When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 886 - 837: If You Learn from the Holy Alliance, You Must Become the Holy Alliance

After driving away the local residents, Jeska began directing the soldiers to dismantle the Knight's Mansion and replenish the bricks and stones.

The local residents' thatched huts and wooden-framed houses, made from tamped earth and wood frameworks, were useless for building breastworks.

Jeska chose this Knight Manor as the base for good reason.

Elsewhere, although there were gentle slopes, the terrain was too narrow to maneuver.

These gentle slopes were relatively wide and not very steep, making it convenient for building a base.

These were still prefabricated wooden panels from local demolitions, combined with brick and mortar, and could be shaped within a day.

These breastworks were about shoulder height, with the inner layer padded with earth, allowing the Holy Gunmen to stand on them just at chest level.

A trench was dug in front of the breastworks, with spiked wooden stakes installed, intended for the infantry.

Every few meters, a three-meter wide gap was left, with chevaux-de-frise placed in front, facilitating counterattacks by Long Spearmen and cavalry.

Standing on the old watchtower of the Knight's Mansion, Jeska peered through the telescope with one eye, estimating the current engineering progress.

In comparison to older groups like the Black Champion Army, the Wild Wolf Battle Group was still too new, lacking the engineering skills of the former.

Watching the Wild Wolf Cultivators drenched in sweat, Jeska wasn't especially satisfied.

"Bernardo..."

"Lord Jeska, is there something you need?"

"Do you think establishing a new accompanying engineering team would make the battle group's structure too bloated?"

Bernardo paused for a moment, then smiled wryly: "His Eminence has asked the same question, but our logistical capability is so poor that we can at most form a separate Engineering Corps."

"We could try recruiting a few engineering students as officers and hire a civil construction team."

"You can give it a try. If it succeeds, His Eminence would certainly be willing to promote it."

Having decided on this matter, Jeska descended from the watchtower, while the loyal Little Hart, like a guard dog, awaited at the entrance.

His First Long Spear Team was assigned to be responsible for Jeska's security.

This Jeska was no ordinary figure; he was the golden opportunity for the Ranger's blood oath.

Holding onto this opportunity meant a bright future ahead.

"Lord Jeska, the Rangers, Wild Wolf Soldiers, and Helical Gun Scattered Soldiers spread outside have already engaged the enemy forces," Little Hart promptly reported to Jeska.

"What are the casualties and outcomes?"

"Five enemy knights killed, one captured, nine of our men seriously injured, two dead, and three captured, including one heavily wounded Wild Wolf Soldier."

Clearly, in one-on-one combat, the Wild Wolf Soldiers weren't as formidable as within the army formations.

After all, within the formations, there were Long Halberds pulling, Long Spearmen piercing, and Holy Gunmen closing in to shoot.

If it were in the wild bushes, with the speed and skills of Extraordinary Knights, charging wouldn't be so simple.

Nodding to indicate understanding, Jeska paced a while on the spot: "Have them hold on, regardless of casualties, fend off the attack, prevent them from harassing our forces."

"Understood." Little Hart pounded his chest heavily, saying fiercely, "I will go personally!"

"Permission granted, don't return without a trophy."

"Just watch and see!"

It must be said, although the Black Snake Bay people lacked discipline and had peculiar thinking, they were fiercer and braver than mountain folks.

It's said the Black Snake Bay Federation is training a second battle group, under the guidance of Miracle Nun 'Phoenix' Selomis.

It's just unknown what name the battle group will be granted after training?

As the smoke from the cooking rose slowly, the Service Soldiers and assisting War Monks, having been busy all day, finally completed the base construction.

Seeing this, Jeska ordered the outer Rangers and Scout Scattered Soldiers to retreat slowly.

With the base established, a significant advantage in combat was gained.

Unless the opponent amassed a large number of Spring Cannons, the base formed by the breastworks and earthen mounds was the Holy Alliance Battle Group's mobile fortress.

...

The firewood emitted thick smoke, and in the half-person-high iron pot, the evening meal was simmering with bubbles.

In field operations, fires weren't lit in the mornings and afternoons, only at night.

During the day, officers had their own private cooking stoves.

Moreover, officers had ration coupons to exchange for tobacco, alcohol, candies, and such.

At dinner time, even the battle commander and other officers have to eat together indiscriminately. Whatever the soldiers eat, they eat.

This is a rule set by Horn to prevent the quartermaster from pulling any tricks.

After a day of hard work and buying several large fat pigs from the manor, they made the soldiers' favorite—braised pork with vermicelli.

The brown broth bubbled, cabbage and pork dancing, while the vermicelli slowly changed color.

Gathered in front of the food tent, the war monks who had worked all day had green eyes, holding bread in one hand and a tin box in the other.

Their stomachs rumbled as loudly as war drums, rising and falling.

These vermicelli are the latest agricultural byproduct from Saint Plow Monastery, made by soaking and precipitating detoxified potato roots to make potato flour.

The potato flour is mixed with wheat flour into a liquid, then strained through a sieve into strips that fall into boiling water to become vermicelli.

These vermicelli, once dried, are easy to store and carry, and taste excellent. When cooked with bean paste, spices, and pork—delicious.

The mountain black pork is firm and chewy, with an oak aroma, and the vermicelli soaked up the broth, becoming translucent and tender.

Paired with the greasy broth, it's irresistibly tempting for soldiers who have worked all day.

Some soldiers even joked that it was this aroma that lured them into the recruitment office.

It's said that this recipe was developed under the guidance of the Saint's Grandson, and it has become one of the soldiers' favorite military dishes.

"Dinner's ready, dinner's ready!"

Upon hearing the shout, even the officers hurriedly left their companions and ran towards the food tent.

Holding bowls and bread, with sausages hanging around their necks, Old Pierre hummed a tune and smiled at Thierry and the others behind him, "You're in for a treat. Once you've tasted it, you'll never forget it."

"Come on, I've had smoked swallow tongue. Do you know what that is? It's..."

Venice's boastful words were cut short as Abazi tugged at his clothes, and Thierry secretly kicked him in the calf.

Turning his head, he saw those soldiers looking at them maliciously, their disdain plain to see.

Venice realized something was wrong, inwardly cursing those damn military chaplains and lowered his head.

Unlike before, Horn has brought in a large number of zealous Holy Path monks and brothers.

Previously, it was hard to recruit for the position of military chaplain, and even if recruited, they needed retraining.

Now, without some ability to preach and profound theoretical knowledge, one cannot get this military position.

This batch of Holy Path monks, aside from those provided internally by the Thousand River Valley, mainly came from the increasingly intense Holy Path religious reform storm.

After the outbreak of the Holy Path's reform center during the great debate in Truth Newspaper, many monks converted to the Holy Path.

Since Horn sent Armand to preach the Holy Path in other provinces of the Empire and to expand the Saint Father's Association, even nearby Red Leaf Hill and Windmill Land have successively seen a large number of Holy Path monks and brothers emerge.

And these monks' hearts harbor a devout beacon of freedom—the Thousand River Valley Holy Alliance as their earthly heaven.

Even in times of war, these Holy Path monks sought to join Horn.

Not only did they fill up the battle group's military chaplain establishment, but some were even sent to be soldiers.

The Chongxin Battle Group's bunch of monk long spearmen came from here.

Holding wobbling pieces of fat meat, the war monks squatted gleefully to the side and slurped them up.

Perhaps finding the wait too monotonous, someone suddenly started singing.

"Everyone respects Dalia, worships Kleheris, Alexander Cruise, all such heroic names..."

One after another, when the first round finished, almost everyone had joined in singing the second round.

Even the waiting officers were no exception; many even used wooden spoons to keep time on their tin boxes.

"In today's world, who can compare? Only we line after line, Holy Alliance Salvation Army..."

The setting sun spilled on these soldiers' shoulders, and watching the crystal-clear vermicelli, Thierry felt momentarily lost.

They had only worked for one day today, and tomorrow they would go to battle, or this might be their last meal.

Yet these soldiers showed no fear or complaint on their faces, just raised their voices in singing hoarse songs.

"We monks are all chosen by God, no fear despite every hardship."

"Line by line, we sing the Holy Alliance Salvation Army!"

Suddenly, Thierry felt that there were things they might never learn.

Or rather, learning from the Holy Alliance meant becoming the Holy Alliance.