[Eight hours ago]

[Siege Camp]

The headquarters at four o'clock in the morning is as bright as day.

The central army tent was filled with people, and half of the tent was transformed into a mailroom. Low-level officers and messengers came in and out, signing, unpacking, summarizing letters from all directions, and submitting them to the officers who were meeting in the other half of the tent.

There are so many letters delivered. Just looking at the quantity, you can feel the panic behind you.

Everyone turned into frightened birds, wishing they could report any movement.

Many of the information delivered by towns, residents, and posts are invalid information. The remaining small part of the valid information is contradictory.

"[swear words]! What are the things written?" Geisa was furious and slapped the table and cursed, "According to the number of people reported, did all the members of the United Provincial Army bring their family members together? What are you here? Are you here to eat us down?!"

The more he scolded, the more angry he became, "Yima doesn't have money? Is this method of reporting the news? Will there be any horses for three days?"

The other officers at the marching table were silently sniffed by Gaisa. Everyone knew very well that the brigade general could only complain a few times.

Once upon a time, the commanders' biggest headache was that they had no intelligence and they were blinded when they left the station.

However, with the development and improvement of military technology, the most troublesome thing for decision makers has gradually become how to find truly valuable information from complex and vast reports.

When any defender encounters an attack, his first reaction is to seek help, and he will instinctively exaggerate the scale of the enemy.

If the defeated soldiers and deserters are even less credible.

However, everyone here has learned a truth - even if most of the information is invalid, it must be encouraged to report it; if you are punished because of the news, sooner or later, no one dares to speak again.

Geisa got angry, picked up her arms, turned black and stopped talking.

In the big tent, it was so quiet that you could hear the roar of insects outside the camp.

Geisa was sulking, Winters was pretending to be dead, and the other officers did not dare to speak. As the third person among the people present, Mason had to cough lightly to break the silence.

After reading all the letters sent behind, he felt that he could make a summary first:

"Uh... Although the newly emerging enemy army made a lot of noise behind us; "But most of the garrison sites reported to the enemy were posts, stations or supply camps adjacent to waterways, with loud thunder and little raindrops.

"In other words, the opponent's commander did not launch a large-scale onshore offensive. On the contrary, he was very cautious about 'on-shore combat' and strictly controlled the scope of the battle around the river.

"He has only two attack points that he really exerted. One is Jade Ferry, which seized our baggage, cut off our supply line and retreat route, and the other is Bazenaur, which can travel upwards and attack Maple Stone City."

As he spoke, Mason was shocked to hear that the colleagues here—including the two sitting on their heads—he listened attentively, which made him feel embarrassed.

He held up the water cup, took a sip of water, relieved his embarrassment and tension, and continued to analyze:

"I'm not sure, whether the other party wanted to distribute some of the troops to block us at Jade Ferry, and then attack Fengshi City with all his strength; "Is it still a battle with us at Jade Ferry; "or is it not, he made these movements just to force us to return to help and save the kings' forts..."

"Maybe they all want to fight Fengshi City, fight with us at Jade Ferry, and save the kings' castle," Gaisa sneered, "Anyway, he has the boat, so he has the final say where to fight?"

Mason didn't know what to say for a moment.

"You keep talking," Geisa waved her hand, "Don't worry about me."

"That, actually..." Mason's sense of shame just suppressed rose again. He retorted carefully, "It's impossible. Even if he took the Emerald Ferry, we can still go around from the upstream Big Bell Ferry or Silver Fish Ferry. He should not be able to control every ferry."

"Why?" asked Winters.

"This involves another guess from me," Mason paused for a moment, plucked up his courage and expressed his bold idea. "I think the opponent's troops are not much, and there is a high probability that there is only one legion. There may also be some artillery and auxiliary cavalry, but it should not exceed the establishment of a legion."

Geisa narrowed her eyes and said, "What do you say?"

"It's actually very simple," Mason spread his hands, "first, there must be no two legions on the other side, otherwise, he would come to the Kings Castle to find us directly."

Everyone in the tent chuckled softly.

Mason continued: "In other words, the opponent is not sure of winning in the field, so his troops should be roughly the same as us - or less. If it is less, the opponent's actions are just to save the Kings Castle.

"Considering the organizational methods of the United Provincial Army - cannons, baggage convoys, auxiliary cavalry, these are all following the legion headquarters.

"The Union Army rarely operates units like half a legion or one third of a legion because it is very troublesome to split the troops directly under the legion headquarters."

Mason gestured back and forth with both hands, adding somewhat embarrassedly, "And, you know, in the United Provinces, the Legion is a very special concept, not only about command, but also about power.

"So the United Provincial Army usually does not go out, so if it is to go out, it means to go out a complete legion.

"If two five brigades were to be dispatched, they would rather let two legions throw half of the infantry than to break one legion into two."

"So, I think, the enemy that appears behind us," Mason concluded, "is likely a legion, a complete legion."

"There may be only one legion right now," Winters retorted, "what if there is still another legion on the way?"

Mason was silent. After a while, he lowered his head, "There is also a possibility."

Geisa glanced at Winters and asked in a rough voice: "What? The United Provincial Legion was transformed from the ashes? One said, one would come? One said, one would come, one would come, one would come?

"If you want me to ask Jansen Connellis to collect reinforcements from the legion, they have already urinated blood. Maybe the legion we are here now is just a good thing!"

"No possibility can be ruled out," Winters seemed extremely stubborn today. "Not afraid of ten thousand, just in case. Have you forgotten the old marshal's words? 'Be a pessimist when defending and always make the worst plans'."

"Baby! Do you dare to suppress me with the words of the old marshal?" Gaisa smiled angrily, and the disfigured half of the face and the intact half of the face turned into two colors, one with red and the other with crimson purple. "The old marshal also said, 'Be an optimistic person when attacking'!"

The sudden fierce conflict between the first and second commanders made the officers present silent.

"Bazenauer is lost," Winters knocked heavily at the seventh, eighth and nine letters on the second row on the table.

Mason remembers that those were three reports from different sources, all confirming that smoke rose in Bazenaur. The worst possible is that the city has been ignited.

"But Maple Stone City is not that easy to lose!" Gaisa immediately fought back.

Winters obviously made sufficient preparations for this debate. "Maple Stone City itself is strong, but the fortress is easiest to break from the inside. If some idiots in Maple Stone City who are changing their minds misjudging the situation and have bad thoughts, then Maple Stone City may be in danger."

"Isn't that old ghost in Skur?" Geisa scolded sternly, "Don't underestimate Skur Mecklen! He will do ruthlessly without hesitation when necessary."

"I have no doubt about this," Winters sighed, "but General Skul is different from you and me in terms of the definition of 'when necessary'.

"General Skur will only wait until the other party makes a mistake before he will punish him. But the current situation is that if the other party makes a mistake, it will be too late."

"Kai Moorland will help, too." Geisa waved her hand.

"It's hard to say," Winters said with a blank expression. "He is the one I'm most worried about."

"Anyway, Kay Morland is not the same as the UNESCO after all."

"That's right, but he will definitely take the opportunity to make the conditions and demand power. It is dangerous enough to let him get a seat. He can even cause so much trouble for us if he is asked to raise the price again, I wonder how much trouble we will cause!"

Mason on the side heard the more he heard it, the more he was, the more he was. When was it Geisa Adonis the turn to say good things to Kay Morland, and Winters Montane poured dirty water on the latter?

"Fuck you boy! What's going on?" Geisa was said to be anxious, "How can you just say what I said? When did you become so pessimistic?"

"I am just stating the fact that Maple Stone City is not only the political center of Xinken Land, but also the economic center and the supply center." Winters looked at the other officers present, "More importantly, the families of many people present are now in Maple Stone City. So Maple Stone City must not make any mistakes."

After winning the default of the officers present, Wintersteur saw the dagger and attacked Gaisa, "You should go back to Fengshi City as soon as possible to ensure that there is no danger in the rear. Just leave it to me."

"Oh?" Gaisa slowly stood up, "Coup? Force the palace? Want to undermine me?" His eyes cut off his subordinates at the table, "Did you still connect in advance? Let's join forces to drive me away?"

"Yes," Winters admitted directly.

"Then you will announce the withdrawal of the troops?" Gaisa hit the conference table with a "bang" punch. The loud noise made the clerks and messengers coming and going outside the tent stop in shock.

"Bastar!" Gaisa roared, his hands trembling with anger, "Do you think I can't afford to lose? Is my honor your turn to protect me?! Do you think I will abandon my subordinates and run away at the last moment of the battle, and then let others recognize the defeated person I fought for me? Bastard!"

Everyone present was speechless.

Everyone knows that it is difficult to continue to fight the siege of the Kings Castle to this extent.

Even if you don’t care about the enemy behind you, keep fighting and defeating Bishop’s Fortress?

There was also a series of forts, forts and city walls waiting.

The people of the Union Province can completely support the kings' forts after the new land is raging.

Everyone in the big tent knows the truth that "if you stop breaking, you will suffer from chaos."

But when it is time to be a hero who wants to cut off his arm, the feeling is indescribable.

That decision is difficult to make.

The most important thing is that someone has to bear the responsibility.

"You are the supreme military commander of the New Republic, and your honor is the honor of the New Republic army," Winters is neither humble nor arrogant. "Every soldier in the New Army has the responsibility, obligation and power to maintain it."

"No, I don't need others to protect my honor," Gaisa glanced at everyone coldly, "and no need for others to give orders for me."

He called out directly, "Major Richard Mason!"

"yes!"

"Record."

"yes!"

"Start immediately, our army gave up its original combat goal of conquering the Kings Forts, and officers at all levels immediately began to prepare for the withdrawal of troops," Gaisamer stood for a moment. "In this battle, all the troops fought bravely and tenaciously. You all showed the highest quality and most admirable courage. The responsibility for the failure of the combat is all in the commander-in-chief, Gesa Adonis alone."

After Mason finished recording, Geisa took the parchment paper, signed his name, and threw away the quill.

"Now it's time to start discussing how to retreat," he ordered simply.

Suddenly, a corner of the curtain was lifted, and a clerk lowered his head and delivered a letter to Mason.

After seeing it, Mason raised his head, "The identity of the enemy reinforcements has been determined."

"Oh," Gaisa raised his eyebrows, "Which legion is it?"
To be continued...