“What do you think?” Roland looked towards the undulating light screen on the wall, wanting to understand the demons' intentions. The survivors of Taquila were undoubtedly the most qualified to speak on this matter.

"Old trick," El暇 scoffed, "Intimidation doesn't work, so they'll resort to force. I said it long ago, threatening and pressuring while gradually advancing is their signature move against human lords. If it were a witch city, the demons would only choose to annihilate it completely."

"But your previous estimate for the demons' advance was around half a year."

"Cough, cough, that was based on the average construction time for a large camp. Perhaps they're too impatient," the latter's voice was slightly awkward. "Besides, the battlefield is ever-changing. Following the map blindly is foolish. I never asked you to relax your vigilance."

Wow, this joke is getting out of hand. Maintaining surveillance is certainly necessary, but the counterattack plan is based on that timeline. If the enemy needs half a year to gain a foothold, his rails can be laid right to their faces. With armored trains and rail cannons, he doesn't believe the demons would still have the energy to establish outposts.

"El暇 wasn't deliberately hiding anything. I also agreed with her opinion before," Agatha said, as if sensing Roland's suspicion. "The timeline for the Red Mist's expansion was obtained by the Union at a heavy price, and it never failed until the fall of Holy City—and half a year is the demons' limit."

"So, you mean the demons have now exceeded this limit, and the timeline bought with blood is useless?" Edith spread her hands. "Of course, it's not incomprehensible for ancient information from four hundred years ago to lose its validity."

Roland couldn't help but feel his brow twitch. If there was anyone among the ordinary people present who dared to stand up against the "flesh tumor monster," the Pearl of the North was undoubtedly one of them… Considering that he himself wasn't exactly an ordinary person, Edith could even be said to be the only one.

El暇 reacted as expected. "Mortal, you—!"

Before she could completely lose her temper, Pasha's voice interjected in time. "Perhaps those giant skeletons have made the expansion of the Red Mist faster, but it's also possible that the demons have other purposes. If it weren't for the attack, the outpost could indeed be established earlier, after all, its size depends on the supply of the Red Mist. So, there's no need for you to argue about this. What to do specifically depends on His Majesty the King's decision."

Worthy of being the actual leader of the Taquila survivors, Roland nodded inwardly. This statement not only eliminated potential disputes but also took his feelings into account. Speaking is indeed an art.

However, the practical problem still exists—whether the demons have other intentions or want to attack Neverwinter City sooner, this change has deprived him of his surveillance of the Holy City ruins. For Neverwinter City, there aren't many options to choose from. If the illusion instrument hadn't malfunctioned, he might have been able to observe for a while longer to see what the demons were up to, but now he must eliminate this obstacle as soon as possible.

"Get the First Army ready to march," Roland took a deep breath and turned to Iron Axe to instruct.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Sand Nationality's answer was always crisp and efficient.

"A decisive choice," El暇 praised. "Blindfolding yourself when war is coming is tantamount to zisha. We must be aware of the enemy's movements at all times to be prepared for anything."

"Staff Department, come up with at least one plan before sunset tomorrow," he gave Edith a special glance. "I want to see a detailed process deduction."

"Your Majesty," Felin. Searto, the Dawn Knight who had officially transferred, looked embarrassed. "According to Sylvie's information, the flying demon beasts have already occupied that area. There's almost no way to ensure that the First Army won't be discovered during the march. Once exposed, I'm afraid we'll be unable to move an inch."

Roland was also aware of this, which is why he wanted to get a detailed deduction before departure—as the designer of all the army's weapons, he naturally knew that Felin's statement was already sufficiently euphemistic. If the anti-aircraft machine guns can't be set up and aimed in advance, their effectiveness will be greatly reduced. At the same time, unlike the city wall defense, the enemy may come from all directions, which raises the requirement for the barrage

several levels.

In addition, if the rails aren't laid in place, it means that the entire logistics needs to be completed on foot, and if the supply train is intercepted by demon beasts, the losses will definitely be significant.

The distance from Neverwinter to the suspected demon outpost is about four hundred kilometers. Subtracting the part through the Maze Forest, there are also one hundred and seventy kilometers, which can't be completed in a day. Not only do they have to camp, but there's more than one camp, and they will all be exposed to the flying demons, becoming the army's fatal weakness.

He doesn't have that many Sylvie to ensure that every supply train can avoid the demons' attacks. Roland didn't have much hope for how tenaciously the logistics team, usually composed of recruits, would perform after encountering enemy ambushes. If the logistics line collapses, let alone being unable to move an inch, the First Army might not even be able to retreat completely.

But the more this is the case, the less he can show hesitation. "Make the plan first, we'll talk about the other things after I've looked at it!"

"As you command, Your Majesty." Felin touched his chest.

…

A day and night passed quickly, and the Staff Department delivered the plan the following afternoon.

And there were two of them.

The reporter was Edith. Kant.

"You haven't slept?" Roland noticed that her eyes were slightly swollen.

"Everyone's rushing to make progress, how could I be embarrassed to go back to rest alone," Edith shrugged. "Consider it as making up for my past mistakes."

Is this a bit of criticism? Roland waved his hand dismissively. "Just tell me the conclusion."

"Yes," she pointed to the one on the left of the table. "If we follow the normal marching method, the main force will definitely be noticed by the demon beasts. How much they can do after that depends on the commander's ability. Due to the lack of information in this regard, the Staff Department directly assumes the worst-case scenario. The conclusion is that the First Army can achieve its goal, but it will also be defeated by the demons. About half of the five thousand troops will be able to escape. The witches aren't in much danger. As long as they don't take risks, they should be able to return safely."

"This deduction is really harsh," Roland rubbed his forehead. "Is it because of problems with the logistics?"

"That's right," Edith didn't avoid it. "The supply route was attacked by the demons. The First Army had to split up to protect it, but it's impossible to completely contain the enemy. Under the daily casualties, morale will be repeatedly frustrated and affect the confidence of the front line. A week later, the enemy's attacks will become even more unpredictable, and at the same time, the main force will begin to attack the enemy's camp. This part can be said to be the simplest part of the operation. Your troops successfully destroyed the demon outpost, but a big fire broke out in the rear."

"Neverwinter City?"

"No, it's a real fire—the demons noticed the abnormal behavior of the Maze Forest and decided to set fire to the forest. This will make the safe passage constructed by Leaf disappear, and if the transport route increases threefold, the First Army will completely lose its supply, thereby losing its firepower advantage against the enemy, so it can only choose to break through and retreat." Edith coughed twice. "Of course, we may have set the number of demons a bit high, but this is also uncertain. Judging from their urgent actions, I'm afraid they won't easily give up the outpost."

Roland couldn't help but laugh in anger. "It's fine if there are more enemies, but which bastard came up with the idea of setting fire to the forest?"

"His Excellency Dawnlight," Edith said slowly. "But after our analysis, as long as the time is long enough, the probability of the demons discovering the problem with the Maze Forest will increase, so this possibility cannot be ruled out."

Although Roland was mentally prepared, he was still a bit depressed to see such a pessimistic deduction for the first time. "What about the second one? Don't tell me it's the same result—you've been busy all night, are you trying to tell me it's impossible?"

But he also knew that if he wanted to fight the demons in the Fertile Plains, land transportation was a problem he would have to face sooner or later. If he could easily deliver ammunition and food to the soldiers on the front line, why would he work overtime to build a railway?

"No, Your Majesty," the Pearl of the North laughed at this time. "The second plan is indeed different. Since we can't guarantee the safety of the supply line, let's just make it disappear completely."