On March 18, 1447, a grand fleet of over a hundred barges majestically passed through the Double-Headed Serpent Fortress.
Under the tattered church flags, the knights and soldiers within the castle only dared to peek out with half of their heads, fearing those dreadful stone balls or iron spheres might strike them.
On the river that glead like blue silk, the fleet moved slowly like a city wall through the green sea of forests, drifting downstream.
The soldiers in the castle began counting but soon lost track of the numbers.
Since gaining control of the entire Thousand River Valley, Horn was able to mobilize far more resources than before. Previously, transporting over 8,000 troops required several trips back and forth.
But this ti, he was able to mobilize a full 120 barges to head to the front line at once, with nurous rchant ships in tow that had contracted military supplies.
Not until the shadows of the ships disappeared did the castle on the west bank dare to release rangers, raising dust on the dirt road as they rode back to report to the church in the rear.
On March 22, 1447, the Victory Day at Thousand River Valley, 7,800 war monks from the Guard Battle Group and half of the Divine Punishnt Battle Group successfully reached the front line at Green Blood Town.
As the only passage to the Avis Temple, Horn did not need to prepare supplies himself, as Green Blood Town had already stockpiled a large amount of materials that had yet to be transported to Solaburg.
Upon reaching Green Blood Town, Horn directly requisitioned the temple on the west side, establishing it as the temporary command center.
Before Horn's arrival, service soldiers had already been stationed in the town, and two Guard infantry regints quickly controlled the critical roads of the town.
The local populace sat under the eaves, watching curiously yet fearfully as the soldiers ran patrols in neat formations.
As for the other infantry regints, they naturally wouldn't camp inside the town, as this town could only accommodate up to 3,000 residents at its limit.
After transporting the array of service soldiers and necessary defense troops inside, there was basically no space left for other military units.
Before officially entering Green Blood Town, Horn rode his horse around the surrounding area for a few laps and chatted with different locals for at least half an hour before formally returning to the town.
He handed over his warhorse to a service soldier and walked briskly into the bronze door of the snake sculpture under the marble gable, stepping on the moss-covered temple steps.
"Your Majesty, please go this way."
Following the service soldier, Horn passed through a hall cluttered with barrels and air-dried hams, and by the long table surrounded by more than a dozen staff monks and ssengers, before entering his temporary office.
For Horn, this battle in the Southern County did not even rank among the battles he had experienced.
Black Snake Bay was a region crisscrossed by streams and jungles; even knights had to dismount and fight on foot, and without their horses, knights were as vulnerable as without them.
Who were the people against Horn back then? Prince Kongdai, the top cavalry commander of the Leia Kingdom, leading the historically strongest decree company.
Who were the people at Black Snake Bay, expecting them to fight Horn?
If it weren't for the urgency of this battle and the fact that its political significance far outweighed its military significance, Horn might have wanted to let the young officers train themselves.
But even a lion must exert its full strength to catch a rabbit, so since he was there in person, Horn would not make the mistake of underestimating the enemy. He also wanted to test new tactics on the battlefields of the Southern County.
"Petier, I am issuing the following orders, take note," Horn tossed his belt onto the chair and quickly instructed.
Petier imdiately took out his shorthand notebook; at least there wouldn't be any more incidents like Madlan asking Horn how to write "orders."
"Dispatch scouting cavalry to determine the enemy's location, number, and marching routes, and deploy troops to control bridges and roads to ensure the main routes remain open," Horn tapped the table with his knuckles. "Check the town's food and supply situation. Before dinner, I want all the battle commanders and infantry regintal commanders to et here. Understood?"
"Understood."
Taking the orders to the temporary staff office outside, Petier cleared his throat and solemnly shouted, "Summon Lady Novia the Witch and request her to reconnoiter the enemy force placent near the Avis Temple by night.
Order the Kush Cavalry to set out imdiately, advancing ten kiloters along main roads to gather enemy activity information, reporting the enemy movents every evening.
Order the first and second infantry regints of the Divine Punishnt Battle Group to quickly station on the high ground to the east of the town and construct temporary defense works; order the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth infantry regints of the Guard Battle Group to guard the bridge on the south side of the town, set up barricades, and establish sentries.
Order the third and fourth infantry regints of the Divine Punishnt Battle Group…
Order the quartermaster to imdiately inventory and register the town's grain, water, and horses, prioritize supplies for the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth infantry regints of the Guard Battle Group and the cavalry regint, ensuring three days of full supply.
Order officers at all levels of each army to attend the pre-battle eting at the temple on the west side of the town at 5 p.m.; troops must stay on high alert upon receiving the orders and ensure full deploynt by 4 p.m.; night curfew strictly enforced…"
Soon, orders spread in all directions from within the temple, and the previously tranquil temple quickly beca bustling.
"Where is the fifth infantry regint's secretary? Why is your unit still here? Set out imdiately!"
"It must be taken down, I don't care whose it is, take it down!"
"Has the third infantry regint of the Divine Punishnt Army gathered yet? Not yet, not yet! If those three rascals aren't found within a quarter of an hour, you'll explain yourself to His Majesty."
"Speechless, are you? Hmm? Co, did those 13 barrels of salted at get delivered or not? You tell !"
According to the regulations, the chief officer of the army is not allowed to leave the troops before the campmaking is completed, so many affairs are handled and conveyed by the legion secretary and service chief.
But don't think that Petier, as a Secret Monk, is just soone hard to pin down. He's not soone easily fooled.
Petier's mory is astonishing, famously called the living ledger in his early days; he hails from a rchant family and rose from the bottom as a quartermaster, mastering those tricks and knacks.
Any scheming or trickery in front of him would be brutally exposed and then scolded with stinging reproaches.
Anyti you enter the temple, you'd see a row of trembling accompanying rchants, quartermasters, and legion secretaries sitting by the long table.
After experiencing the initial chaos, the locals were surprised to find: after a quick nap, the previously chaotic army was suddenly orderly.
The temple on the west side, after becoming a temporary command center, seed like the once headless swarm suddenly found their queen.
The quartermasters and legion secretaries buzzed in and out of the temple, while mounted gendars galloped through the streets, tossing one order after another from their dispatch tubes.
The Black Snake Bay Secret Faction mbers who ca with the army stood dumbfounded by the roadside, watching the seemingly complex military and material movents proceed with increasing speed and efficiency.
The chaotic piled supplies were sorted and stored systematically, houses and stalls encroaching the roads were collectively dismantled, and trash and dung were thoroughly cleaned up.
In the blink of an eye, several hundred tents and black-and-red flags rose on the water sources and strategic terrains around the town.
Lazy porters were suspended and spun like a top by the gendars' whip, and the local ruffians beca more obedient than quails amidst the gunfire and shouts to "open up, Cheka!"
The Black Snake Bay warriors stationed locally found themselves in surprise: oh, there were so many supplies in Green Blood Town, they found they could indeed have full als.
The town mayor was bullied by these Black Snake Bay warriors to the point of only drinking gruel that day.
In almost an afternoon, the once cluttered town beca well-organized.
So hunters who went out in the morning and returned were even suspicious if they had lost their way. Not just hunters, even Novia couldn't descend until she circled above the town a few tis to ensure she was in the right place.
Once everything was settled, at 4:50 p.m., the service soldier punctually awakened Horn, who had been napping all afternoon.
After a quick facewash, Horn energetically entered the hall where all levels of officers were already waiting by the long table.
He plopped down on a stone bench, looking around: "The stone walls of the Avis Temple are three ters thick, and in three days, newly cast six-pound sand sculpture cannons will be transported from the rear. What do you say?"
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