Chapter 182 - 165: Pursuit
Chapter 182: Chapter 165: Pursuit
While the human Heavy Infantry rampaged through the Beastman Camp, General Curry and a portion of his Extraordinary Wolf Cavalry had already retreated to the designated location.
After arriving in the area, General Curry’s scouts had discovered this location—a hillside that wasn’t too steep, but still had a slope. General Curry had chosen this spot for his retreat because it was a defensible position from which he could also launch an attack.
Of course, all of this was only possible because the Warg Mounts had bought General Curry time. Otherwise, he would have certainly chosen a downhill path to conserve stamina, then dashed into the forest as quickly as possible to defend against the human Cavalry.
As he watched the distant Wolf Cavalry camp burn, General Curry’s heart sank.
Although he was never one to show his men a gentle face, these were, after all, the Soldiers of the Elite Army General Curry had campaigned with for many years. The ones who remained were the best of the best.
’If I hadn’t been so eager for a swift victory... if I hadn’t ordered a forced march when the army had already been fighting for dozens of days straight, driving them to utter exhaustion... today’s outcome would have been entirely different.’
’Even if the enemy outnumbered us several times over, I’m confident I could have withdrawn completely. If I’d really wanted to, crushing them wouldn’t have even been a problem.’
’Perhaps this defeat was sealed the moment I accepted the order for a forced march. I was blinded by old ambitions, too eager to create an opening for the Beast Emperor. That’s what led to this ultimate failure.’
’Of course, the biggest factor was that I never predicted it. The enemy was entirely Infantry, yet they arrived at almost the same time we did. And even after their own forced march, they still had all their fighting strength and sky-high morale.’
’When it comes down to it, I, Curry, lost because we have no Thunderhawks. Without adequate intelligence, I allowed the enemy to seize every advantage of timing and terrain.’
"General, what do we do now?" a Personal Guard next to General Curry asked. The guard had several sword wounds, and his aura was already gathering at the injuries to stanch the bleeding.
However, judging by his pale complexion, the Personal Guard wouldn’t last much longer without prompt medical attention.
General Curry took a vial of green potion from his tunic and handed it to the Personal Guard.
"This... General, what about your injury...?" the Personal Guard said, looking hesitantly toward General Curry’s right arm.
During the retreat, General Curry had been a step too slow. A group of humans had caught up to him, and one of them, wielding a Knight’s Sword, had pierced his right arm.
General Curry shook his head.
"Use it. Don’t mind me," General Curry said, his gaze turning back to the Beastman Camp, which was still engulfed in flames. The human Extraordinary Knight Order was already closing in.
The Personal Guard applied the potion to his wounds.
General Curry glanced back and, with his veteran experience, estimated the number of Wolf Cavalry that had gathered.
"You! Gather my Personal Guard! We need to go rescue those panicked youngsters who are fleeing in disarray.
"Desa, you take the remaining Wolf Cavalry and retreat north! Remember to round up the Warriors who fell behind. I’ll follow you shortly," General Curry ordered, speaking to the Personal Guard who had just applied the potion and to another of his deputies.
’There’s no other way. The Warriors still in the Beastman Camp are the elites I’ve spent so many years building up. I can’t just abandon them.’
’But the human Extraordinary Cavalry is in relentless pursuit. If I take the last of the Extraordinary Wolf Cavalry with me and we get surrounded, I’ll lose everything.’
He might as well just take his few dozen Personal Guards. Though Curry was ostracized by the imperial court, as one of the top generals in the Beastman Empire, his Personal Guard was undeniably formidable.
Even the weakest among them was a Bronze Third Tier, and their ranks included over a dozen Silver Wolf Cavalry.
Of course, this wasn’t to say the entire Extraordinary Wolf Cavalry had so few Silver-ranked members. Many of the Silver Cavalry were responsible for more complex tasks, such as commanding units in battle.
"Understood, my lord."
"As you command, my lord."
...
Robson was currently outside the Beastman Camp. He had not charged in to join the slaughter. From a distance, he saw the Beastman Extraordinary Cavalry galloping toward them.
To Robson’s surprise, even at this stage, the Beastman Commander was still planning a counter-attack.
’To be honest, the fact that a group of Beastman Wolf Cavalry managed to escape completely intact is already incredible.’
’It just goes to show, the enemy Commander and his army are incredibly quick to react, making their decision in a split second.’
"Cavalry, assemble! Cavalry, assemble!" Robson spurred his horse and charged into the Beastman Camp. He sent two Beastmen flying with two thrusts of his spear, then used his aura to amplify his voice as he shouted.
’There’s no other way. The bugle calls I’ve established aren’t sophisticated enough to order a specific unit to assemble. The Non-commissioned Officers are all former Peasants, after all; I can’t teach them too many concepts beyond their current understanding all at once.’
’Right now, I can only rely on the most primitive method of command—which also happens to be the most common one on the continent: shouting my lungs out!’
Robson’s ample aura allowed his voice to resound throughout the entire camp. The human Cavalry surging through the area all began to converge on his position.
And yet, at that moment, Robson led his human Cavalry out of the Beastman Camp.
Robson’s voice carried far and wide, and General Curry naturally heard it loud and clear. Watching Robson withdraw his troops from the camp, he instantly understood the man’s plan.