Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters
Chapter 1180 - 20 The Great Alliance Moves Forward (5)

Chapter 1180: Chapter 20 The Great Alliance Moves Forward (5)

[Mirror Lake County]

[Outskirts of Green Valley Town]

Far from the lush Qingmeng Mountain, the terrain becomes increasingly flat.

Major Alder Felter stood on a mound by the roadside, his gaze trailing along the sun-baked hard road, and the green walls and red tiles of Green Valley Town in the central river valley were faintly visible.

Beside him, six battalions mixed from the "Sixth Legion" and "New Reclamation Legion," totaling over three thousand soldiers, were marching towards Green Valley Town.

Major Felter looked towards Green Valley Town under the setting sun, and the unease lingering in his heart grew more intense.

To others, the peaceful and harmonious mountain valley town appeared to Felter like a beast’s bloody maw, waiting for its prey to walk into its trap.

The reason Alder Felter had this feeling was not because the journey from Maiqiu to Green Valley was not smooth.

On the contrary, ever since they left Maiqiu Town for Green Valley Town, the pesky small groups of rebel light cavalry had vanished overnight without a trace.

It was as if an invisible giant hand had wiped the rebel light cavalry clean off the canvas. Felter’s troops were no longer harassed, and the journey from Maiqiu to Green Valley was peaceful.

Honorary officers at all levels beamed, and the morale of the lower soldiers was significantly boosted.

After all, the constant risk of "being grabbed even when going to relieve themselves by the roadside" put everyone under tremendous pressure; compared to that, marching was tiring but at least free from mortal danger.

Yet Felter couldn’t smile at all as he instinctively touched the freshly scabbed wound on his cheek—a souvenir left by a small group of fierce rebel light cavalry.

...

At that time, they suddenly leapt from the reverse slope of the roadside mound, charging at Felter with the speed of the wind.

Because they rode captured own army horses and wore the attire of their own light cavalry, no one, including Felter, reacted in time.

When Felter came to his senses, more than twenty rebel cavalry had already closed in on him.

The surrounding soldiers scattered, and Felter awkwardly rolled off his horse, escaping into the soldiers to avoid disaster. The scabbed cut on his face was left at that moment.

Felter’s attendants weren’t as fortunate, and together with two present honorary officers, they were all slaughtered in a blink of an eye.

The rebel cavalry not only struck fiercely but retreated decisively as well. The leading rebel cavalry whistled, and more than twenty rebel cavalry immediately withdrew and fled.

By the time their own light cavalry hurried to the rescue, the rebel cavalry had already vanished behind the hillside.

...

Recalling that perilous scene, Major Felter again unconsciously reached for the wound on his face.

Although the rebels’ "throat-cutting sword" didn’t succeed, the mental shadow it left on Felter was substantial.

The hard scab over the wound not only reminded Felter that his enemies were cunning, ruthless, and decisive—they struck without hesitation and withdrew without lingering—not at all like the rebels portrayed by the Grand Council as cornered and vulnerable.

It also gave Felter a deeper understanding of the meaning of "the fleeting Paratu Cavalry."

Distinct natural and cultural environments shaped vastly different arts of war.

In the former Mountain Front Territory dukedom, today’s United Provinces Republic, warfare took place outside bastions, in trenches, on small paddy fields between fortified towns.

Thus, the United Provinces Army is adept at defending cities, proficient in sieges, skilled in fortifications, and accustomed to short-range maneuvers between two cities.

In the latter stages of the Sovereign War, by relying on the fortress-like groups of fortified towns, the United Provinces ultimately thwarted the mad emperor’s personal campaign, ensuring Paratu and Vineta were untouched by war, and eventually claimed victory.

Yet in the vast Paratu—especially the underdeveloped Newly Reclaimed Land—warfare unfolds on expansive plains, endless hills, and towering forests.

Between villages are large wastelands, towns are so far apart as to be unreachable. The distance from Westwood Province’s station to Maplestone City alone exceeds the north-south span of the Federated Provinces.

"Speed! Speed! Speed!" Major Felter belatedly sighed, "A force lacking speed and mobility is bound to fall victim in Paratu!"

Major Felter vaguely regretted rashly taking on the task of leading half a legion into battle, his ambitious aspirations diluted by the imminent threat.

He didn’t believe the enemy would forgo their cavalry advantage, letting him pass through the road between Maiqiu and Green Valley unharassed.

Moreover, Felter was certain the enemy’s cavalry hadn’t withdrawn, because while small groups of scouts ceased harassment, their own light cavalry were still thoroughly suppressed.

His light cavalry under him dared not leave the sight of their own main force, lest they never reappear on the horizon.

The messengers he sent out vanished like mud oxen entering the sea, never to return, and from two days ago, no word had come from Bazenaur and Maplestone City.

In the past, when faced with a dilemma, Felter often turned to logic for help.

But this time, his logic provided an answer he was unwilling to accept:

Since the enemy cavalry can still firmly suppress their own cavalry, it proves they still possess the capability to "use continuous harassment to weaken their forces";