Chapter 25: The Inconceivable Victory
With a "whoosh," the general's head soared into the air, instinctively drawing the gaze of every soldier skyward to the tumbling head.
In that instant, the morale of the Blueyard Kingdom's troops plummeted, a mix of unease and despair filling the eyes of each soldier.
On the contrary, the soldiers under Leo became even more exhilarated and frenzied, letting out triumphant roars.
At the heart of the battlefield, Leo, his face smeared with blood, held his longsword aloft.
He looked towards Lilith, who seemed like a goddess of war, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
Raising his arm, he gazed forward and bellowed, "Follow me towards the direction my sword points, and victory shall be ours!"
"Charge!!"
The cry filled the entire sky as Leo led his soldiers in a sweeping advance across the battlefield!
Like a collapsing mountain, the Blueyard Kingdom's forces, having lost their general, were bereft of fighting spirit.
Facing the boiling war fervor of Leo and his soldiers, some began to cast away their weapons and flee.
What followed was a vigorous chase.
Unstoppable, Leo pursued for miles, only halting his troops when the Blueyard Kingdom's army had completely scattered.
Lilith, by Leo's side, still had the flames of battle burning in her eyes.
After a few moments, the fire in her gaze faded, and her emotions gradually calmed.
She looked at Leo with a hint of puzzlement in her eyes.
"We must not pursue a defeated foe too far; what's paramount now is to secure Jacques," Leo said calmly.
"Understood," Lilith nodded, not arguing with Leo.
"Do you need a cloak?" Leo asked with a smile, preparing to remove his own to offer it to Lilith.
"No need," Lilith said, her gaze steely as she looked ahead.
After facing life and death, she was no longer just an ordinary girl.
Every soldier who looked at her did so without the slightest hint of disrespect.
With her sword, Lilith had earned the respect of everyone, including her enemies.
"Ah, that's right! Congratulations on becoming a novice knight," Leo suddenly remembered and exclaimed.
"There's no need for congratulations. A novice knight isn't enough to kill you," Lilith replied coolly.
Leo paused, then a faint smile appeared on his face.
He nodded and said softly, "What I love most is a woman who never forgets her roots."
With that, Leo tugged on the reins and turned to his soldiers and the remaining knights.
The recent battle, though a grand victory, had come with significant losses.
Of the two hundred knights, only about one hundred and fifty remained combat-ready, most of them lightly wounded.
Around three thousand of the four thousand soldiers were still able to move.
"Bring all the wounded and the dead. Back to the city!" Leo commanded, waving his arm.
All the soldiers and knights looked at Leo, their eyes filled with respect and even admiration.
Upon hearing his command, everyone nodded and immediately began to return to the city as ordered.
…
Such a great victory was a source of inspiration not only for Jacques but for the entire northwest region.
As Leo led his army back to the city, they were greeted by all the people, who had even prepared wreaths and food to celebrate the victory!
Leo accepted the wreaths but declined the food.
He first directed all the soldiers to return to the barracks, then summoned the quartermaster.
"How much money and food do we have left?" Leo asked directly.
A look of difficulty crossed the quartermaster's face.
After a moment's hesitation, he answered,
"Your Highness, we have fifty thousand gold coins left in reserve, and enough food to last three months."
"What?!" Leo's voice sharpened.
This was Jacques, a stronghold of Lionara.
By all logic, the gold reserves should be at least five hundred thousand coins!
The food supplies being sufficient for only three months was also less than he had anticipated.
"It's... most of it was taken by Lord Horn, and what's left is..." the quartermaster struggled to explain.
"The rest is what he couldn't carry, right?" Leo interrupted, his voice cold.
The quartermaster lowered his head, looking somewhat at a loss.
Technically, he was the primary responsible party.
Leo understood that anyone in that position would have faced similar issues, so he didn't blame the quartermaster.
"Distribute forty thousand gold coins evenly among all soldiers, double for the wounded, and tenfold for the fallen. Then make sure food and supplies are also adequately distributed," Leo decided, shaking his head.
"Ah?"
The quartermaster was taken aback.
Such a decision by Leo was almost like not planning for the future at all!
"Do as I say!" Leo's brow furrowed slightly, his voice icy.
Regardless, the promise of rewards to his soldiers could not be broken, and now was not the time to skimp on supplies.
"Yes," the quartermaster could only nod in agreement.
After the quartermaster left, Lilith entered Leo's office.
She had changed into a maid's attire, the black and white contrasting with her golden hair, making her look ethereal.
Standing before Leo, her expression was still icy.
"What are you planning to do next?" Lilith asked.
"What do you mean?" Leo opened a stack of documents, as if he didn't understand what she was getting at.
Lilith's brow furrowed slightly, but she asked again, "The war isn't over. What about Lord Horn and the capital?"
Leo looked up, smiling slightly.
"Haven't you realized? My elder brother is a brainless, greedy warrior, and as for the one in the capital, he's old, very old."
"I see," Lilith's eyes narrowed slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Leo turned his attention back to the reports his officials had submitted.
...
Within two days, Jacques had returned to calm.
The news of Leo repelling the Blueyard Kingdom's forces spread throughout Lionara, astonishing everyone.
At Horn's temporary residence, upon hearing the news from the front, Horn's expression instantly froze.
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
Horn waved his arms vehemently, refusing to accept what had happened.
His attendants and servants stood to the side, silent, not daring to speak.
Yet, deep down, each of them felt a shift in their sentiments.
"Your Highness, what should we do next?"
After a long while, an attendant cautiously stepped forward and asked in a low voice.
Horn's face was a picture of extreme displeasure.
Upon hearing the question, he slowly turned to his attendant.
Swallowing hard, his voice raspy, Horn asked, "How far are we from Jacques?"
Everyone was momentarily stunned, sensing what Horn might be planning.
Their emotions became even more complex, with some barely concealing their disdain.
"Your Highness, approximately... two hundred miles," the attendant replied, his voice strained.
They had been continuously on the move.
Horn, terrified by the Blueyard Kingdom's army, had been urging them on relentlessly, so they had put a considerable distance between themselves and Jacques.
"Am I still the supreme commander, right?" Horn looked around, asking.
The atmosphere turned eerily silent, almost frighteningly so.
Everyone was unsure how to respond to Horn.
After a few tense moments, someone finally mustered the courage to speak up loudly,
"Your Highness, of course, you are still the supreme commander! It's a decree from His Majesty!"
Hearing this, Horn, like a man grasping at straws, showed a somewhat guilty smile.
Gritting his teeth, Horn declared,
"If so, then this victory was also under my leadership! We... we... we will have a triumphant return!"
Horn repeated 'we' three times before he could say the word he intended.
At this, everyone's expressions became even more complicated, some barely suppressing a twitch in their lips.
A triumphant return?
If they weren't Horn's subordinates, they would likely have erupted in the biggest laughter of their lives.
But after all, Lord Horn was still before them.
"Exactly! A triumphant return! Why not?!" the first person who spoke up raised his arm and shouted.
Seeing the man raising his arm, a few finally couldn't hide their disdain.
"Your Highness... is right."
"We... we can return!"
"..."
After a long pause, a few others weakly echoed the sentiment.
"Let's return!" Horn swallowed again, looking up at the sky, nodding as if to muster courage for himself.
…
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