Chapter 251: Urgent Intelligence

Only a week into June, as Luo Ning prepared to publicly announce who he would take to Chishan Town, a messenger hawk flew in from Wushan Fortress and changed his mind.

“Has the Polante Bandit Gang allied with the Black Gold Brotherhood?”

The letter contained no other news than word of the Black Gold Brotherhood—this force had massed troops along the southeastern border of Wushan Domain and had already begun raiding neighboring noble lands.

“Ridal, what do you think?”

Ridal took the letter, read it twice through, and after a moment of quiet contemplation, spoke.

“My lord, there are two possibilities. First, as you just suggested, the Polante Bandits and the Black Gold Brotherhood are in league. They coordinate their actions: one seizes Chishan Town while the other applies pressure in the southeast, forcing Wushan Fortress to split its forces and fight on two fronts.”

“But there is a second possibility—that these two forces have no connection at all. The Black Gold Brotherhood heard of the Polante Bandits’ capture of Chishan Town and saw an opportunity, so they’ve gathered at the border, waiting for their moment.”

Though Luo Ning felt the first scenario more likely, the second was not impossible.

After all, the Black Gold Brotherhood’s movements came after the Polante Bandits’. If they were truly allied, their actions should have been nearly simultaneous.

One side seizes Chishan Town; the other, even if it doesn’t launch a surprise strike to claim territory, should at least have made some move—not remain silent for nearly ten days before news of troop buildup at the border emerges.

“But regardless of which possibility holds true, Count Viggins’ plan to overwhelm the Polante Bandits with superior numbers and swiftly retake Chishan Town seems doomed to fail.”

Luo Ning nodded.

That was precisely why Viggins had sent out this renewed appeal to all regional lords—demanding heightened preparations and summoning nobles of all ranks to Wushan Fortress on the twelfth of June to discuss the campaign.

“My lord, as I understand it, the Black Gold Brotherhood suffered a defeat last year and lost several territories they had seized. Yet this year, they dare provoke Wushan Ridge again—it’s highly suspicious.”

As the domain’s affairs stabilized, Ridal, Macken, and others, in between training troops and their own cultivation, actively gathered intelligence on the powers within Wushan Ridge and even the entire Auduin Kingdom.

Especially with war looming, Ridal had privately convened meetings, urging Rogner, Krami, and Grado—the three knights from Pasture City—to thoroughly recount everything they knew about both these factions.

“Ridal, don’t doubt your judgment. Behind both of them stand other powers. Especially the Black Gold Brotherhood—though their territory amounts to little more than two viscounties, their knight squads are numerous.”

A force backed by hidden patrons cannot be judged merely by land size or prosperity.

“The Black Gold Brotherhood is not our enemy. Our foe is the Polante Bandits.”

He had already agreed upon a plan with Viggins: even if the Black Gold Brotherhood stirred trouble, Luo Ning’s expedition would still target only Chishan Town.

But now things were different. With Wushan Fortress forced to divide its forces, Luo Ning could no longer afford to go with only a handful of men—he needed to bring more troops to ensure victory.

“Ridal, how equipped is our knight squad?”

“So far, every man has a ironwood shield, ironwood helmet, and spear—with extras to spare. Cavalry have been issued lamellar armor; infantry and archers have breastplates. But we’re still short on lamellar armor for many.”

Luo Ning frowned slightly as he listened.

With population growth, the ironwood workshop had expanded several times over; monthly output of arms and armor was now considerable.

But this war had erupted too suddenly. Had it come two months later, even infantry might have worn lamellar.

“I’ll send Wilson to oversee the workshop. They must increase production over the next month and a half—our soldiers must be as fully armed as possible before they step onto the battlefield.”

Ridal blinked. “My lord, are we sending only one knight squad?”

“Yes.”

Luo Ning answered firmly. “Excluding myself, twelve transcendentals will join. Cavalry, infantry, and archers will be deployed at standard strength.”

Originally, he had intended to simply tag along with Wushan Fortress’s forces, bringing only a few trusted men.

But now, with Wushan forced to split its army, retaking Chishan Town was no longer guaranteed.

If they lost, not only would the Chishan iron mine slip away, but Luo Ning’s reputation as commander would be ruined.

After careful thought, he altered his plan—he would lead his own knight squad into battle.

Combat would bring casualties. He had invested considerable time and gold into training this squad.

Yet if these soldiers trained endlessly within the domain without ever facing real battle, their skill would never truly grow—and Wu Bei Domain would never forge a battle-hardened force.

Of course, Luo Ning did not intend to send them blindly into slaughter. As commander, he could still choose the weakest direction for their assault.

“There’s still time before we truly step onto the battlefield. You and Macken continue training as planned.”

Luo Ning ordered. “Also, instill confidence in them. Victory in this battle means generous rewards for all who fight—gold, land, everything!”

If they seized the iron mine, distributing spoils to the soldiers would be trivial.

Moreover, this battle would make known the ironwood weapons and armor produced by the workshop.

Equipping every cavalryman and infantryman in iron gear was prohibitively expensive—not every noble could afford it.

But ironwood gear? Perhaps they might consider it.

Though wooden armor is vulnerable to fire, ironwood lamellar does not ignite easily. Even if a soldier stood in flames, it would take several seconds before the armor caught.

Unless the enemy possessed a mage capable of summoning pillars of fire—then the disadvantage would not be so severe.

“I understand!”

Ridal nodded solemnly.

Since the formal establishment of Wu Bei Domain’s knight squad, the selected cavalry, infantry, and archers had devoted nearly all their time and energy to training.

Beyond discipline and obedience, they had learned countless combat techniques from Ridal, Macken, and others. After several internal duels, they had grown into a force with real fighting capability.

Of course, their skill still lagged behind seasoned veterans—but they far outclassed hastily conscripted militiamen.

“I hope Wu Bei Domain can flourish swiftly under my lord’s leadership,” Ridal thought silently. “Then I’ll have more soldiers to train.”

(End of chapter)