Chapter 154 - 146: Securing a Foothold
Chapter 154: Chapter 146: Securing a Foothold
The Gray Dwarves’ reaction speed was undeniably fast. Robson, at least, had no opportunity for a third shot. The few Magic Crystal Cannon blasts that followed his initial volleys only managed to graze the edges of the Gray Dwarves’ position.
If the Gray Dwarves’ formation hadn’t been so dense, Robson would never have achieved such significant results.
The Gray Dwarves’ dense formation had been forged in wars of blood and tears.
The Beastman Royal Family’s Wolf Cavalry and the Human Kingdom’s Knights—both major adversaries—were experts in cavalry warfare. Although the Gray Dwarves had their own Medium Heavy Cavalry Corps, they knew their own shortcomings all too well.
With the speed of their Heavy Cavalry, they’d be made to look like fools if they ever encountered true cavalry on the battlefield.
Moreover, Dwarves themselves weren’t skilled at mounted combat. The heavy hammers they wielded were so powerful they were liable to send both rider and mount tumbling.
After charging into enemy ranks, the Gray Dwarf Heavy Cavalry would have difficulty maneuvering and could easily be surrounded and annihilated.
General Dor’s Heavy Cavalry were called as such, but their performance during the breakout at Sunset Fortress showed a different story—they were pummeled by a group of fleeing Knights.
In most cases, the Dwarf Race’s Heavy Cavalry would dismount to fight. They were merely mounted infantry.
It was these external factors that led to the creation of the Gray Dwarves Heavy Infantry Corps. Clearly, Aurora had copied their tactics wholesale, and applying them without considering the actual circumstances was bound to cause problems like this.
However, Robson wasn’t greedy despite these results; he’d take what he could get. The Elite Infantry of the First Corps had already been deployed to block the various breaches.
Seizing the opportunity, Viscount Di Man had his men and Extraordinary Cavalry dismount to fight. As for the nobles from Qimo Fortress, it went without saying. Even without an order from Robson, they saw the chance for military honors and eagerly rushed to the front lines to seal the breaches.
This was where the Beastmen’s weakness in Extraordinary talent became apparent. The enemy had amassed at least forty thousand troops, yet their number of Extraordinaries—even counting their Officers—was estimated to be only a hundred or so more than Robson’s forces.
Furthermore, there was another factor that couldn’t be ignored.
The Beastmen’s concentrated formations of Extraordinaries had already been shattered by Robson’s artillery. The consequence was that even when the Beastmen held an advantage in the broader battle, they now faced a localized disadvantage.
When the Beastmen charged over in small groups, they were met by dozens, even hundreds, of Extraordinary nobles and Knights from Robson’s side.
And that wasn’t all. On the fortress walls, there were a hundred Tier Four and Tier Five Bow and Crossbowmen armed with Magic Crossbows, as well as Tier Three archers from the Second and Third Corps. Nearly a thousand men were unleashing their firepower upon the nearly one-hundred-meter-long bridgehead.
If there weren’t two bridges, and if Robson hadn’t designed the semicircular wall to increase the firing area for the archers, there wouldn’t be enough room for everyone to stand on the walls now.
’Since the enemy wants to throw their lives away, let them fill the gaps with a sea of bodies,’ Robson thought.
Robson had already made most of the necessary preparations. All he needed to do was stay on the gun platform and be ready to upgrade his soldiers at a moment’s notice.
.....
"Quiet! The enemy’s about to charge! I still need those 20 Gold Coins, so don’t you dare hold me back!" Jack scowled, glaring angrily at Hans and Odin, who were chattering incessantly behind him.
The three of them had gotten their wish and been accepted into the First Corps during the last recruitment drive, a fact that Jack now regretted to some degree.
The noble lord in charge of the First Corps had actually assigned these two to his squad. Jack had hoped that by joining the First Corps, he’d get to learn from the veterans. Instead, the cursed assignment system had stuck him with two unreliable teammates.
"What are you so nervous about? It’s not our first time using a spear. Look, nice and steady. How’s my thrust?" Hans made a mock thrust. Even Jack had to admit that Hans had improved a lot.
In Robson’s eyes, this progress meant he had gone from a Tier Three Soldier to a Tier Four.
"Quiet! Spears up!
Enemy’s here."
The voice was that of a calm, middle-aged man—Captain Jason. He was said to be a veteran the noble lord had brought with him from his hometown.
Captain Jason’s voice boomed like a great bell. Hans and Odin immediately shut their mouths, raised their spears, and stared intently forward, their full attention focused.
Captain Jason was incredibly skilled; Hans, at least, couldn’t last five moves against him. While there might have been some controversy over the selection of Non-commissioned Officers in the other corps, there was absolutely none in the First.
He completely outclassed the regular Soldiers in terms of strength.
"No need to be so tense," Captain Jason said. "Remember, you only need to do two things: thrust out, and pull back. Don’t think about any fancy moves. A good Soldier only needs to do two things: thrust out, and pull back. Got it?" As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward Jack, intentionally or not.
Jack knew the captain was warning him. He gave Jason a nod, then immediately fixed his gaze forward. They could already see the enemy.
"Loose!" Jack heard the cry from the fortress walls. He couldn’t help but offer a silent prayer for the Beastmen.
He knew what kind of monsters were up on those walls.
’Thinking about it that way, Captain Jason was right. What was there to panic about?’
.....
"AWOOOO!"
"AWOOOO!"
Eric led the Wolfman Light Infantry, charging at the very front of the pack. Squeezed in the crowd, Eric let out a long howl to the sky, and his personal guards immediately answered in kind.