Chapter 181: Twentieth Episode : Chapter 9 (2/2)
The staff officer saluted once again. However, this salute was not of courtesy, but full of passionate gazes toward his commander. His commander handed a document of battle command to him. He had to sign the document, and this name of his and the order would be recorded into history altogether. At the same time, Alan also produced another document which he had been preparing for a long time.
The old staff received the document cautiously. With just one glance, his demeanor had turned stern.
”Vann Hewitt Alan, the empire's Military Affairs Chancellor and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, hereby present the official documents of the Guards!”
Again, the old staff officer presented the commander with his most courteous salute.
Alan waved his hands, he did not wish to be stared at by people with such looks. To distract the soldiers' line of sight, the Commander of the Imperial Guards laid out the military documents in his left hand onto the table. Those were initially the background analysis reports sent by the Military Intelligence Bureau, but now they had become sheets of lively drawings.
Alan touched the artist's masterpiece. He could even feel the lingering screams of the injured men, and could hear the sounds of blood dripping onto the wooden floor.
”Send my regards to the Commander of the Military Intelligence Control Center's Operation Branch One, if he wishes to hold his own exhibition, remind him to send me an invitation as well.”
After dismissing the aged staff officer, Alan picked up another piece of drawing. On it was a young mother with curly hair, oval-shaped face, and delicate features. However, the artist had painted the beautiful lady a pair of exhausted, suffering and painful eyes.
”Children! Children! Get back into the house! Get back into the house!” Jenissa pushed the naughty Ayana and Midelski. These two children had already reached the age of mischief, and they had almost died in their previous journeys of escape, let alone just fooling around. However, the two children now had a spacious and bright room, they could bathe with hot water at night, and had the chance to enjoy two eggs and delicious cream cakes in the morning. They really had to thank Sir Klaslaw, as he had been the one to take in the homeless mother and children.
”Mom, look! Grandpa gave me a book of music scores!” the little girl hugged the book tight while showing off to her mother. She feared that her mother would snatch away the book just like how she did with those chocolate candies.
”My … my presents is a set of toys!” the little boy refused to fall behind, but he was too small.
Jenissa pecked on her daughter's forehead, and pinched her son's cheek, ”Now, hurry up and get in!” The two children obeyed her and entered their rooms, but they were still mumbling, ”Is Grandpa Klaslaw going out again?”
”I've told you to not let the children call me that!” Klaslaw directed a dangerous stare at the woman.
Jenissa surveyed the surroundings of the temporary shelter. She knew that this was the house of Sir Klaslaw's ancestors, ”But speaking about age … you really are old!”
Klaslaw was slightly angry and turned his focus to pack his belongings. The woman offered her help but she was impolitely rejected by him. After an extended duration of the suffocating silence, Klaslaw still lost his patience in the end.
”Jenissa! I didn't take you in for you to be my maid, don't you plaster an obedient and obeying demeanor all the time, what I need is a … is a …” the knight contemplated his choice of words, and realized that it was hard for him to speak his mind. Even though he had only been with Jenissa for a little more than ten days, he had fallen in love with the widow, who had undergone countless pain and sufferings.
Jenissa had no words. However, she understood clearly in her heart that the knight needed a female master in his home, but she did not dare to imagine herself being in that position, as her previous man had only been an average carpenter. He had been captured by the Westerners to slavery, but his corpse had been sent back to her instead. Even so, she truly believed that she and the carpenter were a matching pair, and not a … oh heavens! A knight!
”Do you understand what I'm saying?” Klaslaw flung away his luggage, and forced the woman of humble origins to one of the corners of the room.
Jenissa gripped her dress hard, her heart … no! Many hearts were thumping maniacally! She never understood, since the man before her was so desperate for her attention, why had he not just thrown her onto the bed? She would not reject, but would welcome him instead!
”Oh God of Light! I'm so lowly!” while the woman thought like this, she was searching for an excuse on the other hand, ”By doing so, I'll be able to repay everything the noble old man had done for me and my children!” The woman thought that it was … perfectly reasonable.
Klaslaw spared a glanced at the clock above the cupboard, oh heavens! He had to move soon. The noble gentleman grabbed the woman's hand, and stuffed a piece of document and a delicate jewelry box into her hand.
Jenissa wanted to cry. She clasped the tiny jewelry box tight. No matter how ignorant she was, she knew that there would be nothing other than a ring in the tiny box.
”Alright! Come and hug me, this is the orders of your male master!” Klaslaw spread his arms out for the woman.
Jenissa was still hesitating. In the depths of her heart, she really desired such a gift, and her children also needed support, but … she was just Jenissa, plain and average, daughter of a forest guard and wife of a carpenter. She … the man could wait no further. Klaslaw pulled the woman into his embrace furiously, and said to her with a low voice by her ear, ”You silly woman ... you silly woman …”
”Am I a fool?” Jenissa stayed rigid in the man's embrace. The man's body temperature and nice odor persuaded her that she had been struck by God's love spells.
”I need to go, my silly woman!” like a true gentleman, Klaslaw tidied up his clothes and kissed the woman's forehead.
A blank demeanor was still plastered on Jenissa's face. Greatly disappointed by this, the man turned his head away. After Klaslaw had bid his farewells to his butler and maids in the yard, he leapt onto the horse, while his silly woman stood by the door with watery eyes, staring at him with longing. There were also the children, who squeezed themselves in front of the window of the living room, competing with each other to wave their goodbyes at him. The knight felt a little pain, how nice it would be if the world had no such things as the Imperial Guards or the empire's Military Intelligence Bureau!
Looking at the silent woman one last time, the Commander of Operation Branch One of Titan Empire's Military Intelligence Control Center whipped his horse, carrying him away from his homeland, away from his dearest woman.
After recovering from her daze, she suddenly raced after them but gave up after reaching the gates of the garden. The man's silhouette was getting smaller as he went further into the distance. She did not know when the children had arrived by her side. The little girl clutched onto her music scores while the little boy hugged his toys, ”Is Grandpa gone?”
Jenissa immediately wiped off the falling tears. She quickly closed the tiny jewelry box, the sparkles of the wedding ring were gone instantly.
”Don't call him grandpa. Once he returns, call him dad!”
The children immediately responded in understanding, and showed off their presents to their mother again.
With the exclusive pass issued by the Military Intelligence Bureau, Sir Klaslaw traversed through the heavily guarded woods, rivers, and plains. After switching to a combat horse at a small military station at the lands near Shawob River, he resumed his journey. When the illumination of the moon and stars showered the ground, the knight met up with the rest of his operation comrades at the location they had initially agreed. He sized up his comrades' facial expressions one by one. Other than the lingering dust and exhaustion, there was nothing else.
”Thank you everyone!” the knight saluted at his teammates. His stern posture did not match his plain hunting clothes at all, but the clothes of his teammates were even more absurd! There was the stable's groom, the local church's priest, a farmer with muddy feet, and a charming lady whose costume demanded attention.
”Only these?” the knight lifted the paper strip in his palm. The other teammates nodded respectively in affirmation. As if he saw through the worries of his superior, an elderly shoemaker stepped forward.
”Sir, you must know … it's not easy at all for us to survive in the enemies' territories! Those bastards only knew how to bully women and suspect men as spies. But be rest assured, the information we've scouted is all accurate. We can swear with our lives.”
The knight only nodded softly in understanding, but he was well aware that they could not linger at the place for long. He still had to inform the higher-ups of the Military Intelligence Bureau regarding his progress, which would effectively be evidence for the attacks of Special Combat Brigade One. No delay would be tolerated for this.
Without stopping, Klaslaw bid his farewells to his teammates, changed into his Colonel uniform and continued to be on his way. Around midnight, he had arrived at Nikala City on the Shawob river bank. The city had a massive harbor and huge dock which produced more than a hundred sailboats annually. At the same time, Nikala was also the divide between the frontlines and the back, concurrently the supplies center and base which had been crucial to Silver Fox Alan's survival.
While the dark night fell silent, the city was brightly lit with lights and bustling with lives. It was not the first time the assembly at the harbor was being carried out overtime without regards for any compensation. Nevertheless, they calculated in another way; another bundle of arrows would mean that another pirate would be killed, and another bag of flour would signify that another family of refugees could be rescued.
”People! Let's work harder! We need to hand these items to our brothers by daylight!” the harbor was full of screams and shouts like these. Klaslaw got off the horse and handed the little fellow with a military insignia on its butt to a guard. After that, he proceeded to search around the harbor aimlessly, constantly grabbing onto strangers and directed his inquiry.
”Which ship came from Dulin?”
Most of the soldiers who were busy transporting resources for the war had no idea. He had gotten his answer only when a scheduling officer had told him that the huge sailboat from Dulin was in the dock. With disbelief, the scheduling officer told him that the owner of the boat was a weird man, and that he insisted that the boat had indeed come from Dulin even if there was no waterway connected to Dulin.
After registering his words, Klaslaw was elated. He patted the scheduling officer on the shoulder, ”That's right! This is exactly what I'm looking for, there's no mistake that it came from Dulin!”
After thanking the officer, the knight rushed toward the direction of the dock. There were guards everywhere, with an average of one guard every three steps and one whistle blow within five. Furthermore, there were also soldiers patrolling the river banks with military dogs.
After passing through the gates, Klaslaw came to the officer assigned to welcome him. It was only after the introduction that he knew that nonchalant Lieutenant Colonel was in fact ”Gay” Mike, the famed Guerilla Commander of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Special Combat Brigade One.
After saluting at each other, Colonel Mike and Klaslaw exchanged firm handshakes. The two somehow had the feeling of belongingness to the same organization. They chatted while walking, all the way until they entered the busy dock.
”What's this?” the knight pointed at a weird-looking boat in the dock. He had never come across a boat capable of opening up and closing its flat roof.
Colonel Mike shrugged unceremoniously, ”It's the same theory as the hanger on the trailer, and it'll come into use when we advance toward Buzaberg Harbor by water.”
Klaslaw looked at the funny-looking ship once again, and enlightenment seemed to have dawned upon him.
”The Commander of the Operation Branch One of the Warzone Control Center is here!”
”Alright! I got it!” Count Tivoli Hadley, concurrently the Vice Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guards lifted his head from the table. He put away the magnifying glass in his hand, and hugged Klaslaw even before the knight had the chance to salute at him.
”So how are? Are you overly busy these days?”
Klaslaw could only smile bitterly. He wanted to clarify that he was not busy, but it the answer would seem absurd. Instead, he could only say, ”General, it's all for the empire!”
The Vice Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau nodded and gestured at a seat to the Operation Branch Commander. They took their seats immediately.
”Let's have a look at what our former intelligence officer had brought us!” said Tivoli while rubbing his palms. By his side, the few special warfare officers from Offensive Army Group Two also looked to be listening attentively.
Klaslaw cleared his throat. He needed a serving of strong alcohol.
Church's year 800, toward the end of the sixth month, the attacks of the invaders against Buzaberg Harbor had finally come to a close. They poured their efforts into repairing the facilities of their base at the harbor, and commenced their ambush onto the Imperial Guards on the opposite bank.
In the morning of the first day of the seventh month, the primary forces of the Anti-Titan Alliance carried out all the rafts they had hidden in the woods. Within the morning itself, approximately twenty thousand soldiers had made their way across Shawob River. Obeying Marshal Alan's instructions, the Imperial Guards did not stop or interfere with the Western Anti-Titan Alliance's operations of crossing the river. When it had reached evening, ships were still passing by Buzaberg Harbor. It seemed like the Anti-Titan Alliance could not wait any further to fight Silver Fox Alan to death.
”This is good news …” the Vice Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau spoke after a momentary silence. ”The Western Anti-Titan Alliance wants to resolve issues, and so does Alan. Most importantly, we have to look at the final outcome of the war. It has always been this way since ages ago, tactics and strategies were never the keys. Throughout history, only the final ending mattered.”
Klaslaw did not care much about his superior's thoughts, he was only concerned about the impending strikes of the Special Warfare Brigade One of the Military Intelligence Bureau.
”Fellow officers of Brigade One, I've brought you the map with the details of the allied armies at the harbor.”
Brigadier General Luke Citel stood up abruptly, and received the folded map sternly from Klaslaw, ”I'm sorry. Your men … are there any casualties?”
While he spoke, the Brigadier General gestured at Sir Klaslaw with the enemies' military map. After the knight shook his head, the General sighed in relief.
Klaslaw said, ”There's no such thing. My men have concealed themselves perfectly, and till this day, none has yet to lose contact!” it was apparent that the Imperial Guards' Colonel felt proud and fortunate while he was speaking.
Luke Citel nodded in understanding, ”That's good … that's good …”
The Brigadier General laid out the map on the table, and stabilized it by placing candles on top of the four corners. The warfare officers and the staff officers all gathered around the table. They were all veterans, and with just a single glance, they knew that not only was the map extremely accurate with every single location of postings, each patrol route of the enemies was also marked down in detail.
Luke Citel was stunned momentarily, it had been a long time since he had come across such a professionally done tactical map!
Of course, the Special Warfare Officer was referring to the person who had drafted the map. As for the assignment of defensive territories of the enemies, Luke Citel could only say that it was … casually done.
”We can make our move here!” Alligator Macier was the first of the Special Warfare Officers to speak up. He pointed at a small corner of the harbor, which had the lowest water level indicated. Macier had held the position as an Assault Commander, and no one could beat his expertise in the art of assault. Just as Alligator finished what he had to say, his colleagues all nodded in agreement.
Commando Commander Blasky rushed forward and studied the drawings repeatedly. The offense location should be a natural open space at the harbor, it was at some distance between the bridges and the jetty, and was connected to the open land on the river bank, the open land was more than one thousand meter squares in area, and it could accommodate the Commando Group to get into its complete formation.
”I must remind all of you!” Klaslaw emphasized while he wiped off the beads of sweat on his forehead, and the damned summer greatly annoyed him, ”I don't care about the geography, and it doesn't matter how deep the waters are! Buzaberg is a route essential to the Anti-Titan Alliance's advancement, and it's also their only path of escape. They'll definitely assign a large number of troops to station there, furthermore …”
'We've foreseen this!” the Special Combat Brigade Commander cut off the knight's words, and handed a new towel to Klaslaw who was drenched in sweat, ”But … an imperial prince of the empire had once said, there are some things … that a soldier must do!”
”That's right!” Tove Van Sukhoi pushed the door open and walked in, ”Our hero, His Imperial Highness Prince Marshal O'Neil had said so when he had launched the battle of Sajio Mountain! I had been foolishly trusted his words wholeheartedly, and guess what? Our weapons had been destroyed and our men had died.”
The officers all laughed with the sole exception of the Vice Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau who was frowning, ”How dare you! Can't you be punctual for once?”
Torry still had his usual despicable facial expression plastered on him. He extended his arm, and put it on the shoulders of Lieutenant General Tivoli Hadley, ”Hey! Don't worry! I've just taken a look at the new cannons which had just arrived at the harbor! I swear! Regardless of the number of lowly peasants stationing at the harbor, my cannons can eliminate one-third of them, with all the facilities at the river bank destroyed altogether.”
”I'll take the remaining third!” the Brigade Commander laughed, and then just like everyone else, he directed his gaze to the Commander of the Red Tiger Cavalry Corps who had stayed silent the entire time.
Murat produced a dagger, and traced its sharp ends along a route on the land toward the harbor, ”Since everyone's like this … the final one third must be handed to me!”
Amidst the laughter of the fellow soldiers, Lieutenant General Tivoli Hadley took out a document, and waved it at the men.
”Special orders from O'Neil Andrew Morisette, the Chief of the Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau and the Marshal of the Guards! The codename of this operation is …”
”Scissors and tailoring!”