Chapter 704.2: Not Only Do They Not Want To Surrender, They Want To Play Even Bigger
Chapter 704.2: Not Only Do They Not Want To Surrender, They Want To Play Even Bigger
Although his men had seized some suburban survivors to question them, most had never even been to the port in their lives, and some simply spouted nonsense whether they had or not.
Launching an attack without understanding the enemy was a major taboo. At the very least, he needed to clarify the troop deployment and firepower configuration at Rowell Camp before deciding how many troops and how much equipment to commit to the next battle.
Even though the Grey Wolf Army was the Xilande Empire’s trump card, their logistics were not limitless. No matter how much they despised their opponent, real combat still demanded caution.
And beyond the intelligence gap, what troubled him even more was that the emperor was starting to lose his patience...
...
At noon on the third day, a desert-painted off-road vehicle arrived at the rear of the positions. A man in military uniform pushed open the door, strode straight into the command post draped in camouflage netting, and shouted angrily at General Alyang, who was in a meeting.
“General Alyang! What exactly are you and your men dawdling over?!”
Everyone inside the tent fell silent.
Alyang looked toward the entrance in shock, about to flare up, then recognized the face as Prince Dilip and quickly suppressed the anger that had just flared.
In the Xilande Empire, the title of prince was reserved for those with royal blood. His status was far beyond that of a Wolffolk general like Alyang.
There was no doubt why His Majesty had sent him over, the man had come to keep an eye on him!
Suppressing the anger rushing to his head, Alyang took a deep breath before speaking. “ do you mean?”
“Three days!” Prince Dilip glared at him aggressively. “Your troops arrived here three days ago, and not a single shot has been fired! Are you planning to live here?”
Alyang explained with a headache, “We need sufficient intelligence to formulate a battle plan. Rowell Camp has solid concrete fortifications, with New Alliance artillery support in the rear. Throwing soldiers in rashly would only add casualties without meaning.”
Prince Dilip exploded in rage. “Intelligence? Port Gallon is territory of the Empire! Do you not know the roads or the people there? Just grab someone and ask!”
Alyang looked at the prince, his head aching. “If only it were that simple... The survivors living in the suburbs, some say the New Alliance has monsters with three heads and six arms, others say they can summon sea beasts. Do you think that kind of intelligence has any value?”
Prince Dilip snapped, “Then send a reconnaissance squad in to take a look! Do I need to teach you how to do that?!”
“That would be sending them to their deaths! The New Alliance is watching right at the edge of the settlement, and I suspect they’ve bought off the entire guard force and part of the residents. The scouts I sent in earlier still haven’t returned.” Pausing, Alyang stared at him seriously and continued, “Listen, our enemy isn’t stupid. Only with meticulous planning and a single decisive strike do we have a chance of defeating them... By the way, where are the people of the Army?”
He had heard that several Wislander officers who had fought the New Alliance in the Sunset Province had arrived in the Heavenly City. If he could bring them into their plans, he might gain a more accurate understanding of the New Alliance’s strength.
Unfortunately, the only person standing before him was the person he least wanted to see.
Prince Dilip stared at him without blinking. “His Majesty hopes you resolve this with your own strength. There’s no need to trouble our allies over such a small matter.”
Alyang’s lips twitched.
Before he could speak, Prince Dilip narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him like an eagle eyeing prey. “General Alyang... are you afraid?”
“Afraid?” Alyang froze for a moment, then laughed. “Are you joking? What would I be afraid of?”
“Then why haven’t you launched an attack on the New Alliance yet?” Prince Dilip lifted his chin slightly. “I’ll be blunt. His Majesty sent you here to crush those stinking bugs stuck to the soles of our boots. Yet for three consecutive days, the reports sent to the Heavenly City say nothing but General Alyang is leading his Gray Wolves to dig trenches. Are you planning to dig a canal here?”
Alyang took a deep breath before sighing, “I will plan an attack on Rowell Camp as soon as possible... Just give me one more day.”
Prince Dilip scoffed. “Rowell Camp? His Majesty ordered you to plant the flag on the roof of the Governor’s Manor! It seems you really didn’t read His Majesty’s telegram carefully.”
General Alyang stared at him blankly for a long while before forcing out a single sentence, “... Have you looked at the map?”
Prince Dilip replied confidently, “Of course I have. That is the New Alliance’s defensive anchor in Port Gallon. If you take it out, your troops can push into the port district, advance straight through, and drive them into the sea!”
Alyang couldn’t help snapping, “That’s far too idealistic! Even if we take it, all it accomplishes is prematurely dragging us into street fighting near the port, which serves no purpose. It’s better to take Rowell Camp first and force them to shrink their lines step by step...”
“I think you’re just scared,” Prince Dilip narrowed his eyes. “A few grasshoppers and you shrink back like this. Since you don’t dare to attack the Governor’s Manor, why don’t you just hand over command to me? I’ll do it for you.”
Suppressing the anger in his chest, Alyang took a deep breath and said, “I can give you a division...”
“No need,” Prince Dilip cut him off. “5,000 men will be enough.” He turned toward the tent entrance, then stopped, glanced back over his shoulder, and tossed out a line as if it were nothing. “Before nightfall, I expect you to have the men counted and ready. Otherwise, I’ll have reasonable grounds to doubt whether you’re still fit for this responsibility.”
He wasn’t stupid. If he were given a division, he would be dealing with a proper commander appointed by Alyang and would have to pass orders down layer by layer. Those slippery generals had a thousand ways to stall him.
But five battalions were different. He himself was a division commander. How to fight would be his call, and there would be no need to discuss it with anyone.
Staring at that fellow, Alyang felt endless reluctance to give away his men, yet could only grit his teeth and nod. “Yes, sir!”
...
The next day, the Imperial positions finally saw a new movement. A large force, trailing billowing dust, crossed the freshly dug trenches and advanced toward the urban area of Port Gallon.
Coincidence’s group, squatting near the outskirts of the city, spotted them early and immediately reported the situation to the rear by radio.
At the port of Port Gallon, 12 155mm guns rapidly completed their firing data adjustments, thick, long barrels angling skyward.
An exoskeleton-clad soldier stepped to the front of the battery and shouted into the position, “Brothers! The wild dogs hiding outside the settlement have finally crawled out of their holes! Hit the bastards hard, let them know what happens when they mess with the wrong people!”
“Fire!”
At the order, the cords were pulled in unison, and streaks of orange tracer leapt into the sky through the rolling dust.
The heart-shaking sight left countless sailors and merchants in the harbor staring in awe.
Before the onlookers could even recover, exoskeleton-clad strength type loaders had already finished ramming the second round amid the lingering dust.
“Fire!”
Another salvo was sent immediately.
The roaring barrels were like blaring bagpipes, raining death onto enemy positions more than 10 kilometers away.
One could easily imagine what the distant positions looked like now...
The people at the port finally snapped out of it, casting reverent gazes toward the continuously firing artillery.
“... Is that the legendary 155mm cannons?”
“By the Spirit of the Desert!”
“I can feel the ground shaking!”
“The Emperor of the Xilande Empire must be insane... Why did they provoke these reapers?”
“If you ask me, they should hurry up and pay compensation and apologize. If this keeps up, even 10 Gray Wolf Armies wouldn’t be enough to be sent to their deaths.”
Sailors on deck buzzed with chatter, while some quick-witted merchants were already thinking about placing orders in Dawn City.
Watching the New Alliance artillery show off its might, a few Wislanders wore sour expressions and cursed under their breath.
“Damn it, it’s not like we only have 100mm cannons!”
“Those clowns of the East Army actually dared to represent us?!”
“A bunch of bumpkins who’ve never seen the world!”
Yet no matter how they argued, the fact remained that the borders of the Sunset Kingdom hadn’t budged an inch, someone had even carved out a bizarre place called Bist Town right beside the Falcon Kingdom.
A whole lot of young men would rather stay there pedaling sewing machines than go home, leaving the Falcon Kingdom top-heavy with widows and scarcely any young men on the streets. Only with aid from the East Army did it cling to life, barely maintaining royal authority.
That war had left the Falcon Kingdom gasping for years. No one knew why the Xilande Empire insisted on currying favor at Triumphant City.
The Falcon Kingdom’s total population wasn’t even as large as Port Gallon’s, yet with the aid, it barely got by. Given the scale of Poro Province, the Wislanders would have to be crazy to back the Xilande Empire up.
Perhaps, the emperor really did like those big-nosed fellows.