No, there’s no dock—by boat? I understand now. George Reed suddenly stood up; he finally figured out why the army of the Flowing Gold Kingdom wasn’t afraid of the dike being breached and the water released. It was exactly as that young soldier had said—they were waiting for Zheyun Kingdom to breach the dike, so they could fight a naval battle.

“No, I must go see Emily Young.” George Reed could no longer sit still. He had originally shared the same thoughts as Emily Young, thinking that maybe this time they really would drown the enemy. After all, it was just a guess from a low-ranking soldier, and such a guess was always hard to trust.

Moreover, George Reed himself didn’t understand military matters. Subconsciously, he also felt that Emily Young’s reasoning wasn’t without merit. So, although he was angry at being put under house arrest by Emily Young, it hadn’t yet reached his breaking point.

But now that he understood the enemy’s confidence, he could no longer stay in the camp. Benjamin Harris was also stunned; as soon as he heard George Reed’s words, he realized the gravity of the situation.

“Captain Harris, I order you to kill these men at once.” At this moment, George Reed’s face was ashen, and he no longer cared to call Benjamin Harris “Nephew Laisheng.”

Benjamin Harris also knew that if they didn’t kill the four guards watching them, they were doomed anyway. Without waiting for further orders from George Reed, he picked up his heavy-backed broadsword and slashed at the four men.

Captain Lee was originally one of Benjamin Harris’s people. Seeing Benjamin Harris draw his blade, he didn’t hesitate to raise his own sword and join in the attack on the four guards.

Both Benjamin Harris and Captain Lee were veterans who had survived countless bloody battles, especially Captain Lee, whose skills were exceptional. The four personal guards of Emily Young were killed by the two of them with almost no resistance.

“Let’s go find that scoundrel Emily Young right now.” George Reed, burning with rage, stepped over the corpses of the four guards.

“You dare kill my personal guards? Men, tie up these fools for me!” When Emily Young learned that his personal guards had been killed, he rushed over, seething with fury.

“Emily Young, you scoundrel! You’ve doomed all one hundred thousand soldiers of Xiangcheng Camp, and you still won’t order a retreat…” Before George Reed could finish, a burst of flames shot into the sky, and the sounds of battle were so loud that even those in Xiangcheng Camp could hear them clearly.

Seeing the flames rise, George Reed muttered something under his breath, then suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Emily Young frowned. “How could it possibly catch fire?”

A thunderous rumble sounded, and Emily Young’s face lit up with joy. “Ha! At last, the dike has been breached!”

He actually forgot to pursue George Reed’s matter for the moment.

“You pig! They’ve hidden thousands of warships in the basin, just waiting for you, you bastard, to release the water!” George Reed pointed at Emily Young and cursed him furiously, though his hand was trembling uncontrollably.

Emily Young’s face turned ashen, and he snorted coldly. “So I lose a little over five thousand men. You old fool, you’ll be the one I sacrifice to the flag.”

“Hahahaha…” George Reed laughed up at the sky, but there wasn’t a trace of mirth on his face. He pointed at Olivia Young and said, “Over five thousand men? You pig, you’re still thinking about those five thousand. Soon, when they breach the dikes all around, the water will flood our camp. When the water reaches here, that’s when their warships will arrive. Run if you can—right now, there’s a giant net waiting for you at Luoshitan.”

Hearing George Reed’s words, Emily Young’s expression changed instantly. He finally realized the seriousness of the situation.

“Call an emergency assembly—retreat to Luoshitan immediately!” Emily Young wasn’t completely incompetent. Though he liked to strategize on paper, he knew that retreating to Luoshitan now would be very different from waiting until the floodwaters arrived.

Retreating now would mean fewer casualties. Although they’d still be caught in the enemy’s net at Luoshitan, there was no choice but to enter it—and the sooner, the better. If they waited until the water came, not even a chicken would escape, let alone the army.

The entire Xiangcheng Camp was thrown into chaos, but fortunately, the water hadn’t arrived yet, and the enemy’s warships hadn’t come. Though things were hectic, the retreat began quickly.

“Lord Reed, we must leave at once.” Benjamin Harris pulled George Reed aside.

George Reed, overwhelmed by anger and anxiety, didn’t know what to do. He had never experienced such a massive disaster before—soon, a hundred thousand troops would be wiped out.

“Lord Reed, Emily Young is stubborn and petty. Right now, he’s busy with the retreat and has forgotten about us for the moment. But once he remembers, he’ll surely have us killed to set his mind at ease.” Benjamin Harris whispered to George Reed as he pulled him aside.

George Reed snorted coldly. “A true man faces death without fear. Am I supposed to be afraid of that scoundrel?”

Benjamin Harris shook his head slightly and said, “Of course you’re not afraid, Lord Reed. But if we’re killed by him, he’ll be the only one to report to His Majesty. How will His Majesty know what really happened in this battle? He might even pin all the blame on you. Would you really want to bear such a heavy burden? Even if you’re willing, shouldn’t you think of your family back in the capital? This is a crime that could wipe out nine generations.”