The Power of the Magic Cannon

It is now known that the enemy has begun massing their forces, and the number is at least in the millions; such a force is not something just anyone can assemble in a short period of time.

"Which direction are they coming from? Let's see who wants to make a move on us." After a moment of panic, Kevin immediately calmed down and spoke.

"It's the Dark Church. It seems they've learned about the Magic Crystal mine. Now that their massive army is pressing down on our borders, what should we do?" Although Luo is the person second only to one in the Sky Wind Kingdom, he hails from a small city. He might be able to judge situations involving a few thousand or ten thousand people based on the historical anecdotes he knows, but commanding an army of millions is not something an ordinary person can do.

"First, dispatch the frontline warriors, then mobilize several generals to head over. The troop formations must not fall into chaos. Secondly, I need to deploy a batch of Magic Cannons." As a Legion Commander, Kevin's status is similar to Luo's, but in military matters, Kevin's voice carries even more weight than Luo's.

If this were an ordinary kingdom or a mundane power, the military and political factions would certainly be locked in a life-or-death struggle, but this is a world of magic, an era of the extraordinary.

Luo does not understand military strategy, so these matters are naturally handled by Kevin.

Among the Level 9 Warriors under Karl, Kevin is one of the few who has experience in commanding a legion.

"The opportunity has arrived." William looked exhilarated.

As a former Great General of the Luo'ao Empire, the military expertise William possesses is far superior to that of a "wild" commander like Kevin.

After all, the four great empires are entities with long-standing traditions; even their military formations have been optimized generation after generation, enough to fill a comprehensive treatise on warfare.

Soon, in less than half a day, Kevin and William joined forces.

The number of troops in the Sky Wind Kingdom is not high. With a population of three hundred million—men and women, young and old—and the fact that the Sky Wind Kingdom was only established twenty-some years ago, how many of these people could have participated in the kingdom's conscription?

In reality, over these twenty-plus years, Luo has consistently upheld large-scale conscription. Anyone over the age of sixteen who reaches the strength of a Level 1 Warrior is subject to the draft. This is why Luo was able to list a million-strong force of Level 3 Warriors.

For the ten years he has been in the army, Karl has been a hands-off ruler, and Luo has only been able to operate by relying on the Saint Realm status behind him. Over the past twenty years, the Sky Wind Kingdom has seen no shortage of battles. Kevin defected during that period and fought his way up to the rank of Legion Commander.

"Let's assemble an army of five hundred thousand first; as for the rest, we will conscript them from within the kingdom," William said.

Kevin nodded in agreement.

A million Level 3 Warriors does not mean everyone is currently in active service; many retired after their ten-year term ended. Now that someone has attacked, they need to be re-conscripted.

Soon, with the two working together, an army of five hundred thousand was quickly assembled. Following William's suggestion, they chose to defend a strategic city not far from Kailuo City.

The supervising officer on the side was somewhat confused. After all, he was sent by Luo and needed to keep track of the legion's movements at all times, especially since above Luo stood Karl, that elusive Saint Realm powerhouse.

Luo was burning with anxiety, but unable to find his King, he was at a loss for what to do.

"Report!"

"Reporting to the two generals, about six hundred thousand enemy troops have successfully crossed the river outside Kailuo City. The vanguard general reports that those troops have not yet formed their battle arrays and are in disarray. The vanguard general asks if we should launch a preemptive strike while they are in chaos."

"No!" Kevin and William objected simultaneously.

This mobilization of five hundred thousand troops is effectively the Sky Wind Kingdom's entire strength. Facing an invasion by millions from the Dark Church, Kevin has no confidence.

"Why refuse? Logically speaking, we should strike when the enemy is tired. Why care about whether it's taking advantage of a precarious situation?" the supervising officer asked, puzzled.

"You don't understand. If it were me, and there was a river on the main battlefield, I would definitely cross it. At the very least, I would keep my base camp on this side of the river. Unless the situation was hopeless and the battle lost, I would not choose to retreat back across the river," Kevin explained.

An army must cross mountains when it meets mountains and rivers when it meets rivers. A commander would never allow a river or mountain to obstruct his position from the front line.

Beyond this, crossing the river has a hidden benefit: it signals to the soldiers that there is no retreat behind them. Don't think about hiding, and don't think about running. This tactic can greatly boost the morale of one's own side.

After all, when there is no way to run, the only way to survive is to fight with everything you have.

Although a "fight to the death" is usually only triggered in desperate situations, a commander would have already woven this possibility into his military deployment.

"Secondly, if they really wanted to send a large army across the river, they would need to secure the safety of the opposite bank. If it were me, I would definitely send elites over. It is perfectly normal to put on a show of chaos to lure the enemy in," William added.

Everyone present here is part of the kingdom's high command. Even the supervising officer possesses the strength of a Level 8 Warrior. If the battle were evenly matched, the supervisor would only be responsible for relaying intelligence, but if they fell into a bitter struggle, the supervisor would also be a source of strength.

"The most important thing is our position here." Kevin paused after saying this.

But the supervising officer had already understood.

This place is not far from Kailuo City, but to deal with hundreds of thousands of troops, how many people would they need to send to succeed in a sneak attack? Too few, and it's just sending them to their deaths; too many, and concealment becomes impossible.

With hundreds of thousands of troops engaged, even the initial deployment cannot be hidden from the enemy. Before the raiding party could even arrive, the enemy would have long since prepared to meet them with a crushing blow.

Beyond this, more importantly, what the Sky Wind Kingdom needs now is to defend. Relying on the city to hold the line is Kevin and the others' greatest advantage. With this city, they can achieve a trade ratio of one-to-three or even one-to-five. Once they leave the city and fight on the plains, the exchange ratio might drop to one-to-one. In such a situation, the Sky Wind Kingdom would definitely suffer.

"We only need to do one thing: hold this place. If they cannot break through this city, their objective will have failed."

In war, tactics are secondary; strategy is the key.

Launching a war requires a goal. As the defending side, as long as you prevent the opponent from achieving their goal, you have succeeded.

After all, Kevin and the others have the Sky Wind Kingdom behind them, and they have plenty of supplies. The Dark Church's army, on the other hand, is clearly engaged in a cross-border war, and their consumption of supplies will be far greater than theirs.

"The advantage is with us, so why gamble on their flaws?"