Chapter 192 - 169: City Defense Preparations
Chapter 192: Chapter 169: City Defense Preparations
By the time the meeting ended, it was already noon. According to intelligence from the front, the Beastmen were only two days away from Thermopylae.
The enemy had also begun a forced march. They had likely received news of the defeat of their vanguard, the Beastman Wolf Cavalry.
For humanity, this war was a race against time—and the same was true for the Beastmen.
They didn’t know when humanity’s reserves would arrive, and to their rear was the relentlessly pursuing Earl Wei Man.
After this contingent of Beastmen split off from Prince Kase’s main army, Marquis Oscillate had been dispatching reinforcements while simultaneously retreating toward another pass, falling back into the royal family’s direct domain.
In this race, it could be said that every second counted for both sides.
"My lord, the carriages have departed. They’re expected to reach the Fourth and Fifth Regiments by tonight."
Robson and Valentino were on their mounts outside the city, surveying the surrounding terrain.
These were the same carriages that had transported the First Regiment, along with the various supply wagons.
There was no other choice. At the current pace of the Fourth and Fifth Regiments, by the time they reached Thermopylae, they would likely run straight into the Beastman Army.
That was the last thing Robson wanted. In this situation, every single soldier was precious. One more man meant one more shred of hope.
Furthermore, trailing behind those regiments were some of the nobles from Sirich City. Robson had already written off Sirich City’s troops; they couldn’t possibly reach Thermopylae in time. They could be left for Earl Wei Man to handle.
But after witnessing the nobles gathered at Thermopylae, Robson was beginning to realize that the teammates he had once considered unreliable might have been the lesser of two evils.
In any case, Robson would never willingly take this group from Thermopylae onto the battlefield with him. If they all started acting like Ma Su, trying to be clever and taking matters into their own hands, it would be a disaster.
The crucial point was that these second-generation nobles were all difficult to manage. If something went wrong, Robson couldn’t touch them. Right now, there were no accusations of corruption or any other pretext for him to make an example of them. Therefore, kicking this group out of the military command structure was the best option for him.
He was merely sidelining them, and with Prince Noah providing top cover, they couldn’t do anything to him even if they had objections.
Robson nodded.
"Have all the Mages been summoned?" Robson asked, turning to Valentino.
Having Ais handle this group of Mages was clearly out of the question. He’d probably just end up pissing them off, making them think Lord Robson was insulting them.
Besides, the task Robson had in mind for the Mages was simple yet burdensome. Someone of low status wouldn’t be able to command their respect.
That was why Robson had specifically sent Valentino. Prince Noah could have done it too, of course, but it was best not to trouble such an important figure unless it was absolutely critical.
"They’ve all been notified. Mage Norria is leading them here now..."
"By the way, what do you need so many Mages for?" Valentino asked, looking at Robson curiously.
"Burn all these trees. And the nearby water sources..."
"Do you have anything that can contaminate the water?" Robson asked Valentino.
That’s right. Robson was replicating his strategy from the battle at Qimo Fortress.
Of course, his opponents back then had only been a mob of Gnolls and Kobolds. The most elite among them were just a troop of Centaurs and Bear Race Heavy Infantry.
The current situation was completely different. The idea of stopping the entire Beastman Army with a few forest fires seemed unrealistic, no matter how you looked at it.
But even if it couldn’t stop them, he had to do it. As long as it could slow the Beastmen’s advance—every day they could delay was a victory. Once they reached the later stages and reinforcements arrived, it would no longer be Lord Robson’s problem.
"Contaminate the water? You mean Viduo Lake to the east? That’s likely impossible... To contaminate that entire lake, you’d probably need hundreds of Undead Mages or Druids..." Valentino said, frowning.
"No, of course not. I wouldn’t dream of it," Robson said with a wry smile.
"We only need to contaminate the smaller lakes nearby. This will force the enemy to rely solely on Viduo Lake, which is at least twenty li from Thermopylae..."
"Once we’ve contaminated all the small lakes within a ten-li radius, they’ll have no choice but to make camp over by Viduo Lake..."
"Just fetching water will require their soldiers to expend twice the energy, and it will even give our Knights room to pursue and maneuver," Robson explained.
Robson had only recently learned these methods, recalling basic military books and case studies from his past life, supplemented by the knightly diaries he’d found, like those belonging to Viscount Fuman.
’They’ll be on the same side from now on, so there’s no reason to be secretive. If Valentino understands, great. If not, so be it.’
Valentino listened, only half-understanding. Algeria Academy certainly offered courses on military affairs; after all, for the human nobility, martial prowess was paramount.
The nations that had currently let their armaments fall into disuse were mostly small countries sandwiched between major powers, serving as buffer states. Even if they wanted to rearm, the surrounding great powers would never allow it.
Nations like Tilia, Algeria, Frank, and the Haven Kingdom, on the other hand, were known for their elite soldiers and fierce commanders.
Of course, due to their unique national circumstances, each of them had considerable differences. The Haven Kingdom, for example, boasted humanity’s greatest navy, safeguarding the seas for the Lord of Dawn.