Chapter 1404 - 1318: Rivaling a Battle of Wits

Chapter 1404: Chapter 1318: Rivaling a Battle of Wits

"Did you really see it?" Shan Ruan stood up from the ironwood chair and walked step by step to the messenger, "Is it really the Holy Alliance’s banner on Fat Cow Castle?"

The messenger remained silent, only nodding while sweating profusely, fearful of angering the Ogre Warlord.

Earlier, a messenger reported that the Holy Alliance had crushed a force of twenty thousand servant soldiers, and his head was spun several times by Shan Ruan’s slap.

This time, however, Shan Ruan unusually didn’t fly into a rage; he merely waved his hand wearily, signaling the messenger to leave.

Though the news was shocking, Shan Ruan seemed devoid of emotion, showing no sign of surprise.

Reaching this point in the conflict, the Warlord had determined that unless Serafe appeared personally, the Northern Army was doomed to lose.

Shan Ruan could distinctly feel that something intangible was changing.

Specifically, it was more like a shift in momentum.

Initially, the Royal Court was victorious battle after battle, basking in glory, defeating any opponent, leading to internal unity and courageous soldiers, prioritizing conquest.

Through successive wars, the Holy Alliance pushed from the north to the south, not achieving critical victories but gradually eroding the Royal Court’s rapid advances.

Although the soldiers fought bravely as ever, somehow their effectiveness was not as it once was.

The Southern and Central Armies fared better, but this tendency was particularly evident in the Northern Army.

"Did you consult Lord Lakunio? What should we do next?"

The Attendant Officer beside him replied, "It’s already been agreed; we will retreat as planned. Lord Shan Ruan will lead the withdrawal from Golden Soup Castle, while Lakunio will lead the forces from the north to Tielu Castle."

Given the situation, it was clear they couldn’t continue the fight; better to fall back to the Border Knight Order to safeguard the rear.

Golden Soup Castle is right in front of Tielu Castle, so Shan Ruan was to gather the scattered and defeated soldiers and clan troops, retreating from the south line.

Lakunio, on the other hand, chose to lead the elite forces and cavalry across the northern grassland, then head south to Tielu Castle.

The elite troops moved faster, and the cavalry could easily turn back to harass Holy Alliance forces, covering Shan Ruan’s infantry retreat.

"Since that’s the plan, proceed accordingly." The Ogre immediately instructed his Attendants and aides to bring tables and paper and pen.

Deciding who leads which troops, from where, when, and how to retreat involves significant issues and requires careful consideration and allocation.

This was part of Shan Ruan’s everyday duties, but as he wrote the orders, the more agitated he felt.

After drafting several orders, he summoned an Attendant, "Go ask Lord Lakunio, what is going on with him? This battle doesn’t seem like his usual style!"

"Yes."

In offensive battles, as soon as night fell, the Royal Court could achieve a sixty-forty split with the Holy Alliance.

But in defensive battles, with triple forces and the night environment, the Royal Court could only manage a forty-sixty split.

This meant that while each battle seemed evenly matched, and even the Royal Court occasionally held an advantage.

The problem was that when the Royal Court seized territory, the Holy Alliance always managed to retake it after several attempts, whereas if the Holy Alliance occupied land and the Royal Court didn’t reclaim it immediately, it would become nearly impossible to reclaim in the future.

Battle reports might show successive wins, but in the end, examining the frontlines showed withdrawals consistently.

Just like the battle at Fat Cow Castle, once the Holy Alliance took it, there was virtually no chance of reclaiming it.

The Holy Alliance’s fortress defense skills had been honed through brutal battles between seniors and juniors.

Moreover, this summer’s campaign involved no cunning tricks, and Lakunio’s arrangements were notably flawless.

Yet, the Holy Alliance still managed to cut off and encircle the forces, charging right to Fat Cow Castle, giving the Royal Court no chance for reinforcement.

What puzzled him most was that when facing defeat on the battlefield, Lakunio would typically opt for a daring strategy, either stalling or disrupting the situation.

It might not completely resolve the issue, but it could at least force the Holy Alliance into making errors.

This time, however, he played it safe, lacking the previous fighting spirit, instead prioritizing preservation.

Had he been influenced by those Vampire Nobility?

Could it be that turning into a vampire really causes one’s thinking to become rigid?

While Shan Ruan was doubtful, the messenger he’d dispatched earlier returned.

"What did Lord Lakunio say?"

"Lakunio said," the messenger paused, "My dear Shan Ruan brother, you need to think more."

What does it mean to think more? Thinking signifies the act of reflection; why encourage more thinking rather than more observing or questioning?

Couldn’t he just speak plainly? Why resort to riddles? Shan Ruan was irritated yet had no choice but to solve the puzzle.

Wait a minute, the Ogre suddenly realized, riddles, think more, say less... Serafe can observe directly through the eyes of the high-level vampires.

The reason he didn’t speak directly was that he feared being watched and listened to by Serafe.

So why did he fear Serafe being watched? Was he a spy?

No, impossible, the Royal Court offered him a position that the Holy Alliance couldn’t afford.

So why would he hide from Serafe?

There is only one possibility, a feeling the Ogre had long anticipated.

He believed that His Majesty Serafe’s command had issues, and the strategy was wrong.

Thinking from this perspective, combined with the current situation and Lakunio’s perspectives and actions, his thoughts were clear.

The Royal Court had spread itself too thin, and now that the strategy had shifted from offense to defense, they should shrink the lines and force the Holy Alliance to defend such a vast space.

This was the time to use the tactics the Holy Alliance had once used against them, seize the strategic terrain, and occasionally harass and attack, using a small force to tie down a large one, then attack from other directions.

This was it, the reason behind Lakunio’s passive combat!

He intended to defend, but under Serafe’s surveillance, he had to attack, so he could only pretend to attack while actually shrinking to protect the main force!

Exactly, exactly!

Wasn’t this a reprise of Konyaz’s case? Except Konyaz, being too honest, actually followed Serafe’s orders.

With just a word, Lakunio healed Saniaran’s mental exhaustion.

Composed, Saniaran fully immersed himself in the work, since from subsequent arrangements, the defense lines of Golden Soup Castle and Tielu Castle were of utmost importance.

Through Saniaran and Lakunio’s collaboration, nearly eighty thousand Royal Court troops began a slow retreat, while the Holy Alliance pursued.

However, the Holy Alliance forces didn’t chase very far, as Saniaran figured, André must have guessed Lakunio’s thoughts, thus preferring to stabilize the situation first.

Ah, the battle of wits between famous generals actually made Saniaran break out in a cold sweat in the sweltering heat.

In this kind of showdown, Saniaran only needed to play his role as a pawn well.

With this in mind, the commander marched all the way, gathering the scattered troops, assembling the army, and finally, in early September, reached the predetermined Golden Soup Castle.

Yet, six months later, standing once again on the high mountain outside Golden Soup Castle, Saniaran was once more drenched in a cold sweat in the hot sun.

He stood dumbstruck, gazing, staring at the walls of Golden Soup Castle.

There, dozens of black and red sun gear flags of the Holy Alliance were flying high.

At this moment, only one thought filled his mind: it’s over, completely over!

With the loss of Fat Cow Castle and now Golden Soup Castle, at least fifty thousand clan troops were trapped in the encirclement of the Noli Mountain Range - Golden Soup Castle - Fat Cow Castle.

The southwest had the southern war army of the Holy Alliance, while the northeast had the northern army that had just captured Fat Cow Castle; moving southeast was the Falcon Mountain Range.

Beyond the Falcon Mountain Range were the Crow Perch County and Wolf Bridge County, and at the border of the two counties were the dense Rampart and Hill Forts.

Moving forward meant being crushed by the southern war army, retreating led to being crushed by the northern army, and moving east was a desperate move, only to be beaten up after a while by a joined force.

If Lakunio was leading, Saniaran would still have the resolve to seek life from the jaws of death by crossing the Falcon Mountains.

But Lakunio had taken the northern road, and he knew well enough his own capabilities.

Now, around Golden Soup Castle, there were fewer roads to the north and south but more to the east and west, yet all routes to the east and west were blocked, leaving only a northwest escape.

A glance at the map showed Saniaran that it was impossible to head northwest to the nearest Tielu Castle.

A vast swamp and hundreds of miles of deserted wasteland lay in between.

If Saniaran and his troops retreated leisurely, they could carry their supplies across, given that Vampire supplies could walk on their own.

Only now did Saniaran suddenly realize that since Lakunio was taking the northern wastelands to draw away the enemy, he took most of the supplies with him!

The supplies Saniaran had were woefully inadequate to cross this swamp.

The various clan army leaders who arrived successively immediately tried to consult with Saniaran.

However, after three days and nights of searching, they couldn’t find Saniaran anywhere in his tent, and there was no need to say where he might have gone.

Escaping alone with his guards was certainly more convenient than having tens of thousands fleeing.

In this time of crisis, the clan army leaders swiftly reached a consensus.

Soon, the Steel Troop, which had taken Golden Soup Castle, received a letter from the vampires.

No matter how complicated the rhetoric was on it, in essence, it was just one sentence - can we reconcile?