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

Chapter 131 Homecoming
"I object!"

However, just as John finished speaking, an untimely voice suddenly rang out in the room.

What surprised and puzzled everyone the most was that the one who said this was none other than Samuel, who had been the first to respond to John's invitation.

He stood up excitedly, staring intently at John in front of him, then suppressed his shock and said in a deep voice:
“Your Excellency John, I object to you bearing the responsibility alone. Your decision was not wrong, and you should not be punished. If even someone as courageous as you who fights for the empire should be punished, then this empire is not worthy of our efforts and following!”

"Since the glory is shared by everyone, why should you bear the responsibility alone? I do not accept this condition, so please take it back!"

Samuel's voice echoed throughout the conference room, and upon hearing this, Ignila, whose eyes had been brimming with murderous intent, slowly suppressed his killing intent and instead looked at the loyal colonel with admiration.

Upon hearing Samuel's words, the other three colonels couldn't help but silently curse Samuel's family history in their hearts.

Damn it, you bastard Samuel, you've stolen all the limelight. Have you even considered our existence?

What's more, you're a colonel! How can you so openly praise an air force major who's two ranks below you? Samuel, you bastard, have you no shame?

Where has your dignity as a colonel gone?

Where has your honor gone?
answer me!
"Colonel Samuel is right what I was thinking. As the saying goes, we share the good times and the bad. As true soldiers of the Empire, how can we let Lord John bear the responsibility alone? That would not be in the honor of an Imperial soldier. So please, please do not say such things again!"

“That makes sense, Major John. Everyone understands your intentions, so please rescind your order!”

"Me too!"

Seeing Samuel abandon his teammates to pledge his loyalty, the other three colonels immediately became anxious and began to offer their own loyalty.

As for the possibility of being held accountable by Major General Tony afterward, well, let's wait until this major general can recover from this cowardice incident and still retain his rank.

Moreover, Major John's godlike military command ability was enough to make them willing to take a gamble.

Before the war even begins, the other side has thoroughly investigated the enemy commanders through intelligence warfare. Faced with such a terrifying intelligence advantage, unless the enemy has a numerical advantage that is dozens of times greater than theirs, it is impossible to crush the 1st Division with an advantage that cannot be compensated by strategy.

However, the enemy's numbers could not possibly exceed five times their current strength.

In addition, there was the assistance of the magic soldiers, as well as the traps that Lord John had set up for the enemy's vanguard.

After destroying one or even two enemy divisions, this disparity in troop strength can be reduced to almost three times.

As is well known, as long as there is a commander with normal intelligence and there is no equipment disadvantage, it is quite normal for the Imperial Army to win a 1v3 victory.

If they can't even see this unprecedented advantage, then they've wasted their time as colonels!
Given that this was an opportunity to earn merit simply by obeying orders, and even to break through the limitations of a colonel and be promoted to major general, truly stepping into the ranks of the high-ranking officials, how could the people present possibly miss it?

With their eyes practically red, they began frantically demonstrating their loyalty to John, with some even saying that if given the chance to fight, he could lead his team to hold off an entire enemy division.

John had anticipated the crowd's enthusiastic reaction, so he wasn't too surprised.

After praising the loyalty of each of them and confirming that they had already abandoned their evil ways and turned to the light under his series of psychological tactics and driven by their desire for military merit, he did not continue to give them any more pep talks.

Instead, he discussed tactical arrangements and plans with everyone for the upcoming battle. Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the other three colonels, he recommended Samuel as the temporary commander of the 1st Division. After obtaining the consent of the group members, he dismissed everyone and went to the 1st Battalion camp. He planned to send Siegfried to the 1st Infantry Regiment to bring over the five battalion commanders under Max's command and select a suitable temporary commander of the 1st Regiment based on their reactions.

"We're doomed. This is bad. What was the battalion commander thinking? How could he just seize power like that? If this gets out, won't we all be considered accomplices?"

After John left, Miles immediately wore a sour expression, then scratched his head and looked at Igonila beside him.

I wanted to ask this dangerous lieutenant, whose intelligence is currently at its peak, what his opinion was.

But when he noticed that the other party was slowly stuffing Colonel Max into a pre-prepared sack with a strange smile on his lips, he immediately abandoned the idea.

Then he looked at Barnapo, who was silently putting away the map:

"Captain Barnabo, you're the most senior of the five of us. What should we do this time?" "Does my opinion change the battalion commander's mind?"

Barnapo frowned slightly, then glanced impatiently at Miles and added expressionlessly:

"Besides, Miles, you're talking too much nonsense. As soldiers, obeying our superiors' orders is our duty. Don't you understand that?"

"That depends on the order. If the battalion commander does this, and those four guys report him to the military affairs department after the war, won't the battalion commander become a pure war criminal? And we'll all become accomplices..."

"The premise is that the army will actually retaliate, but the question is, Miles, do you think they will?"

Before Miles could finish speaking, Barnapo interrupted, looking calmly at the sniper expert before him, and shared his opinion:

"The answer is no, because in fact, from the moment these four colonels stepped into this conference room, under the battalion commander's arrangement, they could only accept the outcome of participating in the power grab together."

"If even one person tries to betray or report, that person will be subjected to a fierce attack from the other three, along with a chorus of testimonies."

"Moreover, such whistleblowing will only earn them verbal commendation from the Ministry of Military Affairs, but no other substantial rewards. On the contrary, they will be looked down upon by other army units for leaking secrets, becoming the most unwelcome traitors."

"On the other hand, what about following the battalion commander? Putting aside the high probability of victory and the military merits sufficient for promotion, the most important thing is that Colonel Samuel has already obtained real and tangible benefits."

"With the rank of colonel, he successfully obtained command of the 1st Division without the assistance of a superior commander."

"If we can win this war, then his promotion will be inevitable."

"No one is a fool, and no one will give up everything for an empty promise. Only enough and real benefits will motivate people to take action."

"There are always many people in the world who treat others as fools, but they don't realize that they themselves are the real fools."

"When will you understand this, Lieutenant Miles Carrot?"

"..."

After saying that, Barnapo ignored Miles's extremely ugly expression and walked out of the conference room expressionlessly after tidying up the map.

Just as Miles was about to complain to someone else, Lunepo, adjusting his glasses, added insult to injury:

“Miles, I thought I had overestimated your stupidity enough, but your performance has refreshed my understanding of stupidity. Perhaps shining shoes is more suitable for you than becoming an officer.”

"Of course, what I said is not ambiguous at all, but simply some insights given for your own good. I hope you can think about it carefully later."

After saying that, Lunebo ignored Miles's green-faced expression and confidently strode out of the room.

"The battalion commander is so handsome! I think I'm falling in love. Lieutenant Igonila, what do you think of the battalion commander?"

Martha covered her burning cheeks with a lovesick expression, like a young girl in love, her eyes sparkling.

"The battalion commander is indeed quite handsome, but he's too kind. If I could take this guy's head off instead of knocking him out, I think I would be more than happy to become Battalion Commander John's loyal dog!"

Ignila nodded in agreement, and the two chatted as they carried the sack containing Colonel Max, completely ignoring Miles's green-faced expression, and walked out of the room together.

"What? I was just trying to persuade the battalion commander not to be so impulsive, and now I'm the one who's become a heretic? My good intentions have been taken for granted!"

Miles muttered a curse, intending to return to the camp and distance himself from the others.

But when he thought that doing this would most likely result in him being isolated by the four of them, his expression shifted between anger and humiliation. He suppressed his feelings of shame and brazenly chased after the group.

……

(End of this chapter)