Chapter 1385 - 1301: Battle of Mot (Prologue)

Chapter 1385: Chapter 1301: Battle of Mot (Prologue)

On April 23, 1463, in the Imperial Calendar, the central army of the Holy Alliance, accompanied by ten thousand Falan foreign legions, officially crossed the Inn River, advancing towards the west bank.

The Holy Grail Cavalry, led by Kolebo, cleared a landing zone for them in advance.

On April 24, the Holy Alliance army, having finished their rest, immediately launched an attack on the vampires on the west bank.

Due to Konyaz’s order to capture forts in the south, most of the forces on the northern side had been redeployed to the south.

On the northern defensive line, especially in the direction leaning towards the Nao’an River, only more than twenty thousand vampires remained.

Moreover, these vampires were scattered across various strongholds, unable to form any effective resistance.

Through intelligence from Cheka and captured prisoner interrogations, Horn learned about the garrison situation here.

He decided quickly, splitting off four battle groups to destroy each fortress along the defensive line.

The Holy Alliance Army advanced like a hot knife through butter, consecutively breaking through three defensive lines, with vampire strongholds along the way either being directly overrun or fleeing at their approach.

On April 25, the Holy Alliance captured Kosa Fort.

On April 27, the Holy Alliance’s Black Crown Battle Group decisively defeated the First Legion of the Xi’erwa Tikus at Mordok Fort.

By April 30, the scheduled arrival time for the Holy Alliance, their grand army had already advanced to within a hundred miles of Fida City.

Fida City is the logistical center for the Xi’erwa Tikus Clan Army, storing a large amount of blood pact ammunition, blood bags, the remains of Duhou Cannons, and plundered grain and supplies from the surroundings.

Twenty miles northwest of Fida City is the Karagant Ferry, where two large armies of the Royal Palace Imperial Guard are stationed, guarding the retreat and supply line of the Vampire Army.

Outside Fida City, the former palace of the King of France had long been occupied by the Xi’erwa Tikus.

This white stone palace had lost its former splendor.

Inside the palace was chaos, with the corridors filled with vampires officers and staff in a state of panic.

"How could it be so fast?!" Xi’erwa Tikus stood in the center of the great hall, his pale face filled with incredulous anger and anxiety.

Previously, it was said that the Holy Alliance would not arrive at Flower Hill until the end of the month.

But now it’s the end of the month, and they have already reached Fida City!

Xi’erwa Tikus was a seasoned general, but he couldn’t understand how the Holy Alliance got here so quickly.

What’s worse, the northern defensive line he set up, although not considered solid, was by no means so fragile that it could be breached instantly.

Yet the Holy Alliance army had pierced through all obstacles in just seven days, directing their forces at his logistical lifeline.

He didn’t even have time to mobilize forces from other places to gather support!

"My lord, the Holy Alliance’s advancement is too rapid," said a trembling staffer, bowing, "Moreover, Falan’s foreign legion seems to have suddenly become combat-capable, no longer the weak and chaotic group they used to be."

"So what if they’re combat-capable? They’re just humans!" another officer shouted angrily, "We should hold Fida City and rely on the walls and Duhou Cannons to fight them!"

"Fight? How?" Xi’erwa Tikus glared at him, "The walls of Fida City can’t stop the Holy Alliance’s twelve-pound cannons!"

"Then request reinforcements from the Karagant Ferry! The Royal Palace Imperial Guard is just to the south, have them send troops to support!" suggested another staff member.

"No!" Hesitating for two seconds, Xi’erwa Tikus immediately rejected, "The ferry is critically important, no one is allowed to mobilize troops from there without orders from Lord Konyaz!"

The crowd voiced suggestions, each either impractical or contradictory.

The noise in the great hall grew louder and louder, yet no feasible plan emerged.

Xi’erwa Tikus looked at this group of panicked advisors and felt a headache.

He thought he was taking over a stable defensive line, only to encounter such a surprise attack, now with scarcely any room to retaliate.

Just as he was nearing despair, the doors to the great hall were suddenly pushed open, and a guard hurried in, bowing, "My lord, Lord Konyaz has arrived!"

Everyone instantly calmed down and turned their gaze to the entrance.

They saw Konyaz rarely wearing the scarlet uniform of the Royal Palace Imperial Guard, stepping forward with a stern expression.

"Lord Konyaz!" Xi’erwa Tikus, as if grasping a lifeline, hurriedly stepped forward.

Konyaz did not immediately reply but instead walked to the scattered maps.

He bent down to lay the maps out again, tracing his finger over them, "Where is the Holy Alliance’s troop deployment? What’s the advancement route?"

Xi’erwa Tikus promptly had the staff report, explaining the composition of the Holy Alliance’s four battle groups, two Falan foreign legions, and the defensive lines breached along the way.

Konyaz listened and nodded, showing no trace of panic.

"Sir, can we mobilize the army from the south attacking Tulip Castle to support us?" an officer could not help but ask, "Once the reinforcements arrive, we can attack both flanks and encircle the Holy Alliance’s army!"

Konyaz glanced at him coldly, "No, the south is besieging Tulip Castle, Kazi’s two legions can barely hold up."

If we withdraw now, not only would all our previous efforts be in vain, but we’d also let the Falan army catch their breath.

And there is something different about the Falan army this time, they’re much tougher than before. If we withdraw them, it might lead to a collapse in the south."

The group’s expressions darkened, someone else asked, "What about the Archelon Clan Army and the Neuer Clan Army from White Sands? If they hurry, it might still be in time!"

"It’s too late." Konyaz pointed on the map, "White Sands is too far, and lately the logistic supplies for the stationed legions have had issues, moving as slow as snails. By the time they arrive, Fida City will already be lost."

He paused, his gaze sharpening, "I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly when I return, whether it’s negligence from logistic officers or an internal traitor!"

Silence once again enveloped the great hall, with everyone realizing that reinforcements couldn’t be counted on.

"In hindsight, we shouldn’t have sent troops south..."

"Shh, Lord Konyaz is still here!"

"Lower your voice, lower your voice."

Amidst the surrounding whispers, Konyaz’s expression remained unchanged as he continued to focus on the map.

In contrast, Xi’erwa Tikus looked pale, his voice hoarse, "Does it mean we can only wait here to die?"

"Even if you want to wait to die, I won’t let you sit idly by." Konyaz replied woodenly, "Given the current situation, we have no other choice but to engage in direct confrontation."

"Engage directly, but the forces in Fida City are insufficient."

"I will deploy the Royal Palace Imperial Guard over here..."

Xi’erwa Tikus’s eyes widened, "What about the ferry?"

"With Fida City blocking, they can’t reach the ferry. If Fida City falls, the southern troops won’t make it past Fida City to reach the ferry anyway."

At this point, losing Fida City would be equivalent to losing the Karagant Ferry.

At least Fida City has walls, while the ferry has nothing, relying solely on field battles.

Yet, the army from River Island’s Royal Court has also run into problems, as their marching speed is surprisingly slow for unknown reasons.

Despite investigations, no cause can be found, leaving even the usually composed Konyaz irritable.

Under normal circumstances, reinforcements from River Island should have arrived quickly, making the defense of Karagant Port meaningful.

But now, with the Holy Alliance advancing too fast and reinforcements too slow, stubbornly defending the ferry seems pointless.

"So if Fida City falls, what about the southern army?"

"Retreat to White Sands."

"Does that mean we have to retreat to the Laurel Fortress, making these past three months’ offensives pointless?"

"What else?" Konyaz straightened up, "Once the Holy Alliance army arrives, we’ve already lost half the battle. The rest is just to fight for a draw or a complete defeat."

"What to do?" Several generals of the vampire clan army exchanged glances, communicating with their eyes before bowing, "Then we can only engage head-on."