Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

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Antonio said indifferently, "Because Gus... was originally from Tanyria."

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...

The daunting star-shaped Bastion of Red Sulfur Harbor had held out for only one day, while the old and weakened defenses of Tachi had endured a bitter struggle for an entire month before finally falling.

The siege exhausted the Venetian soldiers, casting a shadow over the hearts of all the officers. Some even said in private, "If all the Tanyrian defenders were as troublesome as William Kidd, we might as well negotiate peace now, on the basis of our current victories."

After more than a month of rest, the replenished Da Veneta Legion and the Saint Marco Legion left Red Sulfur Island.

The officers' concerns did not completely materialize, as not everyone possessed William Kidd's tenacious will.

Three weeks later, the Federation garrison at Throat-Slit Harbor surrendered to the Venetian forces.

Another month passed, and the Da Veneta Legion, along with the Saint Marco Legion, seized Santorini Island.

It was now December, and the climate of the islands during winter was markedly different from the mildness of Veneta. The wintry, cold sea breeze caused skin on faces and hands to crack, revealing blood-red flesh that throbbed with piercing pain at the slightest touch. The temperature had not yet reached freezing point, but even wearing two layers of clothing did not feel warm.

The waves grew increasingly tumultuous on the ocean, making it difficult for oar-and-sail ships to navigate safely in these unpredictable waters. Only the large round ships were capable of ferrying supplies between the islands and Veneta.

After their main fleet was destroyed, the Tanyrians changed their strategy and fell back on what they were best at—piracy.

The nearby islands, jagged coastal inlets, and miasma-infested lagoons... all these places hid Tanyrian nimble and swift sailing vessels ready to prey on the unarmed Venetian transport ships that lacked protection.

The Venetian navy was forced to deploy more warships to protect the shipping lanes, sparking brutal raid and counter-raid battles in the wintry Senas Sea.

Supply efforts became increasingly difficult for the Venetian forces, who had to break from their prior policies and resort to sourcing materials locally. This only fueled further resistance from the Tanyrians.

Facing an environment unsuitable for combat, Antonio Serviati and Rost Layton still relentlessly pushed their soldiers towards the next Tanyrian city.

However, when faced with the solid defenses of Gusa, not even the most ruthless officers could drive their exhausted troops to an attack.

The Battle of Gusa turned into a prolonged and arduous siege. The Venetians were unable to charge, and the defenders of Gusa could not counterattack. Behind three-meter-deep trenches, in the bone-chilling cold, the Venetian army outside the city quietly waited for the people within to starve to death.

After consuming all their food, mules, horses, dogs, cats, and even rats and leather, the people of Gusa who had been forced to resort to cannibalism, could no longer endure. The civilians and Federation troops began to turn on each other, with the sounds of slaughter and screams so clear that even the Venetians outside could hear them distinctly.

The next day, when the citizens of Gusa who had killed all the Federation soldiers opened the city gates to surrender, the entering Venetians discovered that this once lively and prosperous city... had completely perished.

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No Venetian could feel happy, not only because of the hellish scene before their eyes but also because they had received some news:

The Republic of Forthland army had already been stationed in Golden Harbor and had received a warm welcome from the Tanilia Federation. The Federated Provinces announced: The archipelago had officially become the eighth province of the Federation.

Lionel, the Secretary of State Affairs, issued a stern demarche, demanding the Republic of Vineta to immediately return the occupied territory of the islands.

The first "Goddess of Victory" Legion of the Provincial Army pointed its spearhead directly at the occupied zone of Vineta, confronting the Great Vineta Legion and the Saint Marco Legion across the river.

The Goddess of Victory Legion, eager for combat, provoked multiple small-scale bloody skirmishes, clearly intending to exhaust the Vineta army's old soldiers and take down both legions in one fell swoop.

The situation within the Alliance was rapidly heating up, and even the most optimistic Senas natives could no longer confidently declare that a civil war would definitely not break out.

Many critics from the Federated Provinces clamored to 'completely resolve the chronic illness of Alliance Country, a country in name only' and 'remove the current situation of Vineta Republic's military independence'. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Debela also added a new title to the Governor of Vineta's title in a tit-for-tat manner: the lord of three-fifths of the Tanilia Islands.

This title, on one hand, was due to the Venetian's meticulous and keen nature, capable of measuring everything — indeed, the territory of the islands occupied by the Venetians was precisely three-fifths.

But it was also a message to the United Provincials: I might not claim the other two-fifths of Tanyria, but don't even think about making me spit out this three-fifths of the islands that I have consumed.

Yet, in the end, the Venetians only got three-fifths. This was the result of the continuous wintertime battles of Antonio and Layton.

The Venetians fought to the death, but in the end, they were simply preparing a wedding dress for the United Provincials. Without any effort, the United Provincials gained the other two-fifths of the islands, including the most elite parts of Tanyria — Golden Harbor and the main island.

On the Tanilia Islands, witnessing the military struggles and the political gambits one after another, Winters passed winter and spring and greeted the new year's peak summer.

Compared to this time last year when he stepped out of the military academy full of youthful vigor, Winters had lost twenty-six pounds, transforming from robust to lean. His cheeks sank in, and the lines of his cheekbones and jaw became more pronounced.

One siege after another had tormented him into this state, and all Venetians had endured the same hardship.

He began to grow a beard on his chin — in fact, it was because shaving during the winter had cracked the skin on his face, so everyone simply stopped grooming.

Many officers had died in combat, and even he, an officer-in-training, had now been promoted to Centurion, responsible for a hundred-man squad that was half short of members.

At Anna's request, he wrote many letters, each one very detailed. But not a single letter could be sent back — the coming and going of ships with the mainland was sporadic, and even officers had no special privilege to occupy precious transportation capacity to send letters.

A year had passed, the trainee period had ended, and Winters, Bard, Andre, and their contemporaries were about to return to Guidao City to obtain their official military ranks.

(The Wave Volume Ends)