This heretic cannot be burned, he must be hung up and whipped!

After the battle, Dominica dragged her exhausted body back to the headquarters. Neos, who had recovered somewhat, stepped out of the chariot with her support to inspect the battlefield.

Dongcheng District was shattered beyond recognition, littered with craters and ruins. Corpses piled high, blood staining the ground a dark red. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, blood, and death.

"Victory, Your Majesty," Dominicana whispered, "but at a cost..."

Neos nodded, a trace of sadness in his eyes. "Every soul that fought for freedom deserves to be remembered. Their sacrifice will not be in vain."

They walked slowly across the battlefield, accepting the salutes of the surviving soldiers. There was a complex light in the eyes of each surviving soldier - sadness, pride, relief, exhaustion, but more importantly, hope for the future.

"Your Majesty, look there." Dominic suddenly pointed to a place not far away.

Neos looked where she pointed and saw a Crusader lying on the ground, his mouth still tightly biting the throat of a Hell Knight, not letting go even in death.

"Clean it up, don't let these heroes be left dead in the wilderness." Neos approached and looked at the hair and beard, feeling that he looked a little familiar. He was an ordinary Crusader, with no special powers, no special equipment, but only an indomitable heart.

"Separate them. My instinct tells me he didn't die in 1915," Neos ordered.

Several medical staff came forward and carefully separated Adolf's teeth from the Hell Knight's throat. The Hell Knight was already dead, but Adolf was miraculously still breathing, although weakly, but tenaciously existing.

"If everyone can be as united as he is, Hell will surely fail," Neos said. "For the human will is stronger than steel, and the human soul is hotter than the sun. We will surely win!"

At this moment, Adolf's eyelids trembled, and then slowly opened. His eyes were confused, but soon focused on Neos.

"Saint...My Lord?" he asked weakly.

Neos squatted down and gently held his hand: "I am."

Adolf tried to salute, but he was too weak and could only nod slightly. "Did we... win?"

"Yes," Neos said with a smile, "thanks to warriors like you—by the way, can you tell me your name?"

"Adolf—Adolf Hill."

Adolf on the stretcher curled up the corners of his mouth into a smile, and then closed his eyes again, but this time, his breathing became steadier and the pain on his face was less severe.

Neos had a complicated expression on his face.

"We have to find a way to get him back to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna."

Neos stood up and looked around. Despite the devastation on the battlefield and the heavy casualties, he knew this was a new beginning. The forces of Hell had finally been repelled.

In the last rays of light at dusk, Neos saw the heretic troops gathering again on the distant horizon, but more troops were rushing westward towards Vienna.

We must find a way to evacuate. If the supply is cut off, we will be completely doomed.

"Go and rest, my warriors," Neos said softly, "and start packing up tonight."

"Let's go north."

PS: I'm done, 240 votes, next update 4.5k...

PS2; The first volume is about to end, kids (), and my favorite writing about farming and climbing technology is about to begin (very happy)

Rising Flames: 1914: Chapter 43: The Two-Pronged Evacuation

The last rays of the setting sun finally disappeared on the horizon, night fell over Budapest, and the starlight was dim.

The command center in the western part of Budapest was brightly lit.

After a day's rest, Neos regained some energy and his face became more rosy.

"Call everyone here," Neos said to Dominica, "all senior generals, representatives of all parties, and—"

"I want each neighborhood to elect its most prestigious representatives. The factories must have workers' representatives. The militiamen in the logistics department must also have representatives. Even the children who help us carry messages through the rubble must have someone to represent them."

Dominica frowned slightly. "Your Majesty, are you sure you want to involve everyone? Military decisions usually only require—"

"This isn't just a military decision, Dominican," Neos interrupted. "It concerns the fate of every resident of Budapest. Furthermore, we're not heading back to Rome; we're heading directly north to establish a base. I believe in their loyalty, but what will happen when the beliefs they've been taught from childhood diverge from reality? How many of them will still support me?"

Those who are unwilling to follow me will be sent a team to the northwest, to Vienna. Those who are willing to follow me will go north!

Dominica, these people will be the first backbone of our base area, and we must improve the ideological purity of this group of people."

Dominica nodded and immediately arranged for a messenger to notify all parties.

Within an hour, the hall was packed with people. Officers in tattered uniforms looked exhausted, workers' representatives had motor oil on their hands, and neighborhood representatives, both middle-aged and young, their eyes filled with anxiety and anticipation.

There were even a few children no older than fourteen! They were representatives of the Messenger Squad, standing in the corner, with shiny medals of honor pinned to their chests, representing the missions they had completed amidst the heretic's artillery fire and dangerous ruins.

Ammunition, food, coordinates, battle situation... They are like the platelets in the blood vessels of this city, transmitting these things. Now these children stand with their backs straight in a corner of the command center, looking at the adults around them, feeling nervous and proud.

"Pa" "Pa" "Pa"

When Neos walked into the hall, everyone stood up and burst into warm applause and cheers.

"My fellow countrymen, thank you for your hard work in the battle!" Neos nodded and waved to everyone.

"Long live the Saints!" "Long live Neos!" "We defeated the devil!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. Though exhausted, their eyes gleamed with hope and trust. This was the trust and respect people had for Neos after he had driven out the heretics time and time again.

"Saint, we love you!"

"Saint Lord!"

Old Joseph, the factory representative, stood up, leaning on a cane, his voice hoarse but powerful: "Our workers have been working for thirty-six hours straight, but they say they can keep going for another thirty-six hours as long as you need them to!"

"That's right!" A street representative from the East District stood up. "We're ready! The defeat of the heretics is only the beginning. We will drive them out of Budapest once and for all! Out of Hungary, out of Europe!"

"Drive the heretics out of Europe!!!" "Humanity will win!"

More people joined in, talking about their determination and preparation, and it seemed that victory was within reach.

"Crack!" "Okay, fellow countrymen, be quiet for a moment. I have something to tell you!"

Neos clapped his hands twice, signaling for silence. The hall gradually quieted, everyone anticipating his speech. Neos took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across everyone's face.

"First of all, thank you for your heroic fighting today. You—each and every one of you—are heroes." His voice was calm and firm.

"But I have to tell you a harsh truth: we can no longer hold Budapest."

For a moment, the entire hall fell silent. People looked at each other in disbelief.

"But - but we just won!" blurted out a young militia representative.

Neos shook his head and walked towards the large map hanging on the wall. "We won a battle, but overall we are in a phase of strategic retreat. The war is far from over."

He pointed to the various points marked on the map: "The reconnaissance photos of the Vienna Air Force have been updated. Look here, in Upper Bockony, southeast of Budapest, the enemy's main force is gathering; in Orpak, southwest of Budapest, the heretics have already controlled all the main roads—

Our city is now extremely dependent on pipeline transportation of supplies. Two elite Roman regiments, the 'Tenth Plague Procession' and the 'Pilgrims of Suffering', are stationed in the western city of Mani to maintain the supply line. Opauk is located 10 kilometers southwest of Mani, and Mani is about to be surrounded; and in the north -"

He ran his finger across the map. "The north is still relatively open. Since Mani is still in our hands, the heretics are heading north from Opauk, southwest of Mani, around to Taljan. They want to encircle Mani City—what a detour!

But the forests of the Tauryan region prevented the heretics from advancing quickly, and the Mani region is a plain, so if you can't hold it, you'll lose it sooner or later."

Neos turned to the crowd, "Our victory today only bought us time to evacuate. Reconnaissance planes in Vienna reported that the main force of the heretics was moving towards them, and the second wave of reinforcements from Italy was intercepted by the heretics.

Our supply lines will be cut off soon. If we don't evacuate, we will be trapped here and die in three days - three days at most!"

A low murmur of discussion began to rise in the hall, and people's faces were filled with anxiety.

An elderly woman stood up. She was a representative of the people of the South District. "Your Excellency, many of us have lived here our entire lives. If we evacuate... where will we go? What can we take with us?"

Neos nodded. "That's exactly what we need to discuss tonight."

He looked around.

“I need to hear everyone’s opinions and suggestions.”

Dominica stepped forward, saluted everyone, and then stood in front of the map:

"According to reconnaissance intelligence sent from Vienna, the northwest is the most viable evacuation route. We can advance along the west bank of the Danube, targeting the Győr region and heading towards Bratislava in the Czech Republic. This place is just over 50 kilometers east of Vienna, forming a pincer attack."

A military advisor immediately objected: "But this route is too obvious. The enemy will surely anticipate it!"

"What about the north?" another officer suggested. "Through Miskolc? Beyond that are the Carpathian Mountains, where the heretic landships can't get in."

The discussion became heated. Some advocated for a dispersed evacuation, while others insisted on a concentrated breakout. Everyone had their own opinions on what to carry, how to arrange transportation, and how to protect civilians.

The argument grew increasingly heated, with several officers even beginning to argue loudly.

"Quiet!" Neos suddenly raised his voice, and the entire hall immediately fell silent. He looked around at everyone:

"I understand that everyone has their own concerns and ideas. But we must remain united. Now, let's solve the problems one by one."

He walked over to the map. "First, about the evacuation route." He pointed northwest.

"Dominica's suggestion makes sense. The northwest route is indeed the one with the fewest enemies. But if we all take this route, it will be too obvious. The heretic forces have already broken through to Tarjan, and the Danube River is a few dozen kilometers further north. If we go northwest, with so many people and industrial equipment, it will be difficult to pass."

Neos looked at the officer who had suggested the northern route. "Going north through Miskolc is also feasible. The only problem is that the mountain roads are too rugged. We can't take our industrial equipment with us. We can only take people and light equipment."

"The key is that Vienna is currently short of troops, and we must support Vienna. Once Vienna is lost, all of Central Europe will be threatened by heretics!"

He pondered for a moment and made a decision: "We will evacuate in two groups, one group will take the northwest route, and the other group will take the north route. This will distract the enemy."

PS: The Danube River runs through Budapest from north to south. The red point is the turning point of the Danube River. The Danube River changes from flowing east to west to flowing north to south at this point. The separation point of the two teams is here.

He turned to old Joseph: "As for what to carry, this is the most critical question. We can't take everything with us. We have to make choices."

Factory representative Old Joseph cleared his throat and said, "Saint, some of our factory equipment cannot be taken away. If we leave it behind, the heretics will be able to manufacture more weapons to use against us."

The doctor representative stood up, "But human lives are more important! We must prioritize evacuating the wounded and civilians unable to fight! Saving lives and losing land is as good as saving lives and losing land!"

A quartermaster shook his head: “If we don’t have enough supplies and equipment, even if the evacuation is successful, we won’t be able to rebuild the defense line in the new place. The retreat will turn into a rout and then into a strategic collapse.

Your life is worth nothing; the equipment that can make cannons and chariots is more valuable than you!"

The argument broke out again, each arguing for precedence. Neos listened quietly, then motioned for silence again.

“I understand that every voice has its merits,” he said calmly. “So, we need to have clear priorities.”

He walked to the blackboard and wrote with chalk:

"First priority: core industrial equipment and technicians."

He explained: "This includes key equipment in military factories, precision machinery, and energy facilities. Without these, we cannot continue to resist heresy."

Then he wrote: "Second priority: non-combat personnel and support forces."

"This includes women, children, and medical personnel." Neos looked around. "The purpose of our battle is to protect them. From now on, we must remember what we are guarding. We must understand this clearly and become the people's army!"

Finally, he wrote: "Third priority: combat troops. Our soldiers will take turns covering the evacuation in batches."

An elderly infantry general stood up and said, "Saint, with all due respect, this plan sounds perfect, but it will be very difficult to execute. The enemy will not give us so much time to slowly withdraw."

Neos nodded. "You're right, so we need to conduct reconnaissance."

"Immediately send a reconnaissance team to explore the terrain and enemy defenses in the northwest, especially from the west bank of the Danube to the Gyor area. At the same time, send another team to explore the road conditions in Miskolc in the north. We need to avoid the enemy-controlled area in the southeast."

The general nodded immediately: "Follow your will!"

"We will begin evacuation preparations tomorrow morning and depart at dawn the day after tomorrow," Nios continued. "That gives us about 36 hours to prepare."

A neighborhood representative said worriedly, "But Your Majesty, if we tell everyone we're evacuating, it might cause panic."

Neos thought for a moment, then said, "No, we will not hide the truth."

Some representatives and officials looked embarrassed.

“—but we will control the speed and manner in which information is disseminated.

Representatives will return to their respective areas and gradually inform the people, emphasizing that this is a strategic retreat, a shift forward, not a retreat. Let people understand that we are conserving our strength for a future counterattack.

A young worker representative suddenly raised his hand and asked, "What about the injured and elderly who are unable to move?"

The hall fell silent again. This was a harsh but necessary issue. Currently, the number of lightly wounded soldiers lying on the ground in this city exceeded 30,000, with several thousand seriously injured. This was a considerable number.

Neos took a deep breath and said, "No one will be left behind. I will do my best not to give up on anyone!"

He looked around at the group. "We will requisition all possible means of transportation, including trucks, carriages, carts, and pushcarts. Each civilian who can walk can only carry a backpack of personal belongings, and the remaining space will be used to transport the wounded and those who are unable to move.

After we evacuate, I will put pressure on the local government to make arrangements for us."

Dominica nodded in agreement.

A little boy, a representative of the Messenger Squad, mustered up the courage to raise his hand: "Saint, what can we do?"

Neos looked at the child, no older than twelve, a gentle light in his eyes. "You are our most important part. You will serve as liaisons between the various evacuation teams. You are flexible and agile, able to quickly transmit messages between teams."

The children puffed out their chests with pride.

The discussion lasted all night, every detail being hammered out. There were heated arguments over food distribution and who would cover the rear. But eventually, under Neos's coordination, a comprehensive evacuation plan took shape.