Free Web NovelChapter 75: Chapter 74: This Isn’t What Was Promised
Just as Daimon and Elimon were discussing their strategy, the entirety of Qimo Fortress had already sprung into action.
First came the signal smoke. Then, the Griffin Knights patrolling nearby brought Robson the precise number of enemies.
Two thousand elite Centaurs, leading two thousand Gnolls.
That’s it? When Robson received this news, his first reaction was one of confusion.
How could a force this size dare to launch a long-range raid? If not for his lack of cavalry, Robson would have even considered a preemptive strike.
’Don’t mind the Griffin Knights calling them elite Centaurs. No matter how elite they are, how much stamina could they possibly have left after running all the way from the Beastman Camp?’
Of course, considering the Beastmen always had some life-risking tricks up their sleeves, they might be able to maintain some combat strength for a short period. However, the backlash from those methods was usually immense—unless they were truly suicidal and kept using them nonstop.
’Aren’t they just delivering themselves to their deaths?’
Robson pondered for a long time but still couldn’t figure out the objective of this group of Centaurs.
...
Shortly after the Griffin Knights arrived, horns began to sound one after another throughout Qimo Fortress. Banner Soldiers stood at every intersection to direct traffic, and the army of several thousand began to bustle within the fortress walls.
Robson’s long-term training was now paying off.
If this were still the old Noble Alliance Army, what would be the first thing everyone did upon discovering the enemy?
It wouldn’t be to organize the defense, nor to scout the enemy’s condition, but to hold a meeting...
Now, Robson’s army had begun to adopt the practices of the Kingdom’s Standing Army. It already bore a resemblance to it and, in some ways, even surpassed it.
Even within the Kingdom’s Standing Army, command was not unified, and a great deal of time was still wasted on arguments.
Here at Qimo Fortress, however, everything was under Robson’s sole command. With a single order, the entire army mobilized.
Under the command of their junior officers, thousands of soldiers methodically began their tasks: manning the walls, forming the reserve, managing logistics, and assembling the Priest Corps...
Baron Dodger stood in the middle of an intersection, the shock in his heart difficult to put into words.
In truth, after observing the situation over the past few days, some of the more clever individuals had started to figure out what had really happened back then. Yet, not a single person dared to step forward and question it.
Why? Because Robson was able to secure a constant stream of supplies and reinforcements from the rear. Watching his army grow stronger by the day, who would even think of causing trouble?
The Frankish Nobles were martial, not moronic.
’Is this the gap between us?’ Baron Dodger thought, just as he suddenly felt a pat on his back.
He didn’t know what the other nobles were thinking, but for Baron Dodger, at least, the performance of Robson’s army was utterly stunning.
Watching this scene, even Baron Dodger himself felt his heart swell with excitement. ’This is what a real army mobilization looks like! What kind of joke were those past commanders who fought their wars with meetings?’
"Dodger? The commander told us to report immediately. What are you still doing here?"
Baron Dodger turned around. It was the Roman Knight.
"Right, I’m on my way."
...
A distance of a few dozen miles is neither long nor short.
If Daimon’s Centaur Elites were moving at full speed, it would be a journey of only one or two hours.
However, due to their long journey, they were suffering from exhaustion and were about an hour slower.
But none of this mattered. To Daimon, such a small difference in this final stage was negligible.
What mattered most was the situation right in front of him.
Daimon spotted Qimo Fortress standing tall in the distance. Although its appearance was a bit strange, with many inexplicable protrusions on the walls, even a pig could see this city was no candle in the wind.
The walls of Qimo Fortress looked brand new. Though made of earth, there were no obvious breaches to be seen.
Daimon was leading a surprise raid; forget siege engines, he hadn’t even brought a single person who knew how to build them.
’The intelligence was wrong!’
A bad feeling welled up in General Daimon’s heart.
Originally, the Gnolls were just a backup plan in case of unforeseen circumstances. According to the original plan, he could have charged straight through a breach in the walls.
Now, it seemed the Gnolls would have to be promoted to the primary option...
"General, this... this doesn’t seem like what we were told," Elimon said, his heart filled with unease as he stared at the fortress walls ahead.
"It’s nothing! Just a few minor complications," Daimon said with a wave of his hand. "Take your men into the woods and make scaling ladders. We’ll attack at midnight."
’Since we’ve come all this way, we have to at least try, right?’
As long as Qimo Fortress couldn’t get reinforcements from elsewhere, and as long as these Gnolls could break open the city gates, Daimon was still confident he could take the fortress in one go. freewebnσvel.cøm
Daimon knew about the Northern Bear Race forces from before. The Northern Bear Race was merely a vassal race to the Beastmen, whereas the Centaur Clan was, without a doubt, a major clan of the Beastman Empire.
If those stupid bears could push the humans in this fortress to their breaking point, it made no sense that he, General Daimon, couldn’t do the same.
As long as the Gnolls could open the gates of Qimo Fortress, he was still confident he could crush the city’s human defenders.
Besides, they had come this far, and he had talked such a big game beforehand. To run away without doing anything would go against the enterprising spirit of the Empire.
It would also be a blow to his, General Daimon’s, personal pride. But, of course, the main reason was that it went against the enterprising spirit of the Empire.
As for whether the Gnolls could break the gate... well, if they couldn’t, they couldn’t. It wouldn’t be Centaurs dying, anyway.
"This... General, since things have come to this, perhaps we should retreat for now and wait to regroup with the main army..." Elimon said with a pained expression.
Elimon was no fool. No matter how beautifully Daimon worded it, he understood his situation.
From the looks of it, these humans were clearly well-prepared. For Daimon to still order them to attack—wasn’t he openly trying to use them as cannon fodder?
Even if he did earn some merit, by then, his tribe would have suffered heavy losses. Could any small benefit he might receive possibly make up for the tribe’s losses?
Not to mention, the Beastman Empire had a "winner-take-all" mentality. Following a powerful boss often meant you’d be the one going hungry.
"Hm? I heard that you Gnolls have much better vision at night than those humans. With the Beast God’s blessing on top of that, you’re telling me you still can’t complete the mission?" Daimon’s tone left no room for argument.
"Well... that may be so, but..."
"Enough. There are no ’buts’. Go down and get ready," Daimon said. "Attack tonight, open the gates, and I will record it as a great merit for you. When I report to the Prince, you will be handsomely rewarded."
Seeing that Elimon still wanted to argue, Daimon’s temper flared.
"What? Are you saying you don’t wish to serve His Majesty the Beast King loyally?" Daimon threatened.
"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare."
Elimon knew that since things had escalated to this point, he could no longer refuse. To argue further would be to challenge the political orthodoxy of the Beastman Empire.
If he obediently went to attack the city, he would at least have a chance of survival. But if he dared to refuse now, it would be an act of disloyalty to the Emperor.
Although within the Beastman Empire, the great figures were already challenging the authority of the Beast Emperor, that was a game for the powerful.
At the lower levels, the Beastman Empire was still a society that prized loyalty.
