The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

"I...I understand! We would never dare to have any disloyal intentions!"

Upon witnessing this horrific scene, Erwin also knelt down with a thud, his body trembling like a leaf.

"Good that you understand."

Gu Xu nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, "Alright! You can go now!"

Two soldiers came up, lifted Elwin off the ground like a chick, and dragged him away.

Watching Elwin's retreating figure, Li Tiezhu approached and scratched his helmet: "Commander, did you really believe them that easily?"

"These pointy-eared guys are slippery; what if they're sent by Elonnis to feign surrender?"

"A feigned surrender?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu immediately laughed: "Send this thing to feign surrender? Is Elonnis out of his mind, or does he think I am?"

"One more..."

At this point, Gu Xu raised his head, his gaze turning eastward, towards the Jade Palace: "Whether they are sincere or not, does it make any difference to us?"

"We'll accept all the intelligence they provide, whether it's true or false."

"If it's true, we'll go with the flow. If it's false, we'll play along."

"Anyway, the final result is the same."

"The Jade Palace must be pacified."

"As for these fairies who want to be opportunists..."

Gu Xu paused, then smiled slightly: "Let them sway in the wind a little longer. After all, once the wall falls, the grass won't be of much use."

After saying that, he put his hands back in his pockets and waited patiently.

As is customary, at this time, he was the junior chief of staff who wished he could have "the legion commander is wise and mighty" engraved on his forehead.

That is, Comrade Jiang Shu.

You should look at yourself with eyes that are a mixture of 70% worship, 25% admiration, and 5% infatuation.

Finally, add a flattering remark like, "Commander, your strategy is truly flawless!"

He is familiar with this process.

However... a second passed.

Two seconds passed.

Three seconds passed.

Four seconds have passed.

The surroundings were eerily quiet.

The expected flattery did not materialize; instead, an eerie silence filled the air.

Gu Xu's expression froze for a moment; he was a little embarrassed.

He glanced at it discreetly out of the corner of his eye.

Good guy.

Not only Jiang Shu, but also Su Qiong, Lin Yuan, and Li Tiezhu next to him, all of them were looking at him with an indescribable gaze.

Li Tiezhu scratched his head honestly, his face full of bewilderment, as if to say, "I don't understand, but I'm deeply shocked."

Lin Yuan's aloof and expressionless face remained largely unchanged, but Gu Xu could sense a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Sister Qiong was the most composed. She simply brought the cigarette between her fingers to her lips, took a deep drag, and then exhaled a perfect smoke ring.

Amidst the swirling smoke, a pair of beautiful eyes were looking at him with a half-smile.

What really made Gu Xu uneasy was Jiang Shu.

She stood there with her hands behind her back, tilting her head, her big, round eyes staring at him without blinking.

The admiration of the past was gone from those eyes; instead, there was only a complex emotion of doubt.

"..."

Seeing this, Gu Xu's lips twitched involuntarily.

Something's not right here.

That's not how the script was written!

"What's wrong...?"

He cleared his throat, trying to break the awkward silence, and forced a friendly smile: "Why are you all staring at me like that?"

"Did I say something wrong? Or is there something on my face or something?"

Clearly, he was also bewildered by the scene before him.

No, not at all.

Jiang Shu quickly shook her head in denial, hopped forward two steps, and leaned close to Gu Xu, saying very seriously, "It just feels like... Commander, you're getting more and more into that role."

"What does it taste like?"

Hearing this, Gu Xu was slightly taken aback.

Could it be that I haven't showered for two days?

But that's impossible; he showers with his wife every day.

"That's the... real, corps commander vibe!"

As Jiang Shu spoke, she even held up two fingers in a serious manner, as if describing something mysterious and profound.

"The old you, while very strong, was... too upright!"

"Too perfect?"

Gu Xu frowned. These words, coming from this girl's mouth, didn't sound like nice things.

"yes!"

Jiang Shu nodded vigorously, her two little ponytails swaying back and forth: "You used to be the type who, when the enemy came, would say, 'Brothers, charge!' and just get to it!"

"He's handsome, but I always feel like something's missing."

"But things are different now!"

At this point, her eyes lit up, and her tone was filled with excitement: "You now seem to have a sense of strategizing and winning battles from afar!"

"That feeling of subtly scheming against everyone, that insidious cunning... no, that wisdom! That's the true mark of a leader!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu's face immediately darkened.

He felt a throbbing sensation in his temples.

insidious?

Thank you so much!

Is that how you praise someone?!

He opened his mouth, about to say something in his defense, when he heard Su Qiong next to him stub out her cigarette and add calmly, "It's nothing, Commander, it's a heart problem, it's a good thing."

Okay.

One said he was insidious, the other said he had a bad heart.

Why don't you just say I was reckless in the fights before?

Helpless, Gu Xu could only take a deep breath and tell himself to stay calm and not stoop to the level of his subordinates.

Arguing with them makes you seem petty.

"Alright, alright, stop joking around!"

Gu Xu waved his hand dismissively, abruptly ending the topic that was raising his blood pressure: "Everyone, the battle isn't over yet, where are you all putting your energy?"

He looked around, raised his voice three octaves, and tried to use the authority of a legion commander to cover up his embarrassment.

"All troops, advance! Target: The Emerald Palace!"

"Pass on my order: a forced march!"

"Let's try to get there tonight and eat the elves' roasted whole lamb!"

"yes!"

"receive!"

……

However, Gu Xu soon discovered that the pace of progress far exceeded his expectations.

The road ahead was almost too easy.

It was as if someone had run them over with a road roller beforehand.

According to the most optimistic estimate of the General Staff, there are several main defensive lines and more than a dozen large and small fortresses and strongholds between Crescent Pass and Emerald Palace.

Even if the Elven morale collapses and they flee at the first sign of trouble, it would still take them at least five to six days to push through the entire front.

But the truth is, only ten hours have passed.

As dusk approached and the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire Elf Forest in a golden-red hue, the vanguard of the Calamity Army had advanced nearly a thousand kilometers.

There wasn't a single decent battle throughout the entire process.