hotmtlnovel Chapter 83 Operation Novigrad
Chapter 83 Operation Novigrad
Chapter 84 Operation Novigrad
Several days later, at dusk, at the Kingfisher Tavern.
Erwin pushed open the door and entered, followed by two squads of regular troops dressed in dark cloaks. Thirty soldiers stood waiting downstairs like ghosts, their heavy cloaks perfectly concealing the chainmail underneath and the standard longswords at their waists.
Ron glanced at the silent figures; Erwin had already opened his notepad, clearly having a lot to report.
Ron sat behind the table, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface. "Sit down and tell me, how's the progress at the manor?"
Erwin pulled out a chair and sat down, taking out a parchment blueprint from his pocket. "The water-powered wire drawing machine has officially started production, and the first batch of products was very successful. This means that our chainmail production will increase significantly, and the cost can be reduced by 30%. Yuna has divided the chainmail apprentices into two classes. Currently, the three processes of chainmail ring making, weaving, and riveting are all progressing simultaneously, and the first batch of chainmail has begun to be distributed to the new recruits."
He adjusted his glasses and turned to the next page: "The upgrade of the hydraulic forging hammer has officially begun, jointly overseen by Brom and Yuna, and is expected to be put into trial operation in three months."
"What about military expansion?" Ron's primary concern was always hard power.
Erwin turned to another page of the whiteboard and pointed to lines of numbers.
"The recruitment documents are working better than expected. The first round of screening has been completed, and 526 people have passed the assessment according to the standards set by Carl."
More than half of these people were refugees who had fled from other provinces, while the other half were locals, mostly from farming families who didn't have enough land and chose to enlist in the army.
"As per your request, with veterans of the standing army as the backbone, and with the help of Ms. Kayla's enhancement drugs, it is expected that within two months, this batch of recruits will reach the standards of the Imperial regular army, master basic military formation coordination, and form an effective combat force."
"How are the staffing levels divided?"
"Two-thirds of them are infantry units, and one-third participate in marksman training."
Erwin paused, then flipped to a sketch of the camp layout. "The camp in the northwest corner of the manor is currently being expanded. The ground has been laid with wooden foundations for moisture protection, and it can accommodate three hundred large marching tents."
"Current total troop strength?"
"The current active duty standing army has 297 personnel. After the new recruit training cycle, the number of standing army personnel will increase to 823. Based on the current recruitment efficiency, it is expected that the number of personnel will reach 3,000 in about three months."
In addition, the foundation excavation for the outer city of Crow's Nest has begun, and the architects have already planned the layout of the outer city wall. Each section of the wooden wall will be filled with rammed earth, and the project is expected to be completed within six months.
The defensive towers of Raven's Nest Fortress have been repaired, and the roof of the main manor has been patched up; it will no longer leak.
Ron mentally reviewed the numbers; everything was progressing normally according to plan.
Ron nodded in satisfaction, took a crumpled piece of paper from the drawer, and handed it to Erwin.
"This is the list Aivad gave me. There's a dwarf demolition master on it. Have someone contact him and see if you can recruit him for the manor. The salary is three times the market rate. According to intelligence, he should have just gotten married recently and is short of money right now."
"Eivad? The one from the Bosodi family?" Erwin took the note, slightly surprised. "Are we preparing to develop the mine?"
"It's not just about that; there are other things that need to be verified, you'll find out later." Ron gave him a meaningful look. "How are the preparations for tonight's operation going?"
Erwin closed the whiteboard and tucked it under his arm. "As you requested, I've prepared wide cloaks for the squad, enough to cover their armor. The spears and shields are packed in the wagons, disguised as freight wagons. Once the target is captured, they can be transported directly away without attracting the attention of the city guards."
He walked to the window and pointed to the two carriages parked in the alley. "Mr. Lu Wen has already redeployed the patrols around the camp. From midnight to dawn, there won't be any patrols passing by."
"very good"
At midnight, the area around the witch hunters' camp in Novigrad was deathly silent. Geralt emerged from the alleyway with Triss bound, while Ron stood in the shadows, coldly watching everything unfold.
A knock sounded, and the door was opened a crack. A witch hunter peeked out, looked Geralt up and down, and then her gaze fell on Triss's bound wrists.
"What are you doing?"
"Claim your bounty," Geralt said expressionlessly. "I captured the sorceress."
The witch hunter's eyes lit up. She stepped forward and roughly pulled off Triss's hood. Red hair slipped down from the edge of the hood, and the witch hunter's lips slowly curled into a smile.
"Haha, isn't this our esteemed Chief Sorcerer, Triss Merigold! It seems we must prepare a proper welcome for you today..."
""
"Boom!"
Before he could utter the word "ritual," a crossbow bolt, whistling through the air, pierced his throat with deadly precision.
Before his laughter had even subsided, his body lurched forward, twitched twice, and then remained still.
The next second, the regular army squads sprang into action, rapidly surging into the witch hunter camp from both sides, forming six teams of five.
The first column of soldiers quickly occupied the high ground around the camp, and with a powerful thrust, two witch hunters who had just rushed out of the barracks were impaled in the chest before they could even see what was happening.
The remaining five teams spread out in a fan shape, smashed through the wooden door and rushed into the house, where the killing began. Some witch hunters didn't even have time to react before their breastplates were pinned to the wall by the spears thrust at them.
A witch hunter reacted quickly, dodging the spear thrust, and roared as she swung her hand back at the nearest soldier.
"clang!"
The blade sliced through the cloak and struck the soldier's chest, revealing the gleaming breastplate beneath. The blade left a thin white mark on the armor, sparks flying.
The witch hunter's eyes widened instantly, her pupils contracted violently, and she screamed her last words in despair.
"They're a professional army! They're wearing full armor!"
Then two spears simultaneously pierced his ribs from the side, pinning him to the wooden wall behind him.
The battle lasted less than half a quarter of an hour from its outbreak to its end. The camp fell silent again, with only the torches crackling in the night wind.
The witch hunter's corpse lay scattered on the ground. Caleb Mange was dragged out of the second floor by two soldiers, while another soldier carried a wooden crate that had been searched from the office, filled with various documents and ledgers.
Mangi struggled to lift her head. "You...who are you? Do you know who I am?! I am His Majesty Radovid's man! You are all dead!"
Triss stepped out from behind Ron and stood in front of Mange.
Snapped!
A loud slap landed hard on Mangi's face, sending his head tilting to the side. He slowly turned his head back, staring wide-eyed at Triss.
"Mange, we don't know when we'll die," Triss said coldly, her eyes burning with rage, "but you'll definitely die before us."
Mange stared at Triss in disbelief. "Triss Meligard?? How is this possible... Where did you get your army?"
That's impossible!
Triss didn't answer him. Mange was about to say something when a regular soldier slammed his sword hilt into the back of his head from behind. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, where two soldiers lifted him up and dragged him toward the carriage at the door.
Ron walked over to Geralt and looked at the cleaned-up battlefield.
"The matter is resolved. I'll arrange for someone to take Triss back to the tavern. You'll come with me to see Mr. Luwen; it's time for him to fulfill his promise regarding the information he gave you."
Geralt sheathed his sword and nodded. "Okay, let's go."