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

Chapter 154 Surprise and Evacuation

"Wow!"

At 12:22 a.m., the torrential rain gradually subsided and began to drizzle, as if it were about to end.

A kilometer away from Horseshoe City, looking at the enormous castle shrouded in night, Leon's heart was filled with complex emotions.

He never imagined that he, who was always so confident that he could be called arrogant, would one day start to feel fear and retreat uncontrollably just because he recalled the image of a person in his mind.

This is an absolute disgrace!

"General Leon, according to the scouts, we have not found any enemy guards on the walls of Horseshoe City. Shall we advance?"

Just as Leon was filled with resentment, he heard Damon's voice in his ear.

Compared to before, this most outstanding centaur major general of the Dawnstar clan's younger generation no longer had the high spirits he once had; instead, he was filled with an indescribable silence.

His gaze always held an enigmatic quality.

It seemed like resentment, it seemed like madness.

But Leon knew that beneath the other's incredibly complex emotions lay fear.

During last night's breakout at Bee Hill, they managed to escape thanks to the charge of the Star Chaser Cavalry Brigade, escaping John Maslow's scheme.

However, the cost was that the number of Star Chaser Cavalry Brigade members was reduced from 3000 to less than 500.

Adding to the previous losses, it's safe to say that the Morningstar Clan will likely be unable to rebuild a formidable cavalry force within the next decade.

Even with the help of the Allies, they were able to drive the Empire out of Faoken this time.

The Morningstar Clan, having regained control of this land, will likely be forced to cede their territory to other clans due to a shortage of military manpower.

They might even be kicked out of the major tribes by the orc elders due to insufficient combat strength, thus leading to their decline.

It is precisely because of this that the powerful centaur warrior in front of him, who was clearly of the same level as him and had mastered many spells of the Morning Star Clan, was almost on par with a super-rank mage.

That's why he voluntarily lowered his status and participated in this operation as the commander of the assault battalion.

Aside from attempting to exact divine revenge on John Maslow, who was responsible for all of this, through this surprise attack.

More than anything, he wanted to try to restore the glory of the Morningstar Clan through personal combat, so that the Morningstar Clan could continue to exist.

However, they were faced with an existence whose methods were endless and who seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.

Will their surprise attack really succeed?
Recalling yesterday's escape, I realized that I had changed my escape route many times, but the other party always anticipated my move and left a malicious curse on my inevitable path, as if playing a trick on me.

Leon couldn't help but clench his fists unconsciously, but he quickly and slowly loosened them.

Recalling the words of encouragement his teacher had given him at noon, the confusion in his dark eyes gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented determination.

A temporary victory or defeat means nothing.

Only those who laugh last can be the true winners.

Under the teacher's tactical arrangement, I have led my troops to set up anti-magic devices and anti-magic interference devices in advance on the only way from Horseshoe City to Mad Fang City.

Meanwhile, John Maslow's army was engaged in battle with his own main force on the front lines.

Right now, the enemy can only deploy no more than three hundred troops in this city, and it might even be less!
However, this time he led a full three thousand men, and there were no fewer than two high-ranking mages. No matter what traps the enemy had set up, with a tenfold difference in troop strength, the enemy had no chance of defeating him.

"In other words, the winner this time will definitely be me, Leon Lee!"

Leon murmured to himself, as if he had regained his former confidence.

He slowly cast aside his unease, then gazed at the massive castle perched atop the cliff ahead. He took a deep breath and gave the order:

"All troops, listen up! March on Horseshoe City immediately! Objective: Kill John Maslow!"

"Yes, General!"

"Wow!"

With Leon's command, the army of three thousand men, equipped with a heavy artillery battalion with powerful firepower, smashed through the drizzling raindrops and pressed down on the city that was just inches away.

"Tap, tap!"

However, upon arriving in Horseshoe City, Leon discovered that the scene inside was completely different from what he had expected.

The houses inside the city walls were pitch black, without a glimmer of light. The only sounds on the street were the patter of raindrops hitting the stone slabs and the footsteps of the people walking.

The air was filled with darkness and deathly silence.

It was as if they had arrived not at a huge city with a population of 500,000, but at a deserted dead city.

But Leon knew that in the darkness of the night, John Maslow was silently watching him through a pair of invisible eyes.

Everything right now is a smokescreen set up by the other side, attempting to put pressure on our side through this environmental anomaly, thereby diminishing our fighting spirit.

Both the combat style displayed by the enemy in the Battle of Walden and the combat command they conducted after arriving in Faoken undoubtedly proved that the enemy was an expert in utilizing the environment to wage war.

Even Leon had to admire this.

However, once one has a deep understanding of the opponent's combat style, then such arrangements made by the opponent become meaningless to him.

Because he had already seen through the other party's intentions.

That was an attempt to use the cover of night to manipulate the less than three hundred troops, using guerrilla tactics and surprise attacks to drag him into urban warfare, try to break up the troops' formation, and then defeat them one by one.

As for this tactic, he was all too familiar with it, having been frantically studying the tactics of his biggest rival, Roxie Sancaster, ever since he joined the Supreme Commander program.

Therefore, he will never give the opponent a chance to establish a rhythm!
Thinking of this, Leon immediately gave a stern order:
"Functional units, immediately release flares and light up this city!"

"Bang bang bang!"

As Leon finished speaking, hundreds of ear-piercing gunshots suddenly rang out in the night sky.

The dazzling white light, accompanied by a large number of flares, trailed long lines in the air, falling on the city walls and buildings, near and far, like scattered petals at different angles.

Then, as streaks of azure magic circles unfolded from the tails of the flares embedded in the wall, beams of brilliant white light illuminated every shadow in the corners surrounding the army that filled the street.

This also exposed the figures of the soldiers who were originally scattered and hidden in the shadows, holding long swords and wearing imperial black and gold uniforms.

Seeing the enemy troops who had originally intended to ambush them but were now exposed to the light due to his actions, Leon's handsome face instantly contorted into a ferocious expression. As if to wash away all the anger in his heart, he immediately waved his hand and roared fiercely at his own army:
"Fire!!!"

"Bang bang bang!"

……

"So, it really didn't escalate into urban warfare after all. That's a bit of a shame..."

Standing by the window in the conference room of the city lord's mansion, looking at the blinding light in the sky that seemed to tear the entire night sky apart, John couldn't help but click his tongue softly.

But he wasn't too surprised by this.

After all, although Leon Lee is not a member of the main group in the game, he has a significant role in the game's storyline.

Even if it weren't for the fact that her own spells had shortcomings compared to Roxie, making her unsuitable for the Commander path, and that the game developers intentionally used Roxie's defeat to showcase her strength.

Given the talent they demonstrate in the story, they are more than qualified to be a member of the main characters.

This is a powerful character who is not officially recognized, yet is in no way inferior to the main characters.

To think that such a being would be utterly dejected and never recover after experiencing a single setback is somewhat arrogant.

So, in the end, is evacuation the only option?

John rested his chin on his hand, recalling the last images of the front lines that Martha had transmitted to him before she left the magic amplifier.

With his intervention, the friendly forces, which maintained their combined arms tactics, successfully eliminated nearly 4000 enemy troops in one fell swoop, taking advantage of the enemy's inability to react to the change in their tactics.

Frank, as the commander-in-chief, quickly realized that he had completely abandoned the breaching operation, so he also quickly split up the Allied armored forces and adopted the same combat strategy to engage them.

Although initially, our side maintained an advantage due to the mobility of our own troops and the vision advantage provided by the reconnaissance mages.

However, as time went on, the disparity in troop numbers between the two sides gradually became apparent.

Faced with enemy artillery fire that was one or even two times greater than their own, even the most determined soldiers couldn't help but show signs of fatigue under such a disparity.

In addition, the continuous guerrilla warfare has depleted most of the soldiers' physical strength and combat resources, and their combat readiness has seriously declined.

Subsequent supply lines were disrupted by Leon's surprise attack, forcing John to cut off his supply lines and making it difficult to continue resupplying.

Therefore, as the campaign has progressed to this stage, it has transformed from a strategic war into a war of attrition, and simple command is no longer very effective.

His head, which had been throbbing and throbbing from commanding hundreds of troops for three hours straight, was now so swollen it felt like it was about to split open, and he could no longer continue.

Moreover, he had already made preparations for evacuation; otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically left Ignila and the members of the assault company behind.

The purpose, besides ensuring that his command could not be interrupted, was primarily to take advantage of the magic soldiers' ability to fly, so that he could easily evacuate from Horseshoe City after Leon's army arrived.

This makes it easier to implement the next step of the plan that you have prepared in advance.

This will allow them to completely destroy the existing forces of the Seventh Army!
Thinking of this, John's gaze immediately sharpened, and then he turned to look behind him at Martha and Lunepo, whose faces were deathly pale and who were stuffing magic potions into their mouths.

Looking at his two hardworking subordinates, and only after seeing that they had successfully replenished their magic and their complexions had improved slightly, did he slowly speak:

"Marda, immediately use telepathy to notify our allies at the front and tell them to prepare to evacuate immediately."

"Yes, Battalion Commander. Should we retreat towards Mad Fang City?"

"No, I suspect that the enemy has most likely set up magical technology facilities to block our way in advance, so we must not retreat to the south this time."

Meeting Martha's questioning gaze and Lunepo's thoughtful look, John slowly smiled, then looked at the map on the wall and slowly stated his goal:
"This time, our evacuation target is the eastern Starry Coast!"

"Yes, battalion commander!"

Although Martha was full of doubts about John's decision, she didn't think too much about it because of the terrifying command ability he had previously demonstrated.

Instead, he saluted John, took a deep breath, and sat inside the magic amplifier. Then, despite his exhaustion, he began to issue John's new orders to his existing troops.

“Lunepo, the plan I prepared in advance can be executed. Go and release all the decoys. After you’ve made the arrangements, go and inform Lieutenant Igonila to carry out the evacuation according to the original plan.”

As if already envisioning the arrogant commander's furious roar after discovering he had been tricked, John's smile involuntarily deepened.

Then, looking at Lunebo before him, John spoke meaningfully to him:

"I think our Major General Leon will be very surprised when he discovers the truth about this surprise I left for the Allies, won't he?"

"Yes, Battalion Commander, the enemy commander will be very, very surprised, I can assure you of that!"

Upon hearing this instruction, Lünebo immediately responded respectfully.

He then saluted his superior with deep admiration and quickly walked out of the meeting room.

However, compared to his original gentle and refined demeanor, Lünebo's face involuntarily revealed a sinister sneer as he thought about the arrangements that were about to be completed.

He knew that after the battalion commander's arrangement, the enemy's foolish commander would likely be overshadowed by the battalion commander for the rest of his life.

Even if they encounter the battalion commander again in the future, the other party may not even have the courage to fight.

Although the battalion commander's plan was indeed somewhat insidious.

But the most useless thing on the battlefield is mercy!
This is something every soldier should know.

"Tap, tap!"

"Hmm? Why do I feel like I've forgotten something? Is it just my imagination?"

Watching Lunebo's departing figure, John, feeling that he might have overlooked something, couldn't help but frown slightly. Just as he was about to review the situation and see if there were any details he hadn't arranged properly,

Upon hearing Martha's report from behind that the order had been completed, he put the idea out of his mind and instead instructed the other party, along with several members of the original 14th Squad who were guarding the entrance, to organize the radio and other equipment in the conference room, as well as collect the combat records.

After completing these trivial matters, John left a handwritten letter for Leon, who was about to arrive at the city lord's mansion. Then, he and the others shouldered their magic packs and took to the air. They then joined the group of Lunebo who arrived later and sped off without looking back towards the location northeast of Horseshoe City, the place where he had pre-arranged to meet up with the army.

With a faint whooshing sound from the eruption of magic, the group vanished completely into the night in the blink of an eye.

"Whoosh!"

……

(End of this chapter)