"This is the last gate. Once the second line cannot hold, retreat in an orderly fashion to here, preparing for the final close-quarters combat."
"There is no retreat here," his tone was resolute.
"Middle Branch Road," Gulen looked at Gollon, "Give me fifty men, plus… Siye, give me five Paladins. And those five Proto-Dragons, too, are under my command."
Siye immediately retorted: "Gulen! Paladins are the pillars of the defense line! Moving them will put pressure on the Main Valley Road…"
"The Middle Branch Road must not be lost!" Gulen interrupted her, stating unequivocally, "Once it's breached, we will be outflanked, and the entire Gray Tooth Valley will be attacked from front and back!"
"Don't worry, five Paladins and five Proto-Dragons will form a special mobile unit, going wherever the front line is tense."
"West Branch Road," after reassuring Siye, Gulen looked at Agri and Beno, "Agri, bring your artisans, and Beno, use all your tools!"
"Make that stone forest on the West Branch Road look like a large army's ambush camp!"
"Fake tents, fake bonfires, and jars that can emit smoke periodically, the more the better! Make a grand show of force!"
"Make the Frost Howl scouts' scalps tingle when they see it, unsure how many troops are hidden inside!
"The purpose is to make them split their forces to keep an eye on it, not daring to act rashly!"
"If things become unmanageable, deal with it like the East Branch Road, and paralyze the West Branch Road as well."
Beno smiled sinisterly: "Don't worry, boss. I'll make sure they're suspicious and dare not easily venture into the West Branch Road."
With the deployment complete, a brief silence fell over the tent, broken only by the crackling of the brazier.
A heavy pressure, like a tangible weight, rested on everyone's shoulders.
Gulen's gaze slowly swept over their weary faces, finally settling on the flickering flames.
His voice deepened, carrying a nearly ruthless calm: "We have done what we can. We used the terrain to wound their sharpest claws."
"But the foundation of the Frost Howl remains. They have far more people than us, their High Priest has not truly made a move yet, and behind them lies an even larger war machine."
He paused, and the tent was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
"Next, they will charge at us like a wounded Mammoth, in the most cumbersome yet irresistible way."
"The Main Valley Road will become a meat grinder. Every inch of our land must be bought with their blood."
"Siye, the strength of the priests and Paladins is a limited shield. How long it can hold, I do not know."
He looked up, his eyes filled with deep weariness, yet burning with an unyielding flame.
"If that situation occurs—if we run out of arrows, bleed dry, and the enemy's battle standard still advances…"
Gulen's voice echoed in the tent, carrying a decisive resolve in the face of the storm.
"…Then we can only take it one step at a time."
Several hours later, on the other side of Gray Tooth Valley.
A massive tent was quickly erected within half an hour.
Its enormous size was unlike any equipment that should be carried during a military campaign.
The fawning adjutant was pacing back and forth anxiously at the tent entrance.
It wasn't that he didn't want to go in, but that he couldn't.
Two priests stood at the entrance, under Hamur's orders, prohibiting anyone from entering the tent.
Finally, about an hour after Hamur entered, he emerged with a serious expression.
His adjutant immediately walked over. "High Priest… everyone is eager to know when we will resume the attack."
Hamur calmly looked at him, then silently shifted his gaze away. "Pass it down. I have received Matos's divine oracle."
"Begin the attack on Gray Tooth Valley's Main Valley Road immediately!"
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