Tachino's roar attracted the soldiers' attention, and immediately several officers from the marching column spurred their horses toward him, shouting:
"Did General Davis order a retreat?!"
The reason they didn't turn around and leave but instead pressed for answers was that, under normal circumstances, the order to retreat would be issued by a messenger. Only when the retreat horn sounded would it mean that the retreat was truly underway. And if it was a retreat, then the generals inside Factory No. 3 wouldn't say that they weren't leaving now.
But all they saw now was Tachino shouting for retreat. Although Tachino had become the commander's deputy and confidant after the military factory was temporarily reorganized into an army, this retreat order still raised some questions.
Seeing the officers chasing after him, Tacino didn't answer. Instead, he turned his head and, while galloping away on his horse, roared angrily:
"Are you all deaf?! Retreat! Don't go any further! The Yan people have broken through our defenses, we've suffered heavy casualties, and the military factory can't be held!"
Upon hearing this, the marching troops noticeably slowed their pace. The soldiers looked ahead in confusion, seeing the battlefield everywhere, with gunfire and artillery fire ringing out incessantly. Needless to say, the casualties were extremely horrific.
"Wait! Tachino! Explain yourself! Are you really saying we're retreating? Why isn't General Davis leaving?" An officer turned and shouted after Tachino, who had just passed by.
Tachino didn't even turn his head, but roared, "Yes! Retreat! General Davis wants to lead the men at the front to cover our retreat! I've tried to persuade him, but he won't leave!"
"Don't let them sacrifice in vain, retreat immediately!"
Such an answer was clearly unconvincing, and Tacino's headlong rush to escape was highly suspicious. The pursuing officer immediately questioned him sternly:
"Stop! Tachino! Explain yourself!"
While the officer was questioning him, men from another unit were already riding towards Factory No. 3, and Tacino's order to retreat needed further confirmation.
At the same time, Tacino knew that his lies would be exposed soon, but he couldn't care less at this point. The current battle was basically a dead end. Davis's so-called defense would kill everyone. But did they have to die here to be a worthwhile sacrifice?
No, that's ridiculous. Knowing that it's impossible to defend, of course we should retreat immediately. Although the casualties are already severe, the Yan people have not surrounded the entire factory. There are escape routes available. If we don't evacuate, we'll be complete idiots!
Tachino even felt a little regretful. He should have followed Harris when he left last night. Harris had fought against the Yan people before and knew their fighting strength very well. That's why he put on such a show last night. His real purpose was obvious: he just wanted to escape the military factory as soon as possible.
"How cunning!" Taqi thought angrily.
But thinking about these things now is useless. He just wants to leave as soon as possible, and the best way is to leave with more people. If he escapes the military factory alone, he knows that he will have nowhere to stand afterward, and may even be executed as a deserter. And fleeing the army and hiding as a civilian for the rest of his life is definitely not something Tachino wants to see.
I am still young and cannot spend the rest of my life as a "deserter". Only by leading more people to evacuate can I gradually resolve the consequences of disobeying military orders.
Thinking of this, Tachino ignored the officer chasing after him and instead waved his arms at the marching army opposite him, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Evacuate immediately! Quickly!"
"The people in front are almost overwhelmed! Those damned Yan people have hundreds of thousands of troops! Factory No. 4 has completely fallen. Going there now is just suicide! Every person who goes will die!"
"We must preserve our forces! We cannot afford to die at the hands of the Yan Kingdom!"
This energetic roar immediately caused a great stir among the marching troops. The soldiers could see the intensity of the battle ahead and the strength of the Yan army's attack. At this moment, the facts described by Tachino undoubtedly made many people feel terrified.
Hundreds of thousands of troops, completely lost, going there would be suicide. These key pieces of information, though their veracity was unknown, were extremely heavy and hit them like a hammer blow. Although the soldiers knew that tonight's battle was a matter of life and death, the fact that death was certain to come amplified their fear.
The phrase "Preserve our strength, lest we die in vain" is clearly a good way to avoid a fatal outcome.
As a result, the soldiers slowed down, and some even turned around to anxiously communicate with their comrades. Morale began to waver.
Seeing that the soldiers were wavering, the officer who had been chasing Tacino was furious. In fact, Tacino's refusal to explain and his current behavior had already made the officer realize that Tacino was giving false orders.
Immediately, he gritted his teeth, took the musket from his back, and roared at Tachino in front of him:
"Tachino! Stop right there! If you run any further, I'll shoot you right now!"
"General Davis will never say we're leaving! Don't even think about trying to demoralize the troops!"
As Tachino galloped along, he heard the officer say he would kill him. He immediately pulled on the reins, then slowly turned and roared at the officer:
"You won't use a gun to kill the Yan people, but you want to kill me?!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
