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

Chapter 170 Dolan's ruthlessness dispels doubts; John takes up the reins of command.

When John and the Third Navy high command arrived in Mad Fang City, it was already 8 p.m.

"Lieutenant General Dolan is sick because of the change in environment? And he's planning to hand over command to me? This..."

At this moment, in the brightly lit city of Mad Fang, John was taken aback upon hearing Colonel Toby's reply, feeling quite surprised.

In fact, before arriving in Mad Fang City, he had considered the various situations he would encounter in his attempt to seize control of the Independent Three Divisions, but he never expected this situation to occur.

After all, the description of Dolan, a minor character, in the game is far too brief. Apart from the fact that he has no military command ability, his family has inexplicably made a fortune, and that his 67-year-old father, the head of the family, had a son late in life, resulting in him having a younger brother before he died for his country, there is no further information.

Therefore, combined with the information Conrad had previously given him about the playboy, John subconsciously regarded him as a brainless fool.

But now it seems that this guy is much smarter than he expected. He was able to analyze the current situation clearly and directly relinquish his military power by feigning illness, thus avoiding being purged.

They might even be investing in the idea that if they succeed, the other party, as the leader, can take a share of the profits.

If you lose, take the blame yourself.

Either way, the other party won't lose out.

It's no wonder he comes from a prominent family; although he certainly lacks military talent, he does have some skill in analyzing interests.

Of course, in either of those two possibilities, John would never let the other party have their way, whether it was the former or the latter.

However, compared to the other party's initiative to back down, John was more curious about why the other party would so easily choose to relinquish military power.

After all, even if the opposing general harbored the idea of ​​reaping the benefits, he should have made some symbolic resistance in order to maintain his authority, rather than so obediently relinquishing his military power as he is now.

After all, even if no one says it, the nobles in Eleno are probably well aware of Dolan's cowardice. His reputation will be completely ruined in the noble circles, and the Beatrice family will become a laughing stock.

So, are there some secrets that we don't know about?
In order to achieve this goal more covertly, the other party deliberately cooperated in this way so that he would not have time to think about it carefully.

Considering that the enemy never appeared in Mad Fang City after I arrived at the Faoken front, and that Colonel Toby, who was the enemy's second-in-command, was extremely cooperative during the initial mission handover, even handing me the map of Dolan's command room.

John felt that his guess was very likely true.

Dolan Beattie is very likely doing something special behind everyone's back!
"Although we're not sure what this guy is deliberately hiding, for safety's sake, we should have Leia lead a team to investigate later."

"Now, taking control of the Independent 3rd Division and reorganizing the troops within a limited time to deal with the approaching enemy is what I should be thinking about most right now."

Of course, I couldn't just agree to the transfer of command so readily.

Only by declining the offer can Dolan's doubts be completely dispelled, thus making his command more secure.

Therefore, the necessary procedures still need to be followed.

After quickly organizing his thoughts, John exchanged a glance with Bob, who was smiling silently beside him. Then, he feigned distress and spoke to Toby:

"What? Such a thing actually happened? This must be a trick by the damned enemy. But don't worry, Colonel Toby, I brought the Empire's most elite medical unit with me. I believe that with their help, Lieutenant General Dolan will definitely recover!"

“Lieutenant General Dolan is the soul of the Imperial 2nd Army. Without his command, we would never be able to defeat the enemy. So, Colonel Toby, please take me to see General Dolan immediately. I will make sure he is healed!”

Looking at John's confident expression, Toby maintained a stiff smile on his face, but inwardly he was cursing him:

treat?

Treatment my ass!

My own incompetent lieutenant general ate a full ten bowls of rice at noon today, just like his mother, a real glutton. If he really gets sick, it'll just be indigestion!

Moreover, that self-righteous idiot gave me a death order half an hour ago, saying that I must witness you take over command of the Independent 3rd Division no matter what, or I will be sent to work as a miner!
If you were to actually bring some damn medical unit to see that idiot Dolan, wouldn't I, the colonel, just buy myself a coffin first?

Damn it, you bunch of bastards, you all only think about your own interests, who cares about whether I, a colonel, live or die!

If I weren't so incompetent, I would have thoroughly violated you two, both top and bottom!

I guarantee you'll see what real hell is like!!!
Colonel Toby, the horseman, couldn't help but curse the two men's family history in his mind, but to avoid being assigned to mining by the enraged, incompetent lieutenant general later, he forced a smile and spoke to John:

"No need for that, Major John. General Dolan doesn't have a serious illness. He's just dehydrated from excessive diarrhea. There's really no good treatment for this condition. He can only recover by resting."

"It is precisely for this reason that General Dolan specifically sent me here to discuss the handover of command of the Independent 3rd Division with you."

"Furthermore, before this, the general specifically instructed me that your performance in the Battle of Horseshoe Ridge had fully demonstrated your military command ability. As someone who had achieved a victory against overwhelming odds and annihilated the Seventh Army Corps, you were qualified to lead the Independent 3rd Division in his place to complete the subsequent mission against the Allied forces."

"so……"

Just as Colonel Toby was about to continue following Dolan's orders and try to persuade the audacious Air Force major in front of him, John across from him raised his hand to interrupt him:

"How can that be? Although I did complete the previous counterattack, it was a decision I made out of desperation. If Major General Tony hadn't deserted in fear of the enemy and been captured by the enemy's assassination attempt, I wouldn't have interfered in the command of the 1st Division across branches of service."

"Although we successfully won the Battle of Horseshoe Ridge thanks to the efforts of all the soldiers of the 1st Division, such behavior is ultimately against the rules. Therefore, it is absolutely unacceptable for someone to take over the command of the Independent 3rd Division."

“I need to make this clear to Lieutenant General Dolan, so Colonel Toby, please take me to see General Dolan now!”

John spoke with a righteous and solemn expression, his tone full of seriousness and solemnity, as if he had transformed into a rigid and serious, upright officer who would never violate military regulations, so perfect that no one could find any fault with him.

"See your head my foot! You bastard, do you want me to get smashed to death with a pickaxe?"
They won't give me a single way to survive.

Do you believe I'll fight you right now?

Toby was filled with grief and indignation as he pondered whether choosing to disobey the stupid general had led him to go mining.

It was still a matter of gritting my teeth and going head-to-head with John, that ruthless guy.

Accompanied by heavy footsteps, a large 3x3 bed was quickly carried out from a side room of the city lord's mansion council hall by four soldiers with green faces.

The person lying on the bed was Dolan Beatrice, but compared to his original health, he had somehow managed to make himself extremely weak.

His once healthy cheeks were now deeply sunken, his lips were pale and shriveled, and two large dark circles appeared under his eyes, making him look as miserable as a middle-aged man who was unable to pay his dues due to excessive exploitation.

He was wrapped in thick blankets from head to toe, curling himself up into a shape resembling a giant cicada pupa.

And what left everyone speechless, and even disgusted, was...

To perfectly fake a state of 'severe diarrhea' and inability to continue giving orders, Dolan deliberately had a lot of feces dumped on the bed. And it seems that because the charade was recent, the smell hadn't completely dissipated.

Therefore, even though the other party had just arrived at the council hall, a pungent stench immediately swept through the entire room, causing everyone to subconsciously furrow their brows.

The reason why the four soldiers responsible for carrying the bed turned green was entirely due to the pungent smell!
John, with his amazing eyesight, even noticed that one of the soldiers responsible for carrying the bed was already experiencing uncontrollable throat twitching, clearly nearing his limit!

Damn Dolan, you're a genius!

Looking at Dolan, who was so desperate to feign illness that he threw excrement on himself, John, holding his breath, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. But after exchanging a glance with Bob, who had a similarly strange expression, he realized that the thought was a bit disheartening.

The two immediately took a few steps back without making a sound, barely managing to escape the area covered by the foul stench.

"Clap!"

Upon arriving at the center of the council chamber, the four soldiers quickly laid down the stinking bed and then stood aside, holding their breath.

"Ahem, Major John, Marshal Bob, my injuries have not yet fully healed, so I hope you two will not take offense at my appearance."

On the large bed, a weak-looking Dolan coughed lightly, but after catching a glimpse of Marshal Bob's ambiguous smile, he realized that his disguise might not fool this veteran general, whose cunning was among the best in the Empire. He immediately hardened his heart.

Then, steeling himself, he mustered all his strength and attacked his own intestines, and then, under the silent gaze of everyone, he used all his might to create a sound that seemed to shake the heavens and the earth:
"Plop!"

"..."

John, who was about to speak, immediately shut his mouth, watching the yellowish-brown liquid flowing down the bed due to the impact of the airflow.

As his cheek twitched, he couldn't help but regret his earlier decision.

If he had known Dolan could be this ruthless to himself, he would never have gone through this damn process!
This is just asking for trouble!

But it's too late to say anything now. All he can do now is end this disgusting meeting as soon as possible, otherwise he's afraid he won't be able to resist having someone beat that bastard Dolan upside down and give him diarrhea.

So, at Bob's furrowed brow and a signal, John released a barely perceptible magical gust to blow away the stench. Taking a deep breath of clean air, John feigned helplessness and said:

"Lieutenant General Dolan, there's no need for further explanation. I understand the situation. Given your current condition, it is indeed not suitable for you to continue participating in command. However, I think the handover of command is still open to discussion."

"After all, I am just an Air Force major. In principle, I am not qualified to take command in your place. In comparison, I think Colonel Samuel, who is currently acting as the commander of the 1st Division, is more suitable. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Dolan's gaze immediately sharpened:
Sure enough, John Maslow wasn't stupid.

Even though he hadn't yet informed the Allied Commander that it was the Kingdom's Morning Star, the other party had already carefully chosen someone else for the handover of command.

Even if the army is defeated, this colonel named Samuel, who came from a peasant background, can take the place of the enemy and become the scapegoat.

That's understandable, considering this kid just wiped out the Seventh Legion and even killed the enemy's commander.

To achieve this level of tactical skill, one would have to be incredibly stupid.

The problem is that, given Minister Michel's instructions, if I agree to his request, it's likely that the Beatrice family will suffer the consequences.

So John Maslow, while your idea of ​​shifting blame is great, I can't agree to it!
Dolan, having quickly deduced John's intentions, sneered inwardly, but outwardly feigned weakness, waving his hand and forcing himself to speak despite the foul stench:

"Ahem, Major John, let's not beat around the bush. You and I both know perfectly well why we were able to win the Battle of Horseshoe Ridge."

"Of course, I'm not denying Colonel Samuel's abilities. However, compared to deliberately downplaying your contributions because of the difference in troop type, such dishonorable behavior is, in my opinion, utterly shameless!"

"This is blatant theft, naked robbery!"

"As a true nobleman, I absolutely cannot accept such a shameful act!"

Having said that, without giving John a chance to refuse, Dolan raised his hand and solemnly gave the order:
"Therefore, Major John Maslow, in the name of the Commander-in-Chief of the Second Imperial Legion, I, Dolan Bayat, hereby formally appoint you as the Provisional Commander of the Second Legion!"

"From this moment forward, you will assume command of the Second Army Corps on my behalf. I demand that you apply all your talents to the soldiers of the Second Army Corps and do everything in your power to secure victory for the Empire in this campaign!"

"Until the glory of the empire completely covers all the lands of Faoken, there must be no mistake!"

After saying that, Dolan stared straight ahead at John. If John refused, he would signal Toby to take out the cane that represented his command, which he had prepared in advance, and throw it to John. At the same time, he would order the soldiers to carry him away immediately.

This completely blocks the other party's chance to refuse.

This was also the last insurance he took for this power-sharing plan.

Before Dolan could even signal Toby to get ready, after a moment of silence, John stepped forward to Dolan's surprise, gave him a military salute, and then said something that delighted Toby:

“Since Your Excellency has spoken in this way, I should not refuse, both morally and logically. Therefore, Lieutenant General Dolan, I, John Maslow, am willing to accept your appointment. In the name of the Empire, I will lead the army to victory this time, Your Excellency!”

"Very good, very good, excellent!!"

Dolan was overjoyed and almost jumped off the bed covered in excrement in his excitement.

After quickly coughing twice to cover up his excited state, he turned to John with feigned satisfaction and said:

"Ahem, in that case, I can confidently entrust the 3rd Independent Division to you, Major John. You mustn't let me down!"

"In my opinion, of all promises in the world, only actions are truly convincing. Therefore, I will prove my determination with actions, and I believe that the result will not disappoint you, Lieutenant General Dolan."

Of course, this only means that you won't be disappointed with the outcome of this fight against the Allies. Later, after I have Leia find out what tricks you've been up to, and then find a reason to knock you out and send you to the Allies, you won't have a choice anymore, hmph!
John sneered inwardly. After exchanging a glance with Dolan, who was feigning illness and also harboring ulterior motives, they exchanged a knowing smile.

After a reluctant Colonel Toby formally handed John the black cane that symbolized command of the Independent 3rd Division.

Under the knowing gazes of Marshal Bob and the other officers present, who were either excited or mocking.

John raised his cane high above his head and then used magic to activate the internal magical core.

And then gently tap it on the floor, making a soft sound.

This ceremony, which marked the handover of command of the 2nd Infantry Division, came to a complete end with John's successful takeover!

"despair!"

……

(End of this chapter)