Chapter 877 Cowardice and Retreat

Back at camp, Morris seeks out Harry. "Shouldn't we warn the young lord that he's promised too much?"

Harry smiles. "General, Pabos will speak for Henwell one day. Most of the time, principles are just words."

"Clever as he is, there are things he must experience before he can truly understand them."

"As for whether it will break his spirit, you needn't worry about that."

"He is Henwell's son and Peace Haven's young lord. He ought to be able to bear it, and he must!"

"Henwell asked me to teach Pabos so the boy could see human nature more clearly. I am rather good at that, after all."

Pabos still has no idea what trouble his promises have set in motion.

With that little episode behind him, he turns his attention to the major counteroffensive on the subterranean waterway front.

On October 14 of Calamity Year Six, the major counteroffensive begins.

At first, everything goes smoothly.

Operation Dried Fish has already cost the Subterranean River Bandits many of their elite troops, leaving their defensive line undermanned.

The advance has the backing of two expeditionary legions and two Western Federation legions.

Lumir launches all twelve legions along the front. In just half a month, they recover every defensive position previously lost.

Then, with intelligence from Peace Haven, they win a fine victory by encircling an elite enemy force and ambushing its reinforcements.

That is when things go wrong.

Peace Haven wants to stop while they are ahead and consolidate their gains.

But the coalition wants a greater victory and demands further intelligence support.

The Arcane Academy's battlemages accompanying the army have already warned them that repeated thefts of strategic intelligence may have put the enemy on guard.

Their intelligence source may no longer be secret. False intelligence could mislead them and put them at a strategic disadvantage.

Peace Haven wants no part of that responsibility. It flatly refuses to provide any more intelligence.

Obilian is ready to follow Peace Haven's advice and consolidate the territory they have regained.

But the Western Lumir Federation causes trouble.

By now, every faction knows that Peace Haven's intelligence comes from a little boy.

His name is Ronan, and he can intrude into the mental frequency band used by high-ranking subterranean creatures.

Peace Haven guards him closely, giving the other powers no chance to recruit him away.

Its refusal to provide further intelligence now leaves the others deeply dissatisfied.

The Western Lumir Federation even deliberately fails to notify Peace Haven when moving its troops.

The subterranean creatures had long known that an outsider was entering their psychic network.

At first, they had been unable to pinpoint Ronan. Later, they had located him, only to find the human army blocking their way.

They have had no chance to reach him. Now they suddenly find a gap to slip through.

The creatures commit substantial resources to eliminate this enormous threat.

Their elite force numbers over twenty thousand, every one of them an extraordinary creature.

They sacrifice a group of spellcasters to make a spatial jump, much like connecting waterways, and arrive at a lake within the defensive line they previously lost.

The lake lies at the center of the human coalition's encirclement. At first, no one understands what the enemy is trying to do.

Before the human forces can close in, the elite enemy force suddenly disappears into the lake.

Alarmed, operation headquarters immediately expands the search area.

Such a swift disappearance can only mean that an undiscovered underground waterway runs beneath the lake.

The commanders assume the enemy plans to break through the subterranean front and open a second front in the human heartland.

Coalition high command immediately orders the legion stationed with Ronan to find out where the enemy force has gone.

The Seventh and Eighth Warbands in Peace Haven's southern region give the matter little thought.

With help from the arcanists accompanying the army, Ronan enters the enemy's psychic network.

The intelligence says the elite force plans to raid a key fortress cluster on the first defensive line.

The coalition immediately sends reinforcements to those fortresses.

That movement opens a gap in the line.

The enemy force suddenly emerges from another marsh and heads straight for Ronan's position.

Only one legion from the Western Lumir Federation lies along its route.

The enemy detaches just three thousand troops and routs that legion.

Its commander has no intention of fighting to the end. He does not even hold the flank near Ronan's position as headquarters ordered.

Another legion from the Western Lumir Federation ignores headquarters' orders altogether.

It stays holed up and watches the enemy cross its sector without making the slightest attempt to intercept.

As a result, the two warbands with Ronan have barely received word before the enemy surrounds them.

They can only form up hastily for defense and call on the nearby legions for help.

Only now does the coalition realize what the enemy is after.

Clifford, the Lumir marshal, is already shouting curses.

"You swine! If your Fifteenth Legion hadn't abandoned its sector without telling Peace Haven's forces to move, how could the enemy have jumped behind our lines?"

The Western Lumir Federation's representative remains unruffled. "We were only a few hours late notifying them. It's not as though we didn't notify them at all!"

"Night was falling, and our scouts got lost. We'll punish them for that, but this isn't our fault."

"Not your fault?" Clifford roars. "Every unit must notify nearby allies before changing position. Did you notify them in advance?"

"Even if that was an accident, why didn't your Twelfth Legion resist the attack? Why did it collapse at the first clash?"

The Western Lumir representative replies, "Our army can hardly match Peace Haven's world-famous elite. Those were elite subterranean troops. We couldn't have stopped them if we'd tried!"

"And your Fourth Legion? That's one of your elite legions. Why did it stay holed up and simply let the enemy through?"

The Western Lumir representative has an answer ready. "We aren't good at night fighting. Getting an army moving takes time."

"By the time we'd formed our defensive line, the enemy had already crossed our sector."

"It's night, and we don't know what's happening. Of course we have to be cautious."

"Besides, are our men's lives worth less than Peace Haven's? Why should ours be sacrificed?"

"I know what those two warbands in Peace Haven's southern region can do. They could break out. Why stay where they are?"

"Just to protect a little boy who's no use anymore?"

"The enemy knows about him now. He certainly won't be getting any more intelligence."

"Better to abandon him and break out with the main force now."

"When daylight comes and the legions converge, those twenty thousand elite enemy troops will be ours for the taking."

"The boy should feel honored to make such a contribution before he dies!"

Clifford suddenly laughs. "Remember, you said that!"