Shadow of the Evil God

I understand that due to the lingering impact of last year's conflict, Denton University is unable to provide personnel this year. Therefore, I am dispatching Count Thane's only son, who achieved such remarkable success at the Battle of Noyen, to this important task. I will write to Governor Gonzales, requesting that he fully cooperate with Count Thane's only son in military decisions and battlefield deployments.

—From Urbino, Duke of Livaren.”

Of course, fame is not always a good thing, especially for a fake reputation that is completely inconsistent with Cesar's level. Once something goes wrong, it will lead to a nightmare commission falling on him, and he will have no way to refuse.

Of course, Urbino was also a complete bastard. Duke Livaren was in high spirits after listening to the nonsense of the beast Musari. The next day, he visited him with an interest that even Cesar could not understand. He talked to Cesar about everything and even told him the ancient secrets of the Yesterran School, as if Cesar

Sal is no outsider at all.

After several days of friendly talks, Urbino agreed to all of Cesar's tentative requests. He not only gave Cesar a pass, but also informed Noyen and the temple to let Brother Kallen leave without asking any more questions. Now it seems that Urbino's purpose is to use some things that are of no importance to him but are of great significance to him.

Cesar had something very important to do and had to do the hard labor.

It cannot be said that he was not grateful to the other party, but he thought over and over again and wanted to settle down in the Denton area of ​​Olidan, go to the palace to pay homage to King Evered IV, go to see the magic of the Yestren School, and respond to the invitation of the Olidan Academy of Sciences. In the end, he was thrown into the remote place of Gonzales.

Unfortunately, not only is this place a desolate wasteland, it's also disputed territory between two nations. Both the Olidan and the Dominicans maintain garrisons in Gonzales, competing with each other. To make matters worse, a large portion of the army has revolted due to the heavy taxes imposed during the Northern War. It's truly absurd.

This place was filled with nothing but rebels, fortresses, and the simmering atmosphere of territorial disputes. Who had he offended? Who should be held accountable first?

Of course, the first person to be held accountable was Chief Musali, who had used him as a target and spoken nonsense.

Besides this, he secretly enjoyed the attention brought by this false fame, and he himself also had some responsibility.

Then again, Cesar had assumed that being a hostage in Olidan would naturally mean he wouldn't have to face the young noble officers from the Kingdom of Donimi, but he was still dragged into this situation. Furthermore, their competition went beyond swordplay, horseback riding, and other competitive events, leaping into the bizarre realm of military command and suppressing rebellions. It was truly unpredictable.

Thinking that he had only commanded artillery to bombard the city walls, he panicked and wanted to rein in his horse and flee, taking Firth and Gouzi with him to the Origin Society's headquarters. But he could only think about it.

As Duke Urbino had said, shortly after leaving Noyen, the ceremonial armies of Olidan, led by the various nobles, dispersed and returned to their respective fiefdoms. The nobles and conscripts had limited annual service periods, so the quickest possible release was preferable. By the time they neared Gonzales, even Urbino himself had vanished, leaving behind only a small force and a few lieutenants, who, with extra money, would accompany Cesar to Gonzales to support the rebellion.

The army was small, but the march was impressive: fifty heavy cavalrymen of high status, each with two or three retainers, totaling nearly two hundred men. They all had horses, weapons, and excellent armor, and the knights even had spare horses.

In order to provide living services for this group of people, the army's baggage camp has more than a hundred servants. In order to provide protection on the march to prevent the knights and their servants from being sacrificed in battle, there are more than a hundred militiamen on the periphery of the army who can lead the charge when necessary, and they wear iron barrels as helmets.

Besides the servants, there were clerks brought by Urbino himself, and many reserve clerks who had escaped from Neuen to make a living - they knew nothing except reading, but reading was enough.

There are more than fifty people in this group.

Because there were so many people and the baggage camp was not small, the team used pack horses and donkeys to pull more than six months of food supplies and a large amount of spare weapons. Even if they did not bring heavy siege equipment and field artillery, the end of the supplies was still visible.

The knights' attitude towards their cheap leader was unclear, but with the Duke's clerk present, they would at least listen to his instructions and accept his suggested marching route—marching along the main road, alongside the relatively densely populated farmland and vineyards. As for the specific extent to which they would listen, it would naturally depend on the wartime situation and his own performance during the battle.

Cesar passed the carriage and glanced at Phils, realizing she was still reading. She was always reading on the road, reading when he was in the carriage, and even when he wasn't. Even if the carriage jolted her head against the roof, she would grab hold of the book first, then throw herself into his arms, curling up like a lifeline.

Phils didn't care about the march at all, but she took note of many things that ordinary people wouldn't pay attention to.

The strange and inexplicable sacrificial rituals of local farmers, the ringing of a church bell at night, the unusual growth of a certain forest, etc. Of course, these strange things would have been threatening to any other traveler, but when the army passed by, everything was very peaceful, giving people the feeling that the whole world was friendly and respectful to them.

This feeling was not bad and it relieved Cesar's mood a lot, but he was sure that the current feeling would end quickly after entering the rebellious area.

He rode past the wagons and then continued on, the procession beside him gradually becoming a creaking mass of carts. If the cavalry's marching column had a powerful, oppressive feel, the baggage train was a strangely amusing, rumbling barn. The packhorses were clumsy and heavy, the donkeys grunted and brayed, the old axles creaked, and the baggage train's servants and clerks were clumsy, moving at a slow pace and muttering complaints that they hadn't traveled such a long distance in a long time.

He came to the baggage train because it was a messy place, making it easier for him to connect with the guys he had sent out to investigate. Honestly, sending out a little girl who looked like a military woman every now and then was really strange, which was why it was so important to find an inconspicuous place.

"I found something good!" A voice popped up beside him, "This time it must be something good." The dog swore

say.

"That's what you said yesterday when you found a head from somewhere in the woods," Cesar said.

He took a cloth-wrapped book from Gouzi's hand. It was soaked in blood and had seeped into the

On the cover of the book. Amidst the dark bloodstains, he could faintly make out a few lines of words: "Military Strategy." Then, on the lower right page, he made out a line of small characters: "Compiled by the University of Denton, New Third Edition."

Cesar coughed a few times in shock, quickly glanced around, and tried to suppress the uneasiness on his face: "Where did the blood on the cover of this book come from? Was it already there when you passed away, or did it appear after you passed away?"

"It was already there when I went there!" said the dog excitedly.

"That's fine. Did you find any bodies? The kind that...looks like a young college student, no, a young noble?"

"No," she said, "only this book and the lingering smell of blood. If I wanted to find it, I could follow the smell, but then I'd be stuck. I've seen plenty of corpses and their belongings along the way, and this is the best!"

Chapter 102: "Military Strategy" has three versions

At first, Cesar thought—or rather, hoped—that it was an accident. There were many reasons why a young nobleman could have died in the wilderness, some noteworthy, others not, but they were in a hurry to get to Gonzales, and even if the relic was a military manual published by the University of Denton, they shouldn't delay too long.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, and the accident happened the next morning.

Last night's fire pits were dying, the birds in the woods were just beginning to sing, and the nearby hills were shrouded in mist. Their marching party had just gathered their provisions for camp and was about to move forward when Cesar heard a sudden commotion. He glanced over the edge of the hill and saw a group of peasants carrying a half-dead heavily armored cavalryman fleeing towards them.

Just as they woke up refreshed, the peasants carried the wounded cavalrymen up the mountain, all the way to the baggage camp where a physician was present. The change was particularly noticeable among some of the young knights. Not only had the boredom of the march vanished, but their faces were filled with excitement. It seemed they had long been pent up over not being able to march to the northern battlefields, eager to prove their combat prowess with fire and sword.

After the doctors' busy treatment, the poor guy soon died.

Unlike the incoherent, rambling peasants, this cavalryman, despite being wounded, spoke clearly and coherently, immediately identifying himself as a member of the Rapid Reaction Unit. It was said that to combat the rebellion, Governor Gonzales had established several similar units in areas prone to frequent attacks. Each unit consisted of several squads of heavily armored cavalry, some mounted musketeers, and battlefield mages for intelligence gathering, ensuring the safety of surrounding towns and villages to the greatest extent possible.

Somehow, these words struck a chord with many present, further fueling the already agitated knights. Cesar was surprised, and when he realized that only some of the young knights were excited, while the others were not, he became even more confused.

"What's going on?" Cesar walked forward and asked a question that concerned him more.

"Our..." The cavalryman hugged his injured thigh with trembling hands. "Our people were deceived. The rebels disguised themselves as local villagers and drugged the water source while we were staying there. We..."

Cesar saw some knights clench their fists, but they didn't look angry. Instead, it seemed as if this scene fulfilled their inexplicable expectations. "What are the casualties?" he asked.

"There was a massacre!" the cavalryman said in pain, his voice gradually becoming lower and lower. "Not only us, but also those innocent people..."

"Are these villagers taking you here to seek help from a town further west?" he asked again.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone stepped forward with a polite gesture. "No need to seek help further west," he said. "I'm deeply sorry for what happened to you, but this group is here to quell the rebellion."

Cesar took a look at the man and saw that it was Knight Varedo, a young officer who had graduated from the Olidan Kingdom Military Academy in the past two years. After hearing the story of the wounded cavalryman, his emotions were particularly excited.

To say what the difference is between young officers who graduated from the Kingdom Military Academy is actually not complicated. Those who perform well can participate in the war in the north at one step, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they have made great achievements. A typical example may be Garcia of the Dominican Kingdom. As for others, they will naturally accumulate qualifications slowly and strive to obtain the qualifications to go to the northern border.

This process of gaining experience is the process of smoothing out the rough edges of a young, cutting-edge officer. This is because, ultimately, most of them are thrown back into their family's domain. If needed, as in the case of Noi'en, they'll be pulled out to form a ceremonial army, marching a few steps, but will soon be dismissed. After all, the king can't afford to fund another battlefield besides the one in the north.

Although Cesar's team didn't have any old knights who had been thrown back into unemployment and then pulled out to work, there were many who would soon be thrown back to their family territory, and many who couldn't go north due to poor performance and had to wait for their qualifications. In any case, they were all guys with less than outstanding performance.

Late last year, the University of Denton and

The citizens of the city started fighting, and the Kingdom Military Academy was also involved. As a result, the chaos continued to escalate. People not only fought in the inner city of the capital, but also almost set fire to the royal palace. If it weren't for this major incident, all the students would have graduated.

His political career has been seriously affected. No matter what, Olidan should have sent a group of young officers who are qualified to go to the north, just like Dominic.

From another perspective, it is not the turn of these guys with enough experience to suppress the rebellion.

The Knight of Valedo was in a state of extraordinary excitement; Cesar had never seen him so spirited and energetic during the entire journey. Normally, his brow was expressionless except for a frown: he frowned when he sighed, when he chatted, even when he was surprised. But this time, it was as if someone had wiped away the wrinkles on his brow.

This was another difficult problem thrown to him by Duke Urbino.

Cesar had to worry not only about Gonzales's rebellion but also about the officers who were going crazy waiting for their seniority, and to what extent this would cloud their judgment - it was really too much trouble.

He had to pay attention, because when he arrived in Gonzales, these knights were a group of mid- and low-ranking officers commissioned by the kingdom to the local area. They commanded not only the people in the current team, but also the large number of militia and conscripts in Gonzales. As for Cesar, his orders had to be transmitted to the various teams through them.

Before Cesar or anyone else could say anything, Valedo blocked the way. "Now that the rebellion has threatened the area surrounding Gonzales, I think you should go west and inform them to gather as many soldiers as possible and strengthen their defenses. Don't risk reinforcing Gonzales—that's our duty," Valedo said.

The words were so flattering that Cesar couldn't argue with them. "It is indeed the king's order," he said. "You should take these peasants to a nearby town to recuperate. Tell me where the incident happened."

The clerk brought a map, and the wounded cavalryman pointed out the village's location. The entire process went smoothly, even the location he'd pointed out was perfect; it happened to be quickly reached along the main road. "Quickly," of course, refers to the cavalrymen dropping their baggage, abandoning their infantry, and spurring on at top speed. At their normal pace, by the time they reached the destination, the rebels would have been completely wiped out.

Before Cesar could think much, ten of the most passionate young officers had already formed a line, gathering their family retainers and servants. Together with the spare horses, they had assembled a cavalry unit of nearly fifty men, half heavy cavalry, and the other half with relatively inferior armor, but still serviceable.

"The Duke's orders prioritize the march and reaching Gonzales's fortress. Don't risk deviating from your route to pursue the sudden appearance of the rebels." Cesar had to bring up Urbino. "Do you have any objections?"

"I know, sir." Varedo even pursed his lips. "I heard it, I saw it, and I considered it."

"so?"

"On a real battlefield, we have to judge the importance of many things ourselves." Just as he finished his polite words, Varedo, who was speaking on behalf of the others, puffed out his chest. "The people of Olidan have fled here seeking protection. How can we sit idly by and allow the rebels to burn, kill, loot, and destroy our farmland and land? At this time, are we still supposed to rigidly follow orders and march slowly, watching them escape with the spoils without a trace?"

Not only did the young officers who had lined up in formation express their deep agreement with Varedo's loud speech, but the young officers who were shaken began to gather their horses, and even the officers who had originally had no interest and were ready to be thrown back to their family territory were moved.

Cesar knew that arguing and reasoning were meaningless. If he agreed with him here, he would completely give up his influence. It would be better to draw a clear line as soon as possible.

"It seems that Chevalier Varedo has no interest in military orders." Cesar raised his voice, putting on an expression that he had everything under control. "Those who are willing to obey orders will stay here and march with the baggage train. Those who are not interested in military orders and only want to obey the louder shouts will follow Chevalier Varedo."

Aside from the officers who had already formed the cavalry, everyone hesitated in unison. Of course, this was just rhetoric, and it wasn't particularly moral. He replaced the fairness in Varedo's words with Varedo's own name, and replaced the need to obey inner morality and honor with the need to obey a louder voice. He forced them to weigh these against military orders, and the result was self-evident.

Cesar hasn't figured out the situation yet, and he doesn't want to take any risks by following others.

"grown ups?"

"If you don't have the confidence to fight the rebels with this amount of people, then—"

Before Cesar could finish, someone beside Valedo came to his rescue. It looked like one of his schoolmates. "No, we're not so helpless against a bunch of poison-seeking rebels. Please keep an eye on the baggage train. We'll take care of the fighting."

This was already quite blunt; his authority was stripped away, and he was relegated to overseeing the supply battalion. However, Cesar didn't care. Rather than confront them and expose his true combat capabilities, he would rather stay here and march slowly with the supply battalion. At worst, he'd be known as overly conservative, but that was better than having Musari's nonsense blown up.

......

He thought so, but Cesar was really upset. He found a lot of far-fetched excuses, but he couldn't comfort himself.

He got on the carriage and took out the "Military Strategy" that Gou Zi had picked up.

He couldn't explain why he was looking at this thing. Maybe it was because Phils had been reading a book, which made him want to read it too; or maybe it was because he couldn't help it and wanted to cram for the exam at the last minute to avoid waiting.

The knights returned victorious, but he didn't even know how to analyze the battle; or perhaps he thought that the blood-stained book might contain some clues of rebellion. In short, during the usual slow march, Cesar sat in the carriage and read the old blood-stained book.

When Cesar actually flipped through the book, he discovered that not only was the cover blood-stained, but the book itself was also worn and battered, with many pages torn. It looked as if its owner had carried it with him wherever he went, constantly studying on the go. Even more intriguing, the book was filled with bookmarks, each positioned precisely to match Gonzales' situation. Each marked page indicated a possible response from the commander.

After flipping through the book with a purpose, he saw something quite familiar on the page with the seventh bookmark.

In Chapter 5, Paragraphs 7 to 21 of "Military Essentials," the author uses nearly identical language to describe how to respond to regional rebellions, emphasizing that commanders should deploy varying numbers of heavy cavalry and mounted archers based on the conditions in the rebellious region. Furthermore, the book also discusses the pros and cons of various scouts, noting that battlefield mages are the most reliable, but also the most expensive.

Now Cesar understood why the young officers were so excited.

Cesar was quite familiar with the story of armchair military strategy. Behind this story, there was actually a simple meaning: when new commanders hoped to gain credit, the battle situation they most wanted to see was mostly a battle situation that could directly apply the knowledge they had learned.

Is it really such a coincidence? You can't blame him for being suspicious, because he can't do anything else right now. Based on what he saw, he currently has the following questions:

First, someone carrying the "Military Essentials" died in the woods, and different versions of the "Military Essentials" happened to be the textbooks for the young officers of the nobles of Olidan.

Second, there were contents in the book "Military Strategy" that clearly conformed to the military strategies, which aroused the emotions of these young officers.

Third, isn't his description of this half-dead cavalry too logical? Furthermore, why did he bother introducing this inexplicably named rapid-reaction force, using a name clearly made up in "Military Essentials"?

A large portion of the knights present were, frankly speaking, descendants of military-trained scions from various minor noble families. If nothing had happened to Seshia's family, Seshia would have been a particularly outstanding member of the group.

What they all had in common was their prior study of the so-called "Military Essentials." Judging by the varying reactions of the knights of different ages, this tactic was recently added to the third edition of the "Military Essentials," a revision no more than five years ago. This revision, while fittingly enough, stirred the emotions of this group of young knights, failed to stir the emotions of those whose textbooks were the second or even the first edition of "Military Essentials."

If someone set a trap and used such bait to lure people into the net, then the person who set the trap must not only have read "Military Strategy" but also have a deep understanding of frustrated young officers, know their desires and expectations, and know how to lure them into the trap.

The most plausible hypothesis is that some young officers defected to the rebels, hoping to outwit Gonzales's external support forces. As for the misjudgment of the differences between the different versions, which led to only a dozen or so youngest officers taking the bait, it's likely that he had only read the third edition of "Military Essentials" and hadn't compared it with previous versions.

Following this line of thought, the young nobleman who died in the woodland was most likely the victim of betrayal, perhaps even a former companion or schoolmate. Maybe, maybe not, he couldn't tell. Many of his thoughts were pure speculation and suspicion, not very reliable. But one thing was clear: if his guess was correct, then most of the people who rushed over were probably dead.

Chapter 103 I only express my attitude of rejection

Cesar continued to flip through the book, searching for other clues with a purpose, but he was unable to find any other clues in a short time. However, after he recalled his conversation with Cecia for a while, he found more suspicious points.

The outskirts of Gonzales are mostly mountainous, and the dense forests surrounding them make it easy to conceal one's movements. Generally speaking, in this area, cavalry can only move on rapid marches along the main roads. Why would a rapid-reaction force composed entirely of cavalry be stationed in the mountains and woodlands, where the only roads are suitable for rapid horseback riding? Even if they could reach the village during an attack, how could they possibly catch up with the rebels before they fled into the mountains and forests?

Even if Governor Gonzales was a fool and didn't anticipate this, the large-scale nature of the rebellion suggests it's been going on for quite some time. Even if the Governor had deployed multiple rapid-reaction forces in pointless areas after so much time, he should have realized it himself and recalled his cavalry after their repeated failures. Therefore, it's impossible for a so-called rapid-reaction force to exist in this area.

Cesar sent the dog out again, then pretended to call a few scouts and told them to go and find out the situation. Then he ordered the march to be temporarily suspended and everyone to go to the top of a mountain with a favorable terrain to rest.

Then again, why didn't he send Gouzi to catch up with the cavalry and see if he could find the traces of the trap first to warn them and rescue them? Why did he repeatedly instruct her to only inquire about the casualties and then come back?

Making a report?

He knew full well that the Faceless Ones could run faster than the heavy cavalry and could arrive at the destination before them.

If we think rationally, this team is not large, but

Cesar still found his army a bit bloated, especially with those young officers, fresh out of school and disaffected with him. They were difficult to command and unreliable, paying far more attention to their own passionate emotions than to military orders. On the other hand, future battles would primarily rely on Gonzales' conscripts, most of whom were officers. Even a small loss would be affordable, and in fact, more convenient for him to command. Therefore, losing Varedo and his supporters could even be considered a benefit to him.

Letting them go would indeed be to his advantage. Judging from what had just happened, they only heard what they wanted to hear, and they desperately wanted others to confirm their own illusions. Upon discovering the text of "Military Strategy" on the battlefield, these people flew into a frenzy, defying military orders and giving no further thought. They even shouted about justice, hoping others would follow their lead. This was more than a problem; it was practically a disaster.

So, this is why he is waiting for them to die?

Back in the carriage, Cesar tried to reflect on himself, but found himself devoid of any feelings. His moral judgments, like a sand castle, crumbled under the weight of his inner analysis. Even Valedo's more than pleasant words had become, in his mind, an illusion he longed to be confirmed by others.

The influence of the Tao on people is not just an uncontrolled thirst for blood, but also a subtle change in their perspectives? He didn't seem to be like this before.

"No," Phils objected, reading the book on her lap. "I've never heard of flesh lust having such an effect."

"How do you explain that? Is it because of the beast's claws?"

"Is it possible that you used to be able to satisfy your moral feelings without any burden, so you felt you were very moral. Now that the environment is different, and your previously invisible dark side has been exposed, you think it's a problem with the Dao or the Beast Claw, not your own?"

"You seem to be particularly good at attacking me lately," Cesar said.

"You can't stop me from biting you and attacking you with words," she muttered.

Cesar stood up when he heard that. Just as he took a step towards her, Phils raised the book on her lap to cover her face, leaving only her dark blue eyes staring at him.

"What are you doing with a book on your face?"

As he spoke, he placed his hands on the spine of the book and bent down.