Battle Begins

With the support of the Moxi Duchy, the operation was quickly launched.

As for the issue of command, politics ultimately took precedence over military matters. After the implicit proposal was rejected, Crown Prince Caesar became the supreme commander of the allied forces.

Crown Prince Caesar was no military Little White to take on such a heavy responsibility.

Instead of foolishly leading their army to pursue and fight the Behemoth army, they set up camp on the spot, blocking their path.

In large-scale battles, the simpler the strategic deployment, the more effective it tends to be.

Fancy and elaborate plans often end up backfiring on the planners.

The Alpha Kingdom's expeditionary force, along with the newly formed legion of the Moxi Duchy, deployed on the spot under the arrangement of Crown Prince Caesar, awaiting the arrival of the Beastfolk army.

Despite his seemingly triumphant appearance as Crown Prince Caesar constantly inspected the camp's defenses, he was not as relaxed as he appeared.

Theory is just theory, and many deviations still occur when it is put into practice.

The performance of the five legions of the expeditionary force was generally unsatisfactory; the newly formed legion of the Moxi people was simply unwatchable.

A lack of combat experience was a common problem in these armies. From the commander to the lowest-ranking soldier, none of them had ever participated in large-scale battles.

If it weren't for Count Jose's assistance, he would have almost messed up the internal coordination work alone.

After many twists and turns, the deployment of troops was finally completed.

But when it came to encircling and Behemoth Legion, Crown Prince Caesar had absolutely no confidence. The reason was simply a lack of cavalry.

The expeditionary force managed to muster only a little over three thousand cavalrymen, and the three newly formed legions of the Moxi people had only eight hundred cavalrymen each.

With less Behemoth Cavalry, if they were to engage in a direct confrontation, they would likely be wiped out in a single charge.

Not only was the number of cavalry units unreasonable, but the combination of other troop types also failed to meet the requirements of military manuals.

In particular, the newly formed legions of the Moxi people did not have any Heavy Infantry units at all.

It's not that they don't know the importance of Heavy Infantry; it's simply that these armies have been formed for too short a time. Many of them were still serfs wielding hoes just two or three months ago.

Having only eaten their fill for two or three months, their physical condition simply did not allow them to become Heavy Infantry.

With so much bad news, there is some good news too.

At least according to further reconnaissance, it was discovered that the number of Beastfolk on the other side was slightly less than expected.

The total strength was less than 40,000 men, of which only 8,000 were Behemoth Cavalry. It can be basically confirmed that this was the same legion to which the cavalry regiment that was completely annihilated by the First Army belonged.

Even though they Behemoth Legion, there are still differences in strength within them.

However, compared to ordinary human armies, even the Behemoth Legion, which has the weakest combat power, is still ridiculously strong.

The fact that an entire cavalry regiment of this Behemoth Legion could be annihilated by the First Army proves that its combat strength should be among the lowest of all the Behemoth Legion.

This assessment gave Crown Prince Caesar sufficient confidence.

Once the first wave of attacks from the Beastfolk army is blocked, it will be time for a counterattack.

When the allied forces on both flanks press forward together, that will be the end for this Beastfolk army.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Early in the morning, Dietrich had just woken up and ordered a fire to be lit for cooking when shouts of battle erupted from the camp.

Before Dietrich could react, chaos erupted in the camp.

The Beastfolk army arrived far too quickly. Just yesterday they were more than forty miles apart, and now they've come to raid our camp early this morning. It's truly unexpected.

The barricades, horse traps, and various roadblocks were all futile against the Behemoth Cavalry, proving utterly ineffective.

A large contingent of Behemoth Cavalry charged into the camp of the County of Ruilin's expeditionary force and began a bloody massacre without saying a word.

Many soldiers had just crawled out of their tents and hadn't even had time to put on their armor when they were met with the Behemoth Cavalry's lances.

The Ruilin soldiers, who had enjoyed peace for countless years, had never seen such a scene before and were instantly thrown into a panic.

"Counterattack!"

"Organize a counterattack!"

Dietrich roared.

As a small country, the County of Ruilin is not wealthy. They have spared no expense for this rescue mission.

Dietrich was devastated when his painstakingly assembled legion, which had achieved nothing in the Moxi Duchy, was dealt this blow.

Even more distraught than him were the officers. Their leader kept ordering a counterattack, but how exactly should they carry out it?

It is very regrettable that the expeditionary force of the County of Ruilin has never conducted any drills in this regard.

Some noble families with a strong academic tradition did study relevant theoretical knowledge, but that was only in theory.

A small number of officers organized their private troops to intercept the Behemoth Cavalry in an attempt to stabilize the situation, but unfortunately they overestimated their own strength and underestimated the strength of the enemy.

Almost instantly, the soldiers who went forward to intercept them were easily defeated by the Behemoth Cavalry.

Infantry that have lost their ability to organize are doomed to be slaughtered under the guns of cavalry.

The bloody battle continued, and countless defeated soldiers of the County of Ruilin had fled their camp in all directions.

Realizing that all was lost, Dietrich could only light a signal fire to call for help from nearby allied forces.

Alongside them, the expeditionary force camp of the Duchy of Orton also lit up its smoke signals.

As "bad brothers," the Beastfolk army, while attacking the expeditionary force of the County of Ruilin, did not forget to launch a sneak attack on them as well.

Compared to the one-sided performance of the Rylin army, the Duchy of Orton expeditionary force performed slightly better.

Thanks to the King, the nobles of the Duchy of Orton generally had a higher level of initiative.

Head coach Raimondo has a good habit of getting up early for morning exercises, which has led the officers and soldiers to also develop the good habit of getting up early.

Although the camp's defenses were also inadequate, it had the advantage of discovering the Behemoth Cavalry a tiny bit earlier.

Of course, this "early" only meant discovering enemy activity a few miles ahead.

As for the sentries sent out, it's obvious that they didn't send back any intelligence beforehand, meaning they must have met with the Lord of Dawn ahead of time.

Of course, that's not necessarily true. The Behemoth Cavalry, when running at full speed, surpassed the speed of most warhorses.

Even if they spotted their movements a few miles in advance, and estimated that the enemy could still follow them into the camp by the time the scouts returned.

Setting off smoke signals was useless.

In the early morning, when the sky is just beginning to brighten and the fog has not yet dissipated, visibility is greatly affected.

With a little more time to prepare, most of the soldiers of the Duchy of Orton were able to don their armor and take up their weapons.

Unfortunately, the time was too short, and there wasn't enough time to arrange the troops.

However, given their reaction speed, even if the Behemoth Cavalry started preparing as soon as they set off, they still wouldn't be able to complete their troop deployment.

While directing the battle, Raimondo Douluo was also deeply troubled by self-blame and regret.

If the camp had been fortified more and more traps had been set up outside the main camp to target the Behemoth Cavalry, we wouldn't be in such a passive position.

It's all due to a lack of experience. If we were intercepting human cavalry, these preparations would have been more than sufficient.

Unfortunately, the Behemoths were far more powerful than warhorses, and small traps were nothing more than tickles to them.

As he watched the rising distress signal, Crown Prince Caesar was devastated.

The Beastfolk army is completely unpredictable!

Instead of attacking his central camp, he divided his forces to launch a surprise attack on his allies on both flanks, showing no martial spirit whatsoever.

They are mortal enemies, so condemnation is meaningless.

Being insulted by the enemy is itself a form of praise. The harsher the insults, the more enthusiastic the Beastfolk will be in their fight.

"How many Behemoth Cavalry are out on the field? How badly has the situation deteriorated?"

Crown Prince Caesar asked with concern.

With only ten miles separating the two camps, the Behemoth Cavalry's departure at dawn could not be kept secret from the expeditionary force.

Unfortunately, the Allied camp that was attacked was not far away, and at the same time the news came back, the signal fires for reinforcements were lit.

"Judging from the movements, the Behemoth Clan mobilized about four or five thousand cavalry, who launched a surprise attack from two directions at the same time."

The Griffon Cavalry have just sent back news that the expeditionary force of the County of Ruilin has begun to collapse, and the expeditionary force of the Duchy of Orton will probably not be able to hold out for much longer.

As for the newly formed Moxi people legion that was traveling with them, although they were not attacked by the Behemoth army, they still fell into chaos.

Count Jose replied solemnly.

This answer undoubtedly hurt Crown Prince Caesar deeply.

It was originally agreed that everyone would send their elite troops to support the Moxi Duchy, but they all turned out to be this kind of scoundrel.

There were only four or five thousand Behemoth Cavalry in total, and they had to split into two groups to operate. On average, each legion faced an enemy cavalry regiment.

When the First Army annihilated a Behemoth Cavalry regiment, everyone confidently boasted that they could do the same, and Caesar genuinely believed that both sides had sent their elite troops.

They didn't need to go out and annihilate the Behemoth Cavalry regiment; they were merely holding their camp, yet they still got routed.

This is no longer a matter of insufficient defense or being ambushed; it's a matter of their own combat capabilities being truly inadequate.

If it were an elite force, even if they were ambushed by Behemoth Cavalry, they could react quickly and drive the enemy out.

With a tenfold numerical advantage, even if it means Behemoth Cavalry sheer numbers, they could still crush them.

A direct cavalry charge into the main camp was inherently a high-risk gamble.

The cases recorded in history are all those of lucky gamblers who succeeded. The vast majority of gamblers who lost simply vanished without a trace.

Unfortunately, the Behemoth Cavalry are now the victors. Their success is not due to their mastery of the artillery, but simply because their opponents are utterly incompetent.

Send troops to rescue?

The idea was swiftly nipped in the bud by Crown Prince Caesar.

Politically, they needed to rescue their allies, but militaryly, the conditions did not allow it.

With only a limited number of cavalry, sending them out to rescue allies could easily result in our own demise.

After staring at the map for a while, Crown Prince Caesar hardened his heart and said, "The battle on both flanks won't end so quickly. Let our allies and the Behemoth Cavalry play it out slowly!"

The enemy attacked from both flanks, leaving the main camp at its most vulnerable.

"Send the order: the entire army is to attack the Beastfolk army!"

Count Jose was about to say something, but then swallowed his words back.

Now is indeed the best time for a decisive battle. Half of the Behemoth Cavalry will raid the flanks, leaving the central camp vulnerable.

The expeditionary forces of the County of Ruilin and the Duchy of Orton may not be particularly strong in combat, but they are numerous in number.

Including the two newly formed Moxi legions that were moving together, the total strength was over 60,000. Even if they couldn't defeat the Behemoth Cavalry, they could still wear them down considerably.

Having expended a great deal of energy, the Behemoth Cavalry were exhausted even though they immediately ended the battle and returned to their camp.

Even the most elite troops can't withstand this kind of torment.

If you don't take a proper rest and recuperate before immediately throwing yourself into a new battle, you'll probably only be able to unleash 40% or 50% of your full fighting strength.

If we miss this great opportunity, it will be difficult to defeat the Behemoth army again.

The only problem is that the two camps are ten miles apart. Abandoning all supplies to launch an attack would take at least an hour to reach the battlefield.

Upon thinking of the baggage train, Count Jose's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he hurriedly spoke:

"Your Highness, if we attack the enemy's main camp, their cavalry operating on both flanks are very likely to launch a surprise attack on our camp."

"Our supplies and provisions are all in the main camp. If the enemy cavalry manages to seize them, even if we win this battle, we'll be in big trouble."

It's more than just a big problem; it's clearly a matter of life and death.

If we lose our supplies, even with the cooperation of the Moxi people, and even if we are fighting on home soil, it will be difficult to gather enough provisions for the army in a short time.

The morale of the troops was predictably low when they were on an empty stomach.

The Beastfolk army that came this time was not just the Behemoth Clan. If they encountered other Beastfolk royal armies, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Let the newly formed legion of the Moxi people guard it. They can't help in this war anyway, so they might as well stay and guard the home."

Our camp is fairly well-fortified. As long as their allies learn from their mistakes, it shouldn't be difficult to stop the enemy cavalry from charging into the camp.

Crown Prince Caesar said calmly.

There have been many instances of cavalry storming large camps, but these were all based on the premise that the enemy was unprepared.

There is no precedent for a large camp that is well-prepared and has its troops deployed in advance being torn apart by cavalry.

It's not that we can't get in, it's just that the price we have to pay is too high.

If the losses during the attack on the main camp are too great, even if the main camp is forcibly torn apart, it will be a loss that does not outweigh the gains.

If it were possible to exchange tens of thousands of expeditionary troops for a Behemoth Cavalry legion, Crown Prince Caesar would not hesitate to say – exchange.

There's no way around it; cannon fodder troops are just that worthless.

In each Beastfolk invasion, the Alpha Kingdom suffered at least a million casualties. While it wasn't quite nine out of ten houses empty, the scene of every household weeping and every house hanging white sails was a true reflection of the plight of the common people.

Having seen so much in history books, Caesar had long since become insensitive to numbers.

With a command given, the expeditionary force marched out of the camp in a mighty procession, their spearhead aimed directly at the Beastfolk central army.

Within the Beastfolk army camp, Prince Butzwig watched the human army emerge from the horizon and sneered, muttering to himself, "They've finally come out!"

"Pass down the order, allowing the tribal leaders to lead their armies to attack freely."

No matter how they fight, we must hold out for an hour before we can retreat!

Satuk, send a message to our old friends, tell them the fish have come out and they can pull in the nets...