I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 198 The Choices of Both Sides
Chapter 130
"This rocket...it's really powerful..."

The little devil, who had been lying on the ground, slowly stood up. He first looked at the raging sea of ​​fire in front of him. The rolling heat made his cheeks burn, so he couldn't help but retreat nearly ten meters away before he felt a little better.

The explosion of a single rocket destroyed half of the front of the shield formation. How much damage would those thirty-five rockets, which were launched into the air, cause to the enemy?
Even the young bosses dared not imagine how many people had died outside.

However, when the little devil walked around the fire and stood on the edge of the position to look out, he realized that things were not quite as he had imagined.

The rockets were very powerful, but their accuracy seemed to be a problem. The thirty-five rockets were scattered unevenly over a large area, with the farthest one flying at least two kilometers away, and the closest one...

Yes, it exploded right on the launch pad, at point-blank range.

With a range of zero to two thousand meters and a damage radius of approximately five to fifty meters, the explosive shockwave carries a sustained high temperature, making this unnamed rocket very powerful and dangerous, both for the enemy and for itself... a double-edged sword.

The randomly flying rockets, due to their uneven and irregular landing points, failed to cause much damage to the enemy. Of the thirty-five rockets launched, at most only three to five landed in the enemy ranks.

More rockets flew haphazardly before crashing onto open ground or exploding in mid-air, creating a massive explosion.

Rather than saying the enemy was driven away by rockets, it would be more accurate to say they were frightened away by the first time they had ever seen rockets.

The unknown is humanity's most primal fear.

The little devil observed all this, lost in thought. The wind from afar carried the smell of gunpowder and burnt protein into his nostrils. In the distance, the fleeing enemy left winding trails of blood on the abandoned farmland, like a line of ants torn apart by a mischievous child.

Looking at the fire in the distance where sporadic flames were still rising, the young master's gaze was suddenly drawn to a certain part of the battlefield ahead.

Three charred bodies lay sprawled in a radial pattern at the edge of the still-burning bomb crater. One of them was still convulsing; the shockwave had ripped open the man's breastplate, revealing his charred internal organs, from which pinkish blood foam seeped with each breath.

The little guy's Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he felt like vomiting.

It's so uncomfortable.

This game is too realistic, that's not good either.

Have you seen enough?

The sudden sound startled him so much that he almost fell over. The little devil turned around and saw that it was Lin Ruoyu.

"Stop looking! Pack your things and get ready to run away."

"what?"

"Hurry up, dismantle the launch pads and haul them away, and this too..."

As Lin Ruoyu spoke, he tossed a fist-sized iron fist with a complex mechanical structure into the arms of the little devil, who caught it without understanding why.

"What the hell is this?"

"I don't know. It's something that the artist took from a rocket before he died. He wanted you to take it with him."

"Brothers, hurry up! The fleeing enemy is regrouping."

Eagle Eye's voice came from above. The man, who always squinted, was now clinging to the half-collapsed watchtower ruins like a gecko. The lens of his telescope reflected the billowing dust on the horizon.

"Let's go, let's go..."

Although the enemy was regrouping and reorganizing two kilometers away, and the situation looked very serious, the Ultramarines Chapter's retreat was completed smoothly.

The Miniese infantry were not only terrified, but the fires caused by the explosions of rockets that fell on the battlefield were also a key factor.

Kingdom Plains was a large farm, where every flat piece of land had been developed into farmland, but it was abandoned due to the war. Now it is overgrown with waist-high weeds and shrubs, and these plants are all withered due to the winter.

The rockets fell, and once they caught fire, they ignited the barren land instantly. Flames licked at the dry stubble, and when the Ultramarines finally retreated after working for more than ten minutes, the entire wasteland behind them had already been dyed dark red by the flames.

Not to mention the infantry, even the dragoons were temporarily unable to bypass the fire and pursue the enemy.

The several truckloads of barbed wire that Lin Ruoyu had hastily prepared for this retreat were essentially wasted.

……

Looking at the wildfire that was burning ever brighter before him, General Dodd's face was as gloomy as the sky before a storm. He stood at the edge of the fire, his eyes burning like torches, staring intently at the raging wasteland.

Flames licked the dry stubble, and the firelight from a kilometer away illuminated his resolute face. The heat wave carried by the wind caused sweat to slide down his forehead, but it did nothing to soften the frost that had settled between his brows.

Looking at the fire in front of him, he knew that the enemy's main force was not on the other side, and even if they were, they must have run away.

"General...this..."

The chief of staff standing to the side seemed somewhat at a loss.

Should we build a firebreak?

"No...we retreat. Which way is the wind blowing now?"

"East..."

The chief of staff glanced back at the direction in which the army's flags were waving.

"Hmm, later on, it might blow northwards, because there are mountains to the north..."

That was enough; Dodd didn't listen any further.

"This fire... burns very well."

General Dodd's voice was deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

"Pass down the order: have all troops abandon all non-combat supplies, take only basic rations, and immediately retreat to Waterladnoy."

"Oh, sir, aren't we going to put out the fire? If we create an isolation zone now, it's not too late."

The chief of staff was very puzzled.

"Why would we do such a thing? We didn't start this fire, and this place isn't even part of the Kingdom of Minicia."

Dudley’s tone was relaxed, with a hint of pleasure. He unfastened the silver-inlaid wine jug from his waist, tilted his head back, and drank the last sip of mead.

"In a sense, this fire solved one of my problems. No matter where Prince Chris's army was hiding or what evil plots they were planning, he had to stop them."

"If he doesn't put out the fire, then next year this grain-producing area of ​​Bagnia will be barren, and the Bagnians will surely starve. But if he does put out the fire, then our opportunity will arrive."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud crash came from the north side of the fire, as a century-old oak tree collapsed amidst the flames.

Seeing this, Dud's lips curled into a cold smile. He knew all too well that this fire would change the ecology of the entire kingdom's plains... The burned plains would need three years to recover, and if the flames were allowed to burn, it would weaken the enemy's war potential.

As for whether it would spread to a wider area, General Dudley was not worried about such a thing, because according to the war experience written by his ancestors, if such a fire spread to the entire plains of the kingdom and burned everything that could be burned, there would be a high probability that it would rain or snow and extinguish the fire.

Conversely, even if such a thing didn't happen, Dud wouldn't care. Since the fire wasn't burning on Miniscia's soil, he wasn't afraid or apprehensive no matter how fiercely or massively it burned.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately! Retreat quickly!"

……

The Minisians had fled, and Chris, who learned of the situation from the players' reports and his own observations, was somewhat frustrated.

He originally intended to send a large army of players on a nighttime forced march to block the Minesians, and then launch a decisive battle on the second or third day to crush the Minesian interventionist forces in one fell swoop.

Now, the Minisians have fled because of a fire, leaving Chris in a difficult situation.

To put out a fire, or to intercept and attack the Minieses.

This may seem like a multiple-choice question, but in reality, there is only one option... and that is to continue fighting.

Leading a large army to rush twenty kilometers to fight the fire?

The Minisians have only retreated temporarily. When Chris leads his men on a forced march to put out the fire, do you think they might turn around and launch a surprise attack?

The Minisians had a professional light cavalry force of nearly a thousand men, and launching a blitzkrieg on horseback was not something they couldn't do.

Even with the warning from player scouts, Chris was able to receive the intelligence simultaneously and react in time, but then what?
Should we try to put out the raging fire in front of us?
If we need to put out the fire, what will happen to the enemy forces that are attacking from behind?
If we only focus on the enemies behind us, then the flames on the other side will spread. What should we do?
Doesn't this turn into a "do-or-die" situation?
Can win?

Uncertain; Chris doesn't seem to have the confidence to cosplay Xiang Yu.

So, after much thought, Chris realized with dismay that he actually had no choice; at least, he couldn't think of a third option.

The troops split into two groups: one to put out the fire, and the other to kill the enemy.
Isn't this still gambling?!

"Ugh……"

Chris sighed.

Having made up his mind, Chris didn't hesitate for long.

……

The thick green tent billowed in the night breeze through the forest. Black and white bear sat alone inside, with an antique-style tortoise-shell patterned ceramic lamp that he had bought for a silver dollar on a nearby elmwood table.

In the warm light of the tortoise-shell patterned ceramic lamp, a three-legged gilded incense burner sits on the tea table, its pine resin fragrance wafting out and flowing down like water, submerging the ointment used to maintain the weapons beside it, creating a pleasant aroma inside the tent.

In this environment, Monokuma used a cotton towel soaked in translucent castor oil to gently wipe the horizontal sword resting on his knee.

Playing games requires a sense of ritual, and Monokuma is feeling great right now, as if he has truly become a warrior from the Tang Dynasty.

Little Langdo, who peeked in from behind the tent flap, also felt that the scene was very religious, sacred and solemn.

The evening breeze rustled the bronze bells atop the tent, their delicate sounds creating a rhythmic cadence with the scraping of a knife.

The black and white bear's drooping eyelashes cast a fan-shaped shadow on his cheekbone, and the reflection of the blade traveled along the tip of his round nose, cutting his naturally smiling face into an altar mural of light and shadow.

This scene captivated young Rondo, who even unconsciously softened his breathing, afraid of disturbing the knight he served.

Rondo is a recruit of the black and white bear in the town of Hilla. He is the younger brother of Mr. Dolan, the local patriarch, and is only sixteen years old, not yet an adult.

Mr. Dolan from the town of Hilla was very enthusiastic. He sponsored the Han-Tang Warriors with money and effort, and even reached an agreement with the leader, becoming a partner in the warriors.

Every member of the Han-Tang Warriors Warband with a reputation value of over 100 can apply to receive an auxiliary soldier. As the member with the most outstanding combat record in the warband, Black Bear is naturally qualified to receive an NPC auxiliary soldier. He doesn't even need to apply; people are eager to become his auxiliary soldier.

Little Rondo was personally delivered by Mr. Dolan.

Monokuma was initially reluctant, simply because he felt that Rondo was a burden. He would have to spend extra money to support him, and during battles, he would have to worry about whether the kid would die, which would cause his reputation to drop.

But after spending a few days with Black and White Bear, Rondo changed his mind.

With this assistant soldier, Monokuma's life and fighting style underwent subtle but positive changes.

Although young, Little Rondo's presence has brought unexpected help to Monokuma. He's like a nimble little shadow, always silently following behind Monokuma, learning and growing.

During the day, he tended to the black and white bear's horses, ensuring that the warhorses' manes were always neatly combed and the saddles were polished to a shine.

He would also take the initiative to prepare food and boiled and cooled drinking water while Monokuma was busy, and even learned simple weapon maintenance techniques.

Whenever Monokuma wiped his sword, Rondo would quietly watch from the side, learning from Monokuma's actions how to maintain weapons and how to check every detail of the equipment.

Gradually, he began to take on some simple maintenance tasks, such as wiping the shield and checking the arrows in the quiver for any damage.

Rondo's presence made Monokuma's life more organized. He no longer needed to be distracted by trivial matters and could focus on fighting.

Just then, a commotion came from outside the tent, interrupting Monokuma's concentration and bringing him back to his senses. He frowned and looked in the direction of the sound with great displeasure.

"Rondo!"

"I am here, sir."

Little Rondo crawled in, mimicking what he had seen, and stood tall and proud, saluting the knight he served like a little adult.

"Let's go see what's going on?"

Little Rondo immediately turned and ran away, and a short while later he came running back, panting, with a letter of order in his hand.

"My lord, it's Prince Chris's order!"

Monokuma stood up, trotted over quickly, grabbed the item, opened it, and after only a few glances, burst into laughter.

"Sir, is this?"

"Great news! A combat mission! My chance to make a name for myself has arrived!!!"

"what?"

Little Rondo didn't quite understand, and Monokuma didn't offer much explanation.

"Go quickly, prepare the horses. Get my warhorse and the two mules with their backs to me ready. Give them enough water and food, and then prepare three days' worth of rations for both people and horses..."

(End of this chapter)