Only after a long while did the air in the command post seem to begin moving again.
Major Thomas and Captain Hauser exchanged a glance, and in each other’s reactions they saw the same emotion—this was a treasure they had stumbled upon.
The young second lieutenant before them was not merely quick to react on the spot and capable of adapting to circumstances; his professional competence was almost excessively strong, even superior to some veterans who had served for many years.
Even setting aside his outstanding performance in the battle at daybreak, the intelligence and tokens he had brought back from this trip deep behind enemy lines already far exceeded the two men’s expectations in value.
And what was more, the battle at daybreak could not be set aside.
So by now, Major Thomas’s feelings toward Molin had shifted from simple appreciation to undisguised regard.
As for Captain Hauser beside him, his expression was practically that of a man who had just seen a beauty ripe for the taking. Of course, that was only a metaphor.
“Ahem.”
Major Thomas cleared his throat, interrupting Hauser’s burning gaze, then turned to Molin.
“Second Lieutenant Molin, mark the situation you reconnoitered on the map.”
“Yes, sir.”
Molin did not hesitate in the slightest and took the pencil handed to him by a staff sergeant.
He did not immediately begin working on the large map in the command post. Instead, he first took out a hard-covered notebook he carried with him from the inner pocket of his uniform, along with a folded map.
This was his own “backup.”
Molin was not the sort of person who put all his eggs in one basket, so he had never fully trusted that his “cheat” would not run into problems.
In accordance with the Saxon Army’s standards for map work, he had long since copied down the key information from the system map during his reconnaissance.
This action also perfectly explained why he could remember such vast and complicated intelligence, avoiding unnecessary suspicion.
After all, if he could remember everything at a glance and reconstruct a large expanse of enemy deployment out of thin air, Major Thomas and the others would also suspect whether he had simply made it all up.
Molin spread out his own map and notes, then began marking the larger operational map in the command post with the pencil.
His map-work skills were not bad; whether before or after his transmigration, he had always been quite good at it.
And so, one red symbol after another representing enemy fire points and troop assembly points quickly took shape under his hand.
As more and more red markings appeared on the map, the expressions of Major Thomas and the others grew increasingly grave.
Especially when Molin drew in those magic crystal cannon positions located on the high ground, everyone fell silent.
The senior officers all knew that the Britannians’ magic crystal cannons had a range of roughly 4,500 meters.
If deployed in the positions Molin had marked, they already covered most of the area where their attack was about to unfold, and the power of the magic crystal cannons would be devastating to infantry formations.
By the time Molin had completed all the markings, all the officers in the battalion headquarters were gathered around the map, silent for a long time.
The defenses of the Kingdom of Aragon’s army and the Britannia Expeditionary Force in Seville were far tighter and more troublesome than they had expected.
Major Thomas stared at the map, his brows tightly knitted. After a while, he finally raised his head and looked at Molin.
Molin knew it was his turn to speak.
“Sir, I believe we should not be in a hurry to launch an attack.”
His voice was not loud, but in the quiet command post, it was exceptionally clear.
“The enemy’s current posture is very obvious. They have contracted their defensive line, relying on the city and those magic crystal cannons precisely because they want us to charge headlong into them.”
Molin’s finger swept across the dense red area on the map.
“If we attack rashly like this now, even if we manage to take Seville in the end, our casualties and those of our allies will definitely not be light! At that point, if the enemy organizes an effective counterattack, whether we can hold it will be unknown.”
These words were clear and logically sound.
Any rational commander, after seeing the map before them, would have no choice but to seriously consider that possibility.
Major Thomas’s expression showed that he had already been persuaded.
Molin struck while the iron was hot and added, “Sir, after the battle at daybreak, I believe you also don’t want the troops to repeat the same mistake!”
And that final sentence proved especially effective in driving the point home.
Of course, the reason Molin had spent so much breath was not entirely for some grand tactical consideration.
He had his own selfish motives.
After personally witnessing Seville’s defensive line, he knew very well that the siege to come would absolutely be a flesh-and-blood millstone.
But he had no awareness whatsoever of needing to offer up his own little life for the glory of the Saxon Empire.
Was he insane? Who would lay down their life for a country they had transmigrated into less than twenty-four hours ago?
If the battle could be delayed by a day, then delay it by a day. If it could be avoided altogether, that would be even better.
What he was doing now was doing everything in his power to postpone this attack, which was practically destined to create mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
“You’re right.”
After a long time, Major Thomas finally spoke, letting out a heavy sigh.
He had been convinced by Molin, but a trace of helplessness appeared on his face.
“But Second Lieutenant Molin, I’m only a battalion commander. Whether to attack or not is not something I can decide.”
He paced back and forth in the command post a few times before finally making up his mind.
“Come with me. We’re going to regimental headquarters, then brigade headquarters!”
Major Thomas lightly struck the map with his fist.
“Whether we can convince the regimental commander and the brigade commander is another matter, but at the very least, we must let them know exactly what the situation in Seville is right now!”
He looked at Molin, his gaze more solemn than ever before.
“Get ready. We’re leaving immediately!”
Very soon, Major Thomas selected several soldiers with excellent riding skills as escorts and set out with Molin. The group whipped their horses onward, galloping toward brigade headquarters in the rear.
Hooves flew, and dust billowed.
By the time Molin and Major Thomas arrived at the headquarters of the 32nd Infantry Regiment, it was already dusk.
They did not delay. After finding the regimental commander, Major Thomas immediately explained the seriousness of the situation in concise terms.
After listening to the report and glancing at the physical evidence Molin had brought back, the commander of the 32nd Infantry Regiment’s face also turned exceedingly ugly.
He made a prompt decision and personally brought the two of them to the headquarters of the 16th Infantry Brigade, located in the core area of the camp.
Inside the brigade headquarters’ command tent, the atmosphere was solemn.
When Molin once again stood before the enormous operational map, he noticed that this brigade-level map was much more detailed than the one at battalion headquarters.
Moreover, around the outskirts of Seville, a few scattered red enemy symbols had already been marked. Clearly, the small team sent out for forward reconnaissance had been far from the only one.
In front of the brigade commander, the brigade staff officers, and several liaison officers from the National Army and the International Brigades, Molin once again displayed his outstanding map-work ability, marking out one by one the intelligence he had reconnoitered.
After that, he recounted in detail everything he had seen and heard in Seville, from the enemy’s defensive deployments to the state of discipline among their soldiers.
Finally, he once again put forward his suggestion, hoping that headquarters would consider the matter carefully and postpone the attack.