Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 691: The Discussion in Crystal Shine

TL: Rui88

The battle at Silvermoon Fortress saw the Ordo army triumph over the orcs’ reconnaissance force.

But this did not halt the overall decline on the battlefield.

A day after the battle, Schroeder arrived with the main force. The armies of Alda, plus those dispatched by the various lords, numbered over six thousand men.

This greatly strengthened the defensive power of Silvermoon Fortress, and the heart that had been hanging in Joyce’s chest was finally put at ease.

To their immense delight, another day later, the Royal Knights who had retreated from the Blackstone Plains also arrived, and Princess Catherine was among them.

“Your Highness!”

Schroeder led Joyce in kneeling on one knee to salute Catherine, a hint of excitement in the old knight’s voice.

“It has been a long time, respected Sir Schroeder… I suppose I should address you as ‘Sir’ now.”

Catherine and Schroeder had known each other for many years, from their time at Watcher’s Fortress.

To meet again under these circumstances was truly a moment of mixed emotions for both of them.

The once-ruined Silvermoon Fortress quickly became a large construction site. Soldiers, civilian laborers, and conscripted commoners from the surrounding areas began to repair the fortress.

Everyone convened the first joint meeting in a newly tidied-up room.

“You should issue an order to prohibit the armies that have retreated here from continuing to flee west!” Schroeder requested of the princess, and Catherine agreed.

It was time to organize a second resistance.

—

Inside the tent, the orc general Kalem looked coldly at the prostrate Amur.

“Are you truly not lying?”

“You could lend me a thousand backbones and I still wouldn’t dare.”

Amur had reported to him his encounter at Silvermoon Fortress, including those strange weapons.

Kalem narrowed his eyes.

The main army, led by the Grand Chieftain, had already entered the human world. The orcs’ warhorses were now galloping freely across the vast northeastern plains of Ordo.

Generals from all fronts were scrambling to conquer cities and territories, and his mission was to push west until he saw the sea… or until he could push no further.

But Kalem would not believe that his own vanguard could only reach Silvermoon Fortress.

A small reconnaissance team had suffered a setback, that was all. It was nothing to make a fuss about.

He raised his wine cup and gulped it down, then wiped his mouth.

“Let’s go. Let us see which is mightier: the battle blades of the Warriors of the Plains, or the firearms of the humans.”

—

The recent situation in Crystal Shine could be described as grim; bad news arrived one piece after another.

The fall of Watcher’s Fortress, the betrayal of the Bradley Family, the defeat at Sunset Valley…

The young king, Rodney XVIII, was overwhelmed with anxiety.

At the royal council meeting, the ministers shared the king’s worried frown.

Some, however, were more relaxed, even somewhat gloating.

If that regiment of knights led by Princess Catherine were to be wiped out, it would not be such a bad thing.

“Your Majesty!”

Lord Chamberlain Rupert advised, “Since we have the military scrip transported from Northwest Bay, we should organize a large army as quickly as possible.”

“You are right!”

The king looked at his younger brother. “Yuriko, is your work proceeding smoothly?”

The young man had shed some of his frivolity, and his eyes were filled with passion, as if he had finally found a cause to which he could dedicate himself.

He stood up and bowed to his brother.

“The army is expanding. We have recruited nearly five thousand men within a month. My heavens, new soldiers are still pouring into the barracks continuously.”

“The military scrip method is simply marvelous. After those commoners who couldn’t get enough to eat actually used the scrip to buy food, they have been scrambling to enlist.”

The king nodded. “Good, very good. But you must train them well. Courage, discipline, and fighting skills are all indispensable. I have no desire to recruit a band of freeloaders.”

“Rest assured, Your Majesty!”

Yuriko nodded emphatically.

Rodney XVIII felt a bit more at ease. If the elite Royal Knights were truly finished, his worries extended beyond just the orcs to those two nominal vassals in the south.

The council continued to discuss the situation.

Count Merlin pointed at a map.

“If only the Loess Lands are lost, the orcs still lack room to maneuver, because there are still ranges of mountains to the south blocking them. But if they occupy the Blackstone Plains and continue to break through eastward to the Great Elephant Plains, what lies beyond is the Thornlands, which borders the royal domain. Separated by only the Golden River, the orcs could pour down like a burst flood and continue to inundate the fertile south of the kingdom.”

The count’s words sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

“It’s all Catherine’s fault. She is utterly useless!”

Prince Yuriko said angrily. “Why couldn’t she hold the orcs back in the Loess Lands!”

Many cast dissatisfied glances at the prince.

“Alright, we cannot lay all the blame on Catherine.”

Prince Jassim defended his niece. “After all, no one anticipated the betrayal of the Bradley Family. They practically handed the entire Loess Lands over to the orcs.”

As they were discussing, an attendant walked in briskly and handed a letter to the king.

Rodney XVIII read it, and his brow instantly unfurrowed.

“Gentlemen! The kingdom’s army has defeated an orc force at a place called Silvermoon Fortress! And Catherine has safely retreated there.”

An uproar went through the assembled ministers.

The king’s voice was somewhat emotional. “Thanks to the merciful Heavenly Father, and thanks to those brave Northwesterners.”

Northwesterners?

Count Merlin asked, “Is it Count Grayman’s army?”

“Precisely!”

The king’s joy was written all over his face. He pressed a firm kiss to the letter.

He spoke with genuine emotion, “My dear Paul, just how many miracles are you going to bring me?”

This piqued everyone’s interest, sweeping away the earlier gloom.

“Is it possible to launch a counter-attack?”

Many immediately raised this topic.

But after the letter was passed around and read by all, they learned that it was merely five hundred Alda soldiers who had, with the advantage of terrain and weaponry, defeated an attacking force of one thousand orc cavalry.

The scale of this battle was far too small; it seemed to have little effect.

However, in the face of continuous defeats, this was indeed good news, especially since Her Highness Catherine was also safe.

Rupert spoke, “Your Highness, gentlemen, I believe that before the new army is fully assembled, we need to open negotiations with the orcs.”

“Negotiate with the enemy? Impossible!”

The ministers exclaimed in alarm.

The Lord Chamberlain must be senile. Compromising with Jars was one thing; after all, they were all civilized people.

But what were the orcs? A bunch of savages who only knew how to fight recklessly.

“Of course, it would not be a real negotiation. It is a delaying tactic, to release some smoke and mirrors, to find a way to slow their offensive.”

Rupert patiently explained to his colleagues.

“I am thinking of making the trip myself, to understand what these fellows are really thinking. And with the Bradley Family there, perhaps we can pull them back to the kingdom’s side.”

The Lord Chamberlain’s words stirred the king’s heart.

With the recent string of bad news, the kingdom truly needed a chance to catch its breath.

“In that case, my dear Lord Chamberlain, I shall entrust you…”

“I will go!”

Prince Jassim stood up, asserting himself. “Lord Chamberlain is advanced in years. How can he undertake such a long journey?”