Forming Ranks for the All-out Assault

After the laughter subsided, someone interjected, "Well, your armor is sturdy and your spear is sharp. If those two were to clash, who would win and who would lose?"

I thought this question would stump the young soldier, but to my surprise, he said directly, "I don't know which one will win, but I know that in the end Lord Victor will lead us to victory!"

A moment later, someone shouted, "Well said! Let Lord Victor lead us to victory!"

"Lord Victor! Victory!"

"Victory!"

The slogan spread faster and faster, from soldiers to officers, and from officers to soldiers. Everyone was shouting it, the whole camp was shouting and cheering, as if they had already won a victory.

Victor joined in the shouting, and several officers beside him also shouted, whispering to each other, "Lord Victor, the morale of the army is high!"

Soon, the army marched out of the camp to the beat of the drums, because there was not enough space inside the camp, so they had to leave the camp to make it easier for the army to form a square formation.

At first, the troops leaving the camp were somewhat chaotic, but the habits formed over the years ensured that officers at all levels strictly followed military orders.

The nearly 20,000 troops were arrayed, forming small squares of fifty men each, ten squads forming a detachment, and five detachments forming a regiment in a line.

With the addition of the Allied Army forces from Stream Territory and Black Pine Territory, the five horizontal formations connected left and right formed a large horizontal formation that stretched across the battlefield. Armored soldiers stood in rows, armed with long spears and crossbows, and various flags dotted the formation, like waves surging up from a black sea.

The army of the Two Rivers Territory favored black; their armor and robes were all black. The entire formation stood silently, like a giant black dragon stretching across the battlefield.

Upon seeing this, Victor immediately ordered the flag bearer of his guard to raise the banner. With the help of eight burly men, a tall square flag was lifted high and placed on a four-wheeled cart. This was the military flag symbolizing Victor himself. The Golden Sunflower Crest on the flag was made of gold thread and shone brightly in the sunlight.

All the soldiers in the horizontal formation could see the military flag. They knew that their lord would be going to war with them. Facing a powerful enemy, each soldier was in high spirits and their faces were glowing.

Beck and his Legion Deputy Commander had just finished reorganizing the First Legion's troops when they saw this scene, and the hairs on their bodies practically stood on end.

As the Coalition of Nobles began to form ranks, they were all terrified when they saw the Southern Marching Legion already in formation. Not only the serf soldiers in the noble armies, but also the battle-hardened elite standing troops in the private armies of the territories were filled with trepidation and panic.

There are just too many armored soldiers in the Southern Marching Legion!

As far as the eye could see, the five horizontal formations of the Southern Marching Legion were almost all armored, and whether it was leather armor or iron armor, they reflected the sunlight, shimmering with a cold light like the scales of a giant dragon.

Seeing this, the nobles quickly shouted for their troops to form ranks, while they themselves ran to the back and left the command to their knights.

After all, the enemy seems really difficult to deal with, so it's best not to stand under a dangerous wall at this time. The military camp is relatively safe.

However, those private armies of the territory all recognized their lords. Seeing them running towards the rear camp, their formation became increasingly scattered, and their morale dropped by three points. The knights who commanded the army became flustered and confused.

Victor did not wait for the Jin army to calm down. He personally stood on the chariot next to him, beat the war drum, and ordered the chariot carrying the military flag to move forward. All the soldiers watched the flag representing their lord move forward and began to chant slogans and move in the direction the flag was moving.

As the opposing horizontal formation slowly advanced, even though the distance was still far, the entire Allied Army's formation became increasingly chaotic.

Many serf troops, like headless flies, wandered aimlessly under the knights' command, turning the entire Allied Army formation into an irregular polygon.

Beck was furious at the sight of this situation. He said bitterly, "As expected, we can't count on these Coalition of Nobles. They look like a lot of people, but they are all Serf Soldiers who can't even form a proper square formation."

At this moment, the Legion Deputy Commander persuaded him, "Legion Commander, don't be angry. Aren't all the independent nobles of the duchy like this? Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to show off the elite of our directly subordinate legions. Besides, look over there, the square formation of the Great Oak Territory is already in place."

After speaking, he pointed to his left. Beck turned his head and saw that, sure enough, under the military flag bearing the Great Oak Territory emblem, a large horizontal formation was already lined up neatly. Although it was still a bit crooked, considering the size of the Great Oak Territory army of nearly 20,000, it could be said that the formation was complete.

Beck nodded. "Although that old Count Black caused us a lot of trouble, in the end, they are still the most reliable."

"Not only that, several other noble families have also set up their formations. In fact, there are still a few traditional noble families in the Eastern Region with decent private armies."

After speaking, the Legion Deputy Commander pointed out several formations. Among the scattered formations of the Coalition of Nobles, several well-organized formations stood out.

Beck was relieved. He looked at the black formation approaching and silently calculated the distance and marching speed in his mind.

"There's still time. Get those headless flies organized as soon as possible. I can allow them to hide in the camp, but in that case, they'll have to hand over command and I'll take over their control."

Beck instructed the Legion Deputy Commander to handle the matter, while he continued to adjust the formation of the First Legion. The enemy's horizontal line was advancing directly towards his troops, indicating that they had already identified him as a target, so he naturally wouldn't remain indifferent.

"Hmph, since you've come here on your own initiative, I'll let you make the first move and see if your swords can break through my iron barrier."

The First Legion of Beck consisted of two Infantry Regiment mainly composed of Sword-and-Shield Soldiers, and one heavy Infantry Regiment. Since the establishment of the duchy, it has been known for its defensive warfare and has also participated in the founding war and the war to expand into the Northlands.

At that time, the First Legion, with its three regiments, established camps along the Great Fish River and resisted the attack of Barbarian Cavalry that outnumbered them three to one. In cooperation with the Cavalry of the Northern Frontier nobles, they decisively defeated the Barbarians forces, thus winning the opportunity for the Northern Frontier nobles to expand in the Northlands.

Therefore, the First Legion was known as the Duchy's Iron Wall. Its Acting Legion Commander were skilled in defensive warfare, forming hard lines and fighting a war of attrition. Although their strategies were not clever, they relied on their immovable square formations to wear down the enemy's strength and morale, and then launched a counterattack after achieving results, often achieving great victories.

Beck inherited this trait. Although the First Legion did not have a nearly 100% armor rate like the opposing Northlands Southern Marching Legion, as the elite of the duchy, its armor rate was still over 50%, making Beck not afraid of defensive battles at all.

Soon, under his command, the First Legion formed a large square formation, with the Great Oak Territory's large horizontal formation on the left wing and the Coalition of Nobles's formation on the right wing. After adjustments, the Coalition of Nobles's formation also stabilized.

After Beck took command of the various private armies, he ordered them to form small square formations, which were then combined into a large square formation. The small square formations stacked together looked like fish scales.

Beck was very satisfied. Although such a small square formation could not deal with a strong enemy, it could definitely be used to wear them down.

At that time, his First Legion will be the center of the battle against the Southern Marching Legion, with the troops on both flanks directly surrounding it. Whether it is the square formation of the Coalition of Nobles or the large horizontal formation of the Great Oak Territory, they can all press the Southern Marching Legion's space from the flanks, forcing them to divide their forces to deal with the situation.

"No matter how elite your soldiers are, or how well-equipped they are, do you think you can turn the tide against my three-sided encirclement!"

Beck looked at the approaching Southern Marching Legion and laughed triumphantly.