This young pope of the Thousand River Valley is not one to sit idly by.

On May 20th, he arrived at Ladan Castle, just beginning to construct fortifications.

On May 21st, news came of André using mountain paths and broken bridges to cause hundreds to fall to their deaths and slaughter over a thousand.

On May 22nd, Bether, who had just donned the robe of a Staff Monk, was called early in the morning to ride a mount and follow His Holiness the Pope northward from Ladan Castle.

Accompanying them were the Vanguard Corps, the Holy Armor Forbidden Army, and five or six other corps, along with four six-pound cannons.

Counting the over a thousand Defensive Army members and Rangers accompanying them, the total number was estimated to be over four thousand.

On this outing, the two Secretaries in charge of these Secret Monks, Petier and Bernardo, did not come.

The former was responsible for overseeing the overall line of defense of the Nao'an River in Damp Dock, while the latter was coordinating front-line work in Kenke Town.

Therefore, the one responsible for guiding the new Secret Monk, Bether, was an elderly middle-aged Staff Monk.

The introductions and conversations were pleasant, and Bether integrated into the Staff Team much faster than he expected.

To Bether's surprise, this middle-aged Staff Monk named Liosmi was actually born as a Kush Knight from Jinhe Town.

Are Kush Knights not also of noble birth? How could they be by Horn's side?

Although not understanding the specific definition of a staff officer, Bether could approximate it to that of an advisor.

In the Empire, advisors are outsiders, yet they are the most important people around the supreme lord.

Perhaps noticing Bether's surprise, the Staff Monk smiled and said, "I attended university for a year in Falan before the Kush Foundation paid for my tuition, allowing me to attend the Staff Academy at Saint Danji Military Academy.

You know, there are very few Staff Monks in the Secretariat, totaling less than fifty, recruiting as many as they graduate."

Currently, Saint Danji Military Academy has four departments: Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, and Staff.

The Staff Department focuses less on tactical training, emphasizing geography mapping, geometry and mathematics, intelligence analysis, and battle analysis.

"As for specific practices, such as how to arrange logistics? How to integrate fortifications with the terrain? How to select battle locations? How to write plans and strategies, etc.…

Your foundation is solid, but you lack experience. You must learn from the predecessors."

Liosmi was very friendly towards this newly arrived staff officer.

Not for any other reason, but because there were so few staff officers, having one more newcomer meant one more resource.

He said so much about learning from predecessors and laid so much groundwork, for what?

Is it not for Bether to honestly become the workhorse, doing the most exhausting tasks?

Learning, after all, requires practice.

Wasn't Liosmi once kept behind by Petier to work late and sleep in the office?

"Learn, for learning is endless," Liosmi remarked with deep meaning.

Bether nodded solemnly, as this was his reason for coming.

As the temporary chief staff officer among these five staff members, Liosmi informed the new arrival Bether about current intelligence and terrain analysis as they walked.

Ladan Castle is located at the foot of the Red Iron Mountain Range, surrounded like wings by the Nao'an River to the west and the foothills to the east.

From Ladan Castle, heading north less than twenty kilometers, there are watchtower beacons with groups of thirty to fifty people.

Further north is a roughly ten-kilometer buffer zone that neither the Shattered Stone Plain army nor the Thousand River Valley army enters, only a few Shepherds dare to graze in it.

Further north again, it enters the Shattered Stone Plain control zone, with large areas of valleys, meadows, ponds, and small highland grasslands.

As Bether spoke, he couldn't help but ask, "Why have we come near the buffer zone? And His Holiness is with us."

As the commander, isn't he worried about being assassinated by a Demon Hunter if he isn't staying safely in the rear?

Though the Empire is still in the Late Middle Ages warfare phase, it is rare for commanders to charge unless it's a crisis.

Usually, it is a Knight Commander or similar who represents the lord in launching the charge.

Otherwise, if the commander gets captured, the ransom might exceed the war expenditure.

"His Holiness once taught the officers that they must do their duties themselves," Liosmi gazed at the distant flag of Horn.

Seeing Bether's confusion, another Staff Monk nearby began vividly mimicking Horn's speech:

"How can a Corps Commander sleep soundly after setting camp at the planned position?

With his military rank, on this battlefield, can he sleep peacefully? Does he have any sense?

How are the camp construction conditions? How's the watch arrangement? What about the surrounding environment? What's the local attitude toward the army?

If you don't see it for yourself, don't ask personally, don't act personally, your head might fall without realizing it.

If after a campaign, your thighs aren't chafed by the saddle, and your feet don't have blisters or calluses, then you're an inept commander.

In the Empire, an inept commander might survive, but in our Salvation Army, we don't welcome such useless people."

This was Horn's experience on the long road of blood and sweat, though driven by helplessness at the time.

As the creator of this set of Holy Alliance's military theory, the Saint's Grandson practiced what he preached.

Not just himself, but many Corps and Battle Commanders also didn't rest, frequently running to dangerous front lines, often ambushed by enemy knights.

Recalling his earlier performance in the Mountain Knights and Iron Fist Battle Group, Bether's face reddened.

Because he was precisely the type to set up camp, just stroll around the camp, then eat, play cards, and sleep.

Could the reason why their Mountain Knights frequently fell short of the Holy Alliance Army in battle performance be because of this?

Seeing the orderly marching Imperial Guard, Bether felt that there could be more than just this reason.

"If that's the case, wouldn't it suffice to bring a few hundred cavalry? Why bring so many corps along?" with nothing to do during the march, Bether continued to ask.

Liosmi suddenly turned serious, glanced at Bether, and gestured with his chin: "Look."

Following Liosmi's direction, Bether straightened his back and craned his neck.

Beneath the clear sky, not a cloud in sight.

On the glistening water, a few rafts were being rowed quickly, the Rangers on the rafts had even abandoned their horses, desperately rowing the paddles.

As for their escape direction, a green flag with a white horse fluttered in sight.

Over a slightly arched hill, emerged nearly a hundred humanoid monsters clad in heavy armor, with long beards and bone-spiked earrings.

From the four-legged horse bodies, where a horse's neck and head should have been, grew a human torso.

Black iron armor was draped over the burly bodies, clattering as they ran.

"Filthy Cross Ears! The Big Mula Dala rides again!"

"Who are those facing us? State your names! Is it the Mula Dala-rooted Centaur Cavalry Batu?"

The Centaur warriors roared wildly towards the escaping Rangers, speaking in an unintelligible dialect of Leia people.

"Mula Dala-rooted, release the arrows!"

The Centaur Batu let out a furious roar, and the monsters drew their bows and arrows in unison, arrows raining down upon the water, creating ripples upon ripples.

The Centaur Cavalry had arrived? No, it's the Border Knight Order!

Seeing the flags fluttering all over the hills on the opposite riverbank, Bether suddenly realized.

In a plain area like the Shattered Stone Plain, the Border Knight Order, a cavalry-dominated force, could move extremely swiftly.

What would normally take a week's march, they could probably accomplish in just two or three days.

If Horn hadn't brought the Imperial Guard to Ladan Castle in advance, the speed of the Border Knights might have allowed them to cross a pontoon bridge, catching Ladan Castle off guard.

However, once Horn had already completed deployment in Ladan Castle, any notion of surprise attacks became mere fantasy.

This kind of deployment seemed ordinary, yet when Bether found himself in the midst of it, cold sweat poured down.

Horn and his Staff Team had anticipated at the beginning of the year that Shangruifo County would be attacked.

Not only that, they anticipated that the attackers would be the Border Knight Order and foresaw that the Iron Fist Battle Group could cut off the mountain path.

They even foresaw that the Border Knight Order, upon facing a blocked mountain path, would choose to continue attacking.

Even more so, they predicted that the Border Knight Order would gather part of its cavalry, rapidly mobilize in advance, and attempt a surprise attack on Ladan Castle.

In addition to surveying the terrain and inspecting troops, Horn's crucial task on this expedition was to use the Spring Cannon to block the enemy on the river's far bank.

No wonder, no wonder he had to bring the artillery!

Every step of the enemy was anticipated by the Holy Alliance, and preparations were made in advance.

It was as if Horn was the commander of the Leia people.

Could it be that the invisible hand of the Holy Father was controlling the Spring Mechanism while also plucking at the strings of fate?