War (II)

Earl Matthew Nott of the Nott Duchy asked in a loud voice, "What arrangements do you have for the order of the army's attack?"

Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath, as this was the question that all the nobles and lords in the camp most wanted to ask.

After all, under the usual feudal system in the the North, the army in their hands was the foundation of their livelihood. No one was so selfless as to want to expend their own strength to win. Many nobles even participated in this war under duress. Of course, the Rackman Dynasty also gave up irresistible benefits.

Robert, his white-gloved hands pressed slightly down, and said calmly:

"Gentlemen, please calm down. I will not let your troops die in vain."

"This time, His Majesty the Duke has conscripted a full ten thousand laborers to form the ' Honor Legion.' These brave men will be dispatched as the vanguard, and they will test the strength of these Evil Dragon Claws for us."

The nobles finally breathed a sigh of relief, and no one raised any further questions—it turned out there were cannon fodder paving the way.

However, Andre frowned and asked again, "How can we let some civilians become cannon fodder? This is not in line with the Knightly Spirit of bravery and compassion."

Hahahaha!

The crowd burst into laughter again, and the atmosphere became quite relaxed.

This fledgling "Little Lion" was incredibly naive. They were Northern Nobles; who would take these so-called "Gray Livestock" seriously? However, seeing Andre's serious expression, Robert suppressed a laugh and explained:

"Well, they are all brave warriors who volunteered for the campaign. If they die heroically in battle, the duchy will compensate their families with a generous pension."

"It's hard to say whether they have families or whether the pension will even reach them," he added to himself.

Before the war, the "Honor Legion" members were probably just farmers in the fields who had not undergone any systematic military training.

Aside from inferior weapons, they had almost no armor or equipment, or rather, their primary duty was not to fight, but to feed warhorses and transport supplies, serving as cannon fodder before elite troops were deployed.

They were often tenants and serfs under the gentry and landlords, pitiful people without personal freedom, not even qualified to own spoils of war, and the war achievements and spoils were often recorded in the name of their masters.

That's the kind of group of guys we're talking about.

They were regarded as worthless by the nobles of the the North.

Andre felt the slightly mocking gazes around him and lowered his head in silence.

Robert pointed to the map and continued to make tactical arrangements.

The Rackman Dynasty's direct army, the "Eagle's Claw," numbering over eight thousand, was stationed in the center and launched a frontal attack after the laborers had scouted out the situation.

The Lionheart Legion of 3,000 men, dispatched by the Bosk Family, and the Nott Family's 5,000 reinforcements were positioned on the left and right flanks respectively, guarding the flanks of the allied forces after entering Storm Highlands.

The private armies of the various noble lords, numbering over four thousand, were intermingled with the allied forces, obeying the commands of their generals—though Robert didn't expect to be able to command them effectively. The reason for separating them was primarily to prevent them from fighting each other before the battle even began.

Meanwhile, the three hundred North Wind Eagle Guard circled in the air, observing the situation from above and waiting for an opportunity to strike the enemy from the air at a key point. However, for some reason, the Sixth North Wind Eagle Guard Regiment, which had been sent out to scout the situation, had not yet returned, presumably having encountered some trouble, which was giving Robert a great headache.

A Baron from the Lakman Duchy asked in a low voice, "My lord, what should we do with that dragon?"

"I've heard that it's a terrifying existence."

His fiefdom was not far from Storm Highlands, and rumors of the terrifying "Flying Flame Dragon" often circulated from the north.

In those poems, the Red Dragon is depicted as Tiamat's darling, the incarnation of the infernal fire demon, the master of endless flames, the destined destroyer of the Northern Kingdom, and a being capable of burning everything.

Robert gave a cold laugh.

"Ha, the so-called ' Flying Flame Dragon '?"

"Don't be fooled by the foolish verses of those Bard. Both the intelligence from the North Wind Eagle Guard and my Divination Spell can confirm that it was just a young Red Dragon with a slightly unusual breath, or even smaller than its youth stage."

The mage "Gray Eagle" was also in the tent, he said hoarsely.

"This is Lord Schroeder, the chief Archmage of the duchy. I believe that none of you here can match his magical prowess."

Robert continued, "That's right, those so-called poems are probably just something this vain and arrogant Red Dragon is deliberately promoting."

"Everyone, please follow me."

Seemingly feeling that his words were not persuasive enough, Robert strode out of the tent, followed closely by the nobles.

They arrived at the open space where the supplies were stored.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to a huge object. It Simon a thick cloth so that its shape could not be seen. It was more than two people tall. It would have taken twelve horses and hundreds of laborers to transport just this one. And there were three of them on display here.

They had noticed it long ago and were incredibly curious about it.

"Please look, everyone—"

Robert gave a signal, and the guards on either side stepped forward and removed the thick cloth covering him.

This is a huge, bulky mechanical weapon, made of rough black wood and dark gray metal. The boring machine is tall and sturdy, with an extremely solid iron base and several metal wheels that help it move slowly.

The top is a conical crossbow tube covered with iron plates studded with rivets, and the long, curved crossbow arms are fixed on both sides.

A giant arrow, as thick as an arm and over two meters long, lay quietly on the boring bed. Its sharp iron tip gleamed coldly, and there seemed to be mottled bloodstains on it.

This is an incredibly powerful giant crossbow!

"Whoa—"

The crowd gasped in astonishment at this terrifying weapon of war.

Duke Robert seemed quite pleased with the expressions on everyone's faces, and explained with a smug tone, "This is Dragon Slayer Ballista. Its arrowheads are soaked in dragon blood and can easily pierce through the scales of a giant dragon."

"One hundred and forty years ago, General Turner Lakman used it to kill the old White Dragon, Glacier Wing, who was ravaging the the North."

He held up one finger and deliberately shook it.

"With one arrow, he pierced the dragon's heart with just one arrow."

"At that time, the great General Turner only had one Dragon Slayer Ballista."

"Now, our Lakman Duchy has spent tens of thousands of Gold Coin to find these three Dragon Slayer Ballista, and it took hundreds of horses and thousands of men to transport them here. I believe you can understand how much effort we have put in, and how confident I am."

"If that dragon dares to show itself, these three Dragon Slayer Ballista will shoot it down."

Robert's tone suggested he was confident of victory.

"Flying Flame Dragon?"

"Ha, I will make it Fallen Dragon."