Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence Chapter 743 - 414: Intelligence on the Battlefield

The morning air in Gray Rock Province was thick with the damp, rusty scent of iron.

A relentless downpour drummed against the marching carriage, its steady rhythm a dull throb against the mud-splattered journey.

Through the deepening mire, the carriage advanced, each revolution of its wheels in the puddles sending small tremors through its occupants.

Within this familiar rocking motion, Louis's eyes fluttered open.

He didn’t sit up immediately, but simply opened his eyes and subtly waved his right hand through the air.

A soft, resonant hum filled the confined space of the carriage.

A shimmering, translucent blue screen materialized before him, unfolding like a delicate curtain suspended in the void.

[Daily intelligence update complete]

[1: Imperial Capital in turmoil. The Second Prince, Kaelin, has seized the Imperial Hall and declared himself Emperor.]

Louis’s eyes scanned this entry briefly. "Much quicker than my estimation. Declaring himself Emperor instead of Regent King… fascinating…"

Internally, he felt no surge of emotion, merely a dispassionate assessment.

Kaelin had evidently lost his patience.

He eschewed the path of a regent, bypassed the posturing of various nobles, and cast aside any pretense of maintaining a fragile facade.

All intermediate negotiations were skipped; the crown was directly placed upon his own head.

This outcome was acceptable, even beneficial for Louis.

The existence of a powerful Regent King would have complicated matters considerably.

Such a figure would have acted as a veritable chain, restricting his direct actions.

"As anticipated," Louis murmured inwardly. "A mad Emperor and a general commanding his forces. The Imperial Capital’s political waters are certainly murky, which conveniently justifies my subsequent actions."

His attention then drifted downwards.

[2: Kael Remont has torched numerous villages and towns in the north, displacing tens of thousands of refugees to obstruct the Blackrock Canyon highway. He has also stationed oversight teams at the rear, intending to use the bodies of civilians to impede the Northern Army's mechanized advance.]

The screen’s azure glow reflected in his eyes, yet stirred no discernible feeling.

"Kael…"

Louis’s fingers drummed a light, rhythmic tattoo on the carriage’s armrest, producing a soft, repeating "da, da" sound.

Incinerating villages, forcibly displacing populations, blocking vital routes, employing starvation and terror to drive the masses forward, then using loyalist units to prevent any escape.

Such tactics were truly barbaric.

Moreover, this brutality was a manifestation of laziness, substituting sheer force for strategic ingenuity.

"Treating people as mere dirt to be manipulated," Louis’s expression turned somewhat colder. "You have inherited your father’s inherent arrogance, and that same predatory nature."

Any other commander facing similar circumstances would find their options severely limited.

A military withdrawal would mean relinquishing the initiative.

A forceful advance would necessitate trampling over thousands of innocent civilians—a matter of reputation, certainly, but more critically, something Louis himself could not bring himself to do.

This was the trap Kael had laid for him.

Regrettably, this trap was designed for an opponent lacking comprehensive foresight. But for Louis…

Louis continued his perusal of the intelligence.

[3: Five tons of black fire powder have been concealed within the rock faces on both sides of Blackrock Canyon. Due to the persistent rain, the efficacy of alchemical ignition has been compromised, necessitating a shift to physical fuses. All detonation triggers converge on Eagle’s Beak Rock, situated on the cliff top’s left flank, with five Death Knights tasked with manual activation.]

His gaze settled on this particular piece of information, and his lips curved in a near-imperceptible smile. "For anyone else, this might be a sound strategy. But unfortunately for them, I am their adversary." Louis concluded inwardly, a hint of amusement in his tone.

[4: The refugee flood has completely sealed the main roadway, preventing Kael’s supply convoy from returning to Grey Rock Castle. Three hundred tons of winter military provisions have been hastily unloaded at the third abandoned mine pit on the canyon entrance’s left side, designated as rations for the oversight teams, with only minimal camouflage and security measures employed.]

Louis’s focus sharpened, the information regarding this grain cache potentially holding crucial significance.

The screen flickered gently in the air before dissolving, vanishing as if it had never materialized.

Louis closed his eyes, settling back against the seat, his mind rapidly processing and integrating the disseminated intelligence.

A coherent strategy swiftly began to form: first, orchestrating the herding of refugees into the canyon.

The narrow confines, the rain-soaked terrain, the sheer mass of tens of thousands packed together—unable to advance or retreat.

They would serve as an organic barricade, rendering the entire passage utterly impassable.

Then, the waiting game.

Anticipating his forced halt, the stretching of supply lines, and the ensuing chaos as heavy troops became entangled with the mud and the throngs of people.

The detonation switch was finally activated.

Five tons of black powder rained down simultaneously from the rock walls on both sides, with stones and flames blocking the path ahead.

It wasn't just the refugees who were crushed.

The knights and armies of the Northern Territory, forced to the front lines, and even steam war vehicles that hadn't been fully deployed, were trapped within the canyon. They faced rockfalls and flames, meeting the same fate.

What appeared to be an enemy blockade was, in reality, a desperate extermination using civilians and their own supervising knights as a shield and sacrifice.

Louis offered a silent judgment in his heart.

Foolish, and utterly vicious.

The refugees, trapped in the canyon by hunger, were also paralyzed by fear.

Fear stemmed from the explosives on the cliffs above and the supervising knights behind them.

And hunger... Louis's thoughts paused at this point.

That supply of 300 tons of winter grain lay buried not far from the canyon's entrance.

It was hidden right before the eyes of those who had been starving for days.