Although they received orders to contract their defenses, Kevin was clearly not the type to simply withdraw his troops and hand over the city.

Despite indeed following Kallen's orders to shrink the defense, decisively abandoning some cities and positions that were clearly indefensible, this did not mean Kevin was fleeing in panic, offering no resistance at all.

On the contrary, Kevin was still engaging the Empire's troops as much as possible while retreating.

This tactic of fighting while retreating caused considerable trouble for the Empire's army. Some reckless colonial garrisons were completely overwhelmed by Kevin, and if it weren't for the Revolutionary Army's defensive contraction, these colonial garrisons might have been completely wiped out.

These achievements stabilized the morale within the Revolutionary Army and also made some fence-sitters and opportunists comprehend that it wasn't that the Revolutionary Army couldn't fight, nor that the Empire's army was overwhelmingly strong, but that the Steam Knight was unreasonably powerful.

Understanding this point, Kevin became more resourceful; while contracting defenses, he also carried out several brilliant counter-attacks targeting the colonial garrisons, inflicting significant casualties.

On the other hand, facing two Steam Knight squads who had resumed activities, Kevin strictly ordered his troops not to engage them actively.

For these two Steam Knight squads, all of Kevin's tactical arrangements were designed to delay, stall, and disrupt their operations, including but not limited to sabotaging railways and blowing up bridges to destroy transportation infrastructure.

Moreover, as the Steam Knights' operations and combat expenses mounted, their supplies were gradually insufficient to sustain their consumption, forcing them to begin transporting Steam Knight supplies from the Northern Territory to the New Continent's colonies.

This undoubtedly presented a tremendous opportunity for the Revolutionary Army, who devised action plans targeting these supplies, attempting to destroy them en route.

The formidable combat power of the Steam Knights is built upon their dependence on logistical supplies, something Kevin understood from the very beginning.

This was the reason he previously dispatched an elite night raid unit to try and ambush the Steam Knights' trains.

However, at that time, the Steam Knights were not affected by supply consumption, thwarting Kevin's raid and causing considerable losses to the night raid unit.

Reflecting again, Kevin obviously shifted his thinking and tactics, setting his sights on those supplies transported from the Northern Territory to the New Continent.

I admit defeat against the Steam Knights, but surely such is not the case for the logistics troops, is it?

With this thought, Kevin once again dispatched the night raid unit, directing them to find a way to destroy those supplies.

The night raid unit did not disappoint Kevin; they spent some time gathering intelligence, figuring out the transport routes for those supplies, and set an ambush along the way.

This time, the night raid unit successfully attacked the train transporting the supplies, not only blowing up the train and destroying the supplies but also severely damaging the colonial garrison escorting them.

It could be said that this time the night raid unit staged a beautiful comeback, wiping away the shame of previously being effortlessly overrun by the Steam Knights.

For the night raid unit, which can be called the absolute elite of the Revolutionary Army, their previous failure was indeed a humiliation, making them constantly remember how they were easily overwhelmed by three Steam Knights and chased like a group of scattered chickens.

This time, they successfully destroyed the Steam Knights' supplies, venting their anger and attempting to assess the impact on the Steam Knights after losing these supplies.

If the Steam Knights really lose their combat effectiveness due to supply issues, then the night raid unit might truly take severe revenge for their past defeat.

However, soon the night raid unit realized they were wrong, very wrong.

The so-called train carrying supplies was a decoy; the real supplies were not on the train.

Although Perfikot indeed knew the Revolutionary Army would try to attack the supply routes, she did not intervene in this matter.

The real orchestrator behind all this was Major General Richard.

As someone who had been leading troops in battles all along and rose to the rank of Colonel brigade commander of the Guard Army, Richard was no fool. Through his experience and analysis, he concluded that the Revolutionary Army would attack the supplies, so he set up a trap accordingly.

The train indeed carried some materials meant as supplies for the Steam Knight squads, but it primarily consisted of provisions for the Guard Army infantry battalion accompanying the Steam Knight squads, rather than combat materials and spare parts needed for the Steam Knights.

As expected, the train was attacked. Not only was the whole train destroyed, but the supplies onboard were also completely lost.

The actual supplies were transported by Richard Major General using a Flying Airship and were successfully delivered to the two Steam Knight squads.

If it were not the night raid unit launching the attack and specifically choosing to raid at night, under Major General Richard's deployment, even if the Revolutionary Army sent a thousand men, they would have been completely captured.

He had signaled the two Steam Knight squads to adopt a posture of receiving supplies, and when the Revolutionary Army attempted an attack on the supplies, reinforcements from the Steam Knight squads would promptly arrive and annihilate the Revolutionary Army's assault unit.

However, the night raid unit's capabilities were indeed remarkable, managing an impeccable night raid that caught Major General Richard off guard.

Although Major General Richard planned to ambush them, and the Revolutionary Army indeed failed to realize it, the night raid unit relied on almost instinctual intuition to spot the trap, not only avoiding it but also quickly destroying the supply train and retreating before the Steam Knights could arrive.

To Major General Richard, the empty calculation was not a particularly unacceptable outcome.

However, the night raid unit's raid did ignite his competitive spirit. After consulting with Perfikot, this currently highest-ranking military leader in the Northern Territory, aside from Perfikot, led his troops into the battlefield as well.

Major General Richard's military command skills were undoubtedly genuine. Upon arriving at the scene, he swiftly took over command and, using the Guard Army infantry regiment he brought as the core, quickly launched rapid attacks on the Revolutionary Army.

In coordination with the Steam Knights, this tactic achieved quite remarkable results, with three cities being retaken within a week.

Major General Richard's outstanding performance also provoked the night raid unit's hostility, as they began plotting to assassinate this Empire general.

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