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

Chapter 269 The Crouching Dragon Ponders His Future, A False Alarm Leads to a Bitter Return to His Tent

After reaching a cooperation agreement with Irias, John did not linger in the council hall. Instead, after receiving approval to prepare his troops for boarding a ship and returning to the Empire, and with the defense forces temporarily taking over the garrison of Faoken, he went directly to the troop's encampment.

Although he still didn't understand why Elias, the Marquis of Ravage, would suddenly show him goodwill, he didn't dwell on the reasons after considering that the conditions proposed by the other party were entirely in his favor.

After all, rather than pondering the true purpose of the other party's investment, the immediate priority is to lead the troops away from this troublesome situation.

"Battalion Commander, you're back. Did the handover go smoothly?"

"Things aren't going well. Things have become much more complicated than I expected. Sigh!"

Inside the Imperial forces' encampment, Hawke, seeing John's furrowed brow, was unaware of what had happened in the council chamber.

However, based on the observation that all 10,000 of their own magical reinforcements were heading west, and combined with John's gloomy expression, he guessed the general idea.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the madness of the conservatives, who were willing to do such outrageous things for the sake of party strife.

But such inhumane crackdowns will likely have a significant effect on the conservative party.

After all, this was after Commander John had won the Battle of Fauken Bay and returned home to receive his reward.

If nothing unexpected happens, under the covert manipulation of the conservative party, even if their own patriarch successfully obtains a noble title, the territory he will ultimately receive will most likely be the dilapidated Faoken of today.

Meanwhile, the allied forces that launched the attack earlier will not only strike the surrounding orc tribes outside the Golden Lion Territory, but will also completely destroy the existing mines and other resources, thus completely cutting off Commander John's subsequent development plans.

Furthermore, after creating a vast restricted area on the ground through unrestricted bombing that is insurmountable by human power, if their own leaders subsequently wish to ease the conflict between their side and other orc tribes by secretly developing commerce.

The idea of ​​establishing commercial exchanges to boost the economy and trade of Faoken will also be completely abandoned.

Moreover, and most importantly, after such a horrific attack by their 'friendly forces,' the orc tribes in the Faoken territory that our side has already occupied will likely become completely hostile to the Empire, making it impossible for Commander John to implement any of his subsequent policies. Furthermore, if the conservatives continue to secretly send people to provoke the orcs in the territory, there may even be several orc riots.

Based on the above analysis, the province, which could have become a major source of military resources for the empire thanks to the efforts of its own officials, and which had the potential to bring five orc tribes, including the Mad Fang Clan, under the empire's control through pro-people policies, and to develop multiple new imperial orc soldier legions, will all be completely destroyed by this bombing by friendly forces.

The actions of this allied force appear to be aimed at demonstrating the prestige of the empire by using absolute force to intimidate the allied forces and prevent them from taking any rash actions.

However, the other party's true purpose was to completely sever the advantageous situation and long-term plans that their own leaders had worked so hard to establish.

This transformed the Falcon Bay from a promising new provincial capital of the Empire into a colony filled with hostility towards the Empire, devoid of future prospects, and utterly unusable by the Empire, where the native inhabitants harbored unprecedented thoughts of struggle and hatred towards the Empire.

Most importantly, the conservative party's suppression campaign successfully seized the moral high ground of the Divine Revenge Order, further amplified by the long-standing feud between the Norman Empire and the Saga Kingdom.

Most of the uninformed citizens of the empire would subconsciously believe that this was a display of the empire's majesty, and would not only not find it inappropriate, but would also express their approval of the bombing, thus giving the conservative party unprecedented prestige.

Even if a few scholars or high-ranking officials in the military and political circles can see the inside story, they can only remain silent due to the sheer size of the conservative party.

Under the pressure of public opinion, even though His Majesty William knew that he had suffered a loss, he could only grit his teeth and swallow it.

Furthermore, when the matter is discussed in Parliament, His Majesty will not only be unable to show any dissatisfaction, but will even have to commend the Prime Minister for this display of imperial majesty, which is extremely ironic!

Although Hawke was unclear why Prime Minister Wolff had gone to such lengths, he had gradually come to realize, through the actions of the Conservative Party, that the current level of partisan strife in the Empire was far more terrifying than he had anticipated.

However, compared to the partisan struggle between the conservatives and the reformers, Hawke was actually more concerned about something else.

That is, through reading and deeply understanding Maslow's quotes day after day, he gradually realized that, judging from the ideas currently being displayed by his superiors.

In the future, Governor John will inevitably choose to break away from the reformists and embark on the path of forming his own party.

At that time, the conservative party that holds power in the government, and even the reformists who are still allies of their party, will probably become obstacles to their party's progress!
"Therefore, it is necessary for me to further promote 'Maslow's Quotations' to expand my support base and lay the foundation for His Excellency John to create a political party in the future!"

"Furthermore, this operation must be sufficiently covert, even to the point that His Majesty the Emperor's surveillance forces cannot detect it!"

"Therefore, ordinary military propaganda has completely failed. In order to gain the support of a large number of people, to gain their trust as quickly as possible, and to carry out actions with long-term development, His Excellency John had already explained this in advance when the commander was governing the town of Bahamut!"

Reflecting on everything I experienced in my small town of Bahamut, and the times I spent following John, I always heard the Great Lord speak seemingly casually, yet in fact, words of boundless wisdom that gave me unprecedented insights in different fields whenever I pondered them.

As if touched on the head by a legendary deity, Hawke's eyes flashed with boundless wisdom, and he silently recited the answer in his mind:

"That is, the policy of encircling the towns!"

"By providing resources and construction support to the rural areas, we can develop the masses, gain a large number of supporters, and then turn a large part of that territory into our own field of vision, providing us with continuous intelligence and soldier resources."

"Furthermore, after replicating this model multiple times, it is only a matter of time before one can easily bring a duchy's territory under surveillance and development, or even spread one's spies throughout the entire Norman Empire!"

"To achieve this goal, sufficient financial support is necessary. Therefore, we must develop an independent chamber of commerce and make it bigger and stronger until it can provide us with a continuous flow of funds."

"Unfortunately, I don't have any business talent and am not very good at this. Although Commander John has shown unprecedented business acumen in governing Longyan Territory, his position prevents him from taking the initiative to engage in this kind of work. Otherwise, it would be easy for his political enemies to find a handle to attack him."

"Therefore, when our troops return in triumph and receive their rewards, we have only one primary goal!"

"That is, to find or recruit talented individuals with business acumen, clean records, and who can truly serve our side, thereby solving the most pressing issue of funding for establishing a political party!"

"As long as the other party possesses the corresponding talent and has good character, then regardless of their status, they are a target that I need to strive to win over!"

After all, didn't His Excellency once say to Siegfried during a casual conversation, "Being born into poverty is not a disgrace; a true man is one who can bend and stretch"?

This statement seems to be encouraging Siegfried to have lofty ambitions, but it is also related to Lord John's exceptional act of recruiting Siegfried, who was once a commoner from a foreign country, into his own ranks.

This was clearly a subtle reminder to himself, who was present at the time, that as long as the other party was truly talented, even if they were of lowly status, as long as they were of good character, they were still a target that he or she had to develop and win over.

Yes, that must be it!
As expected, Lord John is indeed too powerful. He had foreseen today's predicament two months ago and had already proposed corresponding solutions.

Simply, like a god!

In an instant, Hawke, having sorted out the dilemma of party building and found a solution by recalling His Excellency's words, looked at John with fervent eyes.

Furthermore, when he met the gaze of His Excellency John, he felt an unprecedented sense of 'appreciation' and 'commendation' from the eyes of this great man, and he immediately felt tears welling up in his eyes and his whole body began to tremble involuntarily.

Even though John didn't speak at that moment.

But he also understood from His Excellency's eyes that the other party now considered him a qualified Maslow's advocate!

Your Excellency John, thank you for your high expectations. Today, I, Hawke Sparrow, swear by my life that I will never fail to live up to your expectations!

In any case, I will definitely help you accomplish the great task of establishing a political party!
I will never break my promise!

With tears in his eyes, Hawke fervently swore an oath in his heart to the great lord who radiated 'golden light'.

"What's wrong with Hawke? Why did he suddenly start convulsing? Could it be that he was bitten by an orc from the Bloodhowl Legion and didn't receive timely treatment for the poison, causing a delayed outbreak?"

Looking at Hawke, who suddenly developed rabies, his face was extremely agitated, as if he would pin him to the ground and tear him apart at any moment.

John was immediately startled, and his whole body tensed up like never before. After all, in his mind, Hawke was the chosen one, a true SSR-level strategist!
The reason he was able to win such a crushing victory in the battle of Faoken Bay is largely due to the brilliant strategist Hawke and the equally formidable Mia. These two individuals deserve at least half the credit for this victory.

He had originally planned to ask someone to find a way to get the two men an opportunity to study at the First Military Academy when he returned to the capital, hoping to further improve their intelligence and evolve them into top strategists, thus providing him with action plans for the subsequent factional struggles.

It can be said that among all the members of his current military units, he has the highest expectations for these two.

Hawke is of paramount importance.

If the toxin isn't removed in time, causing the other person to become a rabies patient, he might end up like Liu Bei without Fazheng, losing an arm on the spot.

In addition, and most importantly, if I get bitten by the other party, will I also get sick?
Don’t do that kind of thing!
"Damn it, we were about to return home in triumph, why, why did things turn out like this!?"

Could it be that I, John Maslow, am truly destined to be unable to have highly intelligent subordinates?
Fate, why do you play such a cruel trick on me!

John was filled with grief and indignation, especially when he saw Hawke, whose illness had worsened and whose expression had become more ferocious than ever before, as if he were about to attack him.

The heartache of losing a top strategist suddenly intensified.

But John dared not act rashly, because his experience of encountering wild boars in the wild in his previous life told him that he had to remain calm in the face of such a raging beast and must not act or speak rashly.

Otherwise, it's easy for the other party to take it as a provocation and then suffer a merciless attack.

The best solution right now is to stay calm and take advantage of the moment when the other person is distracted by the noise made by the others in the camp and shifts their attention away from you, then seize the opportunity to pin them to the ground!
In this way, the crisis can be completely resolved!

A glint of light flashed in John's eyes.

Then, looking at the 'fierce and menacing' Hawke in front of him, he quickly imagined himself as a hero confronting a demon trying to destroy the world. His eyes and demeanor became exceptionally holy and resolute under the goal of 'saving the world'.

"Huh? Battalion Commander, what's going on between you and Sergeant Hawke...?"

Seeing the two people standing at the door, staring at each other but not moving, Sergeant Barbabella, who was carrying a supply box, was immediately filled with questions.

But seeing the two gazing at each other with deep affection, as if she had thought of some astonishing possibility, Barbabella immediately widened her eyes in disbelief. Her innocent little face first turned yellow, then quickly became red, and finally was replaced by a deathly pale color.

Realizing she had stumbled upon the highest-ranking officer's biggest secret, she immediately dropped the supply crate, then tremblingly covered her eyes, and began to hypnotize herself:

"I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything..."

Then, to the utter astonishment of John and Hawke, he covered his face with his fingers, keeping a distance barely enough to fit a pigeon egg between them, and with his ears burning red, he ran off in a frenzy.

"Wait a minute..."

Seeing Barbabella fleeing in panic as if she had stumbled upon a shocking secret, John and Hawke, belatedly realizing what had happened, immediately turned green with rage. John, in particular, was so furious that he wanted to tie the misunderstanding Barbabella to a tree and hang her up for a beating.

But soon, catching a glimpse of Hawke's frustrated expression out of the corner of his eye, he was immediately taken aback. Realizing he had misunderstood the other man, his heart was instantly filled with ecstatic joy:
"Hawk, you weren't sick all along?"

"?"

Hawke looked bewildered, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that perhaps Lord John's words had a hidden meaning, but he hadn't grasped its deeper significance. So he tentatively asked:

"Then, sir, do you think I should get a minor illness?"

No, buddy?
John was completely dumbfounded when he saw Hawke asking for his opinion with such a serious expression.

But the joy of finding his strategist again made him suppress the urge to question him. At the same time, he kept reminding himself that this was his own Zhuge Liang, and he couldn't scold him. He had to coax him properly, otherwise what if the other party quit?
After some self-reflection, John forced a dry smile and said:

"...It's nothing, I was just saying it casually. Hawke, don't worry about it. Go pack your personal belongings. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be boarding the ship and returning to the Empire today."

"Okay, sir!"

Although he was puzzled as to why John would ask him if he was sick, he obediently returned to his tent after hearing John's instructions. He then began packing his personal belongings while mentally completing his grand plan for founding the party.

John returned to the command tent and announced that his men were about to board ships and return to the capital.

He returned to his temporary tent, intending to quickly pack his personal belongings before joining the main force to board the Third Navy's warship, which was docked at the port, and thus begin his journey home.

John froze on the spot the moment he opened the tent and saw the interior.

Because at this moment, there was a figure standing in the tent that should have been empty.

The other person's unkempt chestnut-brown, ear-length hair looked messy in the sunlight, complementing their pale cheeks, haggard expression, and bloodshot eyes.

Like a kitten abandoned by its owner, hiding in the shadows and licking its wounds, it looked exceptionally pitiful.

"...Hi Wendy, what are you doing here?"

Looking at Wendy, who was staring straight at him with a blank expression, as if silently questioning him as the commander, why he had abandoned his team members and chosen to take the risks alone during a critical operation.

Even John couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Just as he was forcing a smile and considering whether he should call Mia over to avoid being berated by the furious squad leader,

The next second, accompanied by a gentle breeze, John felt a figure in his arms, and his waist was also embraced by the other person.

As if trying to catch a dandelion seed that would immediately scatter if the grip were loosened even slightly, the other person held John tightly, giving him absolutely no chance to escape.

"!"

Looking at Wendy, who was clinging to him tightly and burying her head in his chest without saying a word, he felt the two wet touches on his chest and could clearly feel her trembling body through the fabric.

John's forced smile slowly faded, and he silently raised his right hand to gently stroke the other's dry chestnut hair until the other's body stopped trembling and his breathing became steady again. Only then did he silently carry the squad leader, who had finally fallen asleep peacefully, to his own bed and cover him with a blanket.

Then he walked out of the tent with a melancholy expression, plopped down on the steps of a nearby pavilion, and stared blankly at the scenery in front of him.

After a long while, as if remembering something, he scratched his hair in frustration, then took out a cigarette case from his pocket, put a cigarette in his mouth, and was about to take a kerosene lighter to light it and take a puff to calm his depressed mood.

However, he had just lit the cigarette.

The next second, a dark shadow flashed by, and then he was shocked to find that the cigarette in his mouth had disappeared without him noticing.

But before he could even check what was going on...

Immediately afterwards, a clear, cold voice slowly entered his ears:

"Despite securing a resounding victory, you still look so gloomy, John Maslow. You're even more arrogant than I expected!"

……

(End of this chapter)