When discussing the evolution of the Alda army, or the Northwest Legion, one cannot ignore the period of fighting the Second Orc Invasion. To counter the Orc Cavalry's rapid expansion and incursions across the territory, Alda mobilized all its forces. The army's size snowballed, eventually reaching 100,000 men. This massive force, hastily assembled from farmers, artisans, and merchants, lacked discipline and training, but through their unwavering belief in defending their homeland, they drove the Orcs out of their land.
After the war subsided, Paul knew that the large size of the army was a heavy burden on logistics and finances, and that the continued service of many able-bodied men would affect social production. He immediately ordered the end of mobilization, allowing most of the temporarily conscripted soldiers to return home, retaining only the core fighting force. The streamlined Alda regular army was fixed at 45,000 men, and based on this, four infantry divisions were formally formed. The troops stationed on the homeland were reorganized into the First, Second, and Third Divisions, while the Steppe Legion, still stationed on the steppe and commanded by Andrew, was reorganized into the Fourth Division due to its outstanding performance in fighting the orcs and stabilizing the situation on the edge of the steppe, continuing to shoulder the important task of monitoring the movement of the steppe.
As spring arrived in the year 1999 of the Holy Calendar, Alda's military reforms reached a significant milestone. The 1st and 2nd Divisions were the first to complete a comprehensive re-equipment with new equipment. The core of this re-equipment was the Type 98 breech-loading infantry rifle, which was improved under the leadership of firearms designer Tánsimoni Pérez. Its modification concept was similar to the French snuffbox rifle that Paul remembered. It was not a completely new manufacture, but rather a direct modification of the troops' existing muzzle-loading flintlock rifles.
During the modification, Perez's team added an openable breech (similar to a snuffbox lid) to the rear of the flintlock barrel, retaining the original barrel and stock. Only the firing mechanism was replaced, and a simple magazine was added. This saved the cost and time of rebuilding the gun and gave the old flintlock a new lease on life. In addition, the ammunition was also upgraded: the paper-cased "fixed-load" cartridges previously used by the Alda army used paper to fix the amount of projectile and gunpowder, preventing errors in the charge. Soldiers would bite open the paper casing with their teeth, pour the gunpowder into the barrel, load the bullet, and then compact it with a cleaning rod. However, the paper casing was easily damaged by moisture. The Type 98 infantry rifle's brass-cased cartridges, on the other hand, integrated the projectile, gunpowder, and primer into one unit. The brass casing was not only waterproof and durable but also automatically ejected after firing thanks to the opening and closing of the breech, eliminating the need for cleaning.
When soldiers test-fire the modified Type 98 infantry rifle on the training ground, they only need to open the breech, push in the brass cartridge case, and close the breech to fire. The loading speed is nearly three times faster than that of a muzzle-loading flintlock rifle. In humid weather, the brass cartridge case and breech sealing design greatly reduce the firing failure rate, and the maximum range of the firearm has been steadily increased from 200 meters to 350 meters.
As spring approached, the winds across the grasslands still carried a chill. Paul had already issued the order to march; he decided to personally lead the newly equipped First and Second Divisions through the Rocky Mountains pass, where the Stonemason Clan was located, straight to Abar. The Royal Tent is located in the heart of the grasslands.
After the news spread, the two elite forces quickly assembled at the border of Northwest Bay and Blackstone Plain, eventually forming a massive army of 25,000 men.
Standing on high ground, the soldiers, dressed in uniform gray uniforms and carrying brand-new Type 98 breech-loading infantry rifles, stood in neat, orderly rows. The sheer size of the logistics teams flanking and rear of the corps was equally impressive. Supporting such a large army on its long march required the crucial transport of supplies such as food, ammunition, tents, and medicine. According to Alda's army logistics standards, each soldier needed to carry 3 jin (approximately 1.5 kg) of rations per day; 25,000 soldiers would require 75,000 jin (approximately 37.5 tons) of food daily. Adding ammunition (50 rounds of brass-cased ammunition per soldier), feed for accompanying livestock, medical supplies, and repair tools, the total amount of supplies needed to be transported daily exceeded 200,000 jin (approximately 100 tons).
Each of the four-wheeled horse-drawn wagons responsible for transportation could carry 800 jin (400 kg) of supplies and required two draft horses and one coachman. Considering the potential damage from the bumpy journey and the need for temporary resupply, the logistics team deployed a total of 350 four-wheeled horse-drawn wagons. They formed a long, winding line, echoing the combat troops, and from a distance, they looked like a long black dragon slowly spreading across the open field. In addition, there were more than 50 medical wagons specifically for transporting wounded soldiers, and 20 light wagons carrying various equipment and command supplies, which together formed the lifeline supporting the army's advance.
However, such a large force did not choose a faster mode of transportation. Although Lakeheart Town had urgently built a wartime railway across Northwest Bay, Blackstone Plain and Yellow Earth Land to fight against the orc invasion, this railway was entirely an emergency product: the rails were temporarily forged from scrap iron, with inconsistent specifications and insufficient thickness. Each section of rail was only fixed to the ground with simple wooden sleepers without any roadbed reinforcement. The route planning also prioritized the shortest distance, ignoring the terrain. When encountering ditches, only simple wooden bridges were used for connection. Whenever it rained, the rails would deform and the wooden sleepers would rot, resulting in extremely low reliability of transportation. After the war, it was basically abandoned.
For this reason, the army could only march on foot towards Yellow Earth Land. However, Paul had already made long-term plans for the future. He ordered the reconstruction of a reliable and durable regular railway based on the wartime railway. Compared to the wartime railway, the construction of the regular railway was significantly more difficult: First, the route needed to be resurveyed to avoid sections prone to flooding and landslides. Steep sections needed to be leveled or tunnels built, and stone bridges needed to be constructed when encountering rivers. The preliminary survey and design alone would take several months. Second, the rails needed to be of uniform specifications, made using wrought iron technology, and twice as thick as the wartime rails. The wooden sleepers needed to be treated with anti-corrosion measures, and the roadbed needed to be layered with gravel and sand, repeatedly rolled and compacted to ensure load-bearing capacity. Finally, signal stations and maintenance stations needed to be set up along the route, staffed with professional railway workers. All of this required a large investment of manpower, resources, and time.
At this moment, the army is slowly advancing along the abandoned wartime railway ruins. The soldiers can clearly see the rusty old rails and rotten wooden sleepers on both sides. Behind them, the first batch of railway workers have set off with tools and materials. A railway construction project spanning three major regions is being carried out simultaneously with the grassland encirclement and suppression plan.
They reached the Mountain Throat Fortress on the edge of the Rocky Mountains in just three weeks. Such a marching speed was rare in the world at the time, considering that an army of the same size would usually take five to six weeks to complete the same distance in the open field.