After pulling Ulf's Sparrow Corps back to the second line for rest and reorganization, Harald pushed the Tiger Corps and the Fire Shooter Guards forward. It had been a helpless measure to balance the forces within his army and preserve their strength, but Harald had never expected Luo Yao and his Fire Shooter Guards, sent into the bloodiest position at the center, to perform so miserably.
These surrendered Broomflower soldiers might have been passable in a favorable fight, firing their guns from afar, but once Carnford deliberately singled them out for special attention and they endured several rounds of fierce counterattacks and relentless psychological broadcasts, their morale collapsed at a visible rate.
After barely two days of tug-of-war, entire units began fleeing and surrendering.
More than once, Harald received reports that in the middle of the night or on foggy mornings, whole squads of surrendered soldiers—sometimes even including low-ranking officers—would throw down their weapons, wave strips of white cloth, and scramble toward Carnford's anti-cavalry ditches to surrender.
It was said that Carnford truly kept its promise: they did not kill surrendering soldiers, merely disarmed and detained them, while even providing food and drink. The news spread quietly among the Auxiliary Army and the slaves like a plague, further scattering their already fragile fighting spirit.
"Trash!" Harald cursed inwardly. His appreciation for Luo Yao and his expectations for the value of the surrendered soldiers had now turned into cold disappointment and vigilance.
These "outsiders" truly could not be relied upon.
His gaze unconsciously crossed the battlefield and fell upon Amber Bay farther away, its surface reflecting a cold blue-gray beneath the winter sun.
At this time of year, the harbor in the Northern Territory should by all rights have long been ice-sealed, transformed into a silent white wilderness.
Yet at that