Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Chapter 732 732 49 Iron bar_2

?Chapter 732: Chapter 49 Iron bar_2 Chapter 732: Chapter 49 Iron bar_2 Winters had no intention of knocking Paratu, just that the latter had performed well, and he casually reminded him.

As for what Paratu thought, that was Paratu’s business, Winters couldn’t control it, nor did he care.

In the square of Forging Village, a convoy was ready to depart, with the unit in charge of the escort being Captain Thomas’s First Company.

“Don’t save the horses’ strength, the faster it reaches Lieutenant Bard the better. Tell Lieutenant Bard, this is the first batch, there will be more being sent continuously,” Winters instructed Thomas, “Once there, leave the draft horses. Bring back the horses that are distributed to each farm.”

“Yes, sir!” Thomas saluted forcefully.

Winters helped the company commander adjust his helmet, and sighed, “Don’t disgrace me again.”

Thomas felt so wronged that his nose tingled, and he saluted again: “Yes, sir!”

…

Just this afternoon, Captain Thomas had been severely criticized by Winters in public.

If it weren’t for the inconvenience of reassigning units under the new organization, Captain Thomas would now be Captain of the Twelfth Company.

Because, after Winters’s personal inspection, he found the food preparation situation of each company was a complete mess.

Especially a short soldier from the First Company, who brought only a piece of bread, which was a far cry from the “two weeks” standard.

Slightly fermented dough, baked twice, was both lightweight and didn’t take up space; that was military food. Bread, a fluffy food, didn’t even count as dry rations.

Winters didn’t discipline the soldier; he disciplined the company commander, especially the commander of the First Company.

According to the tradition of the legion, the sequence of each company and its combat strength were closely related. The First Company had the strongest combat power, and that was why he was the commander of the First Company.

But as a result of his inspection, the First Company’s preparations for battle were the worst.

On the contrary, Second Company Commander Bart Xialing did an excellent job.

The Second Company averaged three and a half weeks of rations per person, and there was no situation where “some soldiers had more, others less,” which was particularly commendable.

On the spot, Winters took out a gold cross medal and hung it on the flag of the Second Company.

[Note: Andre’s medal, and the two medals of Winters, had already been melted down]
…

“Alright,” Winters waved his hand: “Let’s go.”

Thomas mounted his horse, saluted again, and rode off.

Winters watched the wagons rumble out of Forging Village, until the convoy vanished into the night.

He could not spare any troops for Bard, not even a company.

With Iron Peak County bordered by a river, if the troop strength was sufficient or if there was a fleet, obviously the best strategy would be to defend along the river.

But he had neither troops nor a fleet.

He had to clench his fist and punch hard at the noseridges of those by the fire. Even a ten-man team’s difference in strength could determine the success or failure of that punch.

So, he couldn’t spare any troops for Bard; Bard and the refugee camp could only rely on themselves.

A one-armed middle-aged soldier stood behind Winters, silently observing all this.

In a soft voice, the one-armed soldier asked, “Not giving a single soldier, can Lieutenant Bard really manage?”

“He has to manage, there’s no choice,” Winters said after a long silence: “I trust Bard, and he trusts me.”

The wind gently blew, bringing with it the distant muffled sounds of hammers from the forge.

“The last time I saw this level of trust,” the one-armed soldier revealed a reminiscent smile: “was between a hammer and a shield.”

Winters burst into loud laughter, grabbed the one-armed soldier’s arm: “Enough. Colonel, don’t jinx us. Let’s head back to Revodan. Have you forgotten that Mrs. Mitchell is hosting you tonight?”

“I really don’t want to go. I’m afraid when I see that lady.”

“Are there still women that can make you feel afraid?”

“At least there’s one right now.”

…

…

Colonel Bod had returned to Paratu three days ago.

According to the customs of the Paratu People, an occasion as joyous as Colonel Bod’s regaining his freedom and returning to his homeland required inviting family and friends to celebrate with a feast, as a way to signify the break from past misfortunes.

Although the current situation was special, Winters still wanted to give the Colonel a proper reception.

After much consideration, he could only ask Mrs. Mitchell for help.

Winters felt greatly indebted to Mrs. Mitchell. Gerard’s fate was unknown, he had sent Pierre on the most dangerous mission, and he had also taken advantage of Mrs. Mitchell.

Mrs. Mitchell never showed him the slightest reproach, which made Winters feel even more guilt.

Therefore, in the end, it was Anna who reached out to Mrs. Mitchell for help.

Ellen Mitchell graciously agreed, and thus the “family banquet” was arranged.

Mrs. Ellen Mitchell was the hostess, with Colonel Bod Gates as the guest of honor.

The male guests included Winters, Mason, and Father Caman.

Andre wasn’t there, as he and Tang Juan were both leading scouts into the wilderness; Lieutenant Colonel Moritz avoided Colonel Bod and did not attend the banquet either.

The female guests included Anna and Catherine, with Scarlett not present.

Because Scarlett had taken it upon herself to cut her hair, Mrs. Mitchell didn’t allow her at the dining table.

However, this suited the little wildcat perfectly, as she was now hiding in the kitchen, indulging in sneaking tastes of the food, no dish had escaped her “poisonous hands”—clearly, Ellen had not anticipated this.

With only six guests, Ellen chose a two-meter-long dining table, neither too distant nor too cramped.

Ellen also opened two bottles of wine brought from Wolf Town. In Revodan today, wine was a rare commodity.

The guests toasted and chatted, intentionally avoiding topics like war, politics, and the Herders, creating a pleasant and intimate atmosphere.

Colonel Bod’s humorous anecdotes followed one after another, and laughter never ceased at the table.