A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 528 General and Strategist

The commander of the Kingdom of Sardinia endured the most terrifying three days.

Their troops inexplicably amassed in the middle of the valley, and to this day, not a single officer has dared to step forward and admit that they gave this foolish order, including Sardin's general. Even when questioned, the soldiers and junior officers could not recall how the army got stuck in the valley and was caught red-handed by the National Guard.

The Southern Front of the National Guard of Valois arrived in trucks, singing songs, only to find the bewildered and disorganized Allied soldiers. They found it amusing, but they also took it seriously and put in at least 80% effort to fight these scattered invaders.

The National Guard's speed of movement greatly exceeded their expectations. The Allied forces and the Church had originally estimated that the enemy would need at least five more days to advance, and that this gap should have been given them time to attack Anion.

If they capture the city, they can hold it and raise the banner of the Restoration of the Church, which will surely attract believers in southern Valois to respond. If they fail to capture it, they can run away, fantasizing that the National Guard will always be one step behind them.

These are all valuable experiences accumulated by the Church and the southern nations during their many holy expeditions.

They were then quickly overwhelmed by a three-star infantry regiment fresh from the Republic-Empire battlefield. The incomprehensible tactics, weaponry, mobility, and communication efficiency were not only eye-opening for the Allied forces, but also mind-blowing and awe-inspiring.

Are you and the Empire both that powerful?

The Allied forces were greatly shocked. The National Guard was equally shocked. These invaders had no concept of waging a war of aggression. The imperialists, after suffering setbacks, were able to retreat in an orderly manner and even pick up entrenching tools to build trenches that were disgusting to look at. But the Allied forces here surrendered without a second thought, and they were still in a daze when they surrendered.

The reason they were able to fight for three days was because the National Guard had too little mobility, resulting in a very small number of soldiers arriving in the Agnès region.

Meanwhile, the Allied forces on the other side were so overwhelmed by the sheer number of soldiers with their hands raised that the Valois couldn't even accommodate them all. Just as the National Guard was hesitating about whether to "dehumanize" these men, monks from the "New Vatican" of Arnión stepped forward, offering to spare the lives of the captured soldiers.

They can survive as long as they identify with the Church of Agnès and attend Mass presided over by the new Pope.

General Galisha observed the "Great Peace Mass," which took place in the valley where the Allied forces had been defeated, and all prisoners of war were given tools for labor. The Church of Agnès, under the pretext of preparing the Mass site, had the prisoners level the ground and build tents.

Then the church built a "sacrament" and a "temporary bell tower" on the high ground. For the third time, singing rang out in the valley; this time it came from a pure choir. Their clear, melodious voices brought tears to the eyes of the prisoners of war.

It feels so good to be alive. Thank you, Lord! Praise be to the Lord!

The two men observing the prisoners of war from their vantage point were very satisfied with the harmonious, orderly, and vibrant scene.

"General Galisha, the prisoner-of-war camp you requested will be completed before dark. It will be entirely voluntary, and no one will resist or cause trouble."

Duplesci rarely made a public appearance outside the Bishop's Palace in Arneon. When he went up to the "Altar of Sacrament," he was on crutches and limping. Galicia almost couldn't keep up with the former bishop who claimed to be "waiting to return to the Lord's embrace with his broken body."

"Thank you so much. I will report this to the committee members and convince them that religion still has its merits for the country."

Duplesci frowned slightly at the general's words, unsure whether to agree or disagree, and gently brought up the subject: "Your Excellency, there's also grain. It's said we have nearly 30,000 more mouths to feed."

"Oh yes, so we originally wanted to disarm them and repatriate them all, or simply all of them." The Republic itself was facing a food shortage, so feeding these prisoners of war was impossible.

"We can try another approach," Deplesi said, squinting as he gazed south. "I suggest you and the new Vatican jointly write a strongly worded letter."

The letter was successfully delivered to the Confederate headquarters.

"Since the Confederate Army's brazen invasion of the Republic, severely infringing upon our sovereignty and territory and causing enormous losses, your army has, as of the time of this letter, captured over 28,000 men. Out of humanitarian concern and in accordance with the teachings of the Lord of Light and Order, our army has taken appropriate measures to resettle them, but will not provide them with rations. We request that your army and all participating nations provide each person with daily rations according to the following standards."

"If you can provide them with ten days' worth of rations immediately, our army will suspend its pursuit of your forces. If you cannot provide them before sunset tomorrow, you will bear the consequences!"

The military attaché from Venaya was in charge of reading aloud, and after finishing, he commented: "The prisoners of war will not be released before the war ends, unless we exchange them for the prisoners we capture. Hmm, reasonable."

"Each person shall consume no less than 800g of refined flour per day, which can be converted into unrefined flour, wheat, or other grains according to the specified ratio."

The Venetian military attaché slammed the letter on the table: "Is this a pig farm? How can it eat so much?!"

Commanders from other city-states or countries were the first to understand: "This is to ask us to sign an informal agreement that we will continue to provide food for the Valois during the war."

"What if we give it to them, but they renege on their promise and continue their attack?"

"Is Valuwa short of food? I have connections to get wheat from the Sand Kingdom."

"Have you gone mad from being in the military? They haven't been able to pay in cash for over a year."

"Whether we can afford to pay now is not important; if they can win, we can make a profit."

The command post was arguing about the "extortion letter," with everyone's mouths and hands frantically exchanging opinions, and somehow the conversation veered off to the topic of food trade.

"Gentlemen, we are at war," the general of Sardinia said. The Sardinian army had suffered the greatest losses in the past three days, but it was still the strongest in the allied forces. So when he spoke, everyone else shut their mouths and put down their hands to show him the respect due to him.

He looked around at all the commanders: "Since they want food, we can hand over some of the supplies that came with the army. First, it shows our willingness to cooperate; second, it prevents our captured compatriots from starving to death; and third, it can speed up the army's withdrawal."

"But delivering the grain doesn't mean everything is fine. We still have 50,000 troops left. We can't just flee; we have to retreat in an orderly and organized manner. Otherwise, if the Valois capture us again, are we going to have to go back home and ask the church and your motherland for feed for another 50,000 pigs?"

"Easy for you to say. Do you really think we can defeat such a powerful enemy?"

The one who interrupted was a military officer from a commercial city-state, the same guy who had been loudly discussing grain trade earlier. Within three steps, Sardin's general, his blood boiling, judged the distance, drew his sword from his waist, and stabbed the noisy fellow right through.

He decisively drew his rapier and stomped on the mouth that was groaning: "And most importantly, we must unify the command of the allied forces and enforce strict discipline. Act like soldiers, gentlemen!"

The blood of the stabbed man gushed from the wound, splattering all over the general of the Kingdom of Sardinia, making him appear like a demon and silencing everyone in the command post.

The general had truly gained command of the allied forces. After making all possible preparations for the retreat, he returned to his tent, where a handsome bard was playing his zither.

The poet appeared unexpectedly during the battle three days ago, taking a stray bullet for the general. To repay his savior, the general allowed him to accompany him, had the army doctor treat his wounds, ride in the general's own carriage, and rest in his own tent.

The poet claimed to have traveled extensively and expressed his willingness to accompany the general to the Kingdom of Sardinia. During their conversation, the handsome young man's knowledge and insight impressed the general.

He briefed the general on the changes in Valois, the Empire, and Bain, and explained the current situation, convincing the general that Sardinia and the entire southern coast of the continent needed to unite and implement reforms if they wanted to become as powerful as the aforementioned countries.

The first words spoken by the general, who harbored such ambitions, were: "I don't know what came over me today, but I did something impulsive." He couldn't help but reveal his true feelings to his savior.

"But you don't regret it." The bard's clear eyes could still see through the warrior: "You believe you did the right thing."

"Yes, I am right. Everything is necessary, Sardin. No, I will unify all the southern kingdoms."

"Very good, very good! I will witness this great feat and create an epic worthy of being remembered and sung!" Balan exclaimed.

(End of this chapter)