Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start - Chapter 263 - 262: No Need for So Much Trouble
Chapter 263: Chapter 262: No Need for So Much Trouble
“Our battle with the Polante Thief Gang won’t last very long. By my estimation, it will take three or four days at most. If we’re fast, we could decide the outcome in a single day.”
Coren offered his opinion.
“These plans of yours are certainly feasible, but if the war ends quickly, all this work digging drainage ditches and building simple latrines will be a complete waste of time and our Warriors’ energy.”
Ronin understood what he meant. It was nothing more than charging headfirst into battle with all their men.
As he gestured for the two Vice Leaders, Philip and Solstein, to also look at the contents of the paper, he asked, “Baron Coren, you just said we could decide the outcome in a single day. I wonder, will we be the victors, or the vanquished?”
“Naturally, we will be the victors!”
Coren spoke with absolute certainty. “With so many troops gathered, how can the paltry Polante Thief Gang possibly stand against us?”
“Therefore, my suggestion is that we rest for today and tomorrow, then launch an attack the day after and take Chishan Town in one fell swoop!”
’Ronin really wanted to ask him what would happen if they failed.’ However, considering his position as Commander, he felt it was inappropriate to speak of defeat before the battle had even begun, so he held his tongue.
“I’d very much like to hear why you are so confident, my lord Baron. Also, we are still unclear about the Polante Thief Gang’s current strength. I’ll have to trouble you to enlighten everyone.”
“My confidence stems precisely from the gap in strength between our forces and the enemy’s!”
Coren’s tone was incredibly firm, a sign of his complete trust in his own side.
“The Polante Thief Gang’s leader, Amicus, is a Golden Knight. He might be slightly stronger than Sir Toru, but as long as I coordinate with Toru, dealing with him won’t be a problem.”
“Besides Amicus, the Polante Thief Gang only has two other Silver Levels left: one is their Vice Leader, Hodan, and the other is their powerful War General, Kilbat.”
Coren’s gaze swept over the Silver Knights present in the hall.
“On our side, however, we have Marvin, Philip, Solstein, Tarren, and my subordinate, Brisot. That’s a total of five, all long-established Silver Knights. They’re more than enough to deal with Hodan and Kilbat!”
After he said this, the eyes of everyone in the hall lit up.
“The Baron is right!”
Brisot chimed in, “Our high-end combat power completely surpasses theirs. We’ll have no problem crushing them in a direct confrontation!”
“Yeah…”
“That’s right…”
Many people nodded in silent agreement.
“What do you two think?” Ronin looked at Marvin and Toru.
As the Vice Commanders, he wanted to hear their opinions.
Marvin Viscount said thoughtfully, “If the situation is truly as Coren described, then with such a significant advantage, we can indeed launch a direct frontal assault.”
Toru added another point. “As far as I know, Chishan Town’s fortifications are mostly concentrated on the southern side to defend against enemies from Casier Town. The northern side has basically no defenses.”
Chishan Town was previously under Coren’s jurisdiction, and to its north lies the Giant Stone Territory. Naturally, there was no need to build any fortifications there.
“After the Polante Thief Gang took control of Chishan Town, they haven’t had time to build any defenses on the northern side. If we attack head-on, we’ll have an advantage in numbers and no disadvantage in terrain.”
Marvin continued, “I think we can organize and form up the Noble Alliance Army according to Ronin’s methods, which will be beneficial for battlefield command. As for logistics, we can handle that simply. Regarding the timing of the attack, we need to discuss it further.”
It was clear that when it came to the attack, they still favored a direct, frontal assault.
In truth, if their high-end combat power was sufficient and their mid-tier strength was also considerable, Ronin would also be willing to attack head-on. The sooner the battle was over, the better.
’But would this war really be that easy?’
“Coren, let me ask you, how much do you know about the enemy’s combat losses during the battle on the night Chishan Town was taken?”
Coren froze for a moment, his expression hesitant. After a long pause, he finally shook his head.
“The battle was already over before my troops even reached Chishan Town that night. I don’t know much about their casualties.”
Ronin immediately said, “As far as I know, among the five Knight Squads stationed in Chishan Town, besides Vice Leader Hahn, there were two other Bronze Knights. One of them was even at the Bronze Level Peak, with one foot already in the Silver Level.”
Coren’s expression suddenly turned ugly. Perhaps he felt that Ronin was trying to hold him accountable in public, causing him to lose face.
“Those three led five Knight Squads, with over sixty Professional Knights. Relying on Chishan Town’s geographical advantages and fortifications, even if the enemy had one Golden Knight, they shouldn’t have been defeated so miserably!”
A chill ran through everyone’s hearts.
They had all been following Coren’s line of thinking, comparing the gap in troops and strength between the two sides, but they had forgotten about the disastrous defeat of the Fifth Knight Order’s five Knight Squads that had been stationed in Chishan Town.
Vice Leader Hahn’s strength was not to be underestimated.
“It is indeed a bit strange.”
Marvin’s expression grew solemn. “For them to crush Hahn and his troops so quickly, they must have more than just those three top-tier Professional Knights. Coren, is your intelligence inaccurate?”
“Impossible!”
Coren retorted unequivocally, “Although we’ve been hostile to the Polante Thief Gang over the years, we’ve also had trade relations during times of peace. We know their combat strength very clearly!”
“The reason Hahn was routed, according to the soldiers who were lucky enough to escape, was that they had been drinking too much that night and were lax in their defense. By the time the enemy crossed the defense line and charged in, they finally reacted, but by then it was already too late.”
“And how credible is the word of soldiers who fled?”
Ronin spread his hands. “However, your explanation is indeed one possibility. But there is another.”
He paused, and seeing that everyone was listening quietly, he continued:
“That is, the Polante Thief Gang has hidden its true strength, or stronger Professional Knights have recently joined them, and Hahn’s forces were simply no match.”
“That’s possible.”
Everyone couldn’t help but nod.
“If our intelligence is incomplete, we do indeed need to be more cautious.”
With Ronin’s hypothesis now on the table, the discussion shifted to “what should we do if the enemy has hidden their strength.”
Although no good solution was found even after a long discussion, it became clear that Ronin’s arrangements needed to be implemented.
Everyone now knew that Coren’s claim of finishing the battle in a day or two was highly unlikely.
After another round of discussion, a provisional plan was finally established:
Marvin, Toru, and Ridder were put in charge of reorganizing the Alliance Army.
Tarren and Macken were assigned to camp defense and security.
Vice Leaders Philip and Solstein would lead the Cavalry to handle perimeter patrols and reconnaissance.
The Giant Stone Territory would be responsible for logistics.
The main reason Ronin’s measures were so quickly agreed upon and implemented was that men like Toru and Marvin consistently sided with him.
This was also thanks to Lurans’ arrangements.
If that fellow Negan had also come to the Giant Stone Territory, there would likely have been a struggle over who had more authority.
The bustling Giant Stone Castle finally quieted down. Coren remained seated, his brow furrowed deeply, not having left.
“Brisot, do you think Ronin suspects me?”
His subordinate, Brisot, also had a grave expression. “I’m not entirely sure, but throughout the conversations, he did indeed lead everyone to subconsciously dismiss your suggestions.”
At the beginning of the meeting, Coren’s words had resonated with many people.
But after Ronin threw out that hypothesis, the effectiveness of his words plummeted.
In the end, when the tasks were being assigned, Coren even volunteered to take on the perimeter security and reconnaissance duties, but Ronin rejected his offer.
The reason given was that the Giant Stone Territory was already burdened with significant logistical work, making it more appropriate for them to handle logistics.
Coren let out a long breath, digesting the unpleasantness from the meeting. “I take back what I said before. This Ronin really knows what he’s doing. No wonder he regained the Marquis’s favor.”
Brisot smiled. “Well, that just further proves the necessity of our actions!”
“Yes, very necessary…”
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
