By midday, the group had come to a halt. James Grant now had a clear grasp of the situation regarding the war in the Grant Domain.
Mason Mao bore no hostility toward James Grant. He understood that anyone who could reach the Grant Domain in such a short time was trustworthy, so he revealed the true situation to him.
Before Mason Mao arrived, Joseph Qiao had specifically instructed him that if the army from Jiang Territory failed to arrive within ten days, the real situation should not be disclosed to them.
Seeing the troubled look on James Grant's face, Mason Mao asked a question.
"Is there no chance of victory?"
James Grant shook his head and explained.
"If we engage in direct conflict, the enemy will launch a full-scale assault. Should we fail to withstand their forces, and are forced to retreat in defeat, we risk being pursued and cut off with no escape due to the loss in battle."
"Then why not simply defend Grant City properly?"
Aaron Lin muttered, but James Grant immediately shook his head.
"I've been to Grant City before. Though it's surrounded by earthen walls and has four gates, the terrain around it is extremely flat. The enemy only needs to lay siege without attacking directly. If they reach Grant City, it's all over. Once the city is surrounded, they can split their forces to cut off the water supply and all possible provisions, then deploy a large number of soldiers to guard the northwest road leading to Jiang Territory. Even if Jiang Territory sends five hundred thousand troops, it will make no difference."
Mason Mao swallowed hard, finally understanding why Joseph Qiao was always so anxious and had no intention of fighting a decisive battle near Grant City.
"Let's move quickly."
James Grant stood up as he spoke. Aaron Lin looked at him, puzzled. They had just eaten, and after a long journey, they should be resting until dusk before moving on.
"There's no time. Even though I only have ten thousand cavalry here, at least they're of some use."
"What do you mean by this? Are you just going to ignore King Jiang's orders? Huh?"
Many generals stared in shock at Nathan Shea, who had just rushed over from the rear with only a few hundred cavalry. His role here was to oversee the battle, not to command.
Nathan Shea looked around, but could not see James Grant or the ten thousand cavalry. Logically, the cavalry should still be with the main force at this time.
"Well? Where did James Grant go?"
"General Grant just went ahead to scout for a suitable place for us to rest."
Nathan Shea gave a small "oh" and laughed.
"Looks like King Jiang was right to send me. Heh, James Grant, come with me."
Nathan Shea immediately led his cavalry into a fast gallop. Behind him, the generals under James Grant exchanged uneasy glances, many of them visibly angry.
"Yuna, you're back."
Joseph Qiao breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Sebastian Zhao being helped off his horse. Sebastian was covered in wounds and looked very weak.
"I told you not to push too hard, but you never listen. When you spot the enemy's main force, you need to stay away."
"Alright, I get it, Qiao. I won't do it next time. Nobody wants to die, after all."
With news of their victory and the return of many horses, the soldiers were in high spirits. After dismounting, Yuna Ji found a spot, leaned against a tree, and lay down.
At this moment, Terry Mao and Phoenix Yu looked on in confusion at the fact that only a few thousand troops remained with the main force.
"I've already ordered the main force to fortify the area near the plain behind us."
Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Joseph Qiao offered an explanation, and the group could only frown and look toward the road ahead.
"Is there really nothing we can do, Qiao? We can't just sit here and wait to die."
Faced with Phoenix Yu's plea, Joseph Qiao could only shake his head helplessly.
"We're passive here, much as I hate to admit it. We can only act if the enemy makes a move. If they stay put, we can't do anything. Even a cavalry raid won't help—at best, it's costly and gains us nothing."
"What about the western outpost? Should we split our forces and strike the enemy's rear from there?"
Terry Mao spoke, but Joseph Qiao shook his head.
"It's useless. The enemy won't just stand by and let that happen. They'll come for us. If we lose here, it's over. The only thing we can gamble on now is their supplies—hold them here until they're out of provisions, and they'll have to retreat. If we hold for two months, they'll break without a fight."
After much calculation, Joseph Qiao concluded that if the enemy couldn't break through after the summer began, the war would be over. The first problem would be supplies. Though the area is wooded and food can be found, if the fight drags on, the enemy will collapse on their own. Two months is their absolute limit, and half a month has already passed since the enemy advanced—only about one month remains.
"Terry, Phoenix—I want you to make another run. In three days, we'll have an answer. If the enemy remains inactive, we'll know their strategy. I'll leave only two thousand men at the northern outpost; the rest will regroup here."
Bella Liang looked anxiously at the distant road behind them, where a long line of soldiers was slowly approaching. The whole process would take five days at least. She had already ordered many troops into the woods to find anything edible, saving rations where possible.
"Everyone's anxious, but if we can't keep calm now, we're finished."
Gus Bull, drenched in sweat, sat down next to Bella Liang.
"How many days of food do the soldiers have left?"
"At most a week. The next batch of supplies will take at least ten days to arrive."
Bella Liang sprang to her feet.
"How many troops do we have now?"
"Just over a hundred thousand. The next hundred thousand will take at least three days to arrive."
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"We can't wait any longer. The enemy is probably already preparing defenses near the plain. Let's advance tonight. With a hundred thousand troops, we can engage the enemy directly in two days. Your job is to scout the terrain and keep watch."
Gus Bull nodded.
The generals all gathered together. Tonight, one hundred thousand from Wynn Domain and sixty thousand from Sage Domain would set out, with another twenty thousand in the escort units responsible for handling any emergencies in the surrounding forests along the route.
"This is too risky."
Lydia Lien strongly opposed Bella Liang's plan.
"If the battle is lost, all the hundred thousand troops here could die with it."
"So do you have a solution to our current problem? If we do nothing and wait for the enemy to finish their defenses, how long will it take for our main force to arrive? Ten days or half a month?"
Cyrus Sage quietly studied the map. The current plan was the worst possible decision. Though they could arrive in just over two days, the column would be stretched thin, and it would actually be dusk on the second day before everyone arrived. If the enemy attacked then, their progress would be slowed.
The only hope now was that the enemy's main force had withdrawn near the grasslands. After all, their own defeat meant even a strong enemy needed rest. Advancing at night could buy them half a day.
Lydia Lien, her face bandaged, watched the soldiers prepare. The generals were getting ready too. Henry Lien smiled and shook his head nearby.
"Sis, this time I support Bella Liang's plan. Instead of racking our brains for ideas, let's take action. In a direct clash, our strength far exceeds the enemy's, and they can't afford heavy losses. They probably still have about a hundred thousand troops, including nearly forty thousand cavalry. We don't need much—if we wear down fifty thousand of their men, they've lost for sure."
In the end, Lydia Lien sighed helplessly and nodded.
"Too many have died in this war already."
"Sis, you've been exhausted these past few days. Get some rest—I’ll go too, and I’ll bring our elite cavalry. We'll find a way to handle the enemy's surprise attack."
"General Grant, you should rest too."
Aaron Lin advised from the side. It was already late at night; at dusk, General Grant had only rested briefly before ordering the troops to move out. Many soldiers were already visibly exhausted.
"It’ll be too late—if we don’t reach the plain soon and the enemy attacks while we’re still in the rear, it’ll be over. We must get there within three days."
Mason Mao was tired too, but he was in good spirits.
"Grant, rest until the moon sets in the west."
A cold voice called out.
"Master, there’s no ti..."
General Grant stopped and glanced back. All he saw were exhausted soldiers; some were so sleepy they didn’t notice the column had halted and fell off their horses.
"Alright, order the whole army to rest."
Though he lay down to rest, James Grant couldn't sleep at all.
"Eat something. This is a kind of jerky from the Grant Domain grasslands—it's quite tasty."
Mason Mao handed James Grant a palm-sized piece of jerky. He took it and started gnawing; it was tough, but tasted good.
"Aren't you afraid? Of war?"
Looking at Mason Mao, so much younger—just sixteen or seventeen, still with a boyish face—he saw no fear in his eyes.
Mason Mao shook his head.
"Maybe I was, before. No one wants to see war, after all."
"That’s good."
James Grant closed his eyes, planning to rest for a bit. None of the dozens of Grant Domain soldiers showed any fear, which puzzled him greatly.