Chapter 1424 - 1335: Clouds Like a Shroud

Chapter 1424: Chapter 1335: Clouds Like a Shroud

Dark clouds covered the sky, hanging over the blue expanse.

Since 1462, a large number of signal stations had been built from Immortal Stone Field to the New Five Counties.

Therefore, the petition from the Narran army quickly received a response from Horn—

Permission was granted for the Narran army’s actions; there was no need to destroy all bridges, some could be kept for troop passage.

With Horn’s approval, Mathis quickly returned to Wooden Ruler City.

Almost simultaneously, good news came from both the central and southern armies.

As Serafe had taken the elite clan army guarding Changge City, the checkpoints along the way were extremely undermanned.

Jeanne once again employed the classic cavalry cutting tactics, in coordination with the central army’s massive artillery, enabling a complete encirclement in as few as five days.

With his forces freed up, Victor suddenly felt he wasn’t sure what he should do.

After thinking it over, the only thing he could do was to take Piana Fortress, and sever a vampire supply route in advance.

......

November 14, 1463.

"Boom——"

On the land outside Piana Fortress, the sound of cannon fire filled the air, and clumps of earth flew from the earthen ramparts constructed by the vampires.

Piana Fortress, a necessary pass on the way to Fishing City, was currently under siege from all sides.

Due to the rapid advance of the sixty thousand soldiers led by Konyaz, there was hardly any time to construct fortifications.

So what Victor the war general saw were only rows of trenches, low walls, and hexagonal bunkers.

Yet these bunkers and trenches were being destroyed and retreated under the bombardment of clockwork cannons and the assaults of Holy Alliance soldiers.

Standing on a hill outside the city, Victor raised his binoculars, he could even see the flags fluttering atop Piana City’s walls.

Though still a blur, he sensed faintly that those vampires were already quite anxious.

"Have the vampire reinforcements from Fishing City arrived?" Victor put down his binoculars and asked the chief of staff beside him.

The chief of staff nodded: "The first battle group from Hot Spring Castle has already gone to intercept and block them."

Victor was attacking Piana Fortress, and Fishing City certainly wouldn’t just stand idly by, but the problem was Konyaz’s reckless advance, leaving a garrison of low-quality troops.

The first battle group from Hot Spring Castle, though without a number, was at least an army that had fought in the Shattered Stone Plain war, including many veteran soldiers from the Iron Fist battle group and even Mountain Knights who participated in the Thousand River Valley war.

Maintaining a defensive posture, defeating their attack isn’t a difficult matter.

Victor calculated the days and immediately made a decision: "Speed up the pace, attack the city day and night, capture Piana Fortress before the central army arrives."

The junior generals and battle commanders surrounding him all nodded, then each left to carry out their orders.

Victor originally intended to ride out to scout the terrain and visit the locals, but was suddenly stopped by the senior pastor.

The so-called senior pastor is actually an abbreviation for the senior pastor-general, each army has one, responsible for managing the faith and political affairs of each battle group and corps.

But often, they also manage communication and negotiation with allied forces.

Victor dismounted with a puzzled expression, looking at the breathless senior pastor: "Lord Komodo, what’s got you in such a hurry?"

Komodo, the senior pastor, didn’t speak; he just handed over a decrypted piece of information to Victor.

Victor glanced at it, first shocked and then overjoyed: "Is the information accurate?"

"The bicycle reconnaissance team from the central army has confirmed it, it’s accurate!"

"Don’t they know Piana Fortress is under siege? They should have gone to Pontol City, why did they come here?"

"Perhaps Serafe didn’t anticipate His Majesty Saint Sun leaving the Narran army to oppose the royal army, or maybe they just took the wrong route, who knows?" The senior pastor spread his hands.

The situation Victor faced was quite simple; the three thousand elite clan army led by Serafe advanced in three groups - front, middle, and back.

The vanguard took the correct route, but the middle and rear groups, comprising twenty thousand soldiers, somehow veered near Piana Fortress.

It was thanks to Mira leading the North’s first cavalry battle group, daring to scout far behind enemy lines, that this situation was even discovered.

As many as twenty thousand elite clan soldiers, though not as brave as the most valiant palace guards, were still more formidable than normal clan armies.

During the Battle of Changge City, it was this clan army that defeated the Leia Army, leaving them in disarray.

Even the usually resilient King Jiji, like a cockroach, was down to just eighteen cavalrymen, hiding in the mountains.

If it were just this, it wouldn’t be surprising. Victor had even fought with the palace army before; would he care about these tens of thousands of clan soldiers?

The problem was that this three-thousand-strong clan army was personally led by Serafe, with her overseeing the middle troops!

Both the royal court and the Holy Alliance had similar traits - a central authority figure uniting various factions.

For the Holy Alliance, it was Horn, and for the royal court, it was Serafe!

If Serafe could be captured, or if her troops were defeated to the point of severing communication with her, this war would be halfway won.

Now, these twenty thousand clan soldiers realized something was wrong and were slowly retreating.

But at this moment, the roads they once traveled would soon be impassable, as both the southern and central armies advanced from the south and north!

If, during the attack on Changge City, the southern and central armies each allocated a battle group to block the main roads at Rampart Fortress and Green Ridge City, what then?

"Quick, bring me the map!" Victor immediately gestured to the chief of staff.

The senior pastor Komodo held his hand: "I’ve already sent the report with the information, Sir, you must dispatch a unit now, lose a second now, and it could become impossible later!"

Victor instantly realized, pondered for a moment: "Isn’t the cavalry battle group led by Mira close by? Have them pursue."

Upon hearing the command, the adjutant immediately issued orders, several messengers swiftly wrote out commands using a codebook and raced off.

Just at this moment, the chief of staff arrived with several scrolls of maps, Victor took one, unfolded it, and after a glance, turned: "I suspect if Rampart Fortress and Green Ridge City are blocked, Serafe will inevitably head towards Winter Embrace Valley!"

The chief of staff nodded in agreement: "That aligns with my thoughts."

Their certainty stemmed from the fact that once Rampart Fortress and Green Ridge City were blocked, Serafe’s only options would be to abandon her troops and flee through side paths, otherwise, to join up with Konyaz’s sixty thousand royal palace soldiers, she’d have to cross a more populous battle group defense line.

Faced with numerous enemy pursuers, the valley terrain was the only place immune to encirclement, and it could even use the river to block enemy forces.

The other end of Winter Embrace Valley, although close to Shalan Castle, was still accessible for rescue by the royal court’s forces around Pontol and Wooden Ruler City, both not far away.

There’s every chance they could arrive before the Holy Alliance could block the valley’s exit.

Given the current situation, it was unlikely for the Holy Alliance forces to block the valley’s exit before the royal court could.

As for whether the central and southern armies could advance troops and block Serafe’s two thousand soldiers within the Immortal Stone Field.

Neither of them doubted it.

With the communication and command efficiency of the Holy Alliance, as they spoke now, who knows, the two battle groups might have already set off.

"Order Mira to harass the enemy forces, ensure they are intercepted within Winter Embrace Valley!"

"Yes."

As each order was given, everyone present was filled with excitement.

Unexpected indeed, just as the war was beginning, Serafe had already made such a grave blunder!