Chapter 588 - 360: Firing Flat

Chapter 588: Chapter 360: Firing Flat

The army had set out on its campaign.

You can usually gauge an army’s quality by the way it marches.

The Sutton Alliance Army was clearly not a high-caliber force.

The marching column was utter chaos. Soldiers from different regions were crammed together. They had never trained as one, and their individual training varied wildly. Simply thrown together at the last moment, there was basically no coordination to speak of.

Not to mention the many who had no training at all—farmers who had simply been conscripted.

The army of tens of thousands stretched for kilometers down the road, kicking up a cloud of dust amid an endless clamor.

If not for the armor they wore and the weapons they carried, it would be hard to tell them apart from a mob of refugees.

However, by the standards of traditional warfare, this Alliance Army could indeed be considered an elite force.

All combatants were armored. Although most wore cheaper leather armor and brigandine, this was still a lavish provision compared to typical legions, where only about fifty percent of soldiers were armored.

To say nothing of the various noble Knight Orders, who had spared no expense.

This alone showed how much importance Sutton VII placed on this war.

If he could take the Northern Domain, not only would he secure his throne, but more importantly, he would gain the Northern Domain’s industrial base.

As for the summoned nobles, their enthusiasm for the war was just as high, driven by the promise of plunder after victory.

After all, they had long heard of Deepwater City’s riches.

Sir Willy rode at the front of the army, leading the Knight Order loyal to him.

His confidence to ride at the vanguard came from his gleaming suit of Enchanted Secret Silver Plate Armor. The suit’s protection was so complete that only a narrow slit remained for his eyes.

Its fine materials, superb craftsmanship, and High-Tier Enchantments made the armor capable of deflecting shots from all sorts of firearms.

The only thing that could pose a threat was if one of those "sniper rifle" contraptions was fired point-blank at his face.

Even if someone did manage to charge up to him with a sniper rifle, he had one last resort to save his life: a Teleportation Talisman Stone.

It couldn’t teleport him to a specific location, but it could send him several kilometers in a chosen direction. Critically, it required no magical channeling—it activated the instant it was crushed.

That was why he dared to be a general who led from the front.

Having a general lead the charge was crucial for morale.

Marching was hard work, especially when marching in armor to guard against ambushes.

Sir Willy’s entire body ached.

’He was actually quite surprised they hadn’t been ambushed yet.’

’In my view, with such a disparity in forces, an ambush is the only sensible choice, even if it is devoid of any noble honor.’

’But those rebels from the Northern Domain have no honor to speak of to begin with.’

Yet the scouts he’d sent ahead had already reached the projected battlefield without finding any trace of an ambush.

’So these rebels have neither honor nor intelligence.’

’An opponent even easier to deal with than I’d anticipated.’

This made him lower his guard.

His body ached, and he was growing drowsy.

Luckily, the constant clamor—a cacophony of dialects from every region—was enough of an assault on the senses to keep him awake.

’These temporarily conscripted peasants will probably never learn the meaning of military discipline.’

’Not that I was counting on them anyway.’

’The most they’re good for is to exhaust the Northern Domain’s peasant army, haul supplies, and clean up the battlefield. If they actually manage to kill an enemy or two, it would be considered an exceptional performance.’

’My true strength, aside from the elite Knight Order, lies with the squads of Transcendents.’

’Sutton VII may not have contributed many soldiers to the Alliance Army, but he has dispatched the Royal Family’s Mage Corps—an asset more valuable than ten thousand Ordinary Warriors.’

Add to that the Warriors and Barbarians on the front lines, Priests for healing, Rangers and Stalkers for harassment and ranged attacks, and even Evil Mages who could play a unique role at critical junctures.

’What a powerful army.’

Clad in immaculate armor or magnificent Magic Robes, they stood out among the throng of common soldiers, looking exceptionally noble.

Sir Willy smiled faintly. ’Such power. The Northern Domain couldn’t muster a force like this even if they scraped the bottom of their barrel.’

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South of Deepwater City, at the defensive positions of the Northern Legion, a complex network of trenches had been dug into the ground.

Since the Sutton Alliance Army also possessed firearms, trenches were crucial for cover. They were also highly effective against cavalry.

Even if the first line of defense fell, the trenches would slow a cavalry advance, allowing troops to fall back and defend the second line.

Zog, however, didn’t believe the Alliance Army had what it took to break through the first line of defense.

Still, true to her meticulous nature, Figxin had prepared three full defensive lines.

Clad in light armor, soldiers of the Northern Domain scurried through the dense, complex network of trenches. They transported ammunition and relayed orders with the disciplined efficiency of a precision machine.

Figxin had trained her soldiers well.

The sheer orderliness of the position was deeply satisfying to Zog, who had come to watch the show.

Soothing.

There was no artillery at the Deepwater City defensive position. Production was complex and output was low; the dozen or so cannons that had been manufactured were all deployed further north in the Domain.

The primary weapons at this position were machine guns, grenades, and several heavy machine guns housed in bunkers to create overlapping fields of fire.

After a long wait, the figures of the Alliance Army finally appeared on the high ground to the south.

A dense throng of men swarmed over the highlands. Zog could just make out that they were forming up for battle.