"We suffered heavy losses, Your Majesty... we are defeated. Chen Raul, he is here..." - Marshal Borkin's handwritten letter to Emperor Inslray after his defeat.

When I reached the vanguard position, the battle had already ended. About three thousand men chose to surrender, and as per my orders, the soldiers who threw down their guns were allowed to live. However, the magicians, whether they surrendered or not, were to die.

It's not that I lacked compassion, but if a soldier throws down his gun, it means he has disarmed himself. But how does a magician "disarm"? Even if we make them take off all their clothes, they can still cast some deadly magic.

Only Marshal Borkin and a few of his magic guards remained, fighting desperately. Despite being surrounded by orcs, Borkin's gaze still carried the same heroic spirit as when he was in the royal city. A regular defeated general would have long abandoned his troops and fled.

"Raul, they are using magic. We cannot defeat them."

"A barrier, perhaps?"

Urum and the other orcs shouted and yelled at Borkin, while a large bowl filled with blue radiance encompassed Borkin and the four magicians trapped inside. I saw a huge blanket on the ground with a magic array, which served as a medium for multiple magicians to cast the same kind of magic. For example, the barrier created by the four magicians now required the assistance of the magic array.

"Urum, bring over a cannon."

"Sure thing~"

I gestured to Borkin from behind the barrier, indicating that if he didn't come out, he would taste their own cannon.

Unfortunately, Borkin didn't understand. He thought I wanted to shoot him in the face, okay, I admit my actions were a bit vulgar...

Soon, Urum and another orc dragged the cannon over, and I didn't know if there was water in the barrel, so I began loading it presumptuously. But halfway through, I gave up because the rain hadn't stopped and there was water everywhere, causing the gunpowder to clump together, which might cause the barrel to explode.

"Forget it, let that big guy come over." I pointed at the only orc wielding a war hammer.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you use the hammer. Other orc brothers, come and smash too."

"Hehe, if only you had told me earlier, Raul. If I knew I could break it by smashing for a while, I wouldn't have troubled you."

"Keep that man, he's their leader."

With a cigarette between my lips, I enjoyed watching seven or eight orcs smashing the barrier with their hammers, making a vigorous sound reminiscent of a comedy skit by Huang Hong on TV.

Meanwhile, I observed Borkin from behind the barrier. I couldn't hear what he said since we were separated by the barrier, but he pulled out a pistol and shouted at the four guards who were casting magic. However, the magicians completely disregarded Borkin's command, as if they were not his guards at all. I started to understand a bit. The Magic Council and the military must be two separate systems. Even if the magicians were on the battlefield, they didn't have to obey the military commanders' orders. Those four magicians perhaps only received orders to protect Borkin's personal safety, while Borkin wanted them to counterattack with magic. The techniques of destroying the vampire palace and burning houses were obviously military strategies. The situation was becoming interesting~

In the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, the brilliance of the barrier faded, and Borkin sensed the impending danger.

Separated by the barrier, Marshal Borkin Osterlitz, commander of the First Legion of the Kingdom Inslay Royal Regular Army, and now the overall commander of the monster expedition vanguard, pointed his gun at me.

I spat and placed my hand on the gun holster. Yes, I felt confident that I could draw faster than him.

Finally, the magic barrier fulfilled its promise and shattered. The four magicians collapsed to the ground, having exhausted all their magic power. Borkin didn't shoot because Wolfrang and Urum stood on either side of me, and their presence seemed to have frozen his right index finger.

"Raul, it's too dangerous for you to go alone."

"It's fine, he wouldn't dare."

I patted Wolfrang and walked towards Borkin with my umbrella.

The leader of these 14,000 soldiers refused to believe the truth - the truth being that he was utterly defeated, and I only paid a negligible price to turn him into a powerless commander.

"Shoot, Marshal Borkin?"

"It's impossible!"

"Hey, the kingdom's most-wanted criminal is right in front of you, shoot~"

"My gun is waterlogged!"

"Pfft, don't make excuses, okay?"

I laughed and approached Marshal Borkin, so the umbrella could shield us from the rain. Then I took out my pistol and handed it to him. You said your gun got waterlogged, well mine didn't, and it works just fine.

"Here, use my gun."

"......"

"Come on, take it, remember how to use it?"

"......"

"I'm giving you a chance, when you aim, just pull the trigger, and my life will be in your hands~"

"......"

Pulling the hammer back, I held the umbrella with one hand and pressed the barrel against my own forehead with the other. Borkin's eyes flickered with fear. He finally accepted the truth - if this were Waterloo, then I would be the Duke of Wellington and he would be Napoleon.

"I'll count to three, just three, can you understand what I'm saying?"

Marshal Borkin didn't answer, no one knew what he was afraid of, and no one knew why I was so bold.

"Three... two... one..."

I snatched the gun back, and at the same time, I kicked his knee, catching Marshal Borkin off guard as he fell to the ground, clutching his knee.

"I gave you a chance, and you're useless! I gave you a chance... and you're fucking useless!"

Muttering in Chinese, I holstered the gun and squatted down, slapping the back of Marshal Borkin's head with my palm. It was like the loser in a street brawl receiving an education.

"Sigh... do you remember what I told you back in the kingdom? I tried to advise you, but you still wanted to oppose us. Borkin, I know what you want, and I can give you something better."

"What do I want?"

"You're not satisfied with the current kingdom, you want to truly become a marshal."

"I..."

"I don't need to say anymore, you know in your heart. When you go back this time, make sure you don't die. We will meet again, and not on the battlefield."

Marshal Borkin only understood half of what I said. He knew how intense the conflict between the magical faction and the technological faction had become, especially after this defeat. The status of an army that relied on high-tech weapons would plummet, including Marshal Borkin himself, who would be dismissed or even convicted. The slogan "Magic is the kingdom's savior" would soon become widespread, and the power of the Magic Council would reach its peak.

When this defeated army returns to the kingdom, I can finally reveal my long-planned trump card.

I handed over all the remaining money Leya had to the informant who had been delivering messages on behalf of Night Fall Town for the last time. It amounted to more than 170,000, to be distributed among the thugs and low-income residents of certain second-tier territories, to spread rumors. These rumors would exaggerate the strength and ferocity of monsters, creating an impression that ordinary civilians would be absolutely unable to fight against them, preventing the kingdom from mobilizing its citizens for war. The defeat in the Southern Plains Battle would be perfect evidence for these rumors.

"Raul, what should we do with the remaining humans?"

"Let them bury their comrades' bodies, then they can be set free."

"Is that okay?"

"We have killed enough people. Oh, by the way, the border guards cannot be released."

"Understood."

There were still over three thousand prisoners left. They toiled for over two hours, digging and burying the bodies of their fellow soldiers. Maybe my demands were too strict - one pit per person, no burying hundreds in one big pit. Many soldiers' bodies couldn't even be pieced together, and it was usually the orcs that caused such a situation.

After supervising the prisoners' completion of the task, we escorted less than a hundred apathetic border guards back to their position. We also brought back piles of firearms and cannons.

"You can deal with these soldiers as you wish. Remember to record the casualties. Now, I need to go find Sasha."

"Is it okay to kill them?"

"Of course."

I casually drew my gun and used the bullet that was supposed to be given to General Bo on one unlucky border guard.

When the border guards were ravaging Night Fall Town, they should have anticipated this day. The residents of Night Fall Town finally had the opportunity to vent their anger. I handed the umbrella back to Wolfrang, then retreated into the tent.

Sasha had wrapped herself up like a silkworm. The rain had lessened, but the bone-chilling cold had not.

"I'm back."

My wife tilted her neck, exposing half of her shoulder, leaving space for me to kiss.

An endless entanglement began as I fulfilled the promise I made when I left. Through the woolen blanket, her tail slipped out of my hand and then appeared on any part of my body.

Until the rain stopped, she lazily rested her head on my arm, using her fingers to write and draw on my chest.

"What are you writing?"

"Guess."

"I can't guess."

"I'm writing the number of times you've hit me inside my body."

"Are you unsatisfied?"

"No... I'm just grateful that we're both still alive."

Yeah, this was the only way we could confirm that we were still alive. But on second thought, it seemed like we had already died several times. Sasha's body didn't seem to go back to normal. When she stretched, each rib was clearly visible, and her appetite had decreased. Her arms used to be as thick as mine, but now they were thinner.

"Is the war over?"

"Well, it hasn't been three days yet. Husband, are you amazing?"

"I'm amazing, but you're the most amazing."

"Where will we live in the winter? Should we go home or stay at Wolfrang's?"

"Either is fine. As long as I have you, it won't be cold anywhere."

"Don't say that. Have you forgotten how we froze last winter?"

We put on the two coats we bought before and walked out of the tent, hand in hand. Together, we appeared side by side in front of everyone. Authority appeared in my demeanor for the first time, and both monsters and humans stopped to bow and pay homage to us as a couple. I had Leya bring the black flag, and each race signed their names with white paint. The orcs wrote "Mungli" in cursive font, the werewolves wrote Wolfrang's surname "Grisen," and the succubi unanimously requested to write "Leya." Simmon, representing the humans, wrote "Night Fall Town." Nephila couldn't write, so she drew a simple self-portrait. The thunderbird stamped a white paw print on the flag.

The vampire surprised everyone by writing a long string of cursive letters, and nobody knew what it meant.

Finally, I signed Chen Laowu and Sasha's names in Chinese on the flag, which can now serve as the joint forces' military flag.

Wolfrang insisted that I say a few words, so I had no choice but to use some empty phrases and then let everyone celebrate the victory.

Afterwards, I immediately and quietly gathered the leaders of all the factions and told them two pieces of news: the good news is that we will not be at war with the Kingdom until next spring, and the bad news is that once spring comes, the Kingdom will undoubtedly continue its attack.

As long as the emperor has a brain, it is impossible for him to gather troops, endure the harsh winter conditions, and traverse the entire southern plain to attack us again. The Magic Council will use the entire winter to study countermeasures, and next spring, we will face a true magic war. By then, the Kingdom will no longer be able to preserve its strength.

"Raul, what do you mean? What should we do?"

"Everyone should carry on with their lives. When I need you, I will find you."

"Is that okay?"

"Don't worry, I've been ahead of those humans for over two hundred years~ Let's drink!"

If you are willing to trust me, then I will spare no effort to bring you the victorious wine.