Chapter 152 - 144: Oh No! They’re Coming for Me
Chapter 152: Chapter 144: Oh No! They’re Coming for Me
On the other end of the bridge, Aurora had just finished assembling the Gray Dwarves Heavy Infantry Corps.
In the past century of war, the Gray Dwarves had astonished the other races with their formidable infantry—the Gray Dwarves Heavy Infantry Corps.
During the rise of the Gray Dwarves, the Beastman Imperial Court eventually reacted, dispatching the Imperial Wolf Cavalry to subjugate them. The Gray Dwarf Heavy Infantry formed up on the plains and met the Imperial Wolf Cavalry head-on.
Although they ultimately lost the battle, the roughly even casualty ratio successfully convinced the hesitant Beast Emperor to relinquish the vast mines and tracts of arable land in the eastern Beastman Empire.
Of course, the *true* Gray Dwarf Heavy Infantry would never be handed over to Aurora. The main Gray Dwarves Heavy Infantry Corps was primarily composed of mortals, numbering as high as thirty thousand, and not all of them enjoyed the same level of equipment and treatment as the men under Aurora’s command.
The Heavy Infantry under Aurora’s command were part of the City Defense Army that guarded their homeland. They were one of the Gray Dwarves’ few Extraordinary Corps.
In truth, it consisted of just over 300 men.
Three hundred men wasn’t a small number, but compared to General Dor’s thousand-plus Gray Dwarf Heavy Cavalry, the disparity in importance was obvious. Of course, Aurora himself had never entertained the thought of fighting for succession.
This was also why Dor had never tried to bring Aurora’s Heavy Infantry under his own command; he simply didn’t believe Aurora harbored any other ambitions.
"Lord Aurora, the General urges you to attack at once."
This was the third military order Aurora had received. ’My dear brother,’ he thought, ’always acting so nonchalant, as if he has the entire situation under control.’
Aurora knew full well. ’Dor has rarely accomplished anything significant. He only ever relies on petty tricks.’
’If I were in General Dor’s position,’ Aurora mused, ’I would have attacked with all my might the moment the Beast Emperor gave the order. With the backing of the entire Gray Dwarves Race, could Prince Kase really cause trouble for me after I’d earned such merit?’
’The Beast Emperor is no fool, and the Empire’s political landscape wasn’t formed overnight. Dor might seem to have seized the initiative, but he’s actually put himself in a perilous position.’
’If he had just obediently attacked as the Beast Emperor wished, there would have been no punishment for failure, and success would have surely brought rewards. But no, my dear brother just had to take this risk.’
’For someone with a solid foundation, taking such risks is the ultimate taboo. Sure, the rewards for winning are great, but a loss means losing everything. He could have just profited by slowly accumulating merit...’
Of course, Aurora would never say any of this to Dor. The role he was meant to play was that of a reckless warrior who only knew how to charge. It wasn’t the role he wanted, but he had been born too late—a full thirty years too late. By the time he came of age, his older brothers had already carved up nearly all the clan’s resources among themselves.
"I understand."
"Move out!"
Aurora glanced at the several hundred Heavy Armor Warriors behind him. The roar of the Magic Crystal Cannons had ceased. He had studied these weapons; the Beastman Empire’s version would stall after just a few shots and couldn’t be used for sustained bombardment.
Aurora had deliberately delayed his advance, waiting for this very moment.
...
Meanwhile, after a few probing attacks, Loki’s forces symbolically dropped a few warhammers. Having lost another Griffin Knight, Loki didn’t hesitate to turn his forces around and retreat.
The Griffin Knights weren’t General Dor’s personal property. Strictly speaking, Loki was also a member of the Gray Dwarven Royal Family—though, of course, the Gray Dwarven Royal Family no longer officially existed.
But that made no difference. Even after undergoing a grand "reformation" under the guidance of the Beast Emperor’s ideology, the ruling class of the Gray Dwarves Race was still the same as it had always been. It had been that way for a thousand years, and it remained so today.
Loki was directly responsible for the Griffin Knights. He saw no reason to sacrifice all of them for Dor’s sake, especially since Dor would not necessarily protect him if things went south.
After the Griffin Knights flew off, Robson immediately sent Priests to see if the fallen griffin could be saved. The creatures were precious treasures; if they could revive even one, Lord Robson’s reconnaissance range would double.
When he had the time, Robson wanted to learn how to ride a griffin himself. ’Then again,’ he thought, ’I could just wait for Huang Na to grow a little faster. Riding a phoenix is far more impressive than riding a griffin. Unfortunately, the situation is too critical right now; I don’t dare let her out just to gain experience.’
Unfortunately, Robson had neither the time nor the griffins. A single griffin cost a thousand Gold Coins on the market! And that was just for a live one. Taming, maintenance, and training would bring the total cost for a single combat-ready griffin to several thousand Gold Coins.
Of course, the actual production cost wasn’t nearly that high. With a complete breeding and training program, the unit cost could be significantly reduced.
The Tilia Kingdom, the Algeria Kingdom, and the remote Ocean Kingdom all operated this way.
If one relied purely on imports, no one could afford to field such a force.
"Is the Archer Camp ready?" Robson asked, turning to Ais. Most of his officers had already been dispatched, leaving Ais as the only one by his side who could still be of use.
"They’re ready. The archers from the Second and Third Regiments have been deployed. The remaining 300 archers from the First Regiment are still stationed on the walls."
"The Fourth and Fifth Regiments are on standby, and Mr. Fioro has rushed to the front line," Ais replied fluently.
Robson noted that Ais seemed to have a unique gift for memorization, especially regarding military affairs. At times, Ais seemed to memorize maps even more easily than Robson himself. The more Robson worked with him, the more indispensable he became, which was why he kept him close. ’If the opportunity arises, I should help him try for a noble title,’ Robson thought.
"Signal the Magic Crystal Cannon Platforms to prepare," Robson ordered.
It had to be said, the Magic Crystal Cannons from the Southern Tilia Kingdom were remarkably effective. Even after prolonged use by Robson’s men, they continued to fire without any problems.
Robson had run tests before. This model of Magic Crystal Cannon required a very short cooldown period. If one wasn’t worried about its service life, it could even withstand forced cooling—both magical and physical.
In the current crisis, Robson couldn’t afford any delays. He was primarily using physical cooling methods. At worst, he would just have to repair the cannons later.
’Besides,’ Robson thought, ’judging by the enemy’s mobilization speed, Sirich City probably can’t hold out for long. When it falls, won’t I be able to scoop up all the Magic Crystal Cannons they used for their defense?’
’Of course, Sirich’s Magic Crystal Cannons are certainly no match for the ones from the Tilia Kingdom—they’re produced by Marquis Oscillate, after all. Still, compared to the Beastmen’s bizarre technology, they’re far more reliable.’
He walked over to the Magic Crystal Cannon platform and signaled a Soldier to load the Magic Crystal. One unit of Magic Crystal was worth roughly three Silver Coins, and each shot consumed ten units. That meant every shot cost three Gold Coins.
’The old saying is true: with the roar of a cannon comes a mountain of gold,’ Robson thought. If he didn’t have the backing of the Kingdom Government, he would never dare to use the Magic Crystal Cannons so liberally.
Watching the column of Heavy Infantry slowly advance to the center of the bridge, Robson carefully adjusted the cannon’s muzzle to the correct elevation and fired the first shot.