Chapter 19

Beauty Trap

Colonel Clayton was quietly chuckling to himself.

For Ning Luo, however, there wasn’t a moment to catch his breath. He had to immediately resolve the personnel assignments from the Military Dispatch Division. After establishing the heads of several departments, Ning Luo delegated his authority and headed straight for the front lines.

Power was a strange thing—like sand: the tighter you gripped it, the faster it slipped away.

Now—

Ning Luo was to become the granter of power.

And people like Colonel Clayton, in turn, would uphold Ning Luo’s authority.

Of course—

The prerequisite was winning this war.

The most difficult aspect of the Rotation System was that—

It allowed no failure.

This Rotation System wasn’t something that could be tested and rehearsed during peacetime. It was born amid the thirty-three-year-long war between the Empire of Albion and the Kingdom of Fontaine. It was conceived during the largest offensive in the Kingdom of Fontaine’s history, at a time when the defense lines could collapse at any moment. Ning Luo was tasked with implementing sweeping reforms across the entire Imperial Army under these conditions.

A single mistake in any area could trigger a domino collapse of all defensive lines.

Ning Luo had to proceed with extreme caution.

Inspecting the front line was a necessary part of the preparation.

This time, aside from Priscilla accompanying Ning Luo, there was also the captain of the Dragon Cavalry Regiment:

Major John Theodosius Pe Stewart.

Only twenty-five years old.

A symbol of imperial glory, captain of the Stewart Squadron within the Dragon Cavalry Regiment, nicknamed “Fire Dragon.” He was the dream of every young man and woman in the empire. The first—and so far, only—Dragon Cavalry officer in this war to complete one hundred combat missions. He was awarded the Imperial Red Dragon Medal of Honor. Whether he ranked as the empire’s top baturu was uncertain, but within the Western Front Army, he was definitely a top contender.

One could say he was among the most renowned young men in the empire.

However—

Major Stewart’s fame was eclipsed in just a single day. By a young captain, not even twenty years old—now likely a lieutenant—who had been exceptionally promoted to Deputy Director of the Military Dispatch Division, which in practice meant the Director. And while holding the position of Director of the Military Dispatch Division, he killed Colonel Bart from the Military Discipline Office.

This made Ning Luo instantly the most talked-about figure on the entire front line. It wouldn’t be long before his name spread throughout the empire.

When Stewart was assigned to accompany Ning Luo on his inspection of the front line—

He had already made up his mind to see what kind of person this Director of the Military Dispatch Division really was—what sort of ability qualified him for that post.

However—

Do you know what really breaks someone when they meet a younger man, one whose influence surpasses their own?

It’s not that the younger man insults you or looks down on you—

It’s that he doesn’t even see you.

When Major Stewart first met Ning Luo, it went just like this: Priscilla was carrying a case in her hand, and Ning Luo, eyes never leaving the documents in his grasp, didn’t even look up at Major Stewart. He simply gave a command:

“We're going.”

……

That—was the difference between Major Stewart and Ning Luo.

Major Stewart compared himself to the youth of the Empire. He was the most outstanding among the younger generation.

But Ning Luo? He wasn’t even in the same category of comparison.

They weren’t even on the same level of existence.

Those qualified to converse with Ning Luo were people like Colonel Cavaillé, Colonel Clayton—figures of that rank. The ones who sat at the table with Ning Luo in serious discussion were generals like General Allenby and General Asfled. While the empire’s young men were still struggling to earn individual merit, Ning Luo had already leapt to another tier entirely.

Of course—

Ning Luo had no time to spare on such thoughts. He could barely handle his own workload; there wasn’t even a moment to breathe.

The reason for choosing Major Stewart was simple. To be precise, it was Stewart’s dragon that had been chosen—to better navigate the front lines with speed and flexibility.

At this moment—

Ning Luo had already arrived at the front-line command post of the Seventh Knight Order.

In name, it was called a "knight order", but in reality, it functioned on a divisional scale. An Imperial division typically comprised five to six thousand troops, while the Seventh Knight Order had over ten thousand. The division structure represented a unit capable of independent combat, administration, and defense.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Seventh Knight Order was General Sussex, who also held the title of Duke of Sussex—a name that alone signified immense standing within the Empire.

However—

That very status had become an obstacle for General Sussex.

In theory, the position of Chief of General Staff should have gone to General Sussex. But because of his close ties to the royal family—and for the sake of avoiding any appearance of bias—he was passed over. In peacetime, having General Sussex in that post would have posed no issue. But in the midst of a war of this scale, the Empire needed a Chief of General Staff who felt closer to the soldiers—someone like General Asfled, who had risen through the ranks from the ground up.

Everything had to give way to the needs of war.

And so, it fell upon General Sussex to take the high road and voluntarily relinquish the position of Chief of General Staff to General Asfled.

However—

When General Sussex learned that General Asfled had appointed Ning Luo as the head of the Military Dispatch Division, he was furious. While he believed that having a genius of Ning Luo’s caliber in the Empire was an honor, he couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if Ning Luo had been born a citizen of Fontaine.

Promoting Ning Luo to the rank of Major, assigning him to the General Staff as a strategic officer, or even awarding him the Silver Dragon Cross Medal—none of that would have been out of place.

That was honor Ning Luo had earned.

The Empire must not—could not—fail someone like him.

But—

To give full control of the Military Dispatch Division to Ning Luo? To hand over command of the entire army to someone not yet twenty?

General Sussex thought that either General Asfled had gone mad, or he himself had lost his mind—or perhaps, everyone had gone mad.

And even so—

General Sussex could not openly oppose General Asfled. Just as he had willingly stepped aside from the role of Chief of General Staff, he could not afford to clash with General Asfled in public.

All of this was for the Empire. For the war.

When General Sussex met Ning Luo inside his tent, he was genuinely caught off guard by how young the man was—and he was even accompanied by a beautiful female officer. If not for the rainwater soaked into his uniform, the deep-set eye sockets, and the bloodshot eyes, General Sussex might have erupted on the spot.

Ning Luo entered the tent without wasting a word, speaking with blunt directness:

“General, I need you to provide me with front-line data.”

“Which aspects?”

“The integrity of your defensive lines and high-risk zones. The intensity and frequency of enemy offensives. Troop fatigue levels. The effects of weather and terrain on your operations. And your needs and recommendations.”

General Sussex walked over to his desk and handed Ning Luo two files.

“These are the reports on our line status and records of enemy offensives over the past two months. I’ll have my staff write up the rest and deliver it to you.”

Ning Luo flipped through the documents.

“Good. Please submit the rest before tomorrow. If the general is available now, I would like you to accompany me on an inspection of the front line.”

Though phrased as a request, his tone made it unmistakably a command.

There was no room for General Sussex to refuse.

“I have other matters to attend to, Lieutenant!”

“Then I ask you to postpone them!”

General Sussex barely suppressed his fury. Not even General Asfled—or the Emperor himself—would dare speak to him in such a tone.

He took a deep breath. He told himself there was no point in stooping to Ning Luo’s level.

No matter how this played out, it would only reflect poorly on him.

“Very well!”

……

…

The Seventh Knight Order’s command post was situated very close to the front line.

Fully within range of enemy artillery fire, it was clear that General Sussex was indeed ruthless. On the battlefield, emotions ran rawer than anywhere else. So long as you loved your soldiers, your soldiers would love you in return.

As for the front-line situation—it was, quite simply, as dire as could be. Two straight months of brutal combat had turned the area into a living hell.

General Sussex knew the front line inside and out. As the commander of the Seventh Knight Order, he had to regularly visit the front to boost morale, to make sure the soldiers could keep going. He had to help them maintain even the faintest, most fragile sliver of hope in a war that seemed endless.

And for this very reason, General Sussex was quite dissatisfied with Ning Luo.

On the surface, it was simply that Ning Luo’s physical condition was utterly lacking. If Ning Luo were one of his men, he’d have him run three hundred laps around the military academy to build some real endurance.

However—

Ning Luo was now General Sussex’s superior.

The two walked side by side along the front line, a light rain falling from a grey sky. The air was choked with nauseating gunpowder and the stench of blood, making it difficult for anyone to breathe.

To the soldiers here, Ning Luo’s arrival was not good news.

“General, I must inform you of some bad news. The Seventh Knight Order’s logistical support is going to be cut.”

“I understand.”

This much, General Sussex had already anticipated.

The Military Dispatch Division was not an organization known for being lenient. Its primary duty was to ensure that all logistical support across the army was utilized with maximum efficiency.

General Sussex understood one thing with clarity—this reduction in logistical support was only the beginning. The Logistics Planning Bureau had already intervened and adjusted their allocations. What would follow, most likely, was a deeper restructuring—perhaps even a full-scale overhaul—of the Seventh Knight Order itself.

And just as General Sussex had predicted—

Ning Luo continued:

“I will be reallocating all Dragon Cavalry units currently under the Seventh Knight Order. They will be placed under centralized command by the Frontline Dispatch Division.”

“I understand.”

“I also need the Seventh Knight Order to undergo a sector reorganization. You will be joining the First Division and Third Division in forming a new defensive line. A Joint Command Center will be established.”

“And who will be the joint commander?”

General Sussex asked in return.

The formation of a joint command center was not welcome news to General Sussex. Nor would it be welcome to the commanders of the First and Third Divisions. It meant their authority would be hollowed out—or at the very least, divided. The idea of someone else commanding their troops was nothing short of intolerable.

Ning Luo did not answer the question directly.

“That decision will be made by General Asfled.”

“Anything else?”

“There is. I will be reassigning your Grenadier Regiment to General Davis.”

General Sussex stopped walking.

“Everything else I can accept—but that is out of the question, Lieutenant!”

If Ning Luo’s earlier requests were still within the bounds of consideration, this one had clearly crossed the line. It struck directly at General Sussex’s bottom line.

The Grenadier Regiment in question was none other than the Sussex Grenadiers—the elite core of the Seventh Knight Order. Now Ning Luo intended to pull that unit entirely from Sussex’s command and place it under General Davis. The implications were clear.

Even after being rebuffed, Ning Luo did not appear flustered.

He merely said:

“General Sussex, I’ve conducted an investigation on you.”

“If you mean to use that as leverage against me, then you’d best have enough evidence to drag me to a military tribunal!”

General Sussex was utterly unafraid.

“You are indeed worthy of respect. I found no blemishes in your record. You are, without question, a man who has given everything to his post.”

For someone who had served in high command for so many years, passing such scrutiny was exceedingly rare. In truth, even those with clean records often had something that could be construed as a stain. Many senior officers intentionally left minor issues on their record—it was often safer than appearing too spotless.

But General Sussex was an exception. His status afforded him the privilege of remaining untarnished.

However—

Ning Luo’s tone suddenly shifted.

“But.”

“You may be clean, but that doesn’t mean those around you are. Colonel Cuthbert, the commanding officer of the Grenadier Regiment, stands accused of gambling, favoritism, falsifying casualty reports, and harassment of subordinates. Any one of these charges alone would be enough to bring him before a military tribunal.”

For someone of General Sussex’s rank and standing—

Wealth and power had long ceased to hold meaning. He was a soldier through and through, and in terms of personal conduct, there was almost nothing that could be used against him.

But precisely because of that—

There were matters he was unable to deal with objectively. Like the situation with Colonel Cuthbert. Cuthbert’s father, General Cuthbert, had once fought side by side with General Sussex. He had died on the battlefield. As his only son, Colonel Cuthbert naturally received Sussex’s protection.

What’s more, Colonel Cuthbert was competent. The things he’d done had not directly affected the outcome of battles. And so, General Sussex had simply turned a blind eye.

However—

That had now become his fatal weakness.

General Sussex furrowed his brows. There was no way he would hand over the Grenadier Regiment to Ning Luo. In his eyes, Ning Luo was the very embodiment of a desk-bound bureaucrat, meddling in front-line military matters from the safety of his office.

He made his position clear:

“This is a matter for the Seventh Knight Order to resolve. If you’ve gathered evidence of Colonel Cuthbert’s misconduct, we will handle it. I’ll take full responsibility. But that does not give you the right to reassign my troops!”

“I believe you’ve misunderstood, General.”

Ning Luo’s bloodshot eyes locked onto General Sussex, his tone leaving no room for dispute.

“This is an order—not a negotiation.”

“You don’t have the authority to order me! I despise people like you most of all. You think my soldiers are just numbers or pieces on your chessboard? They’re living, breathing human beings! They’re warriors forged in fire and blood! You want to dismantle their unity, shake the very foundation of our defense line—do you really believe your damn theory is more reliable than our flesh and blood?!”

“I will say it one last time—this is an order from the Military Dispatch Division, General Sussex. Are you... refusing to obey?”

General Sussex stepped forward, looming over Ning Luo. His massive frame and the murderous aura honed from years on the battlefield gave him an overwhelming presence.

“My duty is to win this war—not to bow and scrape to some little clerk who’s never set foot on the front lines. If you want to reassign my troops—have General Asfled remove me from command himself!”

His meaning was crystal clear.

He would not obey Ning Luo’s orders. If Ning Luo wanted to take control of his forces, General Asfled would have to strip him of command first.

Ning Luo raised his head and met General Sussex’s gaze head-on.

Then spoke, slowly and clearly:

“If General Sussex is still defying orders in ten seconds—Stewart, burn him.”

……

Raindrops fell across their faces.

Even in the height of summer—July or August—the rain was cold enough to pierce to the bone.

The moment Ning Luo’s words fell—

All surrounding soldiers immediately raised their weapons. That included Major Stewart and Captain Priscilla, both of whom tightened their grips on their own arms.

Ning Luo and General Sussex stood face to face.

Neither yielded an inch.

Time ticked by, second after second.

Sweat had already begun to bead in the palm of Major Stewart’s hand. He was no longer in awe of Ning Luo’s audacity to give such an order—instead, he found himself admiring the woman beside him, Captain Priscilla. How had she dared to kill both a colonel and a lieutenant colonel in the past?

Because the person standing before them now—

Was a full Army General, an Imperial Grand Duke.

In the end, General Sussex yielded.

He had no choice.

Just as he had been denied the post of Chief of General Staff, he was a Grand Duke of the Empire. He had to think of the greater picture. He could not stoop to quarrel with a young officer. And above all, he could not allow an armed confrontation with the Military Dispatch Division to break out in public—because the ones who would be most pleased to see that happen were the Fontaine forces.

Requesting General Asfled to remove him from command had only ever been symbolic—General Sussex knew Asfled would never do such a thing.

But—

He was not dealing with General Asfled.

He was dealing with Ning Luo.

And when faced with Ning Luo’s absolute, uncompromising orders—

General Sussex slowly took a step back. He placed his right hand over his chest and lowered his head to Ning Luo.

With the general’s bow, the surrounding soldiers also lowered their weapons. As his personal guard, they understood exactly why General Sussex made that decision. And precisely because they understood, they felt bitter and helpless.

In the face of this war, everything else was insignificant.

Ning Luo stepped beside General Sussex, back held straight, hands clasped behind him.

“General, perhaps you believe I’m trampling your dignity. But as the price for forcing you to bow—”

Ning Luo turned to face everyone present.

“I will lead you to victory in this war.”

……

The other side of power—was responsibility.

Ning Luo held the authority to issue mobilization orders across the entire Imperial Army. But that also meant he bore responsibility for every single soldier in the Empire.

Madness and strength.

That was Major Stewart’s impression of Ning Luo. Madness—for proposing such a radical system. Strength—for suppressing General Sussex with sheer, overwhelming personal will. Stewart couldn’t possibly compare Ning Luo to his peers. In a moment like this, Stewart instinctively gave way.

All he could say was—

This man really was a bit cool.