Translator: Cinder Translations
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After further discussion, everyone agreed that issuing war bonds was a good idea, so Paul assigned the task to Old Ford and Hansel.
As the meeting was nearing its end, a young officer hurried in, handing Paul the latest frontline battle report.
"Oh…"
Paul shook his head as he read the report. "We encountered a tough battle."
He handed a copy of the report to the attendees. The report, written by Schroeder, detailed the recent battle on the duke's border. Although the Alden forces won the battle, killing or capturing over a thousand enemies, they also suffered nearly three hundred casualties. Schroeder estimated that deaths and severe injuries would ultimately result in a loss of over a hundred soldiers.
It was the first time Paul had encountered such significant losses in a single battle.
"This sort of thing… is ultimately unavoidable."
"The enemy won't just hand over victory."
"Lord Earl, instead of focusing on the casualties, you should pay attention to the significance of this victory."
"As a lord, you'll eventually get used to such things."
Seeing the somber look on Paul's face, everyone thought he was troubled by the casualty figures and began to offer comfort, considering the young lord's inexperience.
Paul took a deep breath and said solemnly, "I hope the army can take good care of the soldiers' families and not let them feel abandoned."
Ron, Kelly, and other senior officers stationed at Alden Town quickly took note of the lord's words.
The report also mentioned that due to the high casualties, Schroeder had to pause the offensive temporarily. The troops would stay in the current border area to rest and recruit more locals to replenish their strength. However, if the duke's forces launched another attack, they would not retreat.
Paul had no objections. He was not in a hurry for victory. Information from the direction of Biddeburg indicated that Jaius seemed to have committed to an all-out attack on the fortress, disregarding casualties. It was clear that the pressure from Emden and the upper Wes River had him on edge.
Haha, the duke's son never imagined that Sir Brett Sean, the owner of Biddeburg, in order to avoid retribution from the Kent family after their victory, proactively revealed a long-held family secret to the allied forces—a hidden underground tunnel that exited at a secret ravine west of the fortress.
As for why he didn't sneak away during the previous battle, it was partly because he was unwilling to abandon the family's accumulated wealth—escaping would mean leaving everything behind.
Secondly, because the exit was located on the western side of the fortress, Biddeburg was like a nail driven between Portley and Adlara, both key members of the anti-Kent alliance. To escape, he would have to go north, west, or south, all of which were enemy territories. The safest route would be to sneak east, but the allied forces had heavily garrisoned the eastern side to block any rescue efforts from the duke's army, making it even more dangerous. Consequently, escaping from there was not a viable option. To prevent discovery by the allied patrols, Sir Sean even blocked part of the tunnel near the exit.
Thirdly, Maltz Kent's orders were to hold this strategic point, with an implied threat of suicide if he failed. Given these circumstances, Sir Sean knew that a secret escape would not end well.
To hell with Maltz, to hell with the Duke of the Northwest. After Jaius's first failed relief attempt, Sir Brett Sean decided to negotiate a dignified surrender with the allied forces. After Jaius's second attempt to besiege Biddeburg, Sir Sean, in order to avoid post-surrender repercussions from the duke, quickly revealed the underground tunnel. The allies cleared the exit, turning the narrow tunnel into a lifeline for the fortress's defenders, continuously supplying weapons, equipment, medical supplies, reinforcements, and even gunpowder, shells, and grenades from Alden Town.
Paul was very pleased. Biddeburg was like a meat grinder for Jaius to endure. Alden would gradually build strength in the upper Wes River and strike directly at the capital of the Duke of the Northwest—Sente.
If this fortress eventually fell… well, it would be a serious blow. If Jaius managed to advance to the west coast, he could split the alliance into northern and southern parts. However, according to the staff analysis, the pressure from Emden and the upper Wes River should be enough to stop the duke's forces. Jaius's urgent assault on Biddeburg seemed less about capturing it as a forward base and more about using it as a defensive barrier to prevent enemy counterattacks, allowing him to reallocate forces to deal with other Alden troops.
If the fortress did fall and Jaius proved to be more reckless than expected, Alden's southern route would be cut off. At that point, whether transporting goods or aiding allies cut off in the south, they would have to rely on the increasingly established naval fleet.
Losing an important transit hub wouldn't immediately collapse the alliance. The lords and commanders stationed at Biddeburg wouldn't perish with the castle but would escape through the tunnel to regroup and continue fighting from their territories.
As for what would happen next… who can say? War is, after all, a gamble. It's possible that both sides might end up negotiating a peace if they stalemate.
But as long as the worst outcome—total defeat and subjugation of the alliance—doesn't happen, Alden will secure a place in the Northwest Bay, becoming a significant force. The Grayman family would also shed its previous image as a quietly exiled house and gain a status befitting a high noble title.
"I'm a bit excited thinking about it!"
Paul blurted out something that left everyone puzzled.
Then, Paul received another surprising piece of news—Emden's surveying team had invented a method for rapid distance measurement for artillery based on trigonometric functions he had taught in school.
Two mixed emotions stirred in his heart…
One was the joy of being both a lord and a teacher: Oh my, the long-term investment in education is finally bearing fruit! He had only discussed the application of trigonometric functions in surveying and never expected it to be applied to military purposes.
The other was an inexplicable sense of disappointment: Damn, why didn't I think of this? I missed a chance to show off in front of the big guys.
Of course, the primary emotion was the former. This was a positive development. Technological progress and industrialization couldn't rely solely on his ideas; more people had to think, ponder, prove, and apply them. Paul believed such things would become increasingly common in the future.
Soon after, the meeting concluded. As people dispersed, Paul stood by the window of his office, gazing outside for a long while. Finally, unable to resist a certain impulse, he sat down at his desk.
Muttering to himself, "The aura of a prophet is still quite necessary at this stage…"
He began writing down "Some ideas on using lens devices for long-distance measurement…"
(End of the Chapter)
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