Night falls.
"Your Majesty, a report has just come in that enemy forces have been detected and are approaching Pariston." Inside the tent, Qin Ze, who was preparing to rest early, received the message from the communications soldier, but the news did not surprise him.
"Where is it? How far is it from us?" Qin Ze asked unhurriedly, glancing at the pocket watch he had seized. It was just past 6:30.
"They were less than four kilometers away from here, behind a lake. We heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance, and just as we were about to move, the sound gradually faded away. Perhaps they saw our outpost from somewhere else and slowed down."
"After that, the sentries in other locations also sent back messages. They had spotted enemy soldiers in their respective areas of surveillance, and without exception, they were all cavalry," the communications soldier replied calmly.
Qin Ze remained calm and simply nodded, saying, "Very good. The Gothic army responded very quickly. We had just left Enzos when their army arrived."
"But they didn't attack directly, which shows they've become much more cautious. They're probably still confused and don't know how we got out."
"This is a reconnaissance mission to assess our troop strength."
The communications soldier nodded and said, "Your Majesty, now that their army has arrived, shall we charge straight at them?"
Qin Ze remained silent for a while, then suddenly shook his head and laughed, "This is not the Enzos Mountains. In such a vast area, once we gain the upper hand and defeat them, they will be able to scatter and flee."
"Chasing after them to fight is too tiring."
"So you mean? Wait for them to call us first?"
"Um."
"But if they don't attack, wouldn't we be in a very passive position and have to stay here for a long time?" the soldier asked, puzzled.
Qin Ze stroked his chin and said with a smile, "Where are we now? We're in the Goths' homeland, their stronghold."
"Can he just watch us do whatever we want here? Isn't he worried that we'll expand our forces and harass major cities?"
"So, are we the ones who are in a hurry?"
Upon hearing this, the soldier immediately nodded and said, "They are the ones who are anxious."
"Of course, they must be jumping up and down in a panic right now, wishing they could bring their army over immediately. But they've suffered too many defeats before, so they're thinking more carefully now. They don't dare to fight us easily until they're certain they have a chance." Qin Ze still had a faint smile on his face.
"Then the battle can only begin before they are confident of victory?" the soldier asked.
“That’s right. But while we’re not in a rush, we don’t have time to waste with them. If they’re not confident, we’ll create some confidence for them so they think they are.”
"Then... what should we do, Your Majesty?"
"We can just show weakness to the enemy. Aren't they scouting? If they advance, we'll retreat and gradually give them the territory."
The soldier suddenly realized what was happening and immediately nodded, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will go and convey your orders."
Qin Ze then said, "Wait a minute."
"Simply backing down won't work either. While retreating, small-scale skirmishes and protracted battles are still necessary. We need to make them feel that they can take us down, but it's also a bit difficult for them. That's the best way to achieve this effect."
"Understood, Your Majesty," the soldier replied immediately.
Qin Ze nodded and said, "However, after this, we should try not to fight small battles. If we have to fight, we should fight a big one, a battle that can annihilate the enemy. Only such a great victory can give the Goths the greatest deterrent."
"Now that we've arrived in Pocamea, we have to fight this first battle spectacularly, making them scream in despair. No matter how warlike the Goths are, they'll be disheartened after losing like this."
"Once they lose confidence, our army advances and they are defeated before they even engage in battle."
"Go and pass on my orders. Place the last line of defense about 1.5 kilometers outside Pariston. As for the camps stationed outside, have them move into Pariston now. As for the sections of road extending out from Pariston, ignore them. Let them come as they please. We'll fight them to the end."
"By the way, arrange for some people to build defensive fortifications around Pariston, mainly stone walls, and make them high up."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The soldier immediately accepted the order and left.
——
Meanwhile, the main force of the Fifth Army Group was on its way.
"Sir, we expect to rendezvous with General Halson in about an hour."
“They have already set up a preliminary defensive line,” Leo said to Saski beside him.
Upon hearing this, Saski frowned, a look of dissatisfaction on his face: "We sent them to Pariston ahead of us, but after all that, we didn't get any valuable intelligence."
Leo knew that Saski's dissatisfaction stemmed from the fact that in their previous reports, Halson and Phil's troops had taken a more conservative approach, advancing cautiously the closer they got to Pariston, and so far they had not even reached the outer edge of Pariston.
In Leo's view, there was nothing wrong with this steady approach. Only after grasping the approximate strength of the enemy could a tactic be devised to defeat them.
Thinking of this, Leo cautiously said, "We don't know how many troops the enemy has yet. It's safer to be conservative. Even though the Yan people don't have many troops in Pariston at the moment, their fighting strength should not be underestimated, sir."
Upon hearing this, Saskia sneered: "But don't you see how many troops we brought?"
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
