You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 232 The Anti-Rebel Army
Roman faced the same problem.

Just like last time, he came to the secondary road of Black Iron Avenue.

A side road branching off from the main road.

Kantling relied on this road most of the time to maintain communication with the outside world.

The quality of the roads is incomparable to the stone-paved and lime-paved roads of the original city.

It can only be described as a relatively wide dirt road, about ten meters wide.

Because it was easy to travel, the punitive expedition also followed this route.

Roman sent scouts to guard the road, and as soon as they saw an unfamiliar army approaching, they would immediately send messengers to Roman.

However, when Roman led his troops out, the two sides were less than twenty kilometers apart.

In another day, they will be able to meet Roman's army.

However, the terrain here is not exactly pleasant.

The terrain, including hills, ridges, and valleys, is vast and complex, but its fatal flaw is the lack of strategic passes and important locations.

This is what is known as a place that military strategists do not contend for.

Because it has little value.

Unless a long defensive line like the Great Wall is built, it is very easy to bypass it no matter where it is blocked.

Of course, the punitive expeditionary force came to fight Roman.

Just like last time, it's not impossible for Roman to engage in battle in the ravine.

However, last time he had to resort to this tactic because he had too few troops, in order to shorten the battle lines.

Even if the enemy army is large, only about a hundred soldiers can be sent to the front lines to fight.

So whether it's a war of attrition or a pincer attack, it doesn't matter.

Roman wasn't afraid.

They're playing a piece-trading tactic.

……

But it's different now.

Roman's army numbered four thousand, and with the servants included, it came to about seven thousand.

If everyone crowds into the ditch, they'll be trapping themselves in their own web.

So how should we play this?
Without the advantage of terrain, they can only fight in the open field.

They arrayed their troops and engaged in battle in the open field.

In field operations, only these three tactical methods are available.

Deploying troops in formation, using surprise attacks to flank from the rear, and hiding troops in secret.

Roman had already prepared the troop deployment, and the military formation was used at this moment.

A surprise attack from the rear won't work. To bypass it undetected, one would have to travel dozens of miles, and the enemy would also have scouts. Once discovered, the enemy would immediately send cavalry in pursuit. Unless Roman also sends out cavalry, escape would be extremely difficult.

Hiding troops in secret is possible.

However, how exactly to proceed depends on how the situation develops.

the next day.

The sky was overcast, as if spring rain was about to fall.

In the morning, Roman saw dust rising in the distant sky.

He had excellent eyesight, and his scouts kept bringing back news.

The army that was suppressing the rebellion was approaching, and it was numerous. Even though Roman had not witnessed it with his own eyes, he still felt a sense of oppression as he looked at the billowing dust as the army marched.

In the afternoon, the punitive expeditionary force was less than three kilometers away from Roman.

They did not advance any further, but instead set up camp and conserved their strength.

Roman did not send troops to harass them, as that would have been a pointless move.

As night fell, before the main armies of both sides had even engaged in battle, the scouts responsible for reconnaissance first clashed.

Dota led his scout squad and encountered enemy scouts in the wilderness.

Scout units are reconnaissance teams that illuminate the army's vision and prevent enemy ambushes or surprise attacks.

Dota and his team killed four and captured one alive.

Roman, on the other hand, lost eight scouts, seven of whom were killed by special arrows, and one died in close combat during the capture.

But they had accomplished their mission, captured the prisoner, and immediately rode back at breakneck speed, their backs drenched in cold sweat.

Upon seeing those expensive, special arrows, Roman knew that there were Broken Archers in the anti-rebel army.

He just didn't know how many Broken Archers had arrived. Having grown up in the Cracked Armor Territory, Roman knew all too well what they were capable of.

This kind of unit has a terrifying ability to suppress scattered soldiers.

If they were to encounter each other, even from a distance of 100 meters, his scouts would have no chance of survival.

Roman ordered Dota to bring the captured scout to him.

"Tell me the specific composition of the punitive expeditionary force, and I will spare your life. I always keep my word. But if you don't tell me, I will torture you to the point of wishing you were dead. I always keep my word!"

The scout felt the intensity of that gaze.

Just like Kate, whose offspring with split armor are extraordinary, and whose eyes seem to have substance.

He is not a particularly loyal or steadfast person.

For his own safety, he had no choice but to reveal all the information.

Roman also learned that Gael had sent forty Broken Archers, two hundred Oath Riders, and four hundred Free Riders.

The so-called Oath Riders are cavalry units second only to the Conqueror Knights; they have soldiers but no retinue.

Simply put, he is a down-on-his-luck knight.

If you feed him, he will swear allegiance to you.

If many people feed him, he will swear allegiance to many people.

Freelance riders are in even worse shape; they struggle to even support themselves.

Impoverished and destitute, they are often seen at martial arts tournaments or on the battlefield.

In the event of war, they would be summoned to lend a hand.

Earn merit on the battlefield, gain money and spoils, and then look for the next battlefield.

Its process is similar to that of mercenaries.

However, they themselves did not think so, and always considered themselves to be the reserve of the knights of war.

Many free riders made a name for themselves in tournaments or on the battlefield, thus becoming true knights and idols that many free riders admire and aspire to be.

It is worth mentioning that the second sons of some minor nobles, or the offspring of knights of conquest, often become sworn riders or free riders after reaching adulthood.

Anyway, the army that Gale sent was quite diverse in type and of high quality.

There are now about a thousand cavalry units.

Although only seventy of them are high-quality knights.

But neither the forty Broken Archers nor the thirty Judgment Knights were ordinary warrior knights.

In addition, there is a clergy consisting of five hundred nuns and three hundred priests.

An army of five thousand believers may not be much.

But the mercenaries in the muddy swamp are a bit scary.

If he had replaced last year's 7,000 noble allied troops with 3,000 mercenaries, he might not have won so easily; the casualty rate would have increased by at least 30%.

Roman felt a little pressure.

After clarifying the situation, Roman waved for them to leave and temporarily detained the scout as a prisoner of war.

Afterwards, Roman convened a military conference.

He explained the current situation to all the generals, both high and low.

Roman even set up a sand table model to simulate the current situation.

Undeniably, the enemy has a significant advantage.

In the present era, this is a formidable force, capable of waging a major battle.

However, their disadvantages are also significant.

The hastily assembled and scattered army was extremely poor in terms of organization, cohesion, and execution.

Their military skills are nowhere near those of a complete army.

We can definitely fight.

But Roman refused to use the exchange tactic anymore.

In his last battle, he lost 700 of his 2,000 men. How many more will he lose this time?
Even if they win, the losses will certainly be extremely heavy.

So the problem we face now is how to minimize the losses.

The meeting lasted for two hours.

It wasn't until late at night that Roman finally dismissed everyone.

(End of this chapter)