Lord of the Frozen Winter: Starting with Daily Intelligence Reports

"We've reached the River Valley Basin."

When the scout cavalry sent back the message from afar, Louis was standing on a protruding rock platform, holding a telescope, his gaze piercing through the snow-covered mountain hollows to look at the low valley still enveloped by frost.

The earth was still pale, and the wind carried the scent of frozen soil and withered grass.

But even so, this basin still appeared extremely wide and fertile.

A large river flowed slowly through its center, with broken wooden fences and lingering cooking smoke scattered along its banks.

Those were the Frost Giants' settlements, densely packed and scattered, no less than thirty of them.

"According to the scout's report, there are a total of ninety-eight Giants, occupying a semi-circular area, mainly concentrated in the central part of the basin and the Southeast hilly zone," Lambert said in a low voice, dismounting his horse and approaching him, holding the intelligence report.

Louis nodded, his gaze fixed on the Giants' traces, apparently they had occupied this place for a long time.

He dismounted, his cloak sweeping the ground, and unfolded the battle map on the temporary command post.

This was a typical "wintering Giant tribe," which, after the insect plague, took advantage of the chaos in the North and passed through the Cracked Rock Pass to occupy this unseeded basin.

They had settled here, which meant that this group of enormous monsters would never retreat easily.

This was the first tough battle before the North's spring plowing.

"...If the valley passage is not liberated, spring plowing will be entirely delayed. What is needed is not just to defeat the Frost Giants, but a clean and decisive eradication."

Fortunately, he had already confirmed the intelligence through the Daily Intelligence System and the advance scout knights:

"Total enemy count: ninety-eight Giants, including eight special individuals: three Brutal-type, Red-Patterned Flaming; five Heavy-Armored Defensive-type, Blue-Eyed Stone-Skinned."

So, before Louis arrived, he had already prepared various plans and combat forces.

He ordered the existing troops to be divided into two groups.

Rapid Encirclement and Hunt Group: Fifty-two Red Tide Elite Knights, divided into ten teams, led by Lambert, all equipped with light Magic Bombs;

Heavy Bombardment Group: The engineering corps transported two heavy Magic Bombs one day in advance, which have now been set up at the high points on both wings of the canyon.

The firing angle was calibrated by calculating the wind direction to ensure accuracy.

The entire operation would be personally commanded by Louis, who would stand at the Northwest observation point to conduct long-range coordination for the entire battlefield using signal flags.

Louis looked down at the ground in the basin, which had been trampled like scorched earth, and said in a deep voice, "We will show these snow-eating, blood-drinking monsters what human warfare is."

For the Red Tide Territory's Knight Order, this was not a traditional war, but a meticulously designed, luxurious hunt.

And the prey were the ninety-eight Frost Giants entrenched there.

"A decisive battle on the plains? Only a madman would do that," Louis chuckled softly from his vantage point.

"Even Elite Knights are not made of steel. The Giants are incredibly strong, and there are ninety-eight of them. A head-on clash would result in heavy casualties."

So, from the very beginning, he had no intention of confronting these monsters directly.

What he wanted to do was lure them into a cage, then lock it tight, and then chop them to pieces little by little.

Although these Giants were strong, they had just endured a harsh winter.

Without food reserves, relying only on internal fat for two months, they were already starving and physically weak.

This was their most vulnerable moment.

So, at three edges of the valley—the bottleneck, the slope, and beneath Eagle's Beak Rock—Louis had quietly set up thirteen massive military cauldrons before dusk yesterday.

Boiling in the cauldrons was an Induction broth (inducing meat broth) mixed with salt fat, roasted meat, and fragrant root grass juice, specifically designed to stimulate the Frost Giants' sense of smell.

Carried by the north wind, this fragrance acted like an invisible long whip, precisely delivering its scent into the Giant camps.

Louis stood at the high point, watching the scout report: "They're moving, starting to gather."

From the Frost Giants' perspective, this might have been a heaven-sent feast.

The smell was simply too strong.

Even with their dull sense of smell, they could clearly distinguish that aroma now.

Roasted meat tendons mixed with bone oil and salty fat, sprinkled with some warm, pungent plant juice—this scent was too potent, like a hook lodged deep in their stomachs, dragging them out of their camps.

More than thirty Frost Giants rose to their feet.

They had long been ravenous.

The storm had just stopped last night, and the entire tribe had not cooked for two days. The frozen beasts under the snow were inedible, and the corpses of their kin had long been picked clean.

Now, this dreamlike scent was naturally irresistible to them.

A Red-Patterned individual was the first to charge out of the camp, the scars on its shoulders gleaming blood-red in the morning light.

It recklessly pushed and shoved its kin, smashing two snow pines along the way, and even knocking a weaker Frost Giant tumbling into the mountain stream.

"Roar!!!" A booming roar shook the wilderness, cracking the ice.

The other Giants followed, their combined hundred-foot charge raising a thunderous tremor that shook the entire mountainside.

The multi-ton behemoths stumbled, stomped their feet wildly, their clubs swinging, sending stone chips flying, and causing clumps of snow to collapse along their path.

This was a chaotic and brutal scene, and it was precisely the loss of control that Louis had been waiting for.

At the end of the canyon, cold winds swirled, and white snow billowed, sweeping over the ridges with a faint booming sound.

On the high points on both sides, iron tripods were tightly covered by camouflage snow cloths, beneath which lay two heavy Magic Bombs.

They were already in position, awaiting the final command.

And on the centerline of the cliff, Louis held his telescope, gazing at the Giants below, charging into the valley like mad bulls.

He knew very well: the Giants' hearing and intelligence were insufficient to detect such a trap—especially when they were hungry.

They didn't even realize how they had walked from a place of freedom step by step into this encirclement.

Indeed, most of the Giants had reached the heart of the valley, where thirteen boiling "meat broth cauldrons" were piled.

They smashed with their clubs, frantically fighting over the food, many individuals tearing at each other; one Blue-Eyed Heavy-Armored type was even knocked over by two of its kin near a cauldron, its head crushed into the stony ground.

A Red-Patterned Giant in the very center went berserk, letting out a furious roar and stomping a slightly thinner kin to death.

Then it sat down by the soup cauldron, even reaching out its claws to directly stuff the scorching meat clumps from the cauldron's edge into its mouth, completely disregarding the hot oil dripping down its jaw.

Perfect... it's about time.

On the cliff, Louis slowly raised a right hand clad in a black glove.

The flag officer stood behind him, his crimson command flag held perfectly still.

The next moment, Louis clenched his five fingers.

Whoosh! A red flag with a golden border rose high, flapping fiercely in the north wind, like a burning blade pointing directly into the valley!

That was the "Fire" signal.

On both sides of the valley, the heavy Magic Bombs hidden under the snow finally detonated at that moment.

Boom!!!!

It was a furious thunderclap ripping through the air, tearing apart the valley's atmosphere in an instant.

The blast point was set at the valley's center, precisely targeting the largest gathering area around the three meat cauldrons.

Blazing red light suddenly surged from beneath the snow, like a volcanic eruption, then transformed into an all-consuming dark flame mushroom cloud.

Giants within a fifty-meter radius of the core had no time to even struggle; they were instantly melted into charred remains.

Their flesh twisted, evaporated, and exploded in the high temperatures, their bones deforming and shattering like porcelain.

One Red-Patterned individual was even directly vaporized at the epicenter, leaving only half of a charred spine embedded in the mud, like a burnt ghostly pillar.

The explosion's shockwave cleaved through the air like an axe, rapidly spreading outwards.

More than thirty Giants on the outer ring were directly thrown into the air, tumbling down both sides of the valley.

Some were slammed against the rock walls, their brains splattered; others had their legs blown off, lying on the ground howling, trying to struggle up, but only able to wail in the scalding snow-mud.

"Guaaahhhh—woooo—!"

Screams rose and fell, these Giants like beasts thrown into a hotpot.

The shockwave spread to the cliff, and a fragile ice layer buried under the snow finally cracked.

"Crack—Rumble!"

The cliff ice layer collapsed with a roar, and twelve Frost Giants who had not yet entered the valley fell into the collapse, some directly smashing through the ice and falling dozens of meters into the deep valley, with sounds of bone-cracking and wailing.

Others were crushed under the cliff rocks, only twisting limbs exposed.

The entire canyon had, at this moment, transformed into a hellish cauldron filled with blood and fire.

Immediately following, smoke bombs thrown from the surrounding mountaintops ignited in succession, and thick, inky mist obscured the entire valley.

The world in the Giants' eyes suddenly blurred, and the air was a mix of scorching heat and acrid stench; they lost their vision, sense of smell, and direction.

The remaining forty-odd Giants °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° began to instinctively retreat.

They were panicked and disoriented, howling as they ran back, trampling and pushing each other; some even crashed into the valley walls, bleeding profusely.

But just then, the second heavy Magic Bomb on the Southwest diagonal valley also began to fire.

Boom!!!!

This time, the explosion was no longer a vertical projection, but a sweeping, horizontal attack.

Intense pillars of fire unfurled outwards in a fan shape, precisely cutting off the Giants' retreat path.

More than ten Giants rushing ahead were directly incinerated and consumed, some even airborne for several meters before disintegrating, limbs and charred flesh scattering along both sides of the valley path.

A Heavy-Armored Blue-Eyed individual, attempting to leap, took only half a step before being hit by the blast wave, its body half-charred, even its helmet-like skull cracking open, falling backward, its eyeballs bursting into black smoke with a "pop" in the high temperature.

The snow-covered ground instantly turned black, the surface scorching hot like a burning iron pan.

The Giants had nowhere left to escape, only able to wail and kneel amidst the embers and blood.

In just fifteen minutes, two Magic Bombs had destroyed the main force of the entire Frost tribe.

Of the original ninety-eight Frost Giants, only twenty-two were still struggling, and they, too, had nowhere to escape.

High above, fierce winds carried scorching, acrid currents, howling past.

The valley floor was still burning, embers rolling, charred flesh and black smoke intertwining, like some barbaric civilization's sacrifice.

Just as the Frost Giants' formation was completely shattered and in disarray, the main flag on the mountaintop rose high.

Louis slowly lowered his arm, and the flag officer beside him shouted, "Command flag—flutter!"

The red flag waved, and the horn blared long.

"Knight squads, move out!"

In an instant, ten Elite Knight squads charged down the mountain paths from both flanks like sharp blades, the oppressive force of their tactical divisions advancing in unison, enveloping like a giant net.

They encircled in a pincer movement, needing no words between them, coordinating solely through flag signals and whistles.

Each group of five, equipped with light Magic Bombs, controlled by the vice-knight, precisely threw them into the densest areas of the remaining enemies at the bottom of the valley.

"Fire!" The Magic Bombs drew screaming arcs, exploding upon impact!

"Bang! Boom!!"

Three Frost Giants, struggling to get up and attempting to regroup, were launched into the air along with the scorched snow beneath them, their flesh instantly torn apart by the blazing flames, their bones turning into black charcoal tumbling at the bottom of the valley.

But simultaneously with the explosion, a Blue-Eyed Giant roared to its feet!

Its entire body surged with chilling energy, and its extreme cold domain instantly expanded, swirling snow mist within a radius of dozens of meters, and the temperature plummeting!

A Knight squad approached too quickly, their warhorses whinnying and stopping, their armor frosting over, their breaths condensing into ice beads!

"Battle Qi to dispel cold!" The squad leader roared, and the five men instantly ignited their Battle Qi, the cold air evaporating and dissipating, forcing their way into the Giant's ice domain!

The Blue-Eyed Giant roared, swinging a palm that shattered the mountain rock, sending it crashing down on the knights like an avalanche!

But the knights' formation remained unbroken; two knights charged forward to lure, while three attacked from the flank, instantly severing its rear hamstrings!

The Giant knelt, its roar still unfinished, when a Battle Qi longsword pierced its skull through its jaw, severing its nervous system, and it crashed to the ground!

Another Heavy-Armored Blue-Eyed individual, also pushed to its limit, roared and leaped out of a snowdrift, its body still aflame, still attempting to forcibly unleash an ice storm!

"Reload!" The vice-captain yelled, and three knights switched to bomb form, igniting high-heat Magic Bombs!

"Throw!"

Three flashes of fire precisely hit the Giant's abdomen, chest, and face mask, detonating in a chain in mid-air!

"Bang! Boom!! Boom—!"

The chest of this most heavily armored Blue-Eyed Giant collapsed, its ice crystal armor flying like shattered shells, and after burning through its throat, it fell like a ruined, charred copper furnace, unable to move.

Meanwhile, the other group of Giants attempted to break through.

"The valley entrance—block it!"

There, a blockade and two mobile Knight teams had been waiting for a long time.

"Throw bombs!"

Three light Magic Bombs precisely hit the path of the fleeing enemies, igniting firewalls and rolling stones.

The Giants turned back in panic, only to crash into the Knight formation pursuing from the other flank, instantly collapsing.

The last Red-Patterned Berserker Giant roared, raising its arms, attempting to break through the blockade amidst the chaos.

But before it could take three steps, a silver shadow leaped from the cliff like a meteor.

Lambert's war spear burned with fierce Battle Qi, piercing through the air to precisely impale the Red-Patterned Giant's throat!

The six-meter-tall monster seemed to have its life support pulled away, its eyes losing focus, and it crashed to the ground.

Blood gushed like a fountain, but only splattered outside his war boots.

The valley was silent, only the charcoal crackling softly in the melting snow.

A knight kicked a piece of shattered ice armor with his boot, "Seriously, they couldn't even hit us."

Another murmured, "From beginning to end, they were like they were being processed in batches. This isn't war; it's a hunting ground."

The Frost Giant tribe was completely annihilated, not one of the ninety-eight escaped.

Louis's side had zero fatalities, with only twelve people suffering minor injuries, mostly from blast shock and abrasions.

This was a classic battle of extreme tactical suppression and terrain-based luring and killing.

Louis stood at the high point, overlooking the valley battlefield, his gaze as calm as a mirror.

He had not drawn his sword, relying only on a plan, half a day of deployment, and precise commands to turn the valley's most dangerous enemies into charred bones.

The large number of Frost Giant limbs remaining in the valley were systematically collected. Louis ordered them to be boiled, crushed, and fermented into fertilizer.

As early as two years ago, the Red Tide Territory had experimented with a batch of "Giant bone fertilizer," with significant results, and now these corpses would serve as raw material for fertilizer.

And as the Giants fell, the River Valley Basin was no longer threatened, and spring plowing preparations immediately began in full swing.