Chapter 3: Surprise Attack on the Field Hospital

Ning Luo understood why Isabella had arranged things this way for him.

If he had obediently gone to work at the court and waited to become a High Justice, it would have taken at least twenty years of seniority. Otherwise, appointing a High Justice in their twenties or thirties—even if the Emperor of the Empire wanted to—was not something that could be done so casually.

And among options that could match the social status of a High Justice, the military was naturally a good alternative.

Of course—

No one would take a general in their twenties or thirties seriously either. Unless the Emperor had gone mad, he would never award a military rank like Imperial General to a twenty-year-old youth.

But—

This was wartime.

As long as the cost was high enough, nothing was impossible.

Just like now—

One battle had claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Those tens of thousands could cause the Chief of General Staff and his entire staff to resign out of disgrace—or they could enable a new group of people, following the newly appointed General Asfled, to rise to power in one swift stroke.

What Isabella had given Ning Luo was a sufficiently high starting point.

………

…

There was still some distance from Brittany City to the front lines.

The route passed through Brittany City, then the Brittany Fortress, and finally the triple-layered Samart River defense line at the very front.

However, the Samart River defense line had now been breached. Most of the troops had fallen back to Brittany Fortress, forming a new defensive line centered around it.

The area between Brittany Fortress and Brittany City—

Was the supply route.

And also the site of the largest field hospital behind the Brittany defense line.

Even before reaching the field hospital, the wailing, the scent of blood, and the stench of decaying corpses could already be detected. The hospital was no longer capable of housing so many people.

Ning Luo and Priscilla rode on horseback to the entrance of the field hospital.

"Hello, I need to see your liaison officer."

"Please present your credentials, sir!"

The guard first saluted both Ning Luo and Priscilla, then added this firmly.

However, Ning Luo didn’t want anyone to see his forged identification—it had blank entries for both position and department.

"This is a military secret."

"Apologies, but without credentials, I can’t allow either of you inside."

"I don’t want to make things difficult for you, soldier. Have your liaison officer come out and see me."

"This..."

"He won’t hold it against you."

"Yes, sir!"

Ning Luo had his reasons for speaking so confidently.

At this point in time—

Everyone was living on edge.

From the top brass to the lowest-ranking officers, no one was exempt.

……

Within the military, there were many unpopular positions. For example, those involving defensive fortifications usually required the hardest work and offered little chance of promotion. There were also positions that were desirable yet not too desirable—such as frontline infantry officers. The risks were enormous, but the potential for promotion was equally vast.

Then there were certain highly coveted positions—like those in logistics or intelligence. These departments were known for being flush with resources and wielding significant power.

There were also posts with relatively low military rank but tremendous influence.

Such as the position of liaison officer held by Major Alvin.

It was called "liaison officer", and the rank was merely that of a major. But Major Alvin held a highly critical role: liaison between the front lines and the rear field hospitals. This position required effective communication and coordination across different units and command levels—and came with considerable authority over the deployment of soldiers.

For someone at the rank of major, that was already sufficient to communicate directly with colonels and even generals. Liaison officers at the colonel level were typically responsible for coordinating with joint force headquarters and multinational alliances.

However—

While Major Alvin was still in his office at the field hospital, he heard a subordinate report that a young captain was outside asking to see him.

Major Alvin frowned deeply.

He knew he wouldn't be able to avoid this after all.

……

When he arrived at the field hospital entrance—

Just as Major Alvin had expected, the officer was indeed very young. A handsome young captain, accompanied by a beautiful young female captain. From the way the female captain rode side-saddle, it was instantly clear she came from noble birth.

As soon as Major Alvin appeared, Ning Luo and Priscilla dismounted.

Priscilla was the first to approach Major Alvin.

"Major, allow me to introduce: this is Captain Ning Luo, Lord of the Realm."

A slight tingle crept up the back of Major Alvin’s neck.

He knew this day had just gotten complicated.

Generally speaking—

There were two kinds of people who held the title of "Lord of the Realm". The first was those whose positions came with the title—such as the High Justices of the Imperial Court. Those were automatically ennobled upon appointment. But judging from the captain’s age, it was impossible for him to hold such a high-ranking judicial office.

The other possibility was noble birth.

In the Empire of Albion, sons of dukes, marquises, and earls were granted the title “Lord of the Realm” from birth, and would acquire additional titles based on inheritance. Since the young captain before him had deliberately omitted his surname, the implication was self-evident.

Saying he was the son of the newly appointed Chief of General Staff, General Asfled, wouldn’t even be far-fetched.

But regardless of who he actually was—

It meant that today would be extremely difficult for Major Alvin.

"My lord, may I ask what business you have with me? I’m sorry, the situation here is terrible—I’m in no position to properly receive you."

"In the military, please address me by my rank, Major. I’m only here to ask a few questions related to military affairs."

"Here, right now?"

"If you don’t mind, here is fine. My time is limited, and I don’t want to waste yours either."

Major Alvin shook his head, but still asked,

"Are you representing the General Staff? You know, many classified matters must be reported directly to them."

Of course, Major Alvin didn’t want to answer the captain’s questions.

He wasn’t an idiot.

He’d faced this kind of situation more times than he could count.

They could turn nothing into something just by asking questions, and this kind of pampered noble brat always came with the intention of digging up trouble.

"Rest assured, Major. The information I’m asking for does not involve military secrets. If you feel it does, you may decline to answer."

"Very well, go ahead."

Major Alvin knew there was no escaping this now.

This was exactly the kind of situation where, no matter how you answered, they'd find a way to grade your performance—and if you handed in a blank sheet, you could expect serious trouble in return.

"Major, my first question is about efficiency. As a liaison officer, can you describe the order in which commands are transmitted during combat? How quickly can various units respond to changes on the battlefield? What are the delays or obstacles in these responses—if there are any? In your experience, have there been coordination issues between different departments during operations?"

………

An awkward silence followed.

"The second question is about communications. During battle, how many channels of communication does the Empire have, and how is their reliability ensured under combat conditions? Have there been any issues—such as communication breakdowns or signal loss—that affected operational efficiency? During the critical phase of this campaign, how did you maintain contact with the frontline command?"

……

Beads of sweat began to form on Major Alvin’s forehead.

"Alright, if you believe the previous questions touch on classified matters, then the third question will be from a retrospective angle: How would you assess the process that led to the failure of this campaign? As the situation evolved, how did you relay and adjust decisions during the battle? How did you adapt to unforeseen events or rapid changes on the battlefield? And, without compromising the overall strategic framework, how did you ensure tactical flexibility in coordination with the frontline troops?"

……

Major Alvin looked like smoke was about to come out of his head.

This was exactly why he loathed these military-academy-bred noble brats—the kind of questions that not even the Chief of General Staff himself could answer properly.

At most, a regular officer might have some rough estimates in mind. Who the hell had time to solve essay questions in the middle of a battlefield?

And yet—

There was absolutely nothing Major Alvin could do about it.

Ning Luo calmly closed the file in his hands.

"In that case, Major, I’ve finished my questions. Apologies for taking up your time. I’ll be on my way."

……

"Captain, wait—wait a moment!"

Startled, Major Alvin immediately reached out and grabbed Ning Luo.

In this post-defeat climate, if Ning Luo really submitted that kind of report, who else was going to be the scapegoat if not Major Alvin?

Ning Luo turned back.

"Is there something else, Major?"

"It’s already quite late. Traveling now would be dangerous. Why not stay and rest here for a while, Captain?"

"That won’t be necessary."

Ning Luo replied without hesitation.

"Even if you don’t mind, Captain, the lady accompanying you surely needs a place to rest. Besides, when it comes to the condition of the rear and this field hospital, Colonel Dominique, our hospital director, is far more knowledgeable than I am."

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