Chapter 413 - 161: The Confusing Robson

Chapter 413: Chapter 161: The Confusing Robson

Time flew, and soon it was early June. The weather slowly eased into the peak of summer.

The entire Julian City was now fully armed, poised and waiting for a battle.

On the city walls, Chief Liete gazed south, his expression grim.

Hall walked up to him.

"Any news? Have the humans made a move?"

Chief Liete asked upon seeing Hall approach.

Hall shook his head.

"According to the latest messages from the falcons, the humans are still drilling their troops on the border. We haven’t seen them make any other moves," Hall said.

"Drilling... That’s strange." Liete was puzzled.

Ever since the human army arrived at the border several days ago, they had been preparing for a defensive war.

Yet, to this day, the humans hadn’t made the slightest move.

"Father, could it be that the soldiers who defeated Prince Odoruo have already gone elsewhere? We haven’t seen any sign of them on the front lines," Hall speculated.

Liete frowned, lost in thought.

’Judging by the humans’ current behavior, it’s not impossible,’ he thought.

’Otherwise, why would they just keep drilling on the front lines? Shouldn’t they have attacked by now?’

"Perhaps this is a stalling tactic from the humans.

They think we don’t have enough food to feed the army outside the city, so they’re deliberately trying to wear us down," Liete speculated again.

Hall frowned.

This was the last thing he wanted. If the humans really were thinking that way, then they had hit upon Liete and the others’ greatest weakness.

The war to the south had been initiated by the Imperial Court, with the Royalist Faction comprising the main force.

The Centaur Royal Family was a dominant force within the Royalist Faction and had naturally contributed a great deal. As the only territory in the Centaur Clan with arable land, the Julian Tribe had given even more.

As a result, the entire Centaur Tribe now had only a little over a month’s worth of grain reserves.

The crucial point was that Liete had recently discovered the Bear Barbarians from the north did no work at all, yet they could eat an incredible amount!

A single bear ate as much as three Centaur Warriors, stretching the Centaur Tribe’s grain reserves to the breaking point.

"Liete! Liete!"

A deep, booming shout echoed from afar.

Hearing this, Chief Liete’s face darkened.

’The only one who would dare shout at me so rudely here is that stupid bear.’

’Now I see,’ Chief Liete thought. ’There was a reason the Mountain Rock Bear Race was driven out of the Empire.’

"It’s that barbarian again..."

Before long, the city wall began to tremble. Striding up was a giant of a bear, towering like an iron tower: Chief Moer.

"Liete! My clan’s territory is calling for aid! When are you going to send troops to help me?!" Chief Moer roared.

The Mountain Rock Bear Race hailed from the northern Elf Kingdom, only coming south after being ostracized.

That was why they sometimes referred to themselves as a tribe, and other times as a clan.

Chief Liete frowned.

This was another matter that had been troubling him endlessly.

Chief Moer and his people had originally come here seeking Chief Liete’s help because they were being overrun by magical beasts.

Chief Liete had agreed, asking Chief Moer to first help him defend the city. In return, he promised he would then help Chief Moer fend off the magical beasts.

But for some unknown reason, the magical beasts had recently started acting up again.

’Of all the times to cause trouble, why now?’

"Liete! I’m warning you one last time! Either help me drive back the magical beasts, or open the gates and let us out!" Chief Moer said, his voice laced with resentment.

As he spoke, Chief Moer stomped his foot, cracking the stone of the rampart and leaving a deep crater.

Just as Chief Liete was at his wit’s end, Hall stepped forward.

"Father, I don’t think the humans will attack anytime soon. They haven’t made a move for so long.

Why don’t we dispatch some Warriors to help Chief Moer resolve his tribe’s problems first?

We don’t need many. Two thousand troops should be enough to hold off half the beast tide. We still have plenty of Warriors in the city; we can easily afford to split our forces," Hall said.

The more Hall spoke, the more sense he thought he was making, so he continued to elaborate.

Even if the humans do attack, they won’t be able to take the city quickly. Our returning troops could then launch a surprise attack from the rear. We might even be able to turn the tide of the battle."

Upon hearing this, a smile spread across Chief Moer’s face.

"Not bad! The lad’s got sense! That’s exactly what I was getting at!" said Chief Moer.

Chief Liete frowned.

’That human army of three thousand crushed Prince Odoruo’s army of one hundred thousand.’

Chief Liete had always been a cautious man. And while Julian City now had an army tens of thousands strong—comprising goblins, kobolds, Centaurs, and the Bear Race—the human army across the border numbered over twenty thousand.

’If he went by that horrifying ratio of three thousand to one hundred thousand, their entire force wouldn’t even be a warm-up for the enemy.’

Of course, Chief Liete knew it was impossible for such an elite force to exist. Three thousand routing one hundred thousand had to be just a rumor.

According to Prince Odoruo’s own account, it was more like three thousand of their soldiers against nearly twenty thousand of his regular troops.

But that was still an incredible feat. Even if Prince Odoruo was out of favor, he was still a Prince, and his army was composed of the Empire’s elite.

Take Castro’s army, for instance. Chief Liete couldn’t possibly muster a force like that; they were all hardened veterans who had survived numerous battles.

"Liete! A straight answer! Are you going to help or not?!"

"If not, then let us out! I’m done helping you defend this damn city!"

Moer spat, furious that Liete was still hesitating.

"Father, it’s just a matter of a few days. We send two thousand elite troops, and they’ll likely be back in less than a week. What’s the harm in helping?

We have forty thousand levy troops outside the city and over ten thousand Centaur Shooters inside.

If the humans can break through all that in a short time, then another two thousand Warriors wouldn’t have made a difference anyway," Hall urged again.

Chief Liete considered it from all angles.

’The logic is sound.’

’If the humans do attack, the troops can just return.’

’Could tens of thousands of Beastmen inside and outside the city really be routed in a single night? Not even the Beast God himself could be that powerful, could he?’

"In that case, go and select two thousand Warriors. Travel day and night and hurry to the battlefield.

I will remain here to command the defense," Liete said.

As the chieftain of the tribe, Liete could not leave his post so easily.

If any emergency arose, it would require his personal attention to resolve.

If the enemy attacked and his side was a leaderless mob, that would be a fine mess indeed.

"Then I must thank you, Chief Liete!"

Chief Moer was certainly quick to change his tune.

The moment he heard Chief Liete agree, he broke into a foolish grin. If not for his previous aggressive display, Chief Liete might have even been fooled by the act.