Magical Strategist

They wandered in the pitch-black city for over half an hour. Due to the lack of light, they couldn't identify the city hall building. Fortunately, the fire magician walked in front, using flame magic to illuminate the way ahead.

"Captain, there is light ahead!" shouted the knight in the front.

Sure enough, there was an old two-story building about four or five hundred meters away. Through the heavy snow, a faint light could be vaguely seen flashing inside the building.

As we got closer, we saw that this was the residence of the Vartan Municipal Government!

"Mike Zhebei, welcome the warriors of the Light Corps!" A middle-aged man in his forties waited quietly in the snow. His thin body was wrapped in a thick cotton coat, his unkempt hair draped over his shoulders, and his deep, sunken eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept for days.

Thunder Emperor stepped forward, placed his right fist on his left chest, and performed a knight's salute. He then said, "I am Sab Roche of the Knights of Light. I appreciate your guidance!"

"Oh, you're finally here! I've been waiting for you for three days and three nights!" Zhebei said, tears welling up in his eyes as he held Thunder Emperor's hand tightly. He then looked at the knights behind Thunder Emperor and said in surprise, "Captain, it's so cold, why are your men all naked?"

"Haha, because of this, I would like to trouble the mayor to provide some warm clothes?" Lei Di took the opportunity to say.

Zhebei nodded repeatedly and said, "No problem! No problem! Three days ago, we heard that you were coming to help resist the invaders, so the people of our city raised a large amount of military supplies, including cotton coats, quilts, military tents, and various cold-resistant foods." As he spoke, Zhebei looked up and shouted to the second floor, "Mule, quickly hand over the supplies to the warriors!"

"Thank you so much!" It seems that the people here are also very enthusiastic. Lei Di paused and asked again: "Mr. Mayor, we just walked all the way and didn't see a single person in the whole city. What's going on?"

Zhebei sighed and replied, "A war is imminent. As mayor, I can't let my people suffer through it. So two days ago, I had them move out of Vartan and seek refuge in a nearby city. Now, there are only about twenty of us left in the city."

"I see. But it's good this way. When the fight breaks out one day, we don't have to worry about whether the people will be implicated. Now, we can just let loose and fight." Thunder Emperor said.

Soon, fifty carts of military supplies were brought in, and each knight received a warm coat and quilt.

After receiving the supplies, the Thunder Emperor ordered the camp to be set up around the government building, to prevent the possibility of a combat mission. Over a hundred tents were pitched around the building, each spaced evenly apart, creating a sense of order and order. Zhebei praised the Bright Corps' discipline, noting that even the tents were so neatly set up. They were far superior to the local forces in Vartan City.

Lei Di was once a top student at Nikita Academy. He was well versed in military strategy, so he was appreciated by the goddess of light Johnson Fia and promoted to deputy leader.

To seize the initiative in the war, they must understand the enemy's movements. Therefore, they sent troops to scout the north of the city. That was the border between the Yusa and Tans kingdoms, meaning the Fortitude Army would launch its attack from there in two days. The Purple Night Knights, the vanguard, would likely arrive within the next two days.

After everything was settled, Lei Di finally moved into the "luxury suite" the mayor had arranged for him. While it was called a luxury suite, it was actually just one more bed than the military tent; Vartan wasn't a wealthy city, after all. However, Lei Di was quite the gentleman. He toured the suite before returning to the military tent, leaving the room for the female members of the regiment, especially Teresa and Ling Die, who weren't used to living in a military tent.

Late at night, heavy snow fell, plunging the entire city into a dreary white world. Having marched for two days and two nights without a wink of sleep, the knights slept soundly, their snoring piercing through their tents, breaking the tranquility of the snowy night.

Tranquility is not the end, but the prelude to the beginning!

The next morning, the wind died down and the snow subsided. A ray of morning sun shone across the white city of Vartan, casting a pale yellow veil over it. The Knights of the Order of Light had already begun their daily drills before sunrise, a practice they could not suspend even with the impending war. Starting at six o'clock, over two thousand men, led by nine squad leaders, went on a morning run around the outskirts of Vartan. By the time they had completed their circuit, it was almost eight o'clock, just as the sun was rising.

"Report to the commander... something bad has happened..." A voice came from the Thunder Emperor's military tent. It seemed that the soldiers on guard outside had discovered something.

I saw the Thunder Emperor sitting in the military tent, smoking a cigarette, looking very leisurely. He spit out a circle under his eyes and asked, "Don't be impatient, take your time."

"A large number of resolute troops were spotted twenty kilometers north of Vartan!" the sentry said angrily.

Thunder Emperor quickly put out his cigarette and asked, "How many people are there? What are they wearing?"

"About five thousand! All wearing purple uniforms." The sentry replied.

"Haha, they are finally here, that's great. I thought there would be 10,000 of them, but in the end there are only 5,000. Keep investigating and report any movement immediately!" Thunder Emperor said with a smile.

Yes!

"A mere 5,000 people want to fight with us. They must have at least 10,000!" After hearing the news brought by the sentry, Thunder Emperor felt much more relaxed. As usual, he had breakfast and morning tea and asked A Guang to practice magic with him.

It wasn't just the regimental commander who acted relaxed; everyone else was relaxed and at ease. After their drills, they would gather in groups of three or five. The men would play cards and gamble, the women would joke around, and the squad leaders would compete with each other: to see whose squad could chop off the most heads in battle.

Mayor Zhebei couldn't help but worry for them. Normally, before a war, the legion leaders should issue combat orders or take an oath to boost the morale of all members. However, this Bright Corps was so different. They ate when they should eat, drank when they should drink, gambled when they should gamble, and took a walk when they should take a walk. They didn't look like they were here to fight, but more like they were here to travel!

To the north of Vartan lay an endless wasteland, devoid of mountains, trees, rocks, or even a blade of grass. Covered in snow, the wasteland was a vast expanse of white, nothing but white, a monotonous sight.

Shortly after sunrise, the "Purple Legion" began to appear on this "white world." Their uniform attire, their uniform steeds, and their imposing presence were unmistakable. Their neat formations revealed them to be a well-trained order of knights. After surveying the terrain, they quickly set up camp. They were the opponents the Order of Light would soon face—the Knights of the Purple Night.

As the most powerful knight orders in the alliance, they share some similarities:

The military tents of both sides were arranged with great care, their spacing consistent and orderly. Furthermore, the knights of both camps showed no signs of nervousness or fear on the eve of battle; they all appeared relaxed and at ease. On the Purple Night side, many knights were even having snowball fights. The leaders themselves were quite relaxed at this time. Thunder Emperor sipped tea and smoked in his tent, while Purple Night built a snowman in the snow...