Chapter 146
This time, Priscilla had been appointed commander of the operation to crush the rebels.
The 15,000 troops at her command were all Waldo’s personal soldiers.
At the start, although no one dared voice it, resentment simmered beneath the surface. They were following the daughter of a rebel, after all.
To make things worse, as soon as they arrived in Kabury County, they were ordered to march out and attack—no time to rest, no sleep, just straight into
battle
The soldiers were exhausted and brimming with silent anger.
But what none of them expected was that Priscilla actually led them to an easy victory. The rebels camped outside Kabury City were routed with little effort, driven back into the mountain ravines.
Priscilla’s surprising display of courage and command quickly won the troops‘ grudging respect.
So when she gave the order to pursue the fleeing rebels into the mountains, though there were murmurs of doubt–and though fatigue gnawed at them -the soldiers gritted their teeth and followed her in.
But the farther they advanced, the stranger things began to feel.
Hughle voiced the concern first. “Your Highness, the tracks ahead.. it looks like only a hundred or two have passed through here.”
Waldo frowned deeply. “impossible. We clearly saw at least a thousand rebels earlier. How could it only be a hundred or two?”
There were no side paths, no hidden routes.
A single man might slip away unseen–but a force of over a thousand? Not a chance.
d what did Hughie mean, a hundred or two hundred
And v
Waldo’s expression darkened. “is it one hundred or two hundred?”
Hughie lowered his head, ashamed. “The terrain’s chaotic. Judging from the footprints, it’s hard to be precise. Maybe a bit over a hundred maybe two or three hundred.”
“Ridiculous!” Waldo snapped, his face burning cold. “You’re telling me the margin of error is that big? What the hell are the scouts doing?”
Hughie grimaced. “Based on the scouts reports, it’s about two hundred. I also went to check myself, but the traces are messy–it’s genuinely difficult to get an exact count
The footprints are clear enough,” Waldo growled. “How can they not estimate accurately? In the past…”
He stopped himself abruptly.
Hughie darted a glance at him but said nothing.
They were both thinking the same thing.
In the past, there had been Jessica. Jessica, whose sharp eyes could sweep a battlefield once and estimate enemy numbers with astonishing margin of error less than five men.
But that was then, Jessica was no longer here.
The thought hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
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Chapter 146
Yet another problem quickly surfaced–one Waldo couldn’t ignore.
“if a thousand rebels came in,” Waldo said slowly, “and only two or three hundred left traces here–then where did the rest go?”
Hughie’s expression grew grave. “That’s exactly why I feel something’s wrong.”
They had entered these mountains with over fifteen thousand troops. From the beginning, the soldiers had felt stifled–teen thousand men to chase down a thousand rebels? It was overkill
Still, they comforted themselves with the thought of an easy victory.
And it had seemed easy–at first. Every group of rebels they encountered had crumbled quickly before them.
But now, according to the scouts, there were only two or three hundred rebels left ahead?
Fifteen thousand soldiers to pursue two hundred enemies? It was absurd.
But Hughie was thinking of something even more disturbing “Your Highness,” he said, voice low, “we’ve been winning easily, yes but haven’t you noticed? We barely killed anyone. The rebels scattered at the first sign of us. In all this time, we’ve slain no more than twenty.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Priscilla snapped, her face flushing with anger. “This general has led the charge herself. I’ve seen it with my own eyes- hundreds of rebels cut down
Hughie shook his head, helpless. “Priscilla, most of the rebels escaped. We really didn’t kill many at all.
E
AD
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