After entering the hall, Iron Axe made a standard military salute.
"Teifei Ke's troops are expected to reach the Chishui River fork in four days, so the First Army will depart this afternoon," Roland commanded bluntly. "The garrison at Border Town will rendezvous with you at the ambush point, and I'll be there as soon as possible." "Shouldn 't the town be undefended?" "All enemy movements are under Lightning and Maxie's surveillance. There's no need for divided defenses—just converge and crush them at the front." Prince paused. "And a hundred men must remain at Long Song Fortress to guard the Nobles." "Stay... here?" Iron Axe's jaw dropped slightly.
Roland summarized the orders issued to the five major units: "I assembled them specifically for security. With Tifeke's assault on the western frontier, we must guard against potential threats. The Second Army's outdated weaponry and lack of combat experience may slow their response to emergencies. But with the First Army's ten squadrons, we can ensure they won't cause any trouble. I don't want any backroom dealings during the battle at Chishui River's fork." "Understood, Your Highness," he replied.
"Are you going too?" Nightingale emerged from behind the main seat after Iron Axe left.
"Of course," Roland shrugged. "If I don't go, who else can wield Lotus's abilities? I might not be great at directing battles, but sealing off roads with bunkers and slamming tanks to the ground—that's my forte." "Bunkers I know, but what's a tank?" Nightingale asked, puzzled.
"Um... just a horse-drawn artillery carriage," Prince cleared his throat. "But we don't have enough horses, so the cannons have to be transported by the town's wagons—so they can't be called tanks." "That's why you chose honey?" She blinked. "As far as I know, she can tame tigers and leopards as docile as horses. But can cannons pulled by beasts be called tanks?" "Of course," Roland couldn't help but smirk. "You could even call them Tiger and Leopard." As he spoke, Carter walked in carrying a white-tailed kite. "Your Highness, we have news from Border Town." Roland clapped his hands. The kite, as if possessed, spread its wings, broke free from Knight's embrace, and soared into the air. After gliding for a while, it landed steadily on his shoulder. He pulled a piece of dried meat from his pocket for the bird to swallow, and the creature instinctively raised a claw to help him untie the cloth.
This hawk-eagle was not a transformation of Maxie, but one of the aerial messengers trained by Honey. They could remember five to six distinct human faces and hundreds of flight paths. Once brought to an unfamiliar place, they could establish contact with the homestead. This time, Roland brought four messengers to the fortress. These birds could travel between two locations within an hour and fly non-stop for an entire day. Without radio, this was already the fastest means of communication.
Roland unrolled the letter wrapped in a cloth strip and skimmed through it quickly.
The sender was Wendy, who had already set off for the Chishui River fork with Shanglian, Xilv, Yezi, Fengniao, and Nana Wa as requested. The ship also carried some artillery team members and eight cannons—this was the maximum number of cannons the town's deck could accommodate after the lightweight upgrade.
Prince mentally calculated that the cement ship would take a full day to reach its destination when Wendy pushed the sails at full speed. Though guided by Sylvie and capable of night navigation, Wendy's Magic Power was far less potent than Anna's, making it impossible to sustain continuous use. With rest at night and daytime transport, the four-day period would only suffice for two round trips, delivering at most sixteen field guns to the river fork.
Though the numbers were fewer than in the previous battle, the surprise attack and the enemy's inability to launch a swift counterattack from the ships made the artillery fire barely sufficient. Roland took the pen and paper from Nightingale and wrote new orders—commanding the garrison troops to immediately set out with weapons and ammunition, converging with Iron Axe's main force at the river's fork.
In just half an hour, the white-tailed kite would deliver the letter to Shu Juan, who would then pass it on to Captain Brian.
...
Roland arrived at the scheduled location the next morning.
The shimmering river splits into two here, one flowing toward Changge Fortress and the other linking to Chishui City.
Because the latter river is wider, people are used to regard it as the main channel of the Chishui River, while the one leading to the fortress is called the Little Chishui River.
After disembarking, the witches who had been waiting by the river came to greet them.
"Where's Wendy?" Roland asked, looking around.
"Back to town by dawn," Yezi said, "She mentioned we still have a shipment of cannons to deliver." "You mean to confront Tifeke Wemberton, that impostor king who hunts witches daily in the city?" Lian asked eagerly. "What do you want us to do?" Though the Iron Axe and the main First Army forces hadn't arrived yet, the initial preparations could begin—provided there were witches.
"I need to establish defensive lines along both banks of the main river," he crouched down and sketched a simple diagram with pebbles. "If this line represents the enemy's advance path, my troops will be positioned on both banks to launch a surprise attack. To achieve this, they must first conceal themselves. Therefore, you need to build two elongated earthen houses forming a V-shaped angle along the shore. The walls must be sturdy, divided into eight compartments, with only a small window facing the Chishui River." "Your Highness, I don't quite understand..." Lotus said in confusion. "Hiding the soldiers in the earthen houses might conceal their movements, but they can't attack the boats on the river. What if the puppet king's fleet keeps sailing without stopping or docking?" "No, they can't cross," Roland smiled. "You'll see when the time comes." He then turned to Yezhi. "You'll cover these fortifications with weeds and vines to make them look natural." "Yes," Yezhi replied.
When the artillery was deployed into the camouflaged fortifications, these two earthen huts—initially deemed useless by Lian—instantly transformed into an impervious "sail-powered battleship." By lifting the window panels, each compartment unleashed lethal flames. The sixteen field guns maintained perfect accuracy even during jolts, and at such close range, they could strike a sailing ship mid-river course with eyes closed—though incapable of sinking it, their impact would reduce the deck to a battlefield of destruction.
From the very start, the enemy was in a T-shaped disadvantageous position. Roland thought smugly, 'Tell me, how did T Youqi lose face?'