Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters
Chapter 1197 - 24 Great Alliance Moves Forward (9)_4

Chapter 1197: Chapter 24 Great Alliance Moves Forward (9)_4

He looked at Gaisa Adonis and laughed, saying, "Adonis, this might be our last battle. We must fight it well so that John Jeska won’t smear us as incompetent and idle in the future. Don’t you agree?"

Gessa similarly gazed at the weathered senior, and the rugged man’s eyes suddenly turned red. He spat out the window, clearing away the hesitation and gloom from his eyes.

He raised his hand heavily in salute, responding in a rough, bold, loud manner, "Yes!"

"That’s the spirit!" Colonel Bod laughed heartily, using his thin right hand, which was almost nothing but bones, to vigorously slap Gessa on the shoulder, "I want to see your determination! I appreciate your stubborn temperament like a rock in a latrine!"

Gessa chuckled, "Just tell me how we fight!"

"Come." Colonel Bod pulled Gessa to stand by the window, following his gaze to the wilderness in the east, "If you were Sanel, with superior infantry numbers, and yet your cavalry is equal in size but lacking in quality, what would you worry about?"

Colonel Gessa responded without a second thought, "Our cavalry being driven off the battlefield, then Thunder Group County and Riverside County’s cavalry turning back to crush our infantry in one charge."

"Exactly. Sanel wants to leverage his manpower advantage, so he must occupy as much battlefield width as possible. But he cannot occupy unlimited width—he fears our cavalry’s last-resort attack."

Colonel Bod pointed to the lush Yunque Mountain south of River Valley Village, "He’s selected the main attack direction, undoubtedly to the south. The river here is shallow, not defensible, so upstream and downstream make little difference. But the southern terrain is uneven, vegetation dense, unfavorable for cavalry maneuvers, and the battlefield width is just suitable—the perfect setup for a vicious left hook!"

Gessa rubbed the scars on his face, instinctively squinting his eyes.

"Therefore I’ll deploy the best troops to the south," Colonel Bod patted Gessa’s back, "That is the Mont Blanc County troops, your troops."

"No problem," Gessa replied without hesitation, "Leave it to me."

"Cavalry units conceal on the reverse slope of the River Valley Village. This small hill isn’t high but more than enough to hide them."

"Yes."

"Furthermore, River Valley Village doesn’t require so much force to defend." Colonel Bod pointed to the village square, already crammed full and continually filling with soldiers, expressing frustration, "In this tiny place, can it accommodate two battalions? Is everyone crowding in here to be targets? Leave only one battalion to defend! Keep another battalion at the back as a reserve, and pull all other units out to defend along the coast."

"Yes."

"Listen, Adonis," Colonel Bod fastened the buttons on his collar, his tone suddenly becoming solemn, "To win this battle, we must stabilize the enemy’s left wing, crush the enemy right wing, and create chances for our cavalry."

"I understand," Colonel Gessa comprehended fully, his gaze sweeping northward from the south of the Bell Tower, "You mean we hold off Sanel’s left hook while using River Valley Village as the axis to deliver a left hook to Sanel!"

"Correct." Colonel Bod revealed a smile, "You understand me best."

"Just like before, senior." Gessa grinned, "Leave the dirty work to me; you just focus on securing victory."

"Just like the past, Adonis." Colonel Bod laughed as well, "But this time, there’s a slight difference."

Gessa looked puzzled.

"The enemy’s advantage is too overwhelming. So we need to, at the same time, here..." Colonel Bod patted the rusted church bell next to him, "In River Valley Village, at this sole location with a territorial advantage, bind and kill as many enemies as possible, weakening enemy forces on both wings. The more enemies attracted here, the higher our chance of victory."

"But," Gessa furrowed his brows, evaluating River Valley Village’s terrain from above, "River Valley Village isn’t really a perilous place, but it’s elevated, with swift water, somewhat defending while being difficult to attack."

Gessa turned to look at Colonel Bod, "There are easier crossing points both south and north. Senior, Sanel isn’t foolish; I doubt he’d invest heavily here."

"Not necessarily? I have a plan." Colonel Bod smiled, gently swinging the bell hammer, allowing the deep bell tone to sweep across the river valley’s banks:

"Raise my banner on this bell tower!"