Upon hearing Verdun's words, the surrounding soldiers tensed up; the implications of this news were self-evident. They all turned their gazes to their commander, Leon.
Upon hearing this news, Leon Lunlang's heart sank to the bottom. This news, along with Abumili's earlier report, confirmed that Belvaldo had not actually launched a full-scale attack on Fort Gular, but had instead bypassed it. In Leon's mind, this was the worst-case scenario.
But Leon didn't show his frustration; instead, he burst into laughter. This unexpected behavior left everyone bewildered. Many soldiers even thought their commander had gone mad from the shock of the news.
"What's wrong? Isn't this a good thing? Now we finally don't have to think about that damned castle anymore, and we can finally have a fair fight with those bastards from Belvaldo. The complicated problem has become simple, isn't that something to be happy about?" Leon explained with a smile when he saw everyone's puzzled looks.
The surrounding soldiers suddenly realized that they hadn't thought much about it and were easily misled. Verdun and Aboumili, however, exchanged glances; neither of them really believed the explanation, taking Leon's words as a tactic to reassure the troops. After all, in terms of numbers and the overall situation, Belvedere's army held a clear advantage.
Their subtle movements immediately caught Leon's attention. After a moment's thought, he called them aside. The two exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes conveying the same understanding: "See, it was just an excuse after all."
“Verdun, your news today is very important, and I will reward you. Abumili, I don’t need to tell you the direction of the reconnaissance from now on, right? Also, send a few good men to tell Kurman this news. They are probably still focused on that damned castle. Tell them the current situation. This time we will attack from two sides and teach Belvado a lesson.”
This statement was indeed unexpected for the two men. They hadn't realized that Leon wasn't just saying this to reassure the troops, but genuinely thought it was a good opportunity.
"My lord, is the situation really better for us now?" Verden asked worriedly.
"Hahaha, Verdun, ask yourself honestly, would you rather fight in the open field with Belvaldo's soldiers or attack a castle defended by Belvaldo?" Leon suddenly thought of this and even felt that the situation had really improved.
"But sir, what about the numerical disadvantage?" Abumili asked with some concern, seeing Verdun's candor.
“Fighting on the plains does require a large number of troops, but it’s still much better than attacking a castle. At least for the Belvedere army, they have to split their forces into three groups: one to besiege Fort Gular, one to guard against Kurman, and the other to deal with us. At the very least, they’ll have to send out about 40,000 men in the other two groups. This will give us a much better chance of winning.” As he analyzed the situation, Leon gradually realized that he did indeed have a chance to win this battle.
As his senses improved, Leon's tone became increasingly persuasive. The two reconnaissance captains were convinced by Leon's analysis and instantly gained confidence in defeating their opponents.
Soon, all the soldiers learned that Belvaldo's army had broken through Gular Castle and was upon them. A great battle seemed inevitable, but the soldiers were unusually high-spirited and fiercely determined, a strange phenomenon that, in turn, gave Leon even more confidence. This mutual reinforcement was a result of their efforts.
Although the number of guards and the perimeter had doubled, everyone believed that tomorrow would be the decisive battle. No one doubted that anything could happen tonight.
Late at night, unlike the soldiers who couldn't sleep due to excitement, Leon couldn't sleep because of worry. He had been staring at the military map all night, and according to it, they had finally reached a point parallel to Ordorf. If the battle went smoothly, all would be well; if it went against them, they could cross the river to the south and use Ordorf's rivers and cities to launch an effective defensive attack. Although the people of Ordorf probably wouldn't welcome these royal soldiers, it was the only reliable way.
However, Leon was in a dilemma: should he divide his forces to defend this crucial crossing? The crossing was indeed vital; he realized this, and the Belvaldu army commander must have realized it too. That was the reason for going. But time was too tight. A round trip would take at least two days, and he couldn't easily find a reason to delay his soldiers for two days, allowing them to be certain they had no worries before engaging in battle. After all, morale was something that had to be used promptly; otherwise, once lost, it was difficult to regain, especially for the mercenaries and ragtag troops. Moreover, already outnumbered, he really didn't want to divide his forces to defend that crossing at this moment.
After much deliberation, Leon finally decided to send five thousand men tonight to reinforce the defense of the ferry crossing. Leon was quite careful in selecting these five thousand men, choosing one thousand mercenary cavalry and four thousand newly recruited soldiers. The cavalry would go first, followed by the infantry, who would proceed to the ferry crossing in turn to defend it.
The rationale for doing this is, of course, to ensure that the combat strength of one's own troops is not greatly diminished, while also maintaining the combat effectiveness of the support force. A perfect solution that achieves the best of both worlds.
After making the arrangements, Leon Lunlang finally felt relieved and looked forward to tomorrow's battle.
Meanwhile, Kurmann was also conducting a final mobilization and purge within his army. Belvaldo had already taken control of Fort Gular, and its discovery by León's soldiers today was purely accidental. But even after being discovered, the Belvaldo army showed little regret. Their supreme commander, Manstein, wrote to Kurmann informing him, "It's time to make the right choice."
So, tonight, Kurman frankly told all his soldiers about his loyalty to the Belvado Soi royal family. Because a secret purge had already been conducted, this announcement didn't provoke much resistance. After further purging those in the ranks who remained loyal to the Galician royal family and didn't want to betray them, Kurman also held a grand banquet to boost morale before the battle. Tomorrow, they would be used as a surprise force to attack León, presenting their pledge of loyalty to the Soi royal family.
As for the soldiers who ran back crying and shouting that vampires had attacked Fort Dorgnitz, Kurmann ruthlessly had them all hung from trees for poor performance in battle.
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