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

Chapter 260 Commander Missing, Morale in Disarray, Night Deep, Road Ahead Perilous

"Did it succeed?"

Meanwhile, in the evacuation zone in the middle of the rainforest, inside the command tents where the Imperial forces were temporarily resting.

Looking at the aurora borealis that appeared outside, resembling the rising sun, Edgar, who had been appointed by John as the temporary commander of the Imperial forces, breathed a sigh of relief inside the tent.

But sensing the gazes of the generals around him, and understanding what they were thinking, he immediately gave the order to Martha, who had been waiting for a long time:
"Lieutenant Martha, immediately use long-range telepathy to link with the communications officer of the 1st Battalion's Magic Guard and confirm the commander's safety."

"Yes, Major General Edgar."

Martha responded with a word, and then, under everyone's gaze, activated the magic amplification device, preparing to perform a telepathic ritual to attempt to establish a link with Wendy.

But just as she began to communicate over a long distance, Martha suddenly froze, then, under the expectant gazes of everyone, she said with a joyful expression:

"Gentlemen, I sense that the guards are rapidly approaching our forces, and judging from their current speed, they are expected to arrive within five minutes."

"good very good!"

Upon hearing the news, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even Edgar himself smiled, a smile that hadn't graced his face in a long time. He subconsciously wiped the cold sweat from his brow, secretly relieved that he had finally escaped with his life.

After he received John's orders, fired several shots and wounded the respected commander-in-chief, and then led the main force north to retreat as per his mission.

During the march, he could always feel a dense, cold gaze from behind, the killing intent so intense that even as a high-ranking mage, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Edgar could understand the reaction of the crowd.

But more than anything, he felt wronged.

After all, this order was personally issued by John, the commander-in-chief, and as his subordinate, he had no right to refuse.

Moreover, this was a desperate measure taken to ensure the successful execution of the bait plan.

Why did he, who diligently carried out his mission, end up being treated like a traitor?

This is like a mute eating bitter melon, unable to express their suffering!

"That's it!"

Major General Edgar sighed with a hint of resentment, but he quickly put that feeling behind him.

Instead, they began to look forward to the scene of John returning with the Magic Guard.

Now, thanks to John's strategy, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the main force of the Bloodhowl Legion has been completely annihilated.

The remaining ground troops should only number two thousand, and they are simply unable to cope with our attack.

In other words, the threat from ground warfare has been largely eliminated.

Next, all they need to do is wait for John to return and, under his command, turn the original breakout battle into a delaying tactic.

By evening, they would receive reinforcements, which would allow them to completely quell the conflict in Faoken.

At that time, they will return to the capital as war heroes and be rewarded with honors.

Based on his performance in Faoken, he should be able to at least reach the rank of lieutenant general, and it's not impossible that his family's title could even be raised by one rank.

"Unfortunately, Commander-in-Chief John's factional issues mean he can't receive a high reward. At most, he can probably only be promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. Even if His Majesty William forcibly grants him a title, he can only get the same earldom as Marshal Dormammu, or even a lower one."

Given that this gentleman has already formed a strong bond with the reformists, it would be a miracle if the conservatives agreed to bestow a grand reward upon him.

No matter how many military achievements you make, those guys will always find ways to find fault with them.

It's a pity.

Edgar sighed inwardly and began to think about his options.

Just as he was considering whether to wait until the triumphant return to the capital and discuss with the family elders whether to try to break away from the conservative party and join the reformist faction led by John, and take a gamble.

Accompanied by hurried footsteps, the members of Squad 14 quickly entered amidst the eager gazes of the crowd.

Once Edgar came to his senses, he wanted to get up and go to personally greet the meritorious commander and immediately offer his loyalty.

However, after scanning the group of people who entered the tent, he couldn't help but freeze in place.

Because he didn't see John among the group.

Could it be that……

"Sergeant Charlie, where is the commander-in-chief?"

Before Edgar could speak, Lunepo, realizing something was amiss, immediately changed his expression. He then stared at the guilty-looking Charlie with a grim look and coldly questioned him:
"Soldier, answer my question immediately! Where has the battalion commander gone?!"

"Reporting to the company commander, before the decoy plan was implemented, the battalion commander ordered me to lead the 14th squad to evacuate ahead of schedule. He also said that if I disobeyed the order, I would be executed immediately according to military orders, so..."

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically.

Edgar felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this, but before he could order the army to immediately return to the Sea Cliffs to search for John's whereabouts, he was still waiting.

Barnapo, who could no longer contain himself, stood up and said in a deep voice to his three colleagues, whose faces were equally grim:
"Miles, Lunepo, Martha, immediately lead your respective companies of mages to accompany me to the Sea Cliff to search for the commander-in-chief's whereabouts. Do not fail!"

"Yes!"

But before he could set off with the three of them, a voice called out to him:

“Please wait a moment, Captain Barnapo.”

The speaker was Hawke. Compared to the angry or nervous expressions of the others, his expression remained calm as always, and even the frequency of his waving of the feather fan did not change.

He appeared completely confident, as if he had already seen through everything.

However, upon closer inspection, it is not difficult to notice that his right hand, which was holding the feather fan, was gripping it slightly tightly, indicating that his emotions were not as calm as they appeared.

"Hawk Sparrow, are you sure you want to stop me?"

Barnapo stared expressionlessly at the soldier whom the battalion commander valued highly, a strong sense of disappointment flashing in his eyes, and even his tone became particularly cold at this moment.

"Please don't misunderstand, my worries about the Commander-in-Chief's whereabouts are no less than anyone else's." "Then why do you still..."

"It's very simple. If our army sends a large number of magic soldiers to search for the commander-in-chief's whereabouts, it will only alert the enemy and make them realize that there are problems within our army, leading them to gather and launch an attack on our main force. It will be completely meaningless, won't it?"

Seeing Barnapo's furrowed brows, and realizing that he had initially persuaded the stubborn company commander, Hawke breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice:
"Moreover, due to the large-scale use of explosive magic, most of our magic soldiers are still in a weakened state. In addition, our magic stone reserves have been completely exhausted, and we can only rely on primitive methods to gather magic power from the air for replenishment."

"Nowadays, more than 90% of the magic soldiers in the 1st Battalion do not have the ability to fly at full speed. Even if they reach the Sea Cliff, they will eventually fall into a state of magic depletion or even complete exhaustion, leading to their immediate death."

"And I think this is a scenario that the battalion commander himself would absolutely not want to see."

"So, according to you, we're just going to leave it alone?"

"No, the search and rescue operation still needs to be carried out. However, rather than deploying the entire force, I personally prefer to send out elite magic soldiers who are in good condition and have a faster flight speed, and send them there at full speed by taking turns flying."

"Firstly, the small number of individuals makes them less likely to be detected by enemy warships, thus making it easier to determine the unrest within our military."

"Secondly, by alternating flights, not only can the marching speed be guaranteed, but also the search and rescue forces can be ensured to have a certain combat capability upon arrival, which can effectively prevent situations such as the enemy pursuing the commander-in-chief and our inability to launch a counterattack."

"Regarding the personnel for this search and rescue mission, Company Commander Lünebo can confirm them at this moment through Company Commander Martha's telepathic spell and quickly select suitable candidates to complete the team formation."

"Thank you!"

Upon hearing Hawke's analysis and realizing that he had misunderstood, Barnabo immediately thanked him and then hurriedly led three colleagues to select suitable candidates to form a search and rescue team.

With the surge of magical wind, the three of them vanished from sight in the blink of an eye, flying through the air.

In an instant, the entire camp fell silent.

"General Edgar, to avoid unnecessary turmoil within the main force, please immediately keep this information about the commander-in-chief's disappearance confidential and do not disclose it under any circumstances."

After Barnabo and the others left, inside the tent, Hawke immediately turned to look at Edgar, who had a bitter expression on his face, and silently sighed for the unfortunate major general.

He then turned to Colonel Galil, who had inexplicably fallen silent, and politely requested:
"Also, Colonel Galil, if you can contact the Drow forces near the Sea Cliff, please use your Drow soldiers to help search for Commander John's whereabouts. I would be very grateful."

“I understand. I will contact Chief Noah immediately and ask him to send the Drow people near the Sea Cliff to assist your search.”

Carrie suppressed her unease and replied in a low voice, then added to the listless group in the tent:
"In addition, just half an hour ago, I received intelligence from the magic facility strike force, confirming that the enemy's anti-aircraft facility deployed at the sea cliff has been destroyed by our side."

"Therefore, I can assure you that Lord John's flight technique will not be affected. As long as Lord John flies to a safe zone before the naval bombardment, he should be able to save his life."

"The reason why they haven't been able to rendezvous with our army yet is most likely because they are on their way. There's no need for you to worry too much."

"I think so too. However, to ensure the safety of the commander-in-chief, I'm afraid we'll need to trouble the members of the Drow clan. As long as you can escort the commander-in-chief back safely, our army will definitely give you a reward that will satisfy you all."

"No compensation is needed for what is my duty."

Carrie waved her hand, and then she did not stay in the tent any longer. After saluting the gloomy-looking crowd, she hurriedly walked towards the area where her personal guards were.

Watching Carrie's departing figure, Hawke couldn't help but rub his throbbing temples, a wry smile appearing on his face.

He never expected that the usually wise and powerful Lord John would choose to force the 14th Squad to evacuate ahead of schedule out of concern for the safety of the soldiers.

This allows them to take on the risk of potential failure.

This move, whether viewed from the perspective of a commander or an officer, is undoubtedly an extremely wrong choice.

But from the soldier's perspective, this act of sacrificing himself to protect the safety of his men is truly unprecedented and great.

And it is precisely this spirit of benevolence and self-sacrifice that made everyone in his 1st Battalion, and even those who later joined his Second Army, willing to go through fire and water for Lord John.

"Although, sometimes this kind of kindness and sacrifice can be quite a headache."

Furthermore, it's possible that His Excellency John's actions were not solely out of care for the soldiers, but rather driven by personal feelings.
Thinking of this, Hawke immediately glanced at Lieutenant Wendy, who had been forcibly knocked unconscious and was still lying on a makeshift stretcher.

Seemingly understanding something, a complex expression flashed in his eyes.

But he quickly suppressed that emotion, sighed inwardly, and then spoke gently to the bewildered Charlie:

"Sergeant Charlie, take everyone to rest. Don't overthink it."

"The commander-in-chief is always extremely thorough in his work. The reason why he ordered the 14th squad to withdraw ahead of schedule this time may also have his own reasons."

"Besides, you were just following the commander's orders, so there's no need to blame yourself too much."

"Also, if Lieutenant Wendy wakes up later, please let me know as soon as possible. I will have someone talk to Lieutenant Wendy and talk her out of it. Don't worry."

"Yes, Sergeant Hawke."

Upon hearing Hawke, who was widely regarded as John's top disciple in tactics, speak, Charlie, who had been somewhat apprehensive, immediately breathed a sigh of relief. After saluting everyone, he and the dejected members of Squad 14 carried their guard captain toward the rest area.

After the members of Squad 14 left, Hawke, the only strategist in the camp, also did some ideological work with the generals of the remaining troops and discussed the subsequent action orders of the main force with Edgar.

This meeting, which was originally planned to be a victorious rendezvous with the commander-in-chief and to lay the foundation for victory, ended abruptly due to the sudden disappearance of John, the commander-in-chief.

In the blink of an eye, only Hawke, sitting at the end of the conference table, remained in the entire tent.

"Sir John, where are you now?"

He silently gazed at the empty main seat and above the battle map, at the black staff that had been held firmly in the hand of the person he most revered since the start of the Cocobia rainforest front, representing the highest authority of the entire legion.

His usually calm eyes finally revealed an unprecedented sense of unease and melancholy.

But in the end, he suppressed these complex emotions and instead silently prayed for the missing commander-in-chief.

At this moment, the light from the main guns of the Damister outside the command tent has long since disappeared.

Instead, a dark and silent night descended, which, set against the backdrop of the silent and menacing tree trunks, began to appear even more oppressive and somber.

It seemed to foreshadow some kind of danger that was about to unfold.

"rustle!"

……

(End of this chapter)