Chapter 385 Arrival
Leon Croft gradually began to develop an inexplicable complex feeling towards the civilian army that had captured them. He was a poor, powerless man from a family with no influence, thrown into the freezing cold North since his service, and had never fought against the enemy in the heart of the Empire. However, he had heard a lot about the "slave army" from some of his unfortunate colleagues who had been transferred from the rear to the northern frontier.
Cunning, sinister, cruel, elusive, whimsical, and skilled in casting "charm" spells - it is said that anyone captured, if not dismembered and killed, is likely to be assimilated by them. This is a group of extremely dangerous and fascinating demons, just like their chief "ghost".
But Leon quickly understood why those imperial officers said that.
First, the soldiers and commanders of the People's Army all ate the same food, and even the captives themselves were no worse off—this was already outrageous. In the Imperial Army, if you didn't want to be beaten every day, most new recruits had to give up most of their first few years' pay to honor their superiors and veterans. Not to mention the rations of the ordinary soldiers, which were worse than pig food. The commanders enjoyed rich meals, while they could only eat a pitiful amount of black bread mixed with sand and harder than stone. The bean soup was so thin that you could see your reflection in it. After eating it, you couldn't poop for ten days or half a month—but the food was also terrible when you weren't in the army, so Leon adapted well to it.
If you accidentally offend your superiors and veterans, you will be in trouble. Those old hands can find an excuse in every minute to beat and torture you until you are only left with one breath. If you die, that's it. There are so many people missing on the battlefield, and no one will care about the whereabouts of an unlucky guy who can't make any money.
But in recent days, Leon hadn't even witnessed a single instance of something like this in the People's Army camp. At most, there would be a few shouting matches and shoving matches. If an officer got angry and cursed at his men, or kicked or slapped them, he would be severely criticized and then have to apologize publicly to the soldiers who had been beaten or scolded.
Moreover, when they did not have to go out to fight or work, this group of people would actually teach the soldiers to read and take classes in such a freezing place like the Saga Glacier - classes!
Leon wasn't qualified to enter, but he could vaguely hear bits and pieces of content. Besides basic literacy and arithmetic, there were even tactical classes for a bunch of rough soldiers, introducing them to the most advanced weaponry and teaching them what the world looked like today.
Gods, privately, Lyon couldn't help sucking on his cigarette - which he had successfully begged for after re-sharpening a worn-out ice pick for a young soldier of the People's Army - and thought with dull eyes, this group of people are indeed "devils", and now he is a little itchy.
So when the red-haired female general told Leon and his soldiers that they were fine and that a transport team would soon leave the Saga Glacier. If they wanted, they could follow the transport team, leave the cold north and return home, Leon Cliff found that he was not as ecstatic as he had imagined.
"Don't worry about the travel expenses." The other party also tried to comfort them earnestly: "We will give each of you a small amount of money - of course, it won't be much - but it will be enough for you to reach the city in the heart of the Silver Iris Empire... Or do you have other questions?"
"Well," Leon Croft looked at his silent soldiers, coughed awkwardly, blinked, and tried to appear sincere. "Excuse me, do you still accept surrenders?"
Leon Croft was then taken away from the prisoner-of-war area and to a tent in the center of the camp.
Along the way, Leon's nerves quickly frayed, his back growing stiffer. He wondered if he'd made a rash mistake; the other party was clearly taking him to meet another "boss." The fleeting glimpse he'd caught had already left a deep impression on him. Compared to the bright-smiling, carefree red-haired girl, the mysterious general was truly chilling.
"Professor, the leader of that group of imperial prisoners, Leon Croft, said he wanted to report some information about the Second Legion!" Marshilin lifted the curtain and walked in, leaving Leon standing outside the door in a daze.
Professor... Professor?!
Leon felt as if someone had punched him hard on the head, his brain buzzing. Ghost's legendary early fortune was no secret; anyone with a keen eye could easily understand it.
Then who else could be called a "professor" by a senior Kuomintang general?
Gods, ghosts! I mean—ghosts!
He was about to stand before the ghost, Leon thought with dull eyes. That rebel leader with an absurdly high bounty, the one who terrified the nobles and landowners and the royal family, the devil who was said to be able to shake the foundations of the empire with his words?!
He had even forgotten how he was searched by the soldiers, how he was granted permission, and how he finally walked in. The tent was much warmer than outside, and the air was filled with the faint scent of herbs and ink. Leon didn't dare look up. He only glanced at the figure sitting behind the desk, then quickly lowered his head, his gaze settling on the toes of his boots.
He had thought it would be someone more sinister, colder, and more worthy of the name "Ghost". How could it be such a... pale, thin, and even somewhat fragile young scholar?
"Leon Croft." A cold voice sounded, no emotion could be detected. It simply stated calmly, "You want to surrender?"
Leon swallowed, unsure whether he should reveal that he had recognized the other person. Calling him Your Excellency was always right, as that was how those pretentious nobles addressed each other. “Yes, yes, Your Excellency!”
"And not only me," he added nervously, "all my men would like the honor of joining your army."
The other party didn't comment, simply lowering his eyes and saying concisely, "You grew up in the south, probably around the city of Barando, and you're not used to the harsh cold of the north—reason."
He exposed Lyon's background in just a few words without any hesitation.
Leon was stunned for a long moment, barely recovering from the shock of having his past exposed so soon after they met. He licked his chapped lips and hesitated for a moment. Then, remembering the behavior of the other party's soldiers, he answered frankly, "If I go back, I'll be a deserter. I'll be treated like a beast by the Imperial Army. It's better for me to stay with your team."
He regretted his words as soon as they fell, as if they were too utilitarian. He quickly added, "Well, what I mean is, your army is much better than the Imperial Army. At least you treat us as human beings... We have to fight the Yankees anyway, so it doesn't matter where we fight."
The tent fell silent for a moment, and Leon could sense more than one gaze fixed on him. He glanced around furtively, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat—the mysterious general, with his powerful aura, was there, standing behind the ghost. There was another stranger, a one-armed, tall figure, standing a little further away from the ghost, staring at him sternly with a complex expression Leon couldn't decipher.
The pressure was so great that cold sweat suddenly broke out on Leon's forehead. He hastily looked away, only to meet the ghost's smoky gray eyes. Those eyes were incredibly sharp and bright, unconcealed and probing, as if they could instantly peel off all disguises and see right into the depths of his soul.
At this moment, Leon could no longer mutter in his heart and question the authenticity of the other party's identity - the young black-haired man in front of him was the legendary ghost.
Just as Leon realized his legs were beginning to tremble, the ghost suddenly turned his head slightly, coughed lightly a few times, and softened his voice: "Very convincing reasons, Mr. Croft - I want to know, what is the intelligence you mentioned about the Second Legion?"
Lyon breathed a sigh of relief. This was a test of his sincerity and the value of his surrender. He pulled himself together and poured out everything he knew, even repeating the officers' complaints and grumblings.
"...That's about it, sir," Leon said nervously, feeling his back soaked with sweat. "General Gori is having a hard time. The Yankees are pressing too hard. Before I was left alone, I heard that the Legion was planning to leave White Deer Pass and withdraw its defenses. Our current orders are to completely abandon the eastern part of the Saga Glacier and head west to the Great Rift Valley to reunite. We'll then move to our southern stronghold and await the arrival of the Royal City Army before making any further plans."
"...It's strategically feasible, but its actual execution is fraught with difficulties." Yialos frowned as he stared at the map. "Without sufficient supplies, crossing the Saga Glacier at this time of year would be practically a death march. Given the Second Legion's current state of disarray, they'd likely lose at least 30% of their troops before the Ferros pursued them."
"The terrain of the Great Rift Valley is terrible," said Maxine, crossing her arms and adding, "You have to be extremely careful every step you take in that damn place. Otherwise, you might fall off a cliff or into an ice hole at any time. You might be able to stop the pursuers, but you might also get killed."
"...and Salvador won't allow it," Azuka said calmly. Seeing everyone's eyes focused on him, he lowered his eyes and tapped his fingers on the table, appearing determined and calm. "Because he will come to Saga Glacier."
The professor's body wasn't suited to the northern climate, and he lacked the patience to engage in a war of attrition and stalemate with the Ferros in this icy landscape. He didn't kill the priestess immediately, both for the value of the intelligence and to leave behind a significant decoy and announcement.
At this moment, a scout rushed in hurriedly: "Report! Urgent military information!"
"—Our people have observed extremely abnormal weather in the north. A blizzard has formed without warning, and it's growing larger and larger. Furthermore, it's moving very quickly!"
He swallowed hard, his face pale. “It seems to be heading towards our camp!”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
