Hammond was currently charging across the plains with cavalry, and although the enemy’s old artillery was continuously roaring, it was essentially a lot of noise with little result.
With the terrain being flat and most of the artillery sold by Doug to the Anju Kingdom, the old artillery couldn’t provide adequate fire coverage, making Doug’s artillery seem more like a rickety structure that wasn’t very useful.
Not to mention that Hammond was leading a cavalry comprised entirely of professionals, and the residual effects of the artillery posed no threat; Hammond understood the performance of their artillery even better than the Doug Army itself.
After probing the enemy’s artillery multiple times, Hammond estimated that their barrels were nearing their limits and immediately charged forward with the cavalry.
As expected, after a few empty shots, the artillery fell silent—it must have burst.
Lauri, who was ready to support from a distance, shook his head. The enemy soldiers were practically inexperienced, only mindlessly loading shells for firing without any knowledge of range finding or calculating shots. It felt like they had just undergone simple training before going to battle, unlike Doug’s main forces.
So where exactly was Doug’s main force? For the past few days, or rather, since they began garrisoning in the Golden Ear Plains, Lauri had been pondering this question.
The bullets from firearms rained down on Hammond’s armor, but he was too lazy to even raise his knightly stance; the enchantment on his armor alone was enough to defend against these bullets. Wielding a molten spear, Hammond quickly scattered another Doug camp.
“Speak up! Where is your Doug Army’s main force?”
After destroying this camp, Hammond didn’t even have time to rest before grabbing a soldier to interrogate.
“Main force? Lord, we are the main force!”
The battered Doug soldier finally mustered the last bit of strength to respond to Hammond’s question.
“Hmph!”
Hammond let the soldier go, reflecting, “I didn’t expect there to be so many heroes in the Doug Army, unwilling to divulge the location of the main force even to the death. Sigh.”
This had already been another camp that Hammond had taken. Although Doug had lured Graywhite Territory to the Golden Ear Plains for a decisive battle, the Doug Army’s posture could only be described as timid, with the front line every day subtly retreating, showing no signs of wanting to engage in a fatal confrontation.
Lauri suspected Doug was trying to conceal their main forces and launch a surprise attack from an unexpected location. They even sent part of White’s forces to guard their rear, to prevent any Doug troops from sneaking out to attack the railway under construction.
But by now, Lauri had to suspect that his judgment was off; Doug might really have no schemes but simply wanted to die with dignity.
However, this was merely Lauri’s self-deprecating jest under tension, especially since the demon clan had been quiet despite entering the Northern Border.
Previously, Hammond had also encountered some demon clan members, and while they were indeed strong and had firearms for cover, they still fell short compared to Hammond, ultimately scattering after just two clashes.
However, these demon clan members seemed more interested in conserving their strength rather than passively engaging.
Now, Lauri’s defensive camp was nearly complete, with a plethora of military and defensive facilities in place. He even regretted not using concrete for construction, opting for more readily available wood and stone due to time constraints.
Not only was the camp built, but the First Army Group and Third Army Group of the Graywhite Territory were also fully stationed in the Golden Ear Plains, ready for a decisive battle at any moment.
Lauri even specifically transferred some local garrison troops to see if Doug was attempting to play a game of ‘drawing the tiger from its mountain,’ luring Graywhite to move all forces to the Golden Ear Plains while the main force took some unknown route to ambush the important rear.
But unfortunately, this situation did not occur.
Hammond entered the camp and took off his helmet, saying, “Still no sign of the enemy’s main force. It seems we’ll need to go deeper next time.”
“Go deeper, and we’ll soon enter the River Valley.”
Lauri shook his head. The Grayhawk Army was frighteningly quiet. Despite sending out many scouts and intelligence personnel, the only useful information was that a supply army from the demon clan had entered Grayhawk’s territory recently.
“There’s no need to continue deepening our advance. I discussed with White, and if Grayhawk does not emerge to battle soon, we’ll use this plain as our base and directly attack the River Valley.”
If they delayed any longer, winter would arrive. Though fighting in winter wasn’t impossible, taking the River Valley sooner would allow the Lord Governor to begin planning production arrangements and let the soldiers return home to reunite with their families.
“We should expedite our preparations. Everything is ready; I’ve arranged all necessary defenses. Many soldiers are eagerly waiting to conquer the entire Northern Border so they can return to marry soon.”
If Lind were here, he’d likely immediately cover Lauri’s mouth to stop him from speaking such ‘flags,’ as those who often say such things rarely have good outcomes.
Upon hearing this, Hammond nodded as well, having heard that the southwestern border was clashing with Anju again, though the situation was somewhat grim, and some nearby tribes and small nations were starting to become restless.
It seemed the balance of power was about to change; if the Northern Border could unify quickly, they would then have an additional asset amidst the potential turmoil ahead.
Hammond believed that once the Northern Border was unified, it could develop steadily for three to five years, effortlessly reclaiming the territories that had been taken by the demon clan.
No, it might not even take three to five years; Hammond had even made plans to train troops using the demon clan, potentially recovering all lands within the Sur德 Region during the training. By then, with Graythorn Territory controlling the entire Sur德 Region and River Valley, plus the rumored Magic Powered Train, even the kingdom would have to heed the Northern Border’s stance.
In fact, it was likely that the Royal Capital was already looking to Graythorn Territory.
In the following days, Lauri prepared to launch a full-scale assault, and just as Hammond was setting out to search for Grayhawk’s main forces, there was finally a response from Grayhawk.
Countless Grayhawk soldiers were continuously entering the Golden Ear Plains from the River Valley, and the demon clan army was also mobilizing, all poised for action, and were even politely escorting those ordinary soldiers to the Golden Ear Plains.
Without a doubt, this was all of Grayhawk’s remaining strength and their last gamble, with victory or defeat hinging almost entirely upon this single group.
Hammond received orders to take knights and scouts to reconnoiter, but the demon clan and Grayhawk forces were evidently well-prepared, with defenses far more rapid and resolute than before.
Nonetheless, Hammond still gathered some intelligence; Grayhawk’s so-called strength had soldiers in front who could barely form ranks, while the back clearly comprised ordinary people, bewilderedly arriving at the battlefield, without armor and wielding nothing but hoes and pitchforks.
Lauri was quite puzzled upon hearing this news. Had Grayhawk gone mad? According to Hammond, the rear soldiers were almost akin to the farmers that used to be conscripted during the war era.
In the Northern Border’s civil war, such a method of local conscription had long been eliminated; after all, even if you conscripted the bravest individuals, they could never match properly trained soldiers who had undergone two weeks of firearms training. Moreover, firearms weren’t available to everyone, and only those who became proper soldiers had the chance to handle them.
In the Northern Border, soldiers had truly become a profession, while ordinary militia could barely serve as logistical support, becoming mere fodder on the battlefield.
Despite some doubts, Lauri realized there were only two options: to fight or not to fight. Without hesitation, he began mobilizing troops.
At that moment, a Grayhawk general was bowing and thanking Noam and the demon clan for protecting these armies. It was rather strange that a military force needed others to protect them.
“Thank you for General Noam’s protection; I am extremely grateful.”
Although he spoke such words, the general was still a good ten steps away from Noam.
“It’s no trouble.”
Noam waved his hand and then bit into a large piece of black meat.
The general couldn’t help but pinch his nose tightly; the meat these demons ate was incredibly foul and disgusting, and for some reason, he felt as if Noam looked at those militia troops not as ordinary soldiers but more like a bunch of moving food.
With the terrain being flat and most of the artillery sold by Doug to the Anju Kingdom, the old artillery couldn’t provide adequate fire coverage, making Doug’s artillery seem more like a rickety structure that wasn’t very useful.
Not to mention that Hammond was leading a cavalry comprised entirely of professionals, and the residual effects of the artillery posed no threat; Hammond understood the performance of their artillery even better than the Doug Army itself.
After probing the enemy’s artillery multiple times, Hammond estimated that their barrels were nearing their limits and immediately charged forward with the cavalry.
As expected, after a few empty shots, the artillery fell silent—it must have burst.
Lauri, who was ready to support from a distance, shook his head. The enemy soldiers were practically inexperienced, only mindlessly loading shells for firing without any knowledge of range finding or calculating shots. It felt like they had just undergone simple training before going to battle, unlike Doug’s main forces.
So where exactly was Doug’s main force? For the past few days, or rather, since they began garrisoning in the Golden Ear Plains, Lauri had been pondering this question.
The bullets from firearms rained down on Hammond’s armor, but he was too lazy to even raise his knightly stance; the enchantment on his armor alone was enough to defend against these bullets. Wielding a molten spear, Hammond quickly scattered another Doug camp.
“Speak up! Where is your Doug Army’s main force?”
After destroying this camp, Hammond didn’t even have time to rest before grabbing a soldier to interrogate.
“Main force? Lord, we are the main force!”
The battered Doug soldier finally mustered the last bit of strength to respond to Hammond’s question.
“Hmph!”
Hammond let the soldier go, reflecting, “I didn’t expect there to be so many heroes in the Doug Army, unwilling to divulge the location of the main force even to the death. Sigh.”
This had already been another camp that Hammond had taken. Although Doug had lured Graywhite Territory to the Golden Ear Plains for a decisive battle, the Doug Army’s posture could only be described as timid, with the front line every day subtly retreating, showing no signs of wanting to engage in a fatal confrontation.
Lauri suspected Doug was trying to conceal their main forces and launch a surprise attack from an unexpected location. They even sent part of White’s forces to guard their rear, to prevent any Doug troops from sneaking out to attack the railway under construction.
But by now, Lauri had to suspect that his judgment was off; Doug might really have no schemes but simply wanted to die with dignity.
However, this was merely Lauri’s self-deprecating jest under tension, especially since the demon clan had been quiet despite entering the Northern Border.
Previously, Hammond had also encountered some demon clan members, and while they were indeed strong and had firearms for cover, they still fell short compared to Hammond, ultimately scattering after just two clashes.
However, these demon clan members seemed more interested in conserving their strength rather than passively engaging.
Now, Lauri’s defensive camp was nearly complete, with a plethora of military and defensive facilities in place. He even regretted not using concrete for construction, opting for more readily available wood and stone due to time constraints.
Not only was the camp built, but the First Army Group and Third Army Group of the Graywhite Territory were also fully stationed in the Golden Ear Plains, ready for a decisive battle at any moment.
Lauri even specifically transferred some local garrison troops to see if Doug was attempting to play a game of ‘drawing the tiger from its mountain,’ luring Graywhite to move all forces to the Golden Ear Plains while the main force took some unknown route to ambush the important rear.
But unfortunately, this situation did not occur.
Hammond entered the camp and took off his helmet, saying, “Still no sign of the enemy’s main force. It seems we’ll need to go deeper next time.”
“Go deeper, and we’ll soon enter the River Valley.”
Lauri shook his head. The Grayhawk Army was frighteningly quiet. Despite sending out many scouts and intelligence personnel, the only useful information was that a supply army from the demon clan had entered Grayhawk’s territory recently.
“There’s no need to continue deepening our advance. I discussed with White, and if Grayhawk does not emerge to battle soon, we’ll use this plain as our base and directly attack the River Valley.”
If they delayed any longer, winter would arrive. Though fighting in winter wasn’t impossible, taking the River Valley sooner would allow the Lord Governor to begin planning production arrangements and let the soldiers return home to reunite with their families.
“We should expedite our preparations. Everything is ready; I’ve arranged all necessary defenses. Many soldiers are eagerly waiting to conquer the entire Northern Border so they can return to marry soon.”
If Lind were here, he’d likely immediately cover Lauri’s mouth to stop him from speaking such ‘flags,’ as those who often say such things rarely have good outcomes.
Upon hearing this, Hammond nodded as well, having heard that the southwestern border was clashing with Anju again, though the situation was somewhat grim, and some nearby tribes and small nations were starting to become restless.
It seemed the balance of power was about to change; if the Northern Border could unify quickly, they would then have an additional asset amidst the potential turmoil ahead.
Hammond believed that once the Northern Border was unified, it could develop steadily for three to five years, effortlessly reclaiming the territories that had been taken by the demon clan.
No, it might not even take three to five years; Hammond had even made plans to train troops using the demon clan, potentially recovering all lands within the Sur德 Region during the training. By then, with Graythorn Territory controlling the entire Sur德 Region and River Valley, plus the rumored Magic Powered Train, even the kingdom would have to heed the Northern Border’s stance.
In fact, it was likely that the Royal Capital was already looking to Graythorn Territory.
In the following days, Lauri prepared to launch a full-scale assault, and just as Hammond was setting out to search for Grayhawk’s main forces, there was finally a response from Grayhawk.
Countless Grayhawk soldiers were continuously entering the Golden Ear Plains from the River Valley, and the demon clan army was also mobilizing, all poised for action, and were even politely escorting those ordinary soldiers to the Golden Ear Plains.
Without a doubt, this was all of Grayhawk’s remaining strength and their last gamble, with victory or defeat hinging almost entirely upon this single group.
Hammond received orders to take knights and scouts to reconnoiter, but the demon clan and Grayhawk forces were evidently well-prepared, with defenses far more rapid and resolute than before.
Nonetheless, Hammond still gathered some intelligence; Grayhawk’s so-called strength had soldiers in front who could barely form ranks, while the back clearly comprised ordinary people, bewilderedly arriving at the battlefield, without armor and wielding nothing but hoes and pitchforks.
Lauri was quite puzzled upon hearing this news. Had Grayhawk gone mad? According to Hammond, the rear soldiers were almost akin to the farmers that used to be conscripted during the war era.
In the Northern Border’s civil war, such a method of local conscription had long been eliminated; after all, even if you conscripted the bravest individuals, they could never match properly trained soldiers who had undergone two weeks of firearms training. Moreover, firearms weren’t available to everyone, and only those who became proper soldiers had the chance to handle them.
In the Northern Border, soldiers had truly become a profession, while ordinary militia could barely serve as logistical support, becoming mere fodder on the battlefield.
Despite some doubts, Lauri realized there were only two options: to fight or not to fight. Without hesitation, he began mobilizing troops.
At that moment, a Grayhawk general was bowing and thanking Noam and the demon clan for protecting these armies. It was rather strange that a military force needed others to protect them.
“Thank you for General Noam’s protection; I am extremely grateful.”
Although he spoke such words, the general was still a good ten steps away from Noam.
“It’s no trouble.”
Noam waved his hand and then bit into a large piece of black meat.
The general couldn’t help but pinch his nose tightly; the meat these demons ate was incredibly foul and disgusting, and for some reason, he felt as if Noam looked at those militia troops not as ordinary soldiers but more like a bunch of moving food.
