Translator: Cinder Translations
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According to the instructions from Alden Town, Lion's Port established a civilian militia group named "Horns Bay Volunteer Army."
Although it is officially called a civilian militia, the core military force on land actually consists of three battalions from the Alden Marine Corps and six newly deployed army battalions, totaling over 5,000 soldiers from the northwest bay.
Since officially intervening in the Horns Bay War and considering future potential military operations inland, the command structure of the Horns Bay Volunteer Army was adjusted. The fleet at sea is still under the command of Fleet Commander Quik, while the land military forces, including the Marine Corps, are now commanded by Major General Andrew, who was promoted from the original Byerldine Battalion (former Infantry 4th Battalion Commander).
With the expansion of the army, Alden's military ranks were adjusted, with new ranks above Colonel, including Senior Colonel, Major General, Lieutenant General, and General. Currently, both Quik and Andrew hold the rank of Major General.
In addition to the regular troops from the northwest bay, there are 15,000 local Horns Bay mercenaries as auxiliary forces. These mercenaries were initially formed from prisoners of war during the Usurper War, and Alden Town brought them back to Horns Bay, recruiting locals to expand their numbers to the current scale.
TL/N: Usurper War/Pretender War is against Earl Maltz Kent.
Due to the changing situation, the mercenaries' mission expanded from maintaining order and guarding property to participating in combat. Their organizational structure and formation were also aligned with that of the Alden military. To ensure they wouldn't hinder the regular army, their training intensity was increased, and ready-made training templates were provided by individuals such as Claude from the Crystal Glare team for the royal new military.
After assisting Niceport in lifting the naval blockade, the Horns Bay Volunteer Army attempted to organize an expedition to completely annihilate the retreating remnants of the Church Army.
However, when the Aldor soldiers left the coastal cities and entered the inland of Horns Bay, the seemingly beautiful tropical forests revealed their fierce and terrifying side to these visitors from the northern mainland.
Fierce snakes and insects, poisonous miasma, dangerous plants... In short, the Aldor soldiers' acclimatization problems worsened, and diseases began to spread within the army. Many soldiers suffered from vomiting, diarrhea, and even fever and fainting, severely affecting their operational capabilities.
Sometimes, the power of will cannot completely overcome the difficulties in reality. Major General Andrew realized that his army might be consumed by the environment before even encountering the enemy. At the same time, he had doubts about the mercenaries' ability to fight independently. Therefore, he decided to withdraw the army and conduct adaptation training at the edge of the forest.
Meanwhile, he allocated some forces to assist the Navy in helping the New Faith Alliance reclaim the fallen coastal cities.
Attacking cities protected by thick walls on land is difficult, even for the Alden army equipped with artillery. Although long-term sieging is a good way to minimize casualties, it takes a lot of time. Therefore, the Horns Bay Volunteer Army chose a quicker way to fight coastal cities: infiltrating from the sea.
During the Earth's Age of Sail, the navy had a rule—never engage in artillery duels with coastal fortifications. However, this does not apply here because Alden's opponents do not yet have artillery, and the defensive equipment at the port consists of remote cold weapons like crossbows.
TL/N: The time period from the middle of the 16th century to the middle of the 19th century is known as the age of sail.
Naturally, these relatively outdated "firepoints" are no match for the naval guns, which have both range and power advantages. The Alden navy would sail outside the port, adjust the ship's body, aim the cannons, and methodically eliminate these "firepoints." Then, the Marines would row small boats, entering the port under the protection of artillery, and wind the chains that hindered ship access. This usually meant the city was already in their hands.
In ancient times, defending a city with thick walls could allow defenders to resist, but once the walls were breached, the defenders' morale would collapse, and they would lose the courage to fight in the streets. The coastal cities of Horns Bay, designed for the convenience of trade, had a direct connection between the port and the city center, with no complex obstacles. The Church Army's defensive forces here were mostly local supporters of the church, lacking training and proper equipment, and suffering from low morale due to their allegiance to the Church Army. Their combat effectiveness was, as expected, poor.
Often, the Marines had not even landed yet, and the port's defenders would scatter. Soon after, the citizens would spontaneously bind the officials appointed by the Church Army and surrender to the landing vanguard.
Overall, while the Church Army was busy licking its wounds, the recovery of the New Faith Alliance's coastal cities proceeded smoothly. Niceport took nearly half a year to restore control over the coastal territories, eventually rebuilding into a relatively decent country and attempting to establish a strong military force, preparing for the next stage of combat to redeem its honor.
The retreating Church Army, along with the Horns Bay Church and the Holy See behind them, did not remain idle.
Pope Harrington II and the high-ranking officials of the Holy See reached a consensus on the current situation, agreeing to temporarily set aside the issue of Gabella and prioritize extinguishing the heresy in Horns Bay. They lifted all restrictions, including those on soldiers, weapons, and finances, and large quantities of support were sent to Horns Bay through sea and land transport, rearming the recovering Church Army.
With the Vatican's direct support, Webster, who had been relegated to a secondary position, was once again appointed as the commander of the Church Army.
Webster's experience has quite something.
At the beginning of the Horns Bay War, the Church Army's northern flanking strategy suffered a painful defeat, while in the south, the heretical forces, led by the Horns Bay Alliance's fierce general Basques, advanced eastward and struck near Melbour, not far from Collins City. Just as the Church Army and the Horns Bay Church were about to be destroyed, the Vatican sent Webster with his army to support.
He defeated the New Faith army under Basques near Melbour and pushed all the way back into the Horns Bay Alliance, the strongest faction in the New Faith Alliance.
However, at this time, the short-sighted Horns Bay Church believed they were on the brink of victory. They suggested dividing part of their forces to attack northern countries like Eaton, aiming to wipe out all the heretics as quickly as possible.
Cautious Webster rejected this plan, insisting on concentrating forces to eliminate the Horns Bay Alliance, the leader of the heretical alliance. As a result, the Horns Bay Church grew resentful of him, and after some maneuvering, they relegated Webster to a secondary position, replacing him with Edwin Cook, another Vatican appointee.
The plan to divide the army and attack was implemented by the Horns Bay Church, with Cook leading half of the original forces to attack Niceport. However, they ultimately failed to take the city, and Cook even died in an ambush.
(End of the Chapter)
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