There are many Orcs in the Fragrant Mountain Plains. Ryan said there are ten thousand, but in fact, there are more.
The nobles of the Northwind Province have stockpiled enough food for 18,000 garrison troops to last for three months, in preparation for the difficulties of transportation in winter.
The day the fortress was breached, the soldiers had no time to care about the logistical supplies, which naturally all went to the Orcs.
Therefore, those who remained in this fortress were the Black Goat Orcs, who possessed a large amount of food, and their numbers exceeded 20,000.
"In a fortress, numbers aren't everything. We can block those entrances, close the southern gate, and besides, they don't know our numbers, do they?"
The battle cries were deafening. The Knight Retainer did not ride horses, but charged into the hidden paths as infantry. The Orcs who were still asleep were not able to react in time before being pierced through the chest by the sharp longswords made by the Frozen Earth Territory.
It's not that you can't cut off heads, but Orcs ' bones are hard, and cutting off heads would also be a wear and tear on the knight's weapon.
Piercing the heart would be much simpler. Orcs don't wear much clothing anyway; the linen clothes they snatched from humans were reduced to mere strips of cloth by the time they were on them, which wouldn't stop the sword from piercing through.
As the screams of dozens of Orcs rang out, the other Orcs around them gradually woke up and reacted. They glared angrily at the humans who had appeared, and charged at them with weapons they had stolen or simply with their bare hands.
Orcs have no concept of morale. Before truly facing the fear of death, Orcs are always violently eager to kill any human in front of them. They are even less sensitive to numbers than these soldiers.
As three or four hundred corpses fell, the remaining Orcs, stimulated by the blood, became even more agitated, while others began to retreat out of fear of death.
The large number of Orcs were divided into two groups. Around Ryan, his servants continuously slaughtered the raging Orcs who charged forward. They were not ordinary soldiers, or even ordinary knights. Ryan standing among them formed the most crucial layer of conviction.
The powerful strength of these Knight Retainer was in no way inferior to that of the strong Orcs. Their agility, superb skills, and even their strong fighting spirit were all suppressing the Black Goat Orcs in front of them.
They were more like ferocious beasts than Orcs, but at the same time, the Knight Retainer possessed the calmness and rationality of humans.
In groups of three to five, or ten to a complete unit, they would help each other and defend against attacks from any direction. This was their battle formation in war, and such orderly military discipline ensured the fighting strength of these thousand Knight Retainer.
One after another, the Black Goat Orcs fell before them, while the soldiers, huddled together, held shields in one hand and swords in the other, and continued to charge forward.
The thousands of ordinary soldiers around them, seeing the Orcs fall so weakly, finally regained their confidence. Morale doesn't matter much to Orcs, but it's the most terrifying buff to humans.
Strong morale allows mortals to face the Dragons's breath fire directly, while a rout can cause humans to flee for their lives when faced with an army of skeletons, only to be chased and slaughtered by them.
Inside the Fragrant Mountain Plains Fortress, the Orcs further away were also alarmed. The still-sleepy Black Goat Orcs were somewhat agitated, their eyes bloodshot as they searched for traces of humans. With no higher ruler appearing, these Black Goat Orcs acted without any order. Instead of waiting for a large number of Orcs to gather together, they charged towards the direction of the human voices they heard in their own way.
However, the Black Goat Orcs at the Black Goat Orcs behind them. But there were too many of them. As the Black Goat Orcs at the front died one after another, in the end, a large number of Black Goat Orcs still surrounded the human army in the middle.
Looking around, Ryan saw a dark mass of Werewolves, whose faces were relatively handsome compared to Werewolves, but their eyes and the ram horns covered in Demons language made them look particularly terrifying.
The jet-black fur is a distinctive feature of the Black Goat Orcs and a reason for their strength. It should be noted that the Northlands is covered in snow and ice, a world of pure white. The fact that the Black Goat Tribe have been able to survive is proof of their strength.
Even if the Black Goat Orcs here are just ordinary civilians in their own tribe, they are not even qualified to follow the Orcs Black Goat Orcs entered the Northwind Province to kill humans and plunder the South lands.
They are still powerful, more powerful than ordinary human soldiers, and twice as powerful as these human soldiers who have no defenses.
"Remember what I said this morning: take this place, take the fortress. That's your only hope for survival."
"To die or to live, let the corpses of these damned Orcs tell us the answer."
"Kill!"
The Orcs roared and charged toward the humans, and the soldiers went berserk, recklessly stabbing at the charging Black Goat Orcs.
The narrow fortress road was blocked by humans, allowing them to avoid facing all the Orcs enemies at once. This gave ordinary soldiers a chance to catch their breath, and when the soldiers in front fell, the soldiers behind could take over and continue to resist the attack of these Black Goat Orcs.
Of course, the main battlefield was still the thousand Knight Retainer of the Stag Legion led by Ryan. They gathered on a street and blocked the largest number of Black Goat Orcs. They wore full-body armor, and with the slashing of their longswords, sweat seeped from the gaps in their armor and mixed with the blood on the ground.
The muddy ground and the stimulation of blood drove the Black Goat Orcs increasingly mad. Fewer Black Goat Orcs fled, and in their minds, it seemed as if the whispers of Demons were calling them to kill and make blood sacrifices.
Suddenly, one of the Black Goat Orcs roared powerfully at the sky. Thin, dark lines appeared in his blood-red eyes, forming a language that humans could not understand. Finally, the Black Goat Orcs broke off the horns on his head.
Blood and pain enveloped the Black Goat Orcs. He roared, echoing the voices of the Black Goat Orcs around him. As the blood flowed, his two horns transformed into slender scimitars. The Black Goat Orc Warriors, now wielding a weapon and surging with power, charged forward. His scimitars slashed wildly at the knight's longsword, growing faster and faster. When a scimitar bypassed the longsword's parry and struck the knight's armor, the immense force caused even the knight's expression to change.
Among the Black Goat Orcs, the second, the third, and in the blink of an eye, hundreds of Black Goat Orcs elevated their extraordinary attributes, unreasonably transforming into Black Goat Orc Warriors, breaking off their horns and charging towards the knights.
"It's blood."
Orcs are bloodthirsty, drawing Deities favor from savage blood and slaughter. But Ryan never expected these Black Goat Orcs to be so bloodthirsty, so easily breaking free of the supernatural shackles within them.
Ryan suspected that the Great Being served by the Black Goat Orcs was, in some way, showing signs of awakening.
"Kill them with all your might!"
Ryan roared, then drew his weapon. The moment the Legendary longsword was unsheathed, flames transformed into Dragons that appeared in mid-air. Then the entire fiery Dragons descended from the sky and crashed down among the Black Goat Orcs.
The blazing flames burned the bodies of hundreds of Black Goat Orcs. The dragon's breath flames were not so easily extinguished. One by one, the Black Goat Orcs rolled on the ground, but in the end, they could only lie on the ground as charred corpses.
Ryan is Sky Knight, and among the Black Goat Orcs, there is none who can compare to him.
Not only that, but he also had Brandt by his side. Ryan used the materials born from the death of the Deities in the Otherworld to obtain the potion of the Life Seed. In just a few months, Brandt had already successfully become Sky Knight.
The stag roared, Brandt planted his longsword in the ground in front of him. Then, as if pulling out a radish, he flung the sword out, and the powerful blood energy transformed into a blood-red wave that knocked the surrounding Black Goat Orcs away.
Sky Knight and Golden Knight are practically two different species. At this point, they have already been able to expand their attack range beyond the edge that their longswords can reach.
The qi and blood within the body are no longer limited by the size of the body; the small human body is qualified to contain Blood-and-Qi Force comparable to that of Dragons.
This was a qualitative change, making war as casual to them as a game of Musou.
Of course, this is on the premise that the enemy they are facing is not superhuman.
Ryan and Brandt went all out, but their provocation only spurred more Black Goat Orcs to make extraordinary breakthroughs and become Black Goat Orc Warriors.
The scimitars slashed towards Ryan, but Ryan swung his longsword, not only melting the two scimitars but also unleashing scorching flames that ignited seven or eight Black Goat Orcs.
The power of Legendary weapons is far greater than this, but this is all that Ryan can currently unleash.
Without holding back, Brandt guarded Ryan's side, while Ryan charged forward. He was fast and strong, and flames formed a path in front of him, through which Ryan severed the heads of all the Black Goat Orcs.
He kept killing, but for Sky Knight, there was an even more convenient way to slaughter: Knight Combat Technique. Powerful Knight Combat Technique, like the breath of Dragons, could destroy a town. However, Ryan had not yet mastered any Knight Combat Technique. The Heroic Spirit's Spear and Shield of the Stag he had previously acquired were more like passive abilities that he had absorbed.
The extraordinary Black Goat Orc Warriors are harder to kill, but their numbers are still too small. Ryan and Brandt's killing speed is close to the speed at which the Black Goat Orcs become warriors, keeping the number of Black Goat Orc Warriors on the battlefield hovering around one or two hundred.
Finally, Black Goat Orcs Black Goat Orc Warriors. This phenomenon seemed to indicate a retreat, a unique occurrence in the Black Goat Orcs civilization. Large numbers of Orcs began to retreat, leaving behind the utterly berserk Black Goat Orcs.
"Don't chase after them."
Ryan's breathing quickened. The Black Goat Orcs weren't just pigs standing in front of him to be killed. Every strike was a waste of energy, as were his Knight Retainer behind him. As for the ordinary soldiers, they had already lost the strength to fight when the Black Goat Orcs retreated.
Instead of resting on the spot, the army retreated to a relatively safe place before finally sitting down against the houses. The ground was covered with corpses and blood.
One after another, warhorses walked through the streets and alleys. They were very intelligent and had been waiting.
"Take a 15-minute break."
The time was only roughly estimated, and fifteen minutes later, all the Knight Retainer mounted their horses. Ryan looked around and saw that some warhorses still had empty backs; their masters had died in the battle just now, which was inevitable. Ryan's army was not immortal, and casualties would also occur when facing Orcs.
The warhorses galloped wildly along the road, charging towards the granary. The road was wide and flat, as wagons transporting grain couldn't afford to travel on rough roads.
The neighing of warhorses startled the Black Goat Orcs had recently returned. They were stationed here, and for Orcs, nothing was more reassuring than sleeping next to food.
At this moment, they were also enduring the charge of the cavalry.
"Kill!"
Ryan's Amber Sword could easily cut through the bones of Orcs. With the charge of his warhorse, more than a dozen Black Goat Orcs at his hands, while the speed of the cavalry around and behind him resulted in no casualties.
After resting for less than two minutes, the Black Goat Orcs fled again. This time, they had no direction and fled in any direction, wherever there was a way to move forward.
"Run towards the chief!"
Amidst the chaos, it was unclear whether it was humans or Black Goat Orcs who roared. As if they had found their way, a large number of Black Goat Orcs ran towards the southern gate of the fortress. They certainly knew where their chieftain and the other Black Goat Orcs had gone.
During this process, the Black Goat Orcs completely lost the courage to resist. Ryan led his cavalry in a frenzied slaughter behind them. The only things that could stop them were the corpses that tripped them up and the ruins of buildings.
Rumble!!!
With iron hooves pounding on the stone pavement, Ryan arrived atop the high walls of the fortress. Looking at the muddy tracks on the snow outside and the silhouettes of the Black Goat Orcs in the distance, he guessed that about five or six thousand had escaped.
Did they kill more than 10,000 Orcs in the city? Ryan shook his head after thinking for a moment; the number was wrong.
"There are still Orcs hiding in this fortress. Find them."
With a series of booming sounds, the heavy city walls closed. At the same time, the magically inscribed metal gate on the north side also fell. There were three gates on the north side, and only one city gate on the south side. This was not surprising, as the Fragrant Mountain Plains Fortress was built to deal with the Orcs in the Northlands, so it naturally focused on defense.
Ryan returned to the soldiers and looked at those who were still alive... perhaps less than 1,500. The war was indeed brutal. They faced four or five times their number of Orcs, and relied on the narrow environment to fight bravely, persevering until the victory of the Stag Legion through courage and bloodshed.
"Victory belongs to us. We have recaptured the Fragrant Mountain Plains Fortress, and now, in the name of the nobles, I grant you permission to enter the warehouse and take all the supplies you are entitled to."
"However, I need you to assure me that what you bring out includes at least a leather armor and a weapon."
"Don't forget how you survived, and don't forget that there is only one thing in this fortress that can provide you with food and clothing."
Ryan slowly led the soldiers to the warehouse. The exhausted soldiers became excited and energetic at this moment, and the pessimistic atmosphere brought by war and death gradually disappeared.
Each soldier carried two large sacks, almost as tall as a person. Ryan had them choose their defensive and offensive equipment, which they then put on and gripped the sacks with all their might.
Looking at Baron Ryan and the numerous Knight Retainer behind Baron, the soldiers shrank back, feeling somewhat uneasy and fearful.
They're taking a lot; what if the noble lord disagrees? What if...?
"This fortress is very large and has military camps. Move your food inside. From now on, you will be the garrison of this fortress and will defend against the Orcs ' attacks."
The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, they weren't asked to leave their food.
This much grain is enough for their family to eat for several months.
"There's one more thing."
Ryan's voice made the soldiers' hearts tighten again.
"Go and collect the corpses from the battlefield. Throw the Orcs corpses under the South fortress walls. Collect the corpses of your comrades, cover them with ice, and let the nobles behind them deal with them after the war ends."
The soldiers relaxed completely, and Baron Ryan never targeted the rations in their hands.
After the soldiers left, Ryan looked at Brandt, who was somewhat embarrassed, and then looked at the centurions behind him.
"Leave half."
The Knight Retainer rushed into the warehouse, unloaded the supplies, and sent them through the Planar Gate into the Bilki World. There, Bilki's people would naturally transport the supplies to Ryan's warehouse.
Ryan's eating habits weren't that extreme; leaving half the food was enough. As for whether there was enough food...
Most of the grain supplied by the Empire to the Northwind Province is not here, but in the castles of the nobles. When food becomes scarce here, they naturally need to replenish the grain supply later.