Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Chapter 748 748 54 Blazing Fire

?Chapter 748: Chapter 54: Blazing Fire Chapter 748: Chapter 54: Blazing Fire Fire.

A fire that raged to the horizon.

The monsoon cheered it on, turning the blaze into a line that swept towards the east, spreading beyond the field of vision in the blink of an eye.

The wild beasts trapped within the firescape frantically scattered in all directions, while ground squirrels, driven by instinct, burrowed deeper into the ground.

Billowing smoke surged straight into the sky. The haze, carried by the westerly wind, traveled dozens of kilometers to Iron Peak County.

Lieutenant Andreya Chelini spat out the black ash from her mouth, her expression blank as she rode her horse across scorched earth ravaged by the fierce fire.

The air was scorching, the remaining smoke choking; the horses were nervously snorting due to their restlessness, just like Andre’s subordinates who were also coughing incessantly.

Arson didn’t require too many people; Andre divided his subordinates into five teams, each headed to different parts of the desolate areas.

“The flames are smaller over there,” Andre pointed towards a hillside in the northeast, “go and patch it up.”

Two cavalrymen saluted and galloped away.

Fire outbreaks on the grasslands were not uncommon; a single lightning strike or a moment of negligence could invoke the wrath of the fire god.

However, for the Herders, deliberately setting a fire to provoke the fury of the heavens was unprecedented and unheard of.

Unlike the towering infernos of forest fires, grassland fires had low flames that seemed like a low wall from a distance.

The tall vegetation of forests hindered the flow of wind, whereas the open expanses of the grasslands allowed the fierce winds to sweep the flames across the land unchecked.

Especially on windy days, the speed at which the flames spread was terrifying.

Panicked animals either got caught up in the explosive front of the fire or collapsed while running.

Andre’s warhorse stepped on a stone, its charred outer layer scraped off by the hoof, revealing tender, dark red flesh inside.

Andre focused on the “stone,” recognizing it for what it was—it should be a young antelope. The poor creature, born in spring, grown in the height of summer, had not even experienced its first winter before perishing in a sea of fire.

Gently tugging the reins to steer clear of the young antelope’s body, Andre looked around; the once thriving grassland was now a hellish landscape of death.

The earth was charred as far as the eye could see, with only a few dark red embers flickering dimly, like the last breaths of the dying.

The sound of hooves approached from afar; a squadron of cavalry was racing towards Andre.

“It’s the command of Officer A,” a guard hurriedly reported to Andre.

Tang Juan, leading his squadron, sped all the way to Andre’s side.

“Let’s go!” Juan, with his carefree attitude, said to his junior, “The barbarians are already heading this way.”

Clutching the reins, Andre’s face revealed no emotion; after a long silence, he slowly spoke, “Not enough.”

“Not enough?” Tang Juan, puzzled, asked, “What’s not enough?”

“The burning—it’s not enough.”

Tang Juan was first stunned, then burst into laughter, eventually roaring with laughter, “At least several hundred thousand hectares of pasture have been burned, and that’s not enough? The grasslands are vast, how could it all possibly burn to ash? It’s enough already.”

Finished speaking, Tang Juan called out to the Iron Peak County cavalry, “Ahead is the fire, behind us the enemy. Let’s head north, bypass the fire, and go through Vernge County back to Iron Peak County.”

“Affirmative!” replied the cavalry in unison.

Iron Peak County was upstream, while Vernge County was downstream. The further downstream one went, the larger the water volume of the [Big Horn River-Glory River] became, making it more difficult to cross.

Therefore, Winters arranged for the squadrons to focus on burning the upstream areas—that is, the pastures at the border between Upper Iron Peak County and Middle Iron Peak County.

The cavalry squadron from Iron Peak County was limited in manpower; they could not afford to attend to Upper Iron Peak County and the even further north territories.

“Let’s go,” Tang Juan, tugging at Andre’s sleeve, said, “Have you become addicted to the burning or what?”

“It’s not enough,” Andre said, his gaze icy, “The fire is good, but the wind direction is wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Tang Juan let go of him.

Andre pointed towards the smoke on the fire with his riding crop, “The summer wind blows west, the winter wind east. And we are to the east, with the Herders to the west. Burning like this, we can only burn the pasture, reach Iron Peak County, but not the Herders.”

“Then what?” Tang Juan smirked, “Can’t exactly ask the Lord to bless us and change the direction of the wind, can we?”

“Senior,”
“What is it?”

“To burn towards the Herders, we need to go even further west of the Herders’ land,” Andre’s expression was very calm, “Give me all of your squadron’s warhorses.”

“What are you planning to do?” Tang Juan’s face hardened, “Have you gone mad?”

Andre didn’t answer.

“West?” Tang Juan pointed sharply, demanding, “The barbarians are sweeping in like a net, Herder scouts are everywhere, how will you get through?”

Andre didn’t answer.

“Even if you could break through that net, further west is still the domain of the barbarians,” Tang Juan, seizing Andre’s collar, pressed, “Without a guide, and language barriers, with enemies all around, how will you survive?”

Andre remained silent.

“No rear support, no reinforcement, not even a plan!” Tang Juan chastised loudly, “What kind of foolhardy battle strategy is this? One wrong step and the entire army could be annihilated! Reckless, stupid, utterly clueless!”

Casually, Andre asked, “So are you coming with me?”

“I’m coming.”

…

The thick smoke from the burning grasslands drifted dozens of kilometers away, shrouding Shovel Port in haze as well.

Mayor Botar of Shovel Port Town coughed as he walked into the church, complaining loudly, “Damn it! What is this godawful weather? Where exactly did the fire start?”

Mr. Alpha was sitting in a seat in front of the altar, engrossed in reading a notice.

Hearing Botar’s crude language, Mr. Alpha, without looking up, pointed to the holy symbol, “Watch your language, Mr. Botar.”