Titan Beneath the Heavens Chapter 107

"Church Calendar Year 797 31st day of third month. At the Haussen Province at the northwest border. At the place 87 kilometers away from the ninth army camp of the Steinberger family. And that is the area near to Saijo Mountain. I do not want to think about why the ninth army base that is of no strategic value needs to possess such strong army forces. This is because no one knows, or no one wants to share it to me. This morning, my unit arrived at Saijo Mountain. That’s right. It was just as Lieutenant General Endorph described it to be. It is simply a place of 200 meters in height and 600 meters in depth. On Saijo Mountain, the black forest that resembles a thick cloud can be seen clearly. A huge opening is right at the front of the place. If it is the time to exchange defense, this place will be as lively as the marketplace. Countless forest warriors will gather at this place, then return to their respective homes and unite with their family."

"Your Highness! A problem has occurred!" The messenger Major Ellington Steinberger suddenly crashed into the Prince’s camp. He has not been so rude before.

"What’s wrong?"

"There’s some problems with Major Torry’s cannon units. One of the wheels of a carriage broke. The soldier driving the carriage crashed into another carriage in panic. We...."

"We lost two carriages! Is that right?" Oscar frowned. This was definitely the worst news ever.

"Yes! You can understand it that way. Major Torry is gathering people to fix it up, but.... I am afraid there won’t be any results before night!"

"Ola!" Oscar had an urge to yell at the sky. "That is to say... We will have to camp out here until the carriages are able to continue the journey! Is that right?"

The messenger nodded in difficulty. "However, please do not worry too much. The most important cannons seem to be fine."

Oscar put down his quill pen helplessly. "Paul, please keep my diary. I will take a look at that unlucky guy Torry. I want to see what sort of trouble he got me into."

The Saijo Mountain had an indescribable power to the forest warriors of the Steinberger family! Just like the Independent brigade commanded by Lieutenant General Endorph, this heroic army unit belonged to one of the few guerilla units of the Blackwood Fortress. They were mainly responsible for the defense line at the border. These warriors stayed in the forest most of the time. The exchange of defense line soldiers once per every three years was undoubtedly the happiest thing for the soldiers who guarded the border. Even though Lieutenant General Endorph was not a direct member of the Steinberger family, but his sister was the Lady Duke of Steinberger. This family was just at a town near the City. The warriors in the First Brigade were mostly soldiers recruited from the people around this town. The place of exchange was naturally Sir Lieutenant General’s land. This way, nothing was more anticipated than going home! There were broiled beef with potatoes, Hawthorn wince and butter bread that was baked until golden at home. Of course, there were also his parents, wife and children.

Even though the warriors of the First Brigade were to enter the defense area from Saijo Mountain, this small land reminded them of countless beautiful memories. The warriors gathered in small circles and discussed about the crop harvest, their family and their children.

No matter what meaning this land brought, this did not involve the Red Tiger. Murat received the news about the trouble the cannons unit got into since a while ago. This smart Assault Division leader quickly made some arrangement. He arranged six sentries near the opening at the edge of forest to inspect the people and business groups that passed by here. The scout team remained their original number of soldiers. When they scouted, they must make sure they were in contact with each other. The Blackwood was probably the furthest place the Narcissus Knights came to in these four hundred years. If they ever lost their way in the forest, then Murat thought this would be the most embarrassing thing ever.

He should not think about Torry anymore. This guy commanded his arrangement like a lunatics. He knew that his situation has delayed the schedule of the whole army unit. Even though this was unavoidable, Torry still had the conscience of a soldier. He blamed himself as he gathered all technicians that he had at hand to fix the carriages that were broken.

When Oscar rushed to the Sukhoi unit, he saw a scene that was as if fire had broken out and reached towards the sky.

"You guys.... What are you doing?"

Torry came towards the Prince. "Your Highness, as you can see! The technicians are repairing the carriages. The rest are taking care of the cannons. They have to find something to do. I won’t let these damn people to be free like lazy women."

"Taking care of the cannons?" Oscar relieved his knitted eyebrows. "This is something new to me. Let’s go! Bring me to have a look!"

Thus, two commanding officers abandoned the carriages and ran to the other side. Lieutenant general Endorph who was right behind them could not help but look at General Gondol Abassia! Isn’t this Prince a little not serious about his duty?

The cannons were arranged in a line at the area where Saijo Mountain faced the forest. The soldiers of Sukhoi family took off the cloth covering the cannon. The black cannon emitted a mighty light under the warm sun in winter. At last, the cold wave passed. The snow on the ground became soft. Even though they had some troubles, all warriors wore a smile on their faces! This was because after a while, the spring at the north would return to this silvery ground.

Taking care of the cannons, from the looks of it, was an extremely complicated and laborious thing to do! At first, the soldiers of the cannon unit had to ensure that this special clothes remained dry after taking them off from the cannons. They had to apply insect repellant to these clothes as well. Even though there won’t be any parasites in the winter, this was a must-do thing within their job scope.

Then, the third gunner and the second gunner began to clean the barrel. The towel used to wipe the barrels must be dry. The iron brush that was used to clean the inside of the barrel must not have any moisture as well. At this time, the first gunner had a more complicated role. He must check on the aiming tool, gunpowder filling mouth and firing line hole. These three parts were the most important parts of the cannons except for the ignition. The Sukhoi people called the aiming tools of the cannons as "Mountain Gaze", even though it was simply a triangular metal protruding from the barrels. But as the most original aiming tool, it has the functions of aiming the target and adjusting the height of the mouth of cannon along with its firing range; the gunpowder filling mouth usually had a hard cork stuck in this hole because it connected directly towards the firing parts at the back of the cannons. Smoothness and dryness must be ensured for this parts. Even a small amount of impurities and blockage could cause danger during the usage of the cannons; as for the firing line hole, the design here was complicated! Before filling in the gunpowder, the firing line hole was about 9 centimeters in size. These two holes had two different routes. This way, the threat of accidental discharge and blowing up of barrel could be minimized during the firing of the cannons.

"Your Highness, actually what you see here is not the most important job!" Torry said as he looked at another row of carriages at the end of the cannons unit worriedly. "Cleaning the ammunition is the most dangerous yet most necessary thing to do! These explosive ammunition is created by my sister. According to the sayings...… There’s only one kind of ammunition that can explode on this whole land. The principles and production method of this ammunition is not even clear to me because my sister hid this technique at a secret production base that only she knows about. I believe even my father is not clear about the situation and location of this base."

Oscar nodded. "I believe in the invention of Vijdeline!"

"Yes!" Torry nodded as reaffirmation. "But.... My sister left me with a great trouble. These ammunitions are even more precious than the cannons! The carriage used to carry them has been modified before. The planks at the outer layer has a thick layer of anti-moisture paint. Inside, grass and cotton wool are used to fill in the gaps between the ammunition. These dudes are not very stable. They will explode when they meet with fire and friction. The only time they won’t explode is that they are wet. But you know what? If they are wet, then it means that they won’t ever explode! So, we chose the right time to transport these guys in winter. If it is spring or fall, a rainstorm can make our cannons lose their functions. Then all of us can just go home!"

"Torry!" Oscar patted his old friend on the shoulder. "I can see that you have been too nervous lately! I must say that the reason the unit can safely travelled to this extent is due to your contribution! You used all your energy to take care of the cannon unit. During the snowstorm, you even slept in the carriage for the cannon at night! So.....All that happened today wasn’t your fault. Our carriages have already travelled for 600 kilometers. The horse used to pull the carriage was already changed a few times. The situations that happened are understandable!"

Torry did not seem to hear it. He lowered his head in silence with regards to the Prince’s consolation.

"My friend!" Oscar took hold of Torry’s shoulder in a sudden movement. "I am proud of you! You are no longer that Walking Stick Torry that only plays with cats and dogs at the University Town! I believe in the near future, you will become an excellent Guards military officer and command cannons unit that is even larger than this unit!"

Torry finally nodded. "Thank you Your Highness! I won’t let my friends down!"

Oscar hit his old friend’s shoulder for a few times in relief. Torry seemed to received strength from this! The future Cannon Marshal of the Andrew Dynasty opened his neckline and folded his sleeves. He yelled wildly at those busy soldiers!

"My people! You have embarrassed the family in front of others! Speed up! Speed up! We must do our best to ensure we can continue the journey tomorrow!"

Oscar hinted to the guards to get his Rayshure. It seemed that he did not need to worry about the cannon unit anymore.

Blackwood! This was the Blackwood! He gazed upwards. The thick branches that have lost their color completely blocked sunlight from coming in. Dark shadows were cast all over the forest ground. There were only a few thin lines shining through and falling on the ground not far away.

A crow suddenly crashed into the woods. A terrifying wail was heard from the sky. After this cold sound, the wood seemed to come alive. A while lone wolf raised his head from the snowy ground; an agile wild rabbit ran into the underground tunnel; the fox impatiently shook off the snow on its body after a long day of hunting; the forest badger quickly climbed the tree.

Ten scout teams of the Narcissus Knights have already been in the woods for a while! Except for the crazy silence, they have not found anything else. If they did not find the little animals that

appeared often, the Knights must suspect that they have come into the realm of death.

The half-meter snow made the movement of the war horses to be extremely slow. Some stubborn little guys stopped impatiently no matter how their masters urged them to move. But this was not yet the most troubling problem of all. After going into the woods for an hour, their sense of direction seemed to become blur. The scenery around them seemed to be extremely familiar.

"Captain! Look at this!" Kirk Dexton, the swordsman in the Fighting Division said as he pointed at the hooves print on the snow in front of them. "It seems like.... We have been making rounds at this place!"

"Kirk!" The Captain rushed forward. "You should say that we are making rounds in this damn place!"

"What should we do now?" Kirk took his sword from his leather bag. To be honest, he was not scared at all. It was just that this place made him nervous.

The little captain looked around. He mumbled under his breath in a low voice. "Damn it! There’s not even an obvious reference place in this woods!"

"Joel!" The little Captain called out a soldier. "Release the ringer. See at what position the other teams are!"

"Yes Sir!" This soldier whose name was Joel quickly put his arrow on the bow. Along with a screeching sound, the ringer then flew into the air.

Soon, a ringer flew up from the left side of the team in the woods, followed by from the right side and from a few more positions.

The captain knitted his eyebrow. "Damn it! We have been moving in the correct route. Those marks in front must not be ours!"

Right after the Captain had finished his words, the sound of weapons being pulled out was heard from the scout team of the Narcissus Knights!

Kirk’s sword was pointed at the ground. He scanned his surroundings in alarm. Soon, this sensitive knight found something odd.

"Captain! This place.... Isn’t it too quiet? No birds, no light and no sound."

The Captain nodded, but then shook his head. He pulled out his weapon. "This place is far from the border! There should not be any enemy here. Be alarmed and spread out in army formation. Move forward....."

Kirk Dexton had his eyes wide open. The arrow that pierced his Captain’s neck caused fresh blood to spurt out.

"Enemy attack!" The swordsman shouted as he ran forward with his war horse. The strong sound of arrow piercing the air could only be heard after it hit the target. This power could only be achieved by sniper.

The scout team of the Narcissus Knights immediately scattered into different positions. As a scout, their mission was not to engage in battle, but to report the enemy’s situation to the units.

The woods suddenly became lively. Numerous knives and axes jumped out from many corners on the ground. They were yelling some unknown language that the Narcissus Knights could not understand.

One after another comrade was hit off their horse. Kirk was almost crazy. He did not know if his companions have made an alert. Nor did he know who was attacking them. This Knight who has not participated in any actual battle only knew that he has already changed three directions in his course. A terrifying thought came into his mind. He has already been surrounded!

The battle in the woods left no doubts. The sudden attack of an unknown enemy forced the defenseless Narcissus Knights into a passive position. The enemy’s advantage of having more numbers than they did also made the Knights’ movement seem extra. A stubborn soldier rolled off his horse and onto the ground after being injured. When he stood up, he immediately severed two enemies’ throats. The sharp pain that came from his back made him turn around and sink the knights’ sword into the opponent’s neck, but this Narcissus Knight was not quick to end his opponent’s life. He pressured his long sword and made his opponent fall back towards the people who came rushing forward. At last, he did a slashing movement and blood rain fell in the woods!

The enemy was pushed down by the dead comrade, but there was already a lance sank into the Narcissus Knight’s back. This knight who was heavily surrounded by the enemy furiously slashed the lance apart. Despite the intense pain from the head of lance piercing his body, he ran into the attacker and stabbed the long sword into the enemy’s chest!

The enemy finally advanced towards him. The knight swung his sword to block more than ten weapons. A cold arrow pierced his shoulder. A saber slashed his thigh. Finally! A shield blocked the knight’s sword that was crazily swung around. The enemy pushed this brave Narcissus Knight onto a huge tree. The knight yelled desperately. At last, he could only see countless weapons stabbed into his body. He was so close to the ferocious enemy. They were screaming. Those weapons sunk deeply into his body while they tossed and turned. The knight coughed blood. He scanned the enemy who injured him. He hoped that he could remember their faces, but..... It was finally pitch black in front of his eyes.

Just when the enemy was feeling happy that they won against a strong opponent, another Narcissus knight broke into their sight while he yelled in a loud voice. Even though the snow lowered the mobility of the horse, but that wide knight’s sword emitted a terrifying glow.

The knight on the horse swung his huge sword as if he has practiced for more than thousand times. The panicking enemy fell amidst the flow of sword’s glow. The knight took a final glance at his comrade who was pinned on the tree. He did not have time to grieve for his comrade. He must use his highest speed to leave the battlefield! Right at this time, there were a few obvious bumps in front of the snowy ground in front of him. Just when the knight on the horse was feeling odd, the enemy who hid under the snow jumped out. Without having the time to think, Kirk Dexter hit a gear on his sword. He divided the family weapon that has been used for more than ten generations in the family into two. With two hands, he swung the sword and slashed at the snow fog! At the same time, he slashed at the enemy who was blocking him!

The intense pain he felt from his shoulder and back chest made little Kirk’s head spin. He realized that he was hit by arrows. He controlled his war horse to sprint forward without stopping in difficulty! Suddenly, the woods were behind him. Little Kirk bathed in the bright sunlight!

"I made it out! I made it out!" The great swordsman’s vision went black. He lost his consciousness on the sprinting war horse!

It was Church Calendar Year 797 31st of third month 12:39pm. Lieutenant General of Titan’s Imperial Guards Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette’s army camp was in absolute chaos.

"Who attacked us?""How many soldiers do they have?""Isn’t this place still a long way from the border?""Is the Blackwood Fortress just a decoration?"

To the questioning of the Narcissus generals, Lieutenant General Endorph could not utter a word. At the border of Blackwood that was near to the family’s land was a strongly armed force that could eliminate a whole unit of the Narcissus Knight’s scout team. This was truly something inexplicable!

"Stop! Everyone stop!" Oscar stopped his loud subordinates. When things were calmer, this Prince turned to Endorph who was at the side.

"Sir Lieutenant General, you know that we don’t have any intention to point against your family. But the truth requires that you provide the explanation with regards to this incident! My Knights division and Infantry division are not familiar with the situation around here. I believe the 99 scouts who have not returned from the woods have all sacrificed themselves! I won’t let my subordinates to enter the woods in danger again!"

Endorph was thinking about this question. If it was the patrol of the family, they definitely would not attack without giving warnings first; if it was bandits, as far as this Lieutenant General knew, there has not been such things before; if.... It was people of Deiss, then as what the Narcissus generals questioned earlier, was the Blackwood just a decoration? The people of Deiss could not reach Saijo Mountain without going through the strong defense borderline!

The whole camp fell into a dead silence. Everyone was thinking. At this position and at this time, why would they encounter something so inexplicable?

Deiss Teutonic Calvary Group’s General, Marshal Veron Blundindt inspected that piece of shield for a total 5 minutes. At last, he finally broke the silence in the camp.

"Such workmanship and carvings were the popular method in the last century. Narcissus, Fierce Tiger! This was the logo of the Andrew family of the Titan Empire. Everyone has been silent for so long. It’s about time you say something! Tell me! At the northwest far from the east border of Titan, why would there be a middle sized scout team of Narcissus Knights here?"

No one answered the Marshal’s question. Only Colonel Opal of the Kingdom Commander Division spread his hands.

"Sir Marshal, let it be! This is definitely something inexplicable. Just as you said, war is always full of surprise! I believe that our sudden attack is already out in the blue! The first priority is to decide whether to fight or to run."

"Run?" Marshal Veron scanned the military officers present here. They were all the most famous and most brave generals of the Kingdom Army. They successfully infiltrated Titan and successfully stayed close to their attack position, but.....Everything was destroyed by the Narcissus Knight who crashed into the woods all of a sudden!

"Run?" The Marshal repeated. "Do you think the Narcissus Knight will let us run?" This careful Marshal called upon his own investigation division leader. He felt that the Narcissus Knight who was suddenly attacked would make some move now!

"Report, Marshal! I have already confirmed that the opponents are the Narcissus Knight. They showed their war flag and the Ancestral tablet of the Andrew family. They used a whole Division to completely close off the opening area. We are still observing for other situations. About the army force of the Narcissus Knight, we do not have any accurate information."

Marshal Veron waved his hand and hinted the Investigation Division Leader to back out. He turned to the generals who were looking at him.

"The God-chosen warriors are in our way. Maybe...… Their messenger is already on his way to Steinberger’s ninth base camp with a letter of request of aid! We can’t.... Are we going to just go back like this?"

"No!" A general stood up from his seat. "Sir Marshal, even if the opponent has a middle-sized scout team of 100 people, that only shows they have a system of army ranking. If we want to fight, we still have the chance of winning. Moreover, the aid from the ninth base camp can only reach here soonest by tomorrow morning. We totally have the chance....."

"No!" Marshal Veron shook his head and interrupted the words of his subordinate. "You forgot something. Once the Titan lit their beacon, the Steinberger family will immediately become a hedgehog. Our route of retreat is the blackwood, but the blackwood is the land of the Steinberger. Their warriors will be able to eliminate us without much disturbance in this dark forest!"

The military officers began to discuss. Things happened too suddenly and it was so difficult to understand. Even though the Marshal’s words were extremely logical, even though they were in danger of having their whole unit eliminated, but..... Did they really have to retreat from Titan? After advancing for three months, with 20% reduction in their soldier pool under non-battle conditions, they have to retreat from Titan without shooting an arrow and fighting a battle?

This! The soldiers of Deiss could definitely not accept this!

"Fight! Fight!" Veron’s voice was light. He knew that the Torrent Strategy has completely failed. But if they were to retreat just like this, without thinking how the generals under him would look at this Marshal, it was afraid that his military life would be completely finished after going back to his country. Then.... If you want to fight, then fight! Fight with the legendary God-chosen warriors!

Thinking of this, Veron Blundindt had no choice but to express his extremely troubled feelings. He knew that every single general understood that the sudden attack has failed. If he did not show a little energy, he believed that the spirit of the soldiers would be totally gone.

"I order!"

"Right after the Marshal said this, the generals in the camp all stood up.

"Make fire! Cook hot meals for all units. At 1:30pm, be prepared to attack!"

"Yes Sir!"

Colonel Opal looked at the military officers who left the large tent as he sighed deeply. He could not describe his feeling now. Countless sacrifices, countless accumulation, countless preparation for war. Everything disappeared in an hour. Was this a joke of God of Light with Deiss? Even though this first-class war consultant agreed with the attack strategy of the Marshal, but...… The Narcissus Knight who were far away from them suddenly made an appearance at the northwest of this Empire. Then they must shoulder a heavy duty! It could be imagined that the following war would be a terrifying collision between strong forces!

Oscar looked at the Lieutenant General with a troubled expression and then at General Gondol Abassia who kept studying the maps. At last, this Prince turned towards the Major General Murat with a dark look. This Prince knew that he must say something, but the atmosphere in the tent was simply too heavy.

"Say something!"

Murat looked at the Prince. "Your Highness, I do not have any opinion. Once we found the enemy and you gave your order, I will lead my unit to launch the attack! This question is clearer than ever. No opinion is needed."

General Gondol Abassia who was studying the map suddenly raised his head. "Your Highness, Murat is right! Regardless of the enemy’s armed forces or their aim or even how they got here, as long as they are the enemy, we will fight with them here at Saijo Mountain! This is the duty that must be achieved by Titan soldiers!"

"Report!" Messenger Major Ellington Steinberger crashed into the tent in a rush. "Your highness and officers. That scout member who ran out from the woods is awake now!"

Without waiting for the order of Oscar, Murat was the first one to rush out of the tent. That was little Kirk, the lover of his niece!

The afternoon sunlight gave off a weak light and warmth. The warriors on the Saijo Mountain have already been informed that there was an enemy with unknown identity in the woods. The death of their comrades made the Narcissus Knights eager to fight. Those quiet warriors carried out the work at hand without saying anything. They put their weapons on the floor one by one. Then, they carefully sharpened their weapons. When the armor that they wore on them gleamed a terrifying glow, the Knights wore them once again.

The warriors of Steinberger starred in question at the woods. This was Saijo Mountain. Saijo Mountain never had any enemy before. In the heart of the Steinberger warriors, Saijo Mountain was like a sign! No intruder could pass through here. This was the baseline for the invasion of enemy! Because.... This was Saijo Mountain! Behind Saijo Mountain were their wives and children! It was home!

The warriors of the First Independent Infantry Brigade of Loantz Front of Steinberger arranged themselves in a neat formation at the side of Saijo Mountain that faced the woods. The heavily-armored infantry took out their armor that they have not worn for a while from their backpacks. The soldiers brought a few weight-carrying carriage. The warriors in the arrow formation stood in long queue to receive their battle resources to stop the enemy. The lancers, the swordsmen, the shields, the hooks, the spears. Their respective units have not been gathered yet. These warriors were given many missions. They have to cut trees to build a spiked fence to defend against the cavalry. They even have to create traps and bury fire seeds near the plains on Saijo Mountain. In a nutshell, the warriors of the Assault Unit were all busy. The high plains that was still the beautiful scenery of the north just now became a construction site.

Colonel Krapitch Drake was a smart guy. His brain was much livelier than his strategy! There was an unknown armed forces with incredible fighting ability hiding in the woods. If this was confirmed as the sudden attack of the Deiss, then...… Wasn’t the great chance of getting promotion right in front of him?

This military officer used the nicest words to encourage his commoner brothers. These warriors from the West Military District had enough bitter times during this period. But since Brother Krapitch ordered them to spirit up and prepare for battle, then nothing more should be said! They served the Empire just for this day. The infantry warriors of the Guards took off the cotton coat in the winter. They began to build the lookout, and dig trenches and communication tunnel. Before the enemy came, they believed they would be able to turn Saijo Mountain into a strong fort!

Torry was the last military officer that came into the Prince’s tent in a rush, but he was not able to catch the Prince. There was no one in the tent. This damn kid has been torturing his whole cannon unit. He was just informed of the news that there was an enemy attack.

Torry rubbed his hands. Why would there be an enemy here? What should he do if his cannon unit was under attack? What should he do if the cannons were damaged? What should he do if he could not transport the precious war resources to Blackwood Fortress?

The panicky Viscount Sukhoi rushed out of the tent. He had to find someone to learn about the punishment of the Titan’s law against neglect of duty.

"Kirk! How are you?" Murat rushed towards the bed just when he entered the door. It seemed like the one injured was his own son.

"Division Leader...…" Corporal Kirk Dexton of the Second Commando Battalion in the Red Tiger Assault Division Battle Group suddenly cried! But please forgive him. He has already been told that among the hundreds of scouts, he was the only one who came out of that forest! The rest of his comrades did not walk out of that pitch black forest!

"Kirk! Kirk! It’s okay! It’s fine! You are a good one! A good one!" Murat took this child in his hug. But, his action made the generals behind him frown.

"Division Leader! I am sorry...… Sorry....."

"Don’t talk about this anymore! No more!" Murat used his sleeve to wipe the face of this small warrior. "Tell me! Tell the Prince! From the moment you entered the forest, until the moment you were attacked! The whole process!"

Kirk sobbed. He was thinking. He was organizing his thoughts. As compared to the pain of losing his comrades, accurately reporting the situation was his responsibility.

"It’s like this. Everything was normal at first. Ten scout teams were maintaining the formation and advancing at the same pace, but..... At about the place that was 2 kilometers away from the border of the forest, we were suddenly attacked from all directions! My team captain was the first to be sacrificed. Then my comrades and I dispersed to leave the encirclement, but obviously the enemy did not give us any chance to do that. Their numbers were overwhelming! When I left the battlefield, I only saw a comrade who was surrounded by twenty enemies in the middle. I wanted to save him! I really wanted to! But..... But my horse could not run anymore! Those guys who wore beasts’ skins with sabers in their hands kept coming up to disturb me! I...… I could not save him! O God of Light, forgive me! I let more than ten weapons pierce into that warrior’s body!"

Upon saying this, Kirk began to sob again!

Murat was finally impatient! He took hold of the neckline of that boy in a sudden movement.

"Keep that damn tears in! Everyone here is waiting to avenge their comrades! Tell me! More clearly! Those people’s appearances. Their clothes! The weapons they sued! Their flag and...…"

"Division leader!" Little Kirk interrupted Murat. He wiped his eyes in forceful movement. His determination was lit up by the word ‘revenge’!

"Those people did not have a standardized uniform, but most of them used a kind of saber that has a wide blade and narrow opening. They also speak a language I don’t understand. That is definitely not Titan language! I am sure....."

"Alright! That’s all!" Endorph suddenly stopped him! This Lieutenant General turned towards the small Prince.

"Your Highness! We don’t need to doubt anymore! The enemy is Deiss! Even though I have no idea how they infiltrated here, but according to the description of Corporal Kirk, I am sure! These people who speak a hard-to-pronounce language and wear beasts’ skins with sabers in their hands are people of Deiss! From the effect of their attack this time, it should be a formal army unit!"

Before Oscar even said anything, a soldier opened the door of the tent.

"Your Highness and officers, you should come and see this!"

Oscar walked out of the tent in question. The tent was on the peak of Saijo Mountain. Even though this highland was only a slightly elevated ground, standing on it still allowed the people to see the whole forest in front of them and the snow plains behind them.

Facing the direction of the forest, Oscar took a deep breath!

The Blackwood stretched out beneath. At ten kilometers from its border, countless smoke dispersed into the air at this moment.

The generals of Narcissus knights and military officers of the Independent First Brigade stared at the sky filled with smoke quietly.

After a while! Lieutenant General finally spoke.

"Deiss’s cooking utensil during war includes a frying includes a frying pan, a baking pan and a stew pot. Usually a fire pit is able to make food for twenty people! Then..... here..... here...…. It can’t be that there are four Corps here? This is impossible! This must not be possible! Four Corps means thirty six people! The family’s defense at the border could not allow...…"

"It’s possible!" General Gondol Abassia, the single-arm general spoke. "Why not? I just carefully studied the defense formation of your family. Your family actually did manage an unbreakable defense line at the border of Deiss, but what about the side at Riel Kingdom? Your family only has two border fortress and three poor small-scaled army bases. If the Deiss were to take the bypass route at Riel Kingdom, and if they camouflaged well, infiltrating to this place was not such a difficult thing to do even for a huge army unit."

"Riel Kingdom?" Lieutenant general Endorph had his eyes wide open unbelievably. "Even this small country has the guts to challenge our country? Bypass to infiltrate other countries! This is the most unacceptable thing in the international law!"

General Abassia sighed. "Lieutenant General, I have already said this! This is not the time to study these problems. Deiss is just hiding in the forest in front of us. They are no less than four kilometers away from us! What we should be focusing on is how we can fight a beautiful defense war!"

"That’s right!" Major Murat took care of his appearance. He stood by the Prince’s side. "What we should focus on is the way to defeat the four Corps at the battlefront!"

Oscar retrieved his glance from the direction of smoke. He took a glance at the warriors who were building infrastructure near Saijo Mountain!

"Lieutenant General Endorph’s First Independent Brigade has an infantry of 5000 people. Among which 1000 are responsible to protect the cannons unit. The available armed forces are four official divisions." Oscar began counting. "My Red Tiger has a heavily-armed Knights’ Division, a Battle Group and a Ranger Division. That equals to 2000 soldiers. Then there’s Krapitch’s infantry division, and that’s another 3000 soldier. That is to say we have a whole fleet of army division. Ola..... I..... feel like I miss something?"

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" Major Tove Van Sukhoi rushed up to the hillside in panic.

"You.... What are you guys doing?! O my God of Light! Who can tell me this? When the enemy attack us, what should my cannon unit do?"

Oscar took his gaze away from Torry. He gazed upon the wide plain between Saijo Mountain and the opening of the forest. He could not help but smile! In the mind of this Prince, the scenery in front of them slowly overlapped with the cannon testing ground of the Sukhoi!

Oscar walked away from the generals that surrounded him. This young Prince slowly turned around.

"Has the messenger who delivers the war news to the Ninth Army Base and the nearest beacon tower departed?"

"Report, Your Highness! They already departed half an hour ago!" Ellington happily answered his Marshal. He was familiar with this sort of expression of the Prince – smiling yet not smiling at the same time. This showed that this Prince was extremely confident at this point.

"Well then! As the highest commanding officer of this mixed unit, I hope that every general accepts my war orders! First, the First Independent Brigade is responsible for the front line battle; Secondly, the infantry Division led by Colonel Krapitch Drake is responsible to defend the two wings of Saijo Mountain; Third, the heavily-armed Cavalry Division and Rangers Division of the Red Tiger Assault Division will hide at the back of the mountain; Fourth, the technicians and engineers of the Sukhoi Family must build cannon bases on this highland within an hour. I want those cannons to cover the whole range of the battlefield!"

"Wait! Wait!" Torry suddenly yelled. "Your highness! You..... Are you going to use those fortress cannons? I must say.... I must say..... This is a little different to the actual situation! The fortress cannons are too heavy! Even if the carriage are able to bring them onto the mountain, I cannot be sure that the fortress cannons can be safely transferred to the base from the carriage!"

"Everyone! Why are you still here staring at me?" Oscar looked at the generals who were maintaining their strict military postures. "The enemy is eating now! My warriors can’t fight their fullest with an empty stomach! Move now! Deiss won’t wash the dishes for us!"

The military officers dispersed. They ran as they felt relieved! Prince O’Neil, in fact, did not waste his five years’ time at the University Town. He created an advantageous situation on the battlefield that was sufficient for the small to win against the large.

"Kamille! Wait for a bit!" Oscar called his old friend. That Paladin who swore to protect him and send him home!

"Your Highness! I await your order!"

"What more do I have to order?" Oscar playfully looked at the Battle Commander of the Red Tiger. "Such an inflexible guy. I didn’t mention you when I set up the battle. Don’t you know how to ask?"

Colonel Kamille Rayen smiled. "Your Highness, I will naturally be there when you need me!"

Oscar nodded. "Then carry out my order, my Paladin! Your Battle Group will enter the forest to prevent Deiss from going to the back of Saijo Mountain. We cannot be sure whether the enemy has cavalry, so this unlucky roles can only be left in your hands! I trust you! When the battle begins, there won’t be a Deiss appearing behind me!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Colonel Kamille Rayen fiercely saluted to him. "Your Paladin gives you my word. There won’t be a Deiss appearing from the back of Saijo Mountain!"

Before he turned around and left, Kamille suddenly turned back. "Your Highness! I must say your arrangement is perfect!"

Oscar smiled. "Go back to your Battle Group! Now it is not the time to say that!"

Torry who was staring at them at the side could not hold it in anymore!

"Your Highness! My good friend! Your arrangement with the cannon unit has a problem! I already said it! No one could easily transfer the cannons and its base. That will damage the cannons! That will....."

"Torry! Don’t you understand?" Oscar broke off his old friend’s rumbling. "Think about it! Even if your cannons could only fire one ammunition at the base of Saijo Mountain, your name would still appear in the first page and first line of the history of cannon units in every country because of this!"

Oscar looked into his old friend’s eyes. "Don’t you understand? My little jerk! My Torry! Once you set up the cannons successfully at the base, you will the first cannon unit commander in the war history of the Empire! Think about it. Just think!"

No one knew what Torry was thinking! But nevertheless, this little jerk was as smart as his genius sister!

"I think! I can put blanket over the snowy ground. Don’t we have a lot of these things? It’s enough to cover the ground from below the mountain to on the mountain! Then.... I will take the cannons of the carriage below the mountain, then let the soldiers pull the cannons into the base on the blanket! This way, we can prevent the hydration of the cannons and friction and impact induced from the process!"

Oscar kissed the cheeks of his old friend. "My Torry! Congratulations! You are already the first Cannon Unit Commander in the history of the Empire!"

Torry cheered happily! Before waiting for the Prince’s instruction, he already ran off. Not long after, the desperate yell of the Cannon Unit Commander could be heard from below the mountain!

"Listen to my order..... Take off the cannon clothes!"

Chapter end