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

Chapter 199: Astounding Wisdom Continues to Exert Its Power

"So, our goal is to send the message that we are mining ore, then lure the enemy in and eliminate them completely?"

Inside a temporary tent in the ground support force's encampment at the Silverstone Mine, Siegfried frowned slightly after hearing Hawke's instructions. He then glanced at Leia, whose eyes were filled with excitement.

Considering the other party's less-than-stellar strategic mind, he abandoned the idea of ​​questioning his nominal direct superior and instead turned to Hawke, who stood silently to the side, and asked:
"Sergeant Hawke, do you have any ideas on how to deal with the enemy?"

"My thinking is actually very simple. After all, given that our army has most likely already engaged in combat with the enemy, things are quite clear, aren't they?"

Hawke's lips curled slightly upwards, then, meeting everyone's gaze, he pointed his right hand to the map on the table, selected the Dark Corridor region hundreds of kilometers away, and then mapped it towards Mad Fang City. He then slowly began to speak:

"Given the distance between the Dark Corridor and Mad Fang City, even if the enemy marches at full speed, with vehicles and on the main roads, it would take at least a day and a night to arrive."

"Furthermore, this is under the premise of not carrying large-scale magical facilities."

"However, since the Golden Lion Territory is still under our control and our army has reserved garrison troops, the enemy is unlikely to choose to travel by the main road, but will turn to the side roads, given that it is uncertain whether our army has set up ambush points or intelligence points along the way."

"While marching covertly, we will also attempt to intercept and ambush any supply convoys that our forces may be sending from Mad Fang City to the front lines, as well as search for and capture the wounded at our medical transfer points along the way."

"But as is well known, in a war, especially one with more than 100,000 participants, the most important element of a surprise attack tactic is the speed of the march."

"Moreover, the commanders of both sides in this battle are undoubtedly geniuses. Therefore, after the Morning Star was defeated by Lord John in the Battle of Chokepoint, the other side will inevitably become more vigilant and serious than ever before."

"From this perspective, this force, which was assigned by the enemy to carry out a surprise attack on Kuangya City in an attempt to cut off our retreat and trap our main force, must maintain a high degree of secrecy and speed of movement."

"Therefore, it can be inferred that this force is unlikely to carry large-scale magical technology facilities that are heavy and take a long time to build."

Instead, they will choose equipment that is relatively lighter and more portable.

"In other words, this force has sufficient combat power but insufficient defense. Moreover, in order to ensure that there will be no unexpected changes in this raid, the enemy commander will most likely choose to launch a quick attack on Mad Fang City. After actually taking Mad Fang City, the enemy will most likely choose to withdraw and encircle the Dark Corridor to the key passes of Mad Fang City, and then achieve the final encirclement with the main force."

"All of the above proves one point: the enemy is in a hurry, which gives us the opportunity to successfully annihilate the enemy!"

Meeting the thoughtful gazes of the crowd, Hawke slowly withdrew his right hand, then pointed to himself, then to Mia, who seemed to understand but not quite, a fanatical grin spreading across his face. He then uttered a sentence that made everyone's pupils constrict:
"We currently only have 1066 troops, and those thousand soldiers are relatively weak. Compared to this force, which is estimated to have at least 3000 men, we do not have any advantage. But don't forget, Mia and I are magic soldiers!"

"Although we can't do what the 1st Demolition Company did, where a single person can destroy everything within a three-kilometer radius in an instant, the two of us can still manage to destroy four kilometers by working together after unleashing our full explosive magic."

"And this enemy force did not carry anti-magic devices, and could only activate the trans-space void spell through a time delay and a certain operation."

"The two of us, under certain conditions, could completely eliminate this enemy force!"

"Even if the enemy forces are scattered, under ambush, Mia and I can eliminate at least half of them with area-of-effect attacks!"

"Afterwards, with the combat power of the ground support troops far exceeding that of ordinary soldiers, the gap in combat power between the enemy and ourselves can be completely narrowed, or even reversed!"

"Therefore, without a doubt, gentlemen, this battle is not a major disadvantage for us, but rather an unprecedented advantage!"

"And all of this is thanks to His Excellency John Maslow!"

"Because when His Excellency John sent Mia and me here, he had already anticipated this possibility!"

"Otherwise, there's no way to explain why Mia and I were temporarily assigned to the ground support force!"

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Hawke, who was now formally recounting John's "anticipating the enemy's moves" strategy, was almost trembling with excitement.

Prior to this, he had held John in high esteem.

But it was far from reaching this point. In fact, during these uneventful eleven days, he began to doubt his own judgment because he hadn't received any new instructions. He couldn't help but start to overthink things.
Perhaps, Lord John sent himself and Mia here not because he had anticipated the enemy's movements, but because he chose them to be the main force in this ambush.

Instead, he simply wanted to use his wisdom to restrain Leia, a commander who, despite her powerful martial arts skills, was also exceptionally reckless, in order to prevent accidents during mining operations.

As for Mia, Commander John only wanted her to serve as a simple messenger.

But after receiving the new orders from John, Hawkton immediately realized that he was wrong!
Otherwise, how do you explain why Captain John didn't have someone directly notify Leia, who was the captain of the aid force, when he gave the order, but instead had Mia specifically come to him?
This act of bypassing the nominal superiors of the troops and passing messages to lower-level personnel is a veiled indication that he and Mia are the true main force and implementers of this ambush.

As for the idea that Leia is too stupid and might mislead Commander John's orders?

Please, Lieutenant Leia may have been a bit reckless, but she has always dutifully followed Lord John's orders!
So this situation is simply impossible!

Furthermore, the current situation is exactly as I predicted, without the slightest discrepancy.

Doesn't this prove that everything was within His Majesty's expectations?!

When Lord John assigned him and Mia to the mission, their side hadn't even arrived at the battlefield of Chokepoint Peak yet.

But at that time, His Excellency John had already foreseen the scene eleven days later and made what can be described as the most perfect response!

This is an act that seems to see through the future and have everything firmly in its grasp.

In Hawke's view, it was no longer appropriate to praise him for anticipating the enemy's moves.

Simply God!

His Excellency John Maslow was a true military genius!

In comparison, the enemy commander who was hailed as a guiding star by countless people was utterly worthless; he wasn't even worthy of carrying Lord John's shoes!
Thinking of this, Hawke immediately snorted disdainfully in his heart.

However, he also knew that once the Falcon Front ended with his victory, the whole world would know of Lord John's strength, and the Allied forces' so-called guiding star would no longer be synonymous with the strongest commander.

Of course, to achieve this goal and to restore the Empire to its former glory through His Excellency John's efforts, he, as the number two follower, still needs to make some more efforts.

This is in response to His Excellency John's expectations of him.

For example, to more perfectly complete this mission that appears to be an ambush but is actually intended to sow discord and help our own spies clear their names!
Hawke, the 'Sleeping Dragon,' narrowed his eyes as he examined the map before him. Then, while stroking the golden mustache he had started growing after the Bahamut campaign, he picked up a feather fan and fanned himself.

Before the excited crowd could react, he added:
"Furthermore, although His Excellency John did not explicitly state this in his operational instructions, after carefully analyzing the current situation and the orders given to His Excellency John, I have noticed that we are not actually fully aware of the enemy's movements."

"And considering the situation of the agent that Lord John previously planted in the Allied forces, this has led me to a bold guess."

"The intelligence regarding the enemy's surprise attack on Mad Fang City did not actually come from our own magic soldiers' reconnaissance, but most likely from Will Hoffman, an agent planted by Lord John within the Fifth Legion!"

"Of course, I am not questioning the authenticity of the information provided by Agent Will. After all, Lord John's ability to manage people is impeccable. Even if the other party is truly blindly loyal to the kingdom, they have no choice but to compromise under the crisis of their family."

"But the problem lies here as well. As a secret agent personally assigned by His Excellency John and infiltrated into the Allied forces, he may bring more crucial intelligence to our army in the future and has the potential to become a loyal Maslowist fighter."

"Would Lord John really choose to expose his opponent for a trivial small battle, allowing Roxie to discover and execute him, thus cutting off any possibility of him making further contributions to the Empire?"

"The answer is no, because Lord John is by no means a short-sighted person. This has already been proven by the fact that our side, which is currently at a disadvantage, has not only not been defeated under your command, but has instead won one victory after another!"

"So, while His Excellency John's orders seem to be to have us annihilate the enemy, in reality, he hopes we can capture the enemy's commander and some of his soldiers, and then try to frame the enemy commander as one of our agents!"

"This turned the ambush into an incident where the enemy had proactively revealed information about the mission, which led to our prepared intelligence warfare, and ultimately allowed us to pin the annihilation of this Allied force on the enemy commander."

"Ultimately, this will ensure that our real agents can clear their names and provide our military with more crucial intelligence in potential national wars in the years to come, or even decades from now, thereby enabling us to annihilate the Allied forces in one fell swoop!"

"This is the real task that Lord John wants us to accomplish!"

"!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present suddenly realized what was happening, and their expressions were replaced by shock.

They never imagined that such profound meaning could be hidden in just two short sentences of instructions, nor did they expect that their commander could think so far ahead.

He even considered wars decades later; he's practically a god!
"!"

The most excited of them all was Leia, after hearing Hawke's analysis and explanation.

Although she felt somewhat drowsy listening to these complex intelligence analyses, the astonishing wisdom made her instantly focus on the phrase 'John wants his side to accomplish the real mission' after listening.

At the same time, her highly developed brain automatically matched her with corresponding keywords:
John is satisfied if he can kill all the enemy soldiers (X).

John is very satisfied that he was able to capture the enemy's commander-in-chief (√)!
I see, I understand now!

Therefore, if he could capture the enemy's commander in this operation, John would be more convinced of his abilities.

He might even later treat himself as the strongest, without exception, sword in his hands!
And the closer you get to reviving the Binot family and restoring its glory, right?
"!"

Thinking of this, Leia immediately stopped hesitating. Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, she abruptly stood up, slammed her family heirloom sword, scabbard and all, onto the table, and without another word, declared:

"I will be in charge of capturing the enemy commander alive. No one is allowed to interfere!"

After saying that, he seemed afraid that someone would steal the mission from him.

She also unusually put on a dignified expression, her emerald green eyes slowly widening, trying to imitate the glaring ancestor in the family's glory mural, to show the indomitable majesty of the Binot family.

However, despite her youthful, almost childlike face, she didn't give off any sense of strength; instead, she seemed strangely cute.

At the same time, mimicking John's demeanor when facing Baron Micah's dying questioning, he glanced around at everyone with a 'cold' look, and then spoke calmly:

"Anyone who objects can fight me. If you can beat me, I'll abandon the mission!"

"The kind of life-or-death battle!"

"..."

Feeling Leia's dangerous gaze, the group, who had originally wanted to volunteer, exchanged glances and immediately lowered their heads in unison.

Even Siegfried, who is currently the second strongest fighter in the team, chuckled a few times and then became a phone addict.

joke!

How can you compete for a mission with an officer who can slice a person in half with a single swing of his sword and carve an 800-meter-long tunnel through a mountain with a single, powerful spear thrust?
What is the difference between this and seeking death?
Although Siegfried believed that he had drunk a lot of potions in the past few days and that his strength had increased considerably.

But now, even just making eye contact with Leia, his Wild Hunt spell would still uncontrollably send him frantic warnings.

And the magnitude is no less than, if not stronger than, when they first met!
Clearly, during this period of battle, Captain Leia's strength has not stagnated, but has instead improved rapidly in a way that is beyond his comprehension.

In addition, there's the opponent's unreasonable stripping power, which can crush all techniques.

Everything has shown that he has no chance of defeating his opponent.

He would never provoke this terrifying superior.

Moreover, as a subordinate, the most taboo thing is to steal credit from your superior.

Siegfried didn't dislike Leia's behavior of seizing missions based on her own abilities rather than using her superior's power; on the contrary, he greatly admired it.

After all, it's normal for the strong to have priority in choosing, isn't it?

Although he had some doubts, he wondered whether the enemy commander, who was being targeted, would be captured intact while the terrifying captain was carrying out his prisoner-of-war mission.

Hopefully, the other person won't be killed by the captain's sword.

"...Ahem, it seems that no one has any objections? In that case, the mission to capture the enemy commander will be led by Lieutenant Leia, with Corporal Siegfried providing support from the perimeter."

She stared at him with cold, angry eyes, her little hands clenching into fists.

Seeing that his superior officer seemed intent on grabbing him by the neck and pinning him to the table to interrogate him about his intentions, Hawke immediately shrank back, but still forced a smile and explained:
"Um, Lieutenant Leia, please don't be angry. I was just trying to make sure the capture mission wouldn't go wrong. After all, you wouldn't want the mission to fail due to unforeseen circumstances, and then disappoint Lord John, would you?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Leia immediately frowned, but after careful consideration, she finally agreed to the suggestion.

He silently suppressed his emotions, glanced at Siegfried expressionlessly, and then sat back down in his chair without a word.

"call!"

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and secretly gave Hawke a thumbs up.

Hawke was somewhat helpless in the face of everyone's unanimous praise.

It wasn't that he didn't believe in Leia's fighting strength; after all, the reputation of the Binot family was enough to prove everything.

Ultimately, it all came down to the background of this powerful lieutenant, the high regard that Sir John held for her, and even the rumors that inexplicably circulated within the 1st Battalion about their close relationship.

All of this determined that he couldn't let the other party put themselves in danger. If nothing happened, all would be fine, but what if something did happen?

As Lord John's number two follower, he would probably be too ashamed to go back and report.

As a subordinate, especially a loyal subordinate.

He had to help his superior handle all the trivial matters.

Only in this way could he follow the other party as a follower and witness together the arrival of the wonderful world that Lord John had always longed for.

"Of course, that day is definitely not too far away!"

Recalling that beautiful vision, like paradise, which was copied by Lieutenant Leia herself and has now spread throughout the 1st Battalion and the 3rd Independent Division and is regarded by countless people as the direction of their efforts.

A flicker of longing flashed in Hawke's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an unprecedented determination.

He then turned to the crowd, who had somehow developed the same resolute expression as him, and said in a deep voice:
"Gentlemen, in order to live up to His Excellency John Maslow's expectations, for the glory of the Empire, and for all the people of the Empire!"

"Let us shatter those damned Allied illusions of victory right here and now, and under the leadership of His Excellency John Maslow, bring glory and greatness to our Empire!"

"Mission, execute!"

"despair!"

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, in the dark corridor battlefield.

As the vanguard of the Fifth Army Corps arrived at the perilous cave, the battle, set up with traps and ambushes, officially began.

"boom!"

Inside the vast cavern in the western part of the dark corridor.

A deafening roar suddenly exploded within the cave, and a flash of scorching fire streaked through the air, illuminating the dim cave and casting a shadow on the silent surface of the nearby underground river.

The next second, the enormous and ferocious worm-like monster in front of them was pierced through by the terrifying pillar of fire and cut in half on the spot under its control. Before it could even let out a wail, it was completely burned to ashes by the terrifying flames.

"..."

Gal didn't even glance at the high-ranking magical beast that he had killed instantly with a single fire ray.

Instead, he turned to look at the Burning City troops behind him. He discovered that because of the worm's sneak attack, his men had lost 12 men on the spot before even encountering the enemy on this front.

A flash of fury immediately crossed his eyes, and he practically growled through gritted teeth:
"Damn insects!" But soon, Gal suppressed his emotions and turned his cold gaze to the complex tunnel that stretched as far as the eye could see.

My mind involuntarily drifted back to that rainy night 11 days ago.

That surgery should have been performed by him, who had inherited the Loken family's forge and was wearing the Allied forces' latest magical technology armor.

The true champion, who surpasses his opponent in both aptitude and potential, will ultimately win the battle.

However, because his subordinates were unable to withstand the attack of the assault force, which was blessed by the weather and whose members were all mid-level or higher water mages, they had to give up on fighting the damned Lava Child and instead chose to retreat in humiliation.

After the weather cleared up, even though he repeatedly applied to Lieutenant General Roxie to lead his troops in a raid against the enemy and guaranteed victory with his own life, the other party rejected his application on the grounds that he was emotionally unstable at the time and needed to calm down for a while.

This forced him to lead the Burning City troops to garrison around his own information forces, passively awaiting Roderick's army to launch a raid.

Although the absence of weather restrictions allowed the already evenly matched forces to fight to a draw, in the end, due to insufficient manpower, they could only watch helplessly as the other side successfully led its troops away.

The thought of Roderick's undisguised mockery and ridicule as he led his army in retreat was unbearable.

The thought that he, who considered himself a genius, couldn't even defeat a single loser was daunting.

A fierce killing intent began to spread and swell in Gal's chest, as if it were about to materialize and erupt from within, almost driving him into madness.

Before this, he had never imagined that he, who had always been known as the number one genius of the Loken family, would one day fall into such a defeated state.

Without a doubt, this is a disgrace to him!

This is also the greatest trampling on the family's honor!

It was a failure he absolutely could not tolerate!

As for failure...

Only through killing can it be cleansed!

Gal gripped the charged gauntlets tightly, then waved his hand to interrupt the adjutant who was about to report on the wounded, and instead gave a stern order:

"Phew, everyone, continue..."

"Crack!"

However, before Gal could give the order to continue the advance, the next second, accompanied by sounds like the cracking of a stone wall, Gal's pupils constricted.

The ground in front of them, which had been empty, suddenly cracked after a tremor, and then worms with sharp fangs and constantly spewing acid from their mouths quickly emerged!

Furthermore, their magic power levels are all above average!

Damn it, what the hell is going on?

Gal was both shocked and furious, but after regaining his senses, he activated the magical furnace behind him without hesitation.

"Buzz!"

As the magic furnace spun rapidly, orange-red light began to spread quickly along the circuits on the surface of the armor, illuminating them and finally converging in Gal's palm.

It also spewed out unprecedented flames!
Melting cutter rays!

"Puff puff!"

In an instant, accompanied by a burst of flames, and then under the control of powerful mental energy, the pillar of fire rapidly split in the air into dozens of orange-red rays entwined with fire snakes.

Immediately afterwards, as if automatically targeting an enemy, it swiftly attacked the swarm of worm-like monsters that were rapidly pressing towards it, seemingly to avoid some terrifying thing.

With unparalleled precision, it swiftly pierced through his head.

In an instant, dozens of magical beasts of varying sizes were all killed by Gal's all-out attack, and the air was filled with a burnt stench.

However, before Gal could retract his throbbing arm, he saw a strange light suddenly illuminating the depths of the cave ahead, and sensed a familiar yet deadly aura emanating from it.

His blue eyes narrowed to the extreme in an instant.

"!"

"boom!"

The next second, a sound like an explosion caused by an object flying at supersonic speed suddenly erupted from inside the cave.

Immediately afterwards, the flame shot out with incredible speed, accompanied by a spiral of flames.

In an instant, it broke through the spatial distance and swiftly attacked Gal's brow.

It was as if this thing, which was entirely crimson, was a fiery red shooting star that had shrunk countless times and was only the size of a peanut.

Under its master's control, it will soon pierce the target's head and explode with boundless power upon impact, instantly blasting the target to pieces.

But at the critical moment, the instinct honed by years of combat and the body's automatic desire to survive caused Gal's body to act prematurely.

With a near miss, and through an almost impossibly precise evasion, he dodged the fatal attack.

"Whoosh!"

A fiery red meteor grazed Gal's face, leaving a charred scratch on the left side of his cheek.

Then, the streak of fire disappeared behind him, into the group of Burning City soldiers who hadn't even had a chance to react.

The moment it pierced a soldier's chest, the meteor exploded with unprecedented power in the soldier's horrified gaze!
"Boom!"

Flames and lava, compressed and condensed from magic, erupted wildly as flesh and blood exploded.

Within a hundred meters of the soldier, apart from Gal, who had promptly erected a magic barrier and whose magic power far exceeded that of a soldier, remained unharmed thanks to the neutralization effect of his unique spell, everyone else was safe.

The remaining soldiers, whose magical armor was strong enough to withstand artillery shells, were also affected by this unique spell, which seemed incredibly fragile but actually contained unprecedented and terrifying magical power and was hailed by many as a 'supernova explosion'.

Unable to even hold them off for a moment, they were engulfed by the terrifying lava and burned to ashes in this single blow!
The queue, which had seemed fairly dense, was almost completely emptied in that short moment.

Furthermore, after the supernova explosion successfully killed a large number of City Burner soldiers, countless dark shadows suddenly leaped out from the seemingly calm underground river on the left side of the cave.

They wore the same black and blue Imperial Navy uniforms, holding a gun in one hand and a knife in the other, their eyes resolute and cold, like lurking deadly water snakes.

The moment they saw their prey momentarily stunned by the unexpected turn of events, they sprang forth, unleashing their sharp fangs at their respective targets without reservation!

"Bang bang bang!"

In an instant, bullets imbued with magic and displaying a mixture of orange and blue colors rained down on the vital parts of the Burning City soldiers who had no time to react.

Then, accompanied by bursts of magical energy, some high and some low, suddenly appeared in the cavern. The sharp, cold light slicing through the air as it struck resounded along with the roars of the assault troops.

"Whoosh!"

"kill!!"

Under this sudden attack, the Burning City troops, who had no time to react, were instantly killed in dozens of cases, and were then forced to engage in a fierce battle with the Raider troops.

In an instant, shouts of killing, the sound of falling into the water, and the agonizing cries of the dying filled the entire cave.

However, Gal never looked back at the horrific scene behind him. He grabbed an enemy soldier who was trying to kill the commander and was undoubtedly the strongest in this ambush with one hand, easily twisted the soldier's throat, and casually threw him into the damned underground river on the left.

He strode forward with a ferocious expression, his eyes, bloodshot and uncontrollably bulging with bloodshot veins from the unprecedented rage, fixed intently on the distant figure ahead.

Having completed its lava demon transformation at some point, its hateful horns stood tall and proud, arms crossed, and a pair of eyes that flowed like magma, calmly and mockingly staring at its damned figure.

Gal's expression grew increasingly ferocious, and the magical furnace behind him began to emit a chilling howl as it operated at unprecedented full power.

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of Gal's sudden stomp on the ground, accompanied by the terrifying hiss of scorching flames, the opponent's murderous roar, and the terrifying boom of his all-out attack that nearly shattered the earth, the scene was filled with awe.

At some unknown time, he placed his claws on his chest, while his upper body retracted backward from his abdomen like a large bow. The unique circuitry on his chest, resembling a scorching sun, emitted a deep, almost suffocating ball of red and black hellfire from the center of his claws. The low, chilling crackling sound was like an echo from hell.

As the former unleashed an energy shockwave carrying countless dazzling ribbons, and the latter suddenly unleashed a hellish electric ball, a mixture of red and black, that exploded outwards like arcs of fire, both hurtling towards their respective enemies.

The moment these two immense forces, so powerful that even the air began to twist uncontrollably, collided.

At that moment, they exploded together inside the cave, their sounds echoing deeper into the tunnel:

"die!!!"

"boom!"

……

"Is it right?"

Meanwhile, deep within the dark corridors, in the Imperial headquarters command tent, John was unaware of the astonishing interpretation Hawke, whom he regarded as a true hidden dragon, had made of his orders, hundreds of kilometers away.

By viewing the real-time map that Martha transmitted to her mind using telepathy, it was confirmed that the worm traps on the western front had been activated by the enemy.

Roderick, who was assigned by him to lead an ambush in that area to guard against enemy forces that might attempt to launch a surprise attack on the command post from this area closest to his own main camp, is now also clashing with enemy forces, whether belonging to the Fifth Legion or two orc units, he does not know.

After scanning the area and confirming that his side currently had the upper hand due to the ambush, John stopped paying attention to the battlefield.

Instead, they shifted their focus to other fronts.

Seeing the numerous traps set up by their own side within their field of vision, the enemy attempted to launch an attack and exploration, but the result was that with the appearance of traps and ambushes, they suffered uncontrollable damage, and their exploration of the cave was extremely slow, even to the point of retreating.

Instead of showing any joy upon seeing this advantage, John frowned deeply.

Because of both the number of enemy troops displayed on the real-time map and the intensity of the Fifth Army's offensive.

All of this has silently proven that his earlier prediction was correct.

Roxie did indeed divide his forces, and quite a large number of them; otherwise, even in the first probing attack launched by the enemy, the number of troops sent out would not have been so small.

Judging from Roxie's current actions, everything is enough to prove that the other side never intended to actually try to engage in a decisive battle with him before the 109th Division arrived.

In other words, the traps and ambush zones he originally set up at the front of each passage will likely be less effective in causing damage once activated during this period.

This is undoubtedly a waste.

This is the scenario John least wanted to see.

This means that the rhythm that he should have been in control of is now being forced to be ceded to the other party.

Of course, he could also assign Igonila's assault company to launch a raid after finding the Allied command post.

However, the result of doing so was that, apart from revealing that he had a hidden assault force on the surface and eliminating a small part of the enemy under this tactical advance, he returned empty-handed and ultimately lost the opportunity to kill or even capture Roxie. He did not gain much substantial benefit.

This decision is undoubtedly the most foolish.

Looking at the map, John fell into deep thought, his right index finger unconsciously tapping on the table as he muttered to himself:
So, is waiting all we can do now?

Waiting for the Second Division to collapse, and for the Fifth Army Corps and the liberated 109th Division to join forces, we will launch a full-scale attack on the Dark Corridor, thus beginning an unprecedented and real battle.

He waited for the troops Roxie might send to raid Mad Fang City, and with the help of his pre-arranged ground support forces, he tried to defeat or even kill them, thereby helping Will barely clear his name of being a spy.

Although the lack of a scapegoat will likely lead Roxie to continue to have doubts about Will.

However, due to the lack of time and the importance of the main battlefield, he had to make some sacrifices.

All he could do was silently apologize to that unlucky Will and wish him good luck.

If things ultimately come to light, he wouldn't mind fulfilling his promise to help the other party's family escape, as compensation for providing information during their adventure.

"However, this feeling is somewhat unpleasant..."

Looking at the scattered enemy troops attacking their own forces, whose numbers were so small as to be almost barren, John couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness.

But after a moment's hesitation, he issued a new order to his soldiers at the front lines:
"Notify the frontline troops to cease concealment and ambush, shift to frontal combat, increase firepower, and annihilate the enemy's vanguard reconnaissance forces without leaving a single one alive!"

"Yes, Commander!"

After giving the order, John looked at the map in front of him, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes.

Since Roxie intends to use this method to play a delaying game with him, trying to wear down the traps he has set and attempting to seize the initiative.

He wouldn't mind doing the opposite and directly wiping out the frontline troops that the enemy had deliberately sent to their deaths, thus preventing the enemy from achieving their goal of reconnaissance and breaking the trap.

Although doing so would cause some troop losses, John believed that the traps wasted by scouts in the early stages would be the biggest pain point in subsequent battles, compared to the minor loss of troops.

After all, compared to the fighting strength of the soldiers of the Independent 3rd Division, these traps were the key to his success in this battle.

And most importantly, once he destroyed the enemy's vanguard, it meant that the initiative was back in his hands!

If Roxie wants to continue to delay his side on this battlefield, the enemy will inevitably have to send more troops to conduct reconnaissance.

And after the next round of annihilation, continue to increase troop output.

The next step is to continue using this tactic in a nested manner. Anyway, for our side, which has the magic eye and knows the exact number and location of the enemy, John can completely accept the proportion of casualties even if there are any.

But what about Roxie?
The enemy's main base was already weak due to the large number of troops they had deployed.

If the opposing side keeps sending soldiers to the battlefield in order to seize the initiative.

Given this ebb and flow, it's likely that by then the enemy won't even have time to reunite with the two returning division headquarters.

The enemy's garrison will then be reduced to a laughable number.

And once that critical point is reached...

"That will be your death day, Roxie Sancaster!"

A murderous glint flashed in John's eyes, then he expressionlessly pressed the black chess piece representing his assault company onto the sand table at the location representing the Fifth Army's headquarters.

The dull thud of chess pieces hitting the sand table echoed continuously within the camp, lingering for a long time.

"Boom!"

……

(End of this chapter)