Chapter Twenty-Nine: Follow Me (Part One)

Time passed swiftly. Wei Wuji had already spent two days with Leonardo and his group at their temporary encampment outside Gaul City. They had not returned to the base of the Commune Revolutionaries, for it would be decided within these two days whether or not to launch an assault on Gaul City. The personnel from the base were streaming out in waves, heading to wherever their presence was required, all in preparation for this potential operation.

Leonardo was the commander of the First Battalion of the Revolutionary Corps. In Gamio’s words, he was one of the earliest warriors to follow the leader, and among the most loyal of the Commune Revolutionaries. The Commune’s forces were far from small; though the First Battalion was so named in the order of battle, its actual fighting strength was that of a reinforced battalion, equivalent to two and a half standard battalions. With the addition of the Mongke and Biel tribesmen come to support them, its numbers were not much less than those of the recently destroyed Third Regiment. Moreover, the First Battalion was the very core of the Commune’s forces, composed entirely of veteran fighters with rich combat experience. Leader Grant had even made a point to distinguish between those who could use firearms and those who could not, organizing the battalion so that all who could use muskets were grouped together, making for more efficient combat.

According to the preliminary plan Leonardo shared, their most formidable regiment, the First, was to launch a proactive attack by ambushing the Third Regiment while it was escorting munitions. Prior to this, the Second Battalion had already entered the countryside, deliberately killing a few tax collectors sent from Gaul City and raiding several knights’ estates. This caused great alarm among the city’s cavalry detachment; one of their deputy commanders, fearing for his own property, personally led the entire cavalry out of the city on the pretext of suppressing bandits and annihilating the Commune’s forces.

Had this not happened, the battle between the First Battalion and the Third Regiment of the Landia First Division could have taken an unexpected turn. Any unusual movement would have brought the cavalry hurrying back to the field to change the outcome, and aside from the First Battalion, neither the Second nor the Third had the confidence to directly block the regular army of Landia.

So far, things were proceeding smoothly. It was anticipated that the cavalry, led astray by the Second Battalion, would be slowly drawn into the mountains, and by the time they realized something was amiss, it would take them two or three days to return. Therefore, the decision to rise in rebellion had to be made by the latest, tomorrow; otherwise, once the cavalry returned nearby, capturing Gaul City would become exceedingly difficult for the Revolutionaries.

Even so, Wei Wuji found it odd that the revolutionaries would dare to devise such an ambitious plan to seize Gaul City. Even without the reinforcement of the Third Regiment, and even with the cavalry drawn away, the garrison within the city still consisted of four infantry regiments of the First Division. Two of these were equipped with modified muskets and matchlocks; the other two wielded spears, greatswords, and bows, tasked with supporting the gun regiments during exchanges of fire. Without the help of the orcish warriors, these four regiments alone could destroy the Revolutionaries in open battle—perhaps even half that force would suffice. Not to mention, the city still harbored six companies of the old-style army. Though their quality was inferior, they could serve as cannon fodder, and the downfall of the Revolutionaries would not be surprising.

Yet, in such circumstances, the Revolutionaries still aspired to seize Gaul City by force.

Wei Wuji, however, cared little for whether their plan succeeded or failed—even if they were soundly defeated, it was no concern of his. His sole objective was to rescue Cecilia, to honor his promise to his friend Amango; otherwise, he would have no face to return. For this reason alone, he endured working alongside the Revolutionaries.

When he could bear it no longer and resolved to ask Leonardo whether the assault on Gaul City was imminent, he discovered that someone was even more anxious than himself—already pestering the dark elf before him.

“Mr. Hegel, rest assured,” Leonardo was saying, “we have formally decided to seize Gaul City. The plan is progressing smoothly; we have captured the munitions, and the operation was executed cleanly—likely, the city only discovered this today. Their cavalry have been lured into the mountains; after the Second Battalion completes its task, a small detachment will remain behind to continue the deception, while the majority will return to join the assault. The Third Battalion is also en route from the base and may arrive this afternoon. Even the Fourth Battalion, originally meant to defend the home front, along with the First and Second Battalions of the still-forming Second Regiment, will be coming. Most importantly, the leader himself will bring more orcish brothers to join this great undertaking. Do not worry—victory will be ours. Long live the Commune!”

“Long live the Commune,” Hegel echoed, then impatiently asked the question that most concerned both himself and Wei Wuji: “Then when will you rescue my Cecilia?”

“Mr. Hegel,” said Leonardo, “we have a complete plan for rescuing Miss Cecilia.”

“Do you?” Hegel asked, his concern evident.

“We will need Mr. Wei’s help,” Leonardo continued, glancing at Wei Wuji, who did not object. “We must rescue Miss Cecilia before the uprising officially begins. At the very least, she must be in our hands before we attack Gaul City. The uprising is set for seven o’clock this evening—six hours from now. We will send someone to enter Gaul City with Mr. Wei; with your combined abilities, we are confident Miss Cecilia will be found before the uprising begins. Even if you cannot get her out of the city, so long as her safety is ensured temporarily, once the uprising succeeds, Miss Cecilia will be safe.”

“But what if the uprising…” Hegel hesitated, his worry for his daughter so great that he could not help but consider the possibility of failure.

“Mr. Hegel, trust us!” Leonardo declared resolutely. “The uprising will not fail; we are fully prepared. I cannot reveal the details now, but you can be absolutely assured. On the contrary, infiltrating the city within six hours, finding Miss Cecilia, and ensuring her safety during that time will not be easy. Personally, I am opposed to this plan, because for the person we send and Mr. Wei, the most dangerous moment will be after finding Miss Cecilia but before the city falls to us. The enemy will no doubt launch a frenzied attack to capture you and use you as leverage against us. It is extremely perilous, but the leader himself devised this plan and insisted that, no matter what, the safety of Mr. Hegel’s daughter must be guaranteed.”

“Thank the leader for me,” Hegel said, choking up with emotion. “Mr. Wei has rescued us all along the way and led us here through every obstacle. I trust his abilities. But may I ask, what kind of person does the Revolution plan to send to assist him?”

“Are you going yourself?” Wei Wuji was also curious. Of all the commanders among the Revolutionaries so far, only the dark elf Leonardo barely measured up to his own standards. Even if Gamio or Layard accompanied him on such a mission, it would be fortune enough if they could look after themselves.

“No need to thank me. The leader has always said that the Commune is not like those bourgeois opportunists of Wallenheith. They are quick to command ‘Go forth!’ but we always say ‘Follow me!’” Leonardo paused. “As for whom we are sending, I cannot reveal that just yet. Please prepare yourself, Mr. Wei; time is short. When you leave this forest, you will meet him. But rest assured, Mr. Hegel, Mr. Wei—the man we are sending is certainly more capable than I am. Otherwise the leader would never entrust him with this mission. He will never be a burden to Mr. Wei.”

With Leonardo’s repeated assurances, Hegel felt somewhat relieved. He thought Leonardo was exaggerating when he said the man to be sent was more capable than himself, but as long as the man was as skilled as the dark elf, he could indeed be of help to Wei Wuji.

Wei Wuji, on the other hand, was indifferent. What he needed was someone familiar with the city’s layout. Gaul City, though called a city, was in fact a semi-fortified military stronghold. If someone knowledgeable could lead the way, finding Cecilia quickly would be best. Whether or not the Revolutionaries could seize Gaul City was not his chief concern; once they attacked, most of the city’s defenders would be occupied, making it much easier to spirit Cecilia away.

P.S.: Sweat, after posting I realized there was a mistake in the troop numbers and hurriedly corrected it. If you were quick enough to spot the error, please don’t blame me—it’s been fixed. There are four infantry regiments plus the old-style companies stationed near Gaul City (of course, not all the garrison is inside; some are stationed nearby).

Also, thanks to the reader 5555859566 for tipping me twice. Much appreciated.

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