Under the oak tree on the edge of the battlefield, Warren stood on a wooden box, gazing across the battlefield.
The battle that started in the early morning has finally ended now.
The soldiers pursuing the enemy rode on donkeys and mules, kicking the backs of the Falan Soldiers to drive them forward.
Occasionally, soone suddenly shouted, "Falan recruitnt, monthly pay 5 Dinars," only to be t with laughter from the Holy Alliance soldiers and lashes from whipping.
Nowadays, the wage of the Holy Alliance’s War Monks is distributed according to military rank.
Dinars for new recruits, 120 Dinars for veterans, 180 Dinars for sergeants, 2 gold pounds for Captain Bai, 4 gold pounds for Corps Commander, and more than 10 gold pounds for Battle Commander.
Dinars is just two or three days’ pay for a Holy Alliance soldier, and Horn spent over 100,000 gold pounds on soldiers alone last year.
It’s only ten o’clock in the morning now, the sun is intense, and the air is filled with the last chirping of autumn cicadas.
The sll of blood mixed with the stench of decaying leaves rolls in the hot wind, caressing the skin of the Holy Alliance soldiers.
The dics, carrying dical kits, squatted next to the wounded, sawing through deford spears, while the sergeants in charge of logistics marked numbers on seized armor with chalk.
When Warren passed by the Quartermaster, he heard them muttering, "The Falan plate armor is just too good, even lead bullets have been flattened..."
The Service Soldiers carried baskets, picking up scattered lead bullets one by one into burlap bags.
The Holy Alliance is wealthier than before, but that doesn’t an there’s no need for frugality.
These lead bullets dug out from the chests of Falan soldiers are returned to the ironsmiths accompanying the troops to be slted and refilled into sacred guns.
They occasionally straightened up, but saw the Military Judge confirming battle achievents one by one.
This inevitably made them envious, but they hadn’t straightened for long before the rebuke from the Service Chief ca: "Finish your work, you’ll have ti to rest, why are you lazing around?"
The Service Soldiers imdiately lowered their heads, while Warren chuckled: "No need to be so harsh, tell the cooks to make sausage and noodle stew later."
"Got it."
Having arranged lunch, Warren walked up the dirt slope, scraped off the bloody mud from his boots’ heels, and stood on a long table temporarily set up with planks.
With a slap, he laid a sheepskin map on the table.
Straightening up, he shouted towards several Captain Bai chatting below: "You guys, co over here, it’s ti for a eting!"
The Captain Bai quickly extinguished the pipes in their hands, wiped their palms, and trotted over, gathering eight heads around the map.
This is the Holy Alliance’s pre-battle eting system; all conflicts and doubts must be addressed during the pre-battle eting.
After the eting, one must strictly adhere to its execution; this is the last chance to change the overall strategy.
"Bifengsi Corps Commander is cleaning the battlefield and gathering the scattered troops, let convey the aning from the higher-ups first, do you understand?"
The Captain Bai nodded, and the secretary of the Legion Secretary quickly took notes.
"Warren Corps Commander, just tell us how we’re going to fight, and that’s enough."
Warren drew out a whip and pointed it at the map: "Currently, the other six corps have advanced towards Stone Barrier, expected to be seized before dusk."
Captain Bai Colin frowned and brushed his hair with his bandaged left arm: "They’re not cleaning up the main camp; why are so many attacking Stone Barrier?"
"Fool!" Another Captain Bai Shakes laughed and cursed, "Stone Barrier blocks the important route; breaking it gives us maneuvering space."
"Let finish." Warren interrupted him, tapping the whip on the left flank’s main camp, "Our task is simple, lead the prisoners and clear out the main camp."
If the enemy army cos to retake the camp, then firmly hold the position; the other six corps will circle to Stardust Town and destroy the Falan’s base.
"Destroy the base?"
Several Captain Bai looked stunned; what base is being destroyed, having swallowed 5,000 enemy troops and seized eleven clock cannons already?
Isn’t it supposed to be a face-to-face showdown?
After taking Stone Barrier, they would converge and directly wait for the enemy army to co, clashing head-on.
Once Stardust Town is captured, won’t the enemy troops just flee?
Warren didn’t respond imdiately, he nodded towards the Military Chaplain standing aside.
Military Chaplain Elliot adjusted the copper-frad glasses on his nose: "Gentlen, what is the purpose of this battle? It was stated in the pre-battle eting, do you rember?"
The Captain Bai all nodded: "Yes, isn’t it to prevent the Falan Army from blocking the spice route and teach them a lesson?"
"Exactly." Elliot smiled gently, "The Falan people need to digest Leia’s new territory, and we need to complete industrialization; neither has the heart for a tough fight here."
He looked around: "Frankly, none of us truly wants to fight, yet we must demonstrate strength in military terms.
They ca here to test if their newly trained Royal Cavalry can withstand our sacred guns.
We ca to see if the triple volley can tear apart their formations."
"Are you saying... this battle won’t really happen?"
"Yes, it will happen, but not in a big way." Elliot cleared his throat, "The Falan people outnumber us, and their warehouse gold coins can pile up to the beams.
But their soldiers always look back at the supervisory teams during charges, yesterday those Royal Cavalry, three-tenths turned back at fifty ters.
We are fewer in number and lightly armored, but this battle is not about winning today, it’s about winning tomorrow.
Besides, you’ve seen today’s Royal Cavalry’s side-charging tactics, and that’s just a few hundred n.
Facing a massive thousand-man frontal charge, whether we win or lose, we will suffer heavy casualties."
Colin suddenly rembered sothing, raising his injured arm: "Speaking of which, yesterday the Royal Cavalry was truly odd.
They lined up more neatly than the Leia people, Mad, changing formations like flipping pages, it caught us off guard.
If it weren’t for the new rear-loading clock guns, they would have had us today."
"This reminds , do you recall? These Royal Cavalry, during the charge, had spare ti to reflect armor-piercing heavy arrows, and we lost almost twenty companions."
"This is one of our purposes for fighting this battle, to understand the enemy." Elliot looked at Colin appreciatively, "Sotis, you can’t truly understand the enemy without facing them directly.
You’ll see the Falan people are more disciplined than the Leia people, their movents aren’t stiff, and they can reorganize after an ambush.
Leia’s formation is like stacking firewood, whereas the Falan people can maneuver like winding a clock.
Such a pity..."
"Pity about what?"
He chuckled: "No belief, no faith, honestly speaking, it’s just selfishness.
Putting personal interests above battlefield victory, such an army can fight well in favorable situations but can’t endure setbacks."
The Captain Bai all nodded in agreent, understanding the central command’s intentions.
Warren inserted the whip back into his belt, tapping the plank: "The tasks are clear, any questions or comnts from you?"
The Centurion exchanged glances, none raising further questions.
"Good, dismissed then." Warren rolled up the map, inserting it back into the scroll case on his waist, "Let’s eat first, after eating we’ll set off."
"Alright, quick march!"
The officers decisively turned and left while the Service Soldiers responsible for cooking had already raised the cooking smoke in the distance.
In the pot boiled noodles made from seized flour, these Falan people are truly extravagant, rarely eating coarse grains.
The cooking smoke in the wind grew thicker, carrying the fragrance of red sauce and river seafood.
All doubts were laid out in the map on the plank, all conflicts resolved in the dialogue at the long table.
What remains is to move forward.
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