About half an hour later, the orcs also committed their reserves.
Though the battlefield was vast, it was still not large enough for two sides each fielding armies of over a million. Neither humans nor orcs could deploy all their forces onto the front line at once.
Naturally, the first troops to enter the battlefield were the elite units. Everyone wanted to seize the initiative with a resounding opening blow. But since the first wave had failed to crush the enemy, the battle could only shift into a prolonged war of positions and attrition.
Like a millstone grinding flesh and blood.
The orcs were less well-trained than the humans. When their reserves entered the battlefield and their exhausted vanguard prepared to withdraw after the brutal fighting, the human side, at precisely the right moment, committed a fresh reserve force and massively intensified its offensive. This immediately pinned down the battle, leaving the orc vanguard with no time to pull back.
What would happen when an exhausted army preparing to retreat was forced to turn around and fight troops that had rested and gathered their strength?
In just a few minutes, the orcs' elite vanguard suffered grievous losses. Many renowned legions were nearly wiped out to the point of losing their very organization.
The Orc Emperor silently watched it all. He gave no orders, merely allowing the staff group—composed of veteran generals and strategists from the various clans who understood military affairs—to discuss and decide for themselves.
He knew he was not someone skilled at thinking. Compared with the previous emperor, his strength lay in the immense prestige he had earned through many years in the army. When it came to war, at most he could see the situation for what it was; as for what should be done under what