The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Hammond was leading his cavalry across the plains at that moment. Although the enemy's old cannons were roaring incessantly, they were mostly all bark and no bite.

The terrain was flat, and most of the cannons had been sold by Doug to the Kingdom of Anjou. The old cannons could not provide fire coverage, so the cannons at Doug's stronghold seemed to be just for show and not very useful.

Not to mention that Hammond led a cavalry composed entirely of professionals, so the aftershocks of the artillery had no effect whatsoever. Hammond even knew the performance of all of Doug's artillery better than Doug's army.

After repeatedly testing the edge of the cannon, Hammond estimated that the enemy's cannon barrels were probably nearing their limit, and immediately led his cavalry to charge forward.

Sure enough, the cannon went silent after a few empty shots; it must have exploded.

Laurie, who was at a distance ready to provide support, shook her head. The enemy soldiers were completely inexperienced, only knowing how to mindlessly load shells and fire. They didn't know anything about rangefinding or alternating fire. It felt like they had just received some basic training before going to the battlefield, unlike Doug's main force.

So where exactly is Doug's main force? Laurie has been thinking about this question these days, or rather, since they began their deployment on the Golden Plains.

Musket bullets rained down on Hammond's armor, but Hammond didn't even bother to activate Knight's Stance. The enchantment on his armor was enough to protect him from the bullets. Wielding his molten spear, Hammond quickly broke through another of Doug's camps.

"Tell me quickly! Where exactly is the main force of your Doug Army?"

Having just destroyed the camp, Hammond hadn't even had a chance to rest before he grabbed a soldier and began interrogating him.

"Master, the main force? My lord, we are the main force."

With a bruised and battered face, and looking utterly disheveled, Doug Jun mustered his last bit of strength to answer Hammond's question.

"Humph!"

Hammond put the soldier down and sighed, "I never expected there to be so many righteous men in Doug's army who would rather die than reveal the location of Doug's main force. Sigh."

This was already the umpteenth camp Hammond had captured. Although Doug had lured the Grey Collars to the Golden Plains for a decisive battle, Doug's army was behaving cowardly, with their battle lines quietly retreating every day, showing no sign of wanting to fight to the death.

Laurie suspected that Doug was trying to hide his main force and launch a surprise attack from an unexpected place. To this end, he even sent White to detach some troops to defend the rear to prevent Doug's army from leaking out and attacking the railroad under construction.

But now, Laurie couldn't help but wonder if her judgment was wrong. Doug might not have had any ulterior motives; he might just have wanted to die with some dignity.

Of course, this was just Laurie's self-deprecating joke to relax when she was on edge, since the demon army that had entered the North had not made any moves.

Hammond had previously encountered some demons, and while these demons were indeed very powerful and had muskets for fire support, they were still far inferior to Hammond. After only two rounds of fighting, they scattered and fled.

However, these demons seem more inclined to conserve their strength than to passively fight back.

Now, the defensive camp behind Laurie is almost finished, with all kinds of military and defensive facilities in perfect condition. Laurie even regrets not using cement for the construction, and instead used more versatile and easier-to-build wood and stone as materials to save time.

Not only were the camps completed, but the First and Third Armies of the Gray Collar Army had also finished their deployment on the Golden Harvest Plain and were ready to launch a decisive battle at any time.

Laurie even deliberately transferred some local garrisons to see if Doug was trying to lure the enemy away from their base, having the Grey and White Collars move their troops to the Golden Harvest Plain while the main force would take a sneak attack on the important rear via a side road unknown to Laurie.

Unfortunately, this did not happen.

Hammond returned to the camp, took off his helmet, and said, "We still haven't found their main force. It seems we'll have to go deeper next time."

"If we go any deeper, we'll almost reach the river valley."

Laurie shook his head. Doug's army was eerily quiet. Laurie had sent out so many scouts and intelligence personnel, but the only useful information was that the Demon race's recent supply corps had entered Doug's territory.

“There’s no need to go any further. White and I have discussed it. If Doug doesn’t come out to fight, we’ll use this plain as a base and attack the valley directly.”

If we delay any longer, winter will arrive. Although winter doesn't preclude us from fighting, capturing the valley as soon as possible will allow the governor to begin arranging production plans sooner, and the soldiers to return home and reunite with their families sooner.

"We should speed things up. Everything is ready now, and I have made all the necessary preparations. Many soldiers are looking forward to conquering the entire northern border so they can go back and get married soon."

If Lind were there, he would probably immediately cover Laurie's mouth and tell her to stop making promises she couldn't keep. People who say such things usually don't end up well.

Upon hearing this, Hammond nodded. He had heard that fighting had broken out again on the southwestern border with Anjou, but the battle was rather fierce, and some surrounding tribes and small countries were gradually becoming restless.

The world is about to change drastically. If the North can be unified sooner, it will have more leverage in the face of potential chaos.

Hammond believed that once he unified the North and then developed peacefully for three to five years, he could easily reclaim the territory that had been taken by the demons.

No, it probably won't even take three to five years. Hammond has already made plans to use the demons as training grounds. He might be able to reclaim all the land, including the Surd region, during the training process. At that time, the Grey and White Collars will control the entire Surd region and the valley, plus the rumored magic train. Even the kingdom will have to be mindful of the Northern Territory's attitude.

It's more accurate to say that the capital city now has to cater to the whims of the white-collar workers.

In the following days, Lowry was preparing to launch a full-scale attack. Just as Hammond was also preparing to go and find Doug's main force again, Doug finally made a move.

Countless Dog Army soldiers are continuously entering the Golden Harvest Plain from the river valley. The Demon Army is also making moves, fully equipped and ready to go. They are also very politely escorting these ordinary soldiers to ensure that these ordinary people are delivered to the Golden Harvest Plain.

Without a doubt, this is Doug's main force plus all his assets, and it is also Doug's entire stake. He has almost completely bet on this team to win or lose.

Hammond was ordered to lead his knights and scouts to investigate, but the demons and the Dog army were clearly prepared, and their defenses were much faster and more resolute than before.

However, Hammond still managed to gather some intelligence. Doug's so-called main force consisted of soldiers in the front who were barely able to form ranks, but those behind them were clearly ordinary people who had just been sent to the battlefield with blank expressions. They had no armor, and their weapons were hoes and pitchforks.

Laurie was quite puzzled when she heard this news. Had Doug gone mad? According to Hammond, the soldiers behind him were similar to the peasants that lords conscripted from their own land during the Lord Wars.

In the Northern Civil War, this method of recruiting soldiers on the spot had long been eliminated. After all, even if you recruited the bravest men, they were not as good as soldiers who had undergone two weeks of firearms training. Not everyone had a musket; only by becoming a regular soldier could one have the opportunity to touch a musket.

In the North, being a soldier has truly become a profession. Ordinary militia members are basically only used for logistical support, and they are just cannon fodder on the battlefield.

Despite his doubts, Laurie had no choice but to immediately begin mobilizing troops, as there were only two options: fight or not fight.

At this moment, one of Doug's generals was bowing and thanking Noam and the demons for protecting these troops. It was quite strange that an army needed protection from others.

"I am deeply grateful for General Noam's assistance."

Although he said that, the general was actually more than ten steps away from Noam.

"It doesn't matter."

Noam waved his hand, then took a large bite of the black flesh.

The general couldn't help but pinch his nose. The meat these demons were eating was incredibly smelly and disgusting. And for some reason, the general felt that the demons looked at the militia army not like they were looking at ordinary soldiers, but more like they were looking at a pile of moving food.