Attack Stalled

Mordras Fortress, the only barrier west of Tyre, guarded these two rivers and a stretch of hills. It had already been the Imperium's front line against the Beastmen tribes during the colonial era a century ago.

Even long after the war ended, Mordras Fortress had remained well maintained and reinforced. Its core consisted of three reinforced concrete main forts connected by tunnels and long trenches, surrounded by kilometers of bunker complexes and barbed-wire defenses. Concealed artillery positions within the fortress housed thirty-two Heavy Cannons.

To attack Tyre from the west, the fastest route had to pass through Mordras Fortress. Otherwise, they would have to detour hundreds of kilometers, something Beluf, who was bent on victory, could not accept.

Though he had caught the humans off guard, the landing operation had left most of the legion's heavy equipment in the rear. Moreover, Limp Luo's sudden intervention had forced the planned troop strength to be cut in half. He had to take this fortress, defended by more than fifty thousand human soldiers, with fewer than a hundred thousand troops.

A two-to-one assault on a fortified position—even he had never fought a battle like that.

After two probing attacks, Beluf discovered to his annoyance that these humans were not so easy to handle. The commander defending this place seemed to understand Ork tactics very well.

Whether it was night raids, tunnel digging, or Snotling infiltration, the enemy neutralized every one of them.

The night-raiding squads he sent were wiped out by prepared enemy ambushes. The tunnels they dug were flooded after the enemy diverted river water into them. The Snotling agents were chased all over the place by military dogs.

After hesitating beneath Mordras Fortress for three days, Beluf could only wait for Limp Luo to follow the plan and encircle this tough