March 15th, 1798

Because of the rain, their troops could only move towards and inside the forest of Montpierre four days after the "Twin Mountain's Ambush", as the conflict against the Ruhmnians had been dubbed.

During that time Francis had managed to get his fellow hussars and cuirassiers new equipment, armor and uniforms  —that although weren't unused and specifically made for them, still were in better conditions than their old gear—. But doing so was a struggle, and he wouldn't lie about it. Their army was working with half the money the republican directory had promised, and even getting food was becoming a hard task, let alone clothes, shoes, and weapons. Because of this lack of resources, pillaging and looting had become a common practice. And soldiers being locked up for it turned into a big issue.

Technically, they were allowed to steal whatever they needed to survive, as long as they didn't get caught doing so. But, if the national guard found out about their misconduct, the guilty officers could stay between two days to three weeks in jail. It all depended on where they had committed the crime, though. Big cities granted bigger dues to pay. Villages were mostly unprotected, and therefore, lawfulness was inexistent.

This is precisely why Obermann told his troops to freely ransack every single little town they saw, and to hide their provisions well inside their backpacks, while they still were down in the deep south. If things somehow went wrong and they were forced to leave the countryside, and God forbid, seek shelter in a bigger northern city, they needed to be prepared for the long days of wait inside of it. Having enough food to eat, and water to drink, was a priority.

—Won't our soldiers get paid anymore? —Francis asked, as they spoke about this very issue while they walked through the forest of Montpierre.

—They will, but from what I've heard inflation is high above the clouds right now. Specially in the northern region of our country. Buying anything up there will be a challenge. We'll all starve if we aren't clever about our expenses and plan ahead... Besides, the neighboring kingdoms and empires have basically stopped trading with us. Only the Vannes Kingdom has agreed to continue with our old economic and social alliances. And thank heavens they do, because without them, we'd be completely isolated in here. That would be a disaster for our economy, which is already shattered. These northerners are the only reason we still are somewhat afloat.

—And it doesn't help that our old King spent so much money on senseless wars. He left us with a huge international debt —Laupin added—. Specially with the Staeltorn Kingdom.

With that explanation in mind, Francis could finally understand the logic behind Obermann's orders, and also, why said kingdom was attacking their shores.

—All of these problems are solvable, though —the general insisted, and stopped walking for a second, to catch his breath—. We just have to have faith in justice, and fulfil our duty. Then everything will work out just fine.

—Are you saying that because you believe it, or are you saying that because you're trying to convince yourself of it? —Laupin laughed and patted his back, as the man drew a deep breath in, and started moving again.

—Both.

Francis snorted softly, and shook his head.

They proceeded to walk in silence for a few more kilometers, before finding a good spot to set up their camp and rest. They would spend the night there, and prepare their weary souls for tomorrow's battle.

Their plan to conquer Montpierre was complicated in theory, and extremely dangerous in practice. It had been put together by Laupin, Francis and Obermann, and improved by general Munsch's feedback.

The idea was to sneak a few of their infantrymen into the fortress, and attack it from the inside out. How would they do this? By disguising them as allies of the royalists, and dress them up with the clothes of the fallen Ruhmnian soldiers.

—You should take leadership over the invasion, Francis. Since you and the Duke know each other, he will let you in with our men blindly, if you tell him that you're there to help him —Laupin had said back at the citadel, while they discussed their plans out loud.

—I'm not so sure. He hates me.

—He may. But he knows who you are, and he remembers you as a loyal royalist gardener, not as a rebel captain. Which means that, at least to some degree, he trusts you.

—Camille makes a good point. But I can't hide my surprise. Gardener? You were the Duke's gardener? —Obermann asked, between amused and surprised.

—Yes, indeed I was. And I worked for him for years, taking care of the Dubois palace.

—I never would have guessed that. Not in a million years —the general laughed shortly.

And Francis couldn't get mad at him for it, since it was quite shocking to know that a renowned hussar such as himself, known for his passionate brutality and lack of empathy towards his enemies, was once a poor, humble gardener.

But now... now he was no commoner. He had become a captain, and as such, he had a responsibility to uphold and a status to maintain. Therefore, he ended up agreeing with Laupin's suggestion, and accepted the offer of taking leadership over the "false flag" mission.

Funnily enough, he wound up receiving the same uniform of the Oberst he'd killed in his last battle —which had been repaired and cleaned by the army's washmen— to disguise himself as a Ruhmnian and slip into the castle.

But, to avoid any confusion amidst his troops, for now he still was wearing his usual clothes. Only the following day, when it was time to put the plan to work, he'd switch his usual outfit for the black and red one.

Although, once their campsite was set, Francis did dare to quickly dress up in the privacy of his tent and check himself out in the enemy's uniform.

—Looking dashing, aren't you? —Charlie joked as he walked inside, with no warning whatsoever.

—I look ridiculous. Don't lie.

—Nah! The ladies of our battalion will love it! Look at that ass!...

—Hey —Francis swatted his hand away, before the man could do something regrettable.

Right as he did, Jacques appeared as well.

—Damn, Forestier! This tent is bigger than my own house! How'd you get so lucky?

—Doing half of the crazy shit he has! —Charlie laughed, and sat down on a folding chair nearby.

—How's your wound doing? —Jacques asked the blond, as Francis finished buttoning up his coat.

—It's better. It still hurts, but I'm alive and breathing, so it's fine —Charles crossed his legs—. And you?

—Just peachy.

—Francis? —the older soldier looked at the captain.

—Oh, I'm fine too. The scar in my forehead will be quite annoying to look at, but as you just put it; I'm still alive, so that's what counts.

—Be careful once you're inside that castle —Jacques said, out of the blue, as he looked at the former gardener up and down, with clear worry in his eyes.

—Talking about it, when are you going in? —Charlie chimed in.

—Tomorrow, by midday. It will be me, plus two hundred men from the infantry.

—Can I go in with you? You'll need the help of someone you can trust.

—You don't have a Ruhmnian uniform, Jackie —Charlie reminded him.

—Then I'll get myself one —the blacksmith's determination didn't waver—. I'll trade places with someone. I bet that at least one of Francis' men will want a way out of that mission. But I'm not letting you... —he pointed at captain—. Walk inside that mouse trap alone.

—If you want to go, there's nothing I can do to stop you. All I ask is that you follow my orders exactly as I say —Francis said, sharing a little bit of the blacksmith's concern for once—. I don't want you to get hurt, and there are far too many ways this mission can go wrong. We'll have to be extremely careful while we are in enemy soil.

—We will be. But, as I said...  —Jacques smirked—. De brauchst einein freund... You'll need a friend.

—You speak Ruhmnian? —the captain's head spun around so fast he got dizzy.

—Eich weiß eine wenigg. A little bit.

—Then you'll better find yourself a suit as quickly as possible. Because now I really need you beside me.