"Advance is proceeding smoothly."
"Advance is proceeding smoothly."
Albrecht watched the string of victory reports sent back by the vanguard, yet his expression grew increasingly grim.
The staff officers could not quite understand what the marshal was thinking. Did he feel the military achievements were insufficient? But victory was what mattered most.
A veteran staff officer spoke up.
"Marshal, we are two days' march from Dresden. If all goes smoothly, we can surround Dresden before the Prussians realize what is happening.
"If the Prussians had not sabotaged the railway, our advance would have been even faster."
Another staff officer added.
"The Prussian troops in the Ore Mountains have yet to make a move. Even if they discover our intentions now, it will already be too late."
"Look! How magnificent our army is! The soldiers' footsteps make the earth tremble.
"Once our army arrives, even the waters of the Elbe River will drop by a foot."
To onlookers, several hundred thousand was merely a number. In reality, if an army of three hundred thousand truly lined up in a single file, it would likely stretch for over a hundred kilometers.
Even divided into marching formations, they still raised clouds of dust that filled the sky, their steps shaking the earth. No one could help but feel proud at such a martial spectacle, yet Albrecht's instincts told him—he had fallen into a trap!
"Leave fifty thousand men to continue attacking Dresden according to the original plan. Everyone else is to force-march back to Bohemia at once!"
The officers, with military glory right before their eyes, all revealed puzzled expressions. But Albrecht understood that the march had gone too smoothly—so smoothly that it was unnatural.
Though the vanguard had encountered some battles along the way, they had mostly won swiftly. The Prussian troops