Otherworldly Matchlocks

Warhammer Kingdom, Artrus Province.

Unable to defeat the Beastfolk infantry, the Warhammer Kingdom army, realizing they had been tricked, was forced to make a strategic retreat.

"What?"

"Are the Moxi people all idiots? They'd rather let the Terence Defense Line fall than send troops to reinforce it?"

Joseph II's surprise did not resonate with the crowd.

War is cruel, but any price is worth paying to achieve final victory.

Allowing the Terence Defense Line to fall was certainly not what the Moxi people wanted. Unfortunately, after the Battle of Dadir City ended, only two isolated cities remained of the Terence Defense Line.

The defensive line became a line without a defense, thus losing its original strategic value. An isolated city without sufficient strategic value is not worth risking the nation's fate to rescue.

Making appropriate sacrifices to avoid falling into a strategic passive position again is entirely worthwhile.

A similar situation occurred in the Warhammer Kingdom. The army's strategic shift was directed towards the easily defensible western mountains, rather than rushing to the front lines to reinforce the ironclad defenses.

The choice made by the Moxi people was almost identical, except that the Moxi Duchy lacked sufficient strategic depth and could only hold onto the Royal Capital and fight the Beastfolk to the death.

Everyone made the most rational choice, but this time the Moxi Duchy inadvertently caused trouble for the Warhammer Kingdom again. Although it was unintentional, Joseph II still found it hard to accept.

After removing the nail, the Beastfolk army faced two choices: continue south to the Moxi Duchy, or march west to the Warhammer Kingdom.

The Orc Empire's choice was to have it all. They continued their invasion of the Moxi Duchy, advancing south while reinforcing their forces against the Warhammer Kingdom.

The sudden appearance of over 300,000 enemy troops at the front lines would be unpleasant for anyone.

Joseph II was furious at the current dire situation, which he attributed to being betrayed by his allies.

If it weren't for the incompetence of the Moxi people, who allowed the Beastfolk army to outflank them and launch an attack from their rear, the situation in the Warhammer Kingdom would never have deteriorated so quickly.

Thinking of this, he became jealous of the Alpha Kingdom. They had originally agreed that as "bad brothers," they would all get beaten up together and see who suffered the most, but someone had run away first.

The Alpha Kingdom may have suffered as many casualties as the other two kingdoms, but it managed to keep the Beastfolk army at bay in the north, with the main damage occurring in the northern provinces.

If the rear base is not severely damaged, no matter how great the losses on the front lines are, they can be recovered in a few years.

Unlike them and the Moxi Duchy, who suffered heavy casualties not only in their soldiers but also in their civilians, both countries have lost millions of lives in the war so far.

To put it bluntly, if half of the population of the two countries were to survive after the war, it would be thanks to the blessing of the Lord of Dawn.

Clearly, this is wishful thinking.

Given the current tactics of the Beastfolk army, the Warhammer Great Plains will have been turned into a wasteland before the war even ends.

Millions of people have been displaced and turned into tools of the enemy, constantly devouring the last sanctuary of the Warhammer Kingdom.

The resulting losses are incalculable. The political, economic, and cultural systems were completely destroyed by the enemy.

Without decades of recuperation, the Warhammer Kingdom will find it difficult to recover. Such a loss is undoubtedly a fatal blow to any nation.

Especially since it's at the critical juncture of Great Tribulation of Ten Thousand Years, without sufficient strength, one can't even sleep peacefully!

In fact, Joseph II hadn't considered that far ahead at all. The Warhammer Kingdom needed the present; as for the future, that could wait until they overcame the immediate difficulties.

"Your Majesty, what's done is done. There's no point in discussing whether the Moxi people's decision was right or wrong."

The most troublesome thing now is the Beastfolk cavalry. Our army has only gone less than a hundred miles, and we have been attacked by the enemy seven times, losing more than a thousand men.

The Beastfolk have clearly changed their previous tactical habits, no longer engaging us in direct confrontation. Instead, they have broken their large army into smaller units, dispersing them into regiments to follow our movements.

Upon discovering an opening, they would launch a surprise attack immediately, and after each strike, they would retreat instantly, never lingering in battle. We organized several counterattacks, but ultimately failed to capture the enemy.

While each attack may seem to cause only minor losses, the damage to morale and fighting spirit is irreparable.

Once our morale drops to a certain level, the enemy will launch a large-scale offensive, attempting to...

"Urgent!"

Urgent Report

Before the Minister of Military Affairs, Tiago, could finish speaking, he was interrupted by an urgent report.

Looking at the battle report in his hand, Joseph II's face grew increasingly grim. After a slight hesitation, he said angrily, "You're right, after our morale plummeted, the enemy did indeed launch a large-scale offensive!"

The prophecy unfortunately came true, leaving Tiago utterly helpless. He certainly didn't want this jinxed quality.

However, this was a result derived from rational deduction; he was simply stating the truth. Reason told him that this kind of devastating news would happen countless times in the future.

Theoretically speaking, with an army of over 600,000, the Warhammer Kingdom still possesses an absolute advantage in military strength.

Unfortunately, a large army does not equate to strength. The Beastfolk army that has entered the Warhammer Kingdom now numbers over 100,000, and is mainly composed of cavalry.

Despite seemingly possessing a numerical advantage, the Warhammer Kingdom has fallen into a completely passive strategic position. Even a strategic retreat would be fraught with peril.

What's even more frightening is that they have no choice; if they don't make a strategic shift now, they won't have the opportunity to do so in the future.

We did consider holding our ground and waiting for reinforcements, but the problem lay in the army's terrifying resource consumption—how could we solve that?

"Your Majesty, this is a plot by the enemy. They want to keep us on the plains and create an opportunity for their next attack on the western part of the kingdom."

If I'm not mistaken, the Orc Empire's true primary target this time is us; the Moxi Duchy and the Alpha Kingdom are just incidental collateral damage!

Chancellor Gaiyin said with a solemn expression.

The Orc Empire's strategy was an absolute disaster for the Warhammer Kingdom.

Having become the enemy's primary target, the situation they will face next will become even more severe.

Realizing this, everyone began to reflect on their previous responses. Unfortunately, there's no going back.

After sighing, Joseph II slowly said, "The Foreign Affairs Department should urge the Human Alliance to send reinforcements! We need reinforcements!"

At the same time, strengthen ties with the Alpha Kingdom and the Moxi Duchy. The Alpha Kingdom, in particular, has now launched a counter-offensive.

It would be even better if we could persuade them to shift their battle lines westward, making it appear as if they were cutting off the Beastfolk army's rear and disrupting the Beastfolk's strategic plans.

"Pass down the order: the 41st, 43rd, 46th, and 48th Army Corps, to immediately provide reinforcements..."

In the Moxi Duchy, the Hudson family, focused on stability, did not wait for the enemy to come to them. They ordered the construction of fortifications while actively seeking opportunities for war.

According to intelligence gathered, the Beastfolk army heading south numbered as many as 800,000, with as many as 15 elite main legions alone.

Based on the data on paper, the human alliance is clearly at a disadvantage. Now that no one is controlling the Beastfolk's rear, they can attack with complete confidence.

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The situation of being outnumbered and outmatched wasn't without its advantages. The most direct impact was that criticism of Hudson's appointment as commander-in-chief within the Moxi Duchy almost vanished overnight.

When survival is at stake, saving face is insignificant. Appointing a consistently victorious general as commander-in-chief is the best way to increase the chances of victory without increasing troop strength.

In order to win the war, the Moxi people also lowered their stance. The nobles who were once high and mighty were now able to humble themselves and take on the work of scouts.

They were forced into this situation; the Griffon Cavalry had been reduced to mere seeds. Nobles who possessed flying magical beasts became the replacements.

Unfortunately, their numbers were too small to be of much use; they could only keep an eye on the movements of the main Beastfolk army. More local reconnaissance would still have to rely on ground scouts.

To improve efficiency and ensure that intelligence is transmitted back as quickly as possible, the team leaders were all replaced with nobles who possessed Magical Beast Mount.

"The armies of Beastfolk Five Great Imperial Courts did not act together this time?"

Hudson asked in surprise.

"Yes, Your Excellency. The Beastfolk army is now divided into five groups, coming from different routes."

The distance between each enemy force was about thirty to fifty li, which was roughly a day's journey, presumably for mutual support.

The enemy was very vigilant. The eagle-man remained suspended in the sky, and it was difficult for them to miss any movement within dozens of miles.

..."

Being a nobleman as a scout is different; not only can they bring back intelligence, but they can also analyze, filter, and extract useful information.

Unfortunately, such extravagant "scouts" can only be used temporarily in times of crisis. If they are used to torment the noble lords in peacetime, it will inevitably lead to rebellion.

"This intelligence is very important. Viscount Kenny, thank you for your hard work! Go and rest now; I'll need your help to continue later."

Hudson said politely.

After a brief adjustment, he had accepted the fact that the Beastfolk army was splitting up. If the 800,000-strong army were to move together, the line would probably stretch for dozens of miles.

If the arrangements are not handled carefully, and the enemy is ambushed by the human army, a tragedy could occur where both sides are unable to defend each other. Even with eagle-men scouts who can detect enemy activity in advance, troop movements are still very troublesome.

Even if the journey is smooth sailing, the time the army spends on the road will increase significantly.

After all, there has always been a rule in military affairs: the larger the number of troops, the slower their marching speed.

Under these circumstances, splitting up the forces was the best option. The great distance between them was entirely due to the terrible road conditions in the Moxi Duchy.

The main roads suitable for a large army's advance are only this far apart. There's no time to open temporary roads; unless one has the courage to abandon the main roads and take side paths, they have no choice but to accept it.

The locations of the five main roads were marked on the map, and a group of high-ranking generals gathered around, carefully examining the map in search of a strategy to defeat the enemy.

"Count Hudson, the enemy's five armies are positioned too close together; the cavalry could arrive in an hour."

To launch a surprise attack on them, the battle would have to be ended quickly; once the fighting reaches a stalemate, the enemy will immediately surround them.

It seems the enemy anticipated our planned sneak attack and took precautions in advance.

"Count Martins said, feeling rather annoyed."

The opportunity for a surprise attack was gone, which was undoubtedly bad news for the coalition forces, who were already at a disadvantage.

"You're right, it's very difficult to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's deployment. But no matter how difficult it is, it's still an opportunity."

As long as we can deceive the Eaglemen scouts and ambush our troops in advance, we will have at least an hour and a half to fight.

Given the discord Beastfolk the Five Great Royal Families, such a need for reinforcements would inevitably be reported to their respective commanders for decision-making, which would actually take even longer.

Let's calculate based on a battle time of one and a half hours. Defeating the enemy in such a short time is definitely hopeless.

However, if we lower our expectations and simply create chaos for the enemy, thus delaying their advance, it is not difficult.

If the attack were launched at night, the damage would be even greater. There are many abandoned noble castles along the way; finding a few hiding places shouldn't be difficult, right?

Hudson said calmly.

Different approaches to a problem lead to different outcomes. It's difficult to defeat an enemy by exploiting their divided forces, but creating chaos is incredibly easy.

Even a one-day delay means the enemy's attack will be delayed by one day.

Hudson had calculated that, with the main road destroyed, the Beastfolk army would still have at least thirteen days to reach Dapes.

The enemy effectively has only one month left to attack. As long as the army remains undefeated within a month, reinforcements from the Human Alliance will arrive.

It can be said that every day now is of paramount importance to both sides in the conflict, directly determining the future fate of the Moxi Duchy.

"Hiding troops is indeed not difficult, but if we want to avoid being detected by the Eaglemen, we can only send a small number of troops to travel over at night via side roads."

For safety reasons, it is best that each unit has no more than one thousand people.

Furthermore, they must all be elite cavalry to ensure they can evade enemy pursuit after launching a surprise attack.

With such a small force deployed, it can at most create some minor chaos, and it's unlikely to cause much damage to the enemy.

If they get bogged down by the enemy, there is a risk of total annihilation.

Count Fedris objected.

As a cautious general, he had no interest in any military adventures.

This caution, while causing him to miss many opportunities, also allowed him to avoid many crises.

The last time he encountered the Behemoth Legion in open battle, he relied on this cautious mindset to hold out against the enemy's strong attack and preserve most of his troops.

It was also because of this caution that they did not dare to follow the Behemoth Cavalry with their Knight Order after their retreat, thus missing an opportunity to annihilate the entire Behemoth Legion.

"Count Fedris, your approach is traditional. We are now facing Beastfolk, a bunch of beasts who are not worthy of our knightly rules."

Bring along Undead and set up several hidden Altar along the way; the dead Beastfolk are the best sacrifices. Then let the Undead creatures and Beastfolk have their fun.

Some traps can also be set up along the way, so that enemy cavalry can be lured into the traps if they pursue.

As for specific instructions, I think it's best to consult the mage group; they'll likely have a better solution.

In the last great war, we proved that equipping cavalry with miniature crossbows could have unexpected effects, and we can continue to do so this time.

Especially when targeting elite Beastfolk cavalry, crossbow attacks are more cost-effective. Causing more damage to the enemy along the way will definitely inflict significant losses.

Hudson said calmly.

In his view, the Magic Crossbow is the "musket" of the Aslant Continent. If it weren't for its exorbitant cost, it could have brought human civilization into the age of firearms.

No matter how high the cost, when a country invests in something regardless of cost, it can achieve certain results.

After Hudson took over as commander, he ordered the Alchemy in the Royal Capital to work at full speed to produce more. Currently, they are producing fifteen per day, which is definitely a drop in the ocean.

Production capacity was indeed severely insufficient, but thanks to the contributions of the nobles and the existing equipment in the army, more than three thousand miniature Magic Crossbow were still managed to be assembled.

In a massive battle involving hundreds of thousands of people, such a small Magic Crossbow is insignificant. But in a small cavalry duel, it is a deadly weapon.