On another continent, the flag of the white poplar trees of the Elf Race's Poplar Kingdom suddenly appeared at noon one day on the borderline between the Poplar Kingdom and the Orc Gales Kingdom.
This region had always been a contentious area, where approximately a year ago the troops of the Poplar Kingdom had clashed with those of the Gales Kingdom, suffering a loss of 4,000 men. Both sides had then faced off across the banks of a river called the Segal.
The war seemed to have subsided, but recently the Poplar Kingdom had once again increased its forces at the Segal River, and the atmosphere in the nearby war zone had suddenly become tense once more.
Within the territory of the Gales Kingdom, on the plains near the Segal River, the Orc commanders were discussing recent military maneuvers in a tent.
Contrary to popular belief, the Orcs in this world were simply green-skinned humans with sharper teeth and elf-like ears—pointy, yet their physiques were not much stronger than that of humans and elves.
An Orc officer in leather armor, his hand on the hilt of his longsword, looked down at the not-so-detailed map on the table and said to the leading general, "Those elves from the Poplar Kingdom across the river have been becoming unsettled again recently!"
Another Orc officer pointed at the map, "They're amassing troops, but we still hold an absolute advantage in numbers."
A flintlock gun, the Shireck Flintlock Gun, hung on his waist. Judging by the wooden handle of the pistol, this weapon had clearly seen long service.
Compared to the more delicate Elf Race, the Orcs were closer to a prairie civilization. Their lifestyle was rougher, so naturally, their economy was not as developed as that of the elves and humans.
However, they were arguably more fierce in battle. While they were not particularly skilled, their bravery was renowned worldwide.
Of course, they too could be wounded, fall, bleed, and die in the face of firearms.
Lacking Shireck's workshops in their territory, most of the Gales Kingdom's firearms were acquired through smuggling from another kingdom to the rear.
They were more numerous, but they had relatively fewer firearms. Every conflict with the Poplar Kingdom led to rivers of blood for the Gales Kingdom.
"I really can't understand why they are always so arrogant, thinking they can destroy our Orc Race's iron will with firearms!" a burly Orc commander said in a simple and honest tone.
He clenched his fists as if to vent the rage in his heart, "If we had that many firearms, their very survival would be a problem!"
The leading Orc general, arms crossed, stared at the map, silent. He truly hadn't anticipated that the enemy would make a comeback so soon.
Based on past experience, after a major battle the Poplar Kingdom would typically show some restraint, recuperating for a while before reinforcing the border again.
But now, it seemed their adversaries were eager to restart the war, and on a larger scale than before.
According to information from the Orc scout troops, the Poplar Kingdom had sent an additional 4,500 troops in three legions to the border.
Including the 12,000 soldiers already stationed at the border, the Elf Race had now deployed a total of 11 legions there.
This scale vastly exceeded previous deployments, so the Orc side had also begun to increase its forces at the border.
Being at a disadvantage in the number of firearms and artillery compared to the Elf Race, the Gales Kingdom had moved 17 legions, over 25,000 troops, to the border.
Including the 10 legions originally stationed there, the Gales Kingdom's main force had nearly emptied its nest, amassing a grand army of 40,000!
This time, it was almost a battle investing the nation's entire strength. The Gales Kingdom had even borrowed a considerable amount of money from another Orc Kingdom in the rear to support such a massive war.
In principle, with the Gales Kingdom's 27 legions facing the Elf Race's 11 legions, the Orc troops were almost twice the number of the elves'.
Yet the elves had not retreated; on the contrary, they seemed quite aggressive, with their main force increasingly nearing the Segal River, and even their cavalry had crossed the river for reconnaissance yesterday.
"Sir!" As all the Orc commanders in the tent speculated about the true intentions of the Elf Race, an officer barged in hastily.
"What's the matter?" The leading Orc general inhaled deeply, staring at the officer who entered.
That officer immediately bowed his head and replied, "The elves have crossed the border upstream! Two of their legions are attempting to cut through our defensive line!"
The Orc officer was stunned; he had stationed two legions of troops upstream, and with the river as a barrier, a collapse so soon seemed impossible.
So, with some disbelief, he continued, "How come our riverbank garrison hasn't made a move?"
"They've been routed! The rate of fire of the Elf Race's firearms has suddenly increased. It must be that they have acquired Shireck's latest firearm technology!" the officer reported with a somber expression.
The defeated Orc troops indeed brought back many pieces of feedback, including intelligence on the weapon change of the Elf Race's vanguard troops.
Having never seen such weapons before, the Orc troops mistook the Elf Race's Tang's K1 Quick Gun as a new type of weapon developed by the Shireck arms conglomerate.
The leading Orc general, surrounded by his officers, listened as one burly Orc immediately exploded in anger, "Damn it! Those humans really will sell anything to those cunning Elves!"
After pondering for a moment, the leading Orc general finally decided to deploy his troops on the flat terrain, "Assemble the Wolf Riders! Let our musketeers advance towards the Sena Plains! We cannot allow the Elf Race to control Sena City, or else this year's harvest will be completely destroyed!"
The Orc Wolf Riders were actually not knights who rode wolves; they were shepherds of the Orc race who herded wolves, had excellent marksmanship, and were skilled riders, forming one of the main forces of the Orcs.
It was precisely because they had a large contingent of cavalry that the Orc commander chose the Sena Plains for the decisive battle.
Here, his cavalry could charge, threaten the enemy's flanks, and allow him to deploy his superior forces to break the enemy in one strike.
And although the Orcs were at a disadvantage in the number of muskets, they were not far behind the Elves in the number of cannons.
This is why, after decades of fierce battles, the Elves had never gained an upper hand, which was another reason.
"Yes, sir!" the Orc officer immediately turned and charged out of the tent upon hearing the command.
The Orcs outnumbered their enemy, and consequently, it took longer to assemble their troops, a disadvantage of having an excessively large force.
"Send someone to inform His Majesty the King at once! Report the situation on the battlefield to him," the Orc general instructed again.
Another officer nodded and walked out of the tent, "Yes, sir!"
After a series of orders were issued, silence once again returned to the tent, and the brawny officer beside the Orc general couldn't help but curse angrily, "Now I finally understand why the Shireck envoys were so easy to talk to, selling us 5,000 Shireck Flintlock Guns in one go!"
"They're swindling our money!" the other Orc officers said grimly, clenching their fists.
The leading Orc officer closed his eyes, reluctantly lamenting, "But we still have to trade fairly with them! This is what I hate the most!"
The two legions he had deployed by the upper river had crumbled in an instant, indicating a clear and significant superiority of the Elves' weaponry.
He started with twenty-seven legions against eleven of the Elves, now he had only twenty-five legions ready for immediate combat.
Such a situation had never occurred in previous wars, so he had to reassess the combat power of the Elf troops.
A miscalculation of the enemy's actual combat strength could lead to an irreversible catastrophe for the entire war situation.
This was a battle in which the Orc Gales Kingdom had invested all its effort. If they failed to defeat the Elves, the Gales Kingdom losing the Sena Plains would essentially be no different from the kingdom's ruin.
After considering his options, he ordered the brawny officer beside him, "You personally lead the guard! Have the two defeated legions find a way to withdraw from battle! Gather all the surviving musketeers from the two retreating legions and reinforce the 17th Legion!"
"Yes!" the Orc officer grunted in acknowledgment.
"Remember! Don't act recklessly! Have the 17th Legion fall back slowly! If the enemy takes the bait and pursues the 17th Legion into the Sena Plains, join with the three following legions and hold your ground on the spot!" the leading Orc general advised.
"Understood!" the officer answered solemnly once more.
"Not a step back!" the leading Orc general emphasized one last time.
"Not a step back!" the Orc officer confirmed resolutely once again.
"Go!" With a nod, the Orc general waved his hand, signaling his trusted officer to carry out the orders.
With a proud lift of his chin, the officer stood up straight, silently exiting the tent.
First, use three legions to test the enemy's combat strength, and at the same time, dig a big trap for the enemy, testing their commander to see if they would be overconfident and advance recklessly... After setting the basic battle plans, the leading Orc general instructed the remaining officers in the tent, "The rest of you return to your legions and command your troops!"
"Yes!" the remaining Orc officers replied in a cacophony.