The greatest difference between a rabble and an imperial army lay in battlefield discipline.
In terms of individual combat strength alone, many veteran bandits who had crawled out of piles of corpses were no weaker than imperial soldiers. But their loose, undisciplined nature prevented them from forming any real fighting force.
"Charge with the wind, surrender against it." That was a bandit's innate talent.
When they had the advantage, they swarmed forward, and whoever was quickest got the most loot. But once they fell into a disadvantage, it became every man for himself; whoever had the longest legs survived.
At this moment, after the bandits saw their companions being cut down in droves and most of the Mechanical Cities breaking down, those who had just been cursing and shouting about capturing First Prince Quentin alive immediately changed their expressions.
Without Steam Machinery City, everyone knew that if they stayed any longer and waited for the Oma Empire Royal Legion's encirclement to close, none of them would escape.
Thus, those bandits who had just been calling each other brothers and swearing to live and die together scattered when disaster struck.
Like startled birds in a forest, the tens of thousands of bandits fled in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, there was no one left beside White Wolf Bazel except a few trusted subordinates.
The rabble collapsed without even being attacked. The few members of the Oma Royal Family who had been surrounded moments ago instantly felt the pressure vanish, and they stared at the silver wolf with ill intent.
With the overall situation decided, First Prince Quentin could not suppress his excitement and teased, "Mr. Bazel, it seems your companions aren't very interested in dying with you."
Today, that werewolf had to die no matter what!
The war continued.
Although they had been surrounded, not all the bandits chose to surrender without resistance.
Especially those wanted criminals who knew their crimes were too grave, and that even surrendering would not spare them the gallows. They were prepared to risk their lives in one final fight.
This was an extremely terrifying force. Most of them were leaders and elite members of the major bandit gangs, and there was no shortage of Demon Hunter Blades and Grand Demon Hunters who had broken through Third Tier and Fourth Tier Gene Locks.
Cannons were devastating against low-tier Transcendents, but they posed little threat to those whose reaction speeds had reached the limits of humanity.
As long as they escaped the encirclement, they could live.
The bandits' Steam Machinery Cities resembled Lego toys. They were not welded into a single whole, but stitched-together monstrosities assembled from various functional compartments with rivets and suspension systems.
"Remove the compartments! Throw away every structure that can be discarded except the power boiler!"
"Cut away the carriages! Reduce the load to the absolute minimum!"
"Pressurize the boilers! Activate overload mode!"
"..."
Most bandit gangs had modified their Mechanical Cities at black-market mechanical workshops, installing numerous quick-release mechanisms precisely so they could escape during a crisis.
Mechanical Cities, built with countless sums of money, were the bandit gangs' most important assets and the pride and joy of their leaders!
But at this moment, in order to survive, those decisive bandit leaders had no choice but to abandon the wealth they had accumulated over many years and flee with lighter loads.
"A free ride is here!"
Rein knew that he could never get far on his own two legs.
After observing from the edge of the battlefield for a long time, he did not dare pick one of the large bandit gangs receiving the Oma Empire's special attention. Instead, he seized the opportunity to climb aboard a miniature Mechanical City that had been stripped down until almost nothing remained but its frame.
Only those with the resolve to cut off an arm to save their lives had a chance of surviving. Unlike certain idiots who still dreamed of charging out while keeping their gang's Mechanical City intact.
The southwest was the only weak point in this encirclement. Only the bandit gangs that could spot that gap now had a chance to escape.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the battlefield.
A refined middle-aged man wearing a fitted tailcoat, a black cloak lined in red, and a top hat quietly sipped his drink. Every movement he made exuded the elegance of high nobility.
Even though fierce fighting raged nearby and cannon fire thundered deafeningly, his expression did not change in the slightest.
"I miscalculated this time."
His faintly green pupils glimmered with an eerie light as he murmured, "No wonder so many court retainers came. So those Oma bastards had even plotted against me. Heh, what a fine scheme indeed."
At the round table, an elderly man dressed as a butler poured a bright red liquid from a crystal decanter into the middle-aged man's cup and asked, "Your Highness, what should we do now?"
If any outsider had been present, they would have recognized that this middle-aged man in a tailcoat was Prince William Dracula, the Blood Prince of the Xid Empire!
"What else can we do?"
Prince William sighed softly, looking rather helpless. "Since the contract has already been signed, and the people of Oma have not violated the agreement, we must do as promised."
"Yes, my lord."
The butler nodded, then added, "It is a pity about the bandit gangs Your Highness sponsored in southern Oma. They will likely be wiped out this time."
"Yes. A scheme that kills many birds with one stone!"
Prince William rubbed his brow and looked out at the battlefield blazing with cannon fire.
After pondering for a moment, he continued, "They used White Wolf Bazel to severely wound that Princess, then used our hands to kill her. The greatest threat to the Imperial Throne's succession has been removed."
After a pause, he continued, "Throughout the entire assassination, no member of the Oma Royal Family directly participated, so they can avoid all trouble entirely. In the future, they need not fear those councilors who support Ymir causing trouble. This trick of killing with a borrowed blade was executed brilliantly."
As he spoke, the prince could not help praising the plan repeatedly. He made no attempt to hide his admiration and added, "The bandit problem in the south could never have been completely eradicated, yet those people came up with such a masterstroke of killing with fireworks. This bandit crisis is now settled. First Prince Quentin's prestige will reach its peak, and no one but him can claim the first right of succession."
Moreover, some of the forces the Xid Empire had cultivated within those southern Oma bandit gangs had also been wiped out. They had suffered a silent loss yet could not speak of it.
Prince William felt stifled.
A sharp light flickered in his eyes as he sighed again. "The strategist who came up with this plan is truly gifted."
The butler beside him asked, "My lord, shall I investigate that person?"
"Yes. If possible, see whether he can be recruited."
Prince William nodded, then said lazily, "Though someone with such strategy and vision will probably not be easy to recruit."
Then, as if recalling something, he asked, "By the way, have you found the thing in Baron Morin's possession?"
"There is still no trace of it."
The butler said, "However, Quinn of the Weasel Gang sent word that he has found some clues. He says a newcomer is highly suspicious. I have already notified our spies in Oma and will try to keep those people alive. I am only afraid that the newcomer might die before we find him."
Prince William's expression darkened as he complained, "Damn it! If not for this war, how could things have become so troublesome? If we obtain that thing, Oma's technological advantage will vanish completely."
Before he could think further, he seemed to sense something and said, "All right, the target is here. Prepare to act."
Reflected in his eyes, Princess Oma Ymir, wounded and protected by guards, was slowly approaching from far away.
At that instant, the prince revealed his sharp vampire fangs.
Meanwhile.
White Wolf Bazel, who had just been brimming with killing intent and swearing to kill the Oma group, had already become thoroughly bedraggled.
His brothers were either dead or had fled, while he alone was being besieged by several royal retainers.
At this moment, the towering silver wolf no longer possessed its earlier ferocity. His body was covered in torn, bleeding wounds. Archmage Enma Blackmoss's dark flame magic clung to him like gangrene, scorching his fur black. Even a werewolf's extraordinary healing ability could do nothing against the evil flames of this Dark Magic.
If he had faced only one enemy like that, Bazel could still have relied on a werewolf's powerful physique to fight head-on.
Even if he could not win, he could have escaped.
But now, not only was Blackmoss attacking him, several Oma Royal retainers were joining the siege!
He could neither win nor escape.
Bazel's expression was exceedingly grim.
In contrast to the fierce and tense atmosphere on the battlefield, First Prince Quentin, who was watching from nearby in comfort, was in an excellent mood.
"Hahaha! White Wolf Bazel will not escape disaster this time."
He watched the battle before him, unable to contain his excitement.
This member of the Top Ten Legendary Demon Hunters stood at the pinnacle of the bandit gangs. Even Quentin's imperial father had found him a constant headache, while numerous legion commanders had repeatedly failed against him.
Yet today, he would die before Quentin's eyes.
This was an unprecedented achievement!
Quentin looked at the black-robed adviser beside him. Dropping all princely airs, he openly expressed his gratitude. "Mr. Metternich, this campaign against the bandits succeeded thanks to your arrangements! If I ascend the throne in the future, I will certainly grant you the title of prince!"
The black-robed adviser's voice remained as calm as still water, neither arrogant nor impatient. "Your Highness overpraises me. I merely did what I should have done."
"Mr. Metternich is far too modest!"
As Quentin looked at the splendid battle situation before him, his heart surged like the tide.
These were all his military achievements, and they would be recorded in history.
After today, what Third Prince, what Fourth Prince? In terms of merit and prestige, no one could compare with him!
But then Quentin looked at the small bandit gangs fleeing toward the southwest gap and asked doubtfully, "Mr. Metternich, why has the Mechanical Legion's encirclement not completely sealed off the southwest as well? Won't that let many bandits escape?"
"There are quite a few experts among the bandit gangs. In a direct clash, we could win, but the Royal Legion's losses would also be heavy. Surround them on three sides and leave one open, so those people will not fight like cornered dogs."
The black-robed adviser explained, "Rest assured, Your Highness. The Mechanical Cavalry of the First Legion is waiting for them there. A few small fry may slip through, but large gangs like the White Wolf Gang will absolutely not be allowed to escape. Eliminating bandits with minimal losses will make Your Highness's brilliance all the more dazzling to the empire's officials."
Thanks to old friend 20171123120029246 for becoming an alliance leader; thanks to "Jealousy Makes Me Unrecognizable" for the 600 coins, and to Erciyuan Yifeng Yeyu for the regular Monday donations~ Thank you.
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