Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Major Felter keenly grasped this pain point and would eagerly speak of the pros and cons to his subordinates whenever he had the chance.

He would first speak extensively about the miserable fate of being captured—a fate mostly conjured from Major Felter's own imagination;

Then he would emphasize how strong the defenses of Maple Fort were—and this was no exaggeration;

Finally, he would promote his ultimate theory—that Maple Fort was a bargaining chip belonging to everyone inside, and they could use it to negotiate better terms with the Rebels;

Therefore, they must hold out! The longer they held, the better the terms!

They needed to hold out until the Rebels were powerless, until the Rebels were impatient, until the Rebels came to negotiate a surrender, for that would be the best outcome for everyone.

Major Felter even coined a catchy slogan that he led the defenders in shouting three times before every meal:

"Open the gates and surrender, become beasts of burden; wait for their plea, and return home wealthy."

Through the instillation of this theory, Major Felter also propagated its advanced conclusion among his subordinates—that since Maple Fort was the bargaining capital of everyone, anyone who surrendered alone was betraying the group, selling out comrades for glory, and was despicable, shameful, and unforgivable!

Thus, Major Felter realized the self-monitoring of the defenders, with everyone becoming a watchman, five hundred pairs of eyes vigilantly watching, preventing any ill-intentioned individuals from pocketing the collective capital.

However, a month passed.

The Rebels outside Maple Fort came and went, and came again. The banners changed several times, but no one came to negotiate a surrender.

"Could it be." Major Felter was deep in doubt: "Am I really that formidable?"

...

[Siege Camp]

Winters held a full meeting in the siege camp, mainly to meet people, and discuss how to handle Maple Fort.

A map table occupied the main space inside the tent, and the participants naturally took positions around it according to their ranks.

The formal officers of the Iron Peak County Military and those appointed by Winters rarely gathered together, while allied officers visiting as observers politely occupied a corner of the tent.

Even Andre, who often spent his time at the racecourse outside the city, was present at the meeting.

After listening to the briefing, Andre chuckled, "That Provincial Guy inside Maple Fort isn't still dreaming of 'surrendering with dignity,' is he?"

Colonel Seber bared his teeth: "If so... he's a bit shameless."

Officially, it was a full meeting, but in reality, only the Civil Guard Officer and officer-grade personnel dared to speak. Many attendees were called over without fully understanding the situation.

Therefore, Mason spoke softly to explain the rationale for the decision to the observing officers: "Maple Fort is storing over ten thousand kilograms of gunpowder. If we propose to let them surrender first, Major Felter will definitely place 'gunpowder' on the negotiation table. This, besides practicing siege tactics, is another reason why Civil Guard Officer Montaigne and I chose to wait for them to come forth with a surrender proposal."

"That makes it difficult; this Provincial Guy is quite stubborn." Andre frowned, "Or we could just let him go; he can't cause much trouble."

"The Old Marshal said that officers and warhorses, gunpowder and armor, are all precious wartime resources and should not be wasted," said Winters, pondering for a moment and then smiling while supporting his chin, "Honestly speaking, Major Alder Felter really is somewhat capable... so, I don't want to let him slip away."

The officers in the tent followed with jovial laughter.

In a corner, an honorary officer from Mont Blanc County mustered the courage to raise a question: "Sir, why can't we just storm in directly? Isn't Maple Fort almost dismantled?"

"Because soldiers are also valuable wartime resources, even more valuable," replied Winters seriously while surveying his subordinates, "And thus, cannot be squandered...remember this well, every one of you."

The tent fell silent instantly, causing the questioning honorary officer to involuntarily shiver.

This officers' meeting was mainly because Winters wanted to meet his subordinates and stabilize the troops' morale, which might be wavering due to the upcoming Assembly of the Free Men.

Discussing the handling of Maple Fort was secondary, as Winters would have to make the final decision anyway.

Noting the stiffening atmosphere, Mason wrapped up the discussion on the siege of Maple Fort and guided the officers to the dining area.

After everyone left, Mason returned to the tent.

"Ah." Mason packed up the maps on the table, grumbling: "Why get angry with someone who bought their way into this position."

"Angry?" Winters was taken aback: "Was I angry?"

"How could you not be?" Mason replied helplessly: "'Wolf cubs' were almost scared to death."

"What wolf cubs?!" Winters jumped up as if pricked by a needle: "Who started it?"

"Everyone calls them that." Mason waved off: "Alright, alright, if you dislike it, I won't use it."

After a while, the two had put away all the maps in the tent.

"If push comes to shove, let him 'go' then," Winters stood for a moment and smiled, "Though everything is precious, our soldiers are far more valuable than Major Felter."

"Alright." Mason nodded, "I'll send someone to talk with Major Felter tomorrow."

"No rush; we've waited this long, one more day won't hurt," said Winters while stroking his chin stubble, and asked, "I seemed to have had someone look for an old soldier familiar with the internal layout of Maple Fort. Something like that... did it happen?"

"Yes." Mason folded up the map table and placed it in the corner of the tent. He glanced at Winters with mild reproach: "Have you forgotten already?"

Mason walked to the file cabinet on the other side of the tent, rummaged briefly, then returned with an envelope which he handed to Winters: "Here."

Winters, uncertain of what it was, opened it and withdrew the documents. They turned out to be several interrogation records, all related to Maple Fort, including records from both officers and soldiers.

"Senior," Winters sincerely said, "How could I live without you?"

Mason let out a disdainful snort from deep within his nasal cavity.

Winters pulled out a chair and sat at the tent's entrance, reading through the documents.

"But there's nothing unusual inside," Mason stood next to him, recalled the details in the files, and summarized to Winters: "Maple Fort's internal management is strict, especially the supervision of the underground storerooms. Even officers can't move freely, so soldiers know even less."

Upon hearing this, Winters simply stuffed the documents back into the envelope: "Is there no one in Maplestone City who knows about the inside of Maple Fort?"

"To say there is someone, indeed there is—possibly the person who understands Maple Fort's internal structure best." Mason massaged his forehead, recalled the needed memory: "That would be the head 'stone mason' in charge of Maple Fort's daily maintenance, Malbrue Feigni—Old Feigni."

Winters' eyes suddenly lit up.

Mason intentionally dangled the interest in front of Winters's nose before finally adding: "But Major Felter was thorough. After retreating to Maple Fort, he immediately took Old Feigni's family into custody within Maple Fort. He even burnt Old Feigni's workshop—probably fearing we'd find the plans."

Winters, full of anticipation, suddenly felt disheartened: "Then what's the use of telling me all this..."

"It makes me happy." Mason beamed.

"Forget it." Winters stood up, stretched heavily, "Let's go to the feast."

He expressed with some regret, "Looks like Major Felter got lucky this time."

"It's about time for his luck to turn," Mason shrugged.

With that, the two laughed aloud, staring at each other, and walked toward the lively, fragrant feast tent together.

Major Felter's misfortune should have ended here.

However, just the day after Winters declared "Major Felter got lucky this time," events took a new turn.