In fact, the other frontline commanders had also been quietly watching the Gryphon Rider's flag signals. The moment he finished signaling, the commander directing the Ranger Corps straight ahead ordered the Rangers to stop retreating, organize their defenses where they stood, and prepare to attack.
Although the flag signals were simple and conveyed only a rough outline of the enemy's situation, that was enough for an army commander to take appropriate action immediately. This particular message told them that the enemy's current condition made it an ideal time to attack.
Once the retreating Rangers had largely organized their defenses, their commander immediately used Eagle Eye to assess the battlefield. One look revealed the Centaurs' predicament in full, and he was delighted.
As it turned out, the Centaurs refused to give Yu Lin Bloodhawk any face. The poison in their bodies took effect neither earlier nor later, but precisely after he ordered the smoke bombs dropped and everyone to prepare for a desperate fight. His plan to show off his awe-inspiring presence had fallen flat.
Yu Lin Bloodhawk had even gone out of his way to have all the Quilboar prisoners brought over as a fallback. If the Centaurs charged hard enough to break through the trap belt and reach the High Elves, he planned to drive those prisoners to the front to absorb the charge. The High Elf Rangers would remain behind them, directing their Dire Wolf Battle Pets to fight alongside the Quilboar while attacking from a distance with bows and arrows.
Yu Lin Bloodhawk had always considered High Elf lives the most precious. Quilboar lives were lives too, but that was not enough to change his mind. Better someone else die than him, better an allied army die than his own. Besides, these Quilboar were still prisoners, weren't