I Became a Witch and Started an Industrial Revolution

Cassius led his four-thousand-strong unit and quickly arrived at the combat zone.

This lone Alliance youngster who had come to help them single-handedly enjoyed excellent popularity among the Serf Legions. Or rather, all Alliance exchange students were well-liked.

From top to bottom, they had all been born as slaves, enduring endless disdain and humiliation. The students from the Alliance were almost the only group who did not look at them with those kinds of eyes.

The policy that Mitia had established—planting schools deeply in rural areas—had, over the years, been accepted by the people of the Alliance and come to be seen as only natural.

Any child who had attended school in the Alliance had experience working in the fields, directly supervised and led by local military units.

Mitia had handed over most of the land belonging to fallen soldiers’ orphans to the military for free cultivation and harvesting, and then ensured that the grain was properly distributed.

The participation of the student population not only helped share the burden of farming with the military, but also allowed young children to truly understand the hardship behind every harvest.

No one could understand suffering they had never experienced—unless they had gone through it themselves. What seemed like simple labor was, in reality, extremely exhausting. Having personally experienced it, Alliance children who grew up under such guidance naturally did not look down on farmers and workers.

As for slaves, it was a completely unfamiliar concept to them. Under such circumstances, Alliance exchange students held great sympathy toward those who had been reduced to slavery.

However, someone like Cassius—who would grab a weapon and charge forward the moment he saw injustice—was truly the first of his kind~

As for a second one, that would be unlikely. Cassius had enjoyed himself by extending his exchange for two consecutive four-year terms, happily pursuing his own “My Struggle,” while the other exchange students were inexplicably placed under supervision by officials of the Tsarist Nation.

Although they were still well-fed and treated well, they were no longer allowed to step outside the academy. It was, in effect, a form of soft detention.

Cassius, however, could not sense the resentment of his juniors back at the academy. He laughed and joked as he greeted officers and soldiers around him. Occasionally, when he ran into someone he knew, he would step forward and exchange a warm embrace.

On a battlefield where life could be lost at any moment, every meeting might be the last. The next time they saw each other, it might only be a handful of ashes or a bloodstained hat.

Everyone cherished these rare opportunities.

This time, Legion Commander Yadov, who served as the overall commander, summoned Cassius and allowed him to attend the operational meeting beyond his rank.

“Comrade Yadov!”

Yadov smiled. “Comrade Cassius, you seem to have grown stronger.”

Although Cassius was not very old, he had received a systematic Alliance education. Yadov, on the other hand, had risen from a serf soldier to his current position. Aside from the indispensable element of luck, it was also due to his ability to use people wisely and his flexible mind.

Yadov had been fortunate—he survived multiple brutal battles and was even summoned by noble officers at the time.

Under his guidance, the method of charging while bent forward had been widely promoted. This greatly increased soldiers’ survival rates on the battlefield.

It allowed him to rise from an ordinary serf soldier to a normal citizen, where he could fully display his talent in warfare and continue to be promoted.

However, Yadov had always been clear about the nature of the Tsarist Nation. Reaching the level of a mid-level officer was already an exceptional case—an exception among exceptions. Advancing further was impossible, so he planned an uprising.

After becoming a leader, he began to think from a broader perspective. If the Rebel Forces wanted to grow stronger, they needed a practical and reasonable structure suited to themselves, as well as a powerful external ally.

And Cassius, this young man who had delivered himself to their doorstep, was like a great gift.

Otherwise, Cassius would not have been able to rise in such a short time—from an ordinary soldier to a regimental commander in charge of four thousand troops. All of it was due to Yadov’s deliberate support behind the scenes.

The ideology of the Alliance that Cassius represented gave Yadov a brand-new direction for propaganda, and it was also the main reason why the Rebel Forces were able to ignite a prairie-fire-like uprising in such a short time.

He understood very clearly that on the path of uprising, aside from fellow serfs, only the Alliance was most likely to extend a helping hand.

After briefly introducing Cassius to everyone, they began discussing the specific battle plan.

The Tsarist army had stationed two hundred thousand troops around the harbor. Unfortunately, this batch of soldiers had originally been mobilized to deal with the continuous offensives of the Church State.

Because Bernoro Port was closest to the waterways, the troops had been gathered there and transported in batches by ship to the frontlines.

At that very moment, the Rebel Forces erupted, capturing all the surrounding regions below. This left the assembled army with nowhere to go, forcing them to pile up in Bernoro, becoming the greatest obstacle the Rebels now faced.

“‘A direct frontal assault is not advisable. Our heavy firepower is insufficient. If we attack a fortified position composed of trenches, barbed wire, bunkers, and artillery, the casualties would be unacceptable.’”

“‘Agreed. Especially since they still have around ten tanks. Although we have captured twenty-five Saint Shamon tanks, the disparity in Mechanical Soldier numbers between the two sides is huge. That tank advantage is practically negligible.’”

Yadov stroked his chin thoughtfully. “We also lack usable magical equipment. For example, we can’t even activate the captured ‘Goddess Scepter.’ As for the 75mm field guns, they are difficult to use effectively—it will be hard to break through.”

For a moment, everyone fell into silence.

Unlike previous battles, where they had been chased by the Tsarist forces and relied on high mobility, the captured 75mm field guns could previously move freely with them.

Now that the situation had reversed into a siege battle, the firepower of the 75mm field guns was no longer sufficient. The enemy’s magitech cannons had longer range, making it difficult to achieve effective results.

Cassius thought for a moment. “Gentlemen, I have a suggestion.”

All eyes turned toward him, and Yadov gestured for him to continue.

“A frontal assault puts us at a disadvantage—that’s a fact. The enemy has already prepared for us to attack head-on. They must have reinforced their defenses and concentrated their troops.”

“In that case, should we consider surrounding them without attacking?”

“From what I understand, Uyanchi and Reza were heavily damaged by the Church State’s forces in previous wars. Their internal defenses are currently extremely weak. Meanwhile, the defenders at Bernoro are troops gathered from west of Izaven.”

“In other words, what stands before us now is essentially the full strength that the Tsarist nobles can muster. Their strategy will definitely be extremely cautious.”

“If we maintain a standoff with them and ensure that no major changes occur on the frontal battlefield, could we deploy two surprise forces to directly strike Reza and occupy it?”

“Then, advancing in a pincer movement, we can seize Mitoten Port. This would directly cut off the most important external trade route of the Roshek Tsarist Dynasty!”

“As far as I know, most of the Seris Federation’s equipment is unloaded at Mitoten before being redistributed. If nothing unexpected happens, there should be a large amount of heavy weaponry there that we urgently need.”