The Human Alliance Makes Its Move
The first joint military conference ended without result, not because the two sides were uncooperative, but because they genuinely could not find an opportunity to take action before the enemy made a mistake.
The Behemoth Cavalry remained thirty miles away, and Hudson didn't dare lead his infantry to pursue them.
Besides, the enemy has legs too. If you can't beat them, can't you at least run away?
Even if all the cavalry of the Moxi Duchy were present, the combined forces would only amount to three cavalry legions plus a few Knight Order.
They might be able to hold their own against the Behemoth Legion head-on, but encircling and annihilating them was out of the question. Their cavalry was simply insufficient to form an encirclement.
The Beastfolk aren't stupid; since they came in divided forces, they're likely prepared. Unless we take care of the swarming eaglemen first, defeating them one by one will be extremely difficult.
Taking a risky battle is not impossible, but given the current situation, the Moxi Duchy simply cannot afford a crushing defeat.
Hudson, who had just entered the upper echelons of society, was also unwilling to gamble his hard-won position on military adventures.
If no opportunity to strike can be found, then all that can be done is wait. Losing 300,000 troops in one fell swoop, even if they were all cannon fodder, is not something that can be replenished in a short time.
According to intelligence provided by the Moxi people, among the five reinforcements from the Orc Empire, the army of the Bearman Imperial Court is the most powerful.
Hudson isn't afraid of the Beastfolk arriving quickly; he's afraid they'll deliberately slow down their march and arrive on the same day.
With five armies converging, plus the Behemoth Cavalry legion, it was another large-scale battle.
For some reason, Hudson gets a headache whenever the topic of "major battles" comes up now.
With the strength of the expeditionary force, plus the large army assembled by the Moxi people, holding Dapes should not be a problem, but the hope of achieving a great victory is really slim.
Military plans were not developed, but several contingency plans were prepared. However, those were not of much concern to Hudson. If the situation deteriorated to an uncontrollable point, the expeditionary force would not have as many concerns as the Moxi people.
He declined the Moxi people's offer to stay and returned to the camp. The final casualty report of last night's battle also reached Hudson's hands.
As he had predicted, the casualties exceeded 10,000. Fortunately, most of the wounded were rescued and, after a few days of rest and nutritional replenishment, became a group of good soldiers again.
The final casualties numbered 6,376, of which 5,827 were confirmed dead in battle. The remaining unlucky ones either got lost or ended up on the Beastfolk's barbecue grill.
"Pass down the order to have the cavalry clear out the nearby fleeing soldiers and search for the missing personnel!"
If you encounter Behemoth Cavalry on the road, do not engage them; return to camp immediately.
Hudson gave the order expressionlessly.
"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers." Having led troops on campaigns for more than half a year and witnessed countless deaths, he has now developed a "heart of stone."
Being soft-hearted won't solve anything. The most important thing now is to find a way to drive away the Beastfolk so I can go back to being a noble lord.
The expeditionary force suffered considerable losses, but gained even more. The inexperienced recruits, having been baptized by last night's battle, have now seen their share of "big scenes."
Compared to before, the soldiers exuded a noticeable more menacing aura, and their entire demeanor changed.
This kind of change was all too familiar to Hudson. It was just that in the past, it would only happen after several battles, but this time it happened in one night.
Indeed, it is the brutal battles that forge the strongest soldiers.
Although the total strength of the expeditionary force was reduced, the new recruits transformed into veterans, and their combat effectiveness actually increased slightly.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
The deafening battle cries echoed across the heavens and earth as the assembled Warhammer Kingdom army launched an attack on the Beastfolk infantry camp.
Arrows rained down from the sky, and stones tumbled down.
The Magic Crystal Cannon also appeared out of nowhere to join the fun.
However, only the human army was equipped with these scattered Magic Crystal Cannon; the Beastfolk army, which had come with minimal entourage, could not carry such heavy equipment.
Joseph found it hard to believe that the Beastfolk infantry had been surrounded so easily.
It was like a dream, as if the Beastfolk had suddenly gone mad and were left to their own devices.
"Your Majesty, the Beastfolk cavalry are not in a hurry to come and reinforce us; instead, they are causing more and more destruction."
News from various places suggests that the enemy intends to bypass us and advance northwards to cooperate with the Beastfolk army in the north to open a breach!
The words of the Minister of Military Affairs, Tiago, were like a bucket of cold water, thoroughly chilling Joseph II's joy.
That's not how the script was prepared. The original plan was to besiege the Beastfolk infantry, lure the Beastfolk cavalry to their aid, and then engage them in a decisive battle.
Unexpectedly, the siege plan was completed quickly, but the Beastfolk cavalry did not play by the rules and started to fight their own game.
The Beastfolk can afford to lose 30,000 infantry, but the Warhammer Kingdom cannot afford to lose its northern defenses.
If the Beastfolk army breaks through the pass, the present state of the Moxi Duchy will be the future state of the Warhammer Kingdom.
Their situation might even be worse; the Orc Empire clearly values the Warhammer Kingdom Moxi Duchy far more than the Morshean Principality.
A strong defensive line is only effective against external enemies. If an enemy attacks from behind, the situation is entirely different.
"If we first annihilate the Beastfolk army within the encirclement, and then return to reinforce the northern defenses, will we have enough time?"
Joseph II asked with concern.
Before the Minister of Military Affairs could speak, the Prime Minister spoke first, "Your Majesty, now it's not just a matter of whether we have enough time or not, but what exactly the Beastfolk want to do."
The Beastfolk cavalry did indeed march north, but they also wreaked havoc along the way, burning houses, destroying farmland, and driving out civilians...
Everything they passed through was reduced to ruins.
The provinces along the way can basically be declared useless. If this continues, there won't be a single clean spot left in the entire Warhammer Great Plains.
The foundations of the kingdom have been shaken.
The millions of refugees currently wandering the country have also become a new threat. In some areas, there have even been farcical incidents of refugees storming noble castles and looting food.
The reality is far more serious than Chancellor Guy described. The devastation to local economies will directly weaken the Warhammer Kingdom's war potential.
The most direct consequence is that the army's logistical support will be compromised.
Without the fertile Warhammer Great Plains, the mountainous provinces in the west of the kingdom alone could not bear the enormous resource consumption of a large army.
Even if all the wealth accumulated by the nobles were drained, it would still be a drop in the ocean.
We can't count on allies for help either; even if everyone is willing to donate generously, it will be difficult to get supplies delivered.
As the most remote kingdom of the human race, Warhammer Kingdom has certainly escaped countless internal conflicts, but it also finds it difficult to obtain help from other countries when it encounters a crisis.
If supplies are to be transported, it will inevitably have to pass through the Duchy of Orton or the Moxi Duchy. Not only is the journey long, but both countries are currently in a situation where they simply do not have the capacity to help them organize transportation.
They can use up their reserves for a short time, but if this kind of idleness continues, the collapse of the Warhammer Kingdom will only be a matter of time.
As the military issue shifted into an economic one, Joseph II became increasingly troubled.
Suddenly, he understood why the Beastfolk infantry had been able to easily surround them.
As problems began to emerge in the rear, the logistics of the 700,000-strong army that had been assembled were slowly being devoured by the Beastfolk army.
This kind of devastating destruction is far more effective than simply raiding supply lines.
If the besieged Beastfolk infantry can hold out for a while, this army of 700,000 will collapse on its own due to food shortages.
Although he believed he had uncovered the enemy's plot, Joseph II felt no joy whatsoever.
To assemble this army of 700,000, the military forces of several provinces in the rear had been drained. Faced with the unimpeded advance of the Beastfolk cavalry, the local forces were almost powerless to resist.
Even the nobles who remained to defend the castle could not withstand the onslaught of the Beastfolk army. The fact that cavalry were not suited for sieges did not mean that they could not command serfs to attack cities.
You can't expect everyone to be tough; when a knife is held to your throat, someone will always be willing to cooperate with the Beastfolk army.
From the moment Duke Daniel forbade the massacre and began using refugees to create trouble for the Warhammer Kingdom, this war became unlike any other.
The Warhammer Kingdom now not only has to provide food and supplies for its army, but also find ways to help refugees. If any link in the chain fails, it will be a devastating blow, shattering this ancient kingdom into pieces.
If Joseph II had known the Beastfolk would play this way, he would never have amassed a large army and come to fight them.
While the troops were scattered across various locations and could not stop the Beastfolk's advance, the enemy's cavalry could not possibly move so smoothly.
It would be impossible for at least a dozen cavalrymen to drive thousands of serfs to cause destruction or even besiege noble castles.
The inability to arbitrarily divide forces means that the enemy's destructive speed will be greatly reduced, and they will also be able to buy more time for emergency preparations.
Unfortunately, reality doesn't offer "what ifs." If he could do it all over again, Joseph II might not have been able to withstand the pressure.
While it may seem that he initiated the war in the Artrus Province, it was actually orchestrated by multiple interest groups within the kingdom.
Since everyone's roots are on the Warhammer Great Plains, what can we do?
Who would be willing to abandon their family business and retreat to the west to resist without even putting in a little effort?
People are less valuable when they leave their homeland, and this applies to nobles as well. Without a strong foundation to support them, even if they make a strategic retreat with their armies, their influence in the kingdom will be greatly diminished.
War is full of variables. No matter how strong you are, if you lose the ability to replenish your forces, you will only get weaker and weaker as the war goes on.
After the war and the recovery of lost territories, the original foundations will have nothing to do with these disillusioned people. If they are lucky, they may receive some compensation and appeasement; if they are unlucky, they will not even have the right to live to see that day.
Interests determine one's stance. Marshal Borg was able to advocate abandoning the Warhammer Great Plains and retreating to the western mountains because he was the representative of the interests of the nobles in the western provinces.
Joseph II was no good; the royal family's foundation was in the Warhammer Great Plains, and its core supporters were also in the Warhammer Great Plains.
If they dare to abandon their base, their own people might start rioting even before the Beastfolk attack.
Individuals cannot go against the general trend; even if they know that the road ahead is fraught with risks, they can only bite the bullet and go for it.
The problem is being raised now because their foundations are being destroyed by the Beastfolk cavalry, and they urgently need a way to save them.
"What if we give up..."
Joseph II swallowed back what he was about to say, having only spoken halfway through his sentence.
Breaking the encirclement is easy, but these tens of thousands of Beastfolk infantry will become like leeches, sticking to their heels the whole way.
The moment the army shows the slightest weakness, these enemies will pounce. They are all elite troops, and once they start fighting, the losses they inflict on the army will be substantial.
Sending reinforcements north was even less feasible, as infantry's mobility was far inferior to that of cavalry. It was estimated that their deployment had only lasted a few days before the Beastfolk cavalry turned their guns back and attacked.
With coordinated attacks from within and without, most of the remaining troops are doomed.
To work hard only to suffer heavy losses and put oneself in a strategically passive position is a sure way to lose big.
Moreover, after the great battle, the balance of power between the two sides will change, and the situation will deteriorate further.
"Isn't there any good news at all?"
Joseph II asked with a helpless expression.
"Your Majesty, we have just received news from the Moxi Duchy that they have defeated the Beastfolk army that was besieging Dapes."
As long as the situation in the Moxi Duchy can withstand the counterattack of the Beastfolk reinforcements in the upcoming battle, the situation in the Duchy of Moxi can be stabilized.
Good news also came from the Alpha Kingdom: the Beastfolk army was finally stopped after breaking through three lines of defense.
It is said that they also launched a counterattack, successively defeating three Beastfolk legions and annihilating more than 200,000 Beastfolk troops.
The first batch of reinforcements from the Human Alliance has now all set off. A total of 300,000 elite troops will arrive in the Moxi Duchy within two months at the earliest.
In addition, the alliance meeting approved the Alpha Kingdom's previous proposal that all major powers would send experts to reinforce the front lines first.
The support this time is substantial; every faction with a seat in the legislature has sent at least one Earth Knight or Magister.
Each vote represents a top expert, and the major powers have also pledged to send Sky Knight to participate in the war. These experts will arrive one after another in a month.
Once these forces are in place, we will completely suppress the Orc Empire in terms of high-end power.
Foreign Minister Cassidy calmly dropped a bombshell.
The group, who had initially worried that the situation was spiraling out of control, suddenly realized that there was still a chance to salvage it. If they could hold out until reinforcements arrived, there was a possibility of turning the tide.
The only problem lies in the allocation of reinforcements.
Three hundred thousand elite troops is no small number; it exceeds the entire military strength of many countries.
Before the war broke out, among the many human forces, only five had Standing Army of more than 300,000, and in the north, there was only the Alpha Kingdom.
However, while there were many reinforcements, there were also many countries that needed them. After the reinforcements were distributed among everyone, there wasn't much left.
How many reinforcements did the kingdom receive?