Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

The Winter Wolves were stationed separately in three towns, not because they did not want to stay together, but because there was no other choice.

The towns of the Northlands were all small, with few permanent residents, unable to support the entire Winter Wolves Guard. Thus, they had to divide into three groups for garrison.

The last encirclement of the Resistance Army seemed to have been successful—at least, that was what the officers said. But only a small portion of the soldiers who went came back, most still shaken, faces full of fear.

It was said that the Resistance Army was nothing special, but their leader, Nora, was truly too strong. She faced the cavalry head-on in a charge, and actually killed everyone who came at her. If not for their overwhelming numbers, they would have been unable to even defeat her alone.

No—perhaps they really had not defeated her. Those people looked more like they had fled back. But they did, in fact, bring back Nora’s severed head.

The noble lords forbade any discussion of the matter, so bizarre rumors spread wildly.

Some said Nora had three heads and six arms, that when one head was chopped off, two more grew, and her six arms swung six longswords, cutting down an entire cavalry squad.

Some said Nora was the Heretical God herself, her head merely a seal. When it was cut off, the god descended and nearly annihilated the knights.

Some said Nora was the incarnation of the Bone-White Raven. No mortal could pierce her armor, but the heavy armor of the icefield had a design flaw at the neck, which allowed the knights a lucky success.

The rumors became more and more outrageous, yet all were told with vivid detail, unsettling the people.

Regardless of the rumors, one thing was certain: Nora had charged forward under the Winter Wolves’ gunfire.

The Winter Wolves had a specialized cavalry shooting tactic. The first line charged forward, fired, and immediately veered their horses to the sides, leaving the firing range clear for the next line, who would repeat the cycle. It was a near-perfect use of cavalry mobility.

The knights’ charge was like waves surging endlessly, while bullets rained down like drops striking the sea, tearing through the enemy lines with the wind.

This was the famed Half-Swivel Tactic. If it had not appeared too late, after the Empire had already fractured, it would surely have been included in the textbooks of the Royal Army.

Earl Bazel had relied on this tactic to fight through the Northlands, rising from a mere Frontier Count in name only to one of the Northland Wolves standing alongside the Three Grand Dukes.

But just as the Empress had once suffered defeat at the hands of the Silent Sanctum, reality proved that even this advanced tactic could not defeat Nora’s strategy.

Nora’s strategy was simply to don heavy armor and charge forward.

It was not until the flail smashed into their faces that the Winter Wolves realized the times perhaps had not changed at all.

Thus, no matter how many times their officers assured them Nora was dead, that a Burier with her head severed could not survive, these soldiers refused to believe it.

It was a fear etched into their very blood, hammered into their minds blow by blow with a flail by the priests of the Silent Sanctum. How could it be so easily forgotten?

So the Winter Wolves’ assembly was dragged out. Only after repeated urging by their officer did they finally complete it.

This was on the wasteland beyond the three towns.

The soldiers gathered together nervously, while the fat quartermaster was distributing gunpowder and lead bullets.

“Our mission this time is to encircle near the forest!” The squad leader shouted to his men, waving his riding whip.

Miley’s eyes flicked, and he leaned close, whispering just loud enough for a few to hear: “Sir, is this a real encirclement or…”

The captain glanced at the timid soldiers, his face not looking good. After hesitating, he lowered his voice to reply: “The scouts sent out last time were all killed. The officer wants to intimidate the Resistance Army, and at the same time see if there truly are other forces at play… In short, we may not necessarily have to kill them this time. Understood?”

“Understood, understood! Don’t worry, sir, we will fight bravely and won’t cause you trouble!” Several soldiers nodded frantically like pounding garlic.

The captain snorted but did not respond.

Though he was the captain, he dared not be too harsh with his men.

The higher officers could disregard the soldiers’ lives, but he could not. Captains who failed to understand this often got shot in the back.

They were captains promoted from among the soldiers, with no real background. If they died, then so be it. Perhaps someone might investigate and avenge them, but that would not bring them back from the grave.

The soldiers already had an idea in their hearts. Though they shouted loudly and marched in formation, they were not taking it too seriously.

The scouts sent out last time had died—maybe it was the work of the Three Grand Dukes, maybe the Church, maybe the Empire. But those were problems for the noble lords to consider, not for them.

All they needed to do was put on a show. Surely no one would really slaughter the entire Winter Wolves Guard?

What a joke. This time they had gathered several hundred Winter Wolves. To deal with them all, there were likely few armies in the whole Northlands capable of it.

As for whether it was the Resistance Army… how could that be?

The Resistance Army—they had seen them before. Strong as Nora was, her followers were just a bunch of refugees, with barely any weapons. One charge, and they would only flee for their lives.

With such thoughts in mind, they waited in place. There were still supplies to be delivered, with a few more wagons coming from the towns.

But they waited half a day.

Several hours passed, yet the second batch of supplies from the three towns still had not arrived.

This was strange. The Winter Wolves’ head wolf, the officer in command, grew furious. Such coordinated delay clearly meant someone was trying to make him look bad.

The Winter Wolves were not the only force in the Northlands; he had no shortage of enemies.

After some hesitation, the head wolf chose not to wait any longer. After all, today was just reconnaissance, not real combat. A shortage in logistics could be overlooked, and the matter settled when they returned.

After all, if he gathered the troops only to turn back, the only thing lost would be his prestige.

“Boys, we’re not waiting. Let’s move. If we set out now, we’ll be back in town for supper tonight!”

The soldiers responded with great enthusiasm, though their movements grew slower as they set off.

Thus, dragging their feet all the way, they finally reached the edge of the Woodlands after midday. The head wolf hesitated, then ordered them to make camp and cook.

They had set out in the morning. If they did not eat now, the soldiers would be starving, and by nightfall might not have much combat strength left.

Mainly, no enemy had been sighted along the way. Scouts had already searched the forest’s edge. The Resistance Army was hiding deeper inside, with no one in the outskirts.

But even though today’s goal was only intimidation, the head wolf still acted cautiously. The soldiers camped a good distance from the Woodlands, so even if the Resistance suddenly attacked, they would have enough time to respond.