Xander looked at Ray’s triumphant appearance on the city tower. He slightly curled his lips and commanded, “Withdraw.”

“What?” The adjutant beside him thought he had misheard and stared at Xander with wide eyes, his tone full of disbelief. “Your Highness, our army’s morale is high. If we persist for a moment, we might be able to break through the city gate. Why withdraw the troops at this time?”

The surrounding soldiers also cast puzzled glances. They gripped their weapons tightly, their armor still stained with blood, and the fighting spirit in their eyes had not yet faded. They were clearly at an advantage, so why retreat?

Xander did not explain, but repeated the order. His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty. “Withdraw.”

Having received the order, despite their bewilderment, the soldiers could only obey. The horn sounded again, but this time it was no longer a signal to charge, but an order to retreat. A large number of soldiers retreated in an orderly manner, their pace was fast, but they were not flustered. But everyone’s face was full of confusion.

The Ramberg army on the city tower was stunned at first, and then burst into deafening cheers. “The King is mighty! The King is mighty!” They waved the weapons and flags in their hands, looking elated, as if they had really won a great victory. Some Ramberg soldiers were so carried away that they lay on the crenels and jeered at the retreating Grand Luminary Empire army.

“If you dare to come again, next time we will make sure you never return!”

“Get out of here, look at the appearance of this homeless dog, hahaha…” Obscene words accompanied by arrogant laughter echoed on the city tower.

“We won! We won!” The cheers resounded throughout Ramberg, and even the hungry and cold people on the streets were alarmed by the battle and poked their heads out to look around.

Ray was filled with the joy of victory, looking proud and elated.

Chapter 452

Everyone says Xander was a brilliant strategist; even Athena praised him highly. However, he only used a little trick to force him back dozens of miles.

“The Grand Luminary Empire’s God of War, Prince Regent who has never lost a battle, is nothing more than this.” Ray turned and walked down the city tower, shouting to the soldiers in the city, “In today’s battle, the soldiers have worked hard and made great contributions. Add three taels of meat and half a catty of wine to each person, and celebrate well.”

The Ramberg army jumped up happily upon hearing this. “Long live the King!” Their fear was gone. They were confident. At this time, Ray was like a deity in their eyes. He thought he had overestimated Xander’s army.

In the camps of the Grand Luminary Empire, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe. In the battle during the day, they were clearly braver, but it ended in retreat, and the soldiers were all dejected.

A young soldier punched the wooden stake next to him hard and said indignantly, “Why retreat? We are clearly better fighters than them. If it weren’t for the prince’s order, we would have stormed into the city by now!”

The old soldier next to him sighed and patted him on the shoulder, “Soldiers must obey orders. The prince must have his reasons. But losing to the Ramberg army is really frustrating.”

“I killed five people today. I thought I could take the city in one fell swoop, but I didn’t expect the prince to retreat.” The soldiers all had sullen faces and were talking about it. They had followed Xander in battles from the south to the north, and had never been so embarrassed. This retreat not only cost them many soldiers, but also made them feel an unprecedented humiliation.

The candlelight in the camp was flickering slightly in the night wind. Xander sat at his desk, contemplating the sand table. Michael took off his blood-stained cloak and threw it on the desk. He looked up at Xander, his brows furrowed in confusion, “Your Highness, we clearly had the upper hand in today’s siege, so why did we deliberately lose to Ray?”

Xander placed a flag on the sand table and glanced at Michael upon hearing this. His face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, as if someone owed him money.

Chapter 452

His eyes drooped slightly, he picked up a cloth to wipe his hands, and slowly opened his mouth, “General Osborne, what do you think of Ray?”

“Cautious and suspicious, but more ruthless than anything else,” Michael replied without thinking. Remembering the bloodthirsty look of Ray on the city tower today, his brows furrowed even tighter. “But what does this have to do with deliberately withdrawing troops?”

“You’re only half right.” Xander walked to the sand table. His finger pointed to the wooden model representing Ramberg. “Ray is cautious, but this caution will only show when he has an absolute advantage. Once he tastes the sweetness, the pride and arrogance in his bones will be exposed.”

Bending over, he fiddled with the fine sand in the sandbox, outlining the route of today’s battle. “Look, when our left wing feigned an attack today, he immediately divided his troops to defend, which shows his caution. But when we were defeated and retreated, did you notice the movement on the city tower?”

Michael was stunned and recalled carefully. He saw the defending soldiers cheering on the city tower, and even Ray let go of the hand that was tightly holding the sword hilt, with a hint of smugness on his face.

“That’s it.” Xander straightened up, his eyes as sharp as a knife. “He originally thought that he could sit back and relax with the terrain of Ramberg. We deliberately showed weakness today, letting him mistakenly think that our army’s combat power is only like this, and even a small city tower can’t be captured.”

He picked up a bamboo stick and inserted it on the edge of the sandbox. “In the past few days, we have sent a small team to call out under the city every day, pretending to be exasperated, to lure him out of the city to meet the battle.

“In a few days, he will think that our army is nothing more than this, and he will definitely open the city gate and come to kill himself.

“At that time, we can set up an ambush and lead him into the encirclement!” Michael suddenly realized, a flash of understanding flashed in his eyes. “Your Highness, you want to make them arrogant.”

“That’s right.” Xander nodded, his tone steady, “Ramberg defense is solid, and hard attacks will cause too many casualties. It is better to let him take the initiative to walk out of this barrier and fight our army in the open area. As long as we can defeat his main force, Ramberg will be defeated without attack.”

The candlelight crackled, illuminating Michael’s eyes with a bright glow. He caressed the long saber at his waist, feeling a surge of excitement. “Understood, I will cooperate with you these days to play this scene well!”

Xander chuckled. “Ray is very cunning; acting alone is not enough, it must be real.”

Chapter 452

“Don’t the soldiers all feel aggrieved? Then let them amplify the grievance in their hearts.” He tapped the table lightly with his hand. “It is best to have disputes, so that Ray can see that our army has become a mess.”

The smile in Michael’s eyes continued to widen. “Understood.” At this time, he looked at Xander with admiration. It was said that Xander was a magical military strategist. Now he understood why.

This battle that day greatly boosted the morale of the Ramberg army. Ray stood on the city tower, holding a binocular to look at the Grand Luminary Empire’s army camp. All of Xander’s soldiers looked dispirited and listless. Conflicts even broke out in some places.

He smiled softly, put down his binoculars, and said with excitement to the aide next to him, “Your Majesty, why don’t we launch a surprise attack on the Grand Luminary Empire’s army?”

“Not so fast. Xander is cunning. This might be a trap he set.” After Ray finished speaking, he leisurely descended the city tower.