Night Raid, a tactic that Hammond had repeatedly applied against the Demon Clan, meant that on the battlefield of the border, the Demon Clan, facing Hammond, was already overwhelmed simply by having to be on guard every day against a possible night raid.
In the past, during their peak period, the Lars Knights could execute night raids with ease. The overall quality, outstanding tactical literacy, high discipline, and synchronized teamwork of the Lars Knights left the Demon Clan in a state of despair.
However, as time evolved, it became increasingly rare to gather a proficient elite force capable of executing night raids. Those who could operate according to the planned military orders at night were already considered elite, let alone organized assaults and retreats.
Fortunately, Hammond was a traditionalist, akin to an antiquated relic, who had not kept up with the so-called development of the times.
Hammond had written to Doug more than once, stating that merely providing verbal rewards to soldiers and the occasional symbolic sharing of meals was insufficient; soldiers must see tangible rewards, whether it be chances for promotion, silver leaf coins, or even extra rations of meat at every meal.
This was the true training method of the Lars Family.
At the very least, some military pay should be distributed.
Yet even now, Hammond had not received any reply from Doug.
In the end, Hammond had to dip into his own pockets to make up for the inexplicably missing military pay for his soldiers.
For soldiers in this era, the demands were very simple; once, when they could receive full pay, the Lars army held the Demon Clan’s head down in battle, pushing them all the way to the Eternal Frozen Land.
The combat effectiveness of feudal armies closely tied to military pay.
Thus, even now, Hammond could still muster an elite unit for a night raid, even standing against the First Army Group.
At the moment when the clouds obscured the moonlight, Hammond led hundreds of elite cavalrymen, leaping out from the shadows.
The scouts in the camp immediately spotted the army that had emerged from the shadows and quickly sounded the alarm for an attack.
Hearing the resounding military horn, Hammond resolutely initiated a charge.
In Hammond’s heart, the sound of the horn evoked more of a nonchalant attitude. After all, no matter how elite a force was, it still needed time for coordination, and during this time, it was enough for Hammond’s knights to crash into the camp.
In the darkness, Hammond and the nearby Lars Knights expanded their domain, blocking the beams and bullets flying from afar.
Whenever a knight could no longer hold his position, the knights behind would quickly take his place.
Moreover, there was no communication between the two sides during this period, which was the foundation of Hammond’s confidence in launching a night raid.
At this moment in the camp, upon hearing the call to arms, the resting soldiers almost instinctively got up, quickly donning their military uniforms, drawing their energy rifles and firearms from under their pillows, and disengaging safety locks.
Finally, they strapped on their melting swords and hastily rushed towards the assembly point in the camp.
At this moment, Darsi was extremely grateful to the instructor who often called them awake during training at midnight.
Although before this, Darsi had cursed that instructor countless times in his heart.
As the soldiers swiftly assembled, Darsi activated the contingency plan, and all soldiers immediately entered battle mode, reaching their designated positions; Darsi himself climbed a makeshift watchtower to observe.
All of this happened within mere minutes of the horn sounding. Hammond, even not yet approaching the camp, saw the flames suddenly ignite in the darkness.
Hammond’s heart sank; such a rapid response speed—was there a mole in his vicinity exposing the night raid plan?
No, it was impossible. Hammond completely trusted his brothers under his command; there was no way this could happen.
Moreover, if the plan had been exposed, what should greet Hammond now wouldn’t be a barrage of bullets and beams, but cannon fire.
There was no choice; there was no turning back. With a long spear in hand, Hammond spearheaded the charge, braving beams and bullets as he broke through the camp’s perimeter and charged into the heart of the camp.
Though the opponent’s equipment advantage was overwhelmingly exaggerated, the majority were still ordinary people. Hammond, as a tier-five Lars Knight, was able to push through under the gunfire to reach the camp, but that was all.
The soldiers of the First Army raised enchanted large shields, and from behind those shields, beams continuously concentrated on them.
Meanwhile, the soldiers around the camp, witnessing the breakthrough, remained unperturbed; they raised their guns and shot from a safe distance, completely disregarding accuracy, focused instead on saturated fire, causing Hammond’s elite knights behind to suffer casualties.
But ultimately, the knights under Hammond were not just elite; they were a group of professionals, with accompanying protection and synergy, modeled after the ideal army of the Northern Border.
The knights charged into the camp, engaging in close combat with these soldiers.
At that moment, Hammond felt as if he was sinking in a quagmire; the opponent’s first reaction to the attack was not to run, but to fight; these soldiers’ quality was not inferior to his brothers under command.
When a knight charged close to these soldiers, those soldiers showed no signs of retreat. Instead, they abandoned their overheated energy rifles, drew melting swords, and struck at the knights.
These were professionals; even though these soldiers were well-equipped, they were facing a genuine professional knight. Without the advantage of ranged fire suppression, even if these soldiers donned enchanted cloth armor, they were at a significant disadvantage against the professional knights.
Yet these soldiers still charged forward without hesitation, knowing that if the night raid enemy breached the camp and started to scatter for attacks, it would be disastrous; prisoners would likely rise in revolt as well.
Everyone was acutely aware of this, which is why the soldiers could be described as surging forward one after another, not a single person retreated, and some even used their bodies to block the advance of the knights.
Hammond, seasoned in battle, even sensed a kind of martyr spirit within these soldiers; otherwise, there would be no explanation for why these soldiers dared to engage with their bodies against Hammond’s elite knights.
It felt as if they possessed no concerns whatsoever.
Originally, the plan was to use the outer perimeter of the camp as a cut-off point to create chaos, allowing the elite knights, accompanied by protective soldiers, to set fires and generate turmoil.
But this camp was akin to a bottomless swamp, using nearly equal numbers to obstruct Hammond’s elite night raid, preventing anyone from moving.
Not to mention the chaos and arson behind; Hammond presently questioned whether he could even retreat safely.
Additionally, professionals aren’t cabbages. For this night raid, Hammond had nearly mobilized all the professionals under his command.
It may seem that Hammond still had a large force behind him; if they charged into the camp, the battlefield dynamics would shift immediately.
But most of them were knights’ retinues and ordinary soldiers, and even the professionals couldn’t break through this camp, let alone the soldiers behind, while Hammond’s original plan was for the frontline professional knights to break through the enemy’s nighttime defenses, while the accompanying soldiers were to set fires for chaos.
However, Hammond had not even broken through the first camp, and the surrounding lights were increasingly illuminating, indicating that many other camp personnel, fully armed, were already entering the battlefield.
Just as Hammond pondered over subsequent strategies, a sudden chill pierced through his helmet.
Hammond’s keen instincts turned, and he saw atop the camp’s watchtower a person in an officer’s uniform holding a massive, completely black firearm aimed right at him, seemingly locked on.
The runes on the gun began to glow, indicating that it was in a charged state.
“Bang!”
The enormous sound completely drowned out all the gunfire sounds on the battlefield. Hammond’s adrenaline surged along with his magic power, a voice inside him warned that if he couldn’t block this shot, it would mean death for him.
As the gunshot rang out and a scream of magic power overload echoed, Hammond’s helmet flew high into the air.
