Free Web NovelChapter 1151: Chapter 1086: Foehn Wind (Part 2)
This gorge is not straight; it turns midway, opening up on the other side.
Though they have passed through the gorge, Jeanne and her companions still remain on the eastern side of the Foehn Mountain.
Cold air from the northwest passes through Thorn Garden, climbing continuously on the western side of the mountain, eventually condensing into droplets.
The dehumidified wind crosses over the mountain top, continuing downward.
The closer to the ground, the higher the temperature, and the hotter and drier the wind becomes.
Locals believe it’s caused by geothermal heat, but in essence, it’s a foehn wind.
Why are there so few trees on Foehn Mountain?
Aside from the local residents’ reckless logging, the most crucial factor is the frequent forest fires that have burned everything down.
As the foehn wind crosses over the mountain, it suddenly changes direction, carrying dry gravel and striking the wooden boards of Hus’s cart, making a crisp "crackling" sound.
Jeanne removed her iron gloves, pressing her palm against the cart shaft, feeling the warmth of the wood with her fingertips.
She looked toward the gorge’s entrance, calculating the time. Kennard’s cavalry should be arriving.
"Kaler! Have they caught up?"
A figure came sprinting down from the slope on the right, and Kaler nearly stumbled as he dismounted too hastily.
He adjusted his helmet, replying in a hoarse voice: "No signs yet, should I take a couple of people through to check?"
"No need." Jeanne shook her head as her iron mask clattered noisily, "Let’s wait a bit longer."
But Drum was starting to lose his patience.
He looked at the empty gorge entrance, his voice filled with anxiety: "Sir Joan, could it be they aren’t pursuing us anymore?"
"They will come."
Drum’s face turned pale, sweat dripping faster than the stream in front of him.
"We’ve set up all these days, if he doesn’t come..."
"He’ll come." Michelle interrupted him impatiently, "Didn’t Sir Joan say so? Relax!"
The reason why Michelle made such a judgment was simple; it wasn’t because he blindly believed in the Saintess, which contradicted the Holy Sect’s skepticism.
Rather, he was convinced that unless something goes wrong with Longbow Castle, Kennard must have concluded they are militia from Wonyu City.
The earlier battle in town should have reinforced this notion, among everyone.
The Count is in their hands, with Sk Wolf Castle intact, if Kennard doesn’t put forth his full effort, he would certainly face Puzilio’s questioning.
Michelle wasn’t entirely sure of Kennard’s thoughts, but there’s over a ninety percent chance he would act this way.
Surely the Saintess thinks the same!
"But..." Drum still doubted, secretly gritting his teeth.
"Look." Hearing the sound of hooves coming from outside the gorge, Jeanne laughed, "Aren’t they arriving?"
Before she finished speaking, a series of hoof beats suddenly emerged from the shadows of the gorge entrance.
The first to rush out were three scouts, who reined in their horses in the middle of the gorge, their hooves kicking at the pebbles, swirling around.
One of them quickly surveyed the surroundings and returned rapidly.
Soon after, more cavalry poured out from the gorge entrance, blue swallowtail flags unfurling in the wind, like a flock of bluebirds skimming across the rock wall.
Under the leading swallowtail flag, Kennard reined in his battle horse.
His gaze swept over the battlefield ahead, his iron gloves gripping the sword hilt tightly.
On the open ground across the creek, more than thirty chariots connected end to end, forming a crescent-shaped barrier.
The long spearmen between the chariots pointed their spears and long halberds diagonally at the sky, while the gaps between the chariot boards revealed dark gun muzzles.
Behind the chariot array stood a dense mass of soldiers, about a thousand, with their spears and firearms glistening coldly in the sunlight.
The two sides of the open ground were steep rock walls, with barren sandstone offering no cover, only a few twisted dead trees wedged in the rock crevices, the wind howling past them.
"Thousand River Valley Wagon Fort..."
Kennard squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth.
This defense formation of wagons is almost the signature tactic of the Holy Alliance Defensive Army.
During the battle of Thousand River Valley, this tactic shone brightly, repelling the attacks of the Extraordinary Knights multiple times.
But the main forces of the Holy Alliance are far away; how could they appear in this desolate gorge?
He urged his battle horse forward a few steps, its hooves crunching on the dry stones, producing a piercing scraping sound.
The terrain ahead slopes gently downward, while the sides are almost vertical steep slopes.
It’s sixty steps from the gorge platform to the gentle slope, and a hundred paces from the slope to the creek.
The ground was covered with gravel and dried grass roots and thorns, making it easy for cavalry to lose their footing during a charge.
Jeanne’s people were lined up behind the barricade at the bottom of the slope, perfectly blocking the downhill path.
The terrain was just right, the road was perfectly blocked, fitting perfectly like a trap.
Kennard rubbed his thumb against the sword hilt; he had fought battles for twenty years, always cautious, never having great victories nor great defeats.
But at this moment, he was caught in hesitation.
If this was a trap, he saw no signs of ambush; there wasn’t even a patch of woods nearby.
If it wasn’t a trap, did this group of small-town folks think they could defeat them just by posing as the Holy Alliance?
The Knight Commander urged his horse forward: "Legion Commander, should we just charge ahead? At this distance, one charge will flatten their barricade!"
Kennard didn’t respond, his gaze fell on the tense faces of the soldiers behind the barricade.
They didn’t look like seasoned veterans at all.
"Let’s test the waters first." Suddenly, Kennard sneered, "I’ll lead a charge with a hundred men, you stay behind to back us up."
A hundred knights quickly gathered, Kennard led the charge down the slope.
His chestnut warhorse slipped on the gravel, he gripped the reins tightly, drawing out the longsword from his waist.
As soon as they rushed out from the top of the slope, the sound of machinery like "creak creak" suddenly arose from behind the barricade.
Nearly a hundred spring guns simultaneously raised, their dark barrels pointed straight at the charging knights.
"Quick, dodge!"
Kennard suddenly lowered his body, hiding half of it behind the horse’s neck.
The dense gunfire reverberated through the valley, lead bullets rained down like hail. freёweɓnovel.com
Kennard felt something hit his calf hard, almost making him scream.
"Retreat!"
Kennard did not rage but calmly turned his horse around and retreated.
Those were just stray bullets, otherwise his leg would have broken.
The spring gunners fired before they reached the max damage range of the first volley.
"This doesn’t seem like the skill of Holy Alliance gunners." An old knight who had attended the Thousand River Valley war rode forward, "Those captive gunners were all better than them."
Kennard said nothing, his doubts growing heavier.
If this really was the army of the Holy Alliance, they wouldn’t have fired early during the charge.
Yet the power of those spring guns was identical to the standard equipment of the Holy Alliance.
Who on earth are they? Can’t really be the main force of the Holy Alliance, right?
"Try two more times, flanking them from both wings." Kennard suddenly ordered, "Tom, take fifty men, attack the left wing, and be careful to avoid the trenches." frёewebηovel.cѳm
The second charge started from the left wing, Tom’s cavalry tried to bypass the barricade, but were stopped by gunners at the side.
Lead bullets shot among the cavalry; although few were injured, they voluntarily returned.
The third charge attacked the right wing, and the result was the same, luring them to fire and then voluntarily returning.
"Scared the hell out of me," a knight threw off his helmet, "didn’t even learn the fur from the Holy Alliance, just daring to fiddle with spring guns!"
"I was at the very front earlier, saw clearly a gunner twisted the spring backward, that was hilarious!"
"In my opinion, they’re just some bastards holding good guns from the Holy Alliance!"
"Capture them, those spring guns could sell for a lot of money, though you’d have to smuggle gunner seeds from Falan and Norn."
Similar to the knights, Kennard was about to laugh in exasperation.
Thought they’d hit the core of the Holy Alliance, turned out to be just a group of mimicry thieves!
If the Holy Alliance could really send thousands into Waterwheel County, are the church spies blind?
"Okay, okay, stop discussing, let’s go a few more rounds, exhaust their lead bullets." Although Kennard was laughing, his eyes were as cold as ice, "Get ready, we’re going to..."
Before finishing his sentence, Kennard suddenly started coughing violently.
A gust of wind blew past, bringing a familiar burnt smell to his nostrils.
It wasn’t the scent of burning wood, but a more intense, more choking scent of burning grass mixed in the dry wind with a scorching temperature.
As if by intuition, Kennard suddenly turned his head toward the mouth of the valley, his heart clenching tightly.
The sky at the mouth of the valley had unknowingly turned gray, thick smoke like a giant dragon was pouring into the valley with the wind.
In that thick smoke, flames were rising unknowingly.
"When did this happen?!"
