My Players Are So Fierce

After a not-so-long period, the Pioneer Fortress in East Prussia finally welcomed back its master, which was a joy of mutual anticipation.

Because Marshal Loren, returning to the military camp, was also filled with a simple kind of happiness.

Ah, finally no need to deal with those annoying nobles and damned complicated etiquette anymore. He could return to the simple, efficient, and mood-lifting military life. As usual, he meticulously inspected every key post of the fortress with a few guards and found no mistakes that he could reprimand, which further improved the Marshal’s mood.

Even the recruit barracks were kept exceptionally tidy, proving that his men hadn’t wasted their lives or idled away their time during his absence.

But if only these superficial aspects were achieved, it still wouldn’t satisfy the picky Marshal.

The officers of Pioneer Fortress were well aware of this, so when the Marshal returned to his office in the castle, there was immediately a line of system heads waiting outside the door to report military affairs.

“Whew”

The Marshal enjoyed the fine tobacco gifted by his cousin Livrosa Silverheart using his beloved dwarf pipe. After maintaining his mood in a state of delight, he tidied up his appearance and then tapped the table.

“Come in!”

The door opened, and General Soros, the acting commander of the Pioneer Army, strode in. After a crisp and full of military etiquette salute, the 50-something-year-old veteran soldier shouted:

“Marshal Loren, according to the non-wartime regulations of the Pioneer Army, I hereby transfer the highest command of the Pioneer Army and Pioneer Fortress to you!”

“At ease, General.”

The Marshal nodded and reached out to take the command staff handed over by General Soros.

However, due to the height difference, the General had to bend down to complete this gesture properly without stimulating the strange self-esteem of the half-dwarf.

“Sit.”

Marshal Loren pointed to the sofa nearby.

Although extremely strict in military discipline, necessary familiarity and appropriate relaxation were still essential when facing his long-time cooperating old adjutant.

As the two sat on opposite sides of the office sofa, an orderly immediately brought in red tea at a suitable temperature.

“Has anything noteworthy happened here during my absence?”

The Marshal asked while playing with his pipe.

General Soros had naturally prepared his speech in advance. After taking a sip of tea, he replied:

“Before you left, the beautiful war had already ended, Marshal. What could you expect to happen in this frontier region that’s worth your attention?

Although there were no major battles, small conflicts have been frequent, mainly with our ‘neighbors’.

Transia

To be precise, the Count of Kadman’s domain and Crimson Citadel.

That lucky young vampire governor doesn’t seem to be a quiet fellow. I think it’s necessary to give you a report on a series of actions he’s recently carried out.”

“I heard about it on my way back.”

The half-dwarf said with interest:

“I heard that fellow defeated a newly risen gnoll warlord?”

“Yes, a very swift decapitation operation, and with a strategy of fighting on two fronts, he not only crushed the leader but also broke the gnolls’ newly straightened backs in one fell swoop.”

General Soros said in an appreciative tone:

“A classic case of the few defeating the many, fully utilizing the vampires’ advantages in the night. Moreover, the unity and extremely high execution demonstrated by the military and civilians of Crimson Citadel during those few days gives a glimpse of some kind of rising power in that place.

But most importantly, that vampire governor isn’t as annoying as his kindred. He knows very well how to unite all forces that can be united.

This is the key point I want to report to you. Those Seicob Wing Cavalry who have been constantly clashing with our vanguard for the past two years also appeared in that night’s crushing battle and took on quite important responsibilities.

It was precisely because of the sudden appearance of the Wing Cavalry formation that the gnoll vanguard besieging Crimson Citadel fell into chaos in an extremely short time.”

“No wonder they could achieve such a beautiful war result.”

Marshal Loren snorted, raising his pipe to his mouth for a puff. As the rich tobacco aroma spread throughout the office, the half-dwarf Marshal said in a low voice:

“I still can’t forget how ferocious those Wing Cavalry were on the battlefield. When we were attacking Seicob City back then, for a full seven days!

Every time our army reorganized a defense line, it would be scattered by them. That was the first time I saw such stubborn opponents that couldn’t be dealt with even using artillery combined with spirit energy.

Heh, plague. If it weren’t for those mages using this thing, our battle at Seicob City would probably have turned into a mess.”

“At that time, the Pioneer Army didn’t have today’s level of organization. Our firepower, personnel quality, and logistics were all very average then. We even had to use that cruel war to train troops and complete the final command system setup.”

General Soros shook his head and said:

“If it were the Pioneer Army two years later executing the order to attack Seicob City, even the Wing Cavalry wouldn’t be able to interfere with our steps.

Of course, I know you don’t like such hypotheticals based on the past, so let me continue reporting on that battle.

The Wing Cavalry finally left their forests, allowing our detection mages to finally figure out their current organization.

The good news is that our guess was correct.

After the heavy losses at Seicob City and two years of continuous conflict, the Wing Cavalry, which once had a full strength of 5,000 men with an equal number of reserves, now has less than 500 able-bodied fighters left.

The bad news is that hardship hasn’t crushed those mountain folk; they seem even more ferocious than before.

This might be a good thing, considering the impending Black Disaster. Their appearance means Transia has a greater possibility of blocking the gnolls’ advance.

Additionally, based on some clues captured by our detection mages, we can now basically determine that the lineage of the Countess of Seicob has not been cut off.

The Wing Cavalry still have a master they can be loyal to, which means the Count of Seicob’s domain is likely to come under the rule of that young vampire governor in the near future.

It’s hard to imagine, but he actually brought the entire Transia under his rule in just one month.”

“He even swiftly crushed the troublesome gnolls under extremely unfavorable conditions.”

Marshal Loren snorted and said with narrowed eyes:

“It seems I need to slightly adjust my impression of Lord Murphy. That vampire who knows how to use makeup isn’t a sissy; he’s a truly capable man who can stand tall, and a potential opponent worth taking seriously.

However, with their current manpower, even if they’ve defeated the gnolls, the bandits that have been gathered shouldn’t have been completely eliminated so quickly, right?”

“They haven’t. According to continuous reconnaissance by our detection mages, Governor Murphy has dispatched almost all of his available manpower to carry out crushing operations throughout the Count of Kadman’s domain and part of the Anderma Hills area. But we’ve noticed that they’re not indiscriminately killing the gnolls.

Instead, they’ve captured a large portion of them.”

The human general said with some concern:

“That vampire governor has put the gnoll prisoners to work in the quarries of the Morland baronial domain. Additionally, he’s been capturing kobolds and sending them to the mining areas in southern Transia.

According to reports from our spies in Nordtov, that mining area has been temporarily assigned to the Winter Wolf Legion as collateral, to guarantee the grain trade between Transia and Nordtov.

Therefore, I guess the vampire intends to use gnolls and kobolds as consumables to restart some of their facilities within their territory. Given the shortage of manpower, this is not a bad emergency measure.

But the troublesome thing is that the cunning vampire has driven a large part of the gnoll remnants into our territory. Traces of gnolls have appeared even on the eastern Prussian border and in the Lake Shulps area of the Cato region.”

“So, you think this is a bad thing?”

Marshal Loren rolled his eyes and said to his trusted general:

“This is quite a good tactic, letting your strong neighbor help you bear part of the defense pressure is a very cunning strategy.

But it’s not necessarily a bad thing for us either, Soros. Our soldiers have been fighting against their own kind for years; they lack experience in dealing with barbarians.

Let’s use these gnoll remnants to give our new recruits some practice, as a practical training for dealing with the Black Disaster.”

“Our soldiers are certainly not a problem! I believe even a new recruit doesn’t lack the courage to fight gnolls. But the problem is, I don’t trust all the soldiers in East Prussia, Loren.”

General Soros finally expressed his concern.

He observed the Marshal’s expression before revealing a bad news he had just received. He said in a low voice:

“Those gnoll remnants crossed the border in large numbers two days ago, but by last night, they had already raided three villages, causing over 200 casualties.”

“?”

The half-dwarf Marshal’s entire expression froze.

Then a visible anger erupted on his face. His clenched fist slammed hard on the table, making the teacups in front of them jump, spilling the fragrant red tea everywhere.

“I clearly set up a comprehensive defense system for the East Prussian border, with at least one allied force stationed in each defense zone. It’s just gnoll remnants!

It’s not like the Wing Cavalry attacked, how could such a big hole appear in their defense?”

He shouted:

“Who is the commander of that defense zone? I’ll send him to a court-martial! This is simply dereliction of duty! No, this is collusion with the enemy and murder!”

The dwarf’s loud voice made General Soros want to cover his ears, but he knew he couldn’t do that, or the petty Marshal would make a note in his book.

He sat up straight, and after Loren had finished roaring like a lion, he reported with an expression of utter despair:

“All the defense zones guarded by the Pioneer Army or even our vassal troops are as solid as a rock. The problem occurred in a border guard zone.

When the gnoll remnants killed their way into the villages, those ruffian soldiers were still having a party.

They even received the news later than Pioneer Fortress, and the troops guarding those three villages had fled before the battle began.

I’m just glad it was gnolls and not Transia’s regular army, otherwise this one leak would have been enough to cause a shameful failure in the defense line we’ve been building.

The commander of that defense zone and the deserters have already been hanged by the military judge, but this exposes a terrible problem, Loren. Those local border guards we incorporated are a mess.

I even feel they’re in cahoots with our enemies!

It’s as if they’re trying to weaken the morale and strength of the Pioneer Army through this complete inaction, and to tarnish the reputation of His Majesty and us by causing trouble locally and bullying men and women, and finally to increase our burden and weaken our fighting power by gorging on food and taking bribes.

This sounds like a joke.

But considering they were all soldiers of the Portia Federation before, perhaps this pathetic scheme does indeed have a possibility of existing.”

“Hehe, what a disgusting joke!”

Marshal Loren said with a cold laugh:

“So, what’s your opinion?”

“We’re about to reinforce the fortress group in the East Prussia region and establish large-scale trench positions to deal with the Black Disaster. This work requires a lot of manpower.”

General Soros said expressionlessly:

“If they can’t do a good job as soldiers, perhaps mindless hard labor would suit them better. If appeasement can’t make them grateful, then it’s time for the whip to come out.”

“Let’s do it!”

The half-dwarf spat out a smoke ring and cursed:

“Start with those border guards who messed up, and send our soldiers to take over there while starting a large-scale gnoll hunt.

Finally, we don’t need that much manpower, right?”

“Yes, even if we start reinforcing all the fortress groups and building trench positions simultaneously, according to the staff department’s calculations, we only need half the manpower of those border guards.”

General Soros replied:

“The other half of the ruffian soldiers will still be a problem.”

“But not our problem.”

The half-dwarf revealed a strange smile. He returned to his desk and quickly wrote a marshal’s order, saying:

“Governor Murphy’s victory at this stage means a victory in the preparation for defense against the Black Disaster. As a member of the civilized camp, we should show our congratulations and goodwill to our neighbor.

Soros, select some of the armed blood servants we’ve captured, and find a good time to send them all back. By the way, send the remaining half of the ruffian soldiers to Governor Murphy as manpower aid from the Goldflower Kingdom to Transia!

Don’t be stingy with supplies, equip them with necessary weapons.

Also send a batch of artillery that’s about to be phased out.

Finally, purchase a batch of good military equipment that can arm 500 men as a gift in my personal name.”

“Ah, why don’t I participate in such a good deed as well?”

General Soros stood up laughing and said to his Marshal:

“I’ll also donate military equipment for 200 men, as a thank-you gift to Governor Murphy for helping us solve this headache-inducing problem.”

“700 pieces doesn’t sound quite proper.”

The half-dwarf stroked his chin, rolled his eyes thinking for a moment, and said:

“Let our ‘Colonel Carpe’ make up the last 300 pieces.”

“Colonel? Jumping two ranks at once?”

General Soros clicked his tongue in wonder and said:

“It seems Frayzer’s little essay was deeply appreciated by His Majesty. Come to think of it, who wouldn’t like an excellent young man who’s good at fighting, has a family, and has a good writing skill?

Sigh, back in the day, it took me a full ten years to grow from major to colonel, fighting at least six battles.”

“Who told you not to have a good father?”

Marshal Loren shrugged and took out another transfer order, signing his name. He said:

“We also need to send a military chief to Transia to assist Governor Murphy in building an effective defense. It just so happens that Frayzer’s promotion speed is too fast.

He needs some presentable military achievements to prove himself.

What do you say, if I send the heir of the Carpe family to the front line of resisting the Black Disaster, would it cause me trouble?”

“Are you still afraid of them?”

General Soros said with a sneer:

“Your family background is more… ahem, alright, alright, I won’t say it. I know you hate this topic. All your achievements come from your own efforts, okay?”

“Hmph!”

Marshal Loren let out a displeased nasal sound, added a name to the transfer order, and said:

“Then let Colonel Frayzer be the chief of the military observation team sent to Transia by the Pioneer Army, and your youngest son as his deputy.”

“Very good, that little brat indeed needs some hardship to grow up.”

General Soros had no objection to this and willingly signed his name on the transfer order as well.

A few minutes later, General Soros raised another question, saying:

“The few production lines that the Carpe family is preparing to send to Transia have been held up in our defense zone for a week. Should we let them through now?”

“Of course.”

The half-dwarf Marshal exhaled the last smoke ring and said:

“That is the right of the victor. I had you hold those goods before just to prevent them from falling into the hands of the gnolls.

Now that they’ve won, these should naturally be delivered to Murphy’s hands.

After all, he paid for it.

That vampire…

Indeed not bad, already showing promise. Perhaps we can compete on the battlefield in the future. A good opponent, tsk tsk, the God of War has truly blessed us.”

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