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nHoward’s eyes lit up. “Please, continue, Sir Resarite.”

nResarite elaborated, “We could have our troops scavenge for building materials nearby. Even if we can’t construct a full-fledged fortress, we should at least build a series of walls that would take the enemy considerable time to breach.”

nHoward pursed his lips in thought.

nMargaret then suggested, “My lord, this area is already mountainous. Take our current location, for instance, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Perhaps we could block the spaces between several mountains with earthen ramparts, forcing the enemy to take no quick paths but to climb the mountains. If we do this, their marching speed would significantly slow down. By the time they reach us, it could be three to five days later.”

nAnna, however, disagreed, saying, “Haven’t I already said it? It will take the Empire’s First Army more than ten days to reach here. What’s the use of delaying the enemy for three or four days, or even five? Unless the First Army arrives, holding them off for nine days would be futile. Once the battle starts, you won’t be able to delay them even for a day.”

nAlonso, scratching his head, spoke up to Howard, “My lord, I’ve been listening for a while now, and I think this is a very difficult task. To make the enemy resort to climbing, we’d need to construct barriers more challenging than climbing a mountain or ramparts higher than the mountaintops. Clearly, we can’t achieve such a feat in just a few days.”

nAnna looked at Howard with a skeptical gaze and asked, “Tell me, are you joking with us?”

nHoward chuckled and replied, “Heh, you’re overthinking it. When have you ever seen me joke about matters of marching and warfare? Although it’s difficult to construct a barrier more challenging than climbing a mountain or to pile up ramparts higher than the mountaintops, let me ask you this – what season is it now?”

nAnna responded without hesitation, “Winter, and this year it’s particularly cold.”

nHoward confidently said, “Exactly, it’s winter. So, let me ask you another question. What happens to a bucket of hot water if you pour it out and leave it for an hour in this season?”

nAnna, seemingly grasping a new idea, said, “Ice?”

nHoward replied, “Correct. We might not be able to construct a high earthen rampart or a large building on short notice, but we can use ice walls to block the enemy’s path!”

nBosiden, puzzled, said, “My lord, pouring hot water on the ground would only create a small patch of ice. Even if we pour more hot water, we can’t really build up the height.”

nResarite pondered and suggested, “What if we use hot water for the first layer, and then cold water for the subsequent layers? This way, we won’t melt the ice that’s already formed and can add new layers. But water tends to spread and flow downwards. No matter how we pour it, it’s difficult to build up the height.”

nHoward then instructed, “Bring some large stones. Don’t worry about further processing; we just need the stones.”

nA day later, the army had gathered a substantial amount of large stones.

nMeanwhile, the troops moved east to the predetermined position, securing a terrain advantage.

nHoward then instructed the soldiers to place some of the large stones in the middle of the road, but not all of them.

nAs everyone looked on in confusion, Howard brought out a bucket of water and poured it over the large stones, making several trips back and forth to ensure each stone was thoroughly doused.

nAfter a short wait, a layer of ice had formed on the stones, encasing them as if they were wrapped in ice.

nEveryone praised Howard’s intelligence, yet they were still unclear about the next steps and the purpose of this action.

nHoward chuckled and directed the infantry to bring slightly taller stones to stand on.

nHe then climbed onto one of these stones and commanded his troops to place a second large stone on top of the first one.

nOnce the second stone was in position, Howard poured water over it as well.

nAfter repeating this process several times, all the stones were covered in water.

nWith time, under the biting cold wind, the second layer of stones also became firmly encased in ice.

nResarite suddenly understood, slapping his right hand onto his open left palm with a loud smack.

n“I get it now, my lord!” he exclaimed.

n“You intend for us to repeat this process over and over, swiftly constructing an obstacle that the enemy forces cannot pass. This is a man-made and natural ice fortress!”

nHoward smiled and gave Resarite a thumbs up in approval.

nSeeing Howard’s endorsement, the others began to grasp the idea, and as time passed, they all comprehended Howard’s strategy.

nAnna praised Howard, saying, “I must admit, I didn’t expect you to be this clever.”

nMargaret chimed in, “I always knew Lord Howard was the best!”

nBosiden, unable to contain his excitement, nodded continuously and said, “My lord, you are truly brilliant. I am fortunate to serve under you.”

nVettel, with a composed smile, added, “My lord, your creative and practical approach is truly unprecedented. To personally craft a double-layered stone barrier with water is indeed unheard of.”

nHoward then urged the soldiers to hasten their actions, setting them to work on this unique fortification strategy.

n…

nWhen the enemy forces arrived, they were greeted by a towering, formidable fortress.

nThey thought they were seeing things, their astonishment palpable.

nThe commanding general of the enemy troops was Duke Bourbon, a man of prestige and renown.

nHe ordered his army to destroy the fortress.

nHis troops complied, but the interior of the fortress, made entirely of large stones, remained unscathed.

nAs the enemy troops climbed the mountain, they encountered numerous obstacles.

nSome were merely troublesome, while others were time-consuming, stirring restlessness among them.

nDuke Bourbon sensed the strange atmosphere and the gradually waning morale of his troops.

nHe spurred his horse towards a high slope.

nThe land here was not too steep, and from this vantage point, Bourbon could see why the pace of his army’s march was so slow and why their morale was so low.

nAccompanying him were Duke Aquitaine and Duke Champagne, who came up with a suggestion.

nCatching up with Bourbon, they said, “Pierre, our troops are making unfavorable progress. Perhaps we should change our route.”

nThis time, Duke Bourbon Pierre was commanding troops from various lords, meaning not all soldiers under his command were wholeheartedly willing to obey his orders.

nAfter descending from the slope, he met with Count Meza, who shared the same sentiment.

nConsequently, with a sense of resignation, Duke Bourbon ordered the entire army to turn around and advance in a different direction.

nTime ticked away, second by second.

nAs the enemy troops moved to climb another mountain, they found the path riddled with even more obstacles, meticulously placed by Howard’s men to further slow their progress.

nCount Meza, in a fit of rage, threw his rhinoceros leather gloves to the ground. 𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ

nDuke Aquitaine fumed, his beard bristling with anger.

nDuke Champagne’s face turned sour, though he remained silent.

nDuke Bourbon rolled his eyes in frustration but rallied his troops to continue their march.

nThis time, there were no objections from the other nobles.

nAfter several days, the enemy forces finally reached their strategic target, only to be met with the combined might of the Empire’s First and Second Armies.

nContemplating retreat, they then saw the vanguard of the Bohemian troops, plunging their morale to rock bottom.

nBut the valiant and battle-hardened enemy army would not surrender.

nWith military music blaring, they launched a fervent assault against the Imperial forces.

nHoward and his comrades, utilizing their military prowess, coordinated their formations brilliantly, resulting in a splendidly fought battle.

nThe remaining enemy forces, defeated and demoralized, fled along the backside of the mountains.

nAfter the battle, Resarite seemed less than jubilant.

nBosiden, noticing his furrowed brow, asked why.

nResarite responded, “Let me ask you, in a situation like the one we just faced, what would you do if you were the enemy commander?”

nBosiden laughed heartily, “Ha, after struggling up the mountain, weary and worn, only to find ourselves ambushed, I’d probably surrender right there. There’s no point in fighting a battle you can’t win. I’m a noble with a diplomatic mindset, quite different from you all.”

n“But look at the quality of the enemy’s commander and their individual soldiers,” Resarite countered.

n“Even exhausted, their attacks were fierce and well-organized. Take, for example, the Bohemian army’s responsibility for the mid-mountain infantry position – it was repeatedly in grave danger. Either our army is too weak, or the enemy’s is too strong.”

nBosiden pouted slightly, seemingly unconvinced by Resarite’s words, but refrained from voicing any disagreement out of respect.

nBosiden had once served as a confidant under Resarite, so he did not openly dispute his opinion.

nVettel, trying to lighten the mood, raised his glass of Champagne and said, “What are you two still discussing? We’ve just won a hard-fought victory, why the long faces?”

nTaking a bottle of Champagne from Vettel, Resarite walked over to Howard and said, “My lord, I fear for the Empire’s safety.”

n𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮

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