A Deceptive Face

Before Maria could say anything, Nitze shook his head.

"This is a rare opportunity for us... We need to seize this chance to take down the enemy's forces!"

"... I trust your judgment, Mr. Nitze, but I also believe that the Allied Forces are not fools; they couldn't possibly not have imagined that we would gather our forces to launch a surprise attack on them."

Theresis, facing the god of war, showed no fear. "In fact, don't you find it strange? Classical warfare is the Sarkaz's forte, and it seems as if they deliberately didn't send many warships, but instead sent more than 100,000 ordinary soldiers to garrison the area."

"This is a trap for us."

"That's just your opinion."

"But this is reasonable!"

Theresis spoke with unwavering conviction, while Nitze to the side, remained remarkably calm.

In fact, how could he not have thought of what Theresis was saying?

He knew that Kazdel had no way out. Even if the 100,000-strong Allied Forces was a trap, they had to try to annihilate it. Only by seizing every opportunity could they possibly overcome this crisis.

Otherwise, if they wait until the opposing team assembles, the pressure they face will be even greater!

"..."

Theresis and Nitze were both unwilling to back down, but Maria keenly noticed at this moment that Theresis and the Lich representative beside her were exchanging glances.

Clearly, without Maria's knowledge, Theresis had already made contact with the Lich.

However, Maria didn't say much. After a brief pause, she silently looked at the war table in front of her.

This sand table, forged by the Gargoyle, almost perfectly replicates every aspect of the current situation.

They even used a technology that Maria was unaware of, so that whenever a wall was built in Kazdel, the wall on the sand table would be updated in real time.

In the distant mountains ahead, an indistinct number of Allied Forces troops remained quietly within...

Maria glanced at it a few times, then silently raised her head.

"Quiet."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it effectively stopped the argument between the two people in the room.

Such authority extends far beyond Theresa's appointment.

More importantly, she truly won the approval of both of them.

After another brief pause, Maria turned her head.

"Commander Theresis, what are your thoughts?"

"I think we should retreat for now."

Even when facing Maria, Theresis stuck to her own opinion.

Now is definitely not a good time.

This opportunity may be rare, but Sarkaz currently has far too few soldiers.

If a problem arises, it could force untrained soldiers in the rear to step forward... and if these soldiers are not strong enough, it could force even less trained soldiers to come up.

This then created a vicious cycle of collapse.

"And then what happens after we retreat?"

Maria did not deny Theresis's plan; she simply continued to ask questions.

She understood both options and had her own ideas about them, but as the commander, her task was not to offer a suitable suggestion, but to select the appropriate one.

Theresis suggested retreating, but what are the advantages and problems of doing so?

"Buy time!"

Theresis's tone was firm.

"The Sarkaz are now gathering their forces. Before the battle even begins, we have ample time to set traps and devise ways to intercept those warships that haven't yet approached..."

"When the other side actually launches a war, we can use these traps to restrict them and divide the battlefield, thus creating an advantageous situation."

"Kazdel's biggest advantage right now is that we are on the defensive, and we also have a coalition of Royal Court with various capabilities. As long as we can leverage this advantage, we can still defeat the Allied Forces!"

Theresis's words were reasonable and well-founded, and many other commanders from the other Royal Court showed expressions of agreement.

Even Nitze had some approval for this.

But Maria, amidst these approving gazes, slowly turned her head away.

"Do you know what I would do in a situation like this if I were the commander of the Allied Forces?"

"Um?"

"I will wait..."

279

Chapter 279 A Deceptive Face

Theresis's plan is perfect; at least, looking at it directly, it's flawless.

But if you change your perspective, you'll discover the problem.

Theresis's plan was based on the assumption that the Allied Forces would attack once they had assembled.

But... if it were Maria's own decision, she wouldn't have taken this step.

They have no need to attack...

"All we need to do is quietly establish a foothold and then besiege the area, and everything will fall into place."

The Allied Forces have no need to attack... With their superior position, they can simply wait for Kazdel to be worn down internally.

If Kazdel chooses to break out, their trap will be meaningless.

If they continue to hold their positions, Kazdel's strength will weaken as resources dwindle.

So what if they get caught in a trap?

Can Kazdel still muster enough power to fight them?

Maria's words did indeed cause tension throughout the Sarkaz army.

Questions were immediately raised.

"But... the Allied Forces have 400,000 men!"

"I know."

"Can they really supply enough food, drink, and weapons for 400,000 people?"

No one could understand it.

Maria's plan was indeed terrifying, but the question was, could the Allied Forces pull it off?

That's enough to feed and drink 400,000 people!

To supply such a large army.

What level of logistical capability do they need to achieve?

"Don't place your hopes on things we don't understand..."

Maria shook her head.

"You've seen those warships moving at high speed... If you remove their weapons and ammunition, how many resources do you think they could transport at once?"

"This..."

"Furthermore, given that they can create such war Great Beast, do you really think they can compare to the Sarkaz in other aspects?"

"..."

"They have mobilized almost all of their domestic military forces. How could they possibly be completely unprepared to face such a massive force? And it has only been a month since the outbreak of war. Just considering us, how much supplies will we have prepared to wage a full-scale war against the enemy?"

"..."

Maria's words silenced the room.

The more they thought about it, the more they realized that Maria was right.

The front lines collapsed so quickly that they almost forgot that the entire war had only just begun.

Leaving aside supplies, they probably haven't even used up all the support they received in the previous waves...

"Never judge your enemy by your own standards... The fact that they are fighting us only means that they are better prepared than we are, unless you are the one who started the war."

Maria gave a subtle reminder to the veterans present, not too harshly, not too softly, and then glanced at Theresis beside her as they looked down in thought.

"Now, are you still thinking of retreating?"

Maria's voice was soft, but the meaning behind it made Theresis grit her teeth.

Maria is right, it's not time for them to retreat yet... What they should do now is seize every opportunity to find a way to defeat the Allied Forces.

But...

Even if it's an attack, what will they do?

For a moment, even Theresis's will wavered slightly.

Can they really win the war?

Whether it's military strength, resource supply, or even the overall situation.

The Allied Forces crushed them...

Do they really have a chance to win?

"Let's gather a group of troops first."

Maria shook her head, then turned to look at Nitze beside her.

Although Nitze does not acknowledge the current Demon King, he has indeed been conquered by Maria's power.

Moreover, this meeting has once again proven that Maria is not just a pure warrior; she possesses her own wisdom.

Therefore, he is willing to trust the other party.

"Go and assemble the troops, and thoroughly investigate the current state of the Allied Forces... I hope to find out which faction they belong to, so as to avoid conflict."

"As you wish."

Without hesitation, Nitze, having received Maria's order, stood up, saluted Maria, and then turned to gather his troops.

The others also gradually faded away after Maria assigned them tasks.

For a moment, only the Lich and Theresis remained motionless on the scene.

The Lich representative frowned slightly as he observed the current situation.

But he still politely got up and bowed to Maria.

"Then we Lich..."

"I have other things to ask you."

Once everyone had left, Maria had no more reservations.

She held a specially made Bone Pen between her fingers and tapped it lightly on the table.

His sharp eyes swept over the two people in front of him.

"I don't really like being kept in the dark... even if I know it might be well-intentioned."

"... I don't understand what you're saying."

"You don't need to understand."

Maria shook her head, silently watching the two of them. "I just want to remind you that I don't care if you have your own ideas, but I don't want my subordinates to disobey orders or even go against my plans..."

"If you can't do it, that's my problem; I didn't assess your abilities properly."

"But if you make a mistake, then that's your problem... understand?"

Maria's voice was very steady, and her speech contained no threat whatsoever.

But even these words made the two of them tremble uncontrollably.

Those grey eyes seemed to pierce through their very souls...