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

Chapter 155 John the Bitch, I swear to kill you!
"General, it seems the enemy has retreated."

Fifteen minutes before the Imperial troops officially withdrew, in Horseshoe City, on the dilapidated streets, Leon couldn't help but frown as he listened to the reports from the scouts.

In his mind, John Maslow, who had deliberately let him lead his troops into the city, should not have given in so easily.

Was it a pre-planned trap, or did the enemy encounter difficulties in commanding the main battlefield and therefore choose to abandon Horseshoe City after weighing the options?
In comparison, Leon was more inclined to believe the former. After all, in his repeated encounters with John Maslow, he had realized through the latter's fighting style that the latter was an extremely confident person, bordering on arrogant.

And the more someone is like this, the harder it is for them to accept failure.

They would not easily choose to back down on the battlefield unless it was for the sake of a larger plan.

Therefore, the other party must have set a trap in Horseshoe City and was waiting for them!

"That's right, that must be it!"

The more Leon thought about it, the stranger it seemed, and an unprecedented sense of unease arose within him. He looked around at the streets, now reduced to ruins after the sudden attack and battle between the two sides.

After a brief surveillance, it was discovered that the houses, which should have been inhabited by centaur residents, were now completely empty.

Apart from the ruins, there wasn't even a single civilian corpse left on the battlefield.

A chilling thought involuntarily crept into Leon Lee's mind:
Could it be that John Maslow intends to use the civilians of Horseshoe City as hostages to stop his attack, or even to coerce him into surrendering?
Would someone as arrogant as him really do something so heinous?

But there is no mercy on the battlefield. If victory is truly the goal, then this action is clearly the best decision for an enemy with far fewer troops...

Looking at the street shrouded in darkness ahead, Leon's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

To be honest, although the repeated defeats at John's hands had made him feel unprecedentedly humiliated, he actually maintained a high degree of respect for his opponent, John Maslow.

The other party's courage to get involved, and his strategy, which, even if he didn't want to admit it, was indeed beyond his capabilities.

All of this made Leon deeply admire them.

He felt that if John Maslow had not been born into the Empire, but had been an officer in the Kingdom of Victoria, perhaps they could have become good friends.

Even though they are now clashing on the battlefield, Leon believes that this feeling of being evenly matched means they should be in a state of mutual respect.

But all of this is on the premise that the other party is really as he thinks, someone who, despite his many unconventional tactics, always maintains the dignity befitting a commander.

However, if the other party intends to abandon this dignity, then this so-called mutual respect between rivals will cease to exist.

"John Maslow, I hope you won't do that, otherwise, even if it means bearing the name of massacring civilians, I will kill you with my own hands!"

Leon murmured to himself, but quickly banished those chaotic thoughts, turning his gaze to the brightly lit city lord's mansion in the very center of Horseshoe City. He then waved his hand and gave a deep, resonant order to the soldiers who were silently awaiting commands:
"The entire army will deploy in a hook formation, with both flanks on high alert. Search the alleys to find all enemies. The engineering battalion will carry out mine-clearing operations under vehicle cover. The main force will continue to advance. Target: Horseshoe City Lord's Mansion!"

"Yes, General!"

"Wow!"

After Leon gave the order, the force of more than 3,000 men, after leaving the main force in the middle, quickly spread out to the left and right sides and began to carry out the search of the alley and the surrounding houses.

As the group slowly moved forward, reports continued to come through the communication device in Leon's ear:
"The first reconnaissance team on the left encountered an attack by enemy assault troops, and has joined forces with the third team to repel the enemy."

"Reconnaissance Team 6 was attacked by the enemy and has been wiped out."

"Major General Damon charged alone on the right flank and killed one enemy soldier!"

"..."

Despite hearing battle reports that casualties were significantly higher than kills, Leon, who had anticipated this, was not worried.

In fact, from the moment he used flares to illuminate Horseshoe City, upon seeing the enemy uniforms, he realized that the troops John had deployed in Horseshoe City were not ordinary army troops, but the enemy's core magic soldier force.

Faced with that group of extremely destructive and swift monsters, apart from Damon, a high-ranking mage, and another of his trusted confidants, who could kill them in a one-on-one battle.

It would be difficult for our troops to inflict effective casualties on this magic-wielding force in such troublesome urban warfare.

After all, the anti-aircraft devices he carried had already been set up at key locations where the enemy was retreating south before they even arrived at Horseshoe City. As long as these magical assault troops had time to react, the enemy could easily escape their encirclement by flying.

Currently, apart from anti-magic devices and a crucial heavy artillery regiment, the troops he leads only have a few useless amplification and enhancement devices.

The spells that could only improve the combat ability of ordinary soldiers by 10% to 20% were almost useless against these monsters.

If Leon wanted to kill the magic soldiers through street fighting and with the help of magic technology facilities, he would need to be surrounded by at least twenty people to achieve this.

The price of doing so would only be to please John Maslow.

The enemy wanted to deplete his forces through this harassment tactic with elite troops.

His current reason for sending reconnaissance troops to search the flanks where enemy forces may be present is not actually to kill the enemy.

Instead, they used their own soldiers, who had lower combat strength, to delay the enemy's harassment, thus ensuring that the main force could reach the city lord's mansion where John Maslow was located more quickly!
After he brought his army to John Maslow, he was able to completely eliminate the enemy's command of the front line by bombarding him with heavy artillery, thus forcing the enemy to mobilize all his soldiers to fight him in a decisive battle, and thus become invincible!
Therefore, Leon paid no attention to the constant reports of battle damage coming to his ears. Instead, he urged the engineer battalion to speed up the search and rescue operation, intending to get the troops to the target location as soon as possible so as to have a final confrontation with John Maslow!

As Leon watched the city lord's mansion grow ever more visible with their advance, he couldn't help but struggle with the decision of what to do if John Maslow threatened him with the commoners. Suddenly, a message that startled him reached his ears:

"General, our reconnaissance troops have encountered an enemy attack ahead. The enemy has set up trenches around the city lord's mansion, and according to the scouts, the trenches are full of enemy troops, numbering approximately two thousand!"

"What!?"

Leon's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with astonishment.

His first reaction was that there was a problem with their intelligence.

Based on feedback from the front lines, John Maslow had definitely committed the entire 1st Imperial Division to the fighting.

Logically speaking, it would be impossible for the enemy to leave more than 500 soldiers in Horseshoe City.

Not to mention a force of nearly two thousand soldiers!

So, the enemy has transferred some troops from the Independent 3rd Division in the rear to resist our attack?

Or did the other side disguise the centaur inhabitants of Horseshoe City as soldiers to mislead them?

Just like the feint formation we set up outside Horseshoe City last time?
This sudden turn of events caught Leon somewhat off guard.

But he quickly calmed down and instead asked in a deep voice through the communication device:
"Investigate carefully to confirm whether the enemy troops in the trenches are human or not, and then report back to me immediately!"

After a series of rustling sounds, Leon quickly heard another report in his ear:

"Reporting to the general, it has been confirmed that all the figures in the enemy trenches are human; there are no centaur civilians!"

It wasn't a feint?
So, this unit consists of soldiers from the Independent 3rd Division that the enemy has transferred?

John Maslow wanted to use that infamous ragtag army, through sheer numbers, to tell himself that he was not in a superior position in this battle, thus making him back down.

What arrogance! What contempt!
They deserve to die!
For a moment, Leon was so angry at the other party's actions that he trembled all over, and his handsome face instantly turned red.

Especially when he thought about how he had previously admired John Maslow because they were evenly matched, only to find out that the other party hadn't taken him seriously at all.

They planned to use a lousy army to replicate the previous feint, so that they could retreat in humiliation once again.

A fierce flame of anger surged uncontrollably within Leon, and he looked at the city lord's mansion ahead with an extremely ugly expression.

At this moment, he could almost see across space that the figure standing in front of the window of the city lord's mansion, looking down at him with a contemptuous and playful expression through the Demon Eye.

Why do you think I would be intimidated by a bunch of trash troops, and in this standoff, like last time, choose to flee under your deliberate manipulation? You've already used the same tricks before, yet you're showing them to me again.

Did you not have any confidence from the beginning that you were a worthy opponent?

John Maslow, just how much do you despise me to treat me with such blatant insult?!
Intense rage caused Leon's chest to heave uncontrollably, but this rage quickly transformed into a chilling killing intent. His expression twisted into a ferocious grin as he waved his hand and gave the order:

"Heavy artillery regiment, listen to my command! Immediately deploy and bombard the trenches ahead with all your might! I want you to kill every single enemy soldier in those trenches, leave no one alive! Do you understand?!"

"Yes, General!"

Upon receiving the order to fire, the soldiers of the Independent 4th Brigade, who were also seething with anger, immediately adjusted their guns and aimed them at the enemy troops in the trenches ahead. Then, they launched a wide-area bombardment of the trenches ahead as if it were free.

"Bang bang bang!"

In an instant, artillery fire raged, the ground trembled, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

The bombardment lasted for a full three minutes, until Leon saw through binoculars that the trenches ahead had been completely reduced to ruins by his own forces, and only then did he call a halt to the bombardment.

But as he calmed down from his anger, he observed the bombing scene and felt a strange sense of doubt and confusion.

Through his binoculars, he noticed that after his side launched the bombing, the enemy troops in the trenches did not charge or retreat in any way. Instead, they were like a group of puppets, completely unresponsive to the deadly bombing.

From beginning to end, not a single person walked out.

This is clearly not a normal phenomenon.

After all, even if the soldiers of the Independent 3rd Division were utterly incompetent, they wouldn't be so stupid as to disregard their own lives.

But the way this trench showed him made it seem as if this unit had absolutely no will to fight.

Instead, they were left in the trenches to wait for their deaths.

Waiting to die?

Wait, could it be that...

The thought of a certain possibility made Leon's heart tighten. He quickly suppressed his panic and unease and immediately ordered his scouts to go to the vicinity of the trenches to check the situation.

No, no, no, that's impossible, it can't be like that.

Given John Maslow's pride, which was just like his own, there was no way the other party could be so insidious.

You must be scaring yourself!
Yes, it must be...

However, before Leon could convince himself through brainwashing, the next second, the reconnaissance team leader's questioning voice sounded through the communication device in his ear:

"General, there's something strange about the enemy corpses in the trenches. They all seem to be tied up, and I haven't found any weapons in the trenches. Something's not right."

"Wait, General, this enemy force seems to be wearing two uniforms, the inner uniform looks like..."

As if he had discovered something, the reconnaissance team leader's words suddenly faltered, and then, trembling, he uttered the answer that made Leon's eyes widen in horror:
"General, they are not enemy soldiers! They are not enemy soldiers! They are our soldiers, our captured soldiers! We have attacked the wrong people, General!"

After saying this, the reconnaissance team leader burst into tears and wailed, his voice filled with pain and despair.

What! Our soldiers?
Our soldiers?!
"thump!"

The intense dizziness caused Leon's legs to go weak uncontrollably, and he immediately sat down on the sewage-covered ground.

However, he, who was always a clean freak, had no time to care about the dirt and mess on his body at this moment.

At that moment, the report he had just heard kept replaying in his mind.

The thought that he had just ordered an attack, only to find that not only had he failed to kill a single enemy soldier, but that all his captured soldiers had been completely annihilated in a barrage of artillery fire, filled him with a sense of dread.

Leon felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, his heart pounded violently, and he could barely breathe.

But he forcibly suppressed this intense discomfort, and instead opened his bloodshot eyes, looking at the still brightly lit city lord's mansion ahead, and roared maniacally:
"All troops, charge! Storm the city lord's mansion! I want to personally take John Maslow's head!!!"

"Yes!"

"Boom!"

However, after Leon led his troops into the city lord's mansion, the expected ambush did not occur. The entire mansion was now deserted. Leon, with bloodshot eyes, ordered a thorough search of the mansion.

Aside from finding two officers from the Imperial 1st Division in two secret rooms, who were bound hand and foot and gagged with rags and imprisoned for reasons unknown, he did not...

They couldn't find even a trace of the man Leon wanted to tear to pieces.

Just as Leon was staring at the empty city lord's mansion with a ferocious expression, feeling so resentful and pained that he almost wanted to bang his head against the wall.

With a series of hurried footsteps, the next second, a nervous-looking Major General Damon appeared before him, then hesitantly spoke to him:

"General, just now, I found a partially burned document in the trash can where letters were burned in the conference room of Horseshoe City. Would you like to..."

"Snapped!"

Upon hearing this, Leon's spirits lifted. Thinking he had found confidential information, he snatched the crumpled letter from Damon before he could finish speaking and opened it without saying a word.

However, the anticipated next move by the enemy was not in the document. Instead, there was a passage that made Leon's forehead veins throb uncontrollably after reading it:

"Want to see classified information? Sorry, not a chance!"

"But I thank Major General Leon for helping me solve the problem of those prisoners. To be honest, I was initially hesitant about whether to kill the prisoners, since leaving these soldiers to you would be asking for trouble."

"So, I had a sudden inspiration and came up with this good method. Of course, if you can be more cautious and refrain from taking action to rescue these prisoners, then I can only accept it."

"Although I don't know exactly what choice you made, Major General Leon, I have given you the right to choose. It was your own decision, and you shouldn't blame me for setting the question, right?"

"Alright, your gunshots have already reached the city lord's mansion, it's time for me to retreat."

"Well then, I'll stop here. I look forward to our next match."

"—John Maslow left his mark."

"..."

After reading the last sentence, Leon, who had been trembling with anger, inexplicably calmed down. After a twitch, an expression that was neither crying nor laughing appeared on his face.

The intense sense of separation, once it came into view, even sent a chill down the spine of Damon, a valiant warrior.

Just as he hesitated whether to persuade the poor major general to calm down and not fall for John Maslow's psychological tactics,
Leon suddenly raised his head, then roared furiously to the sky with a ferocious expression:
"John the Bitch, I swear I'll kill you!!!"

After he finished speaking, his body suddenly swayed uncontrollably a few times, and then, to Damon's horrified expression, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"puff!"

Then, he fell straight backward in an instant.

"Major General Leon!!!"

……

(End of this chapter)