War

As Hong San shouted with great enthusiasm and reason, the eight hundred militiamen gradually quieted down.

Even though the recruitment process created a rift and alienation, the person the team trusted most was still Hong San —this was a kind of mental inertia, stemming from Hong San's previous victories and efforts. Although no one quite understood what Hong San was saying, it seemed to make a lot of sense.

Emotions are contagious; so is panic, and so is calmness.

The scarred veteran looked at Hong San and then at Kang De as if he had seen a ghost. "You two are clearly... why are the soldiers you lead so lousy?"

Kang De gazed into the distance and casually remarked, "Is this the time to discuss this?"

"That's definitely not it." A veteran is a veteran; his surprise and confusion were only momentary. He quickly entered a state of readiness, glancing at Kang De. "Have you ever fought in a siege?"

Kang De replied, "No."

The scarred veteran said, "Then, follow me in a bit. No matter how strong you are, no matter how many people you've killed, if you've never been on a battlefield, you're just a recruit. The biggest cause of death for recruits isn't weakness, but ignorance and arrogance. I don't want to see someone like you die in the first battle because of stupidity, understand?"

Kang De turned to look at him, nodded in acknowledgment, and said, "Thank you."

He still knows right from wrong.

And I also know that what the other party said makes a lot of sense.

The old soldier scoffed, "No need to thank me, I just wanted you to kill a few more elves."

He turned and walked toward the militiamen, shouting, "Be fucking brave! Grip your shields tight, they're your second life! Grip your spears tight, they're the things that will keep both your lives alive! I know you're scared, so you've emptied your pig brains! Now you only have three things to do—obey! Obey! And obey!"

"Only those who obey orders deserve to survive on the battlefield! Those who desert will die! Those who rush forward will die! Those who act recklessly will die!"

Kang De and Hong San stood side by side, gazing at the rising dust in the distance. The elven army had arrived, and the shadow of war was approaching the lonely city of Valentan. Kang De's stage was only a section of the city wall, a hundred or two meters long.

He was neither a strategist who could plan and control the overall situation, nor a powerful figure who could dominate the battle. Kang De was just an ordinary soldier who would face his first war on this stage, which was neither too big nor too small.

He asked Hong San, "Will the elves launch an attack today?"

Hong San's face was ashen, his palms sweating. He was caught up in the situation, burdened by too many concerns and obsessions, far less relaxed and carefree than Kang De. He replied, "Generally not. As I said, there are many houses and farmhouses outside the city, making it impossible for soldiers to form ranks. The projectile forces are not yet ready. It would be much safer to launch an attack after the entire army has arrived and its strength has been gathered..."

He looked at the houses and farmhouses built around the city, where people were frantically fleeing into the city while harvesting wheat. The city gates were still open, but looking back, he could see the cavalry and armored soldiers waiting behind them. If the first elven scouts to arrive took the opportunity to storm the city gates, the city would have enough time to react.

It's just that a lot of people will die.

Surprisingly, the elven cavalry that arrived first did not take the opportunity to crush the fleeing people outside the city. Instead, they tightened their reins, stopped at a certain distance, and watched the city.

"They disdained to drive a group of poor farmers to storm the city gates."

Hong San said in a deep voice, "This unit is probably extremely confident and arrogant, which must stem from its extremely high win rate, and its extremely high win rate stems from its formidable military strength... We're in trouble."

Kang De looked through his telescope, observed for a while, and then asked, puzzled, "They're clearly cavalry, so why are they standing there like sentries? And with bows in their hands, it's a defensive posture. Are they waiting for someone?"

Hong San looked puzzled. Kang De realized he couldn't describe it clearly, so he handed over the telescope. The Cathayan was first amazed by its small size and ease of use, and then focused on watching it intently.

Then, his expression changed drastically.

"Not good!"

Hong San, his face ashen, rushed toward the scarred old soldier. Fortunately, he still had a shred of reason and did not shout loudly to disrupt the morale of the troops. Instead, he dragged and pulled the old soldier to the vicinity of the tower, where there were fewer people.

"Your Mightiness!"

He had never spoken to anyone with such seriousness and formality. "The situation is not right. The elves are likely to launch an attack soon. This is a surprise attack, and its momentum will be like a thunderous rage. It's a test, and also a gamble. It would be best to take the city while we're ahead. If we can't take it, we'll at least get a sense of the city's defenses—in short, the troops on the city walls right now are mostly second-line or even militia. They can't hold it!"

"Go find the mayor immediately and ask him to send his most elite troops to guard the west wall. The mage corps must also be dispatched immediately—I'm not joking! This is a matter of life and death for everyone!"

The veteran remained unmoved upon hearing this. "The mayor is certainly monitoring the situation closely. Everything is up to him to decide; you don't need to remind him. Go back to your post and reassure your soldiers..."

Hong San's eyes widened, the faint bloodshot veins giving him a ferocious look. He hissed, "What if he didn't notice? What if he hadn't thought of it yet? The elves are unlikely to attack today, but if they do, it will be a thunderous attack. How can these militia possibly withstand it? Many will die! If the walls fall, Valentan will be finished today. Does that even matter?!"

Let go of my hand!

Facing Hong San's hysterical and sharp gaze, the veteran remained unmoved. He coldly said, "Don't think of the mayor as so incompetent. Do you think there aren't scouts outside? When the elves' tracks are discovered, the mayor will issue reconnaissance orders to investigate the elves' strength and weakness. If they intend to take advantage of the situation to attack the city, they will inevitably reveal their true intentions. At that time, you, sir, will have your own way of dealing with it. You..."

"It's too late!"

Hong San roared, "That smoke and dust was stirred up by wind magic, used to conceal the elven army's true purpose. If they..."

The next moment, a bright light flashed in the distance, and a faint whistling sound grew louder and louder as it approached.

Scarface instinctively tackled Hong San to the ground, roaring, "Spell--arrive--!"

The veterans' role was fully revealed at this moment. Each of them kicked and pushed the new recruits around them to the ground, then curled up and rolled down, shouting sharply, "Shield protection!"

Kang De was a little further away, and there were no veterans around. He subconsciously looked towards the outside of the city and saw a yellowish-brown ball of light burst out from the dispersing dust. Immediately, the flying dust was dispersed and torn apart by the violent magical elements, and hundreds of Arcane rays shot into the sky, flying towards the city wall!

His left pupil transformed into a clock face, time accelerated, and the world slowed down. Kang De picked up the two large shields on the weapon rack, outlined them with his mental power, gathered the Element, and formed Holy Radiance Iron Wall, where steel and holy light intertwined. He placed one shield under his body and the other in front of him, then lay down on the ground.

The spells rained down.

The first beam of earthy yellow light struck the city wall.

Immediately, an invisible shockwave spread out, as if the solid stone wall had turned into rolling waves. In an instant, those who had not fallen were thrown to the ground, but many who were lying on the ground were also thrown up. The world was turned upside down, just like an earthquake, and the roaring and violent force raged on the city wall!

But this is just the prelude.

The next moment, the end of the world arrived.

Hundreds of spells rushed in, the wrath of the elements swept across the sky, and earthen and crimson light bombarded the city walls, creating bursts of violent explosions that shook the entire city, as if countless terrifying giants were wielding clubs and forcefully pounding the poor city.

The militiamen, dazed and confused from the fall, looked up and saw streaks of blazing red light streaking across the sky, as fire-based magic orbs, imbued with extreme heat, shot towards the city, tracing the arc of death.

The veteran shouted, "Don't get up!"

When Kang De opened his shield, he saw a dazed militiaman standing up, leaning on his spear, looking out of the city with an expression of utter terror.

The next moment, a fireball came hurtling towards him, striking him squarely in the chest. His upper body was instantly gone, but the wound on his waist was scorched by the Flame, and not a drop of blood spurted out. His lower body even managed to take a few steps.

Then he fell to the ground.

Finally, someone let out a scream.

The veterans could only shout at the top of their lungs, "Raise your shields! Stay in your positions! Don't get up!"

The ice crystals that flew over the city wall suddenly burst, turning into dozens of ice spikes that covered the city wall, striking the shields and the people, penetrating, freezing, causing cries and death.

One spell after another was precisely projected onto the city wall.

Kang De lay on the ground, his vision limited, only able to see in front and above. He saw terrifying beams of death sweeping in from outside, crashing into the city, and more and more spells hitting the city walls.

Most of the spells cast in the first round into the city missed their mark.

But the mage knew how to correct the trajectory of the projectile.

The sky was crimson, with spells occasionally whistling overhead and crashing into the city. Many spells were also constantly bombarding the city walls, causing violent tremors. The casualties of companions around you, the constant threat of death falling from the sky, the violent shaking beneath you, and the deafening roar that shook the heavens and earth made it feel like the end of the world.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

One of the militiamen screamed in despair, clutching his head in his hands. "Stop hitting him! Stop it!"

He was completely devastated, especially after seeing his companions being torn apart by icicles not far away. He could no longer bear it, jumped up, and ran wildly down the city walls, shouting, "I want to go home! I want to go home!"

Hong San, who was lying on the ground, suddenly jumped up to pull the young man up. At the same time, an extremely cunning and scorching ray swept across, slashing towards the two of them at the waist!

The next moment, a strong wind howled, and a large shield shot out from the air, blocking the scorching rays in front of the two of them for a moment, allowing Hong San to pull the man down again.

Kang De roared, "Are you fucking crazy?!"

Hong San's eyes were bloodshot. He glanced at Kang De, said nothing, and charged towards another militiaman who had collapsed and stood up. Kang De cursed loudly, crossed his shield to his left hand to protect his side, drank several bottles of magic potion in succession, activated time acceleration, jumped up, and tried to stop this reckless fool.

As he rose, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the city gates. In the distance, he saw a glimmer of light, and the dust had completely dissipated. Surrounded by an increasing number of cavalry, a force of several hundred men formed a strange array, from which bursts of brilliant magical light erupted and swept forth.

He saw streaks of fire and light hurtling towards the city walls, and ice crystal fireballs falling from the sky in parabolic arcs. The western city wall was filled with the aura of death, not only in their section, but also in other areas, where friendly forces were barely clinging to life under this devastating attack.

He also saw intense magical light fall into the farmhouses outside the city. Immediately, the earth collapsed, the ground shook like ocean waves, and houses collapsed one after another. The next round of spells turned the ground into a swamp, and then solidified into a flat and solid plain.

The scarred veteran saw him stand up and hissed, "Get down!"

Holding his shield for protection, Kang De crouched low and strode forward, shouting as he chased after Hong San, "Are we just going to passively take this beating?! Don't we have any way to retaliate?! They're making room for the army!"

The words had barely left his lips when another flash of light appeared on the horizon. The mage who had unleashed the first attack that shook the city wall cast another spell, unleashing a violent surge of elemental energy. The veteran roared, "Get down!"

The next moment, a cyan ray shot out from the city and struck the rushing death messenger. The two immense Magic Power collided and exploded in mid-air, and the violent aftershocks stirred up a gale and produced a violent roar.

The veteran was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed with elation, "The mage regiment! The mage regiment has been mobilized!"

One after another, beams of magical light shot out from all parts of the city, intercepting and dispelling the spells flying everywhere. As more and more mages joined the battle, the shaking of the city walls weakened, and fewer and fewer spells fell on the city walls. In an instant, the pressure was greatly reduced.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kang De rushed to Hong San's side, raised his large shield, and wanted to give this idiot a good whack- Pacific Ocean. However, looking at his bewildered face, he couldn't bring himself to strike him with the shield.

He kicked Hong San to the ground. "You're always so afraid of dying, and now you're trying to be a good guy!"

Hong San lay on the ground, looking around blankly. The mage group had blocked the enemy's magical attack, but the previous attack had already caused heavy losses to the troops. This morning, he was still worried about how to announce this bad news to everyone. This noon, he was still saddened and sighing at the unfamiliar eyes of the people.

Now, those who followed him unwillingly have suffered heavy casualties.

More casualties than all the casualties along the way, in just a short moment.

He murmured, "I... I know them..."

Just as Kang De was about to speak, he felt the ground tremble and a rumble rise again. He rushed to the city wall and saw the enemy mage array shining brightly once more, unleashing a dense barrage of spells. Spells from the direction of Valentan City rose into the air in a tit-for-tat response, and most of the incoming spells were dispelled by the attack.

However, some spells still hit the city walls, reached the top of the city, or even fell into the city.

--The spellcaster forces of Valentan are weaker than the elves!

At the same time, the scarred veteran roared, "Get up! Get up now! Prepare for war! Prepare for war!"

Kang De looked out of the city and saw the mage cavalry on both flanks separate. Amidst the billowing dust, pack animals pulled huge chariots galloping towards them. Upon reaching the designated distance, the drivers stopped the pack animals, and elves jumped off the chariots and rushed forward, moving as fast as sardines. They gathered together like a tide, forming a neat military formation. All of them carried large shields and giant bows. These were the same archer soldiers that Kang De had encountered on the Holy Seal Archipelago.

"Arise! Arise! Long-range projectile strikes are imminent! Shields on shoulders! Shields on shoulders!"

The veteran, slapping and cursing, dragged the demoralized militiamen to their feet, roaring, "Lying on the ground means death! Gather together! Form ranks! Form ranks!"

Meanwhile, below the city, magical attacks continued relentlessly. The Dragonfang Army's archer regiment, which had moved to the battlefield using supply wagons, marched in neat formation and onto the battlefield, pressing towards Valentan City over the ruins leveled by the mages.

Kang De roughly understood how the elves had carried out their surprise attack.

They adopted an unexpected tactic, using magic to stir up dust and create the illusion of a large army advancing. The mages moved with the cavalry, and upon arriving at the battlefield, they immediately launched a magical attack. Then, the projectile troops rode in supply wagons to rush forward. After the strength of the two sides' mage groups was determined, they began to advance, launching a second round of ranged attacks in conjunction with magic. According to this strategy, the siege infantry would be the next to appear.

The idea of setting up a battle formation, making thorough preparations, gathering all forces, resting, and then launching an attack—that's simply not the case. The real strategy is to unleash wave after wave of attacks like a tsunami.

What kind of confidence and contempt for humanity must one possess to dare to use such tactics? Clearly, the elven commander's choice was correct... War is about the strong bullying the weak.

Mages, cavalry, projectile units, and even infantry.

Elves are all superior to humans.

So you can fight however you want.

Kang De approached the scarred veteran, gazing at the approaching elven army, and said in a deep voice, "The mages in the city are not as powerful as the elves. How are we going to fight this battle?"

The old soldier glanced at him and said indifferently, "We'll defend the city walls with our lives—when the city was built, we considered how the walls would withstand earth magic. This is the foundation of all city wall construction. The bricks and stones of the city walls are made with a special material formula, supplemented by magical techniques that I don't understand, which can withstand magical bombardment to the greatest extent. As long as the city walls don't break, we can stop the elves and survive. Once the city falls, we will have no chance."

"But even the strongest walls have their limits and cannot withstand enemy spell attacks indefinitely. This is the mission of our mage squad—to intercept enemy spell attacks."

"But if our mage force is weaker than the enemy's, then we have to make choices. We must concentrate our efforts on intercepting attacks that pose a significant threat and are powerful enough to shake the city walls. As for other spells... we can't afford to worry about them."

This is the situation we are facing now.

The veteran, watching the ever-approaching elven army, said calmly, "What the mages can't attend to, let the soldiers fill with their lives—that's how this battle will be fought."

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PS1: Five thousand words, two chapters combined. This chapter was a bit difficult to write today... Time for bed.