The Steam Age: Gears and Bones

Chapter 81

Perfit paused slightly when answering a question about the collapse of the Ross army.

She removed her cane from the sand table, straightened up, and looked at the young emperor on the throne. Her tone was calm, but her words were more cautious than when she had answered any question before.

"Regarding the reorganization of the defeated Rus' army, Your Majesty, I need to explain a special situation to you. Currently, at the Wild Boar Ridge Fortress, a Rus' general is already gathering the remnants of the Rus' forces—Lieutenant General Pavel Andreyevich Cherzov, former commander of the Second Guards Corps of the Rus' Empire."

I traveled with him all the way from St. Petersburg to this place. During the retreat, he led his men to protect the wilt disease samples, personally stood at the forefront of the defensive line with the flag on the battlefield, and incorporated the scattered Rus' army.

These remnants of the Rus' were not bandits; they still had an organization, discipline, and fighting spirit.

His Excellency the Lieutenant General has taken the initiative to assume responsibility for gathering the routed Rus' army. His goal is not to send these men to their deaths, but to preserve a fighting force for Rus' so that they will have their own army to use when they reclaim lost territory in the future.

She picked up a piece of stone representing the remnants of the Ross army from the edge of the sand table and placed it alone at the location of the Wild Boar Ridge fortress, without mixing it with the markings representing Romulus's regular army.

"I suggest that Lieutenant General Chertsov retain independent command of the remnants of the Ross forces, allowing them to continue to garrison the Boar Ridge defense line as an independent allied force. The Romulus side can provide supplies and epidemic prevention support, but in terms of command, they should exist as a supporting force rather than an integrated force."

This is not only a sign of respect for an outstanding general, but also a way to preserve a useful piece for a future full-scale counter-offensive in the Old World.

An army familiar with the terrain and customs of Rus', and whose loyalty has already been proven in battle, will play a role in the reconquest of Rus' that no Romulus force can replace.

After hearing this, the emperor glanced at Elector Rosenthal.

The veteran was silent for a moment, then nodded and said in a hoarse voice, "I've heard of Cherzov; he's a capable fighter. Give him supplies and let him continue guarding Wild Boar Ridge; no problem."

Upon hearing this, the young emperor did not hesitate any longer and directly instructed the Minister of Military Affairs to add a clause to the mobilization order: the Russian auxiliary forces in the Northern Defense Zone would be under the command of Lieutenant General Cherzov, supplies would be provided according to friendly forces standards, and specific defenses would be coordinated by Elector Oberstan of the Northern Army Corps.

The four electors also joined the discussion.

Elector Rosenthal offered several suggestions for troop deployment at key passes from a military perspective, and Perfit adjusted two of them based on terrain data she observed along the way.

After the finance minister calculated the costs, Elector Stein frowned and pointed out that a full-scale conversion of hydrogen peroxide production would lead to a production gap in other alchemical industries in the empire. Perfit discussed with him for nearly half an hour and finally agreed on a production plan that prioritized the front lines and would be rolled out in batches at the rear.

Elector Falk walked to the sand table, bent down to examine the black markings representing the directions of the infected's advance, then pointed to the location of the quarantine station with the tip of his boot. He straightened up and looked at Perfit: "My cavalry regiment can serve as the rapid response reserve for the quarantine station. If a section of the defense is breached and the infected flood into the rear, the quarantine station needs someone to arrive as quickly as possible to plug the gap. My cavalry can do that."

"Have your cavalry killed any infected?" Perfit asked.

Elector Falk paused for a moment, then answered truthfully, "Not yet."

"Then let's go kill them once." Perfit tapped the Frans border on the sand table with his cane. "Take your cavalry to the Frans border, stay on the defensive line for a week, and see how they charge, how they climb, and how they keep rushing forward after they fall."

Teach your cavalry how to accurately sever the infected's cervical spine with their sabers, then come back and tell me which positions your cavalry are best suited for. Theory without practice won't kill the infected.

After confirming the arrangement of the requiem prayers, the archbishop inquired about the specific difficulties of the stripping technique.

He planned to immediately have the court clerk copy the epidemic prevention manual and distribute it to every monastery still under church control within a week.

However, he also pointed out that not every pastor has enough mental strength to independently carry out the entire stripping process, so he suggested dividing the frontline medical stations into two levels.

High-level stripping stations, staffed by judges and senior mana-absorbing priests, handle moderate to severe infections, while villages and towns rely on newly trained nuns and apprentice alchemists to treat mild cases.

Perfit stood in front of the sand table all night.

Her strength recovered somewhat after the march ended, but the hours of questioning and deduction were far more exhausting than the march itself.

Her voice, which had been clear and loud an hour earlier, gradually became hoarse and low, and she leaned on her cane more and more often to support her weight. She didn't sit down—not because she didn't want to, but because every time she tried to pause, the next question would already be posed by the emperor or some elector.

As the morning light finally streamed through the stained glass windows of the domed ceiling, the archbishop slowly rose from his seat.

His full head of white hair gleamed silver-gray in the morning light, and his hand, covered with age spots, rested on the power ring on his chest. He spoke in a calm, unyielding tone: "It's already dawn. We shouldn't make a young lady work so hard. Miss Brandlis, that concludes today's meeting. Please go and rest."

The emperor paused for a moment upon hearing the archbishop's words, then quickly rose from his throne, summoned his court attendants, and ordered that Perfit and her entourage be arranged to rest in a separate courtyard on the east side of the palace.

That villa was not far from the palace and was used by the Romulus royal family to entertain their most distinguished state guests.

The villa has a separate living room and a side bedroom for attendants. Between the master bedroom and the second bedroom is a spacious reception room covered with soft satin cushions, and the fireplace in the room has already been lit by the maids.

The row of holly trees planted in the courtyard right outside the window looks as quiet as an oil painting in the morning light.

Perfit walked into the gate of the villa, leaning on her cane, and Belfast followed behind her, silently closing the door.

She finally took off her coat, which had been worn down and was frayed from repeated use in the military camp and on the march, washed her face, and then lay down on the large, almost empty bed. As soon as she closed her eyes, she sank into the bottomless darkness.

She didn't even dream.