I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 119 Defeat? Quite the opposite!
"So, Colonel Samuel, you mean our army has already suffered a defeat at the Iron Horse Mountain front?"

On the plains of Makino, outside the Imperial trenches, after learning from Samuel that the 1st Division command had lost contact, John's initial excitement at having unexpectedly saved the colonel vanished instantly, and his brows furrowed in worry.

He had assumed the current battle would remain a stalemate, but if Samuel's assessment was correct, then the situation had undoubtedly reached its worst point.

As a unit with mid-level combat strength in the Second Army Corps, if the Iron Horse Mountain front where the 1st Division is located collapses, then the Allied 101st Division can join forces with the Allied 7th Division, which will arrive soon or may have arrived earlier, to surround and wipe out the remnants of the 1st Division.

Then they marched south from there, heading straight for Mad Fang City.

Given the utterly incompetent defensive capabilities of the Independent 3rd Division, even if Dolan wanted to defend the city to avoid a court-martial,

But based on John's understanding, the enemy would at most, like in the story, rely on a large amount of military supplies to hold Mad Fang City for 23 days by burning money, and then escape with their men due to insufficient ammunition.

Once Mad Fang City falls, it will trigger a chain reaction, leaving the 2nd Division in the west and the 4th Division in the south vulnerable to attacks from both sides, making it difficult for them to cope with the enemy's encirclement and suppression, thus causing the Empire to lose control of the land in Faoken Bay.

This led to the Battle of Fauken becoming the defeat John was most familiar with.

"I'm not sure either, but it's probably true. Otherwise, I really can't imagine why the Star Chaser Cavalry, who should be fighting against our army, would be on our flank."

Samuel gave a wry smile, looking at the magical soldiers flying in the distance, keeping watch over the surroundings. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, and then he lit a Red Bird cigarette and took a puff.

But as if remembering something, he quickly took out a stick and handed it to the young major from the 3rd Infantry Regiment who had just saved him, his voice filled with gratitude:

"Major John, thank you for your support. If you hadn't come, I'm afraid I would have died here with the 3rd Regiment today. I owe you my life. If you ever need my help in the future, please let me know and I will do my best to assist you."

"Colonel Samuel, you don't need to be so polite. Supporting friendly forces is my mission."

John took the cigarette offered by the other person, held the lit match in his hand, lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled.

Then he turned to look at Samuel beside him:

"Colonel Samuel, what are you planning to do next?"

"Things have come to this point, and although I don't want to see this situation, I'm afraid I can only contact Lieutenant General Dolan and lead my troops toward Mad Fang City now."

Samuel sighed, his heart filled with vexation.

According to Major General Tony's tactical plan, he only needed to eliminate two ordinary enemy cavalry regiments to ensure that the flank of the main force located in Luoying Valley would not be attacked by the enemy.

As a result, in addition to the two ordinary cavalry regiments they faced, they inexplicably encountered an elite enemy force.

Even as he was holding the line, the main force that should have won encountered problems, causing his side to be attacked from both sides by the enemy.

If John hadn't led his magic soldiers in a miraculous descent, wiping out the enemy with explosive magic before they even realized it, the entire 3rd Infantry Regiment would probably have perished in this godforsaken place.

What a bastard!
Samuel angrily threw the cigarette butt at his feet, and just as he took a deep breath, intending to invite his savior to return to Mad Fang City with him.

John's words, however, left him frozen in place:

"Colonel Samuel, rather than slinking away like this, don't you want to launch a counterattack against those damned enemy troops?"

Counterattack?

With the fate of the main force uncertain, how can we launch a counterattack?

Moreover, the explosive magic created such a huge commotion that, unless the Allied forces are stupid, they will definitely activate the anti-magic device immediately to deal with it, right?

Faced with a large-scale spell barrier that can forcibly eliminate explosive magic, magic soldiers are at best a swarm of flying mosquitoes, and cannot possibly cause any damage to the enemy!
Samuel frowned, about to advise the Air Force major against acting impulsively, when John's voice made his pupils shrink to the extreme the next second:

"Of course, compared to an enemy force that is already prepared for an attack and may even have activated anti-magic devices to eliminate explosive magic at any time, I think we can set our sights on something longer."

Seeing Samuel's astonished expression, John slowly tossed aside the cigarette in his hand, then crushed it out, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

His tone was very calm, but to Samuel, it inexplicably gave him a thrill of excitement and fervor that made him tremble.
"For example, at this time, when the enemy troops are all gathered in Luoying Valley and busy besieging the rest of the 1st Division, wouldn't Horseshoe City, located 30 kilometers behind Iron Horse Mountain, be a better choice for us?"

Looking at the distant mountain, John's gaze was deep and cold, as if he had already crossed the barrier of the mountain and seen the city that was now undefended.

They also witnessed themselves taking advantage of the situation, capturing the enemy, and forcing the enemy to retreat.

A rout?

No, no, no, quite the opposite.

Because now is the best time for him to lead the magic soldiers to launch an attack on this battlefield!
Thinking of this, John no longer hesitated and immediately ordered Samuel, who was looking at him with astonishment, "Colonel Samuel, listen to my order. In the name of the Imperial Military Affairs Department's support mission, I require you to assist the 1st Mobile Magic Battalion in immediately marching towards Horseshoe City. Within one hour, you must cooperate with the 1st Battalion to capture it without fail!"

"Yes, Major John!"

Samuel immediately saluted in response, his eyes filled with fervor as he looked at the Air Force Major in front of him.

He had a premonition that the Iron Horse Mountain battle line, which should have been completely defeated due to the mistakes of the main force, might be about to take a turn for the better!

……

"You mean, Kenny died in battle?"

An hour later, in Fallen Flower Valley, on a battlefield filled with the smoke of gunpowder, stood a centaur general named Damon Morningstar, wearing silver-gray armor, with a long ponytail, a handsome face, a height of three meters, and a robust physique. He was holding a giant scythe that shone with an eerie purple light, and the Morningstar clan totem was engraved on his chest.

Upon hearing the news from his subordinates that the Star Chaser Independent Regiment had been wiped out by Imperial magic soldiers who suddenly appeared while attacking the Imperial troops who were putting up a last-ditch resistance, a flash of anger crossed his eyes.

But he quickly suppressed the anger brought on by the news of his brother's death, and instead looked coldly at the commander of the 1st Regiment of the 3rd Shadow Squad, whose face was shrouded in shadow and only revealed a dark gray chin, who had remained silent after hearing the news. His voice was icy:
"Colonel Galil Darkstab, why did those damned Imperial mage soldiers appear on this battlefield without a sound? This is different from the intelligence provided by your Shadow Force. I need an explanation!"

“Golden Lion Territory is not under our jurisdiction. We only received the message from our infiltrators forty minutes ago. Even if we had reported it then, it would have been too late.”

Galil's voice was somewhat hoarse, and combined with his body wrapped in gray bandages and his thin, withered frame, he gave off an indescribable eeriness.

Seemingly aware that the esteemed major general was consumed by rage over his brother's death, Galil refrained from further provoking him and instead offered apologetic:
"In truth, this was indeed a mistake by our Shadow Force. I will give you an explanation later. But for now, Major General Damon, please focus on the current battle situation."

"I don't need you, you filthy demon bastard, to remind me how to fight, Galil Darkstab. Have you forgotten who you are?"

"Oh!"

Damon fiercely raised his horse's hoof and slammed it heavily onto the ground, producing a dull thud.

The surging wind lifted the opponent's hood, revealing a mask inside that was completely different from the orc's, appearing grayish-black and covered with a large number of strange and twisted runes.

Its eyes were blood-red, its nose was replaced by a gray membrane, and its ears were sharp and long.

Its ugly face resembled that of a talking monster.

Upon seeing the other's ugly appearance, Damon's eyes were immediately filled with disgust, and his long, powerful tail unconsciously swished due to agitation.

He simply couldn't understand why the current king would defy public opinion and reappoint these monsters who had betrayed the kingdom, even personally bestowing upon them so-called family names and tribal totems.

Even though these disgusting monsters are indeed quite capable of assassination, there is no doubt that these monsters, whose appearance is already filled with evil, are not beings that can be called orcs at all.

Even the ugliest of all the monsters in Morno Continent, the mud monsters, seemed so kind and friendly compared to these beings flowing with filthy blood!
Do these monsters, who have broken their oaths and are ugly in appearance, even deserve to be called orcs?
Absolutely disgusting!
"Wow!"

Faced with Damon's undisguised disgust, Galil said nothing, simply pulling his hood back up, revealing only his seemingly ordinary chin, before calmly explaining:

"I'm just reminding you to do what you're supposed to do, Major General. Also, if you don't continue the pursuit, the enemy will soon break through our encirclement."

"I have already ordered people to set up anti-magic devices around the area, which can be released at any time to block the magic soldiers' attack."

“But the Shadow Forces, who are facing the Imperial 1st Division alone, are dying one after another for this victory. I need the support of the Morning Star Clan, not the bloodline and appearance that you criticize me for.”

"I think the Elders Council would not like to hear that your personal emotions have caused serious losses to the Shadow Force."

"..."

Damon remained silent, his gaze fixed coldly on the bastard before him. Just as he was about to suppress his emotions and order his army to cooperate with the Shadow Forces to annihilate the enemy forces at Iron Horse Mountain,

The next second, accompanied by a loud hoofbeat, Damon suddenly noticed that his lieutenant had suddenly rushed over in a panic for some reason.

Before he could even reprimand the other person for their impatience, he immediately heard an unbelievable piece of news from them:

"General, something terrible has happened! Just ten minutes ago, an imperial army suddenly appeared outside Horseshoe City and launched an attack on the city's defenders. Our troops were unable to withstand the enemy's offensive, and Horseshoe City has now completely fallen!"

"What!?"

……

The map is in the chapter notes; interested readers can take a look. It's hand-drawn, by the way (laughs).



(End of this chapter)