In the Name of Empress-Chapter 364 - 250: Never Retreat

Marco and his nightmarishly terrifying cavalry force are here!

Upon receiving this shocking news, Alina’s consciousness stalled, her mind went blank.

Although she knew this day would come sooner or later, she was still somewhat unnerved when it finally arrived.

She instinctively glanced around, looking for the reassuring figure, but couldn’t find it.

Feeling a faint sense of loss, Alina knew Roland had done enough.

This was her destiny, she must face it herself.

Although she had some understanding of military tactics, leading a troop of hundreds of thousands for the first time still left her scrambling.

Fortunately, she had plenty of military experts by her side; she only needed to oversee the overall situation.

Marco’s timing was incredibly bad.

Her followers were deploying across a line stretching dozens of kilometers, engaging in relentless skirmishes with Deschamps’ Third Legion on a near hundred-kilometer front.

Among nearly three hundred thousand troops, only over ten thousand were her loyalists, the rest had come from various regions to support her resistance against Marco.

Time was insufficient, she couldn’t even reorganize these troops in time.

In fact, she couldn’t do it even if she tried.

Would it be possible to take command of the private militias or guards recruited at the nobles’ expense?

Her relationship with these people was less of a superior-subordinate nature and more of a shared interest alliance.

She dared to stand up and lead the resistance, backed by her father’s reputation, these talents followed her; if she hastily claimed power, they would be gone by tomorrow.

A year and a half ago, Alina might have acted recklessly; now, certainly not.

She played the role everyone hoped she would play.

At least for now.

The army moved northward for eight hundred kilometers, mostly marching smoothly, without any city resisting desperately. She had simply allowed part of the forces to act freely.

As long as they didn’t violate the main strategy of heading north, she rarely interfered in the command of each group.

She knew each group had their own ideas, and true battles would rely on the exiles.

In the confrontation with Deschamps’ Third Legion, the numerical advantage played a significant role; though the exchange ratio wasn’t favorable, they were steadily advancing.

Deschamps’ strength was his steadiness; his weakness was also his steadiness.

He dared not take the initiative, maintaining a mindset of seeking neither credit nor fault in facing Alina.

On the nearly hundred-kilometer battlefront, both sides’ forces interlocked, occasionally tearing open the opponent’s defense only to have it quickly sealed.

Alina was indeed inexperienced, but she was surrounded by military talents.

Several old noble military officers joined her camp, solid in their professional skills, but without a place on Marco’s side.

Relying on these old officers with strong military expertise, Alina slowly yet steadily advanced, continuously bleeding Deschamps.

Over the past week, the Third Legion of Deschamps suffered casualties exceeding nine thousand, while Alina’s forces also had over ten thousand wounded or killed.

Marco’s cruel rule only suppressed conflicts, not solved them.

Seeing Alina gaining victory momentum, many observers decided she could win and joined in.

With each advance, her followers increased significantly; as the disparity in numbers gradually became imbalanced, Deschamps was also feeling strained.

Three against one, naturally, was easy. Alina was confidently asserting that in at most half a month, she could deplete the steadfast veteran general, and point her forces directly at the Central Plateau for a decisive battle with Marco.

As long as she reached Leon City, she could await Roland’s appearance from behind, executing a textbook maneuver to encircle Marco from both directions.

Forced into a central collapse, Marco—even with the War God’s possession—couldn’t persevere under the premise of demoralization.

Once Marco was surrounded in the Central Plateau, the war would be over.

Last night, she received a carrier pigeon from Roland, learning West City had been seized by Roland, she was even more convinced Marco’s end was near.

Just as she was envisaging victory, Marco charged out like a madman.

This was entirely different from her anticipated script.

All her arrangements were made for a war of attrition with Deschamps, yet Marco came for a life-and-death struggle without delay.

Alina’s heart was pounding.

It made no sense, who would abandon a fortified camp and logistical support to lead light cavalry on an assault?

Though confused about Marco’s desperation, reality was that he was here.

What to do?

Roland said he would dispatch forces quickly, but organizing West City’s order would undoubtedly require time. If she couldn’t halt Marco’s desperate assault, this time difference could be fatal.

Alina’s palms were sweaty with tension, she instinctively wanted to divine Marco’s fate, to see when he might meet his end in the Netherworld, but she couldn’t.

Divination required a calm state of mind, and she was currently in disarray, making it impossible.

Even if she wasn’t flustered, it wouldn’t work; Marco’s fate clashed with hers—if he lived, she would die—calculating Marco was equivalent to calculating herself, not only inaccurate but also potentially backfiring.

Alina couldn’t come up with a strategy, so she forced herself to stay calm and consulted her subordinates first.

"Romeo, what do you think we should do?"

Perhaps remembering the past massacre by eight thousand cavalrymen, Romeo’s expression wasn’t pleasant. After hesitating for a moment, he bit his lip and suggested.

"Marco’s cavalry differs from ordinary cavalry. Besides regular cuirassiers, he has five hundred magic armored cavalry; firearms soldiers simply cannot stop them. I believe we should take the initiative to retreat, let the second-line troops deplete his forces and morale, and launch a counterattack when he is exhausted."

Romeo had attended a military academy and served in the army, qualifying him as a campaign-level commander.

But he was only qualified.

His suggestion was the choice aligning with general military principles, yet currently the worst option.

Though somewhat bewildered, Alina hadn’t become muddled to such a degree.

This wasn’t a regular war, this was rebellion; whoever loses is the traitor. In a narrow encounter, the hero wins, there’s no way to retreat at this moment.

Rebellion is a once-and-for-all deal.

The moment the cohesion disperses, the troop becomes erratic immediately.

Romeo’s foolish suggestion caused Alina to gradually calm down.

Her gaze swept over the other officers, observing their somewhat bewildered and even fearful expressions, reinforcing her own judgment.

These are all people who have followed her father for many years, forced into exile abroad.

Their loyalty is unquestionable, but when even they feel lost, what would the followers outside think?

She must win.

Without any immediate solution, a familiar figure appeared in her mind, silently pondering what Roland would do if he were present.

A moment later, Alina had her answer.

She drew her sword, releasing a clear, refreshing laugh, "I feared traitor Marco would escape, never expecting him to come deliver his own death."

"Relay my orders. General Luke should lead the Third Legion along the Luwa River, breaking through the enemy line, circling behind Marco to sever connections and reinforcements. General Jeric should lead the Second Legion to break through from the right flank, cooperating with Luke to intercept enemy reinforcements..."

Alina’s bold decision left the officers present somewhat stunned.

Her plan to have the general battling externally temporarily abandon Deschamps to encircle from behind and cut off enemy supply lines, even forming a pincers encirclement, indicated clearly her resolve to face Marco in a decisive battle.

Her deployment was very clear, she intended to devour both Deschamps and Marco simultaneously.

Judging fairly, her arrangements were extremely comprehensive, leaving no faults.

If not for Marco and the Magic Armored Cavalry Camp, that is.

This special unit’s equipment consists of eight thousand sets of magic armor excavated from the antique armory of the Magic Empire, capable of defending against firearms and magic attacks, and soldiers can be grouped through magic sequence, significantly enhancing cooperative efficiency, with combat power far surpassing ordinary cavalry.

Only heavy artillery can pose a threat to them.

However, artillery lacks mobility and can hardly catch cavalry.

Alina’s plan left Romeo horrified, and he exclaimed loudly to remind, "Miss Alina, what about you? You’ve diverted other units, Marco will certainly come straight for you."

"I’ll be here, waiting for him to deliver his death."

Alina said calmly.

She pointed to the center of the sand table.

This is the small high ground where the exiled are stationed, as well as the artillery position.

A trace of blood flashed in Alina’s eyes. Artillery has difficulty targeting cavalry, but they’ll wait for cavalry to deliver themselves.

Marco has only one target, which is her.

Although the Magic Armored Cavalry is fierce, the energy stored in the magic equipment is finite, and once exhausted, they must stop to recharge.

Marco has no surplus energy to waste on rag-tag units; he must directly find her and break through the defenses.

Even knowing there are artillery here, he would still come.

The officers present, being professionals, naturally understood Alina’s deployment. She intended to wager her life against Marco here.

Romeo was silent.

Since Alina had made her decision, all he could do was support it.

He was the first to rally, drawing his sword fiercely and shouting, "Protect Alina! Protect the glory of freedom!"

The other officers also drew their swords and echoed loudly.

The spirit of war resonated through the command room.

Alina nodded with satisfaction; the morale was palpable, enough at least for a fight.

If she fled out of fear, it wouldn’t be long before traitors would send her severed head to Xidai, without even needing to queue at the guillotine.

After concluding the military meeting, the officers left one after another to prepare to assemble their troops for battle, except Romeo remained discreetly.

"Alina, do you have a plan to deal with the Magic Armored Cavalry?"

"Do not worry, we will surely win this battle."

Alina didn’t respond directly to Romeo’s query, instead adeptly continuing to sketch visions.

Recently, her skill in painting visions has grown increasingly refined.

Seeing Alina unwilling to divulge, Romeo couldn’t press further.

Seeing Alina’s reluctance to continue, he had no choice but to salute Alina before departing. At the doorway, he paused, not turning back, merely saying in a deep voice:

"Alina, I will lead heavy infantry at the front to buy time. Tell the artillery not to worry about me, just bombard the most congested areas of the enemy."

Alina did not respond, but just when Romeo thought she wouldn’t, she slowly said:

"I understand, take care."

Romeo was not particularly outstanding among his father’s disciples, but his loyalty was beyond doubt.

His idea was simple, using himself as a meat shield to hold back the Magic Armored Cavalry, buying time for the artillery to adjust firing coordinates.

Feeling his resolve to fight to the death, Alina knew it would be insulting to him to speak words of dissuasion.

"Thank you."

"No need, I’ve awaited this day for too long."

Romeo never turned back, striding away.

He couldn’t turn back; he didn’t want Miss Alina to see the tears at the corner of his eyes.

After his teacher was murdered, what he longed for most was to kill Marco and avenge his teacher.

His innate talent was not outstanding among the disciples of the teacher, even at the bottom tier, but the teacher never slighted him for this, giving him the same treatment as the other students.

Everyone has their obsession, his obsession is the teacher.

The chance to avenge the teacher is right before him; how could he possibly forgo it?

As long as there is a chance, even accompanying Marco to the Netherworld would mean nothing.