C25 The Helpless of a Weak Country

"General, Balrum and his men have come back," reported a soldier breathlessly.

Shabarov had been intently observing the battle unfolding before him, only to be blindsided by the return of the troops from the left flank. He had dispatched over a hundred men, yet now, a mere seven or eight stragglers had made it back.

Had they lost the high ground on the left?

A cacophony of buzzing filled Shabarov's head, drowning out the defeated soldiers' words.

He didn't need to listen to know the grim reality—the disparity in armaments was too vast. They stood no chance against the enemy. How could they possibly hold their ground? This debacle was the result of the Lord Minister's ignorant decisions.

"Their rifles are a nightmare," Balrum lamented, his face the picture of misery. "Just a pull of the bolt, and a bullet fires out. They can shoot eight rounds before reloading, while we must reload after every single shot. We're outclassed. And every one of their soldiers carries a pistol, those rapid-fire types that can discharge six bullets in quick succession..."

Balrum was desperate to deflect blame for the defeat, unaware that his words were sowing terror among the ranks.

Shabarov snapped. Seizing Balrum by the collar, he slapped him furiously. Now was not the time for excuses.

"Keep your mouth shut," Shabarov hissed, glancing at the ashen-faced soldiers nearby. "One more word, and I'll have you court-martialed on the spot."

Then, a thunderous boom echoed across the battlefield.

Cannons.

The enemy had cannons.

The front-line troops, already on the brink of collapse, froze at the sound.

Gao Shaoyi hadn't secured many cannons, but their presence alone changed the game entirely. The cannonballs rained down on the Alliance Army's position, causing limited physical damage—each blast impacted only a fifteen-square-meter area—but the psychological effect was devastating.

The Qian Empire had cannons; the Alliance did not.

Per the previous agreement, they were permitted to deploy troops around the Embassy Area, but artillery was strictly forbidden. This was the Qian Empire's last stand. If artillery were positioned there, the Forbidden City itself could come under fire at any moment.

"We can't go on like this; we must pull our people out," Shabarov declared as he gathered several Envoys. Gone was their usual haughtiness; they were now a picture of defeat, covered in dust and visibly shaking.

"Deploy the reserves immediately. We cannot concede defeat. Do you comprehend the gravity of the consequences if we do?" the Galru Empire's Envoy demanded with authority.

"Enough! Are you blind to the reality? We stand no chance of victory. We need to halt this damned conflict now, while we can still manage the casualties. If we're all killed, we'll forfeit the entire Embassy Area," the Junker Empire's Envoy bellowed, his voice filled with urgency, while the representatives from the Morgen Empire nodded in agreement.

Be careful...

They hadn't reached a decision when a cannonball exploded mere meters away. The frontline offensive had utterly collapsed, with less than a third of the two thousand-strong force making it back.

The cavalry of the King Protector Army...

Shabarov watched in horror as over a hundred cavalry officers charged forward, intent on maximizing their victory. Each cavalryman was armed with two pistols at their waist, having cut down countless resisting soldiers, precipitating the disintegration of their ranks.

"No running..."

Shabarov spotted a soldier carrying the Junker Empire's flag, who dropped it and fled. His action triggered a mass retreat, with dozens of soldiers scrambling away from the battlefield.

"Deserters will be executed."

In that moment, Shabarov drew his handgun and fired at the fleeing soldiers. Thankfully, the presence of a supervisory squad was a deterrent; without them, the deserters might have thrown the entire defense into chaos.

Gao Shaoyi observed it all through his binoculars, thinking to himself that they had brought this upon themselves. He had offered them an escape route, yet they chose to challenge him. Now, it was time to see if they could endure the aftermath.

"Treat the wounded. Use the golden ointment from the medical packs."

Gao Shaoyi had found the World War II American army medical kits in the system and had conducted emergency training before the battle. His medics, though not expertly skilled, knew enough to bandage wounds and potentially save lives.

Gao Shaoyi was acutely aware of the harsh realities of war. Despite his advantages on all fronts, over a hundred of his soldiers had fallen, and another two hundred were carried back on stretchers.

One million four hundred thousand merit points...

That was Gao Shaoyi's recent tally.

"Marquis, we've secured the strategic high ground on both flanks," reported Fourth Wang, gesturing toward the left. As they had taken the right side, another assault team had stealthily ascended.

Unexpectedly, the Morgen Empire's defending soldiers retreated before we even commenced our assault.

Those same soldiers who once strutted before us fled in utter defeat, a sight I never imagined I'd see.

"Keep advancing, but stay out of their firing range. Await my command for further action."

With Gao Shaoyi's order, thousands from the King Protector Army began their measured advance.

The Qian Empire was exceedingly weak. If there were any formidable assets to deploy, Gao Shaoyi would have swiftly reclaimed the Embassy Area. Yet, considering the current global climate, such a move seemed unlikely, leaving him to reclaim his rights within certain constraints.

Fear was etched on the faces of the allied soldiers as they frantically converged toward the center, oblivious to their commanding officers' shouts. Their positions meant nothing; their own lives were paramount.

Chaos reigned supreme...

The once formidable allied soldiers, as seen through the eyes of the King Protector Army, were unexpectedly fragile. In under an hour, they had completely disintegrated. It's no wonder our marquis deemed today a historic turning point.

"Hold and be on alert."

As our men readied for a decisive charge, the marquis's command halted us in our tracks...