Descending On France 1780
Chapter 208 - 201 Celebration Banquet

Chapter 208: 201 Celebration Banquet

Two hours later, Anning chatted with his entourage while galloping along the Adige River Valley.

The terrain in the valley was relatively flat, and during the flood season, the Adige River carved out a considerable expanse of flat riverbank. Although there was snow now, the horses didn’t slow down much on this kind of terrain.

From a distance, Anning could see the black smoke rising from the Austrian army’s burning tents.

Opposite the black smoke, the flow of the Adige River next to it also became much more turbulent, probably due to the Austrian army burning their camps, causing some of the snow to melt.

At noon, Anning met up with Lasalle, who had gone ahead on reconnaissance.

"You tell me, why did the Austrians suddenly start retreating?" Anning asked Lasalle while calming his horse that was eagerly stomping its hooves and gently patted the animal’s neck.

Lasalle spread his hands: "I don’t know. I swear, this morning the Austrian army looked like they were packing up their tents at the usual pace, but... oh right, I discovered this morning that someone may have reached the Austrian camp from a small path in the Eastern Mountains. I have evidence!"

Napoleon teased from the side: "He has evidence! Oh lord, it wasn’t the Italian woman you slept with last night that told you this, was it?"

Lasalle retorted annoyed: "Even in romantic Italy, there wouldn’t be a beauty suddenly jumping out of the woods."

Anning: "Maybe it was a lake nymph, after all, you can see Lake Garda after climbing San Marco Mountain."

Beethoven laughed: "Did a nymph from the lake give Lasalle a knife too?"

Beethoven, after all, was a learned man and knew the story of the Lake’s Holy Sword.

Anning: "Then I suggest we call this sword ’Undamaged Lake Light.’"

Lasalle: "What the hell, what are you all talking about? Nymphs and lakes, what does this have to do with the lake? And that thing you just said, ’Undamaged Lake Light’, that’s Latin, right? You know I don’t understand Latin at all. I’m a Cavalryman, understand, Cavalryman! I obviously wouldn’t understand Latin!"

Please apologize to all the Cavalrymen.

Lasalle continued shaking his head: "Please, explain in French what you’re talking about. My dear sir!"

Anning thought to himself, I can’t do this, if I say ’Undamaged Lake Light’ again it will be translated into Latin.

In reality, it should be translated into Celtic. Doesn’t this golden finger understand that!

While Anning was pondering this, Lasalle was still insisting: "What exactly did you just say, spare a thought for a rough bloke like me, I won’t feel good smoking today if you don’t tell me!"

Anning had no choice but to say "Undamaged Lake Light" again, and damn it, this time it came out in Scottish Gaelic, a language very close to ancient Celtic and considered part of the pan-Celtic language. "Gaelic" is actually a derivative of "Celtic."

Anning himself was shocked after saying it.

The thing is, he even knew what language he was speaking, as the translation system would impart the knowledge related to this language into Anning’s mind while translating.

Everyone else was completely baffled.

Nobody understood Scottish Gaelic, except Beethoven who hesitantly said: "It sounds a bit like... Old Irish?"

And sure enough, Beethoven got it partially right, as Old Irish also shares roots with the Celtic languages.

Seeing the curious looks of everyone, Anning had no choice but to reveal the mystery: "It’s Celtic, what I’m talking about is a British... um, maybe Scottish or Irish... Anyway, it’s a legend from over there. ’Undamaged Lake Light’ is Lancelot’s sword under King Arthur, given by a nymph in the lake."

For some reason, it feels like the lake spirits or nymphs of Britain quite like forging swords for humans.

Further interestingly, the French aren’t far behind – the exemplar for French knights, Roland, also had a Holy Sword forged by a lake nymph/fairy.

It’s just... quite the match, almost like a competition.

You have the Knight King, I have the Holy Knight Roland; you have King Arthur’s Round Table knights, I have Charlemagne’s twelve Holy Knights.

Anning briefly introduced the story of ’Undamaged Lake Light’ he was referring to, and Napoleon was already admiring: "Andy, you... no, you truly are a giant of knowledge!"

In the Chinese context, sometimes using respectful titles like ’you’ can give off a feeling of being sarcastic.

Napoleon was clearly expressing his genuine respect.

Anning shrugged, "I’ve merely spent other people’s poop time on reading."

This remark was taken as an act of self-deprecating humor by everyone, and they all burst into laughter.

Lasalle even added, "Then you must have been taking quite a lot of dumps, no wonder your estate is so fertile."

In this era, there was no chemical fertilizer, and poop was a precious organic manure, where there was a rural area, there would be towering piles of dung.

David: "My god, if we keep talking about this, I’m going to vomit out this morning’s breakfast."

Lasalle: "Hahaha, I ate too dry this morning, can’t vomit anything. Right, what were we talking about just now? I remember I was reporting something very important."

Anning: "You were talking about discovering someone who had crossed the Eastern Mountains and delivered a message to the Austrians."

"Oh right, come with me." As he spoke, Lasalle dismounted and walked into the chaos left by the burning of the Austrian encampment.

Filled with curiosity, Anning dismounted and followed.

The melting snow had re-frozen, making the ground extremely slippery, and Anning had to be careful not to fall while keeping up with Lasalle’s pace.

Finally, Lasalle stopped at the beginning of a winding mountain path.

One of Lasalle’s cavalrymen dismounted and squatted at the start of the path.

Lasalle: "My subordinate, before he was cavalry, he was a hunter."

Anning: "A hunter turned cavalry? Why not join my precision shooters?"

The cavalryman glanced at Anning and said irritably, "Sir, when we hunt, we use bows and arrows, you fire a gun and every game flies away."

Anning: "Okay... So what did you find?"

The hunter pointed at the ground: "A horse, lame on one leg, likely caused by traveling quickly over rugged terrain. This horse is completely ruined, probably incurable, and will likely be slaughtered for meat."

Anning: "So, an Austrian rode here on a lame horse, reported to Von Wumze, and then Von Wumze beat a hasty retreat?"

Anning looked around at the officers, and everyone nodded slightly.

"Lasalle," Anning addressed his Cavalry King, "how many officers under Boliue were captured? I mean, those with ranks and experience sufficient to persuade Von Wumze."

Lasalle: "Vukcevic, only him."

Anning slapped his forehead forcefully. Why him?

In the history of another timeline, Vukcevic had once outsmarted Massena, his early morning surprise attack nearly trapped Massena at an Italian widow’s house, and the later Marshal fled in his underwear in disgrace.

Later he had to get an extra set of uniform before commanding the troops again...

Anning: "Vukcevic brought intelligence that made Von Wumze realize he was in the dangerous position of being split up, and then he retreated rapidly."

Anning punched a tree and cursed, "Damn, the duck was right at the lips and it flew away!"

Napoleon: "Maybe Davout could create a miracle?"

Lasalle: "The side Davout took is not as easy to traverse as this side of the valley. No matter how good Davout’s marching ability is, he can’t block the enemy before the Austrians retreat."

Anning cursed again.

Napoleon: "Actually, we didn’t lose out. We just won a big victory, annihilating Marshal Boliue’s troops."

Lasalle: "And we captured the Marshal. Because of me."

Napoleon: "Yes yes, because of you. So, Andy, since we can’t catch Von Wumze now, let the troops pull back for rest and hold a victory banquet. The coldest time in Northern Italy is about to arrive."