The White Lion may have had other plans, but Colonel Bod did not mind, he too only desired to stall for time.
After this brief encounter, the White Lion did not immediately launch an attack. But whether he attacked was his business, the Paratu People were leaving.
Upon returning to the fortress, Colonel Bod set about arranging the retreat without delay, "Blow up the ammunition depot! Leave all the torches behind! Light everything that can be lit! The flags... take all the flags. Right! Draw two fake flags and hang them up!"
Winters stood on the south wall of the fortress, quietly gazing at The Styx.
It was hard for him to discern whether anyone was crossing the bridge—because the moonlight was too dim.
Although he could make out ant-sized objects moving on the bridge, that did not mean the bridge was open; it could very well be the engineers building it.
From the vantage point of the Southern Highlands, one could clearly see the Paratu camp.
Even though the camp had gone into complete blackout, not a single light was visible.
But Winters could still vaguely make out the signs of troop movements.
Sekler's retreat plan was utterly determined: tents were not taken down, camps were not burned, mules were led away, wagons discarded, and everyone was to take only their weapons, ammunition, blankets, and all the dry food across the river.
Once across The Styx, it was only a hundred kilometers to the Paratu border, and a light march of twenty kilometers per day was very manageable; even thirty kilometers was not hard if one gritted their teeth. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveIＦire.net
The dry food might not be enough, Winters estimated that Sekler was counting on local supplies to deliver some provisions.
The signs of troop activity in the Paratu camp meant Sekler's plan had succeeded, and the troops were crossing in an orderly manner.
There was no need to keep it secret any longer, Colonel Bod stepped onto the south wall and gathered all the officers and soldiers in front of him.
"I have good news for everyone!" Colonel Bod's eyes gleamed as he surveyed the crowd, "The bridge has been connected! We can cross the river now!"
The small square in the fortress erupted into a clamor, not just soldiers gaped in disbelief, even the centurions were left dumbstruck.
Colonel Bod pressed down with his hands, signaling for everyone to be quiet, "Without our fight to the death, the bridge could not have been completed! Had we not retaken the fortress! The bridge could not have been completed! Tonight, every one of you is a hero! Everyone deserves a reward! I will petition the headquarters on your behalf! Money! Land! You will have it!"
The soldiers' emotions shifted from shock to joy; their morale soared to its peak.
Colonel Bod waved his hand largely, "Take up arms, raise the flags! We return in triumph!"
The soldiers dispersed in a rush, each preparing for the retreat.
Winters said to Colonel Bod with a wry smile, "I don't know whether to admire you or be afraid of you."
"The final weaving of a basket is in closing it," Colonel Bod replied nonchalantly, "I worry that at the last moment the troops' spirit will disperse. We have to cheer them up."
Winters nodded in agreement while coughing.
"How about your wound?" Colonel Bod asked with a smile, "Can you ride a horse? Should I arrange for someone to carry you back?"
"Don't worry, I can ride," Winters had gradually become accustomed to the pain of his wound—it was, after all, somewhat less than a phantom pain.
Colonel Bod suddenly grasped Winters's arm affectionately and asked, "Winters, I wonder if you are betrothed? I have a daughter, tender and lovely in character, beautiful in appearance, only a bit young—but you're not in a hurry, right? The dowry will satisfy you…"
Winters really wanted to protest loudly: What the hell is this all about?
But Colonel Bod was rattling on, and he could not get a word in.
Amidst such a hellish scene, he would rather be shot again, lose consciousness, and be done with all this.
Suddenly, Colonel Bod's words came to an abrupt halt, and he alertly looked towards the west, his pupils dilating rapidly.
Winters seized the moment, about to say, "I'm engaged," but then he heard it too.
The sound of horseshoes, thousands upon thousands of warhorses galloping.
At first, it was almost inaudible, but it grew clearer and clearer.
Riding at night was extremely dangerous, and even more so with thousands of horses together unless they had an absolutely necessary reason.
"Go!" Colonel Bod exclaimed alarmed, "Leave now!"
Winters immediately assisted in relaying orders with an amplification spell, "All centurion squads, on the move—immediately!"
"Let everyone keep close to the flag! No one falls behind!"
The magic-amplified voice echoed throughout the fortress, "Keep close to the flag! No one falls behind!"
The east-side gate of the fortress creaked open.
Colonel Bod stuffed the flag into Winters's hand, "Go quickly! You lead the way! I'll cover the rear! Take everyone with you!"
Winters wasted no time, he summoned his warhorse, stepped into the stirrups, mounted it, raised the flag high, and bellowed, "Follow me! Fight our way back!"
No mistake, the barbarians' all-out attack was upon them.
The White Lion probably really just wanted to meet with the enemy who had retaken the fortress.
When he discovered the movements in the Paratu camp, Winters did not know. It was very possible that the moment he reached the Southern Highlands with the Red River Tribe's forces, he had already noticed the situation at the bridge.
The reason he hadn't attacked the Southern Highlands was that he was waiting for the main force of the Hurd coalition.
The troops had completely lost their organization; everyone swarmed out of the fortress, Winters charged on horseback, raising the flag high, while others followed the flag in a wild rush.
The outer trenches had several fill-in points, and the earthen walls were also torn down—these were where the barbarians had entered before when they attacked the Paratu camp.
This time, the barbarians were again using those spots.
The barbarians charged towards the camp, and Winters was also leading the charge to the camp. It looked like a race.
However, as the barbarian cavalry saw the "two-legged" humans rushing from the mountain towards the camp, a few of the Hong Lingyu immediately led their cavalry towards them to attack.