Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 686: Preparing to Intercept
Chapter 686: Preparing to Intercept
TL: Rui88
The Third Infantry Battalion had encountered a force of routed soldiers.
“Commander, the orc army is approaching rapidly. We must continue to retreat.”
“But my orders are to hold Silvermoon Fortress.”
“Silvermoon Fortress? You mean that pile of broken bricks? It can’t be held.”
The Third Infantry Battalion’s commander, Joyce, was arguing forcefully with Sir Henkel, whom he had just met.
He had originally been a local lord in the Blackstone Plains.
Logically, the knight should have been the commander of this routed force, but in fact, few of those terrified soldiers would listen to his commands anymore.
Only those he had brought from his own territory still followed him.
“The Royal Knights? Perhaps they are still behind me, or perhaps… they have been annihilated. But it’s also possible they have retreated to the safety of the west. I don’t know where they are. The orcs have split us up, and we’ve lost contact with each other.”
“The orcs are right on our heels. Until Crystal Shrine sends stronger reinforcements, I refuse to fight them.”
After pouring out a torrent of pessimistic words, Henkel mounted his horse and galloped away.
Joyce was very disappointed. He had hoped to use Henkel’s status to gather more of the routed soldiers to assist in the upcoming battle.
But now, he could only rely on himself.
The Third Infantry Battalion set up a checkpoint at the crossroads to gather the routed soldiers. By dusk that day, including the kingdom’s troops already at Silvermoon Fortress, the battalion had gathered nearly two thousand men.
To ensure these soldiers were well-fed, Joyce “borrowed” a batch of rations from the surrounding villages and towns.
However, the quartermaster sent to borrow the grain issued IOU notes to everyone from whom they borrowed, promising to repay them after the war at a price ten percent above the market rate.
This was a strategy decided upon before setting out. To prevent a situation where the required supplies far exceeded expectations, the troops on the front lines were authorized to procure provisions through flexible means.
Of course, in the event of a victory, the Alda army would certainly repay the borrowed supplies as promised.
From another perspective, to prevent the IOUs from becoming worthless paper, the creditors had best support the Alda army in winning this war.
The officers and men of the Alda army spent their first day at Silvermoon Fortress in a flurry of activity.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, a scout ed that a small-scale cavalry force had charged into the territory of Silvermoon Fortress.
Judging by their physical appearance, this time it was undoubtedly the orcs.
The attacking force was about a thousand strong and was likely conducting reconnaissance.
Joyce immediately ordered the entire army to prepare for battle.
After a day and a night of rushed work, the Alda army had constructed a simple defensive fortification on the ruins of Silvermoon Fortress. They had used stone bricks to build a breastwork four feet high, with obstacles such as cheval de frise placed in front.
Silvermoon Fortress was situated on a high slope, with the road right below it. The enemy would have to pass through here.
The soldiers stood behind the breastwork. Once the enemy entered firing range, they could be met with a hail of fire.
Eight six-pounder cannons would provide powerful fire support, their dark muzzles protruding from the embrasures in the breastwork, pointing grimly at the road below the slope.
If the enemy managed to break through the breastwork under heavy fire, the Ordo soldiers, equipped with bayonets and spears, would engage them in close combat.
With everything ready, Joyce set up a telescope in a tower that had not yet collapsed, and quietly awaited the orcs’ arrival.
…
“What a pleasant journey.”
Amur, the chieftain leading the vanguard, said to his deputy, Bayar.
“I had expected to fight one fierce battle after another, but I never thought the human armies would be so weak.”
Bayar fully agreed with his superior’s words. “The Grand Chieftain is too cautious. If we had entered this land years earlier, perhaps the whole of Ordo would be under the iron hooves of the orc cavalry.”
Chieftain Amur said with some regret, “Rather than continuing to ‘travel’ like this, I’d rather hope to encounter those fellows from Crystal Shrine. If we capture the princess of Ordo, that would certainly be the greatest achievement of this southern campaign.”
Although a force of a thousand cavalry was small, Amur’s orders were to weave through the human rear territories, creating the illusion that the main orc army had already penetrated deep, thereby causing widespread panic and chaos.
The orcs’ strategy was very successful. Many minor lords were in a state of extreme panic after hearing of the defeat at Sunset Valley. As soon as they saw any sign of orc cavalry activity, they would often abandon their lands and flee, while the common folk were even more jumpy at the slightest sign of trouble.
Bayar cast his gaze to the west. “Perhaps you will be the first general to see the western coast of Ordo. That would also be a great honor. I think it won’t be long now. The road ahead is so smooth. No lord can stand against our army. They will only flee…”
He suddenly fell silent, because on the high slope ahead, the banner of Ordo was flying high. Besides that, there was another banner, a red one with a flying dragon embroidered on it.
“Oh ho, Lord Amur, it looks like we’ve run into a tough nut.”
“Let me see!”
Amur shielded his eyes with his hand and looked ahead.
“The bones in my whole body are itching. I can finally have a good, hearty battle again. Hey! Come here!”
Amur summoned his human guide.
“My lord, this is Silvermoon Fortress!”
His human guide answered fawningly. “But it is said that the local lord’s family moved to the town long ago, and the castle used for defense has long been abandoned.”
“Is that so?” Amur raised an eyebrow. “Those cold, damp castles built by humans are indeed not good places to live.”
He ordered, “Take a closer look.”
As the orc cavalry continued to advance, they soon discovered that, just as the guide had said, the main part of the castle had collapsed and was now just a pile of rubble.
But as they drew closer, the cheval de frise, stakes, and the low breastwork came into the orcs’ view.
“Hahaha, to think they can stop us with this stuff. It’s enough to make one’s teeth fall out from laughing.”
Amur and Bayar both roared with laughter.
They had formulated a battle plan long ago.
To say “formulated” was a bit of an exaggeration, as the plan was practically ready-made—under the cover of arrows, the warriors would scale the walls and crush the human soldiers hiding inside. This tactic had been unfailingly successful against the minor lords along the way.
The castles of those minor lords were very low, and there were not many soldiers stationed inside, making them very easy to conquer.
If they encountered a tough nut, they would just bypass it and leave it for the main force behind to deal with.
But the pile of rubble before them was clearly not in the category of a tough nut to crack.
“Ah, my hands are itching too. I will personally lead the warriors in the charge!”
Amur flexed his wrists, eager to go.
“Bayar, the archers are yours to command.”
His deputy readily agreed.
The orcs soon began their attack.
.
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Chapter 686: Preparing to Intercept
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