Chapter 452: Distribution of Forces

6974.10.8, having gathered with so many of the Mountain Kingdom's young talents, I inevitably drank a few too many cups. Perhaps because we spent a bit more time deciding on the commanders, our Black Mountains contingent arrived quite late, but fortunately, we were not the last.

The first to arrive were Lord Borok and his wife from Huangwu Bao. Queen Selma and Lady Anya are sisters by blood; the three precious daughters of old Lagos have kept many a Little Beard awake at night for decades. Back in the day, I even accompanied Alike on a trip to Tongshanbao.

After the recapture of Eight Peaks, the ownership of the fortress and the subsequent division of interests remain murky. Neither His Majesty Sinuoli nor Belegar Ironhammer has given a direct response, but reliable news suggests the Angrund Clan secured his full support at the cost of swearing allegiance to the Demigod himself.

The transcendental realm is not something mortals can fathom, but regardless, the gains from returning to Eight Peaks are immense—in some ways even greater than those in the Southlands. Even if much is divided away, it is worth assisting with all our might.

Lord Borok and his wife command the coalition from the southern section of the Grey Mountains and the Vault Mountains. Their force is the largest among all the fortresses. Besides their close relationship, the fact that the earthquake left the rats unable to harass them is also a reason. I roughly estimate that old Lagos sent out half of his prized Brass Guard.

Second in line is Kalake-Zifulin, though whether they truly count as second is open to debate. Master Sitelinge could not wait for the Weifengbao contingent to finish assembling before bringing his own Anvil Guard to Red Cloud Mountain ahead of time.

Sometimes luck is a part of strength. The luck of Lorek Granitehand has always been good, and his son likely inherited that, right? As long as His Majesty Sinuoli approves, who would quibble over whether a name is recorded or not?

Prince Balin of Jiliuguan and Prince Suojiade of Norsca arrived almost one after the other. This is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to boost prestige; a little risk is not impossible to bear.

In addition to the main force from the Northern Four Cities, Master Aoji-Duanzhi arrived with Prince Suojiade. Counting Master Nathan, who was already stationed at Red Cloud Mountain, the four great disciples of the divine Gnom in the Mortal World have all arrived. This is as it should be; brothers in apprenticeship are no different from brothers by blood.

Prince Panuosen of Haimenguan joined with a marine detachment just these past few days after completing most of the transport tasks. He is perhaps one of the most mature among his peers. The old wounds Lord Panuosi sustained while battling the black-spined sea dragon in his youth have caused his health to deteriorate day by day; as his eldest son, Panuosen has shouldered more and more in recent years.

Counting those on the road and King Kazador of Tiefengbao, my beard is the longest. This is good news for me personally, but perhaps not as good for the entire army. May the Ancestor Gods protect us.

6974.10.9, His Majesty Sinuoli came to talk to me last night. Receiving the recognition of the great Demigod is a tremendous honor. When I was saved by Grimbrindal back then, I was still too young and weak; only now can I feel the great power hidden within them.

Most of what I thought of, His Majesty Sinuoli has also considered. In this generation, no clansman has commanded such a massive army—counting the contingents from Karak-Kadrin and the Everpeak on the way, I estimate our race's combat troops alone could reach ten thousand.

Leading the Bretonnia contingent is a Duke and five Grail Knights. They have scraped together a force close to that of a duchy: five hundred knights of various ranks, twice that number of squires, and three thousand infantry.

As for the Empire of Man, Elector Count Boris of Middenland volunteered. He will co-command an army of similar size with the Grand Lector of the Sigmar Cult stationed in the Southlands.

Added to Kislev and the adventurers, the humans are providing about fifteen thousand professional soldiers. With the logistics personnel counted in multiples, the manpower directly committed to the recovery of Eight Peaks is at least fifty thousand.

Fifty thousand people—the clansmen of Karak-Hern only number fifty thousand. To march them over such a long distance to the foot of Eight Peaks and then defeat an immeasurable number of enemies is a challenge of what difficulty.

His Majesty Sinuoli is also very troubled by this. He has no time to reorganize and train the troops; the grain, pay, and the pressure from other races that might be felt across the Old World do not allow him to do so.

He ultimately decided to organize a command headquarters in the form of a war council, delegating tasks to various factions while coordinating from the center to ensure they are implemented, all while standing ready to step in and deal with the most troublesome enemies.

There is ancestral precedent for this. Even the great Gotrek-Suixingzhe did not bypass the lords of the various fortresses to command their troops directly during the War of Vengeance, but now we have human participation, and they make up a large proportion.

How strong is their fighting will? How much loss can they sustain without breaking? Can they cooperate with us tacitly at critical moments? In the thousands of years since these youngsters appeared at the foot of the mountains, we have never obtained a definitive answer.

Every Book of Grudges contains entries on the treacherous behavior of man-spawn, it is just a matter of quantity and whether they have been crossed out. If only there were a choice, sigh, if only there were a choice!

His Majesty Sinuoli mentioned an ancient Zhendan saying that is very philosophical: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles." Our understanding of the enemy is limited; even the most outstanding explorers cannot penetrate the core of Eight Peaks. To be honest, I suspect the leaders of the Greenskins and the rats do not even know how many mongrels they have under their command!

That saying has a follow-up: "If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory you will suffer a defeat; if you know neither your enemy nor yourself, you will be defeated in every battle." But what if both sides know neither the enemy nor themselves? Let us fight with strength and will!

6974.10.27, Prince Gelagelimu of Slayer Keep has arrived. He brought a Slayer Regiment with hair-crests reaching the sky. Many powerful Slayers wander the wilderness alone in search of their own deaths; it takes extra time to contact and assemble them.

This young man has taken the oath of the Slayer of the Dragon, wanting to end everything the Dragonbeard Clan bears in his own hands. Perhaps? I sincerely hope that after the recapture of Eight Peaks, They will issue a decree to forgive this tragic clan.

6974.11.15, Lord Panom of Mountain Lake Fortress arrived last. His contingent mainly comes from the Everpeak—the capital of the Mountain Kingdom, which is also His Majesty Sinuoli's hometown, and the settlements in the heartland of the Empire of Man.

His Majesty Thorgrim Grudgebearer has put tremendous effort into this great expedition. He has been the one contacting most of the humans, and he has also labored and worried over raising supplies and organizing transport capacity for the great army.

To make up for the regret of being unable to come in person, he sent half of the Eternal Hammer Guard and had them deliver the Great Book of Grudges, the Dammaz Kron, into the hands of His Majesty Sinuoli, authorizing him to act on his behalf to cross out the grudges settled during the expedition.

This matter is unprecedented, but the Demigod chosen by the Ancestor Gods is worthy of it. No one is qualified or would raise an objection; the only ones who might be unhappy are the Ancestor Chosen Guard. With the Gnom Guard first and the Eternal Hammer Guard after, their honor and status are in jeopardy!