When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 845 - 796: Pre-Battle Meeting on the Boat

(Ranger Squad Returning in the Morning)

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"Last night, the ranger squad led by Kolebo arrived in Summergreen City and captured four informants."

A lone lamp was lit inside the cabin, around which a circle of officers from the Holy Alliance sat uneasily.

Sitting in the seat of honor was a one-eyed giant, none other than the former Battle Commander of the Black Champion, Jeska, now the new Battle Commander of the Norn New Army.

He was a Norn, and communicated with the soldiers of the Norn New Army very smoothly.

As for his Black Champion, it had already been assigned to Victor, the veteran Legion Commander from Gulag, long before the previous year ended.

In the musty, sweat-ridden cabin, Jeska personally briefed this batch of new officers.

"Based on the intelligence we currently have, we can confirm that Great Knight Raffel led the kingdom's main legion to Adan Castle in the north.

This answers our question—where did the large enemy forces outside Adan Castle come from. They're not the army of the Oslar Clan but are actually the main legion of the Leia people."

Amidst the rustling, the military chaplain and officers were all taking notes in their notebooks.

Only after hearing that the main army around Summergreen City had been dispatched did their expressions improve somewhat.

Seven days ago, two battle groups and Jeanne's Holy Grail Cavalry Corps set off from Joan of Arc Castle, and should have arrived much earlier.

However, halfway through, they heard the shocking news that a large Leia Army inexplicably appeared outside Adan Castle.

If Adan Castle and Haji Castle were to fall, it wouldn't just be Summergreen City that's besieged; two more battle groups would be added to the burden.

To prevent the path from being cut off, Jeanne and Victor decided on the spot to lead the majority of the Black Champion and the Holy Grail Cavalry Corps to support Adan Castle.

Kolebo was sent to Summergreen City to assess the situation and determine the next course of action.

"As it stands, there are about twenty thousand troops outside the city, mostly consisting of vassal armies and mercenaries, including a large number of peasant soldiers.

Although they are of low quality and lack spring cannons, the numbers are staggering, distributed across the following locations."

The dim lamp cast beastly shadows on the parchment map as Jeska's fingers glided over it.

"Firstly, Shuimi Town in the eastern suburbs of Summergreen City houses less than five thousand troops from Immortal Stone Field, followed by less than ten thousand Norn Allied Forces stationed in the north.

As for the main attack direction, in the western suburban area, there are stationed two decree-connected companies, along with the most elite and well-equipped forces from Dawn Island, the Thousand River Valley returning noble army, and mercenaries, whose numbers remain unknown."

Withdrawing his hand into his sleeve, Jeska said to the officers who were looking down at the map, "We have just over five thousand people, the enemy forces far exceed us, and they have decree-connected companies, but they are relatively dispersed spatially.

Therefore, we must attack like lightning, not consolidating our captured territories, to create the illusion that there are more troops following us.

This way, we can intimidate the enemy forces. If we can attract the troops from Adan Castle, all the better—though I think the chances are low.

The more likely scenario is to temporarily pull back defenses in the eastern suburbs, waiting for reinforcements from the Oslar Clan.

And we can take this opportunity to withdraw the troops within Summergreen City and rely on the fortress defenses on both sides of the Nao'an River to deplete the Leia forces."

Defensive counterattacks were the result of a consensus between Horn, Jeska, and others.

Currently, the Thousand River Valley Army is scarce, and their quality is not up to the level where they can easily break defenses in overwhelming numbers.

When tens of thousands of troops flood in like an avalanche, a field battle is not suitable.

Continuing field battles would result in the enemy dispatching part of their forces to tangle with you, while the rest cut off your supplies.

The final result would be akin to Moliat—tactically winning again and again, only to end up losing everything.

King Jiji simply has more cards than Horn, and even if Horn has a trump card up his sleeve, he must wait for King Jiji to play first.

According to the reports from the Falan spies, King Jiji's financial situation isn't optimistic in itself.

If it weren't for the Pope's Treasury swooping in and winter tax revenues coming in, the finances would have been bankrupt long ago.

But the Pope's Treasury is not infinite, and the military expenditure for so many troops is astronomical.

Dragging it out like this, who knows, one day King Jiji's finances might just give out, and that would be the Holy Alliance's cue to counterattack.

Until then, the army must endure.

These core strategies, even the lower-ranking officers were aware of. One officer fresh out of the military academy immediately raised his hand.

"Speak."

"Since our goal is to deplete the enemy's forces by relying on strongholds, why are we withdrawing the garrison from Summergreen City?"

It wasn't just this officer; most of the officers had this question.

The siege of Summergreen City over three months had caused nearly three thousand casualties for the Leia people, and Summergreen City could still hold for at least a year.

If one stronghold could damage over ten thousand troops in a year, why not defend Summergreen City?

"Kolebo talked with Lord Raffel last night." Jeska's voice sank, "A strange plague has broken out in the city, spreading rapidly.

Moliat has already ordered five or six blocks to be sealed off, with an estimated infection count exceeding four thousand people.

At the current rate, in just two or three months, the city will be uninhabitable."

"Vile Leia people!" Many officers had expressions of disgust and hatred on their faces.

Under Horn's propaganda, if nothing else, the officers at least harbored deep-seated loathing for the Leia army.

"Even if they capture Summergreen City like this, what good does it do? They still can't move in themselves, can they?"

"It's because of the siege that the plague is hard to manage." Nearby, Griffin, like a teacher, stood out to explain to these officers, "Without a siege, patients could simply be driven to leper colonies to fend for themselves.

Then get a few Blessed Cultivators, hold several large-scale exorcising masses with Divine Art, and the plague would be gone.

Though many will die, do you think Master Knights care about this?"

Nodding in agreement, Jeska followed up, "Moreover, Summergreen City is too separate from the entire front line, like an anvil hanging by a thin thread, which would snap at any slight distraction.

It's better to withdraw active forces, and along the fortresses, we can still use up more than a thousand of their troops each month..."

The officers were scribbling notes hurriedly under the guidance of both teachers, as if still in a military academy.

Jeska and Griffin exchanged a glance and tapped the table to signal the officers' attention.

"Adan Castle and Haji Castle, in conjunction with the Black Champion heading for support, are expected to hold for ten to fifteen days.

As for the Oslar Clan, it is expected to take another four or five days to arrive, so from the time we clear the siege routes until we withdraw the city's garrison, we have only three or four days.

Once we land tomorrow, we must quickly defeat the forces in Shuimi Town, and then immediately march north to crush the Norn Army.

Once the path is cleared, Summergreen City can conduct its retreat. Does anyone have any questions, and if so, raise them quickly?"

An officer raised his hand, "We have only over five thousand people; isn't it too difficult to quickly defeat so many troops?"

Jeska glared at him, "I told you not to underestimate the Leia army, not to belittle yourselves.

It's too soon to have you fight the decree-connected companies, but if you can't defeat some vassal armies, you might as well go home."

Former Eagle Corps Head Griffin chimed in, "The Immortal Stone Field army in Shuimi Town has already been defeated once by Moliat, they're remnants and stragglers with low morale.

As for the Norn Allied Forces in the northern suburbs, I am a Norn myself, but I won't be biased.

I've seen the Norn Army from Bear Castle Territory; they're poor in skill, unfit for battle, though sufficient for dealing with bandit rebels, on a front-line battlefield they rely on overwhelming numbers.

Bear Castle's army is just incapable, I'm not insulting our Norn people."

After hearing Griffin's analysis, the officers felt reassured.

When the meeting was over and everyone dispersed, Griffin deliberately stayed behind.

"Sir Jeska, I have one last question, does His Highness the Despot agree with the withdrawal?"

Halfway through tidying up the table, Jeska straightened up, "We didn't even ask her. The Duke is seriously injured, with repeated assaults exacerbating her wounds. Currently, Lord Herman is managing military affairs.

Lord Herman is inclined to withdraw. Regardless of whether Moliat wants to retreat or not, in her current state, she has to retreat."

"His Holiness said." Jeska lowered his head, rolling up the map, "It's not up to her."