This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

"Do your best, child."

Because of his father's teachings, Reinhard was indeed a little worried that he wouldn't do well, but the competitive spirit of a young man made it hard for him to refuse the Third Prince's offer of guidance.

That was an army of over a hundred thousand! And it was a battle where my advantage was certain of victory. Reinhardt could hardly imagine the honors and accolades he would receive when he returned victorious, and how his mother, who had always placed high hopes on him, would surely be overjoyed.

Reinhardt's competitive spirit overcame his father's teachings. He wanted to seize this windfall of wealth and prove his ability as the eldest son of the duke with a perfect victory.

"Your Highness... Commander-in-Chief, I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

Chapter 236: Emerging from Underground

Based on what Reinhardt learned at the military academy, when one's side has an almost absolute numerical advantage, the safest way to fight is to "fight a war of attrition." Don't think about doing anything fancy or fancy; just steadily and methodically send your army slamming into the enemy's face and pushing forward in a straight line with a solid formation.

The biggest difference between experienced and rookie commanders lies in their ability to prioritize stability and suppress the urge to show off their skills.

Clearly, Reinhardt, spurred on by his fifth brother's performance, couldn't do it, while the third prince, Bailey, was an avid micro-management enthusiast, preoccupied with how to make his "battle of fame," which he didn't know how he could lose, shine brightly!

If Dick, far away in the north, knew that his unfortunate older brother was thinking this way, he would probably be both amused and exasperated.

"If I had a force three times larger than the enemy to fight, why would I bother with some fancy trading scheme?"

Soon, the Southern Army, with its entire force assembled, began to move according to the battle plan formulated by the Third Prince. The four armies launched a full-scale attack, crossing the line of actual control and entering the Linzhao Basin.

The entire Linzhao Basin covers an area of ​​approximately 170,000 square kilometers, with mountains accounting for more than half of the area. However, the mountains are mainly concentrated around the Jinmai Mountains on the edge of the basin and in the very center. The plains are shaped like a donut, surrounding the abundant Jinjing Lake.

Therefore, the area not only has huge gold reserves, but also excellent agricultural conditions.

However, despite its excellent conditions in all aspects, this rich land has not been effectively developed over the past two hundred years due to controversial issues.

Empires and kingdoms periodically wage war to seize control, and each conflict is quite intense. The losers destroy everything they can't take with them before retreating, aiming to leave the victors with only ruins. So, over time, with so much rebuilding and destruction, the two nations simply stopped bothering to rebuild facilities other than gold mines.

The last battle between the two countries was twenty-one years ago. At that time, the Imperial Army was on the offensive and was about to take over the entire basin when Grand Duke Panhard, who was leading the army, was assassinated in his own tent. Immediately afterwards, the Maple Dew Kingdom joined forces with many allies to launch a strong counterattack, reversing the tide of the war in just a few days and defeating the Imperial Army.

Since then, the empire has not attempted to set foot here for twenty-one years, leading the Maple Dew side to believe that the insatiable imperialists had finally given up.

In fact, from a purely legal standpoint, this basin should have been divided equally between the empire and the kingdom, with each party owning half. This was an alliance reached by the first monarchs when the two countries were established a thousand years ago, and they divided the former land of the Elven dynasty according to their merits.

For the next several centuries, the two sides remained at peace until gold was discovered in the basin.

Moreover, if we really talk about the historical reasons, the war was indeed started by the empire, which unilaterally tore up the alliance at the time of its founding, wanted to annex the entire Linzao Basin, and even planned to use the Linzao Basin as an outpost to continue its southward invasion, eyeing the southern countries, including the Maple Dew Kingdom, with covetous intent.

Among the four armies, Reinhard was in charge of the Eastern Second Army Corps, which had a force of 100,000 men. Their route of advance was to quickly rush south along the eastern shore of Golden Mirror Lake. Because the area along the way was mainly plains, the army corps had a large number of cavalry, making it the most mobile of the four armies.

The Third Prince Bailey was quite loyal to his childhood friend. The target of the Second Eastern Army Corps was a crucial strategic location. As long as Reinhardt could successfully capture the enemy fortress as planned, he would have made the greatest contribution to the battle. In addition, given Reinhardt's illustrious background, it would be easier for him to be promoted.

Reinhardt was well aware of His Highness's good intentions, so he dared not be careless in this battle.

Before the army set off, he ordered a batch of river sailboats to be requisitioned from the rear and sent into Jinjing Lake via tributaries. He then loaded two-thirds of the army's later supplies onto the boats and marched south by water. This greatly reduced the burden on the infantry and increased the marching speed.

According to their previous reconnaissance, although they had not been able to find the location of the main force of the Kingdom's army, they were certain that it would not be hidden in Golden Mirror Lake. Moreover, there were no large monsters living in Golden Mirror Lake, and even if there were, the mage troops responsible for protecting the fleet would not be to be underestimated.

After the army set off, they encountered no obstacles along the way. The main force advanced nearly 60 kilometers in a single day, and the scouts responsible for reconnaissance had even traveled more than 100 kilometers ahead. Along the way, they only discovered some small, burned villages and military outposts, without even seeing half of the kingdom's army.

After dark, Reinhardt ordered them to set up camp on the spot. He then immediately used magical communication to contact the Western First Legion, which was led by the Third Prince. Their primary strategic objective was to seize the gold mine between the western shore of Golden Mirror Lake and Golden Vein Mountain. Moreover, according to limited intelligence, there was a clear presence of royal army troops stationed there within the entire basin.

In the magical communication footage, Bailey was being helped off his armor by two maids accompanying him. His royal gold armor looked magnificent and imposing, but anyone who frequently wore plate armor knew that even the most beautiful armor would cause chafing and discomfort after a day of wear, and it wasn't very convenient for resting.

Reinhardt first reported on his own progress, and then inquired about the situation on the other three routes.

Bailey, looking completely at ease, said that he had spent the day as if he were on a leisurely outing, without encountering any Kingdom troops. It seemed as if the enemy had collapsed without a fight.

But Reinhardt frowned after hearing this, feeling that something was amiss.

"Your Highness, I think the enemy is plotting something. We should be careful."

"Don't worry, I'm not so confident as to get carried away. General Colin of the East First Army Corps and General Ruth of the West Second Army Corps just sent messages, and everything is going smoothly on their end as well. No matter what tricks those Maple Dew people are planning to play, we'll just proceed at our own pace."

Hearing Bailey say that the other two legions were also making good progress, Reinhardt felt much more at ease, but to be on the safe side, he still increased the camp's security and doubled the number of guards at night.

But by daybreak the next day, apart from the mosquitoes that never rest in the south all year round, no other creatures attacked them.

This made Reinhardt feel somewhat relieved, but he couldn't help but wonder if the Maple Dew people, who were rumored to like making men wear women's clothing, had really run away in fear.

However, what Reinhardt and Bailey were unaware of was that, at the same time, less than 20 kilometers behind them, a force of tens of thousands of Maple Dew elite troops was emerging from several hidden underground tunnels, rapidly organizing and heading north, with their target being Welsh City, which had stockpiled a huge amount of military supplies in the rear.

Chapter 237: Possessed and Acting

After a week of recuperation, Dick's body became energetic again. However, Feng Wuxi, who was in charge of taking care of him, still advised him to be careful and moderate, because he was still in the developmental stage. If he did not want to stunt his growth in the future, he had to improve his eating habits, adjust his lifestyle, and do moderate exercise in order to develop a healthy and strong body.

Dick has a very good physical foundation, but he shouldn't think he's invincible just because of the strong recovery brought by his succubus bloodline, and thus ignore the part that belongs to humans and elves.

Dick immediately said he would humbly accept the lesson, and then rubbed his hands together, wanting to fulfill the "promise" he had made earlier with Feng Wuxi. However, Feng Wuxi simply kissed his forehead lightly, then smiled without saying a word and turned to leave, leaving a bewildered Dick standing there in a daze.

"What's going on? Have I been tricked?"

This situation left Dick both bewildered and somewhat disappointed. Although he was annoyed by Feng Wuxi's broken promise, his principles prevented him from using force against his own people in such matters. So, if Feng Wuxi was truly unwilling, he would simply go find someone else.

It wasn't until someone knocked on his door that evening that Dick realized he had misunderstood.

What are you doing here?

"After all, during your recovery period, it was a joint effort between Ms. Frederick and me. Now that we've reached the stage of testing the results, we naturally can't exclude her, don't you think?"

Dick never expected that Feng Wuxi would bring Frederick the Great along to find him. Both of them were wearing loose bathrobes, but they still couldn't hide their impressive figures. In addition, they had obviously just taken a bath, and their fair skin was slightly flushed, which added a touch of alluring sexiness to their already mature charm, making Dick's mouth dry.

Compared to the poised and elegant Feng Wuxi, the Great Emperor's mother was beaming with joy.

As ship girls, they are born with extremely high loyalty and affection for their commanders, and Dick perfectly matches Frederick the Great's "ideal type". So, when the Great first saw Dick, his affection for Dick had already exceeded the limit of "love".

However, as one of the leaders of the Ironblood faction, Frederick the Great, while wholeheartedly loving "his own child," also possessed the pride and self-respect of a warrior. Therefore, he planned to wait until he had achieved enough to prove himself before he could rightfully receive the commander's love (the ring).

Unfortunately, Dick had always used Frederick the Great as his "trump card," just like Belfast had done before, and only used it as a last resort, thus preventing her from getting a chance to prove herself.

This caused Frederick the Great some distress, but he could understand Dick's considerations.

Frederick the Great's eight 406mm naval guns, when fired in a single salvo, possessed the power equivalent to a forbidden spell. Moreover, they didn't just stop after one salvo; they could continue firing for many salvos. Crucially, they also had a long range. If hidden away and saved for a critical moment, they could definitely produce miraculous results.

This meant that Frederick the Great had been idle for several months, and even when she was rotated to Newport, no combat missions were assigned to her.

Frederick the Great's sense of honor as a ship girl made him feel that he couldn't accept rewards without merit, so he envied the other girls in the team taking turns to get close to Dick, but he was still determined to wait until he had made great achievements before doing so.

It wasn't until Dick went to the sanatorium that Feng Wuxi suddenly extended a "team invitation" to her. She originally wanted to refuse, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. In the end, Feng Wuxi used a little reverse psychology to persuade her to go for it.

As for why Feng Wuxi invited Frederick along, it was naturally because she hoped he could help share the "firepower." Judging from the feedback of the other girls in the group, he really shouldn't be underestimated!

In front of Dick, the two "mothers" took off their bathrobes, revealing their "battle outfits" underneath. They were fashionable styles with black semi-transparent tulle and purple lace trim. They might look a little old-fashioned on young girls, but on these two, they perfectly highlighted their mature beauty, creating an indescribable sense of taboo.

Dick had experienced a similar feeling with the mature female doctor Natasha, but compared to Dongfeng Wuxi and Frederick the Great, it was ultimately slightly inferior.

Under Dick's eager gaze, the two climbed onto Dick's bed from either side. Feng Wuxi was slightly faster, taking the initiative to kiss Dick first. The tall, beautiful woman with a nine-headed figure was extremely powerful when kissing. The difference in size put Dick at a natural disadvantage, as if he was about to be crushed. Only his superb tongue skills prevented him from being completely overwhelmed.

Frederick the Great, seeing that he hadn't gotten the first soup, couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He took Dick's hand and placed it on his full, round breasts. Dick felt as if his palm was pressing on a ball of extremely soft, hot dough that was impossible to hold in one hand. His entire palm was almost sucked in.

Dick kissed the two women in turn, his hands roaming over their beautiful bodies. The ripe, large peaches were undoubtedly his favorite; whether he played with them or sucked on them, it was simply wonderful and useless.

As expected of a master of technique, Feng Wuxi, relying on the intelligence she had gathered from her teammates beforehand, had a good grasp of Dick's "weaknesses." Therefore, her "attacks" in the actual combat phase were very targeted. She directly called on Frederick the Great to join forces and gave "Little Dick" a four-sided encirclement. He finally managed to struggle out under intense pressure, but Dong Ma, who was prepared, immediately killed him as soon as he showed his face.

Dick, whose "seven-inch spot" was being bitten, could only open his mouth and close his eyes, letting out painful "wailes." In the end, he couldn't withstand the deadly yet intoxicating sucking, and his body convulsed, losing the first round.

Dongfeng Wuxi truly deserves to be called a martial arts expert! Although you can sense that her skills are still a bit rusty, probably because it's her first time using it, you can't deny that she has a strong foundation and high comprehension.

Feng Wuxi tilted her head back as if to swallow, then stood up, proudly displaying her maternal symbol in front of Dick. Her clothes had already been mostly removed during their previous interaction, leaving only a pair of black over-the-knee stockings still intact on her thighs.

At this moment, Feng Wuxi was like a skilled female knight, gracefully leaping onto Dick's "hard seat" and settling in without hesitation. The unprecedented sense of fulfillment she felt truly lived up to her expectations; this genuine "implantation" allowed her to fully experience the reality of being a woman and become a true mother!

Chapter 238: Some are happy, some are sad

Dick had to admit that Dongfeng Wuxi's treatment was indeed effective; otherwise, he might not have been able to subdue this "juice-extracting girl." Her buttocks seemed to be equipped with a small electric motor, and once the firepower was fully unleashed, Dick was almost repeatedly disarmed. After all, he had been holding back for a whole week, and facing such an extreme opponent right after the ban was lifted was bound to catch him off guard.

Fortunately, Dick was a seasoned veteran who quickly regained the initiative and began to put pressure on Dong Ma.

"You little rascal, you have so much energy!"

"It was you, Dong Ma, who said you wanted to see me at my peak. So naturally I'll go all out. I wonder if you're satisfied with how I am now?"

"So-so..."

Feng Wuxi's voice trembled slightly, but she tried her best to remain calm. No sooner had she finished speaking than Dick, who was lying on top of her, suddenly grinned mischievously.

Before Feng Wuxi could react, Dick seized the moment when she was slightly stunned and used his succubus powers to take his skills to the next level, suddenly changing the rhythm and starting an even faster "serious piston". This sneak attack, which showed no regard for morality and bullied the older man, caught Feng Wuxi off guard. She could no longer maintain her previous composure, and her suppressed moans revealed a hint of coquettish sweetness.

This gave Dick a great sense of accomplishment; his moves were starting to work, and his opponent was getting the hang of it!

At that moment, another voluptuous body pressed against Dick from behind, its breath quickening with desire as it caressed Dick's elven ears. Frederick the Great could not resist any longer.

"My child, you can't be biased!"

Hearing the Emperor's mother's urgent yet slightly reproachful words, Dick maintained his current pace while turning back to kiss her luscious red lips. Although there was no blood relation between them, the unspoken sense of taboo was by no means weak.

Having suddenly gained two "mothers," Dick was caught in a struggle between them. Both Dong Ma and Da Di Ma possessed beautiful, ripe peach-like bodies that captivated him. The thought of promising Feng Wu Xi that he would impregnate her and give birth to a child only fueled Dick's excitement.

And it wasn't just Feng Wuxi! Dick secretly vowed to personally realize the scene he had been fantasizing about that day, and to make all the girls under his command pregnant with his children!

While Dick was working hard to produce an heir, at the same time, a 70,000-strong army had silently crept into the woods outside the southern border of the empire, thousands of miles away, in Wales.

In a small open area in the center of the army, dozens of high-level mages formed a magic circle under the guidance of a Saint-level mage. A huge amount of magic power gathered at the eye of the circle, generating a large amount of white mist. It looked thin and not very dense, but it could completely hide the soldiers inside, making them unable to sense even their presence.

Soon, the thick fog completely enveloped the tens of thousands of people, and they began to slowly move towards Wales.

Although the soldiers guarding the city noticed the fog spreading from the distant forest, such a sight was quite common in the area, so they did not find anything unusual about it.

As the fog spread to the base of the city wall, a guard, needing to relieve himself, was about to stand on the battlement to urinate as usual. But as soon as he unzipped his pants, several sharp spears emerged from the fog and pierced him through the heart.

"Damn it, I almost got my face covered in that Black Forest barbarian's poop!"

A tall, burly warrior emerged from the mist and was the first to climb onto the city wall. He then turned back and reached into the mist to pull up another warrior, who was wearing full silver knight's armor.

After the silver-armored knight climbed onto the city wall, he looked around and saw that all the Black Forest guards around him had been dealt with by the "vanguard" composed of high-ranking warriors, almost without making a sound.

Then more and more Maple Dew soldiers wearing gray-white standard armor got up, and many knights automatically gathered around the silver-armored knight, waiting for his orders.

"General, we've succeeded! Those Black Forest barbarians are completely unaware!"

"Don't be careless. There must be a Saint-level Black Forester in this city. Find him first!"

As the silver-armored knight spoke, she lifted her visor to let out a breath. Beneath her helmet was a beautiful face that was somewhat androgynous yet undeniably feminine. The male knights around her looked at her with admiration, appreciation, and even reverence, but none of them showed any contempt. Clearly, she was the commander of this Maple Dew army, a leader recognized and followed by her subordinates.

The female knight drew her longsword from her waist and then took a huge military banner from a squire beside her.

The flagpole of the military flag was more than three meters long and was made entirely of fine steel. It was sturdy and incredibly heavy. An ordinary person would have to exert all their strength just to lift it, but the female knight held it with one hand without batting an eye or panting, displaying an effortless ease.

The female knight raised her military flag high, pointed her longsword at the city, and roared angrily.

"Warriors of the kingdom, follow me and attack!!!"

Accompanied by deafening battle cries, the gates of Welsh City were opened, and 70,000 Maple Dew elite soldiers filed into the city, seemingly ready to engulf the entire city in an instant.

Meanwhile, Prince Bailey, who was far away on the front lines, finally received the devastating news of the fall of Welsh City the following afternoon. His previously high spirits were instantly extinguished.

"What, are you kidding me?! Wales City has 50,000 people, and two Saint-level experts are stationed there. Even if they were all pigs, this city couldn't possibly fall in just one night, could it?!"

Bailey was furious, but he was even more terrified. The city of Wales held most of the provisions for his 400,000-strong army, and now that the city had fallen, those provisions had naturally fallen into the hands of the enemy. How could he not be panicked?

According to Bailey's original plan, he wanted to win the battle quickly, so the four armies that went out only carried enough food for seven days to speed things up. The rest would have to be sent from Wales to the front line. The 50,000-strong reserve force left behind was actually a supply force, mainly private troops brought by local minor nobles. They were only placed in the rear because of their poor combat ability.

Now look what happened! The enemy really did strike him unexpectedly in his weakest spot, practically severing his "vital organ"!

Pele was caught in a dilemma. He wanted to find someone to discuss countermeasures, but he was also afraid that the news would leak and cause instability in the army.

Moreover, he couldn't understand how his four armies, which had almost swept through the city in a carpet-bombing fashion, could have missed one or two small groups of less than a thousand men. But the army that could take Welsh City in one night must have been a massive force of tens of thousands. How did they manage to slip past him right under his nose?

Chapter 239: A Dilemma

Upon learning the devastating news of the fall of Charles, Bailey was caught in a dilemma.

At this moment, Reinhardt urgently sent a communication. He had also received news of the enemy raiding his base, and based on his understanding of his friend over the years, he knew that Bailey would be hesitant and unable to make up his mind.

This is Pele's flaw, a bad habit he wants to change but can't seem to shake. He simply overthinks things, conjecturing several possibilities, which makes him hesitant and indecisive.

In contrast, Reinhardt's own flaws were his suspiciousness and lack of self-confidence.

In Reinhardt's view, there was no point in hesitating now. It was only Charles City that had been lost, not the entire empire. The real priority now was to continue the advance according to the original plan, break through the fortress south of the Linzao Basin, and march directly into the Maple Dew Kingdom. By plundering enemy territory, would there be any fear of not being able to obtain military supplies?

Taking a gamble was indeed an effective method, but just as Bailey was about to heed his friend's advice and continue leading his army forward, some scattered cavalrymen who had escaped from Charles City caught up with the attacking force and spread the bad news of the fall of Charles City directly to the troops.

This caused information that was originally known only to a very small number of high-ranking officers to spread rapidly throughout the entire army, inevitably leading to chaos in morale.

The royal guards were relatively calm, but the noble armies that had responded to the call to arms were far less composed. Many panicked upon hearing that their retreat had been cut off, rushing to the central command tent to inquire about the situation from Bailey. These nobles quickly split into several factions due to differing opinions, arguing incessantly.

Some nobles, like Reinhardt, suggested that the advance should continue. Although Charles City had been captured by the Kingdom's army, the Empire's vast territory and immense strategic depth were not so easily breached.