The Harvest Festival Begins as Scheduled

Albares Imperial Capital

Staring at the seats that were more than half empty, General Winter slammed his fist onto the table.

Bang!

"These bastards are getting more and more outrageous!"

"Oh, come on, it's not like you only met them yesterday. Why get worked up over it? (The Desert King, yawning nonstop)"

"Yeah... yeah. (Jacob)"

"Hmph!"

Retracting his fist, General Winter turned to the elderly man at his side. "Lord Yakil, inform those lazy fools of our decision later. And tell them there won't be a next time!"

"Understood!"

"Um... may I begin? (Everywhere at once)"

"Mhm!"

Seeing the higher-ups nod, Dolke began, "According to intelligence gathered by our spies, the Erus Empire has dispatched Rear Admirals Swann, Dol, and Kabri, along with Navy Colonel Colverman, to lead ten thousand expeditionary volunteers in an attack on the Leshade Islands. At the same time, they have appointed Lieutenant General Ace as commander, with Major Generals Lilia and Gwell as the vanguard. Using their own troops as the foundation, they have formed a fully staffed mixed brigade and are advancing into the Aursdai Ice Field."

"They've deployed fewer than two divisions in total. That doesn't seem like her style. (General Winter, stroking his chin in thought)"

"Has the enemy made any unusual moves in this operation? (The Desert King)"

"Yes!"

"The Erus army's advance has been exceptionally slow during this campaign, inconsistent with their actual combat strength. Furthermore, they rarely commit large numbers of troops during battle. They primarily operate in battalion formations, and most of those involved in combat are fresh recruits who only recently enlisted."

"The enemy's intentions are obvious. They're using the natives of the Leshade Islands and the Aursdai Ice Field to train their troops. (Yakil)"

"Hehe... I'm afraid it isn't that simple! (General Winter)"

"Oh? (Hypotia)"

"Dol,