King
Chapter 928 - 928 102 Forced March_2

928: Chapter 102: Forced March_2 928: Chapter 102: Forced March_2 Katem shouted loudly.

Were it not for the covering noise of gunfire, the defending troops on the other side might have been able to hear them.

Rolling his eyes in resignation, Holt really wanted to let this big guy continue, after all, it wasn’t members of his Multi-Claw Tribe that were dying.

But in the end, reason prevailed.

His clan had long concluded that it was okay to take advantage of the war to gain some benefits while the Human Race was preoccupied with other matters on the Northern Continent; but if they got too greedy, the future cost would be severe.

Within the Ancient Heritage Alliance, the Multi-Claw Tribe was a typical example of those who know when to stop.

However, the smooth progress in the early stages had given those in favor of war an overwhelming advantage.

Unable to change the overall situation, the only option was to preserve his strength, and not just his own, but also that of his allies.

After all, the Giant Tribe might be a bit impulsive, but they were straightforward without much guile, so there was no constant fear of betrayal by an ally!

“Enough, Katem!

This is Moxi Duchy, and the defenders are not the Warhammer Clan who can be easily frightened.

We can’t expect to shake the enemy’s resolve without fighting several tough battles.

There’s no need for meaningless sacrifices.

Have your men pull back beyond the enemy’s range of the Magic Crystal Cannons and wait for the main forces to arrive before launching an attack.

Don’t forget, your Giant Tribe only numbers in the tens of thousands.

How are you going to answer to them if you suffer heavy losses here?” Holt said irritably.

Flesh and blood challenging Magic Technology comes with a price.

A brief engagement had already cost more than a dozen Giants their lives, and dozens more were injured.

The defending side had suffered even greater losses, but the Human Race simply had more numbers!

Among the Alien Coalition, only the Orcs could afford to amass numbers recklessly; the reproductive capabilities of the other species could not keep up with the Human Race.

To minimize the losses of his soldiers, Holt would rather have slower efficiency and wait for the main forces to arrive.

With the Elf Race acting as healers, the weaponry and equipment of the Ancient Heritage Alliance were formidable indeed.

Not to mention the accompanying Mage Corps, all of which were excellent at siege warfare.

Of course, appearing so cautious, besides lacking siege engines, was primarily due to insufficient soldiers.

The combined forces of several species barely made up three thousand troops.

If it weren’t for the five hundred Giants among them, he wouldn’t dare to lead his troops around here.

…

“The enemy has retreated!”

“The enemy has retreated!”

Hearing the cheers of the defending soldiers, Rakel’s stern expression eased slightly, only to become serious again.

Today’s crisis may have passed, but what about the future?

Influenced by the Alpha People, Moxi Duchy had also deployed multiple defense lines along its borders.

The Augustusburg Defense Line was the Duchy’s first and most robust line of defense.

Retreating wasn’t a problem, but it had to inflict certain casualties on the enemy and buy the Duchy some time afterward.

Without inflicting serious pain on the enemy, they couldn’t hope for peace.

Even with the Alliance of the Kingdom of Elf, they couldn’t place all their hopes on allies.

“Send orders down the line, strengthen guard throughout the army, and vigilantly prevent enemy surprise attacks!

Also, send a messenger to the Capital, the Battle for the Defense of Augustusburg has commenced, and we need the strength of our allies.

If the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Elf can’t arrive for a while, let’s first invite Marshal Hudson here to help us command the troops!”

Such timid words should not be spoken by a frontline commander.

If they fell into the hands of political opponents, they would become ready-made leverage.

But Rakel didn’t care; even if such minor issues caused a stir, the old men in the Capital would cover for him.

Now, as a clan heir, he wielded political power far beyond that of his former prodigal self.

Anyway, there was a precedent for such measures.

In the later stages of the last invasion by the Orcs, the Command of the Duchy’s Army was handed over to Hudson, so doing it once more was no big deal.

Rakel was not worried about opposition.

In the last great war, almost all the best Noble Children from Moxi Duchy were buried on the battlefield.

Now, a lack of successors characterized the military.

His own appointment proved it.

If there had been better choices, the King would never have appointed him as the frontline Commander in Chief.

Decades of being known as a dissolute noble child had ingrained that image deep into people’s hearts, not something that could be changed by one or two wars.

Forced into the position of the frontline Governor by default, the largest problem was the Duchy’s dearth of military leaders!

Including the high price George had to pay to poach from the Kingdom of Elf, it was all compelled by reality.

Unfortunately, those middle and minor nobles, despite inheriting the martial virtues of the Kingdom of Elf, had limited abilities themselves.

For the position of Legion Commander, the elite could be considered barely competent.

To assume command of the Hundred Thousand Army, though, was simply asking too much.

…

At the Expeditionary Army Camp, Hudson didn’t rush to solve the accumulating problems from various units; instead, he empowered his officers to handle them.

The forced marches and drills were preparations for a rapid assault.

The problems encountered were essentially test questions Hudson had set for his officers.

Those who scored high would be entrusted with important tasks, and those who performed poorly would either be reassigned or dismissed.

Time was too short for systematic officer training, and thus a selection process was necessary.

Compared to the current test, the challenges they would face on the future battlefield were the real trials.

Hudson couldn’t guarantee that he would personally lead every major battle, and more often, it would be up to his officers to act independently.