"Commander in Chief, what do you think you're doing? I thought that we've reached an agreement that you'll follow all of my orders," Rocky asked sternly while squinting his eyes at Boyd.
"Your Royal Highness, I just can't bring myself to agree with what you want. I won't sit back here while my soldiers are dying one by one in this battle. We need another plan to conquer the enemies!" Boyd said bluntly.
"Commander in Chief, let me just remind you that anyone who disobeys my order will be punished according to the military law, including you. You shall know the consequences of deliberately going against my commands. Reflect on your actions, Boyd. Guards, take him!" Rocky ordered to seize Boyd at once with an emotionless expression on his face.
At the sight of this, all the commanders of the Black Dragon Group were filled with righteous indignation at once. Rocky might be the prince of the empire, but they couldn't accept him to humiliate their Commander in Chief right before their eyes.
However, the fact still remained that Prince Crimson came to them bearing the emperor's decree, meaning that his every command was equal to the emperor's. Thus, no one dared to disobey him in public. Although it was against their will, several soldiers eventually took Boyd.
"Your Royal Highness!" Boyd didn't expect that Prince Crimson would be so cruel to really punish him at that crucial moment. Although he knew that his actions were blameworthy, he still couldn't accept that he would be treated like this.
"Hang the Commander in Chief on the back wall so that every soldier can see him!" Rocky ordered further.
At once, all of the commanders were pissed off at Rocky. This wasn't just mere punishment but an attack to disgrace the entire Black Dragon Group. The commanders all went furious but couldn't utter a single word. All of them preferred to die swiftly than be humiliated publicly.
"What? Are you angry? Then prove your worth and fight for your Commander in Chief! Remember this! If Munoz Pass is broken, Commander in Chief Boyd shall be severely punished for disobeying my direct order and for degrading the morale of the Black Dragon Group. If you don't want that to happen, you know what to do!" Rocky reprimanded the commanders ruthlessly.
With this, his words further infuriated every member of the Black Dragon Group. They were agitated because they knew that he was right. They weren't in the position to go against him since he was Prince Crimson of the Holy Dragon Empire, the son of the emperor whom he bestowed such great importance. If they acted rashly, it might bring further shame to Boyd.
Soon after, Boyd was hung on a wall at the back area of the city. From there, every soldier could clearly see him.
For a long time, Boyd was consider
ential even at the cost of his image. More importantly, he was proud that his soldiers turned out to be a dedicated army, willing to die for what they were fighting for.
Boyd actually wanted to show his gratitude to Rocky for what he had done, but at that moment, the prince was already nowhere to be found.
Soon after, the ten thousand soldiers of the Black Dragon Group that remained on the wall were locked together with the vanguard of the mysterious army.
Then, out of nowhere, an order to retreat came from within the city wall.
Even the commanders were surprised by the sudden announcement. However, they couldn't afford to disobey orders, so they immediately summoned all their men and fell back without delay. Although they didn't know what exactly was going on, they all retreated back into their camps, regardless of what might happen over the city walls.
About an hour later, the inner city wall was then completely occupied. There were less than ten thousand soldiers that were able to get back inside the Munoz Pass.
At the same time, another order was issued to all the soldiers of the Black Dragon Group. It stated that all of them were to get into the holes that they had dug the day before.
This made everyone more confused. However, they had no time to question the order, so they just followed without thinking twice. Soon after, the bustling Munoz Pass looked like a dead city. Not a soul could be found above the ground.
A few moments after, the vanguard of the mysterious army also broke into Munoz Pass. Streams of soldiers flowed in like a raging river. However, what welcomed them was a completely desolated city with strange holes all over the ground. Because they were worried about the unknown traps that they might encounter, they first sent a messenger to ask their Commander in Chief what they should do next.