Chapter 846: The Trap Is Set

Another two days pass before Pabos and the others reach the abandoned forts.

The rain is noticeably lighter now. Though the forts have been abandoned, plenty of places still offer shelter from the wind and rain.

With a few repairs, they will do as temporary quarters.

Some men repair the forts. Others head to the designated locations to retrieve their equipment.

A day later, the equipment starts arriving, load by load.

A report arrives by extraordinary communication. The scouts watching Palm Tree Lake have spotted large numbers of calamity creatures there.

These are not Subterranean River Bandits, but elite troops made up of Lobster Cavalry, Naga Guards, and water demons.

For now, there are only two thousand. Their numbers keep growing, however, and they already show signs of preparing to move out.

The five abandoned forts lie directly across the enemy's shortest route to the waterworks on the upper reaches of the Leo River.

This was part of the plan all along.

The five forts form a pentagon, with three kilometers between neighboring forts.

Pabos and the other two commanders agree to use the two forts at the rear as supply depots and field hospitals. The wounded will also be housed there.

The three forts facing Palm Tree Lake will form the main line of interception.

Some men have fallen ill after marching through the rain, despite their strong constitutions and the cold-resistance potion.

Fortunately, relatively few are out of action: only a few hundred in each warband.

These men are not bedridden. They are simply unwell and unfit for combat.

They still have plenty of work to do in the rear. They are not simply a burden.

Pabos and the others hold a temporary war council. The Ninth Warband will occupy Fort One in the center.

The First Warband will defend Fort Two on the left, and the Seventh Warband will take Fort Three on the right.

They will support one another and form a solid barrier.

The troops coming from Palm Tree Lake cannot bypass the forts. Mountains flank both sides, making the terrain unsuitable for the Subterranean River Bandits to march through.

This is not quite a gorge, but each fort can block movement for several kilometers around it. Together, they cover all the passable ground between the mountains.

Good news then arrives from another battlefield.

No water flows through the old riverbed now. Only a rain-soaked, muddy track remains, slowing the river-bandit breakthrough force considerably.

Earlier this morning, a river-bandit army of more than ten thousand tried to return to the Leo River to investigate.

The two warbands from Peace Haven's Southern District had already moved into their assigned positions and deployed in formation.

The two sides did not engage at close quarters. The enemy intended to tear a gap in the defensive line with a fierce volley of supernatural arts.

But the two Southern District warbands had never intended to meet them head-on.

They had placed large numbers of anti-cavalry barricades with metal points in the old riverbed and driven numerous sharpened stakes into it as well.

The enemy could not get close.

The enemy's maximum casting range was no more than a kilometer. Each Southern District warband, meanwhile, had an attached company of steam ballistae.

The two companies, with ten steam ballistae between them, hammered the river-bandit army in the riverbed.

Each ballista fired three shots per minute into the areas marked out in advance.

After ten minutes, the enemy could no longer endure it.

The scouts also reported where the enemy spellcasters had gathered. A concentrated volley of Thunderclap Ballista fire struck that area. The enemy realized that this force was nowhere near strong enough to break through.

The Subterranean River Bandits withdrew decisively, without attempting a last, desperate charge.

Now aware of the danger, the river-bandit breakthrough force immediately gathers all its spellcasters and turns the light rain into another torrential downpour.

They still do not believe this is a trap. Or perhaps they mean to risk everything on one last attempt to breach the Tranquil Sea defense line.

Whatever their reasoning, the river-bandit breakthrough force does not retreat. It presses on even faster.

What they do not know is that the old riverbed ahead has already been cut off, and numerous artificial channels have been dug along the route toward the Tranquil Sea.

If the river-bandit breakthrough force takes those channels, it will eventually find itself trapped with no way out.

They are moving faster again, but they have passed the last point at which they could still escape safely. They can no longer turn the situation around.

The rapidly marching river bandits have no idea how many obstacles lie ahead. They will never even reach the Tranquil Sea defense line.

The empire's high-ranking spellcasters estimate that this final downpour will last less than a day.

By forcibly drawing moisture from the surrounding area, they are only hastening the return of clear skies.

With the outcome on the main battlefield settled, Pabos and the others feel their own responsibility all the more keenly.

Nearly a hundred and seventy thousand calamity bandits are trapped there, all of them elite troops.

If their own failure lets that army escape, the disgrace will be unbearable.

More importantly, the balance of power around the entire Tranquil Sea defense line will change.

Only now do Whistler and Dimir fully appreciate how right Pabos was to insist on a forced march.

They cannot help marveling at him. He truly is the eldest legitimate son of the lord of Blood Hill. He has inherited his formidable father's strategic and political insight.

A day later, the observation post at Palm Tree Lake sends another report.

The Subterranean River Bandits may have discovered what happened to the Leo River waterworks. More than three thousand elite calamity creatures are heading straight for the fortress cluster.

Pabos calls a military council with officers from every level of the warband to discuss how to meet the attack.

Pabos lays down the first principle. "We cannot rely on the forts! We are here to intercept them. That means going out to fight in the field."

"We have no heavy fire support, no cavalry to cover us, and no reinforcements to help. We have to stop them ourselves."

"Three thousand enemy elite troops, and we still cannot ask the other two warbands to help. Their job is to kill any enemies that get past us."

Soon, the battle plan is complete. The officers take their orders and return to prepare their units.

At the enemy's marching speed, these elite calamity creatures should have reached the abandoned forts by noon.

Yet the scouts now report that they are still tens of kilometers away.

Pabos frowns. "What the hell are they up to?"

Ruchi, his deputy warband commander, replies gravely, "They have spotted our preparations. They intend to break through under cover of darkness!"

Pabos's heart jolts. "Get the illuminating compound ready! Tell the men to prepare for a night battle!"

Sure enough, as evening falls, the scouts report that the enemy is on the move. They should reach the area in an hour.

Pabos immediately leads his troops out to form up and establish their defenses.

The battle begins shortly after nine. The light rain greatly favors the elite river bandits.

Darkness gives them an even greater advantage.

Pabos has countermeasures ready. Patches of illuminating compound on the ground provide basic visibility.

The drums and bugles sounding across the battlefield also severely disrupt the enemy's Rain Echo perception.