Chapter 112: The Great Chaos Maneuver
Facing the doubts of the Grand Knight Commander, Jima was too lazy to argue, as she was speaking the truth, backed by the reputation of Saint Jenna.
The emperor raised a hand and pointed, “You sit down first.”
With bloodshot eyes, the Grand Knight Commander took a seat.
The emperor looked at an old man nearby, thin and leaning on a cane, with a crow perched on his bony shoulder.
“Your Majesty, what this charming—wild mage has said has also been mentioned in academic circles, and it is considered one of the mainstream hypotheses. However, there are more than ten similar hypotheses, and even I, who have read so many books, cannot be sure which is correct or if each has its own truths and errors.”
“Even scholars who specifically study the greenskins are merely blind men feeling an elephant. The records of the ‘Great Chaos Maneuver’ phenomenon in books are scarce; I’ve seen it mentioned only four or five times, and no one dares guarantee that the greenskins will necessarily initiate a ‘Great Chaos Maneuver.'”
The emperor said, “I understand.”
The Grand Knight Commander was about to speak, but the emperor raised a hand, and he immediately closed his mouth.
The emperor rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought, as the scene fell silent once more. Everyone looked at the emperor, waiting for him to make a decision.
Both sides had ample evidence; scouts reported signs of the greenskin orcs regrouping and also noted signs of fighting among them. The historical records were varied and conflicting, with some stating that the greenskin leader had died, and although it would fade, a new leader would emerge in a few days…
If a wrong decision was made, the hard-won Pyrrhic victory would slip through their fingers, and an invisible pressure weighed down on the pale-faced emperor.
Only Jima remained calm; the fate of the empire was of no concern to her, which naturally made her relaxed. Moreover, she had witnessed a large-scale ‘Great Chaos Maneuver’ among the greenskin orcs firsthand.
She was also rather curious, watching the emperor to see if this emperor, who was said to be the embodiment of Sigma, could find the correct answer amid a pile of chaotic and conflicting information.
This was also the difference between a ruler and a strategist, as Jima had experienced.
The emperor lowered his hand and asked Jima, “How long do you think it will be before the greenskin orcs initiate a Great Chaos Maneuver?”
“I’ve said it; at most twenty-four hours from now, as long as no one is chasing after them,” Jima replied lazily. “The only thing to do is to go collect the corpses and burn them.”
“Alright, everyone go and rest well,” the emperor said. “Tomorrow noon, Saint Jenna, will you still be able to see the greenskin army?”
Jenna replied, “Yes.”
“We will rest,” the emperor said flatly. “We’ll look again tomorrow noon; the cavalry must take good care of their horses, conserve their energy, and attack immediately if the situation calls for it.”
The Grand Knight Commander opened his lips to object but ultimately closed his mouth, saying, “As you command, Your Majesty.”
This emperor was indeed deserving of his reputation.
Jima was certain that this emperor could invoke Sigma’s manifestation and was no ordinary figure.
To this, she began to hope that before the emperor’s death, the demon realm could launch a world-destroying war against the mortal realm. An empire with a good emperor was a tough nut to crack on the path to world destruction, and Jima looked forward to seeing other demon kings shatter their teeth against this tough bone.
Jima stood up, took Saint Jenna’s hand, and they both left.
Once everyone had departed, the emperor, with the help of servants, took off his armor, lay down on the bed, gripped the edge of the blanket with both hands, and anxiously stared at the tent ceiling.
He felt very irresponsible; the reason he decided to let the army rest in place was largely that he was extremely tired and just wanted a good night’s sleep.
After all, both sides had their reasons, so he might as well choose the easier option, which would be better for everyone.
The emperor consoled himself this way, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
…
…
The next day, early morning.
Only seven or eight kilometers away from yesterday’s bloody battlefield, the lying greenskins were gradually getting up from the hard ground. They hadn’t escaped far, and as soon as they reached a place where they couldn’t see the imperial army, they were eager to rest on the spot.
All supplies had been thrown back, and in the cold autumn weather, the greenskins had no choice but to lie down on the ground to sleep. Only the stronger orcs were exceptions; they had caught some goblins, warming themselves in their embrace or fighting over warm spots closer to the lava.
It was fortunate that the greenskins had good physical condition; at the coldest time of the autumn night, temperatures dropped below freezing. Some orcs who couldn’t find warmth near the lava woke up in the morning covered in frost.
Then, they crawled up from the ground and brushed the frost off their bodies.
After resting enough and feeling invigorated, they really wanted to smash or chop something, but regrettably, they had been defeated yesterday and felt unsatisfied.
A large orc looked thoughtfully at the goblin that had served as his blanket the day before. The goblin, bowing and smiling foolishly, tried to please the big guy.
The large orc picked up a stone from the ground and smashed it down hard on the smiling goblin, killing it instantly. The other goblins screamed and ran away. The large orc charged after one, killed it, then threw down the stone and shouted:
“Run, what for?! Come fight me, this is not fun at all!”
“Bang!”
Another large orc, holding a freshly made stone axe, brought it down on his own head. Not killing him, he turned around, grabbed the corpse, and angrily rushed over to grapple.
Such scenes were everywhere.
“What are you looking at?”
“What about it?”
Picking up a stone, one rushed over to smash: “Boom!”
The chaos spread at an astonishing rate among the greenskins over several kilometers.
At noon, a human scout rode in, witnessing a surprising scene—a massive brawl spanning several kilometers, unforgettable for a lifetime.
The greenskins were using all their might, employing every weapon they could think of to kill their own kin—makeshift stone axes, stone spears, and bone arrows made from goblin bones. They were so absorbed in their fighting that even with human scouts observing less than a hundred meters away, not a single greenskin paid them any heed.
In the midst of this universal brawl, only one goblin shaman riding a wolf was not fighting; he held the severed head of a war beast, hoarsely shouting, “I backstabbed the beast, I’m not a greenskin…”
Unfortunately, most greenskins were too engrossed in the fighting to pay attention to the words of the goblin shaman Akarnis.
The ground was littered with greenskin corpses, more than those that had died on the battlefield yesterday.
The human scout returned to report this strange sight, and their report was met with disbelief from the generals and officers. They could not believe that the greenskins had only fled a few kilometers before eagerly turning on each other.
How could such a rabble pose a threat to the entire empire with the Green Tide?
Surrounded by knights, the military officers finally believed the scout’s report upon witnessing the unprecedented ‘Great Chaos Maneuver,’ acknowledging the greenskin mentality as something incomprehensible to humans.
The imperial army allowed the Great Chaos Maneuver to continue, waiting until it neared its end before capturing the newly emerged greenskin leader and tossing all greenskin corpses into the lava to burn.
There were so many corpses that they roughly estimated there were nearly two hundred thousand. The obsidian pass belched black smoke for a month, announcing the end of this greenskin tide crisis.
