Free Web NovelChapter 65: Chapter 56: Another Victory! I Want to Play the Whole Game
SWOOSH!
A dozen arrows struck the Tiger-man commander with precision, the immense force knocking him straight to the ground.
Henry glanced to the side and saw that it was Bain, who had brought a dozen royal guard archers as support.
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot! Henry pounced, smashing his hammer into the Tiger-man’s chest.
The Tiger-man commander let out a muffled grunt, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were filled with indignation and fury.
With their commander’s defeat, the morale of the surrounding Half-Beastmen plummeted. What little morale they had managed to maintain instantly collapsed.
RUMBLE!
The Armored Cavalry circled to the flank and, using their standard-issue iron riding spears, charged once more! freewebnovёl.ƈom
The Half-Beastmen began to shrink back, no longer daring to confront them. The Half-Beastman army started to fall back in disarray, and Henry ultimately achieved victory. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Dozens of Centaurs fled in a panic, their figures gradually disappearing in the distance. The Grassland Warriors did not pursue them.
At that moment, over a thousand Kobolds, several hundred Gnolls, and dozens of Tiger-men chose to surrender before Henry.
Henry was breathing heavily. His gaze swept over the surrendered Half-Beastmen, and a surge of fighting spirit welled up inside him.
’Winning one battle is nothing. I’m going to win them all!’
"Long live the Empire!"
"Victory!!"
"Long live the King!"
"The Legion is invincible!"
"F*ck you, Half-Beastmen! I’m gonna win!"
The soldiers cheered without restraint. They had survived once again, and they had won.
A hefty bonus awaited them. Although they might die in the next battle, that wouldn’t stop them from feasting for the next few days!
The most important goal in life is to go from having enough to eat to eating well.
Fass, covered in blood, came to stand by Henry’s side. "This time," he said, "you might just become the star of the Tianyin campaign."
Henry just smiled, unconcerned. ’This star, that star... they’re not as good as getting more troops.’
"Clean up the battlefield quickly. Treat the wounded immediately. If they really can’t be saved... give them a quick death. Don’t let them die from festering wounds."
Fass nodded and went to issue the orders. He was completely convinced now; Henry’s commands no longer made him feel uncomfortable.
The Elite Armored Cavalry officer walked over, holding his helmet, and said, "We lost seven of our boys."
Henry didn’t say much, just patted his shoulder in silent consolation.
Henry saw Bain approaching and first asked if he was injured. After learning he wasn’t, Henry praised him, "Bain, not bad. Your archery is much better than before."
Bain was a little embarrassed by the praise. "My lord gave me a bow during the Battle of Zhiluo, so I started practicing hard."
The more Henry looked at him, the more pleased he was. The only problem was that he couldn’t let Bain and Boman stay together. That kid Boman was always competing with Bain to see who could eat more.
A dignified Hereditary Knight, competing daily with an Attendant to see who was the bigger glutton—it was truly unrivaled.
Cleaning the battlefield took about two hours. According to a rough estimate, sixty-seven Array-Breaking Warriors and Heavy Axe Soldiers were lost in this battle, along with over three hundred infantry from the private armies of Henry and the other two.
Cavalry losses were light, not exceeding thirty men in total. The archers suffered almost no losses, but Fass’s Crossbowmen took heavy casualties in close combat. Over thirteen hundred serfs were killed or wounded, which wasn’t a major issue.
A large number of high-quality Half-Beastman heads were severed, and cartloads of armor and weapons were collected.
The Grassland Warriors rummaged through the Half-Beastman camp and brought back a large quantity of fur blankets.
Overall, based on the loss ratio alone, it was a minor victory. But factoring in the value of the spoils, it was a major victory.
The Legion’s accompanying Minstrel was scribbling furiously. This was a battle with great selling points; it could probably earn him a lot of money.
"Pack up and return to camp. We can’t stay here. We need to get back near the Legion as soon as possible."
Although the warriors were exhausted, no one grumbled about the order.
The officers also agreed with Henry’s decision. If they remained garrisoned here, there was no guarantee that a roving band of Half-Beastmen wouldn’t launch a night raid.
[Personal Experience +2177]
[One-Handed Proficiency +47]
[One-Handed Passive Skill Unlocked: ⑥ Quick Chop (Your battle axe swings faster)]
[Running Proficiency +33]
[Running Passive Skill Unlocked: ④ Life Vitality (Your constitution is strengthened)]
[Tactical Proficiency +42]
[Tactical Passive Skill Unlocked: ④ Green Blood and Red Heart (Your soldiers can fight continuously with High Morale)]
[Overlord Training Points +12]
On the way back, Henry kept replaying the day’s battle in his mind.
Heavy Cavalry, Armor-Piercing Shooters, Heavy Infantry—the more the better. The more elite the army, the better the results.
The threat from Tiger-men was, in some ways, even greater than that of Minotaurs, because Tiger-men were more agile and their attacks were faster.
Minotaurs, on the other hand, were clumsier, and Henry could easily dodge their attacks. Minotaurs had another weakness: their height. By simply pressing his arm down slightly, Henry could slice off a Minotaur’s, well, ’bulls’. This also applied to Bearmen.
He decided that after returning, he would request more Heavy Armor Soldiers from Soslan. He wanted to continue acting as the main force.
This battle had greatly improved his personal strength. Moreover, he could sense that after this fight, there wouldn’t be another large-scale engagement like it for some time.
Therefore, he had to seize this opportunity to rack up some war merits!
「The next morning」
After the troops force-marched and finally arrived near the Legion, Henry immediately began to write a report, detailing the course and results of the battle and proposing his own ideas.
The Half-Beastman captives, their armor, weapons, and their heads were handed over in exchange for Dinars—a huge sum of eleven thousand Dinars.
To put that in perspective, if market prices didn’t rise, Henry could directly build more than forty farmsteads and support over thirty thousand serfs! That was a setup only the domains of old, established Viscounts could boast.
The Legion’s soldiers had not yet departed; they needed to wait for transfer orders before returning to their own camps.
While everyone else was busy and drenched in sweat, Henry was already washing up.
He was going to meet with Soslan soon, not just to request more soldiers and petition for battle, but mainly to inquire about the current situation.
However, Henry guessed the situation must be relatively good; otherwise, the atmosphere in the Legion’s camp would be far more oppressive.
After putting on his imperial robe and family crest medal, Henry summoned Bain and ordered, "Bain, go get Fass. I’m going to see Soslan Corps Commander."
A short while later, Bain returned to report that Fass was exhausted and had already fallen asleep.
Henry smiled knowingly. In truth, he was exhausted too. He hadn’t slept well at all the previous night. If he weren’t so preoccupied with requesting more elite soldiers, he would also be sound asleep in his warm tent right now.
Henry went alone, finding his way to the Legion Commander’s main tent with practiced ease, and had someone announce his arrival.
