Chapter 557 - 27: Military Book

Chapter 557: Chapter 27: Military Book

Grantham was finally dead.

For some reason, despite so many people having died, Robson saw a look of relief on Marquis Oscillate’s face.

Watching Marshal Grantham bleed like a fountain, everyone fell silent.

After a long while, Marquis Oscillate sighed.

"This was staged by heretics.

I have received definitive news that Marshal Grantham died in Barol City," Oscillate said.

He said this to preserve Marshal Grantham’s posthumous reputation.

After all, he had given so much for the kingdom.

"What about Prince Noah? Is His Highness the Prince alright?"

Oscillate turned his head to look at his household servant.

But in truth, his tone held little hope.

Just moments ago, a sky full of Energy Balls had surged toward the Prince. Under such circumstances, even a legendary-tier expert would have been utterly obliterated. How could the Prince possibly still be alive? It would be a miracle if his body was even intact.

Although everyone thought this way, they still had to ask about the specific situation.

It was a good thing Lumian Knight Commander wasn’t here, or he would have gone completely insane.

Robson and the household servant went forward together.

Relying on his legendary-tier senses, Robson pulled two people from the pile of bodies.

It was Prince Noah and Princess Yifulei. The Princess had been shielded underneath the Prince, and their hands were still clasped tightly together.

A faint fluorescent light emanated from their bodies.

"Hm?"

Suspicious, Robson placed his hand in front of Prince Noah’s nose.

His breath was as faint as a thread, his face was blasted beyond recognition by the Magic Crystal Cannons, and his body was covered in blood, but Prince Noah was, indeed, still alive.

It must have been the effect of that fluorescent light.

’What kind of Divine Artifact could withstand so many Magic Crystal Cannons?’

Robson was stunned.

"The Prince is alive!"

"His Highness the Prince is still alive," Robson exclaimed.

"What!"

This time, even the ever-composed Marquis Oscillate had unconcealed joy in his eyes.

’He’s alive. As long as he’s alive, that’s all that matters.’

As long as Prince Noah was alive, there was hope for everything.

"Quick! Quickly summon the Military Priests!" Marquis Oscillate ordered.

...

Surrounded by a crowd, Prince Noah was carried away.

Robson didn’t follow. He had other things to do, so he turned back to find Valentino.

"Are you alright?"

The actual battle hadn’t lasted long, but to the Countess, it had felt like an eternity.

"Don’t worry. I am the great General Robson. Who wouldn’t shrink from my might?"

Robson teased, stroking Valentino’s golden hair.

Seeing him like this, Valentino knew that Robson was truly fine. She finally relaxed, but her expression turned a little lonely.

"How did you get promoted so quickly? Now when you go off to do things, all I can do is watch," Valentino murmured.

"What are you thinking about?"

Robson ruffled the young woman’s hair roughly.

Normally, Valentino liked to maintain a certain poise; she preferred to play the part of a dignified Countess. Only when she was emotionally stirred could Robson act so wantonly. ’How could I not take the chance to enjoy it?’

"It’s not like I’m on the battlefield every day.

Didn’t you all handle that incident at the logistics camp quite well?" Robson said with a smile.

Hearing this, the Countess pouted.

...

With such a major incident befalling the army, they certainly couldn’t continue their advance.

Marquis Oscillate immediately dispatched Griffin Knights to scout the locations of the Magic Crystal Cannons.

Robson and Valentino also found a place to rest.

「That night」

After the Countess was asleep, Robson got up and went outside. He gazed at the moon, his mind replaying Grantham’s words.

At the same time, he took off the ring on his hand.

He still didn’t know what was inside it.

He sent his Divine Sense probing inside.

The Space Ring was large, but the items stored within were few.

There was only a single chest.

Inside the chest was a book, a suit of armor, and... the Marshal’s Seal?

Robson couldn’t believe it. Marshal Grantham had actually entrusted this to him.

’Does he want me to save the Merit Faction?’ Robson wondered.

The Merit Faction’s reverence for the Marshal was absolute.

Although the Marshal was now dead, his death had been attributed to heretics, so the Merit Faction likely wouldn’t hold any resentment toward him. Moreover, there were still many of the Marshal’s followers within Frank’s military.

These people were now leaderless. If Robson went to them with this seal, they would most likely submit to him.

Besides, Robson already had a reputation as Grantham’s successor.

But...

Robson thought for a long time before finally putting the seal back in the ring.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that the Merit Faction was about to face a purge.

The enraged Louis III would never let them off the hook.

Trying to save the Merit Faction now would be next to impossible.

’I’ll see if an opportunity presents itself...’ Robson thought.

If possible, Robson didn’t want to give up this chance. He, Lord Robson, was in dire need of manpower. His so-called Northern Heartland Faction was, in reality, quite small.

If these men were to join his forces, the Northern Heartland Faction could develop at a tremendous pace.

Setting the seal aside, Robson was actually more interested in the book. A book placed together with the Marshal’s Seal couldn’t be anything ordinary.

The book had no cover and no title.

Robson opened it. It was filled with writing, which he recognized as the Marshal’s handwriting.

"This is..."

The first page of the book read as follows:

"I often wonder, is war in this world truly just a game for geniuses?

The answer is no. War needs the steady and competent. I have observed all kingdoms, all nations’ military systems, and I have found that, aside from Frank which has a certain foundation of such men..."

Robson’s eyes widened.

This was a guide to warfare compiled by the Marshal.

The very first page stated the Marshal’s purpose in writing this book.

The gist of it was the need to cultivate mid-level and low-level officers. An army wasn’t a war game for the top brass; it was a life-and-death struggle for millions. Therefore, the truly important part of an army wasn’t the generals bickering in conference rooms, but the officers fighting and dying on the front lines.

At the end, it even mentioned Robson’s name.

"I never knew how to reform the system before, but now I see a clear path forward. General Robson’s Non-commissioned Officer system, and his merit-based promotion system—I have studied them in depth. They are systems practically born for war. Unfortunately, I am out of time..."

’A genius!’

Even someone like Robson couldn’t help but admire Marshal Grantham’s heaven-sent talent.

To be honest, reading the Marshal’s praise made Robson feel a little embarrassed.

He had been able to come up with these ideas because he once lived in an age of information explosion.

But for Marshal Grantham to have conceived of them could only be attributed to his terrifying talent and incredible foresight.

Robson took some time to finish the book, meticulously studying the masterpiece.

The book was divided into three volumes: lower, middle, and upper. The lower volume was for Non-commissioned Officers commanding units of fewer than a hundred men. The middle volume was for true Officers. These first two volumes were the most extensive, taking up four-fifths of the entire work. The upper volume, naturally, was for the high command—the generals and marshals leading the armies.

This knowledge might have existed in the world in scattered pieces, but there was absolutely no one who had consolidated it all like Marshal Grantham!

Robson didn’t know if the Marshal had held anything back, but in any case, he read with great relish. It felt fresh and new with every read, and he was ecstatic.

To Robson, the significance of this book was immense.

Robson even felt that the benefits of taking over the entire Merit Faction couldn’t possibly compare to this one book.

The aide-de-camp manual Robson had previously put together was, at best, a collection of simple fables.

But this book was a true general education textbook—the world’s very first military general education textbook! It was a masterpiece for the ages, capable of advancing civilization itself!

A general studies textbook written by the world’s most brilliant and authoritative expert, with content that covered the entire career of an officer.

It was no exaggeration to say that with this book, Robson could open a military academy right now.

"Hm?"

As he turned to the last page of the book, a sheet of paper fluttered out. Robson caught it.

It was a list of names.