While walking toward the horses.
The captain walked in front while the assistant followed eagerly at his side.
"I will give my final standing order when I mount my horse. Once I leave, you will be in command and lead our army to victory, understand?"
"Y... yes, Captain! I wonāt let you down."
"Remember, I will give one last command before I depart. After that, all decisions are yours."
"Mm... I understand, Captain!" The assistant nodded eagerly, pumping his fist in excitement.
The captain just smirked inwardly.
They arrived at the cleared area inside the crumbled Tybalt border wall gate. The captainās horse was ready, along with six mounted guards waiting to escort him.
The captain slowly climbed into the saddle and glanced over the assembled soldiers and officers nearby.
"I am going to our nearby base to personally request reinforcements from the general! While Iām gone, my assistant here will be in command! All of you will obey his orders!"
"Understood, Captain!" all the surrounding soldiers and officers stood straight and saluted.
"This is my final standing order before I depart: Do not attack the Armand soldiers unless we are attacked first!" he declared loudly, making sure his voice carried.
He met his assistantās eyes one last time, a faint, knowing smirk hidden beneath his stern expression, then turned his horse and spurred it into motion, his six guards falling in behind him.
Once he was far from the border, the captain smirked.
Ah~ Iām sure that dumb assistant is too eager to prove himself.
I know heās been hungry for command, and from the look in his eyes, he wants to win this attack and gain glory, recognition, and favor directly from Lord Turka.
I know that look. He wants to rank up and take my position~
Well, well, well... donāt think Iām dumb. I know what heās after. Always hovering around, offering "suggestions," questioning my tactics in that polite, slippery way. Heās been sharpening his knife behind my back for months.
Heh! That idiot might not know whatās coming for him.
He always looks down on others, thinks numbers are everything.
So when he saw Armandās troops are less than 500, he probably thinks victory is guaranteed.
Ah~ poor guy. Just married that beautiful wife three months ago.
Donāt worry, if you lose, Iāll take good care of her~ for you~
The captainās smile turned cold, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement.
Iāve seen his wife once at a garrison feast, young, delicate, with soft eyes and a shy smile. The kind of woman whoād weep prettily at her husbandās funeral...
Sheāll be so... grateful for protection after her husbandās... unfortunate demise. And who better to comfort a grieving widow than her husbandās former commander? Iāll make her scream my name and forget all about her dead husband. Iāll shower her with money, gifts, attention... until the only man she thinks of is me.
A fitting reward for all the assistantās behind-the-back ambition.
Meanwhile...
The assistant smirked once he saw the captain vanish from sight.
Heh! What a dumb captain.
Why do we need to be scared of 200 mere Armand soldiers when we have new weapons, 50 new musketeer units, 2000 magic archers, 50 cannons, thousands of magic swords and reinforced plate armor, plus enhanced cavalry?
Heās dumb. Not fit to be in command.
Iāll prove to Lord Turka with my leadership, I can win this easily.
Why the hell is he scared of those flying things? Our new magic archers have been proven to pierce full plate armor in one shot. One shot!
And we have two thousand of them here!!! Not one! Not to mention the bullets we use are magic-piercing rounds, tested and proven to punch straight through an inch-thick iron plate door like it was parchment!
What does he think those Armand soldiers are made of? Adamantite?
Not to mention the explosive cannonballs! And we also have explosive arrows that detonate on impact! Thereās no way a mere handful of Armand soldiers, with their tiny numbers, can fight back!
Weāll fire continuously until thereās nothing left of those Armand soldiers but dust on the ground!
I bet with just one attack! Just one attack and itāll all be over!
Dumb captain! Weakling! Coward! Iāll prove to him Iām better in command. Iāll lead these 10,000 troops forward and march to victory, so Lord Turka knows weāre the ones winning against the so-called "invincible Armand"!
Iāll take the captainās rank, meet Lord Turka, and if I can, Iāll get both the general and him removed.
Iām sure Lord Turka will recognize my leadership and be thrilled. He must be sick of hearing how the general and the captain tremble at the sight of a few hundred soldiers. Itās embarrassing! It makes our whole army look weak, timid, unfit to rule the lands we conquer.
Theyāve grown soft, complacent, unworthy of their titles. They look down on true strength and boldness. But Iāll show them what real command looks like!
He clasped his hands behind his back and glanced at the officers gathered around him.
"Assemble all our forces. Make sure every cannon is reloaded. Call the musketeer unit and have them load the magic-piercing bullets. Position them at the front line, ready to fire on my command."
"But, Chief..." one of the officers tried to interject. "The captainās last order was not to attack unless weāre attacked first."
The assistant turned and glared, his face hardening into a mask of cold authority.
"And what was his last command about who is in charge!? I am the one in command now! All of you will listen to my orders!"
"But... we should wait for the captain toā"
The assistant slapped the officer hard across the face. The nearby soldiers stood frozen, eyes wide.
"Are you someone who also has no balls!? What are you scared of!? Didnāt you see the results of our magic archer tests!? Didnāt you see how easily we crumbled this border wall with our cannons!? Didnāt you see how fast we overran these weak Tybalt defenses!? Didnāt you see how those Tybalt soldiers fell like training dummies!? Hah! You dare question my order!?"
He glared around, his expression fierce and unyielding.
"Those Armand soldiers are merely 200! We are not fighting with swords and shields like in the old days! We are the new strongest army! We will show everyone who the real power in this region is!"
"I donāt want any more excuses! Now go and carry out my commands immediately! Anyone who hesitates will be treated as a traitor and dealt with accordingly!"
( End Of Chapter )