The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

After taking his turn, Liszt couldn’t help but sigh in contemplation. Despite fighting wars for decades, the Earl’s tactical mind still revolved solely around charging: charging from behind hills, splitting into two flanks and charging together, charging in turns. It was as if, in knight warfare, charging was the only option, with the only difference being how to charge.

“Liszt, you shouldn’t have done this. Yes, this is a forest, and you can hide people in it. But the forest will also hinder the charge. You must choose an open area for an ambush; the area behind this slope would make for an excellent spot,” the Earl said, pushing his knight piece forward, continuing the charge, and advising Liszt not to hide knights in the forest.

“Then, if I change my position to the forest across the river and ambush there, and when your knights are halfway through the crossing, I launch a charge and wipe out the part that has reached the shore, then drive the rest back, would that work?” Without dwelling too much on whether the forest could indeed hide knights, Liszt asked.

He didn’t choose to ambush behind the slope, instead, he simply moved several knight pieces from the forest and placed them into the forest by the river.

The Earl stroked his chin, “That’s also possible, but why not ambush behind the slope? The slope is the most advantageous spot for knights to launch an ambush.”

“But it’s also the easiest to be detected… so for this group of knights, I can take out the half that has crossed the river, right?” Liszt reached out and removed a few knight pieces.

“Make it fewer, eat fewer of them, and I could manage to escape with some,” the Earl took back one piece, thought about it, and then took back another.

Liszt didn’t mind and continued the deduction, “Your knights cannot cross the river, so they will definitely have to retreat, back across the Red River. Then my knights left in the forest on the opposite shore can take this opportunity to regroup and charge again, driving away your knights. I could eliminate another group, couldn’t I?”

As he spoke, he pushed forward the knight pieces he had left on purpose in the forest and took away several of the Earl’s pieces.

“This…” The Earl paused for a moment, “So the knight pieces you left behind just now were deliberate? You’ve set up another ambush here?”

“Right. So now your knights are in disarray, they will surely continue fleeing. My knights can take this opportunity to regroup and chase your fleeing knights, right?”

The Earl was somewhat uncomfortable, “Indeed, that’s the case.”

“So now you have three possible routes to choose from: one is splitting your troops to escape, another is withdrawing through this valley…”

Before he could finish speaking, the Earl interrupted, “You can’t possibly set up another ambush in this area. If you split your forces further, you wouldn’t have enough strength to launch a charge.”

“Of course, I never planned to ambush here. You have three routes to choose from, aside from splitting your forces and crossing the valley, there’s a third option: to find your main force. If it’s the first choice, I can chase you throughout the hills, catching whoever I can; if the second, then you’ll be far from the battlefield and I don’t need to worry; if it’s the third…”

“I choose the third option, my knights will begin to retreat from this plain area. How will you respond?”

“I will, of course, withdraw to the castle. Viscount Valiant is not the main battlefield for this campaign, your decisive battle with Count Figo is the key to the situation. All I need to do is secure the castle firmly, like a nail on the Red River Plains, which could not only attack the supply line between you and Marquis Roderick’s Knight Order but also strengthen Count Figo’s forces when needed.”

Liszt went on eloquently.

He had already bested the Earl in three consecutive local knight engagements, and with his consistent theories and tactics, the Earl was almost beginning to question his life.

“Liszt, why is your mind filled with so many… odd ideas?” the Earl asked, frowning at the unfolding battle simulation, “Why don’t you keep your knights around the castle to ensure its safety? Splitting your troops for an ambush is a risky move.”

“Viscount Valiant’s castle is indefensible, and his Knight Order lacks manpower. Your follower, Viscount Jonas, can keep him stuck in the castle, afraid to show his face. In doing so, his effectiveness is lost, and it is as if Count Figo has been severed of an arm. Therefore, abandoning the castle to take the initiative is the only way to be effective, even though the castle falls, this Knight Order can still seek refuge with Count Figo.”

He had never fought in a war.

However, when it came to armchair strategizing, Liszt felt he could thrash the whole world! He had read “The Art of War by Sun Tzu” and the “Thirty-Six Stratagems,” and he was a man who often frequented WWII forums. He also had “On Guerrilla Warfare” in his mind, a tactic alien to this world’s mainstream strategies, which he feared would scare the Earl.

In fact, he had already frightened the Earl.

From the Earl’s tactical arrangements, he had initially sent Jonas Shattered Stone to corner Viscount Valiant in his castle, thereby negating his strategic importance.

The Earl could then leisurely nibble away at Count Figo’s forces, eventually forcing Count Figo to face him in an upstream battle on the Red River and defeat him in one fell swoop.

Securing the battlefield advantage on the Red Harmony Plain, he smoothly plundered a large amount of resources and mines.

If Viscount Valiant’s knights, by triumphing over the many with the few, defeat Viscount Jonas, it could quickly dissolve the Earl’s advantage, allowing Count Figo to delay the decisive battle, thus trapping the Earl on the Red River Plains in a quandary of advance or retreat until he collapses.

At that time, the Earl would have no choice but to retreat.

“Hmm,” he meticulously pondered over Liszt’s tactics, feeling they were somewhat fanciful, yet unable to formulate a rebuttal, he ultimately brushed aside a pile of carvings and bluntly changed the subject, “Jela is already at the door. We’ll resume discussing military tactics another time, let me see Jela first.”

Liszt smiled, “Of course, as you wish.”

The servant brought in Jela’s Jade Box, opened it, and Jela, still drowsy, woke up with a yawn. As soon as it opened its eyes and saw a human face, it got startled and instinctively slapped.

Of course, it didn’t hit the Earl.

The reflexes of the Sky Knight were not something a Little Minor Elf could match.

The Earl even poked Jela’s belly, “Such a lively little creature, congratulations, Liszt. In Fresh Flower Town, you have exceeded my expectations.”

“I have only done a small bit of work.”

“I heard your Fierce Earth Dog, after consuming the Bloodline Fruit, evolved into an Intermediate Magical Beast?”

“Yes, would you like to see it? It’s just outside Tulip Castle, looked after by my servant,” Liszt said. “I know so little about Magical Beasts, actually, I am not quite sure about the level or state of Douson.”

“Let’s go downstairs to have a look.”

Once downstairs.

Douson was sunbathing; it wasn’t afraid of humans, nor did it attack them on sight. Seeing Liszt appear, it immediately hopped up and wagged its tail, coming over to him.

Liszt grabbed the fur on its neck to make it behave and let the Earl examine it.

The Earl walked around Douson twice, sensed for a while, and then said, “It is indeed an Intermediate Magical Beast. The distinction between the levels of Magical Beasts is not only about the limit of casting magic but also involves other criteria… such as the speed of magic power absorption and the degree of blood boiling.”