“Madrid seems to have fallen…”
Klaus kept his voice extremely low, speaking almost right against Morin’s ear, for fear that the others nearby might overhear.
Morin felt a shiver run through him and immediately sat up straight.
“Is this news reliable? Where did you hear it?”
Morin pressed, desperately hoping it was just an unconfirmed rumor.
“It came out from the battalion headquarters. A lot of people know about it now, and everyone is discussing it privately.”
The tension on Klaus’s face didn’t lessen at all:
“The officers haven’t said anything, but judging by their expressions, it’s probably true.”
Morin fell silent.
He knew that in times like this, bad news always traveled faster than good news, and it was often accurate.
In Morin’s memory, Madrid was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon and the most important city for the National Army faction.
Previously, Madrid was defended by the most elite main forces of the National Army and the International Brigade—though ‘elite’ was relative to their own standards.
But if even the capital was lost now, the Saxon forces sent to assist would be in a precarious position.
This was a deadly serious problem.
Morin glanced at the soldiers around him. Having just woken up, most were still immersed in the brief tranquility of surviving the battle.
They sat in small groups, either cleaning their weapons or staring blankly at the bonfire, waiting for breakfast.
They were unaware that a much bigger storm might be brewing.
“You go back first. Keep an eye on the 3rd Company soldiers. If anyone asks, tell them everything is a rumor until a formal order is received, and they are forbidden to discuss it privately again. Violators will be dealt with according to military law.”
Morin made a quick decision; he had to stabilize his own men first.
“Yes, Platoon Leader!” Klaus snapped to attention, then quickly turned and left.
After Klaus left, Morin sat alone, opening the system map. However, the map display range was still limited to the area around Seville; other provinces of the Kingdom of Aragon, including the distant Madrid region, were covered in a fog of war.
A moment later, Morin decided to visit the battalion headquarters to gauge the mood.
Whether the news was true or false, he had to find out.
The battalion’s temporary command post was set up in a relatively intact civilian residence. Guards stood watch at the door, and the atmosphere was noticeably tenser than in the common soldiers’ rest area.
Morin did not rush in but instead paced back and forth nearby, glancing inside occasionally.
In the past few days, he had become known to others and used his social skills to build good relations with other officers.
So now, Morin hoped to run into one or two familiar officers to see if he could subtly gather any information.
After circling a few times, a familiar figure walked out of the command post: Major Thomas, the Battalion Commander.
His arm was still in a sling, and the wound on his head hadn’t fully healed, but his eyes were even more weary and solemn than they had been on the battlefield.
The commander of the 1st Battalion seemed to want some fresh air and immediately spotted the furtive Morin upon stepping outside.
“Second Lieutenant Morin!”
Major Thomas called out and beckoned him over.
“Sir!” Morin’s heart tightened. He quickly jogged over and stood at attention.
“What are you sneaking around here for?”
Major Thomas scrutinized him. His tone was somewhat stern, but his eyes held little reproach.
“If I hadn’t recognized you, I would have ordered the guards to seize you just now.”
Morin scratched his head awkwardly, forcing an embarrassed smile.
“Reporting, sir, I just wanted to get an update on the latest situation.”
He decided to cut to the chase and asked cautiously: “Sir, I heard some… rumors about Madrid. I was wondering if they are true?”
Hearing Morin’s question, the grimness on Major Thomas’s face deepened.
He didn’t answer directly but remained silent for a moment. Then, he raised his head, looking seriously into Morin’s eyes, and gently nodded.
A mere nod, but it instantly made Morin’s heart sink.
“The situation is not optimistic,” Major Thomas’s voice was very low. “It’s very possible that it’s not just the fall of Madrid.”
He then patted Morin heavily on the shoulder: “Go back. Do what you need to do. Remember, no matter what happens, we are soldiers of the Saxon Empire. Just follow the orders of your superiors.”
“Yes, sir!” Morin saluted, then quickly turned to leave.
The moment he turned, a series of system prompts rang out in his mind.
【Aragon Kingdom Battle Intelligence Updated】 【Battle of Madrid Concluded. National Army and International Brigade Main Forces Defeated】 【Kingdom Army Follow-up Operation Plan Analysis Completed】
After separating from Major Thomas and returning to the 3rd Company’s area, Morin urgently found a secluded corner and immediately opened the system interface.
The 【Intelligence】 tab now had a blinding red dot, and the 【Map】 interface had undergone a tremendous change.
Previously, only Seville and its surrounding areas were visible on the 【Map】 interface, without the fog of war.
Now, the map of the entire Kingdom of Aragon was largely illuminated.
In addition to the situation near Seville, Morin could now clearly see the battle situation near Madrid, the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon.
On the map, the large city icon representing the capital, Madrid, was completely covered in the red color representing the enemy.
The sparse blue friendly unit markers around Madrid were retreating away from the city, and most were labeled with tags such as ‘Routed’ and ‘Heavy Casualties.’
Switching to the 【Intelligence】 tab, Morin saw clear battle report summaries, roughly detailing the course of the tragic defeat.
The Kingdom Army and the Britannian Expeditionary Force, having amassed overwhelmingly superior forces, launched a general assault on Madrid, led by the High-Level Mage Corps and Armored Knights.
Under the command of Lieutenant General Prittwitz, who was temporarily in charge, the Saxon Expeditionary Force retreated its defense line to preserve strength.
However, whether due to a failure in coordination or the National Army and International Brigade having no intention to withdraw, only the latter two forces were left defending Madrid.
Although the National Army and International Brigade bravely resisted in the capital city, they ultimately collapsed across the entire front in the face of absolute disparity in strength.
What made Morin’s heart pound most were the attack arrows derived from the system’s analysis on the map.
After capturing the capital, Madrid, the Kingdom Army and Britannians showed no signs of stopping.
Their main forces split into two prongs, advancing directly toward two other provinces near Madrid: Cuenca and Valencia.
If these two locations were also captured, the entire Saxon Expeditionary Force deep within the Kingdom of Aragon would become an isolated army, completely trapped in this foreign land!
At that point, let alone achieving any strategic objectives, whether they could return alive would become a huge question mark.
“This is a huge problem now…”
Morin closed the system interface and looked up at the gloomy sky, his heart cold.
The only thing he could do now was to pray that the friendly forces who had retreated early from Madrid could hold the line and withstand the enemy’s offensive, preventing them from being completely encircled.
However, war never bends to an individual’s will.
Two days later, new news spread among the Seville defenders.
Cuenca had fallen.
Valencia had fallen.
The land supply line connecting to the Saxon Empire was completely severed.