Chapter 74

The morning sunlight pierced through the tent flap, casting a long white line on the ground, like a sharp sword pointing directly at He Boqiang's face, making him first haphazardly cover his head with a blanket, then wake up in a sweat and stifling heat, and finally sit up in bed, breathing heavily.

Outside, a cacophony of sounds came through, and He Boqiang immediately sat up, remembering that he still needed to go to the blacksmith's shop early to pick up the modified Roman sword.

...

Three thousand heavily armored infantrymen marched to Moyun Ridge, a joint operation plan by the 57th and 58th Heavy Infantry Regiments.

Despite being heavy infantry regiments, they were assigned the dirty work typically done by the logistics militia.

The two regiments were tasked with clearing a path wide enough for sixteen warhorses to ride side by side between the logging camp and Moyun Ridge.

Whether it was the heavy cavalry regiment that trained daily outside the logging camp or the construct knights about to arrive, the cavalry needed a clear road to maximize their advantages.

Due to the delay of the logistics militia under Duke Newman in reaching the logging camp,

Marquis Grover Newman, the commander of the Moyun Ridge campaign, ordered Count Monty Goss's 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment and Count Eustace Constable's 58th Heavy Infantry Regiment to jointly undertake the task of clearing the forest path.

Thus, the two counts led their respective 1,500 heavily armored infantrymen to Moyun Ridge first. To complete the task within the deadline, the two regiments could not advance methodically from the logging camp to Moyun Ridge, as this would not leverage the numerical advantage of the 3,000 heavily armored infantrymen.

Marquis Grover believed that the most effective plan was to divide the two heavy infantry regiments into ten construction units, scattered along the forest path between the logging camp and Moyun Ridge, to clear the path simultaneously.

Although this radical plan made Count Monty Goss curse and rant in his tent, he could not shirk the task of clearing the forest path and had to take it on.

Count Monty Goss had been stationed at the logging camp for nearly half a year and was more familiar with the terrain.

Thus, when dividing the task of clearing the forest path, Count Eustace Constable was assigned the safer first half of the forest, while Count Monty Goss was assigned the more challenging second half near Moyun Ridge.

...

He Boqiang yawned as he emerged from the tent, standing on the grass outside and doing chest-expanding exercises while gazing at the military camp at the foot of the logging camp.

At this moment, a large part of the camp had been dismantled, the tents completely folded and carried on the backs of the soldiers, leaving a vast empty field in the camp. The field was a mess, with various pits dug out and scattered wooden frames, and white cloth strips tied to the wooden frames fluttering in the wind, like prostitutes waving their white arms to attract the surrounding cavalry.

Suldak and the second squad were among the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment, and they were well-prepared. They had taken down their tent early in the morning, with Red Socks and Big Beard carrying it on their backs, while the supplies for Red Socks and Big Beard were evenly distributed among the squad members.

The front of the column had already entered the forest at the foot of the mountain two kilometers away, and it was now the turn for Suldak's second squad to join the ranks. As the column passed the temporary market on the hillside, the hill was already crowded with onlookers.

The supply convoy of the grain merchants would set out from here tomorrow, following the heavy infantry regiment into the mountains.

No one cheered for such a routine departure; instead, the people on the hill were very excited, largely because only war could bring business to these merchant caravans. Whether they won or lost, some people would always profit, and the worst scenario was to remain stationed for one or two years without a single battle, which could bankrupt the merchant caravans.

Seeing He Boqiang standing out in the crowd, Suldak waved vigorously at him.

He Boqiang's backpack was completely covered by a thick dwarf chain shield, and a heavy Roman sword hung from his waist. The thick blade made the sword look less sharp, with a perfect arc at the tip. The copper-colored blade had bright, reflective edges, and the blacksmith's craftsmanship was excellent, not only extending the blade but also perfectly balancing its weight. The blade's curve was smooth and pleasing to the eye.

Of course, the cost of modifying the Roman sword was also quite high, and the most awkward part was that He Boqiang had no money. He had spent all his money the night before, and he only had five magic crystals and a small bag of magic crystal fragments.

Fortunately, the blacksmith was a kind and honest man who helped He Boqiang find a material merchant to buy the magic crystal fragments. He exchanged them for five gold coins, which he then used to pay the blacksmith.

He Boqiang squeezed out of the crowd, and Red Socks, who was behind Suldak, paused for a moment, allowing He Boqiang to join the marching column.

The surrounding soldiers of the fourth battalion were used to such occurrences and did not make any complaints, so the non-commissioned He Boqiang joined the mission again.

Big Beard, following Red Socks, saw He Boqiang wearing a set of fine leather armor. As a ranger who had graduated from a proper warrior academy, he recognized the quality of the armor and asked He Boqiang in surprise, "Hey, little Dak, where did you get such a fine set of heavy leather armor? It's really cool!"

"… The dwarf chain shield, made from fine iron from the dwarf realm. This shield is not light, wow, it looks like you're well-prepared, little Dak. Those iron-clad wooden shields can withstand the bites of hyenas but not the spikes of demons. This shield can definitely…"

Suldak, walking at the front of the column, sternly shouted, "Silence! No one will think you're mute if you don't speak. Be careful of the whips of the inspection team."

The young Big Beard hurriedly lowered his head and continued marching.

Baron Sidney rode a Gubolay horse at the front of the fourth battalion. He always paid attention to his appearance, wearing a set of fine magic-patterned construct armor, and as they passed the hillside market, some people even cheered for him.

The second squad's soldiers, with high spirits, followed the 57th Regiment back into the Gandauer Mountains.

After entering the forest, the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment and the brother regiment split into two routes to advance to Moyun Ridge.