Free Web NovelChapter 167: Chapter 151: Probing
Mier called out anxiously from below.
He didn’t know much about military matters, but he knew the Thorn Corps was setting up fortifications. An attack right now would be a disaster.
"It’s Centaur scouts, not an enemy attack."
The Lord slid down from above, patting the water from the melted snow off his hands.
"A leader must remain composed, even in the face of disaster. If you panic, what will become of the soldiers under you?"
Levi patted Mier’s shoulder, taking the opportunity to impart a bit of wisdom.
Zat, standing to the side, quietly pursed his lips. ’Just who was it that scrambled up that flagpole a moment ago and even signaled for a retreat?’
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. If it was just scouts, it meant the main army was still some distance away. For now, they didn’t need to worry about an attack.
High Cliff Castle’s contingent was assigned to the logistics area, with the main force of the Thorn Corps in front.
If they were attacked, the enemy would most likely choose to strike the more vulnerable logistics section.
So Levi had every reason to be cautious.
"Lord, Lord."
Si Kai came jogging over from the front, calling out.
"What is it?" Levi waved his hand, signaling the Goat-man Auxiliary Soldiers to continue setting up the tents, aiming to have High Cliff Castle’s camp established by noon.
"Duke Fulina has called a meeting." Si Kai took a couple of breaths, steadying his breathing a little.
"Related to the Centaurs?" Levi asked.
"That’s right." Si Kai nodded, then added a warning for the Lord, "The Duke is not in a good mood."
Levi nodded.
After all, allowing enemy scouts to approach within a mile or two of the main army, completely unopposed, to gather intelligence was a monumental disgrace.
Walking into the wooden hut that had been hastily erected to serve as a meeting room, Fulina was tearing into a middle-aged Knight in Cavalry Armor, who sported a little moustache.
This was the first time the Lord had seen the Duke so furious. He wisely said nothing and plopped down next to Si Kai.
Levi had asked Si Kai about the various officers of the Thorn Corps, so he knew a little about this moustached Knight.
He was the captain of the Thorn Corps’ Cavalry Team, and was also responsible for scouting missions.
Allowing the enemy’s scouts to get so close to the Thorn Corps was clearly a grave dereliction of duty.
The officer’s face was filled with shame; he clearly knew this was his mistake.
"You’ve all grown soft and complacent in Bailiu City! Your arrogance is practically visible! You fail repeatedly against a mere band of Wilderness Natives. I can’t even imagine the losses you’ll cause when we march south."
Fulina was deeply disappointed.
For an army, poor equipment or undertrained soldiers were nowhere near as dangerous as arrogance.
History is filled with armies defeated by their own arrogance.
A string of victories in minor skirmishes had made these officers grow overconfident.
"Duke, if I cannot take down those Centaur scouts, I will accept the Freezing Punishment!"
The moustached officer swore a military oath.
Levi lowered his gaze, feigning contemplation. ’He’s like one of those old generals from the opera,’ he thought, ’bristling with death flags.’
If the Centaurs were so easy to deal with, they wouldn’t have dared to approach within a mile or two of the Thorn Corps, completely ignoring them.
This showed their absolute confidence in their own Power, confident that no one in the Thorn Corps could stop them.
After all, they were born cavalry, a completely different concept from humans who had to be trained for the role.
’To be honest,’ Levi thought, ’unless I were to get involved personally and do something inhuman, I can’t think of any good way to deal with these Centaurs either.’
This had nothing to do with anything else; it was purely a case of being crushed by superior strength.
After all, how can you compare your hobby to someone else’s livelihood?
Fulina clearly understood this as well. She just tapped the table and said in a low voice, "Centaurs are the aces among cavalry. It’s normal that you can’t compare. I don’t expect you to be as bold as them, closing the distance to a mile or two."
"Just make sure they can’t get near the Thorn Corps."
"You will lead the team yourself."
"Yes, Ma’am!" The Little Moustache Officer gave a firm salute, grabbed a Wooden Staff inlaid with a White Gemstone, and hurried out of the meeting room.
He was a Mage. Although only Low Tier, he had Mastered the Swift Movement Technique and the Light Body Skill. These two spells weren’t very advanced, but they were extremely practical for cavalry, which was why he had been appointed Cavalry Captain.
He swore that even if he had to exhaust every last drop of his Magic Power, he would make those Centaurs pay in blood.
"Losing the contest between scouts isn’t everything. The true outcome will be decided by the head-on confrontation between our armies."
The atmosphere in the room was heavy, so Fulina offered a word of comfort.
But it didn’t help much.
After all, anyone with eyes could see that war was about information advantage. And right now, the Thorn Corps was undeniably at a disadvantage in that regard.
Fortunately, their own scouts had brought back some news: the Wilderness Alliance Army had also made camp not far from the Agate Plain.
Apparently, both sides intended to use the Agate Plain as a buffer zone for the battle.
The rest of the meeting made the Lord drowsy. It was mostly just a list of precautions and a breakdown of everyone’s responsibilities.
As for how to fight the war, the current plan was to wait and see.
Because everyone had predicted that the Minotaurs marching south would immediately engage them in close combat, forcing them onto the defensive from the start.
But unexpectedly, the enemy had also started to set up camp, acting in an unhurried and strangely methodical manner.
This made everyone present hesitant to suggest an attack, fearing the enemy had set an ambush somewhere and was just waiting for them to take the bait.
So, no matter what decision was to be made, they had to wait for the Scout Squad to bring back intelligence on the enemy.
Returning to the High Cliff Castle camp, where rows of tents now stood, Levi slipped directly into the one with the High Cliff Castle banner hanging at its entrance.
There weren’t many people inside, only the leaders he had brought from High Cliff Castle: Zat, Mier, and Sam.
Sam was squatting in a corner, hugging the Stone Egg like a mother hen incubating her egg, eagerly awaiting the day her child would hatch.
Zat squatted idly in front of the brazier, occasionally adding a piece of firewood.
"Brother-in-law, what did Duke Fulina say?"
Mier, who had been reading a book, looked up and asked curiously.
"What else can we do? We wait and see for now."
"After all, in a battle of this scale, one wrong move could mean losing everything. So both sides are being very cautious."
"Those Minotaurs have also started setting up camp."
Levi plopped down next to Mier and saw he was reading a very famous military book from Debei that chronicled various battles. freeweɓnovel.cøm
He’d glanced at it before. In summary, while it wasn’t bad, it was still no match for *The Art of War*.
It could be used for reference, but one couldn’t follow it dogmatically.
"Whether in reality or in the battles recorded in this book, logically speaking, the Tribes from the Wilderness heading south should be pressed for supplies and eager to attack. So why would they set up camp instead? It’s as if they’re preparing for a prolonged war with us."
Mier, having just learned a few things from the book, was eager to show off his new knowledge.
"Who knows? Maybe they have a commander with some military genius," the Lord said, telling a dry joke.
Unfortunately, no one there got it.
Still, Levi filed the thought away. The situation was, after all, quite abnormal.
The Wilderness Alliance Army far outnumbered the Thorn Corps. Given the Wilderness People’s tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong, they should have already swarmed them and continued south.
How could they possibly end up in a standoff like this?
「Time trickled by.」
The Thorn Corps’ Scout Squad began to skirmish with the Centaur scouts. Thanks to the support of a Mage and equipment that was countless times superior, the Thorn Corps’ cavalry managed to fight the Centaurs to a standstill, with both sides suffering losses.
In the end, the Centaur scouts retreated, leaving behind several corpses, while the Thorn Corps’ scouts returned with the news everyone had been eagerly awaiting.
