The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 1031: The Counterattack Plan

Celis City is one of the closest cities to the frontline and one of the main bases of the alliance forces against the devils. This is also the capital city of the Ervilos Dukedom of the Gardum Kingdom.

This is a big city with strong defenses and a large population. However, the city that is normally bustling with various activities of its denizens has, at this moment, become much quieter.

That was because many of the denizens of the city had already evacuated to other places as the war kept getting closer to the city.

Some chose to stay as they hoped they would never have to leave the place they called home. Despite their lives here becoming more difficult, they still chose to stay as they did not know where they were supposed to go.

They could only hope that the situation in the war was improving, despite the news that came from the frontline always being discouraging.

For the rest of the denizens who had not left the city, they would see many troops walking back and forth across the city, creating a tense atmosphere. As one of the main bases of the alliance forces against the devils, this place was also the command post where all the higher-ups of the kingdom who led the troops gathered.

In the center of the city, there was a big castle where, at this moment, a group of people had gathered inside one of the halls where a big table was placed at the center. A large map was laid out on top of the table with some markings so the group could see it clearly.

The group gathered here were all powerhouses of the Gardum Kingdom, some of the strongest cultivators of the kingdom and the leaders of their own noble households or organizations.

One of them was at this moment explaining the updated situation of the war. The middle-aged man with short brown hair, wearing armor, pointed at the map.

"The devils, with an estimated fifty thousand cultivators, have built their camp near the Bervos River, and they have two middle Pseudo-Immortal stage cultivators there. They have already built many formations in their surroundings to prepare for any of our surprise attacks," he said.

"In the north of the Durkan Valley, the devils are still not making any drastic moves, but their strategic position makes it difficult for us to take back the valley area. However, the troops from Marquess Surkov have been able to build their camp quite near the valley without much problem."

"That is for the report, Your Highness." The man then looked at the young man with long blonde hair. He was a handsome young man with blue eyes, wearing royal armor that made him look gallant and strong.

This young man was one of the most respected figures in the kingdom, as he himself was a member of the royal family. He was the First Prince of the Gardum Kingdom, Martis Veradin Gardum.

Everyone looked at him with reverence as the young man nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for the report, Marquess Luxen," the prince said. Then he pondered the report he had just heard.

After a few moments of silence, he finally opened his lips. "Do you think the devils are planning something with their recent movements? At this time, I can finally see some pattern in their movements."

"First, they move their troops in the north with great momentum and strong force, which makes our forces fall back. However, after they capture some places, they stop their movement and remain there for a period of time. But while they stay in their positions, the troops in the south are the ones who move with great momentum and force."

"They will do the same with their other troop divisions. After conquering some places, they will stop and stay there, and then other devil troops in other places will move forward. It is as if they are waiting for each division to conquer their targets first before moving. They are taking turns."

Hearing that, the people shared the same opinion as him, and they also started to think more deeply. One of them, a middle-aged man with short black hair, looked at the prince.

"Your Highness, that does seem to be the case, and that kind of behavior could be for various reasons. However, the sudden change in the devils’ strategy, I think, could be connected to some reports that we received more than a year ago, when a big force of the devils suddenly left this world," he said.

"At that time, we thought that it might be another strategy of the devils, or perhaps a rotation of their troops. However, after that, we did not hear any news regarding a new big wave of devils coming from the Central Region of Heaven."

"There have only been some new groups of devils that still came to support the other devils in this world, but the numbers are no longer as big as in the past. In my humble opinion, the reason the devils are using a new strategy like they currently are is to avoid expending too much of their limited troops in this world."

"With the number of incoming devils not being as many as in the past, the devils that already in this world will have to be careful and change their attack pattern. One at a time, so they can support the others from behind if needed."

"In other words, the devils cannot use the aggressive strategy like in the past because of their limited manpower. That is why, although they still advance into our deeper territory, they are much more careful with their movements and support each division with precision."

The others who heard this showed expressions of understanding, and the prince’s eyes also came to a realization. He looked at the man with admiration.

"I see. What Duke Fernadez said makes sense. Nice catch, Duke Fernadez," Prince Martis said.

"Thank you, Your Highness," the man replied.

"If that is the case..." The prince then looked at the map. "We need to change our approach. We need to be braver with our attacks. All this time, we hesitated to make drastic moves by adding more of our forces because we were wary of how the devils would retaliate."

"However, if the devils’ reinforcements keep decreasing, then we can start to push them back. With their limited numbers, we can try to overwhelm them with our own numbers. Despite having strong cultivators, if we use a good strategy, we can defeat their strong cultivators."

"The only thing we need to be wary of is the devils infiltrating our forces. Although we have already spread the net and made measures to flush out any devils that might be hidden among us, we still need to be careful. Do not let them cause any mishap to our next plan."

The prince’s gaze swept across the people there.

"I know that you are suspicious of each other’s forces, but at this time we need to unite. We need to strike back at the devils with much greater force. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Your Highness," the others shouted in unison.

The prince nodded. "Good. Then we can strike back after we have reorganized our troops. Let’s concentrate our forces here and here. We should launch a surprise attack at the same time to confuse them—"

The prince then explained his strategy and the division of tasks for each of the leaders present.

After the prince finished explaining his strategy, and once the others agreed with it, it was decided that they would use it in the next battle.

"Our attack will begin after we have gathered all of our elite groups. I know that some of your elite troops were sent back to your territories to deal with the devils that suddenly appeared. The newest one is the Lion Brigade of Marquess Beruin," Prince Martis said. He then looked at one person.

"How is it, Marquess Beruin? Have you already received any news from the location of the suspected devils?"

A middle-aged man with blonde hair and a mustache looked at the prince. He had eyes that looked like he had not slept for a few days. However, everyone knew that this person was always like this. This man was one of the most influential nobles, Vergas Alvi Beruin.

"I have not yet received any news from the Lion Brigade, Your Highness. It might take some time before I get any news, because they have likely only just started their investigation," Marquess Beruin replied.

Prince Martis sighed and nodded. "I see. Well, if they cannot come sooner, then it is fine. We can still proceed with our attack, although our firepower will not be as strong as if they were here."

Prince Martis then said a few more words before he dismissed the meeting.

As the people started to leave the hall, Marquess Beruin’s eyes narrowed.

’Damnit, we are truly running out of time. They will launch an aggressive attack, and with the number of our troops left in the surrounding region, we will surely be overwhelmed.’

’Although I already pulled back the Lion Brigade under the pretense of investigating the devils’ infiltration, that is not enough to weaken the entire alliance force.’ His expression turned restless.

’I have to inform the main force. They have to prepare for the counterattack!’