blogombal Chapter 180 Crisis
Chapter 180 Crisis
Chapter 111 Crisis
Jules had just finished distributing the soldiers' pay and was watching them sitting around the campfire, munching on dried meat and drinking hot soup, their faces showing a rare relaxation. Tiberius's shout startled him, and he frowned, rebuking Tiberius angrily, "What's the rush!"
"Has the sky fallen? Tiberius, catch your breath!"
Tiberius didn't bother to explain; he grabbed Jules's thick arm and practically dragged him to the map. "Uncle, look! Look here!" His finger slammed heavily on the thick blue line representing the River of Controversy.
"This river separates us from Valantis, and now the enemy's main force is bogged down deep in the disputed territory. We've trapped them with blockade and turtling tactics, haven't we?"
Vito, who had come along, nodded, somewhat puzzled: "That's right, so we can slowly wear them down."
"Outlast us? Vito, you're dreaming!" Tiberius interrupted sharply, his finger slashing upstream towards the disputed lake at the river's source and the marked ferry crossings.
"Uncle Jules! Put yourself in the shoes of that invincible General Valantis! He commands nine entire Tiger Robe Legions, along with those Iron Rhinoceros heavy cavalry and thousands of war elephants! And now, the enemy in front of him is cowering like a tortoise, too afraid to fight. He wants to return the way he came, but the biggest obstacle is the blockade by our navy downstream! He can't go back now!"
He spoke at breakneck speed, his finger pointing sharply at their current upstream position: "Then why didn't he choose an easier path? Since he couldn't get downstream, he went upstream!"
"Go back from here, from the upstream ferry! The current is rapid and the draft is shallow here. Most of our warships are ocean-going warships with a deep draft. Moreover, we need to blockade the entire Controversial River and divide our forces to besiege New Valantis Port and Taxpayer Island—our fleet cannot go upstream for the time being!"
"If I were him, I would never be so reckless as to charge into the second line of defense of the Three Daughters Kingdom. I would immediately lead my troops north and clear the way home!"
Tiberius looked up, his face pale, his eyes filled with terror: "Uncle! Think about it! If the main force of Valantis really marches north—what will happen to us, with our small numbers blocking their way home?! We'll be caught in a pincer movement and crushed to dust! Hurry! It'll be too late if we wait any longer!"
Jules' relaxed expression vanished instantly. He stared intently at the map, his pupils reflecting the path leading to the lake, veins bulging on his forehead.
Tiberius's analysis pierced through all his hopes like an icicle, and the veteran's intuition told him that his nephew's judgment was very likely correct!
"Quickly!!!" Jules suddenly roared like thunder, the sound shaking the tent and even startling the soldiers outside who stopped eating.
"Vito! Issue the order! All troops assemble immediately! Abandon all unnecessary weight! Take only weapons, rations, and wounded soldiers! Retreat immediately! Head west! To the disputed territory of the Three Daughters Kingdom colony!" He instantly made the safest decision to retreat along his own defensive line.
"No! Uncle!" Tiberius grabbed Vito, who was about to rush out to relay the order, his eyes burning with an almost frantic determination. "We can't go into the heartland!"
Vito abruptly stopped, both anxious and furious: "Tiberius! Are you insane?! Instead of joining them in the heartland, are you just going to stay here and wait to die?!"
"Have you all forgotten? The flank corridor has been breached. The Valantis have already penetrated deep into the disputed territory! And our army is currently implementing a scorched-earth policy!"
"If we go now, we might encounter our own people first, or Valantis's patrol—it's not certain!"
Tiberius turned to Jules, his voice trembling with excitement, yet carrying a coldness that seemed to pierce through the fog.
"Uncle, the Valantis, their generals and soldiers are terrifyingly strong. But—to put it bluntly, is it possible that they could recover from the defeat in the frontier war of 96 AC in just three years, raise such a large army, and not even borrow from the Braavos Iron Treasury?"
Without waiting for a reply, he slammed his fist into the heart of Valanthi on the map: "Absolutely impossible! So, their homeland must be extremely vulnerable right now! They've sent all their fighting forces to the front lines! Now, across the river—" His finger greedily traced the territory of Valanthi on the opposite bank of the river.
"How many troops do they still have? Twenty thousand? Ten thousand? Or even less than ten thousand!"
He looked up, his eyes gleaming with a gambler's light.
"We'll cross the river! We'll cross the River of Controversy directly and launch a surprise attack on the heart of the Valantis! As long as we fight downstream along the banks of the River of Controversy and join forces with our navy, this is our only way out, and our chance to turn the tide!"
A deathly silence fell over the tent. Vito's mouth gaped open, and Jules's pupils shrank to pinpoints. The plan was audacious, insane, almost suicidal—yet it possessed a chilling, deadly allure.
Peninsula Port.
Marcus stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the heavy rain outside the tent, but his heart was as heavy as the dark clouds outside.
Their navy was defeated, and suffered a crushing defeat!
Now, outside the peninsula port, there is no trace of Valantis' ships; instead, the banners and ships of the Three Daughters Kingdom are fluttering in the distant sea.
According to the original plan, once they captured the peninsula port, the Valantis navy would be able to move unimpeded from the Valantis port all the way west to the peninsula port, which would be enough to deal a devastating blow to the naval power and sea transport of the Three Daughters Kingdom.
But now, with Valantis' ships going out to sea to feed the fish, the original plan has become nothing but empty talk.
[Fools, those idiots in the Elephant Party!] Marcus thought darkly to himself.
Seeing our Tiger Party's Tiger-Robed Army achieving victory after victory on land, they couldn't resist and were eager to establish their own merits. And what was the result?!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but throw the small dish of soybeans next to him out the window.
"We've lost so badly!" Marcus roared. "Is that admiral from the Elephant Party brain-dead? Since the fleet encountered a storm near New Valantis, why didn't they go into port to take refuge? Instead, they headed straight for Rees, and what happened? They ran headfirst into the enemy's main force! Their flagship was sunk!"
None of the officers in the room dared to speak. Marcus was on the verge of exploding with rage, like a wild beast ready to devour its prey.
But after exchanging glances, they understood Marcus's anger.
"Sir, shall we go back?" an officer asked hesitantly.
"Go back? Ha!" Marcus let out a strange laugh, quite mournful.
"Breaking news: New Valantis Port and Tax Farmer Island have been surrounded by the Lisian navy, and the entire Disputed River is now swarming with their forces!"
"Go back? With those lousy planks we have, we think we can defeat the combined fleet of the Three Daughters Kingdom? Dream on!"
"Sir, doesn't that mean—our logistical supplies—?" A quick-witted officer turned pale upon hearing that the River of Controversy had been blocked by the enemy fleet.
"Yes, we can forget about getting any supplies!" Marcus's face was so pale it was almost dripping with sweat. "They've got their flags all over the entire River of Controversy; our ships have no chance of reaching Rieslan!"
"Then, sir, what should we do?"
"What to do—" Marcus walked to the long table, grinning as he moved the chess piece representing the Valantis Tiger Robe Army into the heart of the disputed territory.
"What? What do we do? He can do his thing, I'll do mine!"
"Now that we have the entire flank corridor in our hands, the disputed territory is like an undefended piece of meat for us. Let our lads feast there first!"
"Tiberius, tell me the truth." Under the oil lamp, Jules stared intently at Tiberius, his voice low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry and doubt.