King
Chapter 974 - 974 118 Strategic Initiative_2

974: Chapter 118: Strategic Initiative_2 974: Chapter 118: Strategic Initiative_2 There were two paths before them: either use the corpses from the battlefield as military provisions or slaughter their mounts to fill the gap.

The soldiers of the Ancient Heritage Alliance did not care, but the soldiers of the Elf Race definitely could not accept using the bodies of their comrades as military provisions.

When races with different philosophies collided, conflict was inevitable.

Moreover, there were us, and on the next two hundred miles, the enemy could not rest easy!”

The surprise came so suddenly that Hudson was somewhat stunned.

If the enemy’s main camp was still there, regardless of whether there was a lack of provisions, it could be secretly resolved.

Now that all soldiers knew the provisions were destroyed, if the officers brought out meat as military provisions, it would instantly expose its origin.

Inside the diverse races of the Ancient Heritage Alliance, some races were accustomed to consuming the bodies of companions, while more held a rejecting stance.

The already unstable Alliance was bound to experience further divisions internally.

With so many adverse factors piled up, Hudson believed there was a chance to severely damage the enemy forces.

While he felt delight, Hudson could not help feeling worried as well.

The number of troops with him had been gradually decreasing.

From the thirty-five thousand men who set out, only less than thirty thousand remained, including five thousand wounded.

If it weren’t for the Expeditionary Army’s successive victories, which masked the impact of the casualties, the morale of the troops would have been affected long ago.

Regardless, after this battle, the grand army must rest and reorganize.

…

On the battlefield, the atmosphere among the gathered Alien Coalition Army was particularly bleak.

Rushing to reinforce without regard, they did not expect to still end in isolation.

Even knowing that the enemy’s position was not far, no one proposed to pursue.

Everyone was an exhausted force; forcefully pursuing and encountering the enemy after a few hours of rest would mean heading to their deaths.

“What have you all been doing, why did you arrive just now?”

Derris questioned fiercely.

Leading a full-strength Elf Legion, she had hoped to greatly distinguish herself and elevate the reputation of the Elven tribe.

She never expected that within just a few days of reaching the front line, they would nearly be annihilated.

This incident demanded an explanation to her tribe.

Otherwise, even as a Sanctuary Powerhouse, she would face punishment upon return.

Derris would definitely not take the blame.

She had deployed troops at the invitation of the Ancient Heritage Alliance.

If reinforcements did not arrive on time, resulting in heavy losses, the responsibility was the Ancient Heritage Alliance’s to bear.

As for what happened in between, that was the Ancient Heritage Alliance’s own affair; she just needed to hold onto their failure to honor the agreement.

The subsequent impact was of no concern to Derris.

Friendship was predicated on equality, and the performance of the Ancient Heritage Alliance hardly earned her respect.

A fallout would not impact the overall situation, as from the moment the troops were deployed, the Ancient Heritage Alliance had no way out.

Now that the war reached this point, even if they were willing to defect, the Human Race would not accept them.

Due to the Ancient Heritage Alliance’s invasion, millions of humans had already died, and including the indirectly deceased, the figure was almost close to ten million.

With so many dead, if there was no response, how could the Human Race claim to be the sovereign of the Continent.

Including Hudson’s political inducements, they were essentially pie in the sky.

If Hudson were to actually recruit the Ancient Heritage Alliance and ensure no retribution post-war, he lacked the courage to do so.

From the beginning to the end, Hudson’s motto had only been “the surrendered shall not be killed.”

Not killing did not equate to not being held accountable.

A typical political slogan, it might deceive the less educated soldiers of the Ancient Heritage Alliance, but politically savvy nobles could easily see through the issues.

The Kingdom of Elf might indeed not pursue their responsibilities, but the Moxi Duchy, the East-West War Hammer Kingdom, and other countries of the Northern Continent, whether they would hold them accountable, no one knew.

The inevitable outcome was either becoming slaves or being publically tried by the nobles to gain reputation.

Especially for the nations that would occupy the lands of the Warhammer Kingdom in the future, it was even more necessary to make a significant display in this regard.

“Respected One, we were intercepted by enemy forces on the road, and only broke through the blockade at a great cost of lives.

To reinforce the front lines in time, we didn’t even look after our own main camp, resulting in over ten thousand guards and more than twenty thousand injured being mercilessly slaughtered!”

The Shadow King, pushed to the forefront, explained with a bitter face.

Being a leader is not easy, and he wasn’t even the leader of the Ancient Heritage Alliance yet when he was pushed out to face the storm.

If this temperamental Respected One were to succumb to rage and slap him to death, that would be a meaningless end.

The Ancient Heritage Alliance lacks the capability to stand up for him, and the weak Shadow Clan dares not chatter needlessly.

“Ally”, that’s just the last fig leaf, and with the continuous defeats on the battlefield, the voice of the Ancient Heritage Alliance was also being gradually diminished.

Initially wanting to vent her anger, Derris suddenly thought of something and suppressed her fury, pretending to be helpless, she said:

“Forget it, what’s done is done, talking about it now won’t change anything.

Let’s consider the next move in battle!

You know how tough Hudson is.

Now with the Allied Forces heavily damaged and having lost their supplies, he won’t miss this opportunity to kick us when we’re down.

Do you have any plan to counter this?”

It seemed like she was considering all angles for her allies, but in reality, Derris didn’t take the Ancient Heritage Alliance seriously at all.

Being polite was only because these folks still had some use left.

It was unrealistic to hope that they would annihilate the Expeditionary Army, but causing some casualties to the enemy would still be good news for the Elf Race.

If the Ancient Heritage Alliance were to lose too quickly, the legion she was commanding might end up completely sacrificed.

After last night’s battle, almost every soldier in the Elf Legion was injured, with more than two-thirds severely wounded.

With the wounded in their current state, allowing the Sacrifice Shaman to perform Divine Arts would cost at least half of them their lives.

If they died at the hands of the enemy, Derris would feel the sting; dying at the hands of their own was even more unacceptable.

It’s not like there’s no hope left.

Divine Arts consume life too fiercely, and there are Magic Potions as substitutes.

Even if someone with missing limbs and legs wanted to regenerate, it could wait until their health was restored; there was no need to rush into death.

The various Kings looked at each other, each with a face full of helplessness.

In terms of civilization hierarchy, they were essentially tribal Chieftains on a large scale.

Most Species lacked even a written language, their knowledge entirely dependent on oral transmission.

Respected One, I must be honest with You.

We are all but crude men, our strategies for war entirely based on past experiences, and we have never encountered a situation like this before—we simply don’t know how to adapt.

Could the Respected One offer us a strategy to break this deadlock?”

The Shadow King said, steeling himself.

He was well aware that this proposal would make many within the Alliance uncomfortable, but he wouldn’t be doing this if there were any choice.

Opposition was not an option.

The murderous aura from Derris a moment ago had scared everyone.

Who knew what would happen next if they angered her.

“What’s there to think about, hurry up and sort out the supply lines!

Do you really want to chase after the enemy’s cavalry with your troops at this time?”

Derris said irritably.

It wasn’t a matter of cowardice; mainly, the Ancient Heritage Alliance was too poor to sustain cavalry, which had led to their current strategic vulnerability.

The overall direction was easy to discern, but implementation was another major issue.

Having people from the rear deliver supplies would simply be handing victories to the enemy.

From the distance between the two camps, it was clear that the Expeditionary Army intended to bog them down and prevent their army from leaving.

Just looking at the paper figures, the Alliance still had an army of one hundred eighty thousand, six times more than the enemy, holding an absolute advantage.

Yet in reality, despite having a greater number of troops, they couldn’t utilize them effectively.

Wanting to counterattack, they couldn’t even find the opportunity to strike.

Upon exchanging glances, the expressions of all the Kings instantly turned grave.

There was a method to resolve the food and supplies issue, but no one dared to propose it at such a time.

…