"Yes."
Colin had intended to deny it, but for some reason, he chose to be honest when the words reached his lips.
"What?" Vera stared wide-eyed as if seeing the young knight before her for the first time, "And...the plan? The deception of pretending to cross the river but actually hiding in the most dangerous part of the river bay... Didn't you say the most dangerous place is the safest..."
"I lied to all of you." Colin looked into the eyes of the mage," The wolf cavalry had been fooled by us once already, how could they fall for it so easily again?"
"You..." Vera took a deep breath and gradually calmed down.
She was not lacking in courage, but she was momentarily broken because the hope of escaping had been abruptly shattered.
"Why did you do this?"
Vera's expression was complex, and the heroic image that Colin had established in her heart was collapsing.
"We can't escape." Colin sighed, his tone becoming cold," The moment we decided not to abandon the retreating troops, you should have been prepared for it.
This is a battlefield of life and death, there is no room for mercy, and even less room for naivety!
Even if my plan of a feint fooled the pursuers, making them think we had indeed crossed the river and moved north, how long could that fool them?
They are wolf cavalry, and we have a large band of infantry slowing us down, once they cross the river and realize something's off, they could catch up in just a day or two.
We can't avoid this battle!
So, since we can't avoid a fight, the only thing we can do is choose the most advantageous battlefield."
Colin pointed at their feet and said in a deep voice, "This place is the most dangerous, but also the place where we have the best chance of victory!"
"Why?" Vera felt that she could no longer trust Colin.
Before Colin could answer, Blis had already spoken, "Because here, there is no way to escape."
"Yes!" Colin looked deeply at Blis, "Only a rabbit driven into a corner will turn around and bite, and it's the same for the retreating troops.
If we were caught by the wolf cavalry in the open field, then there's no doubt, at their first charge, the retreating troops we gathered would definitely break up and scatter in all directions.
So, they must have no way to escape.
If we do not wish to abandon them, then we absolutely can't let them abandon us!
Either, we win in one battle, or we all perish here together!"
Colin's resounding words threw Vera's mind into chaos.
She had no idea how to judge the young knight before her eyes anymore.
Nor did she know if what he did was right or wrong.
Whether it was her childhood spent in Winterfell City or her student life in Yevir Tower, everything Vera encountered was simple and beautiful.
Of course, this was also because she, of noble birth, was well protected.
That being said, she was not without understanding of evil.
However, she had never met someone like Colin before.
A brave and fearless knight? A widely tactful genius? A gentleman with grace and manners? A devil who manipulates people's hearts?
...
She did not know which one was his true face.
Or, are they all?
In contrast to Vera, whose mental maturity was not yet complete, Blis's reaction was much simpler.
This veteran knight focused more on effectiveness: "Are you sure your strategy will work? You know, the Marquis Charles once had a similar plan."
"You're referring to the Battle of Mirror Lake, right?" Colin seemed to have known all along that Blis would ask that.
"Yes."
"Yes, I must admit, my plan was inspired by Marquis Charles." Colin said seriously, though in his heart he was rolling his eyes.
Battles against the odds, the desperation to not turn back, sink or swim, the strategy of being brought back to life from the brink of death are no longer novel strategies in another time and space.
But in this timeline, they haven't yet appeared.
Marquis Charles's arrangement at Mirror Lake indeed had the prototype of a battle against the odds.
But in Colin's view, Marquis Charles handled the details terribly.
Yet, it is these details that determine success or failure.
The same strategy of sinking or swimming led to Hanxin's classic example of a battle against the odds at Jingxing, while Ma Su could only end up in defeat at Jieting - the butt of ridicule throughout the ages.
Colin is confident that he won't become another Ma Su.
Blis didn't seem to have this confidence and continued to ask coldly, "Marquis Charles's strategy failed at Mirror Lake, why do you think you can implement a similar strategy at Ben Liu River and succeed?"
"Because Marquis Charles made two major mistakes!
First, he wasn't ruthless enough! While the camp at Mirror Lake had its back to the water, it wasn't really a dead-end. Think about the troops that turned tail - many of them were able to escape by plunging into the lake.
That's why I chose this spot by the Ben Liu River.
Surrounded by water on three sides, with strong currents, and downstream is a waterfall cliff that makes escape impossible - it's a true dead-end.
Here, they can only fight to the death!"
Blis' face changed slightly and he continued to question, "And the second mistake?"
"The second mistake of the Marquis is that he left no one in Mirror Lake camp capable of leading the miscellaneous soldiers to fight to the death," Colin waved at Blis, "I'm not saying you weren't competent...'
"I indeed wasn't qualified, and moreover, I fled the scene." Blis was not at all perturbed.
Colin was even more appreciative of this stoic knight and continued,
"Under the circumstances, the camp at Mirror Lake needed a noble of high prestige, a lord with nobility to stabilize the makeshift soldiers, making them resist to trouble the trolls.
This way, when Marquis Charles led the army to attack the trolls from behind, there would be a slim chance of victory.
Pity indeed, the Marquis didn't leave anyone substantial in the Mirror Lake camp...
But we won't make the same mistake!"
At this point, Colin stepped forward, approaching Vera, fixedly stating into her eyes: "Therefore this time, I will stay in the River Bay dead-end, in the position of the first heir to the Baron of the Grey Castle, to live or die with these soldiers.
Miss Vera, I wonder if you..."
"Of course, I'll stay too." Vera said without hesitation.
At this moment, she has decided to trust Colin once more.
Of course, she doesn't have any other choice.
Everyone here has indeed fallen into Colin's calculated plans.
Colin nodded and turned to Blis,"Knight Blis, I ask you to lead the cavalry away from the River Bay for now, and when the trolls attack us, you can lead your troops from behind and strike!"
Blis' eyes twinkled, "How about I stay in River Bay, and you lead the cavalry..."
"No!" Colin immediately rejected Blis' proposal because he knew this was a test from Blis.
The ones left on the front lines are in the most dangerous position, while the one leading the cavalries might still have a chance to escape.
So, for the others to believe in him, Colin could only choose to stay: "The person who stays in River Bay needs to have enough influence, I'm more suitable to stay than you. Besides, those cavalries are your men, they will perform better in battle under your command."
Blis' eyes shifted, as if only then he recognized that Colin had passed his test, and nodded in agreement.
Afterward, Colin looked at Vera, "I know your lineage is noble. So, if you can reveal your real identity before the battle, it will greatly encourage those soldiers.
Of course, if you have any concerns, I will not force..."
Vera froze for a moment, not saying anything.
Just as Colin was about to assume she was unwilling, he heard a clear, resolute voice:
"Okay!"