I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 130 I will never keep this glory to myself!

Of course, there was absolutely no explanation given to Tony.

But that didn't stop John from labeling the major general who was forced to take sick leave.

In any case, under his arrangement, this major general will most likely be unable to send any messages to the outside world before the end of the Battle of Faoken.

So no matter how he tries to shift the blame, the other party will find it difficult to prove their innocence.

Once everyone has achieved continuous victories under his arrangement, and has completely taken over Faoken Bay, then no matter how Tony tries to explain himself...

Before the entire 1st Division, which had by then completely transformed into its own form, the fact that the enemy would become a cowardly major general would become an unshakable fact.

John felt no guilt about this, because he knew that even if he told the other party that they intended to fight the Seventh Legion, the result of the battle would only be defeat.

What he needs least is failure!
"Major John, may I ask how you intend to deal with the enemy?"

After an unknown amount of time, seemingly unable to endure the oppressive atmosphere any longer, Eli Morshington, the commander of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, mustered his courage and asked John a question.

But when he saw John looking at him, fearing that the other man might misunderstand and think he was dissatisfied, he quickly added with an awkward smile:
"Of course, I am not questioning your decision, but the Allied Seventh Corps is, after all, a corps-level unit, with at least four of our divisions in strength."

"No matter how much confidence I have in your magic force, I can't help but have some concerns given the huge disparity in numbers."

"Ah, of course, these are merely my humble opinions, not directed at your decision. I wholeheartedly agree with your choice to defend the glory of the Empire and have no objections whatsoever. Please have faith in my loyalty to the Empire, Your Excellency John!"

After speaking, as if afraid that the terrifying mage beside him, who was watching him with ill intent out of the corner of his eye, might use his terrifying power and speed to turn him into the next Colonel Max, Colonel Eli even used the honorific "Your Excellency" to address John, who was two ranks below him, at the end.

He was genuinely afraid that he would be forced to take sick leave on the spot due to a slip of the tongue.

After all, just now, Max, who was in the same grade as him, was hit and suffered a brain hemorrhage before he could even finish speaking. It was unclear whether he could be cured.

As for John's earlier claim of freedom of expression, given Max's case before and after, he didn't believe a single word of it.

Who knows if casting a dissenting vote will immediately and involuntarily induce a stroke?
At this moment, John Maslow was clearly a man driven mad by his desire to uphold the honor of the empire.

While this spirit is admirable, Eli really didn't dare to disagree with the other party.

"Commander Eli's concerns are indeed not without merit. So, in order to dispel your doubts, let me briefly share some of my personal plans and insights for the upcoming battle."

John slightly raised his right hand, and Barnabo, standing behind him, immediately understood and took out a pre-prepared map of Faoken Bay, spreading it on the table.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, John slowly stood up, pointed his right index finger towards Morningstar City, then moved it to Horseshoe Ridge where they were currently located, and then spoke:

"According to intelligence from our agents, the vanguard of the Seventh Army Corps is the 4th Independent Division of the Seventh Army Corps, led by Major General Leon Lee."

"That's right, just as everyone guessed, this Major General Leon Lee is the same commander who shares the same bloodline as me, is known as the 'Assassin Star,' and is called one of the twin stars of the kingdom, along with Roxie, who is known as the Morning Star of the Kingdom of Victoria."

"Perhaps it was precisely because of their exceptional skill in decapitation strikes that our great Major General Tony developed a sense of fear and abandoned his dignity as an Imperial soldier, intending to flee, which led to the current situation."

"But in my opinion, this assassin star's decapitation methods are not something we should fear. On the contrary, they are precisely the weakness that we can most easily exploit. We have four victories over the enemy based on this weakness!"

Under the thoughtful or surprised gazes of the crowd, John slightly parted his lips and pointed out the key: "Because assassination means that an intelligence war is necessary, and through the spies I have planted in advance within the Allied forces, the enemy's actions are already clear, but the enemy has no idea about us. Therefore, this is our army's first victory."

"By knowing the enemy commander's fighting style in advance, we can adjust our tactics in a timely manner. For example, by taking advantage of the enemy's preference for decapitation, we can deliberately create the illusion of internal discord, making the enemy mistakenly believe that there is an opportunity to take advantage of us. In this way, we can take advantage of the enemy's assassination to completely wipe out the enemy's elite troops and eliminate future troubles. By anticipating the enemy's moves, we can set up traps in advance to deal with them. This is the second victory."

"Although the Allied forces had a numerical advantage, the enemy's arrogant Major General Leon Lee was unwilling to share the victory and glory with the main force. According to intelligence from our agents, although Major General Leon Lee had good command abilities, he often kept a considerable distance from the main force during operations, trying to seize the fruits of victory on his own."

"Given the enemy's style of combat, which is severely disconnected from its follow-up forces, we can certainly try to annihilate this vanguard to reduce the combat pressure brought about by the 7th Army Corps' encirclement of our forces. This would be our third victory."

John's tone was calm, yet it inexplicably gave people a convincing power. Even the three commanders, who were not optimistic about the war at first except for Samuel, couldn't help but have their eyes light up. They had obviously been moved by John's clear and detailed analysis.

But judging from the fact that everyone remained silent, John knew that his analysis had only managed to shake them somewhat, and could not make them make a final decision.

He needs to add fuel to the fire if he wants to complete the final step.

And the name of that fire is War Merit!

Thinking of this, John immediately stopped hesitating, slammed his hand on the table, and after drawing everyone's attention to himself, he spoke in a deep voice:

"As for this final victory, in my opinion, it's all about morale!"

"That's right. Compared to the mixed Seventh Legion and the remnants of the Saga Kingdom's 101st Division, the morale of our Imperial Army is far more unwavering!"

"This morale comes from our supreme loyalty to the Empire as soldiers of the Empire, and from my gratitude as John Maslow, who was born into a commoner family oppressed by the Kingdom of Brown, yet was saved under the glory of the Empire!"

"From your unwavering determination to strive for the great revival of the Empire!"

"From every soldier in the Empire who dared to take up a gun and fight!"

"It was this belief that drove me to take the risk of committing this utterly disrespectful act today!"

"Therefore, I will never keep this honor to myself!"

Facing the excited or shocked gazes of the crowd, John took a deep breath, then slowly opened his arms and said loudly:
"If we fail in this battle against the Allied Seventh Army, then I, John Maslow, will bear the responsibility alone; if we succeed, then the glory will be shared by all of you present here!"

"This is the greatest sincerity that I, John Maslow, can offer you!"

"It has nothing to do with rank or power."

"I, John Maslow, can proudly declare to you all that everything I have done today is for the Empire!"

"To restore the empire to its former glory and splendor, to bring about the honor and immortality that we have long yearned for!"

"Besides this, I have absolutely no other intentions!"

"Now that I have finished speaking, everyone here, please begin the vote, one by one, to see who agrees and who disagrees!"

……

Two more chapters, still writing, will post them as soon as they're finished~


(End of this chapter)