479: Chapter 460 A Single Barrage

Eastern Lake.

A moonlit night, the starlight dim, the wilderness lonely; a breeze rustled the trees, and the shadows on the ground swayed along with them.

A jeep drove through the woods, heading toward the station of the five newly formed legions of Lake.

In the back seat, the Ninth and Tenth Legion Commanders sat side by side, discussing the recent performance of the five legions.

The driver was the Ninth Legion Commander's adjutant, and the young man in the passenger seat was the Tenth Legion Commander's adjutant. Both were trusted confidants of their respective commanders, so there was no need for secrecy, and the two commanders did not lower their voices as they spoke.

"I heard many of these Soldiers come from cities in the Resistance Army's active zones. I suspect—no, there are definitely Resistance Army spies among them."

"Heh, they're all in one legion anyway. No need to worry about them mixing into Lake's First-Tier Legions."

"That is true, but..."

"A few days ago, Lord Domit reminded us that Kingdom is in contact with those Kingdoms. Our borders might come under attack. Do you think they'll defect to the enemy?" The Tenth Legion Commander gazed out the window at the rapidly receding green trees, his tone flat.

The Ninth Legion Commander smiled. "If the enemy is willing to absorb them, that would be wonderful."

A veteran of many battles, he understood well that a legion's combat effectiveness did not simply increase with more troops. If they indiscriminately recruited Soldiers who lacked training and couldn't instinctively follow orders, it would instead drag down the entire legion's actual combat capability.

The Ninth Legion Commander had realized this truth through practice.

During a small-scale skirmish in the wild, while serving as a grassroots officer, he had led three thousand Soldiers to hide on a hilltop, intending to ambush a thousand Allied forces passing by the foot of the slope shortly after.

They outnumbered the enemy three to one, the Allied Soldiers were all ordinary people, his side had better weapons, held the high ground, and possessed the advantage of surprise. Even thinking with his toes, he couldn't imagine any possibility of defeat.

The outcome did indeed match his expectations—he successfully wiped out all the enemies—however, the process was far from smooth, filled with twists and turns.

First, a Soldier, overly nervous during his first time on the battlefield, accidentally pulled the trigger. The gunshot exposed their ambush, and he was forced to order fire before the Allied forces had even reached the ambush point.

Although the accident caused him to lose the initiative, fortunately, the Allied forces also seemed to be recruits. Upon being attacked, some Soldiers fled in panic back the way they came. Only about a thousand or so Soldiers huddled around their officers managed to mount a meager counterattack under their commander's organization.

The Ninth Legion Commander breathed a sigh of relief, ordering his Soldiers to suppress them with firepower, intending to wait until the Allied Soldiers were depleted before heading down the slope to clear the battlefield.

Unexpectedly, another change occurred.

Lake's intelligence was incorrect; among these Allied Soldiers, there were over a dozen Junior Knights disguised as ordinary people.

They lay low in the crowd, using their keen hearing to search for the source of orders. They quickly found the Ninth Legion Commander's position and then suddenly erupted, charging toward him like lightning.

A Junior Knight's physique was stronger than an ordinary person's, but not yet to the point of tanking continuous bullet fire with their bare flesh. As long as the Lake recruits focused their fire, they could gun them down before they reached the hilltop.

Most unfortunately, the terror of Professionals still firmly occupied the hearts of the Lake recruits. When the Junior Knights tanked a few bullets and their running pace only faltered slightly before recovering, the recruits' sanity collapsed instantly. They threw down their firearms and scattered in flight.

Chaos spread instantly. The Allied officers at the foot of the slope seized the opportunity, urging their Soldiers to charge up. The entire defensive line was on the verge of being lost.

In the end, it was the Ninth Legion Commander who took the initiative to crawl out from the reverse slope to face the enemy. Standing at the hilltop, he raised his gun, his face contorted as he poured bullets into the Junior Knights. Inspired, the Lake recruits steadied their minds one after another, picked up their rifles, and returned to their positions, finally turning the tide.

It was also through his outstanding performance in this skirmish that he entered Domit's field of vision. Afterward, he repeatedly performed miraculous feats, rising all the way to Ninth Legion Commander.

The Tenth Legion Commander, knowing this past story of his, smiled and said, "I guess among the legions of those Kingdoms, there probably aren't any officers as brave as you."

"I'd rather they did have some," the Ninth Legion Commander said as the jeep braked to a stop by the woods and he pushed the door open to get out. "The Soldiers I lead now are not recruits who fear Professionals.

They look forward immensely to pulling the trigger, enjoying the sight of bullets tearing through the bodies of 'Lord Professionals' and admiring the blood spraying across the sky."

Lake currently possessed ten First-Tier Legions. Aside from the mysterious First Army, the Tenth had interacted with the commanders of the other nine.

Under the guidance of Zhang Mu's philosophy of building an army based on China's principles, most Legion Commanders upheld the rule that war must be subject to certain constraints: do not harm innocent civilians, do not indulge in the sadistic killing of prisoners of war, avoid unnecessary conflict as much as possible, and strictly forbid starting wars for the sake of slaughter.

However, differences in individual leadership styles meant there would inevitably be a few exceptions—the Ninth Legion Commander.

Of course, he didn't dare to openly violate military law by shooting prisoners of war, but if one wanted to find a loophole, it could always be found.

Prisoners can't be shot, but a prisoner who escapes shouldn't be counted as a prisoner anymore, right?

Conflict should be avoided as much as possible, but if the enemy attacks me, there's no problem with me fighting back, right?

Many of Lake's First-Tier Legion Commanders knew that the Ninth Legion's tents for holding prisoners never had guards, and within the camp, there was a route leading to the main gate where no patrol squads could be seen.

This information would always happen to reach the prisoners' ears through the idle chatter of a few Soldiers. However, the Soldiers would never mention that in the open space directly facing the camp's main gate, ten machine guns were lined up—the kind with ammunition belts already installed.

In addition, the First-Tier Legion Commanders had heard that while on the march, the Ninth Legion was fond of arranging the grain transport convoys on the outermost edge of the formation.

The escorting Soldiers looked as if they had just lost some battle; they were empty-handed without weapons, their heads hung low, their uniforms were full of holes, and their boots were caked with dried mud—with only one boot on at that. They sighed from time to time, as if worrying about the punishment for their defeat.

To be honest, any enemy seeing this remnant of a defeated army would find it hard to restrain the urge to plunder.

Yet when they followed their hearts, brandishing spears and charging over with howls, they would discover that the eyes the Soldiers raised did not flicker with the panic of being attacked, but with the excitement of seeing treasure and the cruelty hidden beneath it.

The Soldiers would reach out and lift the hemp cloth covering the front of the carts, revealing piles of firearms. On several trucks, the hemp cloth would be pushed up, revealing several gatlings.

The Tenth Legion Commander got out of the car, walked a few steps to catch up with him, and asked curiously, "Lord Domit must have heard about those things you do. Aren't you worried?"

"Worried about what?" The two walked into the woods, the Ninth Legion Commander's lips curling slightly.

"Well... punishment or something."

"You don't understand."

"Then explain."

The Ninth Legion Commander paused for a few seconds before continuing forward. "The military rules established by the Marshal do indeed say not to excessively pursue slaughter, but there's a following sentence: if you must kill, kill cleanly, leaving no hidden dangers behind.

Do you know why Lord Domit appointed me to lead the task of purging the Resistance Army in the Eastern Territory?"

"I always thought it was because Lord Domit valued your ability."

"No, it's because I dare to kill, and the Ninth Legion dares to kill."

The Tenth Legion Commander thought about the past six months of extermination work and nodded. "That's true. I've never seen the Ninth Legion bring back any prisoners."

The Ninth Legion Commander shook his head. "I don't enjoy slaughter. It's just... some things, someone has to do them, and I happen to be the right fit."

"We aren't afraid of killing the enemy," the Tenth specifically used the plural pronoun, implying something.

"It's different." The two were about to cross through the woods. The Ninth's gaze pierced through the trees, spotting the camp on the prairie outside the forest. "Sometimes, I must kill some... people who have nothing to do with the war, people you wouldn't have the heart to shoot.

Because Lake needs a legion that makes the enemy's legs tremble just by hearing its name. This can save a lot of effort, making some matters progress faster and more conveniently."

"Lord Domit's intention?"

"This purging mission can be considered Lord Domit's experiment."

"How so?"

"I was responsible for the Southern District of the Eastern Territory, and you handled the Northern District. In half a year, not even a single Resistance Army Soldier can be seen on my side, yet on your side, the Resistance Army is like rats in a sewer—they just can't be wiped out."

This sounded like a subtle jab at his ability, but the Tenth understood that the Ninth was referring to the different strategies the two of them implemented.

The Ninth Legion Commander left no survivors among the Resistance Army he encountered, investigated their identities and origins, and held their families collectively responsible. The Tenth Legion Commander only targeted the Resistance Army itself, and prisoners were held in cities, waiting for the execution orders from the Royal Capital to arrive before being dealt with.

The Tenth Legion Commander remained silent, wondering in his heart if he was truly wrong.

"Don't blindly question yourself." Seeing his heavy expression, the Ninth guessed what he was wavering about. "Although Lake crushed the Allied forces, the situation hasn't improved at all. The crisis still exists; in fact, because of the territorial expansion, we now border Kingdoms stronger than the Allied forces, and the threats we face are even more serious.

In this situation, Lake can only make choices. A little less mercy, and certain methods must be used.

When Lake is safe and attention turns to internal stability, that will be the time for you to showcase your skills."

"And you? What will you do then?" The Tenth Legion Commander looked at him with a curious gaze.

"Me?

If I'm not liquidated in retaliation, I'll probably retire."

"Hahaha, with us around, who would liquidate you? Besides, Lord Domit wouldn't be willing to let you retire."

The Ninth Legion Commander stepped out of the woods, gazing at the brightly lit camp in the distance.

Who would liquidate me?

He didn't know where the people seeking revenge against him were either. He had killed too many people; perhaps one day in the future, a recruit drafted into the Ninth Legion would be an enemy whose father he had killed.

This enemy might not be just one person; they might be highly capable, repeatedly performing military feats and rising to the rank of Legion Commander. When the number of such people accumulated to far exceed the Legion Commanders close to him, the day of his liquidation would likely arrive.

"What are you dazing off for?" The Tenth Legion Commander came up from behind him, following his gaze toward the camp. "You said a major battle is approaching and we need to inspect the movements of the new legions in advance and boost the Soldiers' morale. Why aren't you going over now that we're at the edge of the camp?"

"It's nothing, just thought of some personal matters." The Ninth Legion Commander snapped out of it and pointed at the camp, saying, "And we don't need to go over."

"Then how will we inspect? How will we motivate?"

"Inspection and motivation don't necessarily rely on the eyes."

The Tenth Legion Commander was stunned for a moment, and in an instant, he seemed to think of something. His face changed drastically, and he opened his mouth to stop him.

Before he could speak, the Ninth Legion Commander brought his mouth close to the walkie-talkie worn on his right shoulder. "Order the artillery battalion to fire. One volley of salvos. Target: the Eleventh Legion camp."