Chapter 86

The 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment entered the Moyaun Ridge as the vanguard, clearing a piece of land less than five kilometers from the main peak of Moyaun Ridge, and setting it up as a campsite for the subsequent main forces.

Although the hand-drawn map provided by Baron Sidney had messy handwriting and chaotic lines, the several ridges, ravines, and streams at the foot of Moyaun Ridge were marked very clearly. Even the types of trees growing in certain forest areas were annotated in detail, and some suitable locations for ambushes were also partially explained. This first-hand topographic data ultimately fell into the hands of Colonel Monty Goss.

Although the campsite location circled by Baron Sidney was not adopted by the higher-ups, the fourth battalion commander, Baron Sidney, did indeed make a good impression in front of the commanders of the various regiments of the expeditionary force.

This time, Baron Sidney completed the task of opening a forest road, which thoroughly washed away the previous disgrace and once again proved that he was not a young noble who had risen to his position through nepotism.

The soldiers of the 57th Regiment had just finished setting up their tents when they received an assignment to build a wooden fence around the camp to defend against the sudden attacks of wild beasts and demons. This wooden fence needed to be at least ten meters high to stop the demons.

Colonel Monty Goss did not let the heavy infantry cut down trees nearby but instead requisitioned seventeen thunder rhinos to transport the trees that had been cut down during the forest road construction back to the camp.

These logs were scattered along the forest road, and the soldiers had to use logging axes to cut off the protruding branches, bundle ten logs together, and tie them to the backs of the thunder rhinos, then transport them back to the camp at the foot of Moyaun Ridge.

He Boqiang held a logging axe and vigorously cut off the branches of a redwood tree. Standing opposite him, Red Socks quickly dragged the cut branches into the bushes.

The main task of the second squad today was to tidy up the already felled trees on both sides of the forest road.

The forest road was extremely congested, with a heavy cavalry regiment and a logistics regiment transporting ballistae jammed together, refusing to give way to each other. The thunder rhinos carrying the timber were blocked outside and could not enter. After the second squad cleaned up the branches in this area, they stood idly by the roadside, watching the commotion.

He Boqiang and Red Socks ran to the front and saw a cart transporting a ballista with a broken axle, blocking the forest road completely. The logistics regiment soldiers wanted to repair the cart on the spot, while the heavy cavalry, eager to reach the camp for the night, were demanding that the cart be pushed into the forest beside the road.

Although the logistics regiment was just a group of auxiliary troops with no status, they controlled most of the supplies in the camp and usually acted in a condescending manner.

Seeing that someone wanted to push the broken-down cart into the forest, the logistics regiment naturally refused.

As the heavy cavalry officer and the logistics regiment commander were arguing fiercely, the heavy cavalry soldiers raised their five-meter-long lances, which were hanging from their saddles, pointing them at the auxiliary troops of the logistics regiment.

A logistics regiment officer immediately turned hostile, agile like a monkey, and climbed onto the cart, pulling off the tarp covering the ballista, revealing a brand new one. Several auxiliary troops followed the officer onto the cart, quickly untying the ropes securing the ballista and adjusting the elevation wheel. The ballista, with a loud click, aimed its massive, gleaming arrow at the arrogant heavy cavalry.

It was the first time He Boqiang had seen such a large military machine. The main frame of the ballista was made of wood, but many key parts were made of iron, and some iron plates were even plated with silver. They were engraved with complex runes, and a fragment of a magic crystal was embedded in the central base, giving the entire ballista a strong magical aura.

The auxiliary troops of the logistics regiment and the heavy cavalry faced off, the tension high and filled with the smell of gunpowder.

People from both ends of the forest road continued to gather, surrounding the area tightly.

He Boqiang and Red Socks waited in the crowd for a long time, but no one made a move. He Boqiang's feet started to feel numb, so he pulled Red Socks out of the crowd.

On both sides of the forest road were dense forests, filled with branches.

Sul Dak instructed the bearded Kager to clear a space in the forest, while he and Augustus went into the dense forest to hunt two otter rabbits. He Boqiang and Red Socks lit a bonfire on the cleared ground.

Augustus skewered the two skinned otter rabbits on a long branch and placed them over the charcoal fire.

At first, the forest was filled with thick smoke, but as the branches turned to charcoal, the fat from the otter rabbit meat dripped onto the bonfire, and the smell of roasted meat wafted far and wide.

Many people had missed lunch due to the road congestion, and the smell of roasted meat made their stomachs growl.

The heavy cavalry and the auxiliary troops of the logistics regiment settled down for lunch, eating some easy-to-eat rations. They then realized that if they had reached the camp by now, lunch would not have been as simple as sitting on tree stumps and eating dry rations.

After eating their fill, both sides felt that continuing to stand there would not solve any problems.

Their tempers cooled, and they began to think of solutions.

At this moment, they suddenly noticed that in the dense forest beside the congested forest road, birch trees were continuously being cut down. The road near the congestion area was widened by almost twice its original width.

The traffic situation improved significantly, and the heavy cavalry mounted their warhorses, forming a line on the left side of the forest road and slowly passing through the congested area.

The auxiliary troops of the logistics regiment also began to lift the broken cart and replace the axle on the spot.

Seeing the traffic on the forest road become smoother, Sul Dak led the second squad to stop cutting trees. They cleaned up the branches of the felled trees, waiting for the thunder rhinos to arrive and transport the logs back to the camp.

However... no one seemed to notice that the group of people who had improved the traffic on the forest road were precisely the second squad's infantry soldiers who had been trimming branches along the road.

"I thought they would fight..."

Red Socks put down his logging axe, wiped the sweat from his face, and said regretfully.

Kager was right beside him, holding a bundle of cut branches and throwing them into the grass.

He said to Red Socks, "Hey, are you really that bored?"

Red Socks was about to speak when he saw a group of knights in patterned armor.

They rode strong black warhorses, moving silently along the forest road. They exuded an aura that ordinary people could not match, and even in the congested forest road, no one dared to get close to them. Everyone instinctively made way, giving one-third of the road to the knights.

No one dared to provoke these knights. As they passed, He Boqiang clearly felt that almost no one was talking on the forest road.

Only Red Socks, pulling on He Boqiang's sleeve, said excitedly, "Dak, look... these are our Benar Corps' knights..."

Kager, leaning against a fallen giant tree, looked at Red Socks with disdain and said, "Even if it's the Duke, you don't need to be so excited, do you?"

He Boqiang sat by the roadside, carefully observing the imposing knights. It was said that they wore expensive magic-patterned armor, and their black warhorses were covered in a layer of armor, with shiny black fur showing some scale-like patterns.

The knights exuded a pressure that made it hard to breathe.