I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 210 Living towards death
Chris could already see the shadow of the wildfire on the horizon, and the nearby Minisian camp certainly couldn't miss it. The pungent smell of gunpowder had already permeated the camp and its surroundings after daybreak.

General Dodd stood on the western edge of the alfalfa slope, looking up into the distance, his face ashen. Beside him stood Captain Lacey, his face weary and his clothes tattered.

"Was this fire set by the people of the Republic?"

At first, Dud thought that the fire, which was spreading from west to east against the wind, was a cruel plan by Prince Chris's army to force the Miniese army to leave the camp.

Unexpectedly, the fire was started by those incompetent allies from the Republic of Bagnia... General Dud only learned of this when Captain Lacey returned from crossing the ridge in the early morning.

Otherwise, even if he racked his brains, he would never have guessed that this was something done by an ally.

Why did they light this fire?

Upon hearing the general's question, Captain Lacey's weary face broke into a smile paler than the firelight. He pulled out a half-burnt parchment from his pocket, its edges still seeping black oil.

"This is the Republic's 'Support Plan'... They said that Chris's army was blocking their way and couldn't get there, so they bypassed the enemy's obstruction and went to carry out a plan to use the enemy's forces as a pretext."

Using fire as a weapon!?
Captain Lacey's Adam's apple bobbed up and down with each swallow, the charred parchment rustling in the morning breeze.

"They set fire to the entire western plains, all the farmland and forests, and the grasslands with torches soaked in tar. The Republican general told me that they planned to use the flames to force and burn the Chris army."

Once a bloody path has been burned through, the Republic's reinforcements will advance from the west along the scorched earth to support our army.

General Duds suddenly grabbed the captain's shoulder, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Isn't this hilly area where we're standing now... part of the area where the fire is spreading?"

Upon hearing the question, Captain Lacey coughed violently, a strange and complicated expression on his face. He looked like an ordinary person suddenly seeing a colossal idiot, speechless with disbelief.

"The general said that we were in a stream area, surrounded by water, so the fire couldn't burn us."

Upon hearing this, General Dudley's face instantly turned as dark as the darkness before dawn. He ripped off his command badge and slammed it against the clover at his feet, as if to smash the anger in his chest with it.

"The stream area?!"

Dodd's voice was torn apart by the wind, and the firelight distorted his shadow.

"Don't they even have the most basic common sense? More than 10,000 people are hiding here, and they're relying on this little bit of water to put out the fire?"

He suddenly grabbed Lacey by the collar and ripped the half-burnt parchment in front of his eyes.

"Look at this wind direction! Last night's east wind is driving the fire towards our camp. Don't those bastards know that even the residual heat from a kilometer away can roast all ten thousand of us into dried corpses?!"

Captain Lacey's Adam's apple bobbed. He dared not meet the general's gaze and turned to look at the distant ridgeline illuminated by the firelight.

“General… I told you, but the people of the Republic firmly believe in their judgment… They keep saying everything will be alright, and you’ll see once the fire is over. They’ve convinced me to trust their assessment.”

General, no matter how I try to persuade them or give examples, they keep saying the same thing. I can't convince them... I... I've tried my best..."

"Then what are you doing back?"

“I have to come back, I feel I should come back.”

The captain's facial muscles twitched.

"You have to come back?"

Dodd's voice was so deep it seemed to come from underground, and the light reflected from the sword blade cut a hideous shadow across his face.

"Are you coming back to die?"

Captain Lacey remained silent, and his silence extinguished General Dodd's anger, forcing him to calm down. Complaining and anger would not help the current predicament; he should remain calm.

Staying where we are means certain death; we must break through.

Heading west was clearly a suicidal path. When the raging fire came, even if more than 10,000 Nicaean soldiers rushed over, it would only make the fire burn a little more fiercely.

Heading north is also impractical. The ridge is there; small elite units can cross it, but large forces certainly can't. Unless Prince Chris's army on the other side is blind, they will definitely find out.

They didn't need to do anything; they just needed to push the artillery closer to blast the large army that had crossed the mountains into mincemeat.

Having ruled out the two impossible routes, that leaves only the option of heading south or east.

The south wasn't safe either; the fire was coming from the west, and Dudley wasn't sure how fast he and his men would have to run to escape the fire before it spread.

Perhaps everyone can escape, perhaps half of them can survive, perhaps... it will rain and extinguish the fire.

General Dodd dug his fingers deep into his palms, blood seeping from between them. He gazed at the eastern sky, darkened by the fire, where the clanging of metal from Chris's army loading cannons echoed... clear enough to send chills down his spine.

"Give the order to the entire army!"

The general suddenly turned around, his cloak fluttering in the hot wind.

"All supply vehicles were dismantled, and the logistics soldiers cooked all the food, each carrying three days' rations. All other supplies...were burned."

Captain Lacey looked up abruptly.

"General, what is this...?"

"Break through to the east."

Dud drew his sword, its blade pointing towards the main position of Chris's army.

"Around noon today, the entire army launched a surprise attack, advancing eastward!"

…… "

When will the fire reach our area?

Chris, atop the makeshift watchtower, asked the clerk beside him, who immediately gave him a reply.

"Based on the speed at which the fire is spreading, you will be able to see the fire from your current location by 6:30 this evening."

"so……"

Chris turned his head back to look at the Minisian camp. From his vantage point, and with the aid of a modern telescope, he could roughly see what was happening inside.

China’s long history has many advantages, and the best one is that no matter what happens to Chris, he can find examples by consulting history books.

"Minesians, are they planning to fight a desperate battle?"

Where is the Baghnia Republic Army currently located?

"Behind the fire... the exact location is unclear, because they have broken up their formation in order to spread out their fires... According to the Ultramarines Chapter's report, the enemy seems to have collapsed without a fight, and a considerable number of soldiers have fled the battlefield or surrendered to the Ultramarines Chapter."

"This is fucking magical..."

(End of this chapter)