Chapter 341: Bodies

Inside the silver command tent, Fern was studying a detailed map of Preston.

Ever since the truce with the Sapphire Empire in the west, he had turned his sights toward the Eldorian Empire.

The heavy snow and bitter cold of last winter had only solidified this idea. The shaman priests also predicted the grasslands would remain cold for years to come, perhaps getting colder year by year.

However, his plans hadn’t been accepted by all tribal chiefs. In their view, since the Order had just signed a truce with the Sapphires, they should rest and recover for a few years before launching a campaign against the Eldorian Empire.

The chief among these cautious voices was Sean. He and his faction refused to commit the full strength of the Order to attack the Eldorian Empire.

So, when chaos erupted in Preston, Fern chose to ignore the useless officials in Cloverton and instead led his Sunderland Tribe to invade the Eldorian Empire. In his mind, as long as he could eliminate the detestable Prince Simon, the Eldorian Empire would no longer have any worthy opponent.

"Sean, I’ll prove to Father that I’m right." Fern clenched his fist tightly.

Ever since he began leading troops, he had been competing with Sean, as everyone in the Order revered him; many even said he would be the next Father.

Fern couldn’t accept that.

So he volunteered to lead a western campaign, hoping to prove that he, not Sean, was the true wolf of the grasslands.

A string of victories had elevated his prestige within the Order. But when he returned to Cloverton, he realised he still couldn’t compare to Sean. Though some tribal chiefs respected him, they still favoured Sean more.

This constant sense of being overshadowed drove him mad at times. That’s why he seized every opportunity to prove himself. And killing Prince Simon was his way of doing that. Especially now that even Sean had turned his eyes toward Brambleford. Fern had to eliminate Prince Simon first to prove his worth.

"Prince Fern, everything is going according to plan." A subordinate reported. "Meryln is raiding the Imperial Army’s supply lines, Clinton has trapped ninety thousand of their troops thirty kilometres outside Preston City, and the remainder of their cavalry is being harassed outside Cobblestone. We’ve even launched a feint to tie them down."

Fern’s command tent was positioned between Preston City and Cobblestone so he could receive updates from all directions.

"Hmph! Keep dragging this out. I want to see how long the Brambleford Army can hide in Cobblestone." Fern said coldly.

He had witnessed one of Brambleford’s strange weapons during the siege, and its power shocked him. That only increased his desire to capture some Brambleford soldiers alive and learn exactly what this weapon was.

---

Outside Cobblestone.

Lancet and the reaver forces had already clashed several times.

These reaver cavalry forces never fought for long, retreating as soon as battle began, but coming back to harass again the moment the imperial troops withdrew.

Seeing this, Lancet sneered. These were tricks he himself had used against them in the past.

Then, during yet another engagement, Lancet suddenly roared, leading forty thousand cavalry in a ferocious charge.

The raiding reaver cavalry panicked and began to retreat en masse.

From the main reaver camp, a commander, seeing the sudden switch from defence to offence, immediately sounded the emergency horn. The sound echoed across Cobblestone.

Inside the city, upon hearing this, Benjamin’s eyes snapped open.

"That’s the reaver’s emergency rally horn! The Imperial Army must be here." Benjamin said excitedly.

The other generals in the room were overjoyed.

"Commander! What are we waiting for? Let’s fight our way out! We’ve been pretending to be weak for days; it’s time to show these savages what we’re made of!" Lancelot shouted.

The Brambleford Army wasn’t afraid of fighting; they had simply been waiting for the Imperial Army to arrive, planning a coordinated attack from inside and out to crush the reavers.

Now, the moment had come.

"Send scouts to find out where the Imperial Army is attacking from. Ready the troops!" Benjamin ordered.

The generals rushed out to prepare the soldiers.

Soon, scouts returned.

"Commander, the reavers are assembling at the north gate, but the Imperial Army seems to have pulled back. The assembled cavalry hasn’t moved out."

Benjamin frowned.

"What’s Lancet doing? Keep watching."

More updates came. The two sides were probing and feinting, neither committing to a full engagement.

Eventually, Benjamin realised what was happening:

"Damn! The reavers are trying to distract the Imperial Army. The supply line must be under attack. Lancet isn’t attacking because he’s waiting for news about the supplies. If something goes wrong, he’ll have to retreat to protect them."

Understanding this, Benjamin assembled his troops, ready to support the Imperial Army from the north gate at any moment.

But they waited the entire day, and the stalemate continued.

---

Lancet was growing increasingly anxious. After sending his reinforcements to guard the supply line, the reavers had also sent reinforcements, determined to cut off the supplies.

He now understood Fern’s true objective: destroy the food supplies. If they succeeded, 150,000 Imperial troops would face the same fate as the Brambleford Army, starving, demoralised, and easily defeated.

As night fell, his worry deepened.

Preston’s flat plains were the reavers’ natural battlefield, and the rebellion had cost them the use of nearby cities.

Then, scouts reported that Randy had sent out his remaining ten thousand cavalry to guard the supply route, and both sides were now locked in fierce battle.

No one slept that night.

---

The next morning

Lancet gathered his generals, all anxiously waiting for news of the supply lines.

While each cavalryman carried rations, supplies would only last a few more days. If they ran out, disaster loomed.

Just then, a scout galloped in.

"General! The Brambleford Army has arrived! Their fire-spitting weapons are incredibly powerful! The tide is turning!" The scout said excitedly.

"Fire-spitting weapons?" Lancet was puzzled.

Because both sides had been stalemated, only limited troops had been sent to the supply front. But now, reinforcements made all the difference.

"Heh! These reaver dogs... It’s my turn to pin you down now." Lancet grinned, cracking his whip and leading his cavalry toward Cobblestone.

---

On the Road to Preston

Timothy and his cavalry clashed with reaver riders across the open plains.

After a day and night of brutal fighting, the Imperial cavalry had suffered heavy casualties. The battlefield was littered with corpses from both sides.

However, judging by the bodies, the Imperial side was losing.

But once the Brambleford Army joined the battle, everything changed.

Their three thousand musket-bearing soldiers quickly secured the supply route.

Each volley felled the charging cavalry like wheat before a scythe.