The Battle Hangs in the Balance

The fighting in the rear had already ended, while the battle at the front continued. After Meredith received the report from the soldier, he remained silent. His expression was grave, clearly deeply worried about the current situation. The Demons' surprise attack had caused enormous losses. Apart from the personnel handling logistics for the Archer Regiment at the front, nearly all Logistics Regiment personnel responsible for the catapults and transporting giant stone ammunition had suffered devastating casualties. Few had survived, and there were many wounded. The situation was extremely dire.

Meredith listened carefully to the soldier's report and realized that the losses in the rear had severely affected the overall battle. He knew that the situation urgently required reinforcements, especially logistical support. Meredith took a deep breath and decided to take emergency measures.

Count Hugh Pierre immediately began drafting a detailed report on the battle, listing the current losses, the assistance urgently needed, and expectations for the coming fighting. He described in detail the losses suffered by the Logistics Regiment and their impact on the continuation of the battle, emphasizing the importance of replenishing logistical resources.

After completing the report, Count Hugh Pierre handed the document to Meredith for review. Meredith carefully read through it and confirmed the accuracy and urgency of its contents. He realized that the current situation was extremely critical and that action had to be taken as soon as possible.

Meredith swiftly assigned a special messenger to deliver the battle report to the duchy. Carrying the document, the messenger sped along the predetermined route toward the duchy's command center.

While waiting for the duchy's response, Meredith and the officers discussed their next measures, doing their best to prepare for the arriving reinforcements. They knew that aid from the duchy was now the key factor that would determine the course of the battle.

Meanwhile, upon receiving the battle report, the duchy's command center responded immediately. The senior officers quickly convened an emergency meeting and decided to send another Logistics Regiment and the necessary reinforcements to support the front lines. The deployment of the new reinforcements was swiftly set in motion. They would head to the battlefield as soon as possible, make up for the losses of the existing Logistics Regiment, and ensure that the battle could continue.

Ang and Lika lay in bed, their wounds all bandaged. The cloth used for the bandages had been collected by Ang while guarding the Logistics Regiment's supplies. It had been boiled, washed at high temperatures, and dried in the sun to ensure it was clean and sanitary. Ang's injuries were not serious, merely some minor cuts and bruises. Lika's wounds, however, were far more severe. The upper bone in his entire left arm had been broken by a Demon. If not for his armor, his arm might have already shattered into several pieces.

Although there were people in the camp capable of treating external wounds, no one knew how to handle such serious internal injuries, much less set bones. After Lika collapsed from exhaustion and fell unconscious, Ang bought a Lesser Healing Potion and gave it to him, hoping to ease his pain and speed up his recovery. However, setting bones was delicate work, and Ang had never had any experience with it, either before or now.

He could only fumble through it himself, aligning Lika's broken bones and then allowing them to grow back together under the effects of the Healing Potion. Although the bones had indeed healed, they had clearly not healed properly. Lika's arm bone was visibly somewhat bent, and a large ring of extra bone had grown around the fracture. Looking at Lika's arm, Ang felt full of guilt, believing that he had not done enough to help his friend recover.

Lika was still unconscious. The pain of having his bones set was too much to bear, and his body had fallen into a protective coma. Still, his arm had been saved. That was at least a blessing amid misfortune. Ang sat up in bed and began to meditate.

This battle had made him clearly feel that his Qi force had grown stronger. What had once been as thin as cotton thread was now as thick as household electrical wire. Ang looked inward at the Qi force within his body and was immediately thrilled. Qi force was the foundation of his strength, and this progress undoubtedly boosted his confidence.

During meditation, Ang recalled every detail of the battle. He remembered attaching Qi force to the edge of his axe, greatly increasing its attack power. He began to wonder whether this ability was unique to him or whether other warriors could do the same. He carefully recalled Lika's fighting style and found that Lika had clearly not used such a technique.

Ang decided that once Lika woke up, he would ask him about his understanding of Qi force and his usual cultivation methods. Perhaps the knowledge learned at the Warrior Academy could help answer this question. Ang also planned to further his studies at the Warrior Academy someday and see whether there was any knowledge concerning the use of Qi force.

The battlefield at the front remained fierce. The battles between the Demons and humans had continued through several engagements, with victories and losses on both sides. Gewalong had originally hoped that Dawuyura would launch a surprise attack behind enemy lines and deal humanity a fatal blow. Yet he had received no news from Dawuyura for a long time. Perhaps Dawuyura had indeed attacked, only to be unfortunately eliminated by the humans. That was the fate of failure for Dawuyura. Failure came with a price. The Demons had never lacked warriors, and the sacrifice of the defeated would only inspire more warriors to press forward.

Gewalong could clearly sense that the human offensive had become more urgent. Although Dawuyura had failed, he should have achieved some results. According to reports from the front, Dawuyura had destroyed some important human facilities, including the catapults, their vital long-range weapons. For the Demons, this was a crucial act of destruction that had greatly weakened the human offensive. Therefore, although Dawuyura had died, his sacrifice had not been meaningless. Instead, it had bought valuable time and an advantage for the Demon army.

Gewalong considered his next strategy. He knew the humans would not give up easily. Especially now that their catapults had been destroyed, their offensive would become even more ferocious and frantic. He had to prepare.

Meredith was equally anxious at this moment. The Demons' strength had thrown the entire Cavalry Regiment and Infantry Regiment into a stalemate. Their initial strategy of pressing forward in one powerful push could no longer continue. They were now trapped here, unable to advance or retreat. Meredith kept reflecting inwardly. Perhaps the initial victory had made him complacent, causing him to underestimate the enemy's strength.

He pondered for a while, carefully considering his next response. The table was piled with intelligence reports and official documents delivered by soldiers, every one of them revealing the severity of the battle. Just as he sank into thought, a messenger hurriedly presented a new document. Meredith unfolded it, and his heart eased slightly. The duchy's reply had arrived, promising to arrange supplies and a new Logistics Regiment to support them as soon as possible.

This was undoubtedly good news, enough to temporarily ease their pressing crisis. Meredith knew that replenishing supplies and personnel would greatly raise morale and combat strength. Before the support arrived, he decided to hold their positions while strengthening the defensive fortifications to avoid further losses.

Meredith summoned the commanders of every unit and swiftly formulated a new defensive strategy. They decided to temporarily halt their attacks, concentrate their strength on consolidating the existing defensive line, and use the terrain to defend. He also assigned an elite squad specifically to scout the Demons' movements and prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack.

Foul Spirit Commander Gewalong had originally thought the humans would launch a powerful assault against them in one push, but he had not expected them to shrink their defensive perimeter and engage in small-scale harassment battles instead. The humans huddled within their defensive line and refused to move. Only when the Demons deployed large numbers of troops would they come out to fight. This tactic placed both sides on nearly equal footing, leaving neither able to do anything to the other.

Gewalong felt confused and dissatisfied by this. His initial judgment had been that, after their early victory, the humans would maintain their offensive momentum and attempt to completely crush the Demons' defensive line. However, the human commander was clearly more cautious and had chosen a conservative strategy. The small-scale harassment battles did not cause major losses, but they constantly wore away at the Demons' patience and resources.

Under these circumstances, Gewalong had no choice but to reassess the battle. He realized that the humans' tactic was not only intended for self-preservation, but also to wear down the Demons' strength while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Gewalong knew that a prolonged standoff was extremely disadvantageous for them. The Demons had always relied on swift attacks and fear to crush their enemies, but this stalemate was gradually weakening their advantage.

Gewalong gathered his adjutants to discuss countermeasures. Some suggested continuing large-scale attacks in an attempt to break through the human defensive line in one stroke, while others argued for maintaining the current situation and waiting for the humans to reveal an opening. After listening to every opinion, Gewalong decided on a compromise strategy: maintain intense pressure while sending small Elite Troops units to infiltrate and sabotage, disrupting the human defensive lines and supply routes and forcing them to take the initiative.

Meanwhile, Gewalong also ordered the defenses strengthened to guard against a sudden human counterattack. He understood well that this battle was not merely a contest of strength, but also a struggle of wisdom and will. Although both sides were currently locked in a stalemate, he believed that as long as they found the other side's weakness, they could completely turn the situation around.

At this moment, every inch of land on the battlefield and every soldier became a crucial piece in this complex game of chess. Gewalong was determined to use every means at his disposal to win the final victory in this battle.

Humans urgently needed supplies and manpower to sustain the battle, while the Demons possessed a far more terrifying method of resupply: devouring the corpses of their dead comrades to replenish their energy, which could also strengthen the surviving Demons. Moreover, human corpses were also an extremely effective supplement for the Demons.

After every battle, any bodies the humans failed to remove in time became food for the Demons. These corpses not only provided the Demons with ample energy, but also significantly increased their strength in a short time. The Demons had no qualms about such predatory feeding. Every corpse was regarded as spoils of war, from which they could draw life force.

In the Demon camp, devouring took place almost every day. The corpses of Demons killed in battle were swiftly torn apart and consumed. With every meal, the surviving Demons grew stronger, their eyes gleaming with an even more savage light and their bodies radiating a more terrifying aura. This brutal means of resupply allowed the Demons' combat power to recover rapidly after every battle and even grow further.

The humans could do nothing about it. Whenever they saw the abandoned corpses of their comrades on the battlefield, their hearts filled with anger and helplessness. They knew that leaving those corpses behind not only meant the sacrifice of their companions, but also meant that the enemy's strength was constantly growing. This vicious cycle drove humanity into an even more difficult position.

To prevent the situation from worsening, the human commander Meredith ordered that they do everything possible to bring back or burn the bodies of the fallen, never allowing them to fall into the Demons' hands. At the same time, he continually requested that the duchy send more supplies and manpower to deal with this prolonged war of attrition.