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

Chapter 210 Dilemma, Transfer Order, World-Shaking Event
After learning that his ground reinforcements had helped him capture seven cities, John knew that he already had a 70% chance of winning the Cocobia Rainforest Campaign. If everything went smoothly afterward, his chances of winning would reach 100%.

"However, all of this is based on one condition: that the 2nd Division can obey my orders and come to support us. Only in this way can my first step of the plan be implemented; otherwise, everything will be just empty talk."

Inside the Blue Lake City Lord's Mansion, John, who had managed to extinguish the flames before getting injured and had a new pair of pants after Wendy suddenly remembered that he could use water magic, was now deep in thought, looking at the map of the Faoken area in front of him.

At the same time, information about Edgar Thorne, the current commander of the 2nd Division, who holds the rank of Major General, also came to mind.

As the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, Edgar Thorne, who possesses the "Mimicry" ability, is neither as powerful as Major General Tony's shock techniques nor does his troops have the formidable firepower of the 1st Division.

Especially now, with the enemy attacking from both sides and the strongest heavy artillery regiment being wiped out in the Tarzan Wetlands, this already weak force is in even more dire straits.

But in John's plan, he never intended to win by relying on this force to attack from both sides.

Instead, the intention is to make it a part of the tactics.

Simply put, he wanted to use it as bait.

One, a bait that can deceive the enemy commander three days later and allow one to complete their subsequent plans.

To achieve this goal, there is only one thing he needs to do right now: offer the other party a condition that they simply cannot refuse!

Thinking of this, John immediately narrowed his eyes, raised his hand to extinguish the cigarette butt between his fingers, and then said in a deep voice to Wendy, who was standing at attention with a round bucket of water above her head, staring at him with a pitiful expression:
"Wendy, call Martha here immediately and have her bring the long-range communication device. I need to speak with the commander of the 2nd Division right away!"

"Yes, Commander!"

……

"Beep, beep!"

An hour later, inside the Lord's Mansion in Horseshoe City, Major General Edgar, the commander of the 2nd Division, slowly hung up his communication device. Then, while glancing at the map in front of him with flickering eyes, he recalled the invitation he had just heard from the major who was supposed to be his target, sent late at night.

He couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

In fact, he had already heard about the amazing achievements John Maslow had made after arriving in Faoken.

Especially after learning that the enemy had annihilated the entire Seventh Army Corps with a force four times smaller than the enemy's, solely through cunning.

He had already realized that the other party was very likely to become the most outstanding commander in the history of the empire.

Given the opponent's terrifying talent, the assassination order from the conservative party no longer held the power to compel him to carry it out.

After all, dealing with a promising new star and killing an Imperial genius commander who is worthy of being called the Morning Star are two different things.

The latter would inevitably attract the full attention of the Imperial Surveillance Forces, and once the fact that he sent someone to assassinate John Maslow is exposed, not only will he himself be hanged, but his Thorne family will also be burned to ashes in His Majesty William's wrath.

They were even branded as a 'family of traitors' and will be infamous for eternity.

Therefore, after considering this situation, he abandoned his original plan of a quick attack and reinforcement, which was originally intended to completely break through the Tarzan front within fifteen days by using the Imperial heavy artillery in conjunction with his own 'Mimicry' spell and the illusions created by the spell.

Instead, they chose to delay on this battlefield and watch the fierce battle between John Maslow and Roxie Sancaster.

The plan is to wait until the outcome of the battle is truly decided before considering whether to execute the order to add to the victory or to withdraw.

However, he did not expect that at the moment when the two sides were engaged in a life-or-death battle, the enemy commander would choose to send an entire division to attack his side from both sides.

With his forces caught between two enemies, he had no choice but to leave his heavy artillery regiment behind to cover the rear, and led 5800 troops to retreat to Horseshoe City, which his side had previously captured, and stationed his troops there to rest and regroup.

Edgar had assumed that with the addition of the 109th Division, John, whose forces were already insufficient, would perish on the Dark Corridor front.

To this end, he had even ordered his soldiers to cut down a large number of trees and his engineers to speed up the construction of ships in the past three days, intending to immediately withdraw his troops from this damned battlefield and escape back to the Empire once he received news of the deaths of the Independent 3rd Division currently led by John Maslow.

Although they will inevitably be held accountable afterward, and may even be demoted two levels, making years of hard work go to waste.

After all, these punishments are nothing compared to death.

But he never expected that John Maslow would miraculously survive.

According to previous battle reports, the enemy suffered only 1,200 casualties in this battle on the Dark Corridor front, but eliminated no less than 10,000 enemy troops.

What's more, the soldiers commanded by the other side were from the Independent 3rd Division, which was known for its weak combat capabilities!
If the main force under his command had been replaced by any unit of the 2nd Division, then our casualties would have been reduced by at least half!
However, even though I couldn't help but marvel at John Maslow's terrifying command abilities, and even felt a slight urge to admire him.

However, considering the disparity in troop strength between the two sides, Edgar still planned to build ships as soon as possible and lead his troops to withdraw.

After all, John Maslow is now surrounded by the Darkmoon Clan. No matter how cunning the enemy is, they probably can't replicate their previous miraculous victory.

However, after Edgar received the communication, his idea of ​​saving his life began to waver.

From the moment he heard John Maslow's first words after the call connected, he felt an uncontrollable, profound shock:

"Edgar, if you can lead the 2nd Division to support me, I will guarantee that you will be absolved of the blame for the previous defeat, and at the very least, I will grant you the honor of annihilating an enemy division headquarters!"

If Edgar had said this to any commander in the Empire, he would have taken it as a joke and dismissed it without hesitation.

But given that John Maslow defeated the Allied forces three times at Walden, and now, with far fewer troops than the enemy, he personally created a six-time Allied defeat, annihilating an entire enemy army group and defeating two titled commanders in direct combat.

He then realized that the promise the other party had made might not be just empty words.

Furthermore, after hearing about the enemy's arrangements for the 2nd Division and their general tactical layout for the Kokobia rainforest battlefield, this idea became increasingly credible due to the enemy's command ability, which even he couldn't help but admire.

However, John Maslow's tactical plan was undoubtedly a thrilling experience for the 2nd Division, especially the danger in the early stages of the tactic, which made him feel a chill run down his spine when he heard about it.

It was precisely this challenge, which served as bait, that made him hesitate between evacuating and following orders.

His intuition told him that following John Maslow's 2nd Division might turn a defeated army into a victorious one.

However, his years of military experience made him wonder if John Maslow might use his side as a pawn.

After all, on the front lines of the Dark Corridor today, didn't that self-proclaimed genius Commander Morning Star also sacrifice his own soldiers in order to achieve victory?
As someone comparable to his opponent, John Maslow was probably no less ruthless and cruel in his use of troops.

Moreover, the first tactical instruction given to our side was to act as bait and launch a surprise attack on the western front of the Kokobia rainforest.

If John's prediction was wrong, or if their evacuation was not timely, or if they did not receive reinforcements when they encountered danger, then with the terrifying Allied force of no less than 70,000 men, the 2nd Division would likely face only annihilation.

The danger of this instruction made him feel uneasy.

But at the same time, that desire for military merit also made him feel an unprecedented excitement.

As these two emotions continued to intertwine, he began to feel increasingly frustrated.

The wisps of smoke rose in front of him with each inhale, and before he knew it, a pile of cigarette butts had accumulated at his feet.

His light blue eyes were streaked with crimson blood under the stimulation of the smoke, but deep within Cocobia's pupils, a gaze of unwavering determination shone even brighter and more dangerously.

"Clap!"

Finally, after a long period of contemplation, as if he had made a decision, Edgar angrily threw the cigarette butt in his hand to the ground, and then crushed it into dust with his military boot.

Without saying a word, he summoned the guards who were on duty at the door and gave them a firm order:
"Immediately send someone to inform all members of the 2nd Division that we are to march south overnight. Our target is the Kokobia rainforest front. Do not miss it!"

"Yes, General!"

"Tap, tap!"

Edgar let out a long sigh as he watched the guards hurriedly leave, their faces filled with shock.

Immediately, as if all her strength had been drained, she slumped into the chair behind her.

Then, looking through the large floor-to-ceiling window at the full moon that was casting countless silver rays of light down from the dome, a complex expression appeared on his face.

He then murmured with a worried expression:

"John Maslow, you are more like a guiding star than Roxie, will you disappoint me this time?"

Edgar's worries went unanswered in the city lord's mansion, which was shrouded in darkness and seemed exceptionally silent.

The full moon, high in the sky, continued to cast its beautiful light down, illuminating the Imperial 2nd Division, which had silently assembled, and lighting up the road ahead.

The roar of the magic engine and the sound of mud splashing as the tires rolled over the grass grew increasingly cold and desolate. "Boom!"

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, after 63 members of the Black Hawk Special Forces and Sergeant Mia went to the Cocobia rainforest to carry out the city breaching plan, Siegfried, who was unable to fly and was appointed by Dolan as the acting commander of the guard regiment, was unable to fly.

Now, he led the Independent 3rd Division Guard Regiment, consisting of over 700 men from the Silverstone Mine, to retrieve all the ore that had been mined from the mine. He then took Sergeant Hawke, who was still unconscious, to Mad Fang City, where they joined up with the 1000 guard regiment members and successfully brought this force of over 1,700 men under their control.

However, just as Siegfried was hesitating whether to immediately lead his troops to the Cocobia rainforest to provide immediate support to the main force, or to try to contact Commander John using the communication device to seek his instructions,

He happened to receive a communication from John, and also learned of an instruction that greatly excited him:

"Siegfried, prepare to lead the Mad Fang City troops south. This time, I need you to reach the Moonfall River, located on the eastern edge of the Cocobia Rainforest, within three days. Once you arrive there, set up camp immediately and await my next instructions."

"Yes, Commander!"

Upon hearing John's order to move, Siegfried's face immediately lit up with an unprecedentedly excited smile. Just as he was about to immediately order his guard regiment to head towards Luoyue River overnight, he saw an unexpected figure at the door.

"Sergeant Hawke, you're awake? When did you arrive? Why didn't you tell me?"

Siegfried looked delighted, and at the same time felt even more confident.

As long as Hawke, the hidden dragon, is around, he has no fear of not being able to understand the deeper meaning of Commander John's orders. At that time, under the execution of Sergeant Hawke, coupled with his superhuman Wild Hunt power, their unit will definitely be able to deliver a satisfactory answer to Commander John!
"Cough cough, I've been awake for a while now. I've also heard the news about the ground support troops capturing seven cities in succession. You've done a great job."

Hawk coughed weakly a few times. The excessive output of magic power, combined with the fact that magic soldiers would die completely due to the corrosive effect of the annihilation factor of the riot once their magic power fell below the safety line.

His act of recklessly unleashing explosive magic beyond his own limits can be described as a brush with death.

Fortunately, Mia did not disappoint him. With the reminder he had deliberately left behind, this seemingly dull-witted girl, who was actually a true Maslow's warrior like Captain Wendy, proved that he had not misjudged her under the guidance of the commander during this operation.

Although there is still room for improvement in terms of strength, this level is already qualified. We can train him slowly in the future when we have time.

After all, the other members of Squad 14 were all being taught by Captain Wendy, so they didn't need her to interfere at all.

Only Commander John could see that Mia's introverted personality made her unable to adapt to Captain Wendy's fervent teaching style, which is why he deliberately used this subtle method to entrust her to his training.

All I can say is, he truly lives up to his reputation as a battalion commander.

You really are incredibly versatile!
Hawke silently sighed to himself, then, as if remembering something, he looked up at Siegfried, who was walking towards him excitedly, and asked him in a deep voice:
"Siegfried, if I'm not mistaken, that communication just now was from the battalion commander, right? What was the content of the call?"

"Reporting, Sergeant Hawke, Commander John has ordered me to prepare to lead the troops south to the Falling Moon River in the eastern part of the Kokobia rainforest!"

Siegfried dared not delay and quickly explained the situation.

"!"

Upon hearing this instruction, Hawke's gaze sharpened instantly, even though he was unaware of his superior's complete plan.

However, after waking up and learning about the movement of their own troops, as well as the intelligence that the Third Navy had destroyed the Crescent Fleet and was now heading towards the Crescent Strait, they learned that...

Hawke, who had long regarded Commander John as a god of strategy.

In an instant, I realized that the great Lord John must be playing a grand game of chess that was unprecedented in history.

This game could even determine the Empire's success or failure in the Battle of Faoken Bay!
Faced with such a momentous matter concerning ultimate victory, he dared not be negligent in the slightest, fearing that Siegfried might be too dull to understand the great lord's true meaning. He immediately turned to Siegfried with a serious expression and asked in a deep voice:
"Siegfried, tell me exactly what Lord John said, word for word, without omitting a single word, quickly!"

"!"

Seeing Hawke's solemn expression, Siegfried seemed to realize the seriousness of the matter. He immediately suppressed his excitement and relayed John's words to Hawke in detail.

"Prepare? Within three days? Eastern front? Luoyue River? Set up camp?"

After hearing the exact words, Hawke's sharp mind immediately focused on those key words, and he fell into deep thought.

Although the order given by Commander John was very complete and seemed quite ordinary.

But Hawke's intuition told him that there must be an unprecedented deeper meaning behind this.

So, under Siegfried's questioning gaze, he immediately stepped to the conference table, spread out a rough map of Faoken Bay that he had brought with him, and began to examine the area where the Cocobia rainforest was located with a serious look.

Hawke surveyed the area around Blue Lake, where his main force was located; the Dark Corridor, where the enemy was located; Horseshoe, where the 2nd Division was located; the area where ground support forces had already captured seven cities; and the area where his own guard regiment was currently heading.

Combining his past experience with Commander John's tactical counter-offensives and his ability to utilize all natural resources to aid his own side in achieving the plan to annihilate the enemy.

With his extraordinary intellect working continuously, Hawke quickly deduced the true objective of his operation!

Immediately lead your troops to Luoyue River and set up camp, awaiting further instructions (X).

Bring along the mineral resources you have acquired so far, those with magical absorption and explosive properties, and also carry the large number of Allied functional magical technology facilities that Commander John placed in the spoils warehouse in Mad Fang City under the pretext of conducting subsequent technological research.

In addition, the 50 unassembled beam magic cannon vehicles that Lieutenant General Dolan had hidden in Mad Fang City were expedited to be welded within two days, so that they could participate in this operation as consumables that could explode at any time, but could provide powerful firepower.

Then, carrying these decisive weapons that could change the central battlefield and even affect the entire war situation, they went to Luoyue River to set up camp and, under the command of Commander John, effectively attacked the Allied forces that were about to fall into the trap (√)!

Yes, that must be it, that must be it!

Otherwise, given that the journey between Mad Fang City and Falling Moon River only takes a day and a night, why would Commander John give his side a full three days to march?

Isn't this generous marching time extremely strange in itself?

Moreover, Commander John specifically mentioned making preparations in the opening section.

What's the point of preparing those spineless cowards in the 3rd Independent Division Guard Regiment?
So, isn't the deeper meaning of this statement a veiled reference to the parts of the 50 beam magic cannon vehicles that Dolan had hidden and that have only now become known after being integrated by our side?
Furthermore, if the current logistics engineering unit of 500 people is deployed in groups of ten for welding, the welding work will be carried out in shifts without stopping.

According to the calculations, two days is just enough time to complete the temporary welding of the light-speed magic cannon vehicle and the command to drive it to the assembly point!
In addition, the 14 heavy trucks currently remaining in the unit, concealed by camouflage magic technology facilities, are used to transport dangerous and unstable ores with numerous functional attributes without the Allied forces' knowledge.

Three days is just enough time to transport that batch of ore, which looks like scrap but can actually be turned into highly lethal weapons, to the front line!
Moreover, why didn't Commander John give any reminders earlier or later after the layout was designed?

Why did he send a communication command to Siegfried at this exact moment after he woke up?

Doesn't this mean that the other party intentionally let me hear this and launch into a subjective analysis in order to test whether I can pass the test further and become a more trusted Maslowist fighter for His Excellency John?!

It’s connected, everything is connected!
Despite being thousands of miles away, she was still able to strategize everything and even take precious time to cultivate my wisdom.

I, Hawke, am utterly unworthy to take up your precious time!
"Truly, how magnificent!"

"To have been your follower and to have earned your trust, I, Hawke Sparrow, have no regrets in this life!"

Deeply moved, Hawke couldn't help but shed tears of emotion.

But soon, he raised his hand to wipe away the tears of emotion from the corner of his eye, then turned his gaze firmly to Siegfried beside him, who seemed to have understood something, and then uttered Lord John's 'true' command:
"Siegfried, immediately notify the engineering corps to begin expedited welding of the fifty beam magic cannon vehicles in the warehouse, working day and night."

"Immediately arrange for the logistics troops and guards to drive to the Silverstone Mine to transport various types of waste ore, excluding precious metal ores, that possess various properties and can be detonated by magic, causing widespread damage. At the same time, carry camouflage magic technology equipment and secretly deliver it to the Falling Moon River outpost. Construct a large, highly concealed jungle camp around the rainforest and await further instructions from Lord John."

After issuing all the instructions, Hawke slowly stopped, took a deep breath, and calmed his somewhat tired body.

Then, with a smile, he pointed to the area where Luoyue River was located on the map.

Then, under Siegfried's astonished and admiring gaze, he spoke with a fanatical expression:

"Three days from now, we will be here, under the orders of the great Lord John, to deliver an unprecedented blow to those damned Allied forces, and in their rage, we will lead them into the next trap that Lord John has set in advance. Finally, under Lord John's unparalleled strategy, we will witness their complete defeat!"

"In other words, Siegfried, this is a battle that belongs to the 1st Magic Battalion, to all our allies who have already pledged allegiance to us, and also truly to the Empire, not to those damned nobles."

"An unprecedented victory is about to arrive!"

"Therefore, immediately, swiftly, and without hesitation, carry out the task that Lord John truly wants us to accomplish, Corporal Siegfried Fafner!"

"Yes, Lord Hawke!"

"despair!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)