Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

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The crowd burst into laughter.

"Listen up," Winters said, his eyes gleaming with a cold light, his smile stern yet confident, "An attack usually relies on a coordinated advance, but this time I'm going to do the opposite. We'll disintegrate and scatter, then regroup as we retreat. The enemy commander underestimates me, thinking that with this old trick he can trap me in Mont Blanc County. I'll give the old-timer a free lesson! However, the success or failure of this battle ultimately depends on you!"

The twelve newly-minted commanders straightened their backs, ready to receive orders.

"Bart Xialing!" Winters called the first name.

"Yes!"

Winters called Xialing over to his side, handed him an arrow, and explained using the map:

"You'll take three squads of ten, following Lieutenant Celeni's cavalry. Head to Brine Town first, then turn south from here and follow this river all the way to South Mountain Town! Raid Mont Blanc County's cavalry yard for me!"

"Yes!"

"Humans, livestock—only take the long-legged ones, burn everything else! After leaving South Mountain Town, head west along the foothills, avoid villages and towns. To here!" Winters pointed on the map at [Wooden Flute Town]: "I've arranged boats to wait there for you. As soon as you reach the riverbank, someone will receive you and get you across the Anya River."

"Yes!" Bart Xialing laughed heartily and raised his hand in salute.

Winters passed Xialing a horse-head chess piece: "Repeat your route."

Bart Xialing took the chess piece and retraced the complete route on the map.

"Good," Winters punched his subordinate on the shoulder: "Next!"

Another acting Centurion stepped forward.

Winters handed down an arrow, a chess piece, and continued to explain on the map: "You too will lead three squads. Just head southwest for me. Take this ravine here and keep going until the end. The area is densely populated with villages, so you'll need to rush through under cover of night, straight to the Anya River. As soon as you get here, there'll be boats to meet you..."

The twelve acting Centurions and sergeants in turn took an iron arrow from Winters, and he mapped out a route for each of them.

Before coming to Mont Blanc County, Winters had gathered boats and set up four river crossing points on the Anya River—Andre had crossed the river that way.

According to the original plan, as long as he could lead his troops to any of those points, he could withdraw all three of his hundred-man squads.

There were four retreat plans corresponding to the four river crossing points, and now they were all put to use.

"Each of you was carefully chosen by me, I personally taught you all you know, and I personally devised each of your retreat routes.

You will lead twenty to thirty soldiers in enemy territory, where one false step could mean a bottomless abyss. I can't be sure whether you will be able to return to Iron Peak County alive."

At this point, Winters smiled through tears:

"But if our army is to grow, you will all sooner or later command more soldiers and undertake more arduous tasks. I can't always be by your side to supervise and direct you.

This is your first trial! If you fail, that's it—there's no second chance. If you pass, you prove you're worthy to move forward! Whether you are gold or mere iron will be known once you're tested! Dismissed!"

...

As soon as Mont Blanc County's garrison arrived in Deer Horn Town, Colonel Gaisa was shocked.

"Gone?" Gaisa glared, cursing the Scout: "What do you mean, gone?"

Captain Hudson replied with a pale face: "The Rebels have rolled up their flags and run off."

"Where did they run to?" Gaisa slammed the table and roared, "Can living people just vanish into thin air?"

"The problem is we don't know where they've gone!" Hudson gritted his teeth, "It's like... like they ran off in all directions at once!"

Gaisa immediately led his vanguard directly to Montaigne's group's last known location, but, as expected, came up empty.

Later that day, people from a dozen villages and towns came in simultaneously to report sightings of "Rebel traces" or "Rebels right there."

Fortunately for Colonel Gaisa, he was bald, otherwise who knows how much hair he might have lost.

The officers of Mont Blanc County gathered around the map, sticking a small flag wherever there was enemy activity.

In the end, with mixed feelings, they realized that small flags had been placed near almost every village and town, covering every direction.

Colonel Gaisa was in agony, a moan emanating from deep within his chest as his hands pressed firmly against his skull.

"It's all fake, just smoke and mirrors," Lieutenant Woods assessed calmly, "They're using small units to create illusions, to distract us and cover their main force's withdrawal."

The other Centurions nodded in agreement.

"So where's his main force?" Colonel Gaisa asked with his eyes closed, while the huge scar on his cheek twitched uncontrollably.

"This..."

"Search!" another Centurion said, furious, "We have to find them! Men and horses eat and drink, I don't believe they can stay hidden!"

In the midst of the clamorous arguing, Lieutenant Woods asked quietly, "What if, and I mean just what if, they're all real?"

Lieutenant Woods was rather short and had come from the artillery. Since Mont Blanc County had no artillery units, he was currently serving in the fortress defense.

Because Woods was diligent and trustworthy, the Colonel trusted him greatly with any engineering task that came his way.

But also because he came from the artillery, he seldom spoke up during military meetings.

"Alerts from over a dozen towns at the same time," Captain Hudson had to dismiss his artillery colleague's suggestion, "How could they all be real? Unless Monta can split his forces into a dozen pieces?"

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