Chapter 1437: Important News

On the other side, Europe.

The weather was slightly cool, and it was drizzling.

At this moment, the Longyan army was marching in the rain; guided by Diana, they had already reached the border mountain range of Austria—the Alps.

This mountain range rose and fell, and no one knew exactly how long or how vast it was.

But according to Diana's description, this mountain range passed through six European countries; it was Austria's natural barrier and also the place where it was easiest for Austria to launch a surprise attack on Prussia.

Yet, this great mountain range was filled with considerable danger.

Poisonous miasma, wild beasts, countless in number!

More crucially, it was cold in the mountains; Ling Chen looked at the white, snow-capped Alps and knew that if they were to summit this mountain range, it would certainly be very difficult.

Ling Chen asked, "Is there a safer path we can take?"

Diana nodded; she knew of such a path, but compared to other routes, it could only be considered relatively safe.

"General Ling Chen, I must tell you that the so-called safe path is only slightly safer than the others."

"There are still many unknown dangers on the road; after all, this is the Alps!"

General Ling Chen nodded and did not continue to press the matter.

He had long been mentally prepared for this; mountain roads were destined to be difficult, but the Longyan army could not afford to lose too many men here.

"Let's go find the Protestants first."

Diana nodded gently, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly without her realizing it; perhaps she herself had not even noticed.

But Ling Chen's observational skills were extraordinary, and this small gesture of Diana's immediately caught his attention.

Ling Chen took a few extra looks before continuing to press forward.

Although it was drizzling, the muddy mountain paths, while difficult, were still passable.

The journey was uneventful, though upon entering the mountains, some of the Longyan baggage had to be abandoned.

For heavy equipment like the Siege Cannon, Ling Chen had no choice but to order them dismantled and buried on the spot.

This was also a matter of necessity; marching in the mountains, especially in this kind of rainy weather, made it impossible to carry such Siege Cannons.

Furthermore, they were of little use in mountain warfare.

Therefore, Ling Chen ordered the main force to advance carrying only light weapons, though these weapons still possessed significant firepower.

These were the Longyan Cannons, artillery developed by Longyan specifically for jungle and mountain warfare.

After walking for a long time, the drizzle turned into a heavy downpour.

Only then did the Longyan army locate the position of the Protestants.

They were situated in a remote valley.

There was a natural karst cave here, making it a good choice for a hideout.

Upon arriving at the valley, the Longyan army set up camp on the spot, intending to rest before setting off again.

Diana introduced the Messenger sent by the Lord to save them, the Longyan general, Ling Chen, to the most prestigious Protestant Priest in the valley.

The Protestant Priest bowed slightly and said piously, "Lord, the one you sent to save us has arrived."

Ling Chen was quite speechless; it was clearly he who had come to save them, and they didn't even thank him.

Instead, they thanked that ethereal, illusory Lord?

Ling Chen kept these words to himself, not risking saying them aloud; he had been labeled a believer who betrayed the Lord, a label that did not belong to him in the first place.

Now, the Longyan army was flying the banner of supporting and helping the Protestants.

These Protestants naturally regarded the Longyan army as the Messenger sent by the Lord to save them.

There was no problem with this logic.

For Ling Chen, he also needed this well-intentioned misunderstanding.

"Greetings, Priest." Ling Chen performed an awkward bow, the etiquette of the Protestants.

The Priest looked at Ling Chen and smiled.

"Please come in, General Ling Chen."

Ling Chen was invited into the karst cave, where a bonfire was lit; this natural cave was much larger than Ling Chen had imagined.

However, there were not many Protestants inside, one could even say pitifully few.

This natural cave, which could hold at least a thousand people, was currently less than one-tenth full, with fewer than a hundred people.

Ling Chen was slightly stunned; he had not expected that there would be so few survivors among the Protestants in this region of Austria.

Could it be that Austria had already wiped out the Protestant forces in Prussia?

Those remaining must be the survivors.

"General, those people outside must be your soldiers, right?"

The Priest glanced outside and saw them still busy setting up tents; the Priest said, "General, why not let them come in?"

"It is still raining heavily outside."

Ling Chen flatly refused the Priest's kindness: "My men are all rough fellows; it is better they do not come in, lest they offend you."

The Priest wanted to say something more, but he opened his mouth and hadn't even managed to say a single word.

Ling Chen interrupted him directly, saying, "There are about ten thousand soldiers outside; if they all came in, I fear this place would not be large enough."

Hearing this, the Priest's expression shifted slightly; he had originally thought that the army sent by the Longyan people might consist of a few thousand men.

As for the slogan of supporting the Protestants, he had not believed it at all.

He thought such a thing was nonsense; he did not understand military affairs, but he subconsciously believed that these Longyan people definitely did not have as many men as they claimed.

But this time, he heard the situation outside from the mouth of the Longyan general.

A force composed of a full ten thousand men.

The Priest looked like someone who had never seen the world; he was now even more convinced that the Longyan people were the Messenger sent by the Lord to save them from their suffering.

I never expected that a Longyan would also believe in the Lord so devoutly.

Ling Chen glanced at the priest, paying no further mind to the look of reverence he revealed.

In truth, he was an atheist, but he could not say it aloud.

This was only speaking of a force of ten thousand; if he were to tell the priest that an army of two hundred thousand was currently marching toward this place in a mighty torrent.

What kind of expression would the priest reveal?

Ling Chen could not imagine it, but the priest's expression would definitely be quite spectacular.

The three of them chatted idly.

"Alright, Priest, if you have no questions, let us set out tomorrow," Ling Chen said directly.

This was the best choice for them.

But the priest hesitated for a moment, leaned in to look at Ling Chen, and said, "General, it is not that we do not want to leave, but there is a piece of news I would like to report to you before you make your decision."

Ling Chen frowned slightly; taking in the Protestants had already been considered a delay to the war effort.

That was why Ling Chen had split his forces into two, with the Strategist in temporary command of the main army, while two people who had come with Diana would first cross the Alps to reach the old territory of Prussia.

To unfold a war of attrition.

He himself would lead a small detachment to escort the Protestants, then exit from the other end of the Alps to catch the enemy off guard, and finally rendezvous.

"What news?" Ling Chen asked.

The priest looked at Ling Chen and said with a calm expression, "News regarding the Austria Jun's provisions."