N-M #267 - Clean-up Campaign
#267 - Clean-up Campaign
The morning mist shrouded the earth like a light veil. Hoen stood on the high tower, his gaze piercing through the layers of fog, fixed on the distant Jeanne d'Arc Fortress.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, scattering across the vibrant green land, the streams shimmering with light.
From the 20th when they left the mountains to the great battle on the 22nd, Hoen had captured two important towns of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress in two consecutive days.
But from the 23rd to the 26th, for three days, the Salvation Army stayed in Grayforge Town, with almost no action.
Clearly, with the thoughts of Rudylo and Victor and others, they should have taken advantage of the unpreparedness to launch an attack as soon as possible.
But Hoen didn't think it was feasible.
It wasn't that Hoen didn't want to attack, but when they first defeated Enrico, some of the knights had already returned to Jeanne d'Arc Fortress, bringing the news of the defeat.
Now that Jeanne d'Arc Fortress was prepared, the advantage of surprise no longer existed.
On the contrary, they were exhausted from their long journey. If they rushed to attack, they could easily be counter-pushed by the Edict forces who were waiting in full strength.
Hoen's judgment on this campaign was to fight a slow battle quickly: the strategy should be slow, the preparation should be slow, the march should be fast, and the attack should be fast.
However, precisely because their march was too fast, they needed to wait for some important logistical supplies and weapons to arrive at Grayforge Town.
Taking this opportunity, the War Monks could also rest.
Two days of continuous fighting, even for the Salvation Army, was too tiring. They needed time to bandage their wounds and repair their weapons.
Especially the Holy Gunners, the high-intensity firing of Holy Wind had a considerable impact on their spirits, and they needed to sleep for most of the day before they could return to battle.
The only ones in relatively good condition were probably the Rudylo Black Hat Fourth Legion and the Mengsai Guard Second Legion, who had been eager to advance but hadn't had many opportunities to fight.
So, Hoen didn't let them idle for these three days, but instead ordered them to take turns going out to clear the surrounding knight manors and monasteries.
Having received the order, the two legions, guided by the local villagers and cuirassiers, began to clear the knight manors and monasteries everywhere.
"What are they doing?"
Standing on the grass covered with delicate little flowers, Mengsai stood blankly on a large rock, gazing at the monastery in the distance.
The monastery gate was wide open, and the priests were waving whips, directing the villagers to turn over the fields, draining the viscous soil to release the "foul odor from the Fire Hell."
Such a peaceful scene was normal around Jeanne d'Arc Fortress, but this monastery was in occupied territory.
It was located between Mayo Town and Grayforge Town!
The Salvation Army's attack and advance speed was too fast. For the habitually procrastinating Imperials, this efficiency was really unaccustomed.
Grayforge Town had already sent out the news of the Salvation Army's attack, but they still thought the Salvation Army was still in Mayo Town.
It would take six or seven days to get here from Mayo, so there was still plenty of time.
It was almost March, the season for plowing, and they needed to prepare grain seeds, plowing cattle, recruit migrant workers, and prepare to turn the soil, among other things.
They were unwilling to delay the important spring plowing time because of this small matter.
"Forget it."
Mengsai roughly guessed the situation of the monastery. "Don't think too much about it, let's just rush over!"
The sound of neat footsteps rang out, breastplates clanging. The War Monks, holding long spears and Holy Guns, advanced towards the monastery at a brisk pace of 50 meters per minute.
When the Salvation Army's legion arrived, the priests still didn't have much reaction.
Looking at their uniform attire, their standardized breastplates, brimmed helmets, and long spears, the priests thought they were mercenaries hired by Jeanne d'Arc Fortress.
It wasn't until the dense long spears were lowered, the shiny spear tips pointed at them, that these lazy soldiers and monks belatedly shouted the name of the Holy Father.
Until Mengsai had cleared the entire monastery, he hadn't expected it to be so easy.
Perhaps the security of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress had been too good in the past, and there were hardly any guards in these manors and monasteries.
Every attack on a manor or monastery was almost the same scene.
The nearby woodcutters came to report and guide the way, the cavalry scouted the terrain, and after arriving, they lined up and marched quickly.
The opponents stood still, unmoving, until the War Monks raised their long spears and stabbed, then they realized something was wrong.
The War Monks holding long spears quickly stormed into the manors and monasteries, the long spears piercing the corpses of the screaming night watchmen, and the armored soldiers fell in the uniform sound of gunfire.
Around the periphery of the monasteries, cuirassiers patrolled back and forth, preventing the transcendent knights from returning for a counterattack.
After the battle, they would burn the debts the farmers owed to the lords in one fell swoop, and then the chaplains of the Holy Father Society accompanying the army would begin to form the Protectorate Army among the farmers.
The Protectorate Army would appoint active farmers as squad leaders, and recommend respected and steady figures from the original villages and manors to serve as clerks.
They didn't need to provide Hoen with any supplies or pay taxes, they just needed to provide intelligence.
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As for the hundred-household reform, it was currently a time of war, and there was no time or energy for it yet.
Based on the idea of learning from past mistakes and treating illnesses to save people, the captured nobles and priests were only killed if they were extremely treacherous and evil, and those who were slightly treacherous and evil were sent to the Holy Trinity Education Team for reformation.
This large-scale cleansing operation brought Hoen ample military rations and detailed maps of the area near Jeanne d'Arc Fortress.
On the 23rd, the Black Hat Fourth Legion captured two manors in the morning, and the Guard Second Legion captured two monasteries in the afternoon.
On the 24th, the Black Hat Legion captured two manors in the morning, and the Guard Legion captured one monastery and three manors in the afternoon.
On the 25th, the Black Hat Legion captured two manors in the morning, and the Guard Legion captured two manors in the afternoon.
According to the established route, the two legions of the Salvation Army marched all the way.
The Guard Legion was still better, not taking too many destructive actions, and would not burn monasteries.
The Black Hat Legion was letting themselves go.
What monasteries, what country villas, burn them! Priests, kill them! Knights and their families, all slaughtered.
The distance from Mayo Town to the area around Grayforge Town, eleven manors, three monasteries, were one by one submerged in blood and smoke.
On the land of the manors and monasteries, the Protectorate Army gradually stood up and began to speak out for their rights.
Especially after the heads and armor of the knights were displayed in all directions, this educational effect was better than ten thousand propaganda leaflets.
In the end, wherever the Salvation Army went, the people welcomed them sincerely, and even the Protectorate Army began to appear in the controlled area of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress.
This situation naturally aroused the vigilance of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress. Every day, various carrier pigeons could be seen flying in the sky above Jeanne d'Arc Fortress, allowing Duke Danner's goshawks to have a good meal.
What was frustrating was that three days ago, after learning the news of the fall of Mayo Town and the great defeat of Grayforge Town, the Franconian Royal Knights and the Edict forces did not gather together to discuss countermeasures.
Instead, they occupied half of the city each, as if in a fit of pique.
It wasn't until the new bishop of the local church, Hoen's old acquaintance Argon, stepped in to barely put together a meeting, inviting both sides to sit down and chat.