Chapter 164 - 152: The Situation on the Western Front
Chapter 164: Chapter 152: The Situation on the Western Front
Robson’s retreat went smoothly—so smoothly, in fact, that he himself found it a bit incredible.
Initially, Robson and Viscount Di Man had planned to have the Extraordinary Knights cover the rear. It wasn’t that the lives of ordinary soldiers were less valuable than those of the Extraordinary Knights—such talk on the battlefield would be rather inhumane.
The main reason was that the Extraordinary Knights generally had better horses and superior riding skills, allowing them to make swift decisions and react quickly.
A group of just over a hundred was a small target with a large impact. They could make decisions faster, and disengaging would be much easier.
But to Robson’s surprise, even as his side prepared to retreat, the Beastmen on the opposite side remained completely inactive.
This made Robson a little nervous, and he kept wondering if the enemy had some special scheme in mind. He even delayed for a short while because of it.
As it turned out, Robson had been overthinking it. The entire retreat went exactly according to the plan he and Viscount Di Man had arranged.
The enemy made no move, even up to the moment the Magic Bridge was destroyed. This rendered the Knight Team and Extraordinary Knights assigned to the rearguard useless, a fact that Claude complained about for some time.
Despite the lack of enemy interference, Robson still kept the Knight Team and the Extraordinary Knights at the rear of the column as a precaution, ready to respond to any unforeseen circumstances.
...
「Sirich City.」
Prince Noah took a comfortable bath, washing away the blood and grime that caked his body.
Never in his life had Prince Noah experienced anything as intense as the past few days. The entire Western Front had collapsed in the blink of an eye.
It was hard to say the fault lay entirely with Prince Noah, but he definitely bore a portion of the responsibility.
Prince Noah had no intention of avoiding this fact. As a prince of the kingdom, one who aspired to be king, he understood profoundly when to retreat and when to advance.
The mistake had already been made. The southern nobles on the Western Front had suffered immense losses, with two Counts having already fallen. Trying to reason with them now would only alienate them completely.
This was undoubtedly detrimental to Prince Noah’s path to the throne. On the contrary, if he could bravely step forward and take responsibility now, he might still win the support of the southern nobles—or at least their forgiveness. After all, their lack of cooperation was also a factor in this defeat.
That way, the kingdom’s two major powers, the southern nobles and the Royal Family, could work together to put this matter behind them. Marquis Oscillate was a smart man; these things couldn’t be investigated too deeply, and Prince Noah believed the marquis understood the subtleties involved.
Staring at his reflection in the water, Prince Noah took a deep breath. It wasn’t that he was carefree enough to be grooming himself at such a critical time.
It was simply his habit when his mind was muddled and thinking became difficult. He used the coldness of the water to calm himself, washing his body clean before continuing his thoughts.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
There was a knock at the door.
"Enter!" Prince Noah looked toward the door. He was currently staying in Earl Wei Man’s study—it was only for a few days, anyway.
The door opened, and an old man wearing a black Mage Robe walked in. It was the elder, Mage Norria.
A smile appeared on Prince Noah’s face when he saw it was Mage Norria. The Grand Mage had expended considerable effort to ensure his safe escape this time.
In his youth, the old mage had held a divine post in the Pope Country. Later, after the Battle of the Holy Mountain, when the Pope Country’s power had completely waned, a young Norria turned to seek the true meaning of magic—all driven by political necessity.
The old mage had no children. When he was young, he had married the daughter of Marquis Qiao’an, who was also the sister of Marquis George—Lady Maria. She was a true heroine, a Golden Seventh Tier Female Knight. Unfortunately, during the last Beastmen invasion from the south, she died at Philip while covering King Louis II’s retreat.
Mage Norria had basically watched Prince Noah grow up, and the two had always been very close.
"Old Master, is there something you need?" Prince Noah smiled. It had to be said, his mental fortitude was truly impressive. To be able to smile at a time like this put him at least on the same level as General Dor.
"You can still smile, kid? Do you have any idea how critical the situation on the Western Front is right now?" Mage Norria said with a frown. The anxiety etched between his brows showed that he was genuinely concerned for Prince Noah.
Seeing Mage Norria so serious, Prince Noah’s smile vanished. He then let out a long sigh.
"I know, but...
I can’t think of a solution. You know, I asked Earl Wei Man earlier, but even he had no confidence.
His army is burdened with too many wounded, and Earl Wei Man himself is grievously injured. I don’t know where to turn for help now," Prince Noah sighed.
Hearing Prince Noah’s words, old Norria’s heart softened. The old are always more lenient with the young. Realizing the prince had already been taking action, half of Mage Norria’s anger dissipated.
After all, he was here to solve problems, not to cause them.
"You probably haven’t heard the latest report from the front. The enemy has dispatched large numbers of Wolf Cavalry, various other cavalry, and mounted infantry toward Thermopylae.
It will likely only be a few days before they arrive at the foot of Thermopylae.
Right now, Thermopylae holds the key to the safety of the entire Central and Western Fronts. It determines whether the kingdom can hold the enemy at its gates.
If you still want to retain any standing within the army, Thermopylae is your last chance!" Mage Norria said, his words firm as he stared at Prince Noah.
"So fast? Doesn’t Marquis Oscillate still have his Extraordinary Corps? And even though Devil City was abandoned, weren’t their forces largely unaffected?" Prince Noah asked in surprise.
Mage Norria shook his head and sighed.
"Sigh... there’s nothing to be done. The Beastmen’s offensive is too fierce. Kemal has sent more reinforcements to the Western Front. They’re betting everything on this; they’ve even moved the elite troops garrisoning Madar Palace.
The Marquis can only just manage to hold back the Beastmen’s Extraordinary Team. As for anything else, his hands are tied," Mage Norria said.
Prince Noah frowned upon hearing this.
"What does this have to do with me? I mean, what can I do?" Prince Noah looked at Mage Norria. He believed the old mage wouldn’t come to him just to stir up trouble or poke fun.
"No, no, no. You don’t have a single soldier right now, and your Knight Order is down to a dozen or so men. There’s nothing you can do," Norria said, waving his hand.
For a moment, Prince Noah really thought Mage Norria was just toying with him. Fortunately, the mage quickly explained.
"There is nothing you can do, but others can. Kid, do you remember what your father taught you?
A true ruler is skilled at using others to achieve his own ends," Mage Norria said.
’Was that what his father taught him? Prince Noah thought he had learned that at the Algeria Royal Academy.’
Of course, that didn’t change anything.
"I remember. So? What’s the plan?" Prince Noah asked with a frown.
"Do you know of a man named Robson? The Baron."
"The one who’s been making a name for himself recently," Mage Norria asked.
"I’ve heard of him. Defeated twenty thousand Beastmen with five thousand men at Qimo Fortress. A real talent... I heard Marquis Oscillate plans to have him marry into the Fengman Clan?" Noah asked, puzzled.
As a proper prince, Noah naturally kept track of such figures. Knowing who to win over and who to suppress was part of his daily work.
In fact, the reason he was still here was to meet this rising star of the southern nobility.
He had followed closely as Valentino suppressed the opposition within the Fengman Clan. He was quite curious to see what this man, who might one day rule the behemoth that was the Fengman Clan alongside Valentino, was really made of.
"It’s not just a rumor; it’s practically set in stone, barring any accidents. Marquis Oscillate has already summoned his father to the Royal Capital. Their marriage will likely be finalized as soon as the war on the Western Front is over.
Time waits for no one, you know," Mage Norria said.
"Of course, none of that is important for you. What’s important is that Baron Robson’s army and his skills...
Here is his latest battle report. Take a look." Mage Norria produced a handwritten letter, signed at the bottom by Baron Robson and Viscount Di Man.
Prince Noah took it, intending to just give it a cursory glance, but the more he read, the more shocked he became.
"This...? You can use Magic Crystal Cannons and Magic Stones like this?!
This loss ratio! It seems if this Baron Robson spends a few more years accumulating experience, he’ll become a new Viscount of the Northern Lands!
This news should be spread to boost the morale of the soldiers on the Western Front!" Prince Noah couldn’t help but exclaim after finishing the report.
Just as Robson had anticipated, when Prince Noah saw how Robson had utilized Magic Crystal Cannons and Mages in a field battle, he was struck by the dazed realization that Magic Crystal Cannons could be used in such a way.
The matter was, in essence, simply a new line of thinking. The execution wasn’t difficult, but the first person to come up with the idea was absolutely worthy of admiration.
"He sent this over at noon today. He only received the retreat order yesterday morning. Do you know how far his army has marched already?
He’s only ten miles away! And that’s without a forced march! I heard he even let his army rest for a whole night. If they had been pushed a bit harder, we could be welcoming his army tonight!
In fact, Count Valentino has already gone to meet them," Mage Norria said.
"That fast!" Prince Noah exclaimed in surprise.
Keep in mind, the distance from Sirich Fortress to where Robson had been fighting was over fifty miles.
Robson’s marching speed was nearing thirty miles a day. And that was without a forced march. If they were pushed a little, covering thirty miles a day should be easy.
Prince Noah instantly understood what Mage Norria was getting at. The total distance from Sirich City to Thermopylae was over one hundred fifty miles.
At that speed, if Prince Noah could gain the support of Baron Robson, they might actually have a chance to reach Thermopylae and provide reinforcements before the enemy could break through.
When that happened, the Royal Family would have the narrative on their side, and Prince Noah’s situation would improve significantly.
"I understand." Prince Noah turned his head, looking at his reflection in the water’s mirror-like surface.
Mage Norria nodded. An opportunity had presented itself; it was now up to Prince Noah to seize it.
And that was Prince Noah’s specialty. Mage Norria was very confident in him.