Volume 28: The Long Spear Sweeps the Field

Chapter 1: The Advance

Komer’s fingers moved across the map, finally stopping on the place name of Tirlins.
“Fran, let’s start from here—what do you think? Tirlins, a great name. It must be Poznan’s most important flax-producing area. I like it here.”
Komer’s teasing words brought laughter from Bauling and Dragumo. “My lord, we’re all aware that you’re interested in any land that will soon belong to you.”
The generals gathered around Komer were all smiling. For them, war was undoubtedly the best way to test the results of their long training. The lord had already declared that he would not hesitate to reward those who performed well in battle—with military honors, land, and even slaves. For officers, this was an immense temptation.

Homer—Caucasus’s military mobilization was quite low-key, but it was impossible to avoid attracting the attention of neighboring countries. Large-scale troop movements couldn’t be kept secret in those times, especially when large numbers of half-orc and barbarian soldiers appeared on Homer’s lands. Even ordinary people could sense this obvious intention. This warlike new lord seemed determined to prove his iron will through war once again.

Fran still served as the commander of the Stormtroop Corps. Under the current circumstances, none of Komer’s subordinates could take Fran’s place and hold it firmly. As the deputy commander, Bauling actually took on much of Fran’s role in day-to-day command. As for those barbarians who had performed well in the last battle, they still hadn’t won Komer’s trust. Especially in such a complex military force, experience remained crucial—a key factor in gaining the respect and loyalty of soldiers.

Dragumo had officially become the commander of the Rocktroop Corps. From Lithuania to Livonia, and then back to the Caucasus, he had successfully transformed from a half-orc mobster into a true leader of half-orc warriors. His loyalty to Komer ensured his position as the absolute leader of this team.

Ilot unsurprisingly became the first commander of the Ghost Monkey Corps. Although this army seemed inferior to the Stormtroop Corps and Rocktroop Corps in terms of both numbers and quality, its ironclad discipline ensured that it would march into battle in unison.

The commander of the Feiyu Regiment was unexpectedly a newcomer—a skilled archer of both human and half-elf descent. This unit grew rapidly, but as a support force, it needed several proper battles to be tempered. Dano, an outstanding archer who emerged from this unit, not only won over the hearts of all humans and half-elves with his superb archery skills but also impressed Fran greatly with his meticulous and pragmatic attitude. He was the only one to be promoted to such a high-ranking position despite Kommer’s lack of familiarity with him.

“Mahagumi, what’s the Gallian response?”

“My lord, the Gallians reacted quickly. They learned about our mobilization on the fourth day and promptly began their own mobilization. In fact, I believe they would have taken action even if we hadn’t mobilized—just look at how well the two sides in the north coordinate; their cooperation is quite seamless. Now, the number of Gallian troops in the border areas is gradually increasing. The Resurrection Knights have suspended all leave and are in combat readiness. It seems some magicians from Bohemia have also joined Gallia’s mage corps.”

Mahagumi was always there when Kommer needed him, bringing both respectful attitude and thorough intelligence, which even made the officers who didn’t particularly like him admit that he was indeed excellent at gathering information.

“It seems our reconciliation efforts haven’t had much effect. Zelin is determined to get involved.” Kommer remained calm. This was all within expectations. If the Gallians hadn’t reacted, that would have been truly surprising.

“Everything is under your control. There’s no need to worry. As long as we can deal with the Posenians within the planned time, the Gallians will end up retreating in shame, just as they did last time in Homer.” Baoling was confident.

“No, Bauling, the situation isn’t exactly the same. During the Battle of Homer, the people of Calais trusted Philip’s strength too much, which slowed their reaction time. Learning from that experience, they won’t make the same mistake. As long as we take action in the north, they will surely charge eastward. The situation in the Homer region isn’t yet stable; we must keep the enemy out of our borders. If they get in, those remaining forces secretly supporting Philip will take the opportunity to rise again.” Fran shook his head, disagreeing with Bauling’s view. “The pressure on the western front will be immense. The key is for our army to withstand the Calaisians’ repeated attacks. Zerlin will surely send their strongest attacking forces, and their mage corps and knight corps may unite to deliver a fatal blow this time.”

“Rebri, you must be well aware of the strength of the Calais mage corps. Now that they’ve also received help from Bohemia, the burden is quite heavy,” Komer said with a faint smile. “This will be a major test for our combined mage corps. After the Battle of Marco, our mage corps will face another real test. What do you think?”

“I’m somewhat familiar with the original mages of the Calais mage corps, and Montague is even an old friend of mine. It’s regrettable that this battle has to take place between him and me. The original strength of the Calais mage corps isn’t truly formidable, and Montague alone can’t carry the entire burden of the war. But we still don’t know the strength of the mages from Bohemia—that’s an unknown variable. Additionally, on the northern battlefield, we still need to divert some of our combined mage forces to support them. Although the Poznan mage corps isn’t very strong, without a corresponding counterforce, it can still cause significant damage to our army.”

Rebri remained cautious in his words. Fighting on two fronts is a major risk for any side, but since things have come to this, the only way is to crush the Haine family of Poznan before the Calaisians enter Homer.

“Hmph, Ferdinand also wants Groningen. They should give the people of Poznan a helping hand when necessary. There’s no such thing as waiting passively for something to fall into your hands in this world!” Ilot said indignantly.

“Ferdinand, that old fox, won’t easily show his stance at a time like this. That means he’s already made his position clear to Poznan and Calais. It’s already remarkable that he could find excuses to stay out at the beginning. As for later on, as long as we can quickly deal with the Haine family, the people of Calais will be overwhelmed and unable to take care of themselves, leaving Ferdinand even more room to stay out of it,” Kommer analyzed calmly. “We can’t pin our hopes on others. For us, it’s enough to complete our tasks according to the plan.”

Ebson Haine’s eyes were bloodshot, unable to sleep due to exhaustion and fear. Dark circles under his eyes made him look much older. What should he do?

The Homeric army surged across the plains of Thyrins like a storm. Poznan’s forces simply couldn’t withstand those fierce barbarian armies. How could that damned usurper command those barbarian soldiers so effectively, making them sacrifice everything for him?

Ebson pressed his temples in pain. A string of bad news kept him awake all night. The enemy arrived too quickly. Both sides started mobilizing for war almost at the same time, but Ebson couldn’t understand why the Homeric army could mobilize so fast. Before his own forces could get ready, the brutal barbarian armies had already rushed into Thyrins like wolves.

Thyrins’ pitiful fortresses couldn’t withstand those howling beasts. The roar of those barbarians seemed capable of piercing the sky. If not for the power of his mage corps, which kept those barbarian armies at bay to some extent, Ebson doubted he could even be sitting there breathing.

The barbarian soldiers below the fortresses had retreated like a tide. Death seemed like an immense honor to them. Ebson witnessed the madness and ferocity of those barbarians. He had no idea how such an army could be created.

A group of soldiers surrounded several horses and appeared on a distant hillside. Those men must be the enemy chiefs. Was that usurper among them? Ebson watched from afar, panting heavily. Today’s bloody battle made him truly understand the cruelty of war. Looking at the severed limbs and weapons discarded beneath the city walls, Ebson felt an inexplicable chill. Was this what true war of destruction looked like?!

Think back to how once arrogant, I wanted to take the initiative. But looking at the current situation, the gap in military combat strength is obvious. Although the Tlilins Fortress complex was somewhat rudimentary, it was easily captured by the enemy in just three days. Of the six thousand soldiers guarding the fortress, over four thousand surrendered trembling inside, handing over a large amount of supplies and equipment. Such humiliation was like a heavy slap across Ebson’s face, causing him immense shame and unbearable pain.