Chapter 898: A Hand To Play
At first glance, Ezra's plan may seem like nothing more than a reckless suggestion to launch attacks on all fronts; however, Izroth knew precisely what Ezra had in mind because his thoughts went down the same path.
"It is good to be confident but not arrogant, Captain. But, since our views are so limited in your eyes, please, do enlighten us." Palmer said with a gaze of discontent as he looked at Izroth.
From the moment he arrived, Palmer already did not have a good impression of Izroth.
In his eyes, and that of most of the Resource Management Division, the General Support Unit was seen as nothing but a financial furnace.
No, even a furnace had a purpose and could keep one warm. The General Support, however, was completely worthless!
Back when the war branches were first formed, the General Support Unit was created with the intended purpose of covering any potential weaknesses of the other war branches. However, over time, the power structure and influences of the other war branches far exceeded that of the General Support Unit.
It eventually reached a point where the General Support Unit became a group of errand runners. But, with the improvements made to communication magic and transportation magic over the years, the General Support Unit lost even that purpose.
If not for its current leader, who advocated for its continued existence, the General Support Unit would have ceased to exist.
That's why those from the other three war branches looked down on people from the General Support Unit. To them, they were simply leeches who did things at a leisurely pace and could not even accomplish a tenth of what their war branches could do.
"If you had remained silent, I would have been willing to overlook your presence. But, since you're willing to make a fool of yourself and the General Support Unit who went with you, I won't stop you." Palmer thought to himself.
This attack on the Night Lord's Crypt had many eyes on it from those higher-ups. Therefore, there was a lot of pressure to succeed. And needless to say, failure was not an option.
For those who underperformed here, their career would be virtually over with little to no chance of advancement in the future.
This was even more so for someone like Palmer, whose ultimate goal was to become a Head Executive of the Resource Management Division.
As long as Palmer could find a way for an already worthless General Support Unit to make a fool of themselves on such a grand stage, he would accomplish something the Resource Management Division had been attempting to do for ages. And that was finding a legitimate and undisputed reason to officially dissolve the General Support Unit!
"It is not my intention to step on any toes, but as long as Commander Ezra does not mind me stealing his spotlight..." Izroth said as he glanced over at Solomon.
The following moment, Solomon gave a small nod. However, this nod was not directed at Izroth but rather at the person standing behind him.
"Surely you jest, Captain Izroth. In the words of General Solomon, feel free to speak your mind. Besides, I must admit, I am curious to see if our thoughts truly align." Ezra said calmly.
"Then, since Commander Ezra has no issue with it, I am willing to open your eyes in his place," Izroth stated with a carefree smile.
He then continued, "It is true that splitting our current forces will result in poor results; however, that's only if we are talking about dividing them evenly."
When Izroth began to speak, the entire command tent fell silent. Right now, there were two types of individuals listening to his words. Those who were waiting for him to make a glaring mistake. And those who truly wanted to see just where he was headed with it.
"Commander Ezra spoke of making the first move simultaneously on all fronts; however, he never mentioned splitting our forces to a dangerous point to make it happen. In truth, we would only need to reorganize less than 10% of our troops, leaving more than 90% for the main assault on the Night Lord's Crypt." Izroth explained.
"You mean to say that you wish to confront Tempest, the League of the Eidolon, and the Pzenium mercenary warriors with only a thousand troops?" Duchess commented as she narrowed her eyes.
"Precisely," Izroth replied without hesitation.
"Ridiculous! Since when did the representative meeting become a place to make jokes?! Are you saying we should send a thousand people off to their deaths?!" Palmer exclaimed.
Izroth released a small sigh. From the very beginning, he could sense the disdain that came from Palmer. It was clear that for whatever reason, Palmer was not a fan of his presence at the representative meeting and was taking every opportunity to knock his words down.
However, Izroth meant what he said to Edgar before he entered the command tent. He had no intention of letting anyone look down on him or the General Support Unit.
"I have been patient, but... I will not tolerate those who put words in my mouth." Izroth said as his gaze turned cold.
The next moment, Palmer felt a suffocating pressure descend upon him as cold sweats ran down his back. The instant he met Izroth's gaze, it was like he had been abruptly tossed into a deep abyss into the jaws of a demonic beast!
Just as it was becoming unbearable to breathe, Solomon's voice sounded, "Enough."
Right when those words were spoken, the pressure was lifted from Palmer, who immediately gasped for air.
"Advisor Palmer, you should choose your words more carefully. Disagreeing is one thing, but insulting a man's honor and moral integrity is another." Solomon stated.
He then looked over at Izroth and continued, "And, you. I will overlook your actions this time since it was a direct insult to your honor; however, I will not tolerate any further acts of this nature. Do I make myself clear, Captain?"
"Understood, General. I will be sure to reflect on my actions." Izroth responded casually.
Just now, Izroth used his Soul Pressure on Palmer to make two things clear. One, he would not allow himself to be pushed around, and—he did not need the Resource Management Division and its resources.
The Resource Management Division was filled with overconfident people like Palmer, who thought that they could say whatever they wanted without consequence. However, the only reason people tolerated their arrogance was not because of their strength but due to their appetite for resources.
But, Izroth was different. He had the Mystical Realm Palace behind him and did not require any support whatsoever from the Resource Management Division.
As for the whole General Support Unit being affected by his actions, Izroth was not concerned. If that happened, he had a feeling that woman would not sit still. Plus, if it came down to it, he did not mind bearing some costs and supporting the General Support Unit. Though it would give Aurora another headache to deal with.
"Returning to the topic at hand—just how do you suggest we confront three separate forces with a thousand troops?" Duchess inquired.
"It's simple. As Commander Ezra mentioned, the greatest potential hidden threat is the emergence of another Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands. From my understanding, such a spell can typically only be performed by a small group of specially trained mages." Izroth explained.
He then continued, "Even if Tempest has another group of mages capable of performing the same task, they are not foolish enough to risk having them all in the same place at once. So, as long as we can eliminate the group of mages before they reach the main battlefield, it should be impossible for Tempest to open a second gateway."
"I see. Indeed, it is highly unlikely that such a powerful blood sacrifice spell can be used by just any mage. But, there is another issue. Such crucial pieces will undoubtedly be under heavy guard. Even if we send a separate contingent to confront them, it will be difficult to break through their defensive net." U'Talow noted.
"You're right. But what if we used a small strike force instead? An elite strike force that can deal a quick decisive blow and retreat before being completely surrounded. Once the mages are no more, Tempest will retreat to avoid losing a group of potential sacrifices. As for the League of the Eidolon, they specialize in assassinations and isolating targets. In order to counter that, we will have small groups of combat-oriented agents from the War Intelligence Group secretly shadow those with the rank of Commander or higher. After all, their main goal will be to disrupt the higher chains of command." Izroth stated.
As those present listened to his words, one could see the thoughts churning in their minds as they played out the scenario in their heads.
"This plan—it is not impossible to pull off..." U'Talow uttered under his breath.
"It certainly has its fair share of risk, but it is a sound strategy. Though what of the Pzenium warriors? They will never retreat from a battlefield." Duchess commented.
"It is actually the Pzenium warriors that are the most easily dealt with in this situation. If you have an enemy that cannot refuse a battle, then you just have to give them one on your own terms. They just need the right push. And, in order to give that push, we will build a golden bridge that they cannot refuse to retreat across." Izroth stated with a carefree smile.