But if we do not save them... Laine painfully held his head and gestured to everyone: "I need a moment of silence."

"Alright, Lord Laine." Everyone understood that the final decision rested with the Lady's Champion.

Surya looked at Laine worriedly, the beautiful face of the female knight was full of conflict, she seemed to want to go up and inquire what Laine intended to do, but was stopped by Julius: "Laine needs some quiet."

Under everyone's gaze, Laine began to ponder.

Like his father, the Emperor, the son became calmer the bigger the ordeal he faced, and there was another bloodline's power seemingly aiding Laine's thoughts. This power was not as supreme and holy as the Emperor's, but it was filled with wisdom and decisiveness, allowing Laine to instantaneously come up with multiple solutions and instinctively choose the best one.

His mind spun rapidly, Laine knew that any small mistake now would lead this army to ruin.

A few minutes later, Laine opened his eyes, his voice icy: "We will not support the Knightly Army anymore, we will continue our advance until Ten Thousand Demon Rock is destroyed!"

The tent became very quiet, everyone felt conflicted about the decision Laine made.

Unexpected, yet logical.

Laine first pointed his hand at Yulsen Castle on the large map: "Why not retreat and support, there are several reasons."

"Firstly, considering the ideal scenario of retreating to Yulsen, where we successfully support Yulsen and rescue the Knightly Army... let's assume eight thousand soldiers, then we meet up with the remaining approximately twelve thousand, resulting in a Knightly War conclusion where the left flank is decimated, the central forces heavily battered, and the remaining over ten thousand Knightly Army withdrawn from the forest to recuperate in their respective duchies."

"Over twenty thousand corpses will become a feast and offerings to the Beastmen, having achieved so much, these creatures will be generously rewarded by the God of Chaos, allowing them to breed recklessly... This year, knights might successfully retreat, preserving some strength, but the scale of next year's beast tide will be unprecedented..."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please remember, this is the most ideal outcome, we have not considered whether a forced march for three days could face an ambush, not considered the remaining combat strength of the Beastman Army, nor considered whether the Knightly Army can hold on for three days."

With Laine's words, everyone realized the seriousness of the matter, indeed, even in the ideal situation, if the Knightly Army was rescued, would this war be won?

No, it's a disastrous defeat.

"But we cannot ignore the pleas for support from friendly forces, it does not conform to knightly ethics." Marquis Connelly hesitantly stated, this marquis was not skilled in military tactics, more adept at management and politics, with gray-haired Connelly-Ascot recently recovering from injuries in last battles, today feeling better: "It's disobedience, knights must follow orders."

"We are not disobeying orders, the goal of the Knightly War is to destroy Ten Thousand Demon Rock, we are moving step by step towards this goal, conversely, if we retreat and support, then this war is truly lost!" Laine gritted his teeth and explained immediately.

Marquis Connelly no longer spoke, so Laine took the opportunity to continue: "We must destroy Ten Thousand Demon Rock! Only by destroying Ten Thousand Demon Rock will the Beastmen lose their core beliefs and totems, the furious God of Chaos will retaliate against these Chaos Creatures, even if they win over the Knightly Army, what difference does it make? With their core beliefs gone, their camp turned to ruins, it will take years for Beastmen to recover their strength, building a new Ten Thousand Demon Rock is extremely difficult, knights can use this opportunity to recuperate, achieving this strategy goal of the Knightly War."

"If we could destroy Ten Thousand Demon Rock, we would still accomplish this war's goal, and after so many sacrifices, we must win this war."

"And now is the perfect timing to destroy Ten Thousand Demon Rock," Laine pointed at their current camp location, deep within the forest: "Combining scout information and Marquis Angxi's intelligence, we can infer that the elite forces guarding Ten Thousand Demon Rock have been taken by the Screaming Great Shaman, and the rock could not have moved far, Beastmen must have hidden it nearby, now is an excellent opportunity to attack Ten Thousand Demon Rock."

"But, if so, we will abandon the Knightly Army of ten thousand, such a sacrifice just to destroy Ten Thousand Demon Rock, is it worth it?" Surya worriedly asked, the kind-hearted female knight did not comprehend this decision.

"Sacrificing over twenty thousand men and retreating, letting Beastmen win a grand epic victory, leaving endless troubles for the future, or sacrificing thirty thousand to earn a devastating victory that renders Beastmen's victory meaningless, Surya, what would you choose?" Laine countered, the Holy Grail Knight's eyes filled with calmness: "Sacrifice is the cornerstone of humanity standing on this land, knights have shed too much blood, we've paid too much, it's time for Beastmen to bear the cost."

Laine knew he might face consequences for his decision, but so what? He didn't care, Laine forcefully told himself he didn't care, for some things are more important, it's about the distant future, the nation's safety, and... he had a trump card up his sleeve.

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