Chapter 345: Thank You

"Artillery?"

Randy’s heart skipped a beat.

Aiden nodded. "From the intel we received, the reavers brought at least 200 cannons this time. Right now, we should destroy them with our own artillery. According to His Highness, the cannons sold to Eldora have the longest range. They might be able to suppress the reavers’ cannons. How many cannons did you bring?"

"Not a single one," Randy said through gritted teeth, his face suddenly darkening.

"Why is that? His Highness sent 300 cannons to Eldora..." Aiden glanced around, and sure enough, there was no sign of any cannons in the camp.

Randy spat on the ground. "It’s those cowardly peace-faction officials! They said the cannons should only be used to protect the capital. They claimed the Brambleford army already had enough artillery to defend Preston. Hah! In truth, they just want us to die here."

Hearing this, Aiden let out a quiet sigh. He felt even more grateful for his decision to stay in Brambleford. "I see. You two generals have suffered much." He said.

"We’ll endure it," Randy replied. "The Quake family has served the military for generations. We’ve always been loyal to the empire, and now the entire court doubts us... But forget it. No use complaining."

Aiden understood right away. It wasn’t just the officials; Alaric himself probably didn’t fully trust General Lancet.

This campaign to Preston had sent 500,000 imperial guards to the front. And yet, only the Imperial Guards had been dispatched to battle. Officially, it was because of their strength. But in truth, the entire court, Alaric included, likely wanted to weaken the Imperial Guards.

Seeing that, Randy’s frustration made sense.

Aiden offered a calm explanation. "Strong subjects often face suspicion. It’s always been that way in every dynasty. If His Majesty hadn’t sent the Imperial Guards to Preston, that would’ve been the true betrayal. At the very least, it shows he still values you."

Randy, a straightforward military man, was struck by those words. He suddenly understood.

Still, his heart ached. "It’s just... Such a shame for our soldiers."

"If our soldiers die protecting the nation, why shouldn’t yours make the same sacrifice? The soldiers of His Highness, Prince Simon, have already paid in blood."Aiden replied firmly.

Aiden was growing more and more upset. Preston was in danger, and yet the entire Eldorian Empire seemed to leave the burden only to the court and Prince Simon.

The other regional princes were just watching from the sidelines, hoping the royal army and the reavers would both suffer and leave them room to gain from the chaos.

Worse, even the court was divided. Prince Gerad was scheming behind the scenes, and Prince Augustus was hiding in Preston, refusing to fight.

And now Randy’s words added to Aiden’s frustration.

’Who doesn’t care about their soldiers? Who wants to fight a war far from home?’

Randy was shaken. His face showed shame. "Governor Aiden, you’re right. If I serve my country loyally, I shouldn’t have personal selfishness."

He paused. "Do you have a plan?"

Aiden took a moment to steady himself. The corruption in the Eldorian Empire pained him deeply. In his heart, he swore one day he would crush those southern princes and show them what loyalty really meant.

Just as he was about to speak, a horn echoed in the distance.

"Horn signals!" Randy’s eyes lit up. "That’s the retreat signal. Looks like the reaver cavalry is pulling back."

"We got intel that Fern and the Sunderland Tribe advanced recklessly. The reavers didn’t come with their full forces. Fern’s troops are limited. Now that the cavalry raiding the supply line has been wiped out, Fern will likely rely on his artillery to destroy your formations, followed by a heavy cavalry charge to finish you off."

Other generals might not fully understand how dangerous artillery could be for infantry formations.

But Brambleford’s officers knew it well; cannons combined with heavy cavalry could break through easily. Randy’s forces wouldn’t survive even one full attack.

Aiden asked. "How many soldiers do you still have?"

"We suffered heavy losses fighting for the supply line. I only have a few hundred cavalry left. About 70,000 infantry are still able to fight, but many are wounded from the mounted archers’ harassment."

Aiden quickly calculated. Randy and Lancet had each sent 10,000 cavalry as reinforcements. Now only a fraction remained.

Even this remaining force had been hit hard by reaver attacks.

That meant they had only foot soldiers left. And in an open field, infantry was always at a disadvantage against cavalry.

The only way infantry could survive was by forming tight formations. But even then, they could only defend; they couldn’t attack. After all, two legs were no match for four.

So Aiden said. "Now that the reavers are retreating, this is the best time to regroup with the main army. Don’t move toward Preston alone. Otherwise, your 70,000 men won’t make it back alive."

Randy nodded. Aiden’s analysis was spot on. Without cavalry support, advancing alone would be suicide.

"Then I’ll gather my troops and head toward Cobblestone to join my father." He said.

"Good. No time to waste. Once we’re together, we’ll strike in unison. We must not let Fern make full use of his cannons. Only the Brambleford artillery can suppress his firepower."

Those words made Randy even more determined to reach Cobblestone.

He immediately gave the order for his troops to regroup and march toward Cobblestone. The remaining cavalry joined with the Brambleford armored cavalry to guard the flanks.

Although they had been separated, it was only 20 kilometers from their current position to Cobblestone. Randy and Aiden pushed the soldiers into a forced march. By evening, they reached the outskirts of Cobblestone.

"Father!"

Seeing Lancet filled Randy with relief. It felt like nothing could collapse as long as his father was around.

The two armies reunited. Lancet was overjoyed. He patted Randy’s shoulder, then looked to Aiden.

Randy quickly introduced him.

Learning that Aiden had brought the Brambleford troops personally, Lancet laughed heartily. "Thank you, Governor Aiden. If not for you, my son and I would’ve been split apart and easy to crush."

"It was nothing. It’s your daring rescue of the Brambleford army that earned my respect." Aiden said while raising his telescope to observe the reaver camp.

Randy felt a twinge of envy. Along the way, nearly every Brambleford officer had their own telescope. In contrast, only Lancet had one in the Imperial Guards.

After surveying, Aiden told Lancet. "General, it’s getting late. It’s not a good time to attack. If we launch an assault now, we might hurt our own men in the dark. And our hot air balloon hasn’t returned yet. We’ll wait for it to come back before attacking."

"Hot air balloon?" Lancet was confused.

But Randy understood. "Father, His Highness is truly amazing; he’s even made something that can fly!"