After the Orcs appeared on the horizon, it was as if an ancient clock wound tight had begun ticking ceaselessly above the entire camp.
For a person of average human height, the limit of visibility across the plains was generally 4.6 kilometers.
So, seeing those Frostwolf Riders at this distance meant they probably had only about a quarter of an hour left to prepare for battle.
And that was assuming the Frostwolf Riders were deliberately conserving their mounts' stamina and not accelerating so as not to become separated from the main force behind them.
With Li Wei absent from the camp, overall command fell primarily to Huozi the Gnoll, with Fischer, commander of the Battle Mage Corps, assisting him.
No one else possessed more battlefield experience than Huozi, who had fought beneath the Black Dragon in the Underdark for years.
Yet even for Huozi, this was the first time he had encountered a "war" on such a scale!
Yes!
This was a war!
Unlike in the Underdark, where their main force had consisted of just over four hundred Gnolls, more than three hundred Dilo Dwarves, and a dozen or so Ogres.
As for those Goblins who usually numbered in the several thousands, they had merely been cannon fodder and rations seized before battle.
Although the core troops currently at their disposal were roughly comparable to back then, the other seven thousand militiamen were not cheap Goblins. Every one of them who died was a loss to Zelandia, and would slow the future construction and development of Minas Tirith.
Thus, to ensure their safety as much as possible, Huozi had directly abandoned the advantage of the Gnolls' giant lizard mounts.
Without the protection of their six hundred-strong Gnoll supervisory corps, facing the assault of thousands upon thousands of Orcs would inevitably