Chapter 255 — Traces in the Webbing
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 3
Gao Yang listened carefully to the patrol soldiers' reports, and from them he gathered that what the patrol had run into was no mere band of desperate bandits or exiled mercenaries, but rather a group of highly organized, deeply experienced professional soldiers.
The patrol's reports could not be wrong, for their captain was a veteran who had served the Cecil family since the days of old Cecil; every veteran in the domain, along with the fine soldiers who had grown up since, had been dispersed into the various recruit units as "seeds," and such men would not make any serious errors in battlefield judgment.
If not for the Cecil combat troops' black-tech armaments—which to the conventional armies of this era were practically heaven-sent artifacts—and if not for the patrol captain's timely detection of the enemy and his accurate response, it would surely have become a hard-fought and bitter battle. But there are no "ifs" on a battlefield. Faced with weapons and fighting methods they could not even comprehend, these suspicious armed infiltrators attempting to slip into Cecil's domain suffered a crushing defeat; of the ten-man squad, only two survived to the end.
Gao Yang looked over the captured weapons and armor, the packs and satchels the patrol had brought back; many bore traces of being burned through and melted by searing rays, but quite a few pieces remained intact. Yet not one of these things showed the slightest mark of affiliation, nor even anything resembling a distinctive style—though every piece was equipment of fine quality, their owners had clearly not wished to use them to betray their identities.
As for the map-making tools and the sketches Amber had mentioned, they were laid out on a separate table, together with a number of other things Amber found highly suspect.
Gao Yang picked up the crude maps depicting the mountain paths of the Dark Mountains and examined them closely with a frown, noting that they bore not only maps but also a number of incomprehensible cipher marks; yet even without making out their meaning, one could guess what these symbols indicated.
Though Amber was quite shrewd in her own field, this occasion was plainly outside her expertise. Staring blankly at the tools, she asked Gao Yang curiously, "Where do you suppose these people came from?"
"Do I even need to think? Our 'good neighbors,' of course," Gao Yang shrugged, tossing the sketches carelessly back onto the table. "Well-equipped, well-trained, infiltrating through the Dark Mountains, mapping and gathering intelligence the whole way—who else would do such a thing?"
As he spoke he curled his lip, looking at the unmarked weapons and equipment. "They even prepared these blank pieces to throw people off the scent... Do they take the Ansu for fools?"
Just then the door was pushed open and Hetty walked in. Having caught Gao Yang's words, she could not help shaking her head. "That's not quite right either. Granted, the moment these men were caught, Ansu's border guards knew perfectly well where they came from—but without evidence, catching them is all for nothing, since the two nations have not yet declared war openly. Whichever side's spies get caught, all they have to do is deny it. Most nobles are creatures who care about face and are utterly shameless at the same time."
Amber glared at Hetty. "Hey, hey, you're a noble too—your whole family's nobles!"
"That doesn't stop me from passing judgment on other nobles," said Hetty, who for once refrained from rapping Amber on the head (likely because there were too many people around and she had to maintain her dignity). She merely shot Amber a glance, then walked over to Gao Yang. "Progenitor, I've arranged for additional manpower at the mine, and Sir Byron has gone there in person."
Gao Yang nodded in approval, while Hetty's expression took on a trace of worry. "Progenitor, do you think these imperial soldiers are a signal that war is coming?"