With this group of trash whose agility rivals that of elderly women crossing the street, what victory can they possibly hope for?
After much deliberation, Marba finally made up her mind.
He ordered the legion to rest on the spot, and then summoned all officers in the legion to a temporary camp in the center of the army formation.
Looking at his men, each with a worried expression, and the seemingly dejected and timid junior officers behind them, Marba cut to the chase:
"I know what you're thinking. Although no one died today, far too many soldiers lost their fighting ability. We even had to sever some of our able-bodied soldiers to take care of them. Our losses are far more than 'zero' on paper, right?"
The military tent was silent, but silence itself was an answer.
Marba looked around and asked the mid- to high-ranking officers:
"Besides the various Grand Knight Commanders, how many of you are Middle Tier (equivalent to level 30 and above, the same below)?"
The squadron leaders who were called out looked at each other for a moment, and then some of them raised their hands.
Marba thought for a moment and continued:
"Of the remaining people, those of Low Tier High Grade (levels 20-30) should raise their hands."
This time, the remaining company commanders also raised their hands.
Marba memorized their faces, then looked at the lower-ranking officers standing on the periphery who weren't even entitled to sit down:
"How many of you are of Low Tier Middle Grade (levels 10-20) strength?"
Some squad leaders raised their hands.
Looking at the remaining officers, who were barely stronger than a few ordinary Holy Crusaders combined, Marba asked one last question:
"How many of you are immune to the poisonous fog and irritating gases when the army is attacked today?"
The remaining squad leaders, heads bowed, glanced at each other. After a long while, some slowly raised their hands, much like students in class who wanted to answer questions but lacked confidence.
Marba looked at them and nodded, saying:
"Everyone who raised their hand, stay here. The rest of you, go out and maintain order. We'll let you know the results later."
As the weakest squad leaders left the military tent, silence returned to the makeshift tent, which was made from special plant Alienation.
Marba looked at the crowd and said:
"Gentlemen, you have all personally experienced today's attack, and I believe you have all seen that, regardless of whether we can win, the enemy does not want to engage us in a head-on confrontation, which is why they are using this delaying tactic to postpone our march."
"The environment in the Wilderness of Chaos is inherently complex and changeable, and with their interference, our plans have been significantly affected."
"If we ignore this interference and continue forward, it will be absolutely impossible to complete the plan to attack the enemy's core within three days."
"The enemy's attack today shows they've become aware of our plans, but we're already far past Black Locust Town, and it will take their soldiers time to return. So we still have the advantage for now, but if this continues, our advantage will soon disappear."
Marba looked intently at the officers in front of him:
"Now, I'd like to inform you of the revised plans for the latest version."
At this critical juncture of life and death, all the officers present listened intently. Marba then lightly tapped the map with his hand:
"First, regarding the soldiers, I will select a trustworthy and exceptionally brave Grand Knight Commander who will lead all the soldiers out of the Wilderness of Chaos and back into the Aduolin Province."
"The destination of this force is the only route for the three southern towns of Aduolin Province to return to White Wax Town. They need to block the returning rebels there and buy as much time as possible for our attack."
"At the same time, if our attack succeeds and the enemy Escape to the south, they will also block them, waiting for us to complete the encirclement from the rear."
"And the rest of us, those of you present here, will be led by me straight into this area north of White Wax Town— "
Marba reached out and emphasized the corresponding spot on Valhalla:
"My intelligence is highly reliable; this is the heart of the rebels!"
"Without the reinforcements of the main forces and key combat units from the south, this place is simply in our hands."
After a moment's thought, one officer raised his hand to ask a question. Marba gestured for him to speak freely. The officer thought for a moment and then asked:
"Commander, although there are more than ten Middle Tier experts here, are we really confident of victory?"
Marba looked at him and said seriously:
"Have."
He didn't mention that his Psionic Energy mark hadn't been manually dispelled, implying there were no experts in the Psionic Energy field there. Instead, he explained earnestly:
"We all know the possible true identity of our opponent. For Him, as long as His power is restored to High Tier, even if it is only High Tier Low Grade level, it would be enough to take Fir City into His possession without lifting a finger."
"But as you all know, this unfortunate city has been infiltrated and attacked back and forth for two months now. This is enough to show that the entity hiding behind the scenes has not recovered much strength and is no match for us."
The officer who had asked the question nodded and sat back down, while Marba clapped his hands. His confidants entered from outside the tent and left two seeds in front of each officer, including Marba.
The officers examined the plant seeds presented to them. One seed was oval-shaped and emitted a strange, subtle fragrance, while the other was nearly spherical and a pure black color that was almost non-reflective.
"Sir, what is this?"
"Everyone, I have something to tell you."
Marba cleared his throat and looked at the crowd:
"We are here carrying out Lord Sailesi's expectations, so everything must prioritize Lord Sailesi's mission; as for our lives..."
Marba picked up the fragrant seed:
"This is my symbiotic plant, ' Life-Claiming Camphor.' Not only is its wood extremely tough, but it can also leave wounds that cannot heal. Enemies who inhale this scent for a long time will also have their physical agility affected."
He picked up another seed and said:
"These are the seeds of the symbiotic plant belonging to my squad leader, Nasen. The mature fruit has Alienation on his hand, allowing him to launch even more seeds like shotgun pellets—the power is astonishing."
Marba looked at the crowd in front of him and said:
"I know you don't understand what I mean, so..."
He pressed down hard on the seed that belonged to squad leader Nasen, slapping it directly into his palm.
With the Plant Compatibility of a Middle Tier legion commander, the seed almost immediately sensed the suitable environment around it and began to grow wildly.
Marba spread out his left hand, letting everyone watch as the plant grew and sprouted, becoming one with Marba's flesh and blood, and he did nothing to stop it.
All the officers knew what this meant.
Even the common people who Tree Worship Church know that everyone who survives by relying on Symbiotic Tree can only have one deep symbiotic plant.