Free Web NovelChapter 143: Chapter 135: The Beastmen’s Move
"He isn’t always this humorous..."
"It’s nothing. Is something the matter?" Robson changed the subject.
"According to the scouts’ reports, although we blew up some of the bridge fortifications and ferry crossings, the enemy is now concentrating their use of Magic to build bridges."
"I was thinking, should we intercept them? The main issue is that the enemy’s low-level troops have already begun arriving at the battlefield. If we simply remain on the defensive, the entirety of Sirich City could be completely surrounded," Valentino said with a frown.
The conference room, being the usual place for discussing military affairs, happened to have a topographical map of the river section Sirich City was responsible for.
Once most of the people had left, Valentino walked over to the topographical map.
Just then, Viscount Dinar also came over of his own accord, standing to Robson’s left.
To Robson’s surprise, Viscount Dinar actually took the initiative to greet him.
Robson had seen the look on Viscount Dinar’s face when Earl Wei Man had been assigning tasks just a moment ago.
But on second thought, it made sense. Starting a conflict with Robson now was not in his best interest, as they would be working together in the future.
Besides, Valentino had just been exceptionally friendly toward Robson. For Viscount Dinar, leaving a good impression on Valentino and Robson was essential if he wanted to complete this mission safely. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
It wasn’t that strange. After all, his was a family capable of vying for the title of Count; the Sect Leader couldn’t possibly be a reckless fool ruled by adrenaline.
All the nobles in the conference room who were set to deploy tomorrow had already gone back to prepare. Those remaining were basically the nobles assigned to stay and defend Sirich City.
It wasn’t that there had been any advance notice—Valentino herself had only arrived in Sirich City at dusk. It was mainly that the three commanders Earl Wei Man had just assigned to defend the city were all currently waiting properly in the conference room.
Obviously, the three leaders had something to discuss, and no one wanted to miss it. After all, this was a battlefield, where life and death were separated by a razor’s edge.
Perhaps hearing some piece of information could allow them to reduce their own losses, or even save their lives.
Valentino didn’t bother taking a headcount of the nobles present. After the vote just now, Sirich City had already entered a state of emergency; everything was to be conducted according to military law.
As long as Valentino, Robson, and Viscount Dinar gave their approval, the military operation could be legally executed. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
The nobles under them would all assume the roles of officers.
"According to intelligence from the front line, it’s roughly the section between Mold Castle and Hanwei Fortress, as well as the section from Hanwei Fortress to Feng Castle."
"The enemy is currently trying to use Magic to construct bridges in these two sections," Valentino explained.
Viscount Di Man pointed to the two river sections Valentino had just outlined, looking rather perplexed.
"Building a bridge? From just one side? But the enemy controls the opposite bank of this river section. If they want to construct a Magic Bridge, they’d need a massive number of Mages," Viscount Di Man asked doubtfully.
Valentino shook her head.
"I don’t know for sure either. I was very skeptical at first, but I sent out many Griffin Scouts, and the results all came back the same."
"Besides, the enemy hasn’t even crossed the Somme River yet. I really can’t figure out what kind of trick they’re trying to pull."
"Furthermore, the enemy’s advance is very slow right now. As far as I know, after we withdrew, the enemy only managed to break through the first fortress at noon, and after that, there’s been no movement."
"From what I hear, most of their forces have been withdrawn. It’s not clear where they were moved, but I estimate it’s about forty percent," Valentino said.
"Robson, what do you think?" Valentino looked at Robson.
Robson was also quite surprised as he listened to this data.
Moving forty percent of their troops was understandable. After all, West Line Deville City was the main battlefield on the Western Front; that was the enemy’s primary assembly point.
"If they can’t cross the Somme River, their only option is an aerial assault. But based on their previous performance, they don’t have a large air force here."
"To achieve the element of surprise, the scale of their Thunderhawks or any other Flying Legion couldn’t be small. However, according to consolidated reports from all three fronts, basically all of the Beastman Empire’s well-known Flying Legions are already engaged on the battlefield."
"Moreover, if they can’t cross the river, even a small Flying Legion would be of no use to the overall situation."
"If they want to use Magic to cross the river from elsewhere, they would need a considerable number of Mage Corps. The Beastman Empire’s current Mage Corps have basically all been accounted for, but this is something we definitely need to be wary of."
"Of course, there’s another possibility. They could use ferries to cross the river, and this is all just a feint. If they were to use ferries, those few ports still have garrisons, and it’s impossible to build a large number of boats in a short time," Robson analyzed.
After getting in touch with Valentino these past few days, the first thing Robson did was ask her to request a report from Marquis Oscillate on the Beastman Empire’s deployments, as well as the battle reports from various war zones that the Kingdom’s upper echelons used for communication.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
By now, Robson was possibly more familiar with the enemy’s situation than they were themselves.
"Is it possible... that they have internal conflicts?" Robson offered this speculation after a long moment of thought.
The Beastman Empire wasn’t like the Frank Kingdom. In the wars between the Franks and the Beastmen, the Beastman Empire had held the dominant position for years; they were the invaders.
For the Beastman Empire, internal class conflicts far outweighed external national conflicts.
Considering the Beastman Empire’s unique situation, one could even say that their own internal ethnic conflicts were greater than their external ones.
The Beastman Empire’s very existence was a huddling together of lower-tiered races for warmth. Looking at its composition, you’d know that it was basically made up of those who had lost past struggles and were forced to leave their homes.
Even a nation like the Frank Kingdom, which had long lived under the heavy pressure of national conflict, had its own internal north-south divide, to say nothing of a vast empire like the Beastman Empire.
"That’s certainly a possibility. I sensed it before; these two groups of Beastmen are not coordinated. Do you remember? Back when we learned Qimo Fortress was in crisis, the werewolves outside the city barely put up any resistance."
"At the time, we thought it was due to the efforts of the entire Fengman Knight Order, but thinking back on it now, the whole thing was indeed a bit strange."
After Robson pointed this out, it started to click for Valentino as well.
"And the forces at Devil City have already begun to engage the Beastmen. Logically, they should have acted immediately to support the main battlefield."
"But they didn’t. During our entire retreat, they didn’t even send out a single Thunderhawk to scout," Valentino said, her conviction growing with every word.
It was the same for Viscount Di Man, who was standing to the side. At the same time, the way Viscount Di Man looked at Robson and Valentino changed slightly.
’A mere Baron, and he knows so much? I, Di Man, don’t even have access to this much intelligence.’
"Regardless, taking the initiative is necessary. The enemy outnumbers us several times over. If you include the goblins and kobolds, that number becomes even more exaggerated."
"The current situation is just like it was back at Qimo Fortress."
"If we can’t strike the enemy effectively, the upcoming defense of the city will be extremely difficult."
"Of course, this is all just our speculation. We can’t risk the safety of Sirich City and our allies on a guess."
"The enemy hasn’t successfully crossed the river yet. I propose we strike with a small, elite force," Robson said.
In Robson’s experience, sometimes the more you thought something was true, the more likely the reality was the exact opposite. It was just that common cognitive inertia and information bubbles could lock down your thinking.
Robson had seen many self-righteous figures like this in the past—people who thought they’d uncovered some earth-shattering secret and ended up going all-in, only to meet a bad end.
The lighter cases ended in broken families, the more serious ones ended with a meeting on the rooftop.
Robson’s usual style was to always leave himself a way out, to always have an escape route.
And based on the current situation, sending out a few elite units would be more than enough.
Although the enemy’s army was massive, they couldn’t throw everything at them at once.
Besides, a large part of their army had been transferred away. You could tell from small details, like the fact that the Griffin Scouts could even scout that far.
According to intelligence, the enemy forces currently massing on the other side of the river numbered just barely twenty to thirty thousand. Of course, these Soldiers were nothing like the goblins.
This enemy contingent definitely consisted of more than just these Soldiers; it was just that assembling a large army was quite troublesome.
The previous assembly speed at Sirich City was that of an elite army, one that had been baptized by the fires of war.
