417: Chapter 404 No need for enticement, we'll come out on our own.

The forest.

After the Soldiers of the Artillery Regiment finished packing the howitzers, they didn't stop working; they picked up chainsaws to fell the surrounding trees, expanding the clearing.

In the middle of the clearing, a large number of First Army Soldiers jogged out from the "light gate" opened by Zhang Mu, picking up chainsaws to join in.

This time, Mandy didn't have to just watch enviously; after all, he could help with the tree-felling. The barrier to entry for using a chainsaw wasn't high, and it was quite easy to pick up. A Soldier demonstrated it once with an explanation, and a few minutes later, Mandy could proficiently operate the chainsaw to saw through thick trees.

The group worked with great enthusiasm, and in just a few short hours, they had expanded the clearing several times over. The fallen trees had their branches trimmed and were stacked neatly at the edge.

Mandy took the chainsaw's strap off his shoulder, taking a breath to relieve his physical exhaustion and the fingers that had grown stiff from gripping the handle for so long. Suddenly, a rough, large hand reached out from behind, took the chainsaw from him, and placed it on the ground.

"A little rest will fix that." The Company Commander looked at Mandy's five slightly trembling fingers.

Mandy raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Company Commander, is this big enough? Don't we need to clear a path for the tanks to march through?"

The Company Commander looked around at the much more open surroundings. "No need. The tanks can advance... I remember the Sixth Army has an Armored Corps; haven't you seen them?"

"No. By the time I went to the front lines, they had already returned to the rear to rest and reorganize."

During the war against the Counter-offensive Coalition, Domit had intentionally been training the Soldiers; as long as safety was guaranteed, they wouldn't deploy powerful fire support. This was considered classified, and Mandy, not having a high enough rank, naturally had no way of knowing. The Company Commander, who had been on standby in "The World," was equally ignorant.

He asked curiously, "The Counter-offensive Coalition's Armored Regiment didn't go?"

"No," Mandy shook his head, thinking for a moment before saying, "My Ninth Army, along with the Eleventh Army, were the first legions to attack the Coalition. Both sides were entangled in the wilderness at the Coalition's border for a while. Then the Command Post ordered an acceleration of the advance, and only then did the Second through Seventh Armies set out for the front.

But by the time they arrived, I had already led the Assault Team deep into the Coalition's hinterland."

The Company Commander showed his usual unsightly smile. "A perfect miss. Just a bit of bad luck."

Mandy sat down on the stacked logs to rest his trembling legs, looking up slightly at the Company Commander. "I think my luck was very good."

After a moment of thought, the Company Commander nodded in agreement.

His luck was indeed great. Having executed missions in the heart of enemy-occupied territory for months, he not only survived but wasn't even seriously injured. On a battlefield where people died every day, calling it a "miracle" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"Anyway," the Company Commander turned around, looking at the Soldiers who had finished their work and were finding places to sit and rest. "As for why we don't need to clear a path, you'll know once you see the tanks in motion."

The two continued to chat—well, it was mostly Mandy asking and the Company Commander answering.

The main topic of the questions was, naturally, what Mandy cared about most: the military entrance examination.

Of course, he wasn't trying to fish for the exam questions. After these days of contact with the First Army, he was deeply impressed by how strict their military discipline was. If he really dared to try and learn the exam questions from the Company Commander beforehand, the moment he asked, the exam would probably be over for him.

Mandy weighed his words carefully, only asking about things like the passing rate of previous exams and how long after passing one could handle magic-conducting weapons.

The conversation was forced to stop an hour later because of a man who strode out of the light gate.

He looked very young, in his early twenties, and his temperament matched that age. His movements were sharp and full of youthful vigor, unlike the High-tier Professionals of the Coalition he had seen, who might look young or middle-aged but were permeated with a thick sense of decline and an artificial smoothness.

To Mandy, this was a stranger, but he would soon get to know him.

"Lord Marshal!" The Company Commander beside him and the Soldiers scattered across the clearing stood up at the same time, standing straight in military posture, right hands over their hearts, bowing slightly.

"Wait, everyone sit down and rest well." Zhang Mu wasn't quite used to the knight's salute, especially when directed at himself. He waved his hand and gave the order, and the Soldiers obediently sat back down on the ground.

Zhang Mu looked around and soon found the Company Commander by a pile of logs. He walked over with small steps. "Didn't I tell you just to pack up the howitzers? You even went to the trouble of felling trees."

"I was worried the current size of the clearing wouldn't be enough to park all the tanks," the Company Commander replied seriously.

"There are only... forget it, they're already cut. Anyway, they can be used for the Infantry formation, so it's not a waste of effort." Zhang Mu looked up at the darkening sky. "The Bauhinia Legion will probably launch a general offensive tomorrow morning. It'll be a tough battle."

The Company Commander's expression was solemn. "The First Army fears no enemy, no matter how powerful."

"Having confidence is a good thing, but don't underestimate the enemy." Although he knew the First Army wouldn't make such a low-level mistake, Zhang Mu still emphasized it.

"Yes, sir!"

Nodding with satisfaction, Zhang Mu turned to look at Mandy: "Assault Team captain Mandy?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Refusing to withdraw to the rear for rest and continuing to carry out missions in enemy-occupied territory... Not bad, you've got guts."

Mandy seemed not to have expected that the legendary Lord Marshal would actually know the history of a low-level squad leader like himself, and he was momentarily dazed.

Zhang Mu was in no hurry, waiting with his hands behind his back. Finally, it was the Company Commander's cough that snapped him out of it.

Mandy hurriedly spoke: "This is the basic duty of a Soldier."

"Who did you all learn this from?" Zhang Mu shook his head with a smile and continued, "You won't be participating in this battle.

Oh, it's not that I look down on your combat effectiveness. It's mainly that you haven't coordinated with the First Army before; joining blindly would disrupt the formation. Also, this tactic will involve Infantry-Tank Coordination, which you haven't been trained for."

"Understood!"

His tone was firm, but his face inevitably showed some disappointment. Seeing this, Zhang Mu thought for a moment and said:

"However, if you aren't afraid of death, pick a few people to go into the tanks and observe the whole process."

Mandy's eyes lit up. "Ride in a tank? Can I?!"

"There's enough room for one extra person in each tank. There are twenty-five tanks in total, you..." Zhang Mu looked at the Assault Team members not far away who had stood up involuntarily upon hearing the conversation.

"Well, there are quite a lot of people who aren't afraid to die. Let's draw lots."

"Uh, Lord Marshal, what does drawing lots mean?"

The silent Company Commander spoke up to explain: "Drawing lots to decide the candidates ensures the fairness of the selection process."

"No problem!" Mandy excitedly saluted Zhang Mu, then ran toward his teammates, picking up some thin twigs from the ground to use for the draw.

Zhang Mu saw that the remaining Soldiers of the First Army were prepared. He channeled his magic to expand the light gate enough for tanks to pass through, then walked in himself to command the legion to exit the light gate in an orderly fashion.

The first to come out were the Infantry.

Compared to two years ago, their equipment had undergone several iterations and was more than twice as sophisticated.

The Infantry wore tactical helmets equipped with night-vision goggles and jungle camouflage uniforms made of wear-resistant, comfortable fabric. Their magic rifles, developed almost to the limit, were installed with four magic crystal Cores. They had grenades for various purposes hanging from their waists, and high-top military boots that they didn't have to worry about moisture penetrating even when marching in a humid rainforest.

The elite image of the First Army Infantry, which was almost identical to the Soldiers of a modern Blue Star army, made Mandy and his teammates stare wide-eyed, with drool almost leaking from the corners of their mouths to express their envy and longing.

"So... so majestic!" One teammate stepped forward a few paces, hoping to get a clearer look.

The Infantry lined up at the edge of the clearing as magic tanks drove out of the light gate one by one. This batch of magic tanks had just left the factory, so even the Company Commander hadn't encountered them before and began to study them curiously.

Comparing them to ordinary tanks, the Company Commander felt the most significant difference was the intricate lines painted on the front and rear armor on both sides.

These lines were not black but a deep blue overall. The patterns formed by their combination were complex but not chaotic, drawn according to a certain pattern.

The Company Commander recalled the knowledge he usually studied and quickly understood what it was—a Magic Array.

Mandy naturally didn't know this; he only felt that the patterns exuded mystery and extraordinariness.

Once the First Army had finished assembling, Zhang Mu wasted no more time: "Specific combat plan will be relayed by Legion Commander Domit later. Until then, stand by."

"Yes, sir!" the Vice Legion Commander of the First Army responded loudly.

Zhang Mu walked over to him to relay his promise to Mandy: "The Assault Team over there has drawn twenty-five people. Stuff them into the tanks individually. No need to give them tasks, just keep them to one side."

The Vice Legion Commander glanced at the Assault Team members huddled together and said in a low voice, "Understood."

"Right, I'm heading off first. Wait for orders."

With that, Zhang Mu vanished on the spot. The Vice Legion Commander then gestured for Mandy to come over and have the members who won the draw step forward.

Once the twenty-five people, including Mandy, were gathered before him, the Vice Legion Commander assigned them to their respective magic tanks and then notified the Soldiers inside the magic tanks to come out and assist them in entering.

Afterward, the First Army stood in silence, and the magic tanks also rested quietly in place.

Time passed slowly. The bright moon rose and fell, and dawn broke on the horizon.

As the first ray of the morning sun shone on everyone's faces, the wireless equipment on the simple temporary workbench in front of the Signalman let out a "beep-beep" sound.

A moment later, the Signalman picked up the white paper recording the orders and ran to the Vice Legion Commander to hand it over.

He took it, quickly scanned it, folded it twice and tucked it into his chest pocket, then shouted: "Artillery Regiment Commander!"

"Here!"

"March five kilometers east and deploy your positions!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Soldiers of the Artillery Regiment moved into action under their commander's direction.

"Third Infantry Regiment, Sixth Infantry Regiment!"

"Here!"

"Follow the Armored Regiment and attack the enemy camp!"

"Yes, sir!"

"First Infantry..."

One by one, orders were issued. The Soldiers, who were in high spirits after a night's rest, responded quickly and set off for their respective targets. Having deployed all the Soldiers, the Vice Legion Commander led the signalmen toward the rear to find a suitable site to establish a front-line Command Post.

...

The Bauhinia Legion's main camp.

Sadou had stayed up all night. He and two Vice Legion Commanders, who had also stayed up, were in the tent discussing the tactics for the general offensive.

Sadou spent most of the time just listening with his hands tucked in his sleeves. It was mainly the two Vice Legion Commanders who were arguing, with spit flying everywhere.

"I believe luring the enemy is the safest," one Vice Legion Commander said with his arms crossed, his tone flat.

"Is the enemy stupid? How could they possibly be lured out so easily!" the other Vice Legion Commander slapped the table, fuming.

Clearly, staying up all night hadn't brought the slightest bit of fatigue. If it were an ordinary person, they probably wouldn't even be able to keep their eyes open.

"We can think of other ways. Anyway, I don't agree to fighting the enemy in the forest." Seeing that his colleague and friend was about to get angry again, the Vice Legion Commander added, "The enemy has been in the forest for half a month.

You don't even have to guess to know that the area around their positions must be filled with traps. If we rush in blindly, we'll suffer heavy casualties before we even see the enemy's faces. How can we win the final battle then?"

The reasoning was sound. The other Vice Legion Commander opened his mouth, not knowing how to retort. Only after a long while did he say sullenly, "You say think of another way. What way could there be?"

"It's simple. Set a fire." He looked down at the map, his right hand spread wide, pressing down hard on the section of the forest where the First Army was lurking. "Burn this whole mountain down. Let's see if they come out then!"

The silent Sadou suddenly spoke up: "It won't work.

If we really chose to set a fire, Lake would definitely use Saint-levels to extinguish it."

The Vice Legion Commander was somewhat surprised. "Didn't you say this legion has no Saint-levels?"

Sadou sighed, feeling helpless at why his subordinate was acting like such an idiot, but he still explained: "It's not that they don't have Saint-levels; it's that the Saint-levels are all in the rear.

I'm not sure why the Saint-levels aren't with the army, but presumably if the situation became critical, Lake would definitely mobilize Saint-levels for support."

The other Vice Legion Commander had felt the proposal was feasible and was happily preparing to take men to execute it, only to have it rejected by Sadou in an instant. The anger he had just suppressed flared up again.

He didn't dare vent it on Sadou, so he grumbled at his colleague, "Stop opposing it. We'll go with my plan—a frontal advance!"

Having been scolded all night, even the milder Vice Legion Commander's eyes widened. "A frontal advance? What are you going to use for a frontal advance?

Five thousand Soldiers couldn't last three hours on the outskirts of the forest before most were heavily injured. If we go deep inside, how long do you think the remaining forty-five thousand Soldiers can hold out?"

"Stop." Sadou was annoyed by their bickering and waved his hand to cut them off.

Naturally, they didn't dare disobey the Legion Commander's order. All three remained silent, and the tent grew quiet.

After a long time, the morning light filtered through the gaps on either side of the door curtain into the tent.

The slightly brighter light in front of him brought Sadou back to his senses. Knowing he couldn't delay any longer, he stood up and said, "Let's attack head-on. As for the traps, I've asked the wounded Soldiers; it seems to be a type of magic item that triggers when stepped on.

We can organize High-tier Professionals to destroy them with area-of-effect magic and clear a safe... Hmm?"

The three suddenly turned their heads at the same time, looking toward the forest through the tent fabric.

"What's that sound?" Sadou muttered in confusion.

"It sounds a bit like thunder on a rainy day," the Vice Legion Commander said.

The other Vice Legion Commander's mouth twitched. "Is it pouring rain?"

The Magic Array covering the entire camp hadn't been deactivated yet. Sadou's Mental Energy was blocked and couldn't reach outside, so he couldn't perceive the source of the sound. He intended to call his adjutant to go investigate.

But before he could call anyone, the adjutant hurriedly lifted the curtain and walked in.

"Lord Legion Commander!" He took a deep breath. "The enemy has come out of the forest and is charging toward our camp!"