Chapter 4: How did he get even stronger?

“How do you know all this?”

Faced with Hank’s wary gaze, Nolan remained calm. He knew this was the most dangerous threshold before trust could be built—and also the strongest foundation. One wrong word, and everything would collapse. He had anticipated this question.

“Captain Hank, you know I’ve been investigating my father’s past. Before joining the Southern Legion, he served for several years as a quartermaster in Rosenberg.” Nolan put on a reflective expression. “Only after his death, when I sorted through his belongings, did I come across some old warehouse records. For example, fire oil was always stored separately from dry linen in the south and north corners, because the southern wall corner tended to seep slightly during the rainy season. In his notes, he often complained that inventory was never updated—it was practically a standing habit.”

He inwardly muttered, That warehouse in Rosenberg was probably so dusty you could plaster walls with it. Luckily it was, or this lie wouldn’t hold together today.

That seemingly trivial detail shattered the last line of defense in Hank’s mind.

That’s right—the seepage in the southern corner was something only he and the quartermaster knew. Sometimes, what a man in a high position, burdened with immense pressure, needs is not a flawless truth, but a reason he can accept—something within the bounds of his understanding. And Nolan had given him exactly that.

Far better than claiming to be some reborn prophet—he’d be locked up as a madman for that. The suspicion and shock in Hank’s eyes slowly faded.

He was about to continue issuing orders when Nolan spoke again, dropping another bombshell, “Captain Hank, I’m not finished with my proposal.”

Nolan lifted his gaze from the map, sweeping it across the three men present.

“We’re going to fight. And not by cowering behind the walls, waiting to be battered.” He extended a finger and drew a firm circle on the open ground south of Rosenberg’s gate. “We go out—and fight them in open battle!”

“Are you insane?! You’ve completely lost your mind!” Klose finally snapped, pointing at Nolan and shouting, “Captain! This man is mad! He has no grasp of military fundamentals at all! Abandon the city walls to fight in the open? You’re trying to get all of us killed!” He turned desperately to Hank, his tone almost pleading. “If you follow his plan, you’ll doom Rosenberg—and all of us!”

Even Little Donnie, who had been curious and impressed by Nolan, stood there with his mouth open, unable to speak. Marching out to meet the enemy? How was that any different from suicide?

Hank ignored Klose’s outburst. His eyes remained locked on Nolan. “I need a reason. A reason strong enough to convince me to stake the lives of 280 men—and this entire city—on your plan.”

Nolan did not flinch. “The reason is simple. I understand these undead better than anyone here.” His confidence was absolute. “The force attacking us is a detachment under the lich lord ‘Gangrene,’ one of the border lords of the Shiva Empire. Their strength is roughly a third of his total army. Their tactics are as rigid as the dead—which they are. Light infantry advances the line, while the mage corps provides decisive firepower. Fifteen minutes—that’s their fixed coordination cycle. Then they gather souls, replenish fodder, and bombard with spells. There’s nothing innovative about it.”

Nolan tapped the symbol of the towering city wall on the map.

“Their defining trait is an unusually high proportion of mages. If we think the terrain gives us an advantage, then in the eyes of those corpse mages, we’re nothing more than rows of stationary targets! The walls may block the tide of skeletons, but they also strip us of the depth needed to evade long-range attacks! The skeleton soldiers are just fodder. Their real killing power lies in mass spell bombardment. Once the defenses on the wall are exhausted, the city’s fall is only a matter of time, especially since we have no mage corps of our own. As for the Guard’s ranged capabilities ... you know better than I do. We lack any effective means of countering them at range. Taking the field is our only chance to survive! My proposal is this—” Nolan’s voice rose sharply, “assign up to twenty men into four five-man teams to operate heavy crossbows, maintaining long-range suppression on the corpse mage corps! Of the remaining 260, allocate thirty as mobile cavalry for covert maneuvering. The final 230 will march out to engage! Form loose formations to draw frontal fire, but do not stray too far—maintain a distance within 500 yards of the south gate, forming crossfire support with the heavy crossbows on the walls!”

Nolan wasn’t making this up. Because this very tactic was something Hank himself would pioneer in the future. He was simply offering a flower borrowed from tomorrow to the present.

Three listeners—three completely different reactions.

Little Donnie’s eyes burned with excitement. The boldness of the plan and his desire for vengeance made him want to cheer out loud.

Hank frowned deeply, his broad hand unconsciously clenching and unclenching on the table as he ran through every possibility of this unorthodox strategy in his mind.

As for Klose, his face showed nothing but naked disdain. “Utter nonsense!” He cut in rudely before Nolan even finished. “Have you even read anything? The Kingdom Infantry Manual clearly states: when at a numerical disadvantage, one must hold the city and await reinforcements! That is iron law!”

Nolan didn’t even bother to look at him. “Seems our Deputy Captain Klose slept through his theory lessons. The manual also says defenders should be equipped with longbow units and stockpile arrows at least ten times the enemy’s numbers. Tell me—does Rosenberg meet those conditions? As for waiting for reinforcements—even if the Southern Legion stationed in Veli City decides to come, it would take at least ten days to assemble and march. Can we hold that long? And one more thing...” Nolan turned, his gaze piercing straight into Klose’s eyes. “Here’s a line for you—free of charge Those who learn the manual live. Those who copy it blindly die.”