Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters
Chapter 1174 - 18 Great Alliance Advances (3)_2

Chapter 1174: Chapter 18 Great Alliance Advances (3)_2

"Alright! Stop scaring the kids!" Colonel Gaisa laughed heartily, pointing at the junior officers: "Look, one by one, you’ve scared them all white!"

The junior officers also laughed awkwardly, and the gloomy and oppressive atmosphere was temporarily alleviated.

"No, I’m not just talking to scare you." Colonel Skool did not appreciate the gesture. He scrutinized each junior officer’s face: "Most of you were sent to the Newly Reclaimed Land right out of school, without having experienced real war. So before you step onto the battlefield, I want you to understand the situation you’ll face and the risks you’ll bear."

Some junior officers bravely met Colonel Skool’s gaze, while others lowered their heads in shame.

Skool’s gaze finally rested on Winters Montagne, who neither returned the gaze nor showed any sign of guilt, but sat upright with a composed posture.

Colonel Skool withdrew his gaze and told everyone present coldly: "In fact, I think Maplestone City is simply bait thrown out by Sanel, to lure us into action, to entice us to attack. Once we take the bait, Sanel will then take the initiative."

He paused for a moment and continued: "I even think that Sanel and Chloe are eager to attack Bazenaur as a way to lure the enemy. He wants to kill two birds with one stone, while encircling and annihilating Alpad’s troops, he also leads us into a trap. At that point, he could sweep through the Newly Reclaimed Land and eliminate all those who oppose the Grand Council and the traitor Grof Magnus."

Although it was already May, the officers present felt a chill.

Colonel Skool remained silent for a long time, until the junior officers gradually accepted the reality, then he spoke, asking: "Since we already know the other side is deliberately luring us into action, why are we here now? Knowing it might be a trap, why still step into it?"

The stable was silent.

The colonel took a deep breath and scolded the worried-looking junior officers sternly:

"The first lesson you need to learn from actual combat today is that in war, there’s never a strategy that’s guaranteed to win! Just like when swordsmen duel, whether Sanel exposes a flaw intentionally or not is irrelevant to us. What’s important is to seize the opportunity! A feint might help you win, but it could also lead to your death! Regardless of Sanel’s plans, the important thing is to execute our plan, it’s just that simple!"

"Well said!" Colonel Gaisa clapped and laughed: "Who cares what tricks he has? We’ll stab through with one sword! We’ll settle it on the battlefield!"

Colonel Skool noticed that Winters Montagne, who had been silent, also glanced at him.

"Senior," Colonel Skool turned to Colonel Bod with a slight bow, "’Planning can rely on many, but decisions must be made by one,’ whether it’s Maplestone City or Bazenaur, please give the order!"

Colonel Bod did not answer directly but looked at Skool with a smile and said: "You should be in the Standing Army, at Army Headquarters, how did you end up in the Newly Reclaimed Land?"

All the officers present were taken aback.

"You’ve already explained everything clearly, what’s left to say. Solve Sanel, and Maplestone City will fall without a fight; fail to solve Sanel, and even if you capture Maplestone City, you can’t hold it." Colonel Bod stood up and issued a clear order:

"Detour through Changhai Town, head straight for Bazenaur, and seek a main force battle with Sanel’s troops!"

All the other officers present stood at attention and saluted in unison: "Yes!"

However, Captain Luosong was still quite unwilling and, after hesitating repeatedly, he opened his mouth to ask:

"Perhaps we could first try Maplestone City, and if it does not surrender, we can then head to Bazenaur—it’s just a bit of a detour. The supplies in the warehouse of Maplestone City are piled high, all hoarded by General Adams. Recovering those supplies would greatly benefit the ensuing battle."

"A bit of a detour?" an officer countered: "Detouring through Maplestone City would add at least two days to the route. Bazenaur cannot wait even a day. Perhaps simply due to our one-day delay, Bazenaur’s troops might face total annihilation."

The stable fell silent.

Suddenly, an officer asked with a smile: "Wouldn’t that be even better?"

Hearing this, many officers laughed along, but a few officers showed displeasure, clearly not finding the joke amusing.

Winters neither laughed nor got angry, just quietly observing everyone’s expressions present.

Coincidentally, Skool was also observing Winters.

Their gazes met, Winters nodded slightly, then turned away.

Colonel Skool patiently explained to Captain Luosong, evidently valuing this subordinate: "Our movements will eventually be exposed—in fact, I believe Sanel is very likely already privy to our movements. So every day we waste is akin to giving Sanel an extra day to regroup."

Colonel Skool involuntarily furrowed his brow: "Moreover, since the day we took Maplestone City, driving General Adams to his death, Sanel has been persistently pleading for reinforcements from the Grand Council. Each day we delay brings Sanel’s reinforcements closer to us. Time is both our ally and our enemy."

"Alright, enough nonsense." Colonel Gaisa interjected with a laugh: "Let’s focus on defeating Sanel. The matters that come after defeating Sanel can be dealt with after we’ve won."

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