The next day, after Iron Axe returned to the Cage Mountain command post on the 'Seagull', he immediately went to the General Staff Office.
"How was the trip?" Edith was sitting at the mahogany table, leisurely sipping black tea.
Everyone had been so busy these days that it was common for them to work until the wee hours of the morning, but she still maintained a delicate image, as if she was born with more energy and time than others. Even Iron Axe admired this kind of ability.
"Morale is available," he replied briefly.
"Then we can proceed to the next step of the plan." The Pearl of the Northern Region smiled. "By the way, last night, the garrison of Sand City also withdrew from the defensive area."
"Then the Sedimentation Bay is the only place left …" Iron Axe looked at the big map on the wall.
"I suggest that they withdraw as soon as possible and send a troop to reinforce them. There's no need to wait until the defensive line is breached."
Iron Axe nodded. He agreed with this judgment. Currently, there were probably more than 50,000 demons gathering from the west to the east. This number could easily surround the entire Sedimentation Bay. Once the army converged, the First Army would not be able to find a suitable time to retreat.
Since their strategic goal was not to occupy a city or a territory, it was natural for them to abandon the Sedimentation Bay in order to protect their troops.
Ever since the enemy launched the massive attack, the evacuation had not stopped. The residents and merchants who had been maintaining the operation of the city were sent out first, followed by the aristocratic families and nobles who had submitted to Roland. At this moment, the city was just a huge empty shell. As long as the order was given, the garrison could move immediately.
"I … don't quite understand …" Agatha, who was flipping through the latest battle report, suddenly murmured.
"What's the problem?" Iron Axe walked up to her.
"The difference between the number of casualties and the number of enemies killed … is more than 30 times. How did they do it?" Since the four cities had faced off against the enemy in the past week, and the reports were sent in batches, they had to be manually compiled. To prevent miscalculation, she repeatedly checked the formula in her hand, but the answer was still the same.
According to the statistics, the four cities had suffered a total of more than 1,500 casualties, but the number of enemies killed was as high as 50,000. This could already be described as inconceivable.
If this was the era of the Union, Agatha would not have hesitated to think that this was a deliberate falsification of military exploits. However, she had fought with the First Army many times, and under the system of multiple checks, it was unlikely that such a problem would occur. Even if the error of ten to twenty percent was thrown out, it would not change the essence.
When the First Army was on the northern expedition to the Fertile Plains, they had only faced 20,000 demons! At that time, they relied on the railway that stretched for hundreds of kilometers and built one fortress after another. It took them nearly a year to win the Battle of Taquila.
And this time, the strategy of the General Staff was to continuously retreat, yet they managed to achieve twice the results of the Fertile Plains in eight days?
Although she was full of confidence in the humans of today, this result still shocked her.
Agatha had thought that this battle would be intense and inextricable.
"I see." Edith chuckled after reading the Ice Witch's statistics. "To be honest, the effect of this plan slightly exceeded my expectations. But it's not all the work of the First Army. The cooperation of the demons was also very important. Hackzord was probably badly injured during the ambush, so he didn't have the energy to control the details of the front line. "
"That's the only reason?" Agatha asked incredulously.
"I know what you're confused about." Edith waved her hand. "It seems that we only retreated a few times in exchange for such a result. The battle plan is so simple that it can be summarized in one sentence, but in fact, it's not like that. You often stayed in the rear during the era of the Union, so it's normal that you don't understand. To put it simply, only the current First Army can carry out this strategy. "
"Even the First Army during the expedition to the Taquila ruins couldn't do it?"
"At least not better than they are now," the Pearl of the Northern Region explained. The Pearl of the Northern Region explained, "There's often only a thin line between retreat and defeat. It's extremely difficult to maintain order under great pressure, let alone evacuate in an orderly manner. If it were any other noble army, I'm afraid that dispersing in disorder would be the best performance. If it weren't for the First Army's experience in the Taquila night attack and the previous evacuation team's performance in carrying out orders, I wouldn't have dared to carry out this plan at all. "
"In addition, the new weapons are also very useful. At least in the city streets, without the support of the Longsong Cannons, they can still rely on the firepower of general-purpose machine guns and field cannons to compete with the enemy. The biggest advantage of firearms is distance. Once the entire army is mobilized, they will always have the upper hand, and it's only natural that we achieve this result. "
Edith paused here. "But it's also true that we've lost the outer line of defense, so the next step is the key to the whole plan. Once the demons take over the four cities, they will definitely start planning the next round of attacks. Cage Mountain is both a barrier and a raw material source for the Glory of the Sun, so we can't use the method of exchanging land for people. We must further reduce the enemy's strength before they recover. "
"Red Mist …" Agatha said in a low voice.
"That's right. These four cities are already outside the Red Mist area, so the demons' reliance on their supply lines will definitely increase. It's also very likely that the blood lines will reappear. Currently, the battle lines span almost the entire Kingdom of Wolfheart, so I don't think they can take care of everything. "
"Before the Mist Storage Towers are built, the demons can only rely on the fortress-like Monstrous Beasts and human transportation," Iron Axe added. "Previously, their attacks from the flanks all started with the Monstrous Beasts, but according to Lightning and Maggie's observations, after losing a large number of Mad Demons, their protection of the Monstrous Beasts is no longer as good as before. Also, when attacking the four cities, the main demon supply lines were all hidden in the Red Mist area, but now they will be exposed to the First Army. "
"The problem is that this means we need to take the initiative." Agatha hesitated. "The fortress-like Monstrous Beasts can move on their own, and they aren't afraid of the Aerial Knight's strafing. We can only send ground troops to destroy them. But we can see the enemy, and the enemy can also see us. Even if the protection of the Monstrous Beasts is reduced, they can still send reinforcements at the last moment. Taking into account the journey back and forth, we may very well lose the advantage of distance. If the demons catch up to us … "
In a battle without concealment, even if the First Army could repel the demons, they would definitely suffer heavy losses.
"So speed is everything." The corners of her lips curled up. "As long as we can counterattack before the enemy can react, it'll be fine."
But how could they achieve this? Agatha turned her gaze to the map, trying to find a shortcut from Cage Mountain to the four cities. There were quite a few roads between the two places. Among them were former trade routes, as well as hard roads built later on to speed up the evacuation. They spread between the four cities and Cage Mountain like a spider web.
But these roads didn't have the ability to shorten the distance. Not to mention the fact that the First Army didn't have any cavalry, even if they had a large number of horses, it was hard to say if they could catch up to the fortress-like Monstrous Beasts. Furthermore, the firepower that light cavalry could carry was limited, and wasn't suitable to deal with those huge monsters.
"Of course not now." The Pearl of the Northern Region seemed to have seen through her confusion. "This plan still lacks a crucial factor. Only when it is in place will all the conditions be met. But according to the plan, you'll see it very soon. "
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