Chapter 291 - 55: Prince Odoruo’s Struggle
Chapter 291: Chapter 55: Prince Odoruo’s Struggle
"Your Highness! Your Highness! A report from the front line!"
...
"Your Highness, a report from the front line!"
Hearing the voice, Prince Odoruo, who was staring blankly at his map, jumped and nearly dropped the candle in his hand onto it.
"Your Highness..." The Soldier delivering the message saw Prince Odoruo’s flustered state and looked a bit confused.
"Sigh..." Prince Odoruo let out a breath and frowned.
Instead of waiting for the Soldier to bring the letter to him, he stepped forward and took it himself.
"Alright, you may go." Prince Odoruo waved his hand.
"As you command."
Only after the guard had withdrawn did Prince Odoruo take a deep breath, steeling himself to look at the envelope.
Ever since he learned of that fast-moving human elite force, Prince Odoruo had been unable to eat or sleep. As soon as dawn broke, he had immediately dispatched Thunderhawks to scout.
The first returned in the early hours of yesterday morning with news that Ancient Dumu Town had been breached. This was within Prince Odoruo’s expectations and didn’t cause much of a stir.
The second came back around eight in the morning, bringing news that Tec’s army was being hunted down. Prince Odoruo began to grow tense. He ordered his forces to quicken their march, wary that the enemy might seize the opportunity to take Bai Ma Ferry or break through Wisley Path.
Now, this was the third letter.
He looked at the signature on the letter: Castro.
Prince Odoruo’s heart hammered in his chest. He swallowed hard before tearing open the envelope.
He stared at the large, red-inked words: "Humans ambushed the rear. Chief Castro defeated. Retreated to the Laguchis River. Army shattered, less than a tenth remain. Requesting reinforcements."
Another army defeated! Three armies! Three armies broken in a single night!
If it had just been the goblins from Ancient Dumu Town, that would be one thing. But both Tec and Castro commanded his Eastern Line Beastmen’s Elite Armies!
Although the truly elite units of the Eastern Line had already been transferred away, the two corps under Tec and Castro were no pushovers!
’Who are these humans? One night, one surprise attack, and before anyone could even react, they broke through three armies!’
Cold sweat trickled down Prince Odoruo’s back.
Originally, the Beastmen had the main human army trapped in Wisley Path. They had a huge advantage. But in just one night, the entire battlefield situation had been reversed.
Now, it was Tec and Castro who were trapped near Wisley Path. The ones who needed to rescue their allies were now the Beastmen, not the humans. The humans had seized firm control of the war’s initiative.
"Someone, fetch Elder Linton," Prince Odoruo commanded, turning to his Personal Guard.
Prince Odoruo now had few capable commanders left under him. Before, there was Castro’s older brother and father, then Tec and his Gray Dwarves, and Gustav with his motley Beastman Army.
Linton was a Gnoll.
He was the teacher Prince Odoruo’s mother had left for him, and he had helped the Prince with many things.
...
"Your Highness, Elder Linton has arrived."
At his guard’s announcement, Prince Odoruo tore his gaze from the map before him and looked toward the entrance of the council hall.
An elderly Gnoll dressed in linen robes stood there. Though Gnolls were known for their ferocity and aggression, this old man exuded a sense of tranquility and peace.
The old man bowed to Prince Odoruo from a distance.
"Elder Linton, is there any need for such formalities between us? Please, come in." Prince Odoruo hurried forward to greet him.
The visitor was indeed Linton, the teacher his mother had left for him.
Speaking of which, Prince Odoruo’s life story was rather tragic, almost like something out of a fable.
"Your Highness, it seems you’ve run into some trouble?" Linton asked, his pace unhurried as he walked to the map under Prince Odoruo’s guidance, a gentle smile on his face.
"I can’t hide anything from you, Teacher. Sigh... Please, take a look." Prince Odoruo sighed and handed all the letters in his hand to Linton.
Elder Linton raised an eyebrow slightly and took the letters from Prince Odoruo’s hand.
After reading them through, Elder Linton’s expression remained unchanged.
"Teacher, what do you think we should do now?" Prince Odoruo asked, staring at the map, looking somewhat deflated.
"The current situation... is indeed very difficult," Linton said, still smiling.
"How can you still be smiling at a time like this?" Prince Odoruo asked, looking at Elder Linton in astonishment.
Elder Linton simply kept smiling.
"Your Highness is struggling with whether or not to save Castro, isn’t that right?" Linton’s words struck the heart of the matter.
Prince Odoruo was struck speechless for a moment. ’It’s true, I can’t hide anything from him.’
There was no point in denying it. Prince Odoruo gave a crisp nod.
"That’s right. After the battle at Wayne Mountain, Castro is trapped in a kill zone..."
"I want to save him, I do. But to do so, I would have to commit my entire army..."
"The men in this army are all here because of the favors my mother granted them. They’re the last of my core supporters."
"What can I do?" Prince Odoruo said, spreading his hands helplessly.
After the battle at Wayne Mountain, it wasn’t just Castro who was trapped. Castro was in a military dead end; Odoruo was in a political one.
"If anything were to happen to this army now, wouldn’t Father Emperor skin me alive?" Prince Odoruo lamented.
Looking at Prince Odoruo, Elder Linton just smiled.
"You say that, Your Highness, but when I was on my way here, I saw your Personal Guard heading north," Linton said.
North was where Gustav was stationed. Gustav’s motley Beastman Corps was composed of Heavy Infantry, the last corps to cross the river.
Once again, Prince Odoruo was rendered speechless.
"I want to save him. You know his brother saved my life. How could I possibly stand by and do nothing?"
"But if I do intervene, what happens afterward?" Prince Odoruo said helplessly.
"Your Highness is hesitating now, unsure whether to attempt the rescue."
"Let me ask you a question, Your Highness. How have you come to where you are today?" Linton said.
Hearing this question, Prince Odoruo couldn’t help but feel a little confused. ’Weren’t we talking about whether or not to save Castro? How did we get on to this topic?’
"Because... of the favors my mother left behind?" Prince Odoruo asked tentatively.
But Linton shook his head.
"The late mistress has been gone for more than ten years. When a person leaves, the connections fade. In this world, what favor remains effective a decade after someone’s death?" Linton said.
"Because... because of my status?" Prince Odoruo continued to ask.
"In terms of status, Your Highness is the most unfavored Prince. If it were because of status, why wouldn’t everyone just go and pledge allegiance to the Eldest Prince and the Fourth Prince?"
"The late mistress’s favors play a part, but fundamentally, the one who convinced these people to follow is you, Your Highness."
"When Castro’s father was framed, it was you, Your Highness, who rescued him from prison. That is why Castro’s older brother was willing to protect your safety with his life."
"When Tec’s mother was cursed by a Great Witch from his homeland, it was you, Your Highness, who had the Empire’s High Priest intervene and save her life. That is why Tec places himself at your command."
"Your Highness, your foundation lies not with the late mistress, nor with His Majesty the Emperor, but with yourself."
"Previously, His Majesty gave a veiled command that all but explicitly ordered the entire Eastern Army to the central front. And yet, more than half of them stayed behind. Why? Because they are all indebted to you for your kindness."
"It’s ironic, really. You have governed your army by the principle of righteousness, yet now you consider abandoning it. If you do not save Castro now, will the soldiers not lose heart?" Linton’s every word was a pearl of wisdom, piercing straight into Prince Odoruo’s heart.
Prince Odoruo was lectured into silence.
"But... what about Father Emperor? Rescuing Castro will surely involve immense risk and a great cost. If I fail..." Prince Odoruo hesitated.
"Your Highness, is there truly a father in this world who does not love his own child? If His Majesty truly did not care for you, would you have ever had the chance to build your own power base in the east? You must know, the Eldest Prince and the Fourth Prince raised a huge fuss when they learned of it."
"The late mistress passed away young. If His Majesty had truly given you the chance to contend for the throne then, could you have seized it?"
"You are still alive and well today. How many imperial bones are buried at the foot of Madar Mountain?" Linton said.
Hearing this, Prince Odoruo fell into deep thought for a long time.
"Father Emperor... why was he in such a hurry to recall my army?" Prince Odoruo asked. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand what Linton had said, but the series of edicts from the Beast Emperor before this had truly baffled him.
At this, the air suddenly fell silent. After a long while, Linton finally spoke slowly.
"Back then, in the battle with Frank, that human Pope and those old bastards from Frank used a Divine Artifact..."
"They are already using the undead to besiege cities on the Western Front. Your Highness, His Majesty... he might truly be..." Linton trailed off, not finishing his sentence.
The atmosphere fell silent once more.
Prince Odoruo lost the mood to continue the discussion and turned his head back to the map.
Elder Linton had explained the principles with perfect clarity. Prince Odoruo no longer had any reason to hesitate.
There was no need to consult Linton on military matters.
Time was not on the Beastmen’s side. Once the human soldiers all regrouped, Castro would truly be trapped with no way out.
Time was not on Prince Odoruo’s side. He could only fight speed with speed. He had to break through before the enemy forces could converge, rescue Castro and Tec, and then retreat immediately.