Boyd and the other commanders couldn't help but cast a few more glances at the three women. They
couldn't imagine what this Prince Crimson was thinking by bringing these beautiful and charming
women when he was supposed to help the Black Dragon Group out. Before they could even hear him
out, they had already regarded him as a mere lecher.
"Family members'?" Isis couldn't help but raise her brows unpleasantly. "Commander in Chief, don't
you know her?" she asked as she pointed at Sabina's direction.
"Well, should I? Who is she then?" Boyd actually hadn't met Sabina before because he was stationed
in the border all year long. Except going to the Imperial City to give his regular report to the emperor a
couple of times throughout the year, he hardly got the chance to encounter the members of the other
groups. Thus, it was normal for him to not have met Sabina before.
"Greetings, Commander in Chief. I'm Sabina Ji. Maybe you haven't heard about me before, but I
believe that you must know my master, General Marcia," Sabina, stepping forward, introduced herself
with a cold expression on her face.
"Wait. Sabina… Sabina from the Ji Clan? You mean you're General Marcia's apprentice?" As Boyd
started hurling questions, the arrogance on his face had quickly faded. Recently, Rocky had really
become famous in the entire empire. Boyd knew that he had married the only daughter of General
Lance, and now, he just heard that General Marcia's apprentice was also working for Rocky.
The smug look on the faces of the commanders behind Boyd also disappeared instantly. They found it
hard to breathe upon hearing about Sabina.
"And this one is the former chief of the Cao Clan, the top clan in Timber Deity Empire." Isis moved on
from Sabina and introduced Lucilla, who was on the other side.
"The chief of the Cao Clan… the top clan of Timber Deity Empire?" Boyd's voice began to tremble as
he repeated Isis' words. It was too much of a shock for him to take it all at once. Isis knew Boyd's
personality, so she deliberately put so much pressure on her introductions so as to ensure that Boyd
and the other commanders would know their place.
As Isis finished speaking, a few coughs were heard from the commanders as if they were trying to clear
their throats. It was also very visible that these men couldn't help but swallow their saliva in
nervousness. Never did they expect that apart from Rocky's level in cultivation and position as a prince,
he really stood on top of every man with General Lance's daughter as his wife and Marcia's apprentice
as his confidant. Even the former chief of the Cao Clan was at his disposal.
If they learned beforehand that each of those women around him did not just have a striking
appearance, but also a prominent background, they wouldn't act so presumptuous before them. Now, it
was as if they wanted the ground to swallow them.
"So, General Boyd, do you still think that Prince Crimson is just taking a tour while bringing his family
with him?" Isis asked, fixing her piercing eyes on Boyd.
At that time, Boyd just lowered his head and was rendered speechless.
"Isis, that's enough." Rocky called from behind and interrupted her. Boyd should have already learned
his lesson, so he did not want the situation to be more embarrassing for him than it already was.
Before walking aside, Isis took a quick cold glance at Boyd while pouting her lips.
"General Boyd, can you tell me the status of the on-going battle?" Rocky asked straightforwardly,
jumping into their true purpose for coming.
"Three days ago, after we lost the last city, I led the rest of my soldiers into retreating here, the Munoz
Pass. Fortunately, the terrain is steep, so we had the chance to block off the enemies' attack. We have
stayed here since then. Their fighting abilities were inconceivable. With just only half of their men, they
were able to take out about fifty thousand of mine. It was plainly unbelievable. Furthermore, their
Commander in Chief was a different type of beast. With just one move, he was able to injure me badly!"
Boyd said through gritted teeth as he recalled what they suffered for the last few days.
"What? One move?" Rocky's eyebrows furrowed immediately when he heard what Boyd said. Boyd
might not have the greatest personality but his strength was not something to be underestimated. If he
was saying that he was defeated with just a single move, then the strength of the enemy would be
extremely troublesome.
Even the three women beside Rocky exchanged looks with each other. They instantly knew that a
tough battle was waiting ahead of them. This enemies' Commander in Chief must be totally confident in
his strength to even ask Rocky himself to fight him. While they pondered on this information, they
couldn't help but grow worried.
"So, how many soldiers are still left in the Black Dragon Group?" Rocky suddenly asked.
"Putting the wounded aside, a little more than twenty thousand are left," Boyd quickly replied.
"We're at a disadvantage in number too, huh? This isn't good. We're in a tight spot right now." Isis's
eyes narrowed as her face showed an anxious expression. Judging from their current situation, it was
obvious that the Black Dragon Group was in a passive situation and couldn't move freely. Compared to
the other three groups that were led by the Three Great Generals, the Black Dragon Group's combat
power was subpar. Since this mysterious enemy troop was able to inflict such heavy losses, it could be
safe to assume that their strength could even match the groups led by the Three Great Generals. And
now that they outnumbered the Black Dragon Group, there seemed to be no chance of victory at all.
"Over fifty thousand of your men were brought down with just half of their force? You must have
underestimated them, General Boyd. Am I right?" Sabina didn't sugarcoat her words and blurted out
the obvious shortcomings of their leader.
Boyd couldn't look straight into Sabina's eyes, knowing that she was right. During their first encounter
with the enemies, he didn't take them seriously. This was his fatal mistake that brought forth heavy
losses to both the soldiers and the towns. When they finally retreated into the Munoz Pass, he was so
humiliated to admit that this mysterious army was so strong that he didn't know how else to deal with
them.
"What about the distribution of the other side? Do you have adequate information about it?" Rocky
didn't dwell on Boyd's mistakes and just asked about the enemies' situation. This made Boyd somehow
relieved. After all, there was not much left to say. He already knew the weight caused by his blunders.
Then, he immediately ordered his men to get the topographic map and briefly explained the current
military distribution of the enemy troop.
The Munoz Pass was located in a valley with cliffs on its back. Thus, if the enemies wanted to break
into their base, they could only do so by attacking from the front side of the pass. Moreover, the valley
was basically barricaded by huge rocks, which formed a natural barrier. They were kind of lucky that
they couldn't be easily infiltrated by their opponents.
However, this kind of natural barrier was like a double-edged sword. There was only a single way for
the entrance and exit. This was true for both the Black Dragon Group and the mysterious army. The
enemy only needed to guard the entrance of the pass and prevent Boyd and his men from escaping.
The food and provisions inside the Munoz Pass should only sustain them for a few days. If those ran
out, the enemy wouldn't even need to break inside to defeat them. Therefore, time and resources were
also their enemies. If they wanted to overturn the situation, they needed to hurry up.
"How many days can the provisions and fodders in the pass support all of us?" Rocky asked for the
crucial detail.
"A little less than ten days," Boyd answered hesitantly.
"It means that we have to somehow make them retreat within ten days. Otherwise, we will be forced to
abandon the Munoz Pass. And that's exactly what they want. They would wait out there and bring us
down as we sneak out," Rocky said with a straight face.
"So, are we considering on letting go of our defense and focus on attacking?" Isis asked while also
suggesting.
"Judging from their position, they obviously want us to take the initiative to fight. If we take the other
path, we'll only starve ourselves to death," Sabina added.
"You're right. Since they want to fight us, that's what we'll give them," Rocky declared in a stern voice.
As the commanders, including Boyd, heard this, they immediately looked at him with disbelief in their
eyes.
"What are you talking about? Fight them? I think that's equal to suicide! With our current force, we can't
fight them head-on. If we really have to fight them, we need to wait until the reinforcements come!"
Boyd protested hysterical. He felt that Rocky was disregarding the lives of his soldiers, so he wouldn't
let him do as he pleased.
"I came here under the direct order of His Majesty. I have been tasked to get your group out of the
trouble you made. If you won't allow me to do my job, then I don't have any reason to stay further."
Rocky made himself clear that he didn't want to waste any time. Upon saying this, he turned around
and prepared to leave.
The three girls didn't utter any word and also followed him.
Taken aback at Rocky's sudden change of heart, Boyd had to give in. Right now, it was clear as day
that Rocky was their only lifeline. It was either they entrusted their lives to him or waited in despair
before they died inside the pass. Without any hesitation, he shouted eagerly, "Please don't leave, Your
Royal Highness. Please forgive my rudeness. I shall do whatever I can to cooperate!"
Upon hearing this, Rocky immediately stopped walking and turned around. His gaze swept across the
people present and said, "Well said. From now on, I will be in full charge of the Black Dragon Group.
Anyone who disobeys my order shall be punished according to the military law!"
As soon as Rocky finished his declaration, his oppressive aura made Boyd and the other commanders
tremble on their knees. That was the moment they realized that Prince Crimson was not all for show.
Even they, who had experienced countless battles before, were overwhelmed by Rocky's mere
presence.
From that moment, Rocky took over the Black Dragon Group and started a desperate counterattack
against their mysterious opponents.
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