When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 854 - 805: Halting the Progress of the Plague

Imperial Calendar, January 22, 1449.

Lower Reif County, Rapids City.

The intermittent heavy snow that lasted a week finally stopped, and a warm sun appeared once again in the cold sky.

Residents took out their moldy quilts, hanging them in courtyards or on rooftops to dry.

The chimneys of the modified honeycomb coal fireplaces in Rapids City expelled plumes of gray smoke into the sky.

On the snow-covered flat area surrounding the city, concentric circles the size of washbasins marked the traces of burning honeycomb coal stoves.

After three years of promotion, honeycomb coal made from peat gradually replaced firewood, making its way into thousands of households.

Especially in urban areas where firewood couldn't be easily obtained, people had no choice but to purchase the relatively durable and cheap peat.

For the Uffizi Palace, the ruling authority in Lower Reif County, fireplaces were still in use.

Firstly, the construction was old, and the renovation costs were very high.

Secondly, the expensive price of firewood was nothing to the Lower Reif County Governor, Rapids City Governor, and Speaker of the Council of Advisors, Catherine, who could pile up gold coins into a bed.

The firewood inside the fireplace burned fiercely, and the people in the room, dressed in short sleeves, were listening attentively to the report from Jeska, coming from the front lines.

"On January 17, our unit of 5,000 escorted the last batch of supplies and personnel to evacuate Xia Lvcheng... According to current statistics, only about 8,000 soldiers and knights who can wield weapons are left."

"By noon the next day, the Leia army outside the city launched another attack. The militia on the outer wall scattered, and the army outside the city, after controlling the city gates, had not yet temporarily entered."

"On January 19, around 2 a.m., about 2,000 knights of the enemy at Arrow Bay, including two decree units, pursued. Our unit was responsible for the rear guard...

After securing the fleet and the main force's departure, I ordered the use of spring cannons for rear action. However, the Leia army also responded with spring cannons...

Fortunately, heavy snow fell, hindering the Leia army's advance, allowing us to reach our fortress-controlled area.

Post-battle casualty count showed our unit had around 200 to 300 severely injured and currently 95 deceased.

Considering the casualties from previous battles, the total casualties of our Norn New Army have exceeded 800, and fatigue is so great that it's feared that they may not be able to fight again temporarily..."

Several senior partners and high-level monks present furrowed their brows.

In Horn's casualty statistics system, injuries mean the severely wounded, deaths mean the deceased, both indicating an inability to return to the battlefield in the near future, i.e., a reduction in personnel.

The Norn New Army led by Jeska has 5,000 members, and after excluding lightly injured personnel and service soldiers, the estimated attrition rate is close to 20%.

The only things sustaining them so far are the determination to protect spoils of war and an endless desire for money.

If it were André saying these words, Horn might have some doubts, but if Jeska says it's impossible to fight again soon, then it's truly impossible.

The final blocking battle was probably more dangerous and bloody than reported.

"Tsk." Horn subconsciously clicked his tongue.

He originally wanted Jeska to support Adan Castle, but this plan likely fell through.

As it stands, the shaky Adan Castle might have to be abandoned.

So now both the Black Champion Army and Adan Castle's garrison have to pull back to Haji Castle.

It's an unavoidable situation; the dry season in winter means the upper gears are difficult to operate normally.

Located upstream, the Adan Castle water flow is far less abundant and turbulent than that at Haji Castle, so they can only shrink back to Haji Castle for now.

Just after a heavy snow, based on Horn's understanding of the Leia people and the existing intelligence—

Their next attack on Haji Castle is at least a week, or even two weeks away.

Perhaps sensing the Saint's Grandson's displeasure, the reporting officer cautiously said, "If you need, the new army can completely..."

"No need." Horn interrupted directly, "The conclusion drawn by the frontline commanders should not be easily overturned... Where have the garrison retreated to?"

The officer responsible for reporting flipped through the intelligence book in his hands quickly: "Currently, about 1,300 infected soldiers have been placed on Theodore Island, and over 10,000 soldiers are settled in Kenke Town and its surroundings."

"And the civilians?"

"Hard to count, it's estimated to be one or two thousand, they're artisans and merchants from the city."

"These garrisons... do not let them return to Rapids City for now." Horn's words made the room several decibels quieter than before.

"Set up baptism camps around Kenke Town, and call for monks from Kasha County to the north, to gradually begin purifying the plague and prevent its spread."

It's worth mentioning, the Church's Divine Art is quite effective in expelling plagues, with the Holy Light's bactericidal effect being significant.

Horn concurred in his mind, as according to many Scriptures of Miseria, the original creation of Divine Art was to combat the great plague at the end of the Empire.

Research from Hilov shows that Scripture Recitation Divine Technique suppresses spells primarily by restraining the Demon-Loving Fungus.

"These baptism camps should still follow the old routine: shaving heads, deworming, changing clothes, and a seven-day observation period before allowing passage through the Damp Dock.

Both soldiers and residents alike must go through the baptism camps first, to prevent latent diseases from being brought back inland." As Horn spoke, the people around picked up their notebooks and began scribbling down notes.

Should any discrepancies arise in the future, apart from the records kept by the Secret Monks, these work notes would also serve as important evidence.

It's essentially a distributed recording system.

A high-level monk from Blago Monastery raised his hand: "Your Eminence, aren't we being overly cautious about these epidemics?"

"You can never be too cautious in the face of a plague." This was Horn's honest thought, and he sternly addressed those present, "Let's not be defeated by the Leia Knights, only to fall to the plague."

.........

After the meeting, the high-level monks and partners all picked up paper and pens, leaving together with the clerks.

The once-bustling conference room now only had Catherine and Horn left.

After tidying up the papers and files, Catherine deliberately slowed down when passing by Horn's position: "Have all the representatives arrived?"

"At the latest, three to five days, they should be here."

"Are you sure everyone will agree?"

"As long as the vast majority agree, that's enough. Do you think I've spent the past three years only focusing on economic development?"

With a sly grin, Horn made a gesture of reaching out with both hands, grabbing forcefully: "I handle both tasks deftly."

Catherine expelled a mouthful of air, scolded shamelessly, then turned and walked out of the conference room.

Horn was the last to stand up, looking at the thick pile of battle reports on the table, lost in thought.

In this brief engagement lasting less than a month, more than 12,000 enemy troops were defeated.

They withdrew from Xia Lvcheng, preserving enough viable forces to replenish the fortresses along the way.

Although they lost the capital of Hotam County and most of its cities, those were virtually undefended plains areas.

It could basically be considered as preserving the soldiers while losing the land; both soldiers and land were preserved.

The battle for Xia Lvcheng persisted for over a hundred days, seemingly long, but it was merely a preliminary skirmish.

In terms of results, this battle can only be considered a draw.

This was all due to the efforts of Horn and others.

If they continued to defend or if Jeanne hadn't split her forces to support Adan Castle, or if Jeska hadn't succeeded in battle, even a draw wouldn't be achieved.

Next, they will engage in bloody attrition battles around the twelve great fortresses on the Nao'an River and countless small outposts.

A rampart fortified with nearby outposts requires only a tenth of the besieging army's forces to hold them down with their entire army. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The retreating garrison from Xia Lvcheng is redistributed to these fortresses, averaging nearly a thousand stationed at each one.

Theoretically, capable of holding down an army of 100,000.

The quick-setting mortar and new construction methods have quietly changed the shape of the war.

As the balance of power between the enemy and us approaches, once they converge, it will be the time for a counterattack.

Staring out the window at the snow-covered sandy red roofs, the white mist from Horn's breath condensed into small droplets on the glass:

"Spring, when will it truly arrive?"