Chapter 20

The Earth and the Song of Dragons

Following the incident where Ning Luo made General Sussex bow his head—

Ning Luo's reputation at the frontlines took a sharp turn toward two extremes. One faction believed Ning Luo had done the right thing. For instance, General Finlayson felt that, amid the most grueling war the Empire had ever faced, Ning Luo’s approach was both efficient and mature. Age, he argued, should not cloud anyone's judgment of Ning Luo.

Another faction, however, thought Ning Luo was simply insane. General Gosling, for example, believed that Ning Luo saw all soldiers as mere numbers and symbols. In his eyes, Ning Luo didn’t regard them as living, breathing individuals—just a different breed of parasite, no better than those who embezzled funds.

But—

Criticism was one thing, and protest was another.

If General Gosling and his peers were told to confront Ning Luo face-to-face, to openly criticize Ning Luo’s Rotation System proposal, they would hesitate. General Gosling would only emphasize that he merely disapproved of Second Lieutenant Ning Luo’s style of command. But as a soldier, he would still carry out all superior orders without condition.

Ning Luo had no time to waste on bickering between officers. Otherwise, he would have already resorted to violence in less than ten seconds.

Once Ning Luo finished inspecting the entire frontline—

The Military Dispatch Division’s rear logistics work also had to be completed in full. Colonel Clayton of the Frontline Dispatch Division had absolutely no time to rest.

He was responsible for executing the core strategy and operations of the rotation plan. The first task was compiling the list of units due for rotation, coordinating the reserve forces stationed along the defensive line to ensure that the front remained stable during the transition. Then came route planning: creating a detailed timetable for withdrawing the rotating units and deploying the replacements, charting their marching routes, ensuring no gaps in the defensive line, and implementing flexible contingency plans.

The Logistics Support Division, restructured from the former Logistics Planning Bureau, fell under the leadership of Colonel Hawkins, who could consider himself lucky—Ning Luo no longer had time to micromanage logistics. Hawkins was directly promoted to Head of the Logistics Support Division.

In addition to handling the previously established supply lines, Colonel Hawkins also needed to incorporate the rotating units into the logistical routes.

Then came the Tactics and Coordination Division and the Troop Health and Recovery Division.

The Tactics and Coordination Division required only the sharpest generals at the front. Its duties involved handling all unforeseen circumstances, evaluating the strengths and weak points of the defensive line, communicating with frontline commanders, and preparing all backup measures in advance.

The final choice for Tactical Coordination Officer was General Asfled. Serving concurrently as Chief of General Staff and Tactical Coordination Officer posed no theoretical issue. General Asfled ensured that orders from this position would be enforced—while also avoiding being entirely sidelined by Ning Luo.

The Troop Health and Recovery Division was comparatively less demanding.

It was only responsible for inspecting soldiers rotated off the front lines, categorizing them according to their condition—fit to return to combat, requiring short-term recovery, or in need of long-term treatment. However, the sheer number of wounded overwhelmed the system. The entire logistics and medical infrastructure was pushed to its limits.

By the end of July—

At the Brittany Fortress—

Second Lieutenant Ning Luo, Director of the Military Dispatch Division, and General Asfled, Chief of General Staff of the Army, stood atop the fortress, overlooking the battlefield.

The entire defensive line had been reduced to rubble under heavy bombardment. In the sky drifted barrage balloons, along with patrolling Dragon Cavalry.

The technological development of this era had reached a twisted state.

Transportation and communication methods were extremely underdeveloped.

But the industry of slaughter was, without a doubt, highly advanced.

Even the dragons of this era—evaluating their value wasn’t about firepower or strength, but about speed and stamina. To adapt to a more efficient war, dragons designated for bombing missions carried large quantities of explosives specifically designed for them by the military’s armories.

Traditional fire-breathing dragons had long been phased out.

Modern warfare no longer needed such an inefficient method as breathing fire. What was required instead was preserving the dragon’s stamina to carry out more flight missions.

The barrage balloons drifting in the sky were specifically designed to counter dragons. They were made using large quantities of levitation magic and gas, connected in the air by steel cables. In this era, they were considered a high-cost anti-air weapon.

But they were strikingly effective against dragons. These dragons, which flew at low altitudes, had difficulty seeing the steel cables in the air. A direct collision could be fatal.

Compared to dragons—whose production and upkeep costs were terrifyingly high—the relatively expensive barrage balloons were, naturally, considered quite cost-effective.

Ning Luo stood at the top of the fortress, occasionally lowering his gaze to check the pocket watch in his hand.

In an era plagued by poor communication, timekeeping accuracy was vital in warfare. Nearly every officer had to be equipped with a reliable pocket watch.

General Asfled was already accustomed to this. He looked into the distance, a nostalgic look surfacing in his eyes without him even realizing it.

"My family was once a destitute sub-baron. Nothing left but the title. We were poor to the point of tragedy. But I always felt I was lucky, because right when I became a soldier, the Empire went to war with the Kingdom of Fontaine. I believed my chance had come. I swore I'd bring glory to the House of Asfled. I wanted to become a hero of the Empire."

"You already have."

Ning Luo responded in kind.

The title of sub-baron was considered insignificant—so minor it didn’t even count as nobility. It ranked below a baron and above a knight, though it was often regarded as little more than an elevated knighthood.

Aside from being hereditary, it held no real privileges.

General Asfled, without question, had succeeded.

At just over fifty years old, he had already been promoted to Army General of the Empire and appointed as Chief of General Staff.

Since the start of the war, General Asfled had never once left the battlefield. He had risen from the very bottom, step by step, to the highest ranks of the military. This was also why General Sussex could never become Chief of General Staff—when laid out side by side, no one would choose Sussex over Asfled.

But General Asfled had already passed the age of youthful ambition.

"None of that matters to me anymore. If I could, I’d wish that war had never broken out in the first place."

"I understand what you mean."

General Asfled chuckled.

He didn’t truly believe someone of Ning Luo’s age could understand his feelings, but he was still glad to talk with Ning Luo—at least before the next wave of war arrived.

"At your age, you must have someone you care about?"

"I do."

General Asfled cast a brief glance at Priscilla. He had taken her to be Ning Luo’s lover.

"You love her deeply?"

"I came to the Brittany Fortress for her. I wanted to show everyone that the one she loves will protect her."

"Young people are so romantic!"

General Asfled couldn’t help but sigh.

Empire.

War.

Love.

When these words came together, how could they not be called romantic?

At last, General Asfled found in Ning Luo the kind of youthful vitality that young people ought to have. Smiling, he replied to Ning Luo,

"You might not believe this, but if you don’t count my mother, I’ve never loved a single woman in my life. Right now, my greatest wish is simply to have someone to love."

"It’s not too late."

"It’s already a bit late."

In truth, General Asfled wasn’t looking for a lover.

What he wanted—was a home.

This war had dragged on too long. So long that it had consumed everything he had. He had no family, no relatives, no friends—every single one of his comrades had died in battle. Not a single one remained.

When he looked back, all he could see was war.

Even if he were to leave the battlefield, General Asfled wouldn’t know where else to go.

He took a deep breath.

Then looked up at the dim sky.

"Alright, it should be time. Second Lieutenant Ning Luo, please give the order."

As the Director of the Military Dispatch Division, the proposer and executor of the Rotation System, it naturally fell to Ning Luo to give the final command.

Even without checking the time—

General Asfled was perfectly in sync with the pocket watch. In this war, the time left for them to have a conversation like this was already running out.

When Ning Luo closed the watch in his hand—

The tides of the era engulfed them all.

"Commence the operation!"

…

"Yes, sir!"

General Asfled placed his right hand over his chest and bowed his head to Ning Luo in a knight’s salute.

Then—

He turned and left.

He was going to face his war.

What came next would be up to him—as Chief of General Staff, as Tactical Coordination Officer. This was one of the longest battles in his life.

As General Asfled descended the stairs, Ning Luo’s voice called out behind him.

"It’s still not too late."

Ning Luo repeated himself.

"I will lead you all to end this war!"

General Asfled gave no reply.

He simply walked away.

……

The Rotation System would now go into effect.

The first units to rotate were three regiments from the frontline, including the most elite—General Sussex’s Grenadier Regiment.

With the execution of the Rotation System—

Woooo—woooo—woooo—

A shrill alarm blared across the entire Brittany Fortress.

Artillery fire lit up the sky. Massive dragons circled above, letting out screeches that tore through the air.

The Kingdom of Fontaine’s offensive—

Had begun.

A war that had lasted thirty-three years had left both sides’ espionage and intelligence networks riddled like sieves. A large-scale ground operation like the Rotation System was impossible to conceal. The Kingdom of Fontaine naturally saw the moment of unit rotation as the line’s weakest point. They would try everything in their power to tear open the Brittany defense.

Victory or defeat—would be decided here and now.

“One general’s success built on ten thousand bones”—this saying had never been more true. The countless bloodshed at Brittany would pave the way forward for Ning Luo.

Yet, once the battle began, there was little left for Ning Luo to do. He didn’t need to carry out the tactics personally—those had been left in General Asfled’s hands.

Ning Luo slumped against the wall and sat down.

He was utterly exhausted.

Not even the roaring artillery or the howls of the dragons above could keep his eyes open any longer.

"Priscilla… sing a song…"

"You think my job is to kill for you and entertain you…?"

In the end—

When she saw how Ning Luo looked, Priscilla couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

She knelt beside him, gazing out toward the majestic, war-lit horizon.

Her slender fingers rested against her chest as she began to sing—softly, steadily.

—

In deep mountains, ancient dreams lie hidden,

Cloud and mist curl 'round your fading figure,

Wings spread wide, the wind hums low—

Oh, dragon,

Take me and fly.

The river murmurs of songs long forgotten,

No one remembers your name anymore,

Mountains, rivers, and the dust of men—

Oh, dragon,

Take me away—