Chapter 1609: Chapter 71: Unintended Success (Part 2)
Realizing something was wrong, Marshal Howell immediately led the main force out of the city for reinforcement.
Seeing that the opportunity was lost and the crossbow bolts completely depleted, Count Albert decisively ordered.
The battle temporarily reached a standstill, and Marshal Howell, who came to reinforce, was at a loss.
In a brief skirmish, nearly ten thousand centipede soldiers fell directly into pools of blood.
The number of wounded increased even more. Due to the lack of medical resources, only the officers could receive treatment.
For a moment, the camp was filled with screams and sighs incessantly.
Affected by the atmosphere on the scene, the morale of the reinforcements under Marshal Howell quickly plummeted.
“Pass the order, all troops outside the city should retreat into the city!”
Suppressing his inner anger, Marshal Howell ordered.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Both different approaches ended in failure. Lacking effective means to counter the enemy cavalry, Marshal Howell had to opt for a strategic withdrawal.
However, entering the city was not a perfect choice either. It seemed to evade the threat of enemy cavalry, but the density of soldiers increased.
Once the enemy’s magic crystal cannon reached the front line, the pressure on the city’s defenses would become unprecedentedly enormous.
“What happened to the rear camp, why did it allow the enemy to rampage freely!”
The King Centipede questioned Marshal Howell.
Losing a battle isn’t important; what’s crucial is not to lose ignorantly.
The main force of the centipede army was inside the city, but there were more than two hundred thousand troops stationed outside, echoing the ones inside the city.
Following such strategic deployment, the density of soldiers in the city would significantly decrease. Once a bombardment is detected, they could find cover to evade in a short time.
They could easily avoid the enemy’s magic crystal cannon strikes while maintaining sufficient counterattack strength. A perfect plan indeed.
Unfortunately, war isn’t planned on paper; any error in any link could lead to war failure.
“Your Majesty, we lack experience fighting against human cavalry, and previous battles only involved small enemy cavalry squads.
The front-line commanders were overwhelmed and panic-stricken, leading to heavy losses for the army!
To avoid similar incidents, I’ve already ordered the troops outside the city to be withdrawn.”
Marshal Howell replied with a somber face.
More than two hundred thousand centipede troops were actually thrown into chaos by a single enemy cavalry corps.
If this spread, they’d be laughed at by other earth core species for a hundred years.
The reason’s found, but it’s frustratingly difficult to blame anyone responsible.
The Earth Core World doesn’t have cavalry. In the previous battles, they only encountered scattered cavalry, which didn’t pose any threat.
The large-scale assault by enemy cavalry also marks the end of the war, entering the final harvest phase.
All are experiences of fleeing in failure, naturally of no use.
Even the basic information about cavalry was from human captives; the extent of any inaccuracies is unknown.
After all, knowledge barriers are severe on the Continent of Aslante. Even within the Noble Consortium, only a very few commanders have led significant cavalry battles.
Such high-level commanders were never captured by giant centipedes. The information known was pieced together bit by bit from noble captives.
It turns out their confessions were unreliable.
True cavalry charges are neither jabbing around with a knight’s spear nor hacking with a war blade.
They start by shooting with a magic crossbow, then proceed to finish the job!
The captives had died under torture long before, with no chance to hold them accountable. The current disastrous defeat was something the giant centipede could only shoulder alone.
They’re all a bunch of useless people!
Everyone said they’d learn from past lessons, yet the war had just begun, and they lost men and hurt limbs.
If all troops retreat, once the enemy’s magic crystal cannon arrives, how to respond later?
Marshal Howell, do you have a countermeasure?”
The King Centipede asked dissatisfiedly.
After a series of defeats, the once-invincible Marshal Howell lost his former halo.
The respect in the past was built on his continuous victories.
When victory is no longer a certainty, Marshal Howell became just an ordinary commander, and one who often suffers defeats.
If there were a better choice, King Centipede would’ve changed commanders long ago.
“Your Majesty, only two paths remain for us.
Either make use of the night cover to fight it out directly on the battlefield tonight.
With our numerical advantage and the convenience of night operations, the success probability is at least fifty percent.
Or choose to conserve strength, not engaging in deadly combat with the enemy but merely stalling.
If we can hold the cities, hold them; if not, just abandon and leave it be.
If the enemy wishes to reinforce the garrison of Parma Province, we need not forcibly intercept; simply let them through.
The Demonic Crocodile Clan is powerful. With some disputes, they should be able to resolve it.”
After hearing Marshal Howell’s response, the high-level centipede officials present all hesitated.
Everyone had no objection to betraying allies.
Since the Demonic Crocodile Clan chose to entrust the responsibility of intercepting the allied forces to them, they should be prepared to be betrayed.
But the problem is now different; the Demonic Crocodile Clan holds something they want: the Earth Core Passage.
If angering them results in them refusing entry, it will cause trouble down the line.
Choosing to fight the enemy decisively tonight appears to have good odds, but honestly, everyone is uncertain.
Having just suffered a defeat, the officers and soldiers are still under the shadow of failure.
With the mass influx of fleeing soldiers into the city, panic set in, and now the city is in a sensitive state of fear.
Leading such an army into battle, even with an absolute advantage in numbers, the war’s outcome could still be overturned by the opponent.
“Marshal, it’s too reckless to decide a battle now!
The combat power of the enemy has already been seen by all, undoubtedly the elite from the Alpha Kingdom.
If Black Forest Cavalry were as formidable, I’d have suffered immensely in previous wars.
Even with superior numbers, engaging in a decisive battle with the enemy is equally risky.
I propose continuing the tactic of delaying the enemy without entangling over a city, leveraging favorable terrain along the way for successive resistance.
Delay the enemy for as long as possible. If we can’t delay any longer, then it’s Demonic Crocodile Clan’s misfortune!”
Prime Minister Javat all but explicitly stated.
The so-called successive resistance along the way seems more like a strategic retreat. After all, it’s not their own territory, losing it is not a big deal.
A typical betrayal of allies, but after artistic processing, it becomes their valiant resistance, ultimately overwhelmed, leading to loss of control in the battle.
As for whether the Demonic Crocodile Clan is willing to believe it, that’s their own issue. The giant centipede itself will surely believe.
“If there’s no better option, then let’s go with this!”
The King Centipede surveyed the crowd and said.
Seeing everyone silent, he promptly added: “Spread the orders, except for the essential garrison, the rest should return to camp and rest.
After dark, we’ll abandon the city and move out.
If the enemy dares to pursue, then seize the opportunity to fight them in the cover of night!”
For some reason, a faint expectation lingered in his heart that the enemy would launch a night assault, allowing for a counter-kill.
The cavalry exceeded expectations by completing their mission and returning to camp. Two vice commanders personally went to the camp entrance to welcome them, though Hudson naturally did not show up.
The order was given by him, and the credit rightfully belongs to him as well. Moreover, in many people’s eyes, his merit as the Commander in Chief was the greatest; there’s no need for him to steal the spotlight.
After all, if it weren’t for his keen observation of the enemy’s weakness and decisive order for cavalry action, this surprise attack wouldn’t have happened!
“Harassment” turned into a “surprise attack”, seemingly differing by just one word, but the political influence is entirely different.
The original intention doesn’t matter; the result was: forcing the enemy to relocate from outside to inside the city, severely shaking the enemy’s morale and spirit.
The grand welcome ceremony soon spread throughout the army, and everyone knew that the allied forces had achieved victory!