Chapter 47: 047 Tracking_l
Translator: 549690339
In the next few days, the movements of the Dark Cavalry indeed confirmed Colin’s speculation.
Under the command of Marquis Garcia, they cautiously kept a certain distance from the main Troll force, while continually searching for traces of the Wolf Cavalry.
If the Troll main force was here, then the Wolf Cavalry would undoubtedly also be in the vicinity.
Now, the Dark Cavalry’s most important task was to find them before they were found.
Finally, on the third day, the Dark Cavalry found traces of the main Wolf Cavalry forces.
The situation at that time was indeed quite risky.
When the Dark Cavalry’s scout cavalry discovered the trace of the Wolf Cavalry, the two forces were only thirty miles apart.
This distance is a highly dangerous one for a cavalry force.
If marching normally, this distance should be at the edge of the scout cavalry’s detection range.
It can be said that both sides almost brushed past each other at that time.
It is not surprising that the Wolf Cavalry was so careless as to not notice the Dark Cavalry nearby.
This is because they had no idea that they were being followed.
This was the intention behind the act Marquis Garcia had deliberately put on earlier.
The Trolls were completely numbed.
In their opinion, the Dark Cavalry should still be in Ice Rock City, perhaps already engaging with Duke St. Hilde’s Golden Lion Legion.
Even if there were informants in Ice Rock City, they would not get the information about the Dark Cavalry’s movements in time to the Troll Army.
Because the fastest means of communication in this world is by carrier pigeon.
But pigeons can only find their way home based on changes in the magnetic field, so they can only be used to send messages to a fixed location, and the mobile Troll Army would definitely not be able to receive carrier pigeons.
The next fastest means of transmission is by courier on horseback.
However, the Dark Cavalry itself is cavalry, so their speed would not be slower than a courier on horseback.
Moreover, they would also be aware of what’s behind them and wouldn’t let a messenger slip through so easily.
So, what Marquis Garcia did was actually to take advantage of the time-lapse in receiving information, first to stage an act with his own brother, and then to use the breathtaking mobility of the Dark Cavalry to catch the Trolls off guard.
However, despite the enemy being right in front of them and completely unprepared, Marquis Garcia did not immediately attack.
Instead, he ordered the army to follow the route that the Wolf Cavalry had taken and pursued them.
As a skilled general, sufficient patience is a necessary quality.
In the subsequent time, the two sides maintained a distance of 30 to 40 miles until dusk fell.
The Wolf Cavalry stopped to camp and rest, and the Dark Cavalry also almost simultaneously stopped advancing.
The northerly wind was howling, and the heavy snow began to fall again, which further facilitated the Dark Cavalry in hiding their tracks.
That night, there was a fire ban in the Dark Cavalry’s camp.
In the absence of a bonfire, Colin finally couldn’t stand the outside cold and went into Earl Dawson’s tent.
Earl Dawson was very warm, bringing out the hard liquor again, and chatted with Colin as they drank.
Perhaps it was because the enemy was close by, the atmosphere in the camp was somewhat tense and restless.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the warriors of the Dark Cavalry were afraid.
The tension was a natural response, indicating that the warriors’ alertness has been raised.
Restlessness indicated their eagerness to start the killing.
Such a victorious army had completely removed the fear of war from their bodies.
Tonight, Earl Dawson and Colin didn’t chat for too long. They knew a big battle was imminent, so they went to bed early to save their strength.
Although it was the Earl’s tent, there were still seven or eight people inside, all were the Earl’s attendants.
To maintain mobility, the Dark Cavalry tried to keep the baggage as light as possible, so even the Earl had to temporarily share the tent with his attendants.
The only people in the whole army who had the privilege of having a tent to themselves were Marquis Garcia and Miss Vera.
Much as he wanted to, Colin didn’t dare to intrude into their tents.
Although he was eager to burrow into the latter’s tent…
In fact, Earl Dawson’s tent was quite good. The tents of the common soldiers could even accommodate twenty or thirty men.
With so many men squeezed into one tent, the smell was inevitably a bit stifling, and there was a cacophony of snoring, but after a day’s trek and nearly freezing to death, Colin could no longer care about these details and almost fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
But before he could get enough sleep, he was awakened by Earl Dawson. “What’s going on?” Colin found that it was just past midnight and he felt quite annoyed.
“Marquis’ Military Order, the army will set off in an hour!”
Hearing of the military order from the Marquis, Colin, who was somewhat grumpy from being awakened, had to obediently get up.
The call of officers awakening soldiers was also coming from other tents. However, these officers were not so gentle in their methods; they woke the soldiers up with a kick.
“You worthless scum, sleeping so soundly! I’d been sneaking around for so long and you didn’t notice, where’s your vigilance?”
“Ah, don’t kick, don’t kick! I’m getting up.”
After the short confusion, the Dark Cavalry assembled swiftly, then set off to follow the trail of the Wolf cavalry.
“Are we going to launch a night attack?” asked Colin, sidling up to Earl Dawson.
“A night attack?” Earl Dawson looked at Colin with a strange gaze, and then realized that Colin was still young and inexperienced in commanding troops, so he patiently explained.
After the explanation from Earl Dawson, Colin came to the realization that he had been deceived by those unscrupulous novels.
Though novels often depict surprise attacks at midnight, in reality, very few generals dare to do so.
Even if they were to launch a night attack, it would usually be minor harassment by small-scale troops.
Large-scale forces almost never engage in battle at night.
The reason is simple; the risks of fighting at night are too great.
Attacking under the cover of darkness does catch the enemy off guard, but one’s own side could also easily fall into a chaotic battle due to communication failures, resulting in mutual destruction.
For the cavalry, night battles are even more impossible.
Because darkness restricts war horses even more.
Take the terrain for instance, the Sky Ice Plain appears to be a vast plain with flat terrain.
But such flatness is relative. Even on the flattest terrain there will inevitably be some uneven parts and plenty of pits.
In daylight, these minor ditches and pits pose no problem at all, as war horses can gallop across them.
But at night, they turn into deadly dangers.
A small misstep could result in a sprained horse hoof, which is no joke at all.
So, for a cavalry army, it’s possible to march slowly by torchlight or moonlight, but to launch a charge in darkness is sheer madness.
Of course, Marquis Garcia wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake.
So at this moment, his command was merely for the Dark Cavalry to cautiously approach the Wolf cavalry camp under the cover of night, rather than launching an attack in the dark.
It’s not Colin’s fault for not understanding these tactics.
Even though he had been on the battlefield with his father, Baron Angler, the Angler family’s army didn’t have organized cavalry.
Not every minor noble family could afford to maintain such expensive troops like the cavalry.
So, when it comes to cavalry battles, he indeed knew very little.
Under the bright moonlight, the Dark Cavalry slowly approached the enemy.
The reserve horses and supplies were left behind, and the horses’ hooves were wrapped in cloth.
Although the whole marching process wasn’t completed in complete silence, it was definitely stealthy and quiet.
Just like a seasoned hunter quietly approaching his game.
By the time the game notices, perhaps, the sharp arrow has already arrived.
After an unknown amount of time, Colin finally saw the faint lights in the distance, the bonfires that were still burning in the Troll camp!
Colin took a deep breath and gripped the sword in his hand tightly. Just at that moment, Marquis’ military order came again— “The whole army rest in place!”
At this point, it was the darkest moment before dawn.
The entire Dark Cavalry concealed themselves completely in this darkness, quietly waiting for that moment when the sun would rise— The moment when the slaughter would begin!