Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 486: Southeast Dispute
East Territory, Gael Fortress.

Latan, neatly dressed, sat on a broken wooden bench. The magic lantern illuminated the military map on the table, and also made his expression look solemn.

There were three people sitting around the square table. Gaius, who was sitting opposite, was still wearing the heavy black iron armor that covered his face. He was calmly resting his eyes. Gaia, who was on the left, had one foot on a stool. He looked at the map for a few seconds as if he understood something, then took out his sword and started sharpening it. From time to time, he walked aside and walked around a few times, looking anxious. Oga, who was on the right, looked quite steady and was studying the details of the map carefully.

"Can you please stop turning?" Latan finally couldn't stand it anymore and turned to look at his third apprentice brother who was from the same school as him. "If you can't sit still, go to the stable and feed the horses!"

"General," Gaia began to speak, but then he remembered that Latan had repeatedly emphasized that there were no brothers in the army, only superiors and subordinates, so he quickly changed his address. "I just don't understand what else we have to think about. The Grek army will be at the gates of the city in three days at the latest. What are we waiting for if we don't take the initiative to fight back now?"

"Oh?" Latan glanced at him. "It sounds like our Gaia Army Commander has already made up his mind. Come on, point to the map and tell me your strategy."

"Just say it."

Gaia knew that his senior brother wanted to criticize him, but he was not afraid at all. He immediately put the half-sharpened dagger back into the sheath. When he sat back in his original position, the impetuous air disappeared instantly, replaced by a calm and assertive self-confidence.

"According to the South Border intelligence system and the reports from our scouts, Greg is currently leading more than 106,000 troops of the South Border Legion to advance eastward along the Gale Road. He has also sent his half-brother Ge Fuya with 3,000 cavalry to cross the Sacrifice Bridge to suppress Morn City."

"There's no need to consider Ge Fuya's 3,000 men, and Ge Rick's 100,000 men are just a bunch of idiots. In terms of strength, the Southern Border Army can only be ranked at the bottom of the Golden Dynasty's main force sequence. In terms of military discipline, half of them are Kaidan mercenaries. They are used to burning, killing and looting in normal times, and they can't control themselves in their own territory when fighting. Since the Southern Border Army moved eastward, we have detected no less than ten cases of looting at the village level. You can imagine how bad their military discipline is."

"Finally, let's talk about strategic and tactical decisions. It's not that I underestimate the enemy. Just based on the reputation that Greg has created in the southern border over the years, if he didn't lead the army in person this time and handed over all the decisions to the deputy commander and the staff, we would still have to look at him seriously. But what about now?"

"He has an army of more than 100,000 people. First, he has no elite scouts to conduct front-line reconnaissance, and second, he has no light cavalry to cover the flanks. The main force and all the heroes were pushed to the center of the army, surrounding him. He was accompanied by hundreds of singers and dancers. Those who know him would say he is fighting, while those who don't would think he is touring the East Land!"

Gaia became more and more excited as he spoke. He could not help but put one foot on the bench again, and said with high spirits, "If we let this bunch of rabble surround Gale City, they will certainly be vulnerable, but it will inevitably allow the soldiers from the southern border to scatter and plunder, which will ruin the results of our months of operation in the eastern border. It is better to mobilize tens of thousands of elite troops, with dozens of heroes as the spearhead, to block the eastern section of Gale Avenue and defeat the enemy in one blow. I don't believe that a fake demigod like him can turn the world upside down?"

"Sit down!" Gaius immediately poured a bucket of cold water on the boy, "Put your hoof back, you are stepping on my stool!"

Gaia glanced down and was horrified to find that in a moment of excitement, he not only stepped on the eldest brother's stool, but also rubbed the opponent's battle robe under his boots, leaving several black footprints. He quickly sat down at attention.

"In short, this is a war that is completely unequal in every aspect, from intelligence level to military strength, from troop quality to high-end combat power. The time we have to fight wits and courage with the air here is enough for me to lead the army to catch this kid back!" Latan knocked on the table, glanced at Gaia indifferently, and said, "Good analysis. Why, do you think your strategy is bold?"

"It's not bold," Gaia said unconvincedly, "It's just a steady and realistic approach."

"It's not really bold. Just like you said, there is only one Greg. Regardless of his ability to command troops, there are no less than ten people in the East who are better than him in terms of personal strength. The Southern Territory Army is nothing compared to the Storm Knights, the Blazing Sun Legion and our newly established Red Lion Knights who are stationed in the East. So, what gave you the illusion that I would be satisfied with just eating these 100,000 people?"

Gaia was stiff-necked at first, but when he heard the last sentence, he was shocked. "The general is saying that our real goal is to..."

"My strategy is bolder than yours—"

Latan placed his hands on the map and leaned forward slightly. His burly figure was like a collapsed mountain, full of oppression. "A mere Greg is indeed not worth my battle of wits and courage. Therefore, what I want is far more than just repelling the Southern Border Army. I want to break through Stonewell in one battle, and then sweep the entire Nimgefu. These 100,000 Southern Border Army must either surrender or die."

"Don't always focus on a small area. Open your eyes and look at the overall situation. Our real enemy is the Knights of Rodel, my father and the Golden Tree heroes under his command! It is difficult to contain them for a long time just by relying on Kalia occupying a corner of the Perum Fortress. If we don't act thoroughly enough against Greg, once the Golden Dynasty and the magic fleet cross the southern part of Storm Sea, the 300,000 elite troops of Asia will be able to land in the southern border and threaten Kalia's rear with the support of Stonewell. Then our army will fall into a passive position."

"Believe me, while you were happily analyzing how easy it is to bully Greg, my father was already preparing a fleet to sail south in Rodria Port. We have very little time left. We must destroy the Southern Territory Legion, occupy Nimgefor, and complete the defense of the northern coastline of the Southern Territory. At the same time, we cannot withdraw too many troops from the Eastern Territory to prevent the enemy from changing course to Torrens Port and taking advantage of the situation."

"In other words, within ten days to half a month at most, you can lead at most 30,000 troops to clean up the entire southern border and make all preparations to deal with the army of Yatan. Do you still think this battle is so easy?"

Gaia fell headfirst on the table, clasped his hands together over his head, and admitted his mistake, "It's not simple. I will obey the general's orders!"

Latan had no time to joke with him. His handsome and stern brows became more and more furrowed. He already had a general strategy in mind, but there was still one detail that he was not sure about, so he was unable to make a final decision.

Oga, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up and said, "General, are you worried that Duke Stanley of Morn will not cooperate with our army's operations?"

(End of this chapter)