Work Prophet
Chapter 603 - 35: The Empire’s Famous General

Chapter 603: Chapter 35: The Empire’s Famous General

Ireya subsequently learned from Kamzi and others that the ten thousand strong army brought by Marquis Kuren had dwindled to less than three thousand, and these three thousand soldiers had essentially lost their ability to fight.

The good news was that most of them were simply starving and would probably be able to recover their strength and rejoin the battle after getting a meal and resting for a couple of days.

The bad news was that those Dwarves probably wouldn’t give them that time.

Nevertheless, Lady Ireya decided to evacuate the survivors from the valley first.

Aside from Ying Song and his hundred-plus warriors, Miss Rabbit dispatched an additional three hundred troops and two hundred cavalry horses, which enabled them to relocate most of the people to a safe area outside the valley before dawn.

They were given food and clean water, and the army’s Herbalists and Monks from the Double Rest Sect were called upon to treat their illnesses.

The rescued were tearfully grateful to Lady Ireya and the Sabbath, and some burst into sobs after escaping the deadly valley.

It wasn’t until the last person was out of danger that Lady Ireya breathed a sigh of relief. But before she could sit down to rest, Duren came to find her.

The former Imperial Forest Guard Captain got straight to the point, "We’re running low on supplies."

"Hmm?"

"We brought enough provisions for ten days when we entered the mountains, and today is the fourth day. We originally had six days’ worth of supplies left, but now with an extra three thousand mouths to feed, the remaining food will last at most four more days."

"When is the next resupply supposed to arrive?" Lady Ireya asked.

"We’ve arranged with Morse for the day after tomorrow. He has dispatched Rangers to roam behind us, and so far, they’ve not detected any trace of those wild people."

"So the new supplies and military necessities will arrive the day after tomorrow. Is there anything else we need to worry about?" Miss Rabbit asked, puzzled.

Duren shook his head, yet his expression was somewhat grim, "I don’t know. It’s just a premonition. Something about those Dwarves lurking in the mountains seems off."

The former Imperial Forest Guard Captain paused, then continued, "If I were their commander, I wouldn’t give up the blockade on the valley so easily.

"Moreover, when we evacuated people earlier, they didn’t make any move, like rolling down stones."

"Hmm, could it be because it was too dark and they didn’t notice?"

Even after she said it, Lady Ireya realized that this was unlikely.

It might have been possible when she first sent Ying Song and others into the valley, but later, with several hundred people and horses moving in and out, those on the mountain would have been impossible to remain unaware, even in the dead of night.

However, following their discussion, she and Duren could not figure out what the Dwarves were up to. It seemed uncharacteristic for them to mercifully leave such an easy prey uneaten and return these three thousand people to her.

With dawn approaching, Lady Ireya had to set aside this issue and focus on the imminent battle.

As the first light of morning pierced through the clouds and lit the horizon,

six Dji drones were launched by the Double Rest Sect, with six Sabbath carefully operating these iron birds to ascend skyward and fly towards the nearby peaks,

searching for the lurking enemy.

Additionally, Greta’s rats were also bustling with activity. Although they couldn’t transmit what they see in real-time like the drones and didn’t fly as fast or as high,

They had the advantage of being native to these mountains, more familiar with the terrain, and even if discovered, they would not arouse suspicion.

Greta, too, was fueled by a competitive spirit, seemingly eager to see whether she could outdo the Double Rest Sect’s monks in locating the target first.

Soon enough, the rats made a discovery. According to the intelligence they brought back, a troop was secretly retreating to the southeast.

However, the rats did not know the exact size of the troop. In contrast, the drones, although a bit late, viewed the scene from above and also noticed the group’s movement.

Moreover, the footage sent back clearly showed a troop of Dwarf Warriors, numbering between one hundred and two hundred, retreating in an orderly fashion without any signs of panic, a clear indication of premeditation.

Another drone, searching in the opposite direction, also found a small detachment of Dwarf forces, also in the process of retreating.

The Lady made a decisive call and dispatched two Cavalry units to pursue. Before they set off, Miss Rabbit lent each leading Knight a wireless walkie-talkie.

This allowed them to maintain constant contact with the main army. She also ordered that the drones which had spotted the Dwarfs lock onto the ground targets and move with them, while the remaining drones continued their reconnaissance mission.

Miss Rabbit did not understand what information warfare meant.

After all, in another universe, the first information war would not take place until the early twenty-first century.

A Superpower used a non-existent pretext to declare war on a regional power. In less than a month, it crushed most of the latter’s official military forces and took control of the entire territory.

The precision strikes coordinated with a satellite system by that Superpower, along with the digitalization of its troops, indeed stunned the world and led to widespread emulation.

What happened after the end of the war, when they were plunged into a sea of people’s war, is another story.

Naturally, the Lady’s side did not have satellites, and the communication devices they used to stay in touch were just the simplest forms of civilian walkie-talkies, with no encrypted channels.

The drones were not equipped with missiles either. Compared to that globally-watched war of the century, her setup was rudimentary to say the least.

But the opposition’s equipment was even more primitive.

By the standards of the Bratis Continent, the Dwarfs’ forces could also be considered elite troops. Every one of them wore Armor and carried a War Axe, and the commanding Dwarf officers even had small ponies.

But their way of marching and fighting had not changed much from hundreds of years ago. Dividing into squads may have improved command to some extent, but they were only executing previously set plans.

When they saw all the Imperial people had left the valley, they too began their retreat, oblivious to whether they were being pursued or not.

After all, they did not have the sort of "cheat" Miss Rabbit used in combat, effectively enabling her to have full view of the map—it was as if they were walking in a fog of war everywhere they went.

Furthermore, once troops were separated, they had no way to contact each other unless they met again, so even if someone sensed danger, they could not warn their comrades.

It was every unit for itself, with predictable consequences.

It never occurred to the Dwarfs that in such a vast mountain range, despite retreating separately and each taking different directions, they could all be found by the enemy one by one and pursued.

Once a unit had completed its killings, it did not even need to return, as the Lady immediately issued a second command for them to continue pursuing new targets.

In a medieval war setting, micromanagement was suddenly played out. As the battle progressed, Miss Rabbit, who had been somewhat nervous at first, gradually relaxed.

She pondered whether leading an army was not that difficult after all, or could it be that she had an astonishing natural talent for command, perhaps a hidden gem of a general in the making?