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

Chapter 169 Lieutenant General Dolan's Ingenious Ideas

The next day, at dusk, inside the Lord's Mansion of Mad Fang City.

Hearing the scouts' report that the Fourth Division, located on the southern front of Faoken, had been completely annihilated by the Allied forces, and that the main enemy force was currently heading north towards Kuangya City, he realized that the enemy's main force was heading north.

Since receiving the report of the defeat on the Cocobia front last night, Lieutenant General Dolan, who rushed from the Silverstone Mine, was in a terrible mood.

Especially when he thought of the name of the Allied commander who was advancing towards them from the south, he almost couldn't help but feel frantic.

Roxie Sancaster, the guiding star of the Victorian kingdom.

This person has never suffered a defeat since entering the battlefield.

Even Dormammu, whom countless people called the White-Haired Demon General of the Empire, suffered repeated setbacks in his battles against the opponent due to the opponent's spiritual mind technique, which could only be described as abnormal.

This woman's name was so famous that even Dolan, who didn't care much about military affairs, was very familiar with her.

In Dolan's mind, his life should never have intersected with this terrifying monster.

After all, if someone like him, who has no military talent whatsoever, were to be sent by the empire to fight against the enemy, then the empire would be nearing its end.

"But why, why would this monster come to this battlefield where the Allies clearly have the upper hand?"

"Didn't the intelligence say that this monster never likes to fight when it has the upper hand?"

Sitting in the city lord's chair, Dolan felt like crying but had no tears left, and even had the urge to run away immediately.

After all, he was fairly aware of his own command abilities. Against ordinary Allied generals, he could still rely on expensive tactics and bombardment to stop their advance.

Although he would have to prepare to escape when the shells were almost gone, that would at least allow him to hold out for a while longer.

Even if they retreat, he can use the excuse that the enemy's firepower is too strong and the Independent 3rd Division cannot withstand the attack to avoid the risk of being sent to a military court for trial.

However, this is on the premise that he is dealing with ordinary generals. If it were Roxie, Dolan felt that when dealing with this monster among monsters, he would probably not even have time to stall for time before the other party could easily conquer Mad Fang City with operations that he could not understand at all.

Furthermore, the speed will be so fast that it will be beyond his imagination.

This is why he feels conflicted at this moment.

Staying behind to buy time is tantamount to being killed by the opponent.

However, directly fleeing and abandoning the Falken battlefield would give the Third Navy a reason to successfully withdraw, thus allowing them to take the blame.

Not only would he fail to fulfill Prime Minister Wolf's demands, but he would also be arrested by His Majesty's surveillance forces for fleeing ahead of time and sent to a military court for trial.

He would be responsible for losing control of the Faoken front, and even his own father wouldn't be able to protect him then.

So, it's clearly a dead end right now!

Realizing his current predicament, Dolan immediately stood up, forgetting even his usual cool demeanor.

His face immediately darkened, and he paced back and forth, his mind filled with thoughts of escaping and delaying.

Just as he was hesitating, accompanied by a series of hurried footsteps, his anxious deputy, Colonel Toby, rushed in to his bewildered gaze.

Seemingly having rushed all the way, the other person was now somewhat out of breath. After catching his breath with his hands on his knees, Toby then uttered some news that stunned Dolan:

"General Dolan, something bad has happened! John Maslow has just led the remaining troops of the 1st Division aboard a warship of the 3rd Navy and arrived at the port of Golden Lion Territory five minutes ago. They are currently heading towards Mad Fang City."

"Based on the enemy's actions on the Iron Horse Mountain front, I have reason to suspect that that madman may want to seize command of the Independent 3rd Division. Simply put, that bastard is definitely after you. What should we do next, General?"

After saying that, Toby's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

In fact, ever since John left, Toby had been closely monitoring the battle reports from the 1st Division on the northern front of Faoken, under the instructions of Dolan and the directives of the Ministry of War.

Since receiving news a few days ago that Lieutenant General Tony was injured and needed rest, and that Colonel Max had inexplicably fallen down the stairs while drinking water at night and was forced to relinquish command of troops.

Toby realized that John Maslow had definitely launched a power grab against the 1st Division!
Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain the false battle reports that the 1st Division subsequently sent to its side.

What about defeating enemy reinforcements? What about annihilating the Seventh Army Corps?

If this obviously fake victory intelligence were true, he would have eaten a ton of shit in front of the entire army!

And it even comes with soup!
Therefore, Toby was 99 percent certain that the so-called winning intelligence was basically false.

After all, the Seventh Army Corps and their own 1st Division had a force difference of four times.

Furthermore, the enemy's commander-in-chief was a renowned veteran of the kingdom, whose command abilities were on par with the five famous generals of the empire.

Even if John Maslow was a genius, he could never have so easily turned the tide against that philandering general.

Besides, even if the commander of the Seventh Army wasn't Frank, but a good-for-nothing like General Dolan, and even if all 40,000 enemy troops were replaced with 40,000 pigs, John Maslow still couldn't have wiped them out overnight!

Therefore, without a doubt, this battle report is absolutely fake!
The only explanation is that the so-called Seventh Army never existed, or that only a small unit appeared.

John Maslow rescued the 1st Division from the Morning Star Clan's headquarters by providing assistance, destroyed the enemy's vanguard, and finally seized power by relying on the terrifying combat power of the magic soldiers, thus becoming the true controller of the 1st Division.

Then, by deliberately reporting false military intelligence and killing innocent people to claim credit, they massacred the orcish bastards of Horseshoe City, thus creating the illusion of a great victory.

To avoid being reported, the other party even secretly colluded with the Third Navy to give a statement, and persuaded Marshal Bob, the commander of the Third Navy, to voluntarily withdraw from the naval battlefield in the Aiken Sea under the pretext of sharing the credit.

Thus, the battle situation of annihilating a small portion of the enemy soldiers was fabricated into a battle of desperate counterattack that never existed at all.

This can hardly be described as arrogance; it's downright audacious!

Although Toby knew that his guess had many flaws, he felt that his judgment was more reasonable than believing a fake battle report.

However, for him, it was not important why John Maslow dared to openly lie about military intelligence. What was important was what the Independent 3rd Division should do next in the face of a madman who was willing to risk his life for military merit!
If one makes a wrong move, at best one will be stripped of power and become a puppet in the other's hands, and at worst one will be silenced.

After all, they belong to opposing political parties.

The two men sent by Prime Minister Wolf to their deaths almost desperately wanted to kill these conservatives, and the enemy's northward advance to attack Mad Fang City provided a perfect excuse for them to be blamed.

If it were Toby, he would definitely do the same.

Damn it, the more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm doomed this time.
Toby, feeling a chill creeping down his spine from the thought, gritted his teeth and suggested to the thoughtful Dolan after a moment of distraction:
"General, I think that instead of waiting for John Maslow to arrive and seize your command through a coup, we should strike first and take him down!"

"I have an idea. Didn't John Maslow claim that they had annihilated the Seventh Army and won a great victory? Since they intend to fabricate their military achievements, why don't we play along and prepare a victory celebration for them!"

"Before the victory celebration banquet begins, I will have someone slip a sleeping potion into the food. When the banquet is halfway through and the potion begins to take effect, General, you only need to smash a wine glass as a signal, and I will lead the elite troops of our Independent 3rd Division to storm in from outside and have John Maslow's dog head taken off!"

"At that time, we will not only not have to worry about losing military power, but we can also take the opportunity to expose the other side's lie that they joined forces with the Third Navy to kill innocent people and claim credit. This will force Bob Ariel to work for you and help you resist those damned Allied forces. Then we can take the opportunity to withdraw."

"Isn't it beautiful?"

After saying that, Toby first made a decapitation gesture with a ruthless expression, and then a smug and sinister smile appeared on his face.

At this moment, Toby felt that with the killing move he had come up with through his quick wit, Lieutenant General Dolan, who was shocked by his terrifying scheme, would definitely regard him as a once-in-a-century talent, and might even promote him because of it!
But that's normal, after all, he's the only talent under Lieutenant General Dolan's command!

Hum hum!
'Where does this idiot get so many terrible ideas? Why is he always coming up with new and crazy ways to die?'

Dolan was speechless as he looked at Toby, who was pretending to be wise but was actually being incredibly stupid.

They didn't even bother to reprimand the other party for their stupidity.

Regardless of whether John Maslow had the guts to lie about military intelligence, the fact that this matter involved Field Marshal Bob meant that the annihilation of the Seventh Army was most likely true.

After all, someone who could rise to the rank of general in the Imperial Army just like his father, how could he possibly be easily fooled by a greenhorn like John Maslow?
Moreover, the other party was personally trained by Grand Marshal Ostan, and was practically no different from a disciple.

In terms of strategy and cunning, he couldn't even come close to matching her.

He should have just run away from this old monster, how could he dare to pluck his beard? Dolan thought that if he really did what Toby suggested, he wouldn't be able to take the other man hostage. He would probably be killed on the spot by the plague leader next to the other man as soon as he had the drugged food delivered, without even a chance to explain himself.

Only a fool like Toby, who is only clever enough but completely unable to distinguish between important matters, would mistake a marshal-level figure for a short-sighted idiot.

They even treated the enemy's security forces as something that could be easily fooled.

"Sure enough, I'll just have to send that idiot to be a foreman on the mining team. That way, he won't get himself into any trouble and won't even know how he died!"

Looking at Toby's stupid appearance, Dolan was too lazy to scold him. Instead, he silently demoted him from the commander of the guard regiment to a low-level leader in his mind.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that the other party and he actually had such a thin, almost non-existent, blood relationship...

Dolan was even planning to have the other party go mining with the orc slaves.

After all, the best decision is to nip such a potential danger in the bud.

"However, to be honest, Toby may be stupid, but what he just said did wake me up."

As if struck by a thought, Dolan's gaze, fixed on the map, began to flicker.

Even now, he still doesn't know exactly how John Maslow managed to launch a counterattack and completely annihilate the Seventh Army.

However, judging from their posture, it seems they are not planning to run away, but instead want to confront Roxie head-on.
If that's the case, then I can actually try to do it myself!

For example, one could voluntarily relinquish military power and, in the capacity of a lieutenant general, allow the other party to lead their troops in a desperate battle against the enemy.

He himself led his elite troops to the western part of the Golden Lion Territory under the pretext of clearing out the enemy forces, to continue supervising the mining operations at the Silverstone Mine.

If John Maslow is ultimately defeated, then not only can he conveniently pin the blame on the other party, but he can also use the excuse of being unable to fight any longer to take the mined ore and escape by ship, thus directly avoiding the risk of being court-martialed.

Even if it's Prime Minister Wolf, he won't have anything to criticize him for, and he might even gain favor with the other party because of his 'desperate resistance'.

As for the possibility of the enemy defeating Roxie, let's not even mention that with an enemy legion plus two orc divisions, the difference in troop strength between the two sides is nearly seven times. No matter how talented John Maslow is, it would be difficult for him to defeat the enemy.

Furthermore, even if the opponent did defeat Roxie using tactics he couldn't understand, he could still accept the result.

After all, as long as he doesn't run away, he, Dolan Beyate, will still be the nominal commander of this battle.

The principle that merits belong to superiors while responsibility is borne by subordinates is something that anyone who has served in the Empire's military must understand.

He could then claim the victory for himself and become the biggest winner.

Although he will most likely face retaliation from the cabinet and even lose his position as corps commander because he failed to complete Prime Minister Wolf’s mission, so what?
After all, he never wanted to join the military, much less become a lieutenant general with no freedom whatsoever. If he could really jump out of the military and move into politics, or even a research institute, he would be extremely satisfied!

Moreover, Dolan didn't really care about these gains and losses in military achievements.

For him, war or peace was not important; what mattered was whether he could make money.

He enjoyed studying mineral veins, watching beautiful women dance in front of him, and relishing the feeling of receiving heartfelt praise from the dancers after the ball when he generously showered them with money.

In his view, this was a more sophisticated pleasure than any form of sexual intercourse devoid of artistry.

Of course, among his many hobbies, his greatest passion is the pursuit of high-quality food.

And all of his hobbies require a lot of money.

But his old-fashioned father always thought that his hobbies were just a waste of time, and he never even looked at him properly when they met and talked.

Even his own clansmen secretly mocked him, calling him a disgrace to the Beatrice family.

Dolan saw all of this, but he disdained to argue with his tribesmen who were rigid in character and unable to accept new things.

In Dolan's view, compared to the lower-ranking nobles within the empire who had no taste, only knew how to indulge in primal desires, and had no understanding of art whatsoever.

Dolan felt that he was more like a true aristocrat.

A nobleman who has transcended material desires, has high spiritual pursuits, and is worthy of the title of an artist!
If it weren't for the fact that his father was the patriarch of the Beatrice family, and that the family's military power had to be held by the direct descendants to ensure safety, then Dolan would probably have already established his own territory as a pioneering knight after graduating from the academy.

After all, even someone as useless as him has always longed to create his own future with his own hands.

Instead of living in the shadow of their father and family forever.

Thinking of this, Dolan suddenly felt a little sentimental. He began to miss the days when he was in school and would skip class with his junior, Conrad, to enjoy delicious food.

Those joyful times, those years spent pursuing spiritual fulfillment with like-minded people, still evoke a strange sense of emotion in him when he thinks back on them now.

Presumably, Conrad's junior thought the same way as me.

Unfortunately, in the end, these close friends were forced by their families to embark on the paths they disliked the most.

He was bound by his family's military power and became a damned lieutenant general.

Meanwhile, the other party became an interrogator despised by countless people.

He even became political enemies with his own brother because of the so-called dogma of balance, making every meeting full of hostility.

Honestly, what's the point of a life that's been planned out like this?

"Sure enough, once this war is over, I should go back and have a good talk with my father about the inheritance of the title. If it's still the same as before, then I can make other plans."

"In addition, I heard that a new type of aphrodisiac seems to be popular in the Kingdom of Brown recently, and it seems to be very effective."

"The slogan those businessmen were advertising was that even an eighty-year-old man could pee three feet deep in the wind after drinking it. I might as well have someone get me some. After this dog shit war is over, if I can't reach an agreement with my dad, I'll just find an opportunity to pour it into my dad's wine and see if I can get myself a little brother."

"If it really works out, I won't be tied to this damned military power for the rest of my life."

"Of course, this needs to be done discreetly, otherwise, if my father finds out, I'm afraid he'll break both my legs before my plan even succeeds."

Dolan pondered, and for the sake of his artistic and passionate future, he decided to take a risk based on his ingenious idea.

However, compared to taking risks to achieve freedom, Dolan felt that the most important thing for him right now was to handle the upcoming transfer of military power and the covert excavation of the Silverstone mine.

Otherwise, all his plans for the future might come to naught.

Thinking of this, Dolan perked up immediately. He then ignored his stupid deputy, who was still coming up with all sorts of bad ideas. After a moment of contemplation, a brilliant idea came to him.

Before the idiot Toby could continue his nonsense, he directly removed his sunglasses and then waved his hand, saying:

"Stop talking nonsense, Toby. Now, I order you to have someone bring me three blankets right now, the thickest kind!"

"Uh, no problem, General, but what do you need these for..."

"I'm going to fake being sick!"

"what?"

Meeting Toby's blank gaze, Lieutenant General Dolan, with his robust and muscular build, healthy and radiant complexion—clearly far superior to the average person—and eyes gleaming with intelligence, confidently spoke again:

“That’s right. I, Dolan Beyate, have been ill for a long time due to the change in environment and am unable to continue leading the army against the enemy. Therefore, before the other side seizes power, I will appoint him as the commander-in-chief to take over my command!”

"Let those reformist idiots and the Allies fight like dogs, and we'll reap the benefits!"

"This is the genius plan I want to execute!"

……

(End of this chapter)