Chapter 579 Entry
Chapter 579 Garrisoning
The Lieutenant who came to negotiate instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
Weapons like this had only first appeared in Backlund last year, secured military orders at the beginning of this year, and only started being distributed to the army a few months ago—even his own unit was merely the second echelon in the distribution plan and had not been fully equipped with this newest type of weapon.
But now, the people of Lan Bridge actually possessed this new type of weapon?
The Lieutenant briefly fell into thought, not rashly starting a conflict or ordering the troops to force their way in.
As the commander's confidant, he knew this trip stemmed not only from the deployment by the East Balam Command but also carried political objectives: using the army's garrisoning to establish authority in this new territory of the Loen Kingdom, making this female Lord understand that without military support, she was nothing, and then forcing her to obediently yield room for military profit.
The commander's anticipated condition was that if anyone blocked them, they should simply barge in aggressively, letting this new ruler, who wished to command her own forces, know that these indigenous ragtag troops were like vulnerable chickens before the Loen elite forces, collapsing at the first touch—after all, Loen's development over the past few decades was obvious to all, and the military's strength was flourishing, completely unlike the weak compromises made a century ago when they allowed Lan Bridge a path to survival.
In the eyes of the military, Loen's army was unopposed throughout East Balam, and Lan Bridge, this piece of fat meat, would eventually be seized—and this suddenly appearing Lord Chloe was simply an unreasonable poacher!
But now, the Lieutenant discovered that half of the opposing patrol team alone was equipped with the newest automatic rifles, firepower equivalent to everyone having a Gatling gun—regardless of what happened, starting a war lightly was something that needed serious consideration.
"Who is your commanding officer?" The Lieutenant retracted his gaze but maintained a haughty attitude. "Have him speak directly with me."
"First, state your name, your unit designation, and your affiliation, Loen man." The brown-skinned native was not to be outdone.
"The Third Expeditionary Regiment, 'Discipline' Assault Group, directly subordinate to the East Balam Command." The Lieutenant said, "The Regiment Commander is Colonel Ed Liersen, waiting behind me. I am his assistant; you may call me Dillon."
Arrogantly, he pulled out a matte dark-gold pocket watch: "I give you one hour. If you fail to reply by then, do not blame us for not issuing a declaration of war."
Dropping this statement, he prepared to pull the reins and return to his own squad.
However, unexpectedly, just as the horse's head turned, the patrol team immediately gave a reply.
The leader listened intently, cocking his ear as if catching information on the wind, and then said loudly: "Tell your Regiment Commander he may proceed. The highest commanding officer of the army will receive you outside the city—however, you must demonstrate unambiguous friendliness."
"—Wait for it."
Assistant Dillon glanced at the neither humble nor arrogant native leader, urged his horse, and returned to his commander's side.
Regiment Commander Ed Liersen waved a hand, stopping Dillon's report: "No need to speak, I heard everything."
His face stern, he said: "But what you just did was very poor."
Dillon was startled and quickly lowered his head: "Please clarify."
Regiment Commander Aide rigidly stroked his straight mustache and sternly pointed out the problem with his assistant: "As a subordinate I brought up, you must possess the pride and integrity of an Imperial Officer."
"Just now, the scene of your conversation represented Loen—no, it represented the military, representing the East Balam Command in negotiations with the illegal armed forces of Lan Bridge, not acting as a translator asking locals for directions or water—why did you not use ruun language during the initial conversation?"
Dillon immediately recognized his Error, drew a sharp breath, and bowed his head even lower: "—Your subordinate acknowledges the Error and is willing to accept punishment."
Seeing that he had realized the location of his Error, Regiment Commander Aide slowly nodded and said: "A large reason I keep you by my side is that the Errors you have made will not appear a second time. I hope you continue this advantage this time."
"Shuttling through smoke and bullets, scrambling in the dust, has filled the 'Discipline' Assault Group with honors, but perhaps it has also caused you to lose your original arrogance and reserve."
"This time, the task of testing Lady Chloe Ferkon has been handed to us, meaning that our regiment's combat strength, in the eyes of the Command, represents the face of Loen's Door."
"The deployment in Lan Bridge is not like the front line where you must risk your life, but it is still a battlefield without smoke. Keeping a close eye on every movement in Lan Bridge, the political confrontation will be the key focus—there will be places where you need to be extremely cautious in the future."
"This linguistic inaccuracy exposed your political insensitivity and lack of seriousness. I do not wish to see you make a similar Error again."
"This is just a warning; there will be no further accountability. Have you remembered?"
"Yes, Regiment Commander!"
Dillon's back immediately straightened, and he saluted the Regiment Commander.
Ed Liersen nodded in satisfaction: "Back to the main topic."
"Setting aside the linguistic inaccuracy, why was your attitude toward these armed personnel so much weaker than previously agreed upon?"
Dillon quickly corrected his attitude and reported to his leader: "Regiment Commander, I believe we need to re-examine the relationship between the two sides, from the standpoint of combat strength."
"Oh?"
Ed Liersen's tone was slightly displeased.
Assistant Dillon quickly added: "It is this way—I was close just now, so I could see that most of those soldiers were equipped with the newest automatic rifles. If a confrontation truly breaks out, we might find ourselves at a disadvantage."
"My judgment is that if the patrol team alone possesses such excellent armament, it will be very difficult for us to seize the initiative from their hands, such as repelling or annihilating them as planned to create negotiation conditions; instead, we might fall into a bitter fight."
"If the new ruler of Lan Bridge uses this opportunity to cause trouble and sends reinforcements—with only the strength of one regiment, we are unlikely to gain any advantage."
"Automatic rifles—" Aide narrowed his eyes. "Heh, before 'that incident,' Chloe Ferkon was the image ambassador for the Backlund Arms Company promoting the 'automatic rifle.' No wonder she could place so many orders for Lan Bridge."
"I heard that three ironclad frigates were also sold to Lan Bridge," the well-informed Assistant Dillon carefully added.
"Hmph, traitors who profit from internal affairs."
Ed Liersen made no effort to conceal his dissatisfaction with the arms company, glancing back at his mighty forces: "'Demonstrate friendliness,' is that right—"
"Transmit my order: Unload the heavy equipment, form up in neat ranks, carry arms in standard posture, and march in lockstep."
Stopped
Image
Chapter 580 The Pace of War
Chapter 580: The Pace of War
Dirty, cramped, and dilapidated—yet everywhere construction was underway, and everywhere things were awaiting revitalization.
Ed Liersen sat on horseback, looking down his nose at everything in the Lan Bridge, making a judgment in his heart.
It was clearly inferior to other colonies Loen had managed for many years, and the army's advance was fraught with difficulties everywhere.
But ultimately, this was the first time Loen's army had set foot on this land.
The "Discipline" Knight Order marched proudly through the slums surrounding the city, treading through mud until they reached the bluestone road, finally entering the city limits, where they saw the shining golden armor of the Nash Family's personal guards and the leaders of the Lan Bridge who were welcoming the regular army.
An elderly man in military uniform, whose deep red hair barely concealed strands of silver, sat astride a fine horse, standing beside the young and beautiful Lady Chloe Ferkon.
Ha—a red-haired North Continent person.
His keen awareness of potential enemies outweighed the attraction he felt for Chloe's bright and captivating demeanor. Aide muttered inwardly, urged his reins, and approached: "Good day, Lord. It seems you've found a good helper, I just wonder if his status in another country is much more illustrious than his role as your helper?"
Red hair is a prominent characteristic of the Hunter Pathway. The Sauron Family of Intis and the Einhorn Family of Fosac both share this characteristic, and their status is almost the cornerstone supporting the armies of both nations.
"Commander Lierson." Chloe chuckled lightly, "Mr. Oswald is a genuine Loenese; please rest assured on that point."
Oswald Medici's mouth curved slightly as he spoke the most standard ruun language: "I come from Binsi Port, and I am currently the Chief of Staff and concurrent Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Lan Bridge Defense Force. We will be colleagues for a while; let us communicate more in the future."
Only on the word "Binsi" was his pronunciation slightly blurred, carrying a distinct flavor of "Bansi."
As for why he was only concurrently serving as Deputy Commander-in-Chief—that was because the Commander-in-Chief was, of course, the Red Angel Medici himself.
But Oswald did not state this explicitly, and combined with his standing position relative to Chloe, it would naturally lead Aide to mistakenly believe that Chloe was the Commander-in-Chief.
"Binsi—"
Ed Liersen, as expected, did not dwell on the matter of rank, pondering for a moment. He found a small Loenese colonized island in the Sonia Sea in his memory, but could not find any other flaws.
Of course, you wouldn't know what Bansi holds. Chloe chuckled inwardly and proactively changed the topic: "Admiral Losent should have sent a messenger to inform me of this earlier—I haven't yet announced myself as the Lord of the Lan Bridge, and the Nash Family is still in power, so ordinary people certainly wouldn't have been well-informed."
"You see, how big a joke was made just now? Here, on behalf of the Lan Bridge, I apologize to the officers and soldiers of the 'Discipline' Assault Regiment."
You also know that the Army Admiral of our East Balam Command is Admiral Losent—don't you know about the feud between yourself and the Losent Family?
Seeing that Chloe was willing to proactively humble herself, Ed Liersen also felt embarrassed to unleash all the gunpowder he had bottled up, only saying sullenly: "It's alright, it's not your fault. We also acted rashly."
Chloe raised her head, gazing thoughtfully at the column that seemed to stretch endlessly: "Moreover, your sudden entry left us unprepared, and our provisions are inadequate—Commander, how many men do you have in total?"
"802 men, 130 horses, and 23 vehicles."
As a commander, Aide knew his troops intimately.
"That's good." Chloe nodded solemnly, "Fortunately, after hearing the news, I had already cleared out three large hotels, so it won't be the case that everyone is busy setting up defenses but has nowhere to stay."
Ed Liersen frowned.
Not only him, but the superiors in the East Balam Command had also judged that Lady Chloe Ferkon's purpose in taking charge of the Lan Bridge was to amass military power, intending to settle the past grievances with the Losent Family and gain satisfaction.
But Chloe's cooperative demeanor now made him feel as if he were punching cotton, unable to exert any force.
"It's just a pity that the empty warehouses are currently in the Twilight District, so our equipment and vehicles are some distance from the city center—if you trust us, let the Lan Bridge personnel guard them. If you don't mind the trouble, you can also send your own people to guard them; just tell me exactly how many people you need, and I will immediately requisition land around the warehouse."
Chloe was overly enthusiastic, acting as if she had already considered everything for Loen's assault regiment, striving to make their stay comfortable: "Shall we proceed to the accommodation in the city center first? Also, the high-end hotels have quite a few functional rooms, so the work of setting up the command post can be done simultaneously."
"Is this arrangement acceptable? Haha, the hospitality is certainly lacking, but please forgive me—I have already instructed the Nash Family to hold a welcoming banquet in the castle in the Cemetery District. All of our senior officers can attend then."
["]
Commander Aide fell silent for a moment, beginning to regret not having prepared adequately before entering.
If the attitude had been confrontational or perfunctory, his "Discipline" Assault Regiment could have used dissatisfaction as an excuse to refuse the arrangements made by the Lan Bridge, arbitrarily requisitioning an open piece of land nearby and setting up camp on the spot.
But now, Lady Chloe's invitation was so insistent that he found it difficult to refuse.
Whether Chloe herself would be displeased by a refusal was secondary.
The key point was that after years of continuous campaigning, the soldiers also longed for relaxation and rest, and since Chloe had offered to provide the army with good food and lodging directly, outright refusal would likely cause a loss of morale and spirit.
Even if he had notified the troops directly before setting off that they would camp around the Lan Bridge, it would still be difficult to refuse now.
Ed Liersen intended to maintain the army's combat effectiveness, but facing the enthusiasm of the Lan Bridge people, he had no choice but to compromise, saying: "That is very thoughtful. We will proceed as you suggested—to the victory of Loen, for the King."
He pounded his chest with his right hand, performing the salute of a follower of the lord of storms.
Chloe smiled easily, tracing a triangular Steam Holy Emblem on her chest: "To victory."
The military horses were arranged in the city stables, and the military supplies were managed by logistics soldiers and stored centrally in the city warehouses.
Combat troops without assignments were all settled in the high-end hotels mentioned by Chloe, but Ed Liersen ordered them to keep their personal and squad weapons with them and set up an armory in the hotel.
Although the "Discipline" Assault Regiment could, at best, only function as light infantry if a conflict arose, these measures still allowed the team to retain some combat effectiveness, preventing them from being completely helpless in an emergency.
That night, the banquet in the Nash Family castle in the Cemetery District was held as scheduled, and most of the officers of the Loen garrison attended.
The banquet was held in the form of a standing buffet common in Loen; the dishes were not expensive but varied, and the drinks were certainly high-end and plentiful.
—
Chloe held a glass of champagne and proactively approached Commander Ed Liersen to chat: "I must toast you. Now that I have control of this city, having the assistance of the Royal Army gives me much more confidence."
"Speaking of which, Mr. Aide, are you from the Lierson Viscount Family?"
Aide was very satisfied with the banquet, and his demeanor was visibly more relaxed than before: "Yes, I am the cousin of the current Earl Lierson."
Chloe chuckled lightly and said: "What a coincidence. When I was in Backlund, the Lierson Viscount's youngest son—"
Before she could finish, Ed Liersen's expression suddenly tightened, and he turned to look at his assistant, Dillon, who was hurrying toward him.
"One moment, Lord Chloe."
He placed his wine glass on a nearby round table and asked in a low voice: "What happened?"
Dillon pulled a telegram from the Manila envelope in his hand, lowering his voice.
Chloe's ear twitched, and she still heard their conversation: "Commander, urgent telegram from the Ministry of Defense."
"Intelligence indicates that Fosac secretly mobilized airships and fleets overnight, which is a clear prelude to war against us."
Stopped