Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence - Chapter 743 - 414: Intelligence on the Battlefield
The morning in the Gray Rock Province carries a damp, cold smell of iron rust.
The relentless torrential rain pounded on the marching carriage, producing a dull and consistent sound, like someone constantly tapping a rhythm.
The carriage slowly moved forward on the muddy official road, its wheels moving through the puddles, transmitting slight jolts one after another.
In this familiar swaying, Louis woke up.
He didn’t immediately sit up, just opened his eyes and raised his right hand to gently wave through the air.
“Buzz——”
A faint humming noise spread within the narrow carriage.
A translucent light blue screen unfolded like a thin curtain, quietly suspended in the air.
[Daily intelligence update completed]
[1: Upheaval in the Imperial Capital. The Second Prince, Kaelin, has captured the Imperial Hall and proclaimed himself Emperor.]
Louis’s gaze lingered on this line for just a moment: “Faster than I expected, he didn’t proclaim himself Regent King but Emperor, how interesting…”
Internally, he felt little turbulence, only calmly making a judgment.
Kaelin ultimately couldn’t wait any longer.
He didn’t take the regent path, didn’t seek to involve the attitudes of various nobles, nor attempt to maintain the fragile facade.
He directly skipped all the intermediate steps, placing the crown on his own head.
That’s fine too, at least for Louis, this isn’t bad news.
If the Empire had a Regent King with real power, the situation would be more troublesome.
Instead, it would be a rope binding direct action.
“As expected.” Louis whispered in his heart, “A mad Emperor, a minister holding troops. The waters of the Imperial Capital are truly muddied, making my next actions more justified.”
Then he shifted his gaze downward.
[2: Kael Remont burned dozens of villages and cities in the north, expelled tens of thousands of refugees to block the main road of Blackrock Canyon, and deployed supervision teams at the rear, intending to use civilian bodies to delay the Northern Army’s mechanized advancement.]
The blue light of the screen reflected in his eyes but failed to stir any emotional waves.
“Kael…”
Louis’s fingers tapped lightly on the carriage’s armrest, producing a low and clear “da, da” sound.
Burning villages, expelling people, blocking roads, using hunger and fear to force crowds to pile forward, then using the supervision teams to block the retreat.
This approach is truly beastly.
And while seemingly cruel, it is actually lazy, substituting human lives for thinking and strategizing.
“Treating people as mud to use.” Louis’s gaze cooled slightly, “You’ve inherited your father’s innate arrogance and that beastly nature.”
Were it another general, faced with such a situation, there’d be few choices.
Withdrawing troops would mean yielding initiative.
Forced advancement would mean treading over thousands of civilians, reputation aside, the most important is Louis himself simply couldn’t do it.
This is the deadlock Kael prepared for him.
Unfortunately, this deadlock is for an opponent who can’t see the whole picture, but for Louis…
Louis continued to look down.
[3: Five tons of black fire powder have been buried in the rock walls on both sides of Blackrock Canyon. Due to the rain, alchemical ignition rates have decreased, forcing a switch to physical fuse detonation. All fuses converge at the cliff top’s left side Eagle’s Beak Rock, where five Death Knights are responsible for manually triggering.]
His gaze stopped on this piece of intelligence, then his lips moved very slightly.
Due to the rain, alchemy failed, switching to physical fuses, concentrating all detonation points in one location.
“For others, perhaps a good idea, but unfortunately it’s me they’re facing.” Louis smiled and made a conclusion in his heart.
[4: The refugee tide completely blocks the main road, preventing Kael’s logistics convoy from returning to Grey Rock Castle. 300 tons of winter military grain forcibly unloaded at canyon entrance’s left side, 3rd abandoned mine pit, serving as supervision team rations, with only rudimentary camouflage and protection.]
Louis’s gaze finally became focused, this batch of grain may be vital intelligence.
The screen lightly trembled in the air, then slowly faded away as if it had never existed.
Louis closed his eyes, leaned back on the seat, quickly dissecting and reorganizing the intelligence in his mind.
A complete thread rapidly emerged, first allowing refugees to be driven into the canyon.
Narrow terrain, mud post-rain, tens of thousands squeezed together, could neither advance nor retreat.
They would become the most natural blocker, making the entire passage completely impassable.
Then, waiting.
Waiting for him to be forced to halt advancement, for supply convoys forced to stretch the battle line, for heavy troops to fall into chaos mixed with mud and crowds.
Finally, triggering the detonation switch.
Five tons of black fire powder simultaneously falling from both side rock walls, stones and flames sealing the front.
Not just refugees crushed.
There are also the Northern Territory knights and armies forced to the frontline, even steam war vehicles not yet fully deployed, trapped in the canyon, facing rockfalls and flames, with no difference.
An apparent enemy blockade, in essence, using civilians and their own supervision knights for a desperate extermination.
Louis gave an evaluation in his heart.
Foolish, vicious.
Refugees stuck in the canyon due to hunger, also fear.
Fear, from the explosives on the cliff, supervision knights from behind.
And hunger… Louis’s thoughts stopped here.
That 300 tons of winter grain, buried not far from the canyon entrance.
Just under the eyelids of those who’ve been starved for days.
