Volume 2: The War of Fame Chapter 30: Ambush in a Treacherous Land

  "Good morning, everyone!" I said with a smile, greeting the soldiers standing in front of me. This was my first day as squad leader, and I had requested that everyone, including Vice Squad Leader Charl, gather inside the camp.

  "Hey, I wonder how everyone's rest was yesterday?" Although a smile was on my face, the people I gazed at couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines on this sunny morning, and an ominous premonition arose in their hearts.

  "Alright, it seems like everyone got a good rest yesterday, that's good. Because starting today, you'll be beginning your training. Look at yourselves! You're all idiots who can't even hold a gun properly! If you want to survive on the battlefield, you need to undergo rigorous training! Starting today, I'll be putting you through hellish training! Wake up!!" With an evil grin, I announced their miserable fate to this group of new recruits.

  I've been thinking since last night about how to lead this bunch of rookies to survive on the battlefield. After some thought, I realized that there's no other way but to conduct devilish training. However, the new recruits' training time is short, and in this severe war situation, they may be sent to the battlefield at any time. How can they make significant progress in a short period of time has become a headache for me. After a night of contemplation, I finally came up with an effective training method that can produce results in a short training time, just hoping they can endure it.

  "That's right! The captain makes sense, if you want to survive on the battlefield, you have to get stronger!" Xia Er chimed in, and unlike his appearance, this guy was a fence-sitter at heart, whoever had the higher official rank he would try to curry favor with.

  I don't like this guy very much. I coldly hummed a sound: "Deputy Captain Xial, you also need to train with the soldiers together, please make mental preparations."

  Ignoring the tearful face of Charl, I continued to announce my training plan to the soldiers: "Since you are all able to join the cavalry unit, I will no longer provide special riding training. Listen carefully, in order to build your physical strength, starting from this morning, you will run around the entire drill ground for ten kilometers, and only those who finish can have breakfast. After finishing breakfast, go do two hundred sit-ups and two hundred push-ups, after completing that, go run another ten kilometers, then you can have lunch. In the afternoon, I allow you to rest for an hour, then do weight-bearing training, each person must carry a stone and frog jump two hundred times, whoever drops their stone will have to redo it. After finishing weight-bearing training, you will practice horse-riding steps while practicing swinging your sabers one thousand times. After completing the practice, you can have dinner, after finishing dinner, you still need to continue practicing swinging your sabers until bedtime, did you hear me clearly!! I won't repeat it a second time!"

  Those new recruits heard my inhumane training plan and turned pale, worrying that they would die from exhaustion before even going to battle. Even Sharu, who was originally planning to train the new recruits harshly, felt like an angel after hearing my plan. The only ones who didn't change their expressions were my soldiers, as this was just a normal amount of training for them.

  Using brute force to suppress all the dissatisfied voices, my devil training plan officially began. With great reluctance, they started jogging slowly around the playground, while I brought over a chair, comfortably drinking and watching them jog with bated breath. These guys' physical strength is really pathetic, having only run three or four kilometers, they all looked like they were about to die, whereas Xiala, this professional soldier, had more than enough physical strength to keep up with the pace of those tyrants.

  Even the first project in the morning is so troublesome, it seems I have a lot of work to do.

  Under my cruel training, soldiers would occasionally faint, but I didn't have any mercy, and with a casual splash of cold water, they'd be revived and continue training. Under my supervision, these new recruits finally completed their last exercise, then lay in the barracks like dead men, without even the strength to lift their hands.

  They exhaust me, and I'm fed up with constantly urging them to do this and that after just one day, so I handed over this glorious but arduous task to Na Ba for execution. Anyway, such training is of no use to him.

  Those soldiers didn't even have the energy to complain, and that bastard wasn't as considerate as me. Whoever dared to slack off would be whipped without a second word. Under his tough supervision, those new recruits showed unparalleled determination and willpower, and they managed to survive my devilish training.

  After a long period of hard training, those greenhorns can now run steadily for ten kilometers and wield their heavy cavalry sabers continuously over a hundred times without getting tired. Everything else is fine, but being able to wield the saber is my basic requirement for them, because this is the most threatening weapon I can think of against dragon knights and heavy armored knights. A week's time is too short to train their long-range archery skills, so I simply trained them into a team of powerful close combat cavalry troops.

  Looking at these soldiers who have obviously become more robust and sturdy after going through devilish training, I was barely satisfied. Although they are still not ready for a major battle, they can now cope with it. What they lack is only the experience of actual combat.

  The opportunity will come soon.

  In the afternoon, I was summoned by a messenger to Captain Stirling's tent. As I entered his large command post, I found the room packed with people, all the squadron and troop leaders of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment were already inside, and I was the last one to arrive.

  "Gentlemen," Sterling said, his face stern as he stood before a map hanging on the wall. "According to reports from the front lines, the Dekster Empire's army has been holding our frontline troops at bay with heavy forces and sent a unit into the kingdom, leaving many villages and towns in ruins, with innocent civilians suffering heavy casualties. Judging by their route, they may reach the border of our Aize County within days. The military department has ordered us to do everything possible to encircle and annihilate this enemy army. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?"

  As soon as they heard that the enemy had already reached here, everyone was extremely indignant and shouted to fight a decisive battle with the enemy. Ignoring these hot-headed guys, I carefully observed the map marked with the places where the enemy had attacked.

  As I gradually discovered some clues, I realized that the troops must have had a purpose. Although their route of attack was not a straight line, it coincided with the locations of several estates owned by Duke Napier, the highest authority in the Twitz family, which might be related to me. I had studied him out of hostility and therefore quickly saw through their intentions. Since Duke Napier had sent his family members to a distant estate in Aise County at the beginning of the war, and the troops attacked those places that no longer had his family members before coming here, it seemed that their true goal was to capture the family members of Duke Napier, the highest commander of the kingdom's army, who was now opposing them, in order to force him to surrender. The attacks on villages and towns were probably just a cover-up.

  After some thought, I've decided on a strategy against the enemy. Sterling, who was watching us from the side, noticed the confident look on my face and asked me, "Captain Vitt, it looks like you've got an idea, why don't you share it with everyone?"

  I shared my analysis with everyone earlier. Seeing Sterling nodding in approval, I knew he had already come to the same conclusion as me and was just testing us. By the end of my speech, I pointed heavily at the map: "I think our best tactic is to set up an ambush here - near the gorge by Lake Rhine - and capture them all at once."

  The location I'm referring to is next to a lake on the border of Gando County and Aize County, which are currently at war. The vast Lake Rhein stretches from north to south all the way to the central area controlled by the royal family of the Kingdom of Weiton. Judging from their marching position, the only way to quickly reach Aize County is from the northern shore of the lake. However, that area is full of treacherous mountains, and there's only one safe pass through a canyon. That's where I'm planning to set up an ambush.

  Those captains stared at the position I pointed to and fell into contemplation, but I couldn't see those muscle men who were eager to charge thinking of a better way. In the end, my opinion was adopted by Captain Stirling, and it was decided to set off early the next morning.

  Back at the Seventh Squadron's camp, I loudly announced to everyone that we were preparing to set out and for them to get their equipment ready while waiting for the order to depart. Hearing news that this time the invading force was a thousand-man army, our Third Cavalry Brigade's ten squadrons with a total of 10,000 cavalrymen, plus the 2,000 defending infantrymen, totaling 12,000 men and horses galloped towards the ambush site.

  After a rapid march, we arrived at the treacherous valley in just two days. Although I had heard of the danger of this valley, it was my first time seeing it. The steep cliffs stood on both sides of the only path in the valley, and the narrowest part of the valley could only allow two horse-drawn carriages to pass side by side. Near the exit of the valley were slopes that went down from above, very suitable for cavalry charges. If we were ambushed in this valley, it would be impossible to escape.

  After we had arrived a day earlier, those slow infantry finally straggled in and set up an ambush before the Imperial army passed through.

  Tonight's stars are exceptionally bright, after waiting for a whole day without seeing the enemy, I lay down on a rock, counting the stars in the sky. How beautiful they are, those twinkling stars in the night sky, as if they can be grasped in one's hand, but actually so far away. It is said that each star represents a departed life, and I don't know whether I will become one of the many bright spots in the sky after I die.

  Just as I was feeling sentimental, he arrived at my side: "Master, the scout has reported, enemy tracks have been found, prepare for battle."

  Has it arrived? My spirit shook, and I leapt up from the stone, instructing that tyrant to notify the seventh squad to prepare for battle, while heading towards my warhorse. No matter what the outcome of this war is, tonight's dead will not be me!