Encounter

Just as Hudson predicted, the most important core heritage is always carried with you.

Having signed the contract, the Laibolong Family readily delivered the inheritance they carried.

The details, including the secret door that had been passed down by word of mouth, were also explained in detail.

After glancing at part of the content, Hudson suddenly understood why the Laibolong Family had declined.

It has everything: magical heritage, Alchemy heritage, knightly training heritage, but it lacks knowledge in the military field.

I don't know if it's due to a lack of prior knowledge or if it's been overlooked, but this part is missing.

It's true that the extraordinary world values cultivation, but if it focuses solely on it, then it's gone too far.

A truly powerful family is one with comprehensive strength.

Its obvious military shortcomings explain why Bertley Fortress fell so quickly.

Without time for reflection, Hudson was already immersed in the ocean of knowledge.

"Report!"

"Crown Prince Highness, a large Beastfolk army of over ten thousand has been spotted fifty miles ahead."

Upon hearing about the Beastfolk army, Crown Prince Caesar immediately perked up.

Fifty li is neither close nor far.

If infantrymen were to carry supplies and travel at full speed, it might take them a whole day to complete the journey; but if cavalry were to launch a raid, they could arrive in just over an hour.

The fact that the enemy was only detected at this distance is not due to the Griffon Cavalry being lazy. It's simply that the farther the detection distance, the larger the area that needs to be searched.

If you don't know the enemy's location, scouting fifty li away is equivalent to drawing an arc with a radius of fifty li along the army's position.

Monitoring such a vast area would be quite challenging even for Griffon Cavalry flying in the sky.

Moreover, the Beastfolk also have an air force, and if they were to encounter patrolling harpies, it would be uncertain whether they would survive.

"Order the Griffon Cavalry to continue monitoring the Beastfolk' movements and find out the enemy's troop composition as soon as possible."

"Guards, summon all regimental commanders to a meeting!"

Crown Prince Caesar immediately gave the order.

Although he lacked experience in military operations, he was very proficient in basic military knowledge.

Looking at the familiar map, he knew his earlier judgment was correct. The Beastfolk had indeed not fought their way along the defensive line, but instead had set their sights on Dapes.

Crown Prince Caesar suddenly hesitated, wondering whether to halt the advance and proceed with the previous fishing plan.

The fall of Bertley Fortress cleared the way for the Beastfolk army to advance south.

The most crucial element in hunting down the southward-bound Beastfolk army is that someone must cut off the passage in the middle, leaving the suddenly arriving Beastfolk army isolated.

The Beastfolk army in the rear is not stupid; they certainly won't let this happen. The two sides will inevitably fight for control of the Bethel region.

Are the Moxi Army at the front able to accomplish this task?

Crown Prince Caesar was uncertain about the situation. Ever since the fall of Bertley Fortress, his assessment of the strength of the Moxi Army had plummeted.

Deep down, I've doubted more than once how the Moxi Duchy, with such a weak level of power, managed to become the number one duchy among humans.

The biggest advantage of having fewer people is high efficiency. The expeditionary force's high command, consisting of the commander-in-chief, deputy commander-in-chief, and five legion commanders, quickly gathered together.

The latest intelligence on the Beastfolk army has also been transmitted; the enemy's forces have increased from the initial tens of thousands to tens of thousands, or more precisely, thirty to fifty thousand.

As for the exact number, let's not make things difficult for the scout cavalry. The Beastfolk march was chaotic, and those who could estimate a rough number were all experienced veterans with extensive scouting experience.

The range was slightly larger than expected, because the subordinates were conscientious and responsible, and were afraid of misleading the commander.

"Your Highness, we must change our marching route. If we continue along the original path, we will soon run into this Beastfolk army."

Ordinary Beastfolk armies are not a concern; the key issue is that, according to intelligence gathered, the enemy army also has a large number of Behemoth Cavalry.

Although our army has the advantage in troop strength, we are afraid that we will not gain any advantage in open field battles against the Behemoth Cavalry.

If the war becomes a stalemate and the Beastfolk of the other Four Great Royal Clans come to reinforce, then things will be in serious trouble.

"Count Jose said cautiously."

As the deputy commander of the expeditionary force, his most important task was not to achieve great deeds, but to safely bring Caesar Prince Caesar back.

As the most legitimate heir to the Alpha Kingdom, Crown Prince Caesar's safe return is more valuable than any other achievement.

As guest players, they were just there to help out, so there was no need for them to go to great lengths.

His original intention was for Crown Prince Caesar to remain in the rear and coordinate remotely. The ideal scenario would be to leave the frontline affairs to the legion commanders to manage independently.

If you win, the commander-in-chief will certainly receive a share of the credit; if you lose, whoever gave the order will naturally be held responsible.

"Your Excellency, you are being far too cautious."

The Five Great Royal Families Behemoth Clan the Beastfolk each govern themselves. The Behemoths have always been powerful, and the other families are overjoyed at the opportunity to see them suffer.

Even if they reach a compromise and actually send troops to rescue, they will likely be reluctant to cooperate.

According to the intelligence gathered, the Behemoth army that entered the Moxi Duchy consisted of only two legions. In addition, they also had to guard against the front-line garrison cutting off their rear, so they could only send out a maximum of one legion.

Asura Martial God

They had just gone through several major battles, and both legions are currently not at full strength, with at most eight or nine thousand men.

The expeditionary force of the Duchy of Orton is now only twenty miles away from us; the expeditionary force of the County of Ruilin is only thirty miles away from us.

With the combined strength of the three of us, we have an army of 120,000. Adding the several newly formed legions from the Moxi Duchy that are also moving with us, our total strength exceeds 180,000.

Even if the Beastfolk army ahead has 50,000 men, after deducting the more than 40,000 miscellaneous soldiers of the Behemoth Clan, they can be handed over to the newly formed legion of the Moxi people.

Even if the combined forces of 120,000 troops from the three kingdoms couldn't swallow eight or nine thousand Behemoth Cavalry in one go, they could at least leave half of them behind.

Having severely damaged the Behemoth Imperial Court's army, leaving only the armies of the other four royal courts, the difficulty of encircling and annihilating the remaining four royal courts' armies is greatly reduced.

Crown Prince Caesar calmly analyzed.

Cannon fodder against cannon fodder, elites against elites, there's nothing wrong with that.

The expeditionary force was not entirely composed of elite troops, but the proportion of elite soldiers still exceeded 20%.

The remaining soldiers, at the very least, had received a year of military training. Although this training was somewhat superficial, it still included several months of full-time training.

After all, these were the troops that would accompany them into battle, so the noble lords put a lot of effort into training them. If they didn't perform well, it was purely a matter of ability.

After the expedition began, the legion commanders tried to help their men catch up on their training. After all, a long march is also a form of training.

It not only tests the soldiers' physical strength and endurance, but also the organization, coordination and cooperation of a unit.

The situation of the expeditionary forces of the other two countries is currently unknown. However, in Caesar's view, it couldn't be too bad, no matter how low it was.

Ultimately, it's an overseas operation, with multiple countries watching. If our strength is too weak, wouldn't we be making a fool of ourselves?

With a numerical advantage of more than ten times, all the pressure was placed on the Behemoth Cavalry. No matter how skilled and experienced they were in battle, they would be worn down and exhausted to death.

The head coach and deputy head coach disagreed, and the five legion commanders present were also divided.

Some people lacked confidence in the expeditionary force and were unsure about Crown Prince Caesar's plans; others, however, felt that this battle was worth fighting.

It can only be said that the power of role models is boundless. The news that the First Army easily annihilated the Behemoth Cavalry Regiment not long ago has really inspired many people.

Everyone was a county soldier. The Moxi people regarded the First Army as a top-notch elite force, but those in the know were well aware of the truth.

The First Army was indeed stronger than them, but they didn't agree that it was far stronger.

At least among the main legions of the Alpha Kingdom, the First Army was nowhere to be seen.

If it were really as powerful as the outside world says, the kingdom wouldn't be willing to send it to the Moxi Duchy as a expendable resource.

An army slightly stronger than them was able to annihilate a Behemoth Cavalry regiment, and many people thought that if they were sent in, the casualties would simply be higher.

Even if we can't annihilate them all, surely we can at least severely damage them?

With three optimists and Crown Prince Caesar, the pro-war faction overwhelmingly suppressed the moderates.

Count Jose wanted to object several times, but under Crown Prince Caesar's sharp gaze, he ultimately chose to remain silent.

In the end, he was just an employee. Nominally, he was the deputy commander of the expeditionary force, a position of great power and influence, but in reality, anyone present had more influence than him.

The two conservative legion commanders, on whom high hopes had been placed, lacked sufficient confidence and could not project any strength in front of Crown Prince Caesar. After a few token words of argument, they surrendered without resistance.

Seeing that the dust had settled, Count Jose could only sigh inwardly.

If we can't stop this war, then we can only do our best to do our job well in order to increase our chances of winning.

"Your Highness, now that we've decided to fight the Beastfolk, we must coordinate things with our allies."

When it involves a joint military operation involving four countries, it is best to concentrate all forces before taking action.

Otherwise, if any link in the chain breaks down, coordination may suffer, leading to defeat in the war!

Count Jose said earnestly.

He himself was unaware of how strong the aversion to "failure" was in Crown Prince Caesar's heart when he mentioned it repeatedly.

"The task of coordinating the issues between the various countries is entrusted to Your Excellency the Earl. Please ensure that you handle the relations with the three countries well."

Everyone else went to prepare for battle, while we waited here for the Beastfolk army to arrive.

The crucial moment to turn the tide of the battle has arrived, and next...

Count Jose didn't listen to a word of the pep talk; his mind was filled with thoughts of being unfairly treated.

Coordinating relations between countries sounds easy, but it's incredibly difficult to implement.

Since we are not subordinate to each other, why should we take Caesar's orders?

Without sufficient benefits, the mere title of Crown Prince of the Alpha Kingdom is not enough to warrant everyone risking their lives.

If things are going well, that's fine, but if you encounter a bad situation, then everyone will scatter when disaster strikes.

The Behemoth Legion was exposed to the Alpha Kingdom's army, as was the expeditionary force.

The only difference is the order in which they discovered each other.

By the time Prince Butzwig received the message, the distance between the two sides had been reduced to forty miles.

Faced with an enemy force far exceeding their own, Prince Butzwig was equally uncertain about whether to engage in battle.

Although the Behemoth Clan are said to be invincible with ten thousand lives, that's just bragging.

It's fine to scare the enemy, but if you take it seriously, tragedy is sure to follow.

The core factor in deciding whether to launch a war is not only whether it can be won, but also how much cost will be incurred.

The Behemoths' invincible reputation in the Behemoth Clan battles is half earned through real combat and half through their skill in choosing the right moment to strike.

Knowing full well that the enemy is stronger than us, and still foolishly charging forward, that's not fighting a war, that's just throwing your life away.

"Are you sure it's the Alpha Kingdom's expeditionary force, and not the newly formed legion of the Moxi people?"

Prince Butzwig asked with concern.

Both are human armies, but their combat capabilities are not entirely the same.

As the battle has progressed, the Orc Empire has developed its own criteria for assessing the combat capabilities of the human army.

Among the armies of the three northern kingdoms, the army of the Alpha Kingdom may not be the strongest in terms of combat power, but it is certainly the most troublesome.

As rivals for centuries, they know each other all too well. They are acutely aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Given this understanding, targeted methods will naturally be developed.

Especially the private armies of old noble families, passed down from generation to generation, have had many details subtly ingrained in their very being.

Faced with these countermeasures, the Orc Empire did consider making changes. Unfortunately, some racial traits and habits cannot be changed so easily.

Being difficult to deal with does not mean being invincible. Even if you discover the opponent's weakness, it is only relative.

Given the absolute disparity in strength, the Alpha Kingdom's army was still the one taking the beating; the only difference was that they could hold out a little longer.

Racial divisions have led to a lack of transparency in intelligence between the two sides.

Even without knowing the strength of the Alpha Kingdom's expeditionary force, Prince Butzwig had to take it seriously, based solely on the strength demonstrated by the First Army.

"Your Highness, it is indeed the expeditionary force of the Alpha Kingdom. Even if flags can be disguised, the unique characteristics of the two armies cannot be changed."

The enemy forces ahead look very similar to the Laite County Legion we've been monitoring, the only difference being that their formation is somewhat chaotic and lacks the palpable menacing aura that's immediately apparent from afar.

Upon receiving a definitive answer, Prince Butzwig was both pleased and worried.

The cannon fodder under his command cannot be relied upon. To swallow an enemy army far exceeding his own size, a single Behemoth Legion is not enough.

The only saving grace is that the enemy doesn't seem as strong as expected.

In the era of cold weapons, many factors had to be considered to determine whether an army was elite.

But determining whether they are not elite is very simple.

Without a palpable aura of menace, it means they've never seen blood. No matter how well-trained such an army is, it can't be considered elite.

After a slight hesitation, Prince Butzwig decided to fight.

Fleeing without a fight is not the style of the Behemoth Clan.

Moreover, their destination was Dapes City, and even if they wanted to avoid it, the enemy might not let them leave.

"Satuk, go to the Silvermoon Wolf Tribe's camp immediately and tell them..."