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

Chapter 28 The Hell Chariot Cannot Be Enjoyed Alone

When John arrived at the assembly point with his 14th squad, the rest of the troops were already fully prepared and ready to go.

The joint operation involved a total of 600 troops. Apart from 120 magic soldiers, the remaining 480 were ordinary soldiers from outside the army's main force.

Perhaps because the town of Bahamut was too far away, Dormammu also sent people to provide four military trucks and two jeeps.

Two of the trucks were specifically used to carry food and ammunition, and because there were rivers along the way, only a small amount of water was carried for emergencies.

After delivering a brief mobilization speech in front of the 600-strong army, John got into his jeep and, with a flourish of his hand, gave the soldiers the order to set off.

As the four scouting mages activated their magic backpacks and soared into the sky, they took the lead in the group to scout ahead and conduct reconnaissance.

Under the watchful eyes of the Imperial soldiers at the outpost, John's troops quickly disappeared into the distance amidst a cloud of yellow sand.

"Damn, what kind of Jeep is this? It has absolutely no shock absorption!"

"This is worse than walking!"

"This kind of garbage vehicle can be sent to the front lines? Are the people in the Imperial Logistics Department all brainless?"

Two hours later, at 4 p.m., on the Walden West Line, near the Dom River.

John, sitting in the back of the jeep in the middle of the group, felt the intense vibrations from the car's movement and his backside ached from the constant jolting. He was filled with regret.

He then glanced through the window at the man who was currently mingling with the army, clutching a magic gun and looking furtive, occasionally stealing glances at the jeep he was in.

With a sly smile on her lips, Wendy looked like a husky who had successfully wrecked the house and was looking forward to seeing her owner's exasperated reaction.

Considering that when he invited Wendy to ride in the jeep with him at the start of the trip, this idiot repeatedly waved his hand, refusing on the grounds that soldiers cannot ride with their commanders, and then inexplicably gave him a meaningful look.

The astute Warrant Officer John instantly understood everything:
So, this idiot knew that the Empire's jeeps could practically shake a person's guts out, which is why he refused to ride with him.

You know the truth but don't report it, and instead want to see your superior make a fool of himself, right?

Hehe, Wendy, you idiot, you're really something!

Wendy, who had met her gaze, looked away guiltily afterward and then adopted a serious expression as she scanned her surroundings, as if she were carefully observing the area that had been cleared by friendly forces and might encounter enemy soldiers.

Feeling the soreness and swelling in his buttocks, John gradually revealed a sinister smile.

He decided that he would have to use the excuse of discussing the mission to have the troops rest on the spot. After he and Leia finished explaining the plans and arrangements, when they set off again, he would definitely call Wendy, that idiot, to ride in the car and have her accompany him to experience the 'paradise' they were in.

After all, as a superior who is good at caring for his subordinates, how could he keep such "preferential treatment" to himself?

What's more, Wendy is his 'dearest' vice-captain.

He had to bestow the appropriate 'honor' upon this fool so that everyone would understand what a merciful superior, Lieutenant John, truly was!
"What's going on? Just now, I felt a chill down my back. Did I forget to wear a shirt?"

Wendy, who was dressed formally and scanning her surroundings, suddenly shivered for no apparent reason.

She scratched her neck uncomfortably, but found that the chill not only did not dissipate, but became stronger over time.

As if sensing something, Wendy couldn't help but steal a glance at the jeep where John was, only to see him staring at her expressionlessly.

That look in his eyes was like that of a hyena that hadn't eaten for three days, staring at the anus of an antelope that had just finished defecating—a look of ferocity and determination.

The moment you touch him, you know that unless he manages to rip out the target's ass and excrement, this guy will never give up!

Especially after seeing the brilliant but petty Warrant Officer John with a chilling, deathly smile on his face.

At this moment, Wendy, who originally wanted to make her captain experience the suffering that a commander must endure, was now in a predicament.

She instantly realized that she was doomed.

"Everyone, stand still and rest. Also, Wendy Brown, get over here right now, immediately!"

……

"Waaah, Captain, I was wrong! I really won't do it again! Please forgive me! I don't want to ride that hellish vehicle! Please!"

You fucking knew that was a hellish train, so why didn't you warn me before we set off? You idiot, were you just trying to make a fool of me?
Since you've been watching me suffer, you idiot subordinate, don't even think about getting anything in return!

As the saying goes, we share both good times and bad.

So be prepared to suffer with me, you despicable bastard!
On the riverbank, Wendy looked at him with teary eyes and a pitiful expression, pleading pitifully.

John remained unmoved, only coldly laughing as he tore at the other person's round, chubby face, completely ignoring the other person's ugly state of tears streaming down their face and constantly begging for mercy.

Only after seeing that the other person's face was bright red from his pinching did he withdraw his merciless iron hand from the other person's chubby round face.

Before Wendy, who was still grimacing, could accuse him of being an incompetent captain who ordered the army to rest simply to punish his subordinates, Wendy then proceeded to complain.

John, however, turned his gaze directly to Leia, whom he had summoned behind him, and nodded slightly to her:

"You're here, Warrant Officer Leia. The reason I called you here is that I wanted to take advantage of the soldiers' rest period to discuss some arrangements for the next part of this mission with you."

"I actually have some ideas about the suppression of Bahamut town, and I might need your cooperation."

"..."

Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in Leia's eyes.

Because, in her view, their mission this time was simply to suppress and govern the town of Bahamut.

Normally, once they arrive with their troops, she only needs to lead her magic soldiers, under the instructions of Warrant Officer John, to wipe out all the enemies in the town who are trying to put up a last stand with invincible force.

Afterwards, Warrant Officer John issued relevant governance policies based on the local situation, governing this royal town into an entity loyal to the Empire.

In this way, their mission was successfully completed.

There's absolutely no need to take any extra steps.

However, considering that Colonel Jeter had said that Warrant Officer John was a very cunning and imaginative individual, she didn't dwell on it despite her doubts.

Instead, she obediently stood in front of John, looking at him with some curiosity.

She also wanted to hear what special ideas the brilliant Warrant Officer John had for this mission.

"Um, Captain, um, should I excuse myself for a moment?"

Seeing that John had important matters to discuss, and realizing that it was no longer appropriate to joke around, Wendy immediately became serious and then gave John a questioning look.

Although she really wanted to tease her stingy captain, she was never ambiguous when it came to serious matters.

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You tricked me and now you want to get away? No way. Besides, those two merits you made are enough for you to get promoted. Sooner or later you'll have to learn how to be a commander, so you'd better stay here and not go anywhere, understand?"

John glared at Wendy and spoke menacingly.

He had already seen through this stupid pig's plan to take the opportunity to escape, so that he could have the 'hell truck' all to himself.

But he would never give this idiot a chance to escape.

John Maslow was a man of his word, and no one could stop him from sharing 'happiness' with his subordinates!
"The captain is such a cheapskate, he can't even take a joke. Besides, I don't want to be a commander. Riding in those hellish vehicles every day, by the time I retire, my ass will probably be split in eight pieces..."

Wendy pouted and muttered a few words of rebuttal. When she saw John raise his eyebrows, looking as if he was about to continue using his merciless iron hand on her, she immediately pretended to surrender.

Then he obediently covered his round face and stood quietly next to John, pretending to be dead.

"..."

Watching the two interact, Leia couldn't help but smile slightly, a hint of envy flashing in her emerald eyes.

But knowing full well how unlikable her personality was, she also knew that such a warm and cozy scene was undoubtedly a luxury for her.

Moreover, the mission she carried meant that she could not be as relaxed and at ease as the two of them.

Thinking of this, Leia couldn't help but sigh silently.

The smile on his lips gradually faded.

"Ahem, please excuse my poor performance, Warrant Officer Leia. Now, let me share my personal opinion first."

Seeing that Wendy, that idiot, had stopped causing trouble, John immediately cleared his throat and then shared the thoughts he had gathered on the way:

"While on the road, I carefully reviewed the intelligence in the mission, and combined it with my personal understanding of the Allied forces, as well as some intelligence given by Major Codd in the meeting. I found that the town of Bahamut, which is our mission target, is not as simple as I had imagined."

Seeing Leia's increasingly serious expression, and realizing that she had been attracted by his lie, John felt reassured. He then took out the map he had prepared in advance, and gestured to Wendy, who was pretending to be dead, to act as his tool. He then held the map in his hand and displayed it completely in front of the two of them.

Under their gazes, John pointed to the town of Bahamut on the map and then slowly began to speak:

"Before the Battle of Walden, the Longyan Territory, where Bahamut Town is located, belonged to Baron Hardman of the Golden Rose Kingdom. According to my research, the Hardman family has a history of nearly five hundred years in the area, making them a noble family with a long and distinguished history."

"Of course, now that the Allied forces have been defeated and Walden Territory has been captured by our army, from a political point of view, the other party's noble status is only enough to qualify them to become our prisoners. If they cooperate actively, we can give them some preferential treatment."

"But none of that matters. The important point is here."

Meeting Leia's curious gaze, John slowly moved his finger down, placing it on an area marked with twin swords on the map. Then, his expression turned serious as he said:

"Just last night, as our army launched a counterattack and captured Magic Lake, two companies of our 13th Battalion, led by Captain Baronav, were ambushed by an Allied squad at this location while preparing to withdraw and regroup at a nearby supply point due to insufficient ammunition after defeating part of the main force of the Allied 5th Army."

"Apart from Captain Baronav himself, both companies were killed in action. In addition, after the main force of the Allied 5th Army destroyed the 13th Battalion, according to the reports from the scouts, the enemy soldiers seemed to have vanished, completely disappearing from this front. I don't need to say more about what this situation means."

“That’s right. I suspect that there’s a high probability that the main force of the Allied 5th Corps is lurking in the town of Bahamut. They may have even bribed the villagers in the four villages under Bahamut’s name and turned them into their spies. As soon as we step into the territory of Dragon Eye Territory, they will know our movements immediately and make preparations to ambush or evacuate!”

Meeting their shocked gazes, John spoke with conviction.

However, this is a lie.

As a veteran player of this game, John's understanding of the Allies far surpasses that of the Empire.

Therefore, he knew very well that after the defeat on the Walden front and the loss of the anti-magic device, the Allied high command, who no longer had a way to check the Imperial magic soldiers, would never, no matter how unwilling they were, ambush their own forces within Walden territory.

Even if they really intended to set up an ambush to launch a counterattack against Walden Territory, they would never set up an ambush in such a remote location as Bahamut Town.

This is because the location is far from the nearest Allied assembly point and is surrounded by mountains, with almost no roads available for large-scale transport of equipment.

So unless the Allied commanders were out of their minds, they would have ambushed the main force of the Fifth Army in this godforsaken place.

It is highly likely that a main force of the Allied Fifth Legion was routed by the Empire's magic soldiers and fled to this suburban area surrounded by mountains in desperation.

When they were planning to withdraw and join up with the other legions, they were lucky enough to run into the 13th Battalion led by Captain Baronav. They casually gave the unlucky captain an "FBI, open the door!" which resulted in the unlucky captain being reduced to a battalion commander with no troops.

However, after taking down Captain Baronav's soldiers, these guys, unless they're stupid, will definitely retreat from the mountain road immediately.

But the empire was unaware of the crucial point.

Therefore, it was mistaken that he judged it as a dangerous area, which led to his current suppression mission.

However, this was a good thing for John.

This misjudgment is exactly what he needs.

Only in this way can he rationalize his idea of ​​dividing his forces!

Thinking of this, John couldn't help but smile.

When he looked at Leia, who was frowning and deep in thought, his gaze gradually turned wicked.

My dear scapegoat, Warrant Officer Leia Binot, are you ready to face your defeat?
……

(End of this chapter)