns tore through the advancing infantry squares as Dude urged his troops onward.
• Dude brought five Eagle Cannons into range and ordered them to fire grapeshot, disabling two of Chris’s field guns.
• Little Lackey survived the grapeshot strike on his gun position, while Medics carried the wounded Iron Bull away.
• Little Lackey loaded and fired his Six-Pounder Cannon at the Minisians approaching within two hundred meters, then refused an officer’s order to retreat.

The artillery commander and the Third Infantry Regiment fought the charging Minisians in a brutal exchange of volleys that turned into hand-to-hand combat. Chris watched the regiment hold its ground for twenty minutes before retreating, giving the Second Infantry Regiment time to tighten its formation.

• The artillery commander and the musketeers fired repeated volleys at the advancing Minisians while medics dragged casualties from the front.
• The artillery commander helped a frightened rookie reload as the Minisians pressed closer and the musket company commander was shot.
• The artillery commander charged with his bayonet, and the rookie struck down an enemy who attacked from the side as the line dissolved into melee.
• Chris held the Third Infantry Regiment in place and prepared sword-and-shield fighters to counterattack if it broke.
• The Third Infantry Regiment fought for twenty minutes before retreating, giving the Second Infantry Regiment time to close toward the center.

Dude committed his battered army to a renewed attack after learning Republican reinforcements had arrived, while Chris noticed the incoming troops appeared disorganized and unarmored. Lin Ruoyu’s attack on the Republican force turned into a pursuit as its soldiers fled, leaving the battle’s outcome uncertain.

• Dude weighed retreating as his squares suffered heavy losses, the enemy converged on his forces, and his rear camp burned.
• Dude learned that Republican reinforcements were approaching and ordered his entire army to attack Chris’s Double-Headed Eagle royal banner.
• Chris observed that the Republican Army’s ranks were disorganized and its front soldiers wore uniforms without armor.
• Lin Ruoyu led the Extreme Warriors in an ambush on the Republican Army’s long marching column, and the soldiers broke and fled.
• Lin Ruoyu pursued the fleeing troops, releasing many prisoners and ordering his men to stop taking captives.

Dude led the Minisians in a desperate charge toward Chris, but Little Knife and the players halted their advance and nearly killed the old general. As Dude prepared to rally his troops again, he learned that the supposed Republic reinforcements were fleeing instead of helping.

• Dude led the Minisians through the Prince's Army's defenses and broke into the center of Chris's formation.
• Chris ordered Little Knife and more than two hundred players to counterattack, driving the Minisians back.
• Little Knife cut through the enemy ranks, knocked Dude down, and nearly killed him before the general's bodyguards dragged him away.
• Roderick and Joachim intercepted a Minisian squad trying to reach Chris's banner.
• Dude tried to resume the charge, but his chief of staff reported that the Republic reinforcements were fleeing and discarding their gear.

The Minisian army collapsed into a rout after learning the northern Republic troops were fleeing, and Little Knife killed General Dude as he tried to make a final stand. As torrential rain fell over the battlefield, Dude’s adjutant gathered his remains and mourned the attack that had doomed the army.

• The Minisian soldiers abandoned their weapons and armor and fled, ignoring their officers’ orders to regroup.
• Dude refused his adjutant’s offer to escape and prepared to face his end with a ceremonial sword.
• Little Knife beheaded Dude before he could finish his last words, and Chris awarded Little Knife a Gold Medal called the Whale Hunter Medal.
• Little Knife spared Dude’s adjutant, who wrapped the general’s head and body in his cloak.
• Rain began pouring over the battlefield, and the adjutant mourned the wasted attack before a Prince Chris’s Army sergeant ordered him to surrender and leave the rain.

After a crushing downpour disrupted Chris’s army and allowed some Republican prisoners to escape, Chris rejected the captured Minisian officers’ demands for noble privileges and ordered their valuables confiscated. The officers then made one final request: to be separated from the Republic’s people.

• A severe storm soaked gunpowder, bogged down cannons and cavalry, flooded medical tents, and forced Chris to order his troops to halt their pursuit and make camp.
• Chris learned that some captured Republican soldiers had escaped east, but he refused to pursue them in the dangerous weather.
• The Minisian officers demanded individual tents, wine, swords, and other privileges, and Chris ordered them to work and pay exorbitant prices for special treatment.
• When a Minisian lieutenant colonel protested over his family signet ring, Chris confiscated it and ordered all officers’ valuables added to the common pool for redemption after the war.
• The captured Minisian officers asked Chris to separate them from the Republic’s people.

Mia investigated the prisoners’ missing salt and salted fish and found the stolen supplies in the quartermaster’s tent. Chris confronted the quartermaster, who faced punishment for theft.

• Mia questioned five prisoners about their food and learned they had received no salt or salted fish.
• Mia had Aisha sniff around the prisoners’ tent, then rode to find Chris after the pig found no hidden supplies there.
• Chris checked the camp’s communal bathhouses and ordered that everyone bathe and change into clean clothes.
• Mia arrived and announced that she had caught a thief, then showed Chris a parcel of salt and salted fish taken from the quartermaster’s tent.
• Chris’s guards seized the quartermaster, who dropped to his knees after recognizing the punishment for theft.

Chris uncovered corruption in the army’s supply system and ordered a sweeping investigation, which found four offenders, including two company commanders who had been taking soldiers’ pay. He ordered severe punishments to deter further corruption, leaving the army facing an uncompromising crackdown.

• Chris arrested the quartermaster caught skimming salt and salted fish from prisoners’ rations and ordered a thorough audit of military supplies and records.
• After searching all night, Chris learned that investigators had found another logistics officer and two company commanders who had forced soldiers to pay bogus charges.
• Chris considered the offenders’ opportunities for advancement and concluded that their corruption could not be excused by need.
• Chris dictated orders requiring corrupt officers to be punished under military regulations, discharged, stripped of military merit land and family benefits, and barred from future service for three generations.
• Chris ordered those who knew about the corruption but failed to report it punished as well, and said participants would be treated as equally guilty.