Reinhardt VII dismounted from his horse and took the binoculars and map from his attendant's hands.
At this moment, the captain of the First Royal Knight Regiment, Aristotle, walked up to him and knelt on one knee. With a worried expression, he said, "Your Majesty, we've been traveling for three days and two nights. Now, we're trapped in Marton. This situation is very dangerous. If the Sacred Alliance's army were to attack us, we would have no way of resisting."
Reinhardt VII put down the binoculars and unfurled the map in his hands. He didn't look at the kneeling Aristotle. "No. Let everyone hold on for a few more days. We'll stop and rest when we reach the Kingdom of Falao."
Aristotle didn't get up. He continued to advise, "Your Majesty, we really can't go on like this. It's already been a month and a half since we ambushed the Sacred Alliance. During this period of time, we've only rested for less than four days. Whether it's the men or the horses, we're already at our limits. Now, there are horses that collapse from exhaustion every day, and there are even soldiers that fall from their horses due to exhaustion. We haven't even encountered the enemy's main army yet, and we've already lost nearly ten percent of our men.
If this continues, more and more people will fall behind. "" General Aristotle, this is a military order. " Reinhardt VII's tone was also unquestionable. The Lion King unfurled the map and drew a circle at the place where everyone was currently standing. He then drew another circle at Saint Massa and tossed it to Aristotle. "In half a month, I want to see the walls of Saint Massa. Do as you see fit."
The general hugged Reinhardt VII's trousers and cried, "Your Majesty, please reconsider. These children are the elites of the empire. If we were fighting and they died on the battlefield, I guarantee that not a single one of them would frown. But right now, we're in enemy territory. There's an enemy force of three thousand cavalry less than fifty kilometers behind us. They don't have the guts to fight us head-on, so they can only clean up the soldiers that have fallen behind. Abandoning them is equivalent to sending them to their deaths!"
"It's not like people only die in war." Reinhardt VII said coldly, "General Aristotle, I may be old, but I'm not that old. I know very well what I'm doing right now. If I need advice, I'll naturally come to you. Otherwise, you'd better shut your mouth and lead your men."
After the Lion King finished speaking, he turned around and prepared to leave, but he did not expect Aristotle to hug his thigh and not let go.
Reinhardt VII's face fell. "General Aristotle, what is the meaning of this?"
Aristotle clenched his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, as long as we can give the troops enough time to rest, no matter how many troops of the Sacred Alliance there are when we arrive at Saint Massa, I guarantee that the First Royal Knight Regiment will be able to defeat them. If we can't do that, I'm willing to raise my head to see you. If that still doesn't work, then you can dismiss me from my position as regimental commander. I really don't have the face to go back to see those children!"
"Very good, General Aristotle. From now on, you are no longer the commander of the First Knight Division. You can recommend someone to take over your position. After that, I can send a small team to escort you back to your country." Reinhardt VII withdrew his leg and said lightly.
Aristotle kowtowed with tears streaming down his face. "Thank you, Your Majesty. First Vice Regimental Commander Burnett is very outstanding and can take over my position. In addition, I cannot return to my country before the enemy is defeated. Please allow me to remain in the First Royal Knight Regiment as an ordinary soldier to serve the empire."
"Alright. Tell Burnett to gather the troops. We will set off in half a magic hour."
After speaking, the Lion King turned around and left. He took the dry rations and water from the guard's hands. From beginning to end, he did not even glance at the former regimental commander of the First Royal Knight Regiment.
Chief of Staff Vida looked at Aristotle's dispirited back with a worried expression. "To change the commander before the battle has even begun, I'm afraid the morale of the troops will waver. In addition, the middle officers of the Third Royal Knight Regiment were basically raised by Aristotle, and Burnett is his confidant. For the sake of stability, shouldn't we consider transferring Aristotle to the Third Royal Knight Regiment?"
"There's no need. Aristotle is a bit of a fool, but he has no problem with his loyalty to the empire."
"I'm worried about the others. Right now, the situation in the army is not good. Who knows, some people might take advantage of this and do something."
"Even Charles can't suppress Aristotle's experience in the army. Placing him in the Third Royal Knight Regiment will only add to Charles's troubles. Let him stay in the First Royal Knight Regiment. If there are people who are worried, they will have to go through him first."
Vida no longer questioned Reinhardt the Seventh's decision. The Lion King then asked, "How's the situation with the rations?"
"As per your request, we traveled lightly and only brought rations with us for a short period of time. However, we moved fast enough and collected rations along the way. At the moment, it seems that there should be no problem to support us until we reach Falo. The problem is that once we reach Falo, the church will probably amass a large number of troops and mobilize them for war. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to replenish our supplies in the nearby villages."
"Alright. Maintain the marching speed and reach the Kingdom of Falo as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Even though Vidar was suspicious of the Lion King's almost suicidal order, he didn't show it. Perhaps this was the difference between him and Aristotle. For so many years, Vidar was like a machine, faithfully carrying out all of Reinhardt VII's orders. Because of this, many people guessed that he didn't have any feelings or thoughts of his own.
After Reinhardt the Seventh asked about the situation of the rations and listened to the reports from the higher-ups in the army, he finally had time to chew on the dry rations in his hand. It was a kind of cake made of black flour and potatoes. It was convenient to carry around and could fill one's hunger, but it didn't taste very good. To an old man like Reinhardt the Seventh, it was especially unfriendly. However, the Reinhardt family had an ancestral rule that was set when the army was first mobilized. It required the commander of the army to eat the same food as the ordinary soldiers. This rule was still maintained even now.
Seeing the old man struggle to swallow the round cake in his hand, the guards next to him could not help but look away.
Reinhardt the Seventh had only eaten a few mouthfuls when it was time to set off. The Lion King put the rest of the mixed cake back into his pocket and turned around to get on his horse.
The guards could not help but advise, "Your Majesty, your health is more important. It won't matter if we set off a little later."
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