Balak stood on a slightly higher hillock in the forest, looking at the dense jungle that seemed to be able to swallow everything. Scouts kept coming in a hurry to report to him the current battle status of each army. After a few inquiries, he
Make targeted tactical instructions.
He did not personally join the battle. On the battlefield of tens of thousands of people, even as a sword master, his power alone could be ignored. There may be strong men who can change the situation of the battle alone, but he knew that as an empire general, he could not do anything.
What are the responsibilities that should be fulfilled?
The commanders under his command were faithful enough to carry out his orders, slowly advancing into the forest, and rarely appearing to rush into the forest. Although the Oren Empire was no longer as powerful as it once was, the training quality of the Imperial Forbidden Army was enough to
It proves that this powerful country that once dominated the mainland has not truly lost its glory.
Although this glory was mixed with something that was brought by the man in black robes that was still unclear.
"Okay, you go down. Keep moving forward slowly, don't worry about the enemy's movements."
He issued instructions to the commander who came to ask for instructions, and after the commander saluted and left, he frowned vaguely.
The situation of the war is still not beyond his control. More than ten years of war experience, coupled with timely reports from the Imperial Forbidden Army, allow him to accurately grasp most of the trends on this battlefield.
The Elna people are preparing to retreat, and he is sure that it is not a trap. They no longer try to use the terrain advantages and strategic depth to carry out guerrillas, and plan to abandon the forest completely and go to a safer area. Even if the Theocracy's legions are heading here
, the Elna people’s evacuation preparations are still continuing.
He can guess the other party's thoughts and purposes. Neither the Oren Empire nor the Violet Empire is likely to take the initiative to attack the church army. For the Erna people, the most important thing is to get rid of the current unfavorable situation of being surrounded on three sides, and at the same time
Let the many civilians in the kingdom avoid the trauma of war as much as possible.
The best response at this time is to attack quickly and inflict heavy damage on the Elna people before they complete their evacuation. In this way, even if the opponent successfully reaches the pass that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the Imperial Army can still have sufficient military advantage.
However, some kind of uneasiness made him take more cautious actions. To be precise, it was closer to intuition, a slight doubt about his allies.
There is no need to worry about the coalition forces of the Violet Empire and the Sachi people. Lalum's failure to show up was expected. With the strength of the empire's twin weapons, it is enough to contain a large amount of the Elna people's strength.
The Fritz army has been stationed on the east side of the forest for half a month. Gill, who is responsible for liaison and serving as the commander of the enemy, has not heard any new news for a while. He has a good impression of the black-haired woman, but this
The strange movements of this army and the estrangement between races prevented him from seeing each other as an ally he could rely on.
As for Hughes, that guy has never been determined, and that was the case in "The Brigade". Rather than saying that he is one of our own, it is better to exclude him from consideration, which is more convenient for the implementation of the strategy.
The people who worried him the most were the soldiers under his command and the man in black robes who called himself Cullen Dar.
As far as he knew, the empire did not invest all its elite troops in this war. The troops stationed on the southeastern border all year round and the generals who commanded them remained in place. In fact, only a few of Rogman's men entered the battlefield.
Ten thousand Imperial Army soldiers, and more young people who have recently been recruited.
No matter what kind of secret method or divine power, it should not be without any cost for a group of new recruits who have only been trained for a month to reach the strength of experienced soldiers. The resurrected Imperial soldiers and Black Crow members are also existences that he cannot understand.
So far, the performance of these soldiers has been pretty good. But no general, including him, likes an army that cannot be controlled - that means potential changes.
That is just one of the concerns. Another important reason is that he is not sure that the war currently being fought is "correct".
War is supposed to be ruthless, but it may not be just. He already knows this. However, if he follows His Majesty's intention and follows the instructions of the man in black robe, will the result really be as expected?
Yes, Cullen is an ally recognized by Bayard. But if "she" can make mistakes, maybe... Bayard can do the same.
Most of their current actions are based on Bayard's course of action. If Bayard is wrong, these actions themselves, including this war, will become a joke. As for whether the empire can regain its glory,
He doesn't really care.
So much for the unwarranted thinking - Bayard's chance of making a mistake is very low. He is not someone who changes his mind easily, nor is he as hesitant as Hughes. As a general, caution is necessary when the situation is unclear, but everything is
To be built on final victory.
"Send scouts to reconfirm the movements of the Fritz people," he ordered, "and the movements of the church army."
The scouts took the order and left. Barak continued to send messengers to let the more advanced troops prepare for defense, and the columns in safe positions camped and rested. Those imperial soldiers who had "resurrected from the dead" were dispatched to the forest by him.
The east side is used to deal with emergencies from the church army or the Fritz people.
After doing all this, he walked to the trunk of a banyan tree and sat down, leaning on it and closing his eyes to meditate. He was just a mortal, and would also get tired or injured. However, the "resurrected" emperors not only never tired,
It can also quickly treat most of the injuries suffered. Soldiers who have only drank the 'potion' also have extraordinary morale and unusually abundant energy. In the "Brigade" back then, every member was the top in the mainland.
mercenaries, but there are no such guys who have broken away from human boundaries.
Now that we have them, they are still a group.
Cullen proposed to let the "Lord of Heaven" bless him, but he flatly refused.
The effect of blessing is indeed excellent, but it is still not worth trying a spell of unknown origin. Barak doesn't know much about magic, but he knows that there are many spells that can unknowingly make the recipient fall into a trap.
Rather than illusory divine power, he believed more in his tempered body and the combat skills and experience accumulated over more than ten years.
The night gradually enveloped the forest, and the stars dotted the sky, witnessing the new day that had just arrived, and then gradually faded away. The war subsided slightly, and the soldiers' quiet conversations replaced the sounds of animals that should have been there. For the forest now, this has been a long time ago.
Come to rare peace.
The sound of galloping horse hooves broke it. Barak opened his eyes alertly and looked at the panting young scout who was dismounting from his horse.
"What happened?" He said in a deep voice, "Don't panic, the outcome of a war never depends on one minute."
"F-F, something happened to the Fritz people -" the young man tried to breathe evenly, his voice filled with uncontrollable panic, "They released an out-of-control... big guy, it was rampaging, destroying the area nearby.
Make a mess!"
The bad premonition has come true, Barak thought. He stood up quickly, gripped the heavy sword that had been placed by his knees, and gave the order.
"Take me there. At the same time, send orders to the third and seventh columns stationed nearby to go near the Fritz camp and prepare for support!"
Two people and two horses walked quickly through the forest. Barak's riding skills were better than those of the scouts. He held a heavy sword in one hand and listened carefully to the sound of horns ringing in the forest. The two columns that were given the order were far away from the Fritz people.
The camp is about five kilometers away. The members are all "resurrected" emperors. There is no need to get up and prepare. It only takes half an hour to arrive at the scene.
He crossed one of the columns first and rushed up to the hill near the camp. With the rising morning light, he could clearly see the chaos taking place there——
A huge beast that looks like a mixture of tiger, bear and wolf is rampaging in the camp. It is about seven meters tall and more than ten meters long. The skin all over its body is dark purple, mottled like dry tree bark.
Cracked. There are three pairs of thick limbs growing under its body - seemingly a pair of forelimbs, two pairs of hind limbs, and a pair of curved arms and sharp claws protruding from the back, waving on both sides of the body, tearing apart anyone who dares to get close.
It cracked. Yellow-green smoke spurted out from its mouth and nose, and the contaminated soldiers fell to the ground one after another, covering their faces and letting out painful wails.
It opened its huge mouth and yawned. Barak saw that its mouth was filled with three rows of sharp teeth, mixed with fresh flesh and blood.