Chapter 355 Strategy
Blood River Ferry.
The river water was turbid and its color seemed darker than before. From time to time, it carried broken wood chips, rotten cloth, and even floating corpses that were so swollen that their faces were difficult to recognize, floating downstream.
The jagged rocks on either side of the river had been largely flattened by artillery fire, and the charred earth was dotted with shell craters of varying depths. Ole stood in his makeshift observation post, gazing thoughtfully up at the sky—crows, scattered here and there, circled beneath the gray clouds.
Animals are the most sensitive. Even the messenger of death was scared away by the continuous artillery fire and disappeared without a trace. It would only appear after the fighting subsided, croaking and searching for the corpses.
"Boss, they've fallen into a trap!"
Daniga's voice suddenly emerged from behind him, mixed with excitement that was hard to conceal: "You're absolutely right, Basso is really anxious, the old guy rushed into our ambush circle-"
Ole turned around, casually took the battle report from Daniga's hand, and quickly scanned it. He looked taller than he had two years ago, his posture relaxed. With his powerful muscles and dark skin, he looked like a sturdy and elegant black leopard.
Over there, Daniga was still gushing over his praises. He considered his boss a natural-born genius, commanding the Imperial soldiers with impeccable command. After a while, Orel finally had enough and slapped him on the shoulder, silencing him. "Alright, enough rambling, and proceed as planned—quickly, to avoid any unforeseen events at Crescent Castle."
He stared at the turbulent, muddy river and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "...Even though they're all using the Empire's troops, this group of people is really no match for him."
"Boss, what's wrong with you being inferior to him?" Daniga, who hadn't left yet, stepped back and stared at his boss's face curiously.
Ever since he went to the battlefield, the assassin leader would occasionally utter some strange and completely incomprehensible words, such as "nothing new" and "far worse than him". But whenever he asked, the other party would just make up a lie and fool him away.
This time is no exception.
Ole paused, grabbed Daniga's collar expressionlessly, dragged him out, and slammed the door shut. "I was just talking to myself. Go back to your business. Why are you talking so much?"
He was of course referring to the tyrant in his previous life.
All the generals who dare to confront the tyrant will invariably have a similar suspicion - whether the people around them have been infiltrated by the tyrant like a sieve.
This was the only plausible explanation. Even before the next day, they would receive all sorts of inexplicable news that would disrupt their plans, even after plotting with their staff at night. Even if everything went back to normal, they would eventually discover that it was all just a ploy by the tyrant.
Even more terrifying, this guy seemed to see the future. During the chaotic period of war, when the old king was declining and foreign enemies were invading, Orel and his two companions were still serving in the army. They had personally experienced the tyrant's terrifying power on the battlefield: when the tyrant and his army were rarely in trouble, their own side narrowly avoided him five times. Often, the difference between the two sides was only a day's or even half a day's journey, yet he still managed to escape. This completely shattered the confidence of the commander, who had been extremely excited and complacent, and could even be considered a famous general, and committed suicide the night of the failed encirclement and suppression.
That time, Orel was ordered to assassinate the tyrant himself, but the top assassin was fooled around by an ordinary person like walking a dog. He didn't even see the person's shadow. In the end, he had to return in defeat. He was so angry that he cursed in his dreams.
Later, Orel himself would continue to experience the Tyrant's power firsthand. Among them, only Azuka could barely keep up with his thinking, avoiding a disastrous defeat, and occasionally even winning - and they didn't even know whether this "win" was part of the Tyrant's calculations.
Unfortunately, ever since the tyrant slew the old king and ascended the throne, he rarely led his troops personally. It's said he rarely even appeared before the ministers during the political process. Especially during the final period, he relied solely on "Slave General" Greven to carry on the army. This naturally led to a steady decline in his army's combat effectiveness. Although it remained a formidable force, it seemed as if all its members had fallen into a suffocating state of confusion and fear.
At that time, Orel and others had already made a name for themselves in the war with the northern kingdom of Fellos. Azuka himself became the youngest saint, killing Salvador and beheading the "White Nightmare".
They were in their prime, full of vigor and vitality, like the rising sun, but they were unable to defeat an opponent in his prime. Orel felt a vague sense of regret about this - just a little bit, but mostly grateful. He was not a pervert with a masochistic fetish. If possible, Orel did not want to fight that madman at all.
But now they are in the same camp as the "madman", and the ones who are being tormented into ugly states are no longer them, but the disgusting imperial royal family, nobles and their lackeys - Orel always has an inexplicable sense of pride and schadenfreude about this.
His Majesty himself was unaware that the second male lead had silently replayed his glorious record as a "tyrant" in his mind several times. He was still entrenched in Crescent Fort, and it was no surprise that Osiris City sent an army towards Crescent Fort, but he was not panicked at all.
Crescent Fort's location was well chosen, easy to defend but difficult to attack. Its walls were as thick as a tortoise shell, and its magic circle had been repaired. If he hadn't seized the opportunity, exploited a loophole, and used a trick, attacking the city would never have been so easy. This also meant that they could hide in the enemy's fortress, with an entire granary at their disposal, resting peacefully behind closed doors while the enemy had to cross mountains and rivers to resupply. For a time, both sides were in a stalemate.
Meanwhile, rumors of Ghost's capture were spreading once again, with a certain plausibility. In the makeshift command room at Crescent Castle, Greven frowned slightly. Over the years, the Empire had never given up on fabricating rumors to try to sway the army, and the repetition was truly tiresome. However, at this critical juncture, if the rumors truly spread widely, many of the lower-ranking soldiers who revered Ghost as a deity might actually believe them.
"It's a crude trap." Azuka commented calmly, standing in front of the map. "He was too impatient, and ended up making countless mistakes."
The "captured" Mr. Ghost was also staring at the map. After thinking for a moment, he calmly replied, "Then we'll use their strategy against us."
"Spread the word," the black-haired young man ordered swiftly. "'Ghost' has appeared near White Moss Slope, proving he hasn't been arrested. Reliable sources also report that he has assembled a special force, attempting to sever the last connection between Osiris City and the northern provinces, completely isolating Osiris City."
The Ming District, Crescent Castle, and the rolling mountains—if the north was blocked again, Osiris City would be caught in a trap. This was also the reason why Ravel was so angry about the fall of Eagle's Nest Town. He would have to pay special attention to this intelligence, regardless of whether it was true or false.
Greven had clearly figured this out, his eyes brightening slightly as he quickly obeyed the order and turned to leave. The professor took off his glasses, rubbed his increasingly swollen and painful forehead, and slowly exhaled.
His talent in warfare was never something to boast about. The countless orders that flowed from his mouth were not just clever strategies, routes, and numbers, but also human lives.
...But he will only shoulder everything and never look back.
The next second, someone grabbed the black-haired young man's shoulders with a cloak.
"Want to go out for a walk?" Azuka whispered gently. "It's not good for your health to stay cooped up in the house for too long. Want to take a flight?"
The professor raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and asked noncommittally, "Your dragon is still wandering around here?"
Nor is there any fear of accidental injury from artillery fire.
"It should be playing in the mountains." Someone replied calmly, "So you can ride me too."
Finally got out.
Along the way, Nova carefully observed the people and soldiers inside Crescent Fort. Most of the civilians inside Crescent Fort were family members of the guards. The civilian army counted the captives and released those who were not in danger of being killed, stripping them of their weapons. They then opened the granary and distributed food to the civilians. They also publicly tried high-ranking enemy officers who had routinely oppressed the civilian population and the lower-ranking soldiers. Order quickly returned to the fort, which gradually reassured the local residents, who had been extremely nervous about a massacre.
When they were about to enter the walled area, there was a commotion at the corner. It seemed that a man was trying to run away, but was discovered by several Kuomintang soldiers. They chased him and pinned him to the ground.
"It's an Imperial soldier!" The People's Party soldier's expression became visibly nervous after seeing the man's tattered uniform. He immediately pointed his gun at the back of the man's head and asked sternly, "Honestly! Where did you get in from?!"
Nova took a glance and suddenly found that the profile of the man who was pinned to the ground and struggling seemed familiar.
He frowned. Due to strategic needs, the whereabouts of the "Ghost" were top secret information. The professor was now under a confusion spell, and others could only see an ordinary face. The dragon knight himself was dressed in a mysterious hooded man.
Nova simply took out the badge representing a senior general given to him by Greven and showed it to several civilian soldiers, signaling them to let the man go.
The young man struggled to his feet. He looked unshaven, haggard, with deeply sunken cheeks and a pale, blood-stained face, like a downtrodden deserter. His eyes, bloodshot and wide, stared blankly and numbly at the black-haired young man before him.
"Good morning, Mr. Ryan." The professor couldn't help but feel wary of his strange state, but he still said politely, "I didn't expect to see you here again."
Ryan's pupils shrank sharply.
The next second, he whipped out a blood-stained dagger from his boot and rushed towards the black-haired young man without hesitation. His facial muscles were twisted in an extremely ferocious manner, and his eyes were filled with deep and extreme hatred.
"—Go to hell! You devil!"
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