I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 431 Bulldozer Plan

The Lamia serpent people's surprise attack on the Holy Expeditionary Army's camp was like a wave crashing against an iron wall, instantly shattering into pieces and utterly failing.

This night raid, which was intended to tear apart the human defenses, not only failed to shake the military camp in the slightest, but also stirred up unexpected ripples within the Holy Expeditionary Army, and even had a far-reaching impact that was extremely detrimental to the Serpent People themselves.

As the last wave of snake-men retreated hastily into the darkness of the swamp, leaving behind countless corpses of various shapes and sizes, a completely different atmosphere, unlike the tense and solemn atmosphere before the battle, quickly spread through the Holy Expeditionary Army's camp.

For the majority of players in the army, the biggest gain from this battle was not experience points or loot, but a strong sense of disenchantment.

Before the war, the legends about the snake people being ferocious, cunning, and incredibly strong, as well as the oppressive feeling of them surging like a black tide, made many players, especially those who were new to the game or had never experienced large-scale battles, feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy, and some were even overly nervous.

However, when the battle actually began, the players discovered that numbers did not equal a threat.

On the main battlefield, the sheer number of snake people became a joke in the face of the Holy Expeditionary Army's meticulously constructed multi-layered firepower network and deadly traps.

Like moths drawn to a flame, they fell in droves before the dense hail of lead bullets, shrapnel, solid shells, and treacherous barbed wire. The so-called tidal wave offensive was more like the snakes actively rushing into a meat grinder.

The snake people's prized close-quarters combat skills became completely useless when they couldn't break through the barricades and barbed wire defenses. The few lucky ones who managed to reach the players, or rather, the unlucky ones, were quickly surrounded and killed by well-equipped and well-coordinated player teams, posing no threat whatsoever.

The snake-man's seemingly terrifying appearance and charge quickly shed their mystery and fear in the eyes of players, turning them into experience points.

This shift in perception has greatly boosted the confidence and morale of the player community.

Fear was replaced by contempt and even mockery. Even the NPC soldiers spoke of the battle with ease, their faces beaming with the pride of victors and anticipation for the next battle.

The tense feeling of being on high alert before the battle was replaced by a relaxed atmosphere, almost like an old farmer harvesting crops.

For the NPC soldiers who are not players, this victory is even more significant.

They witnessed firsthand the devastating power of their own firepower system, saw the commander's composure in the face of danger and the effective execution of orders, and also felt the almost fanatical fighting spirit of the King's Guard.

This clean and decisive defensive battle greatly boosted their confidence in the Holy Expeditionary Army's combat effectiveness, command structure, and ultimate victory.

The panic in the logistics area quickly subsided, and the craftsmen and low-level believers who had wanted to escape were now at ease, even feeling a bit of lingering fear and relief.

At the same time, this battle was also a brutal test of combat, exposing the fatal weaknesses of the Lamia snake people.

First, they clearly lack effective long-range attack methods. During the entire charge last night, the snake people had almost no decent long-range attacks to suppress or interfere with the Holy Expeditionary Army's defenses.

They had archers, but their numbers were so small that they could not form a suppressive rain of arrows against the Holy Army's barrage of bullets.

This allowed the Holy Army's musketeers and artillerymen to stand behind the relatively safe breastwork without any worries, loading and aiming, and unleashing their firepower at their own pace.

This is the Snakeman's biggest tactical flaw.

At the same time, the snake people's helplessness in the face of complex fortifications and traps is even more impressive. They show astonishing stupidity and clumsiness when faced with barricades, deep trenches, barbed wire, and especially specially made snake-belly barbed wire.

The snake people lacked effective obstacle-breaking tools or tactics, relying solely on brute force and sheer numbers to charge forward. As a result, a large number of casualties were consumed in the process of breaking through obstacles, turning them into easy targets.

This exposed their shortcomings in engineering response and tactical flexibility.

Then, during the post-war meeting of the Holy Expeditionary Army's high command, they discovered that the Lamia Serpent People were particularly poor in terms of organization and teamwork.

Although the snakemen's charge is impressive, a closer look reveals that they have almost no clear echelons, unit coordination, or tactical feints.

It was a simple, one-wave attack, lacking command nodes and effective battlefield control.

Once the vanguard collapses under obstacles and fire, the follow-up troops have no choice but to either continue filling the gaps or retreat in disarray.

Finally, the individual defense of the snake people has obvious flaws. Through the three or four thousand snake people corpses on the battlefield, players discovered that the snake people did indeed wear armor.

However, players can easily tell from the style of the armor that it clearly has a Minician style, obviously because the snake people dug it out of the human armory after the fall of Suvano.

Such armor was produced in limited quantities, so only a small number of the strongest snake-man warriors could equip it.

The limited number of armors rendered the snake-man warriors largely ineffective in last night's raid, as they were quickly wiped out by a barrage of cannon fire and lead bullets.

Most of the remaining snake people had no choice but to fight naked, relying on their natural snake scales to withstand the damage.

The snake-man's scale armor offers some protection against melee weapons. Players' tests on snake corpses have shown that its protective performance is similar to that of high-quality leather armor, capable of withstanding sword cuts and providing excellent defense against arrows.

However, snake scales are extremely vulnerable to dense lead bullets, especially close-range shot and powerful solid cannonballs. Solid cannonballs from field artillery can easily penetrate multiple snakemen, while the barbed wire of the Holy Expeditionary Army can effectively break through their scale protection, causing continuous damage and restricting their movement.

In short, the snake people's night raid, intended to deal a heavy blow to the Holy Expeditionary Army, turned out to be like a heavy punch hitting a steel plate. Not only did the snake people break their own bones and tendons, but the Holy Expeditionary Army, like a steel plate, became even harder and more confident, and they could clearly see the cracks in their opponent's body.

Before the embers of the fireworks display had even cooled, new schemes were already quietly unfolding in the victorious camp, their target the true shadow hidden deep within the dark swamp.

……

"The decapitation strike plan must absolutely not be used!"

At the battle meeting after dawn, Little Knife Stabs Buttocks shouted very clearly to the others in the meeting tent, especially Diu Ni Rem, the supreme commander of the Holy Expeditionary Army.

"You still want me to lead the team in and do the work?"

"Don't even think about it, I absolutely will not go into the cesspool!"

Diu Ni Rem was in a real bind. The meeting had barely begun when he brought up the decapitation plan again. Last night's battle had taught him that the snake people might have some unscientific abilities, but they didn't have any firearms.

Therefore, he had a bold idea... the decapitation plan had a high success rate, so he could give it a try.

To be honest, after leading the Holy Expeditionary Force for only a short time, Diu Ni Rem was already fed up with it. When he was the Minister of Transport, although he was very tired, he also enjoyed the job and the happiness of it.

Being tired is just the price Rem pays for his hard work, something he's happy to do.

Now, playing Rem feels like I'm being worked like a slave, as if my hobby of gaming has turned into a job, leaving me exhausted.

If possible, Diu Ni Rem wants to end his current activities as soon as possible, get out of this mess of the Holy Expeditionary Army, and go back to being his Minister of Transport.

Despite Xiao Dao's objections, he tried his best to persuade him.

"Gentlemen, last night's victory proved the strength of our defenses and the power of our firepower. The snake people are nothing more than a large number of minions!"

His voice was filled with the exhilaration of victory.

“Therefore, our goal should not be to passively defend here, but to take the initiative and thoroughly and efficiently eliminate the snake people’s lair entrenched there!” He took a deep breath and drew an arc on the map from the military camp to the center of Suvano City.

“We have three local guides who are familiar with the underground passages. This is a golden opportunity. We can be led by the guides to the heart of Suvano City through the hidden underground passages!”
Destroy their command center, eliminate those priests, elders, or other leaders, and the snake people will be leaderless and inevitably fall into chaos. At that time, our army will press in from within and without, and we can defeat them in one battle..."

The idea of ​​throwing Rem is very tempting: a quick and decisive battle, striking at the heart of the enemy and achieving victory in one fell swoop!
However, no matter how nice his words were, some people just wouldn't agree.

"If you want to behead someone, you can lead your own team in. Don't expect me to come..."

Xiao Dao crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and gave a cold, unyielding smirk, directly interrupting Diu Ni Rem's passionate speech.

"You can choose any members of the Over-the-Mountain Tigers combat group. As long as they are willing to go in with you, I will definitely not stop them."

I definitely won't go in.

Xiao Dao's words were too harsh; he immediately tore off the mask of civility.

The tent fell silent instantly, with only the crackling of burning charcoal in the brazier remaining. All the other warband leaders, whether players or NPCs, turned to look at Diu Ni Rem.

The players' eyes were filled with mockery; they were all watching the spectacle and waiting for Rem's reaction. The NPCs, on the other hand, looked worried; they felt that the Supreme Commander of the Holy Expedition had been provoked and would surely be furious.

Rem wasn't angry; he just let out a heavy sigh.

Little Knife didn't give him any face, and there was nothing he could do. Diu Ni Rem didn't think that just because he was the supreme commander of the Holy Expeditionary Army, he could order other players around at will... He wasn't stupid.

Players are equal in status. If you want them to work, you have to give them tasks, rewards, and negotiate with them politely.

However, in Xiaodao Zhapigu's opinion, entering the swamp to carry out a decapitation operation was clearly something that was not open to discussion.

He glanced around the conference room, looking at the other chapter commanders, with particular attention on Olaf of the Varangian Chapter, who slowly shook his head.

Nobody was a fool. They all privately inquired about the internal situation of Suvana with Barbarossa, and then everyone made the same decision without prior agreement.

In fact, it wasn't just Little Knife Stabs Buttocks who opposed the decapitation plan; all the battle group leaders were unwilling to go in.

Some players might not care, but they certainly aren't.

Without the involvement of these chapter leaders, Diu Ni Rem, who had been active in the Bagnia civil service system for a long time, had no way to communicate with other players. He also didn't know how to gather a group of capable players to enter without any help.

The most skilled players in the game are basically all gathered in this military tent.

"Alright, alright, the decapitation plan is abandoned."

With a sigh, Diu Ni Rem waved for the NPC scribe behind him to step forward and distribute the pre-prepared plan to everyone.

"This is my bulldozer plan. Please take a look and give me your feedback."

Diu Ni Rem's voice regained its usual composure, the desire for a quick victory was deeply hidden, replaced by a pragmatic, even somewhat weary, sense of "since shortcuts don't work, let's slowly grind it out."

The atmosphere inside the tent changed rapidly.

The player guild leaders dropped their earlier mocking expressions and began to scrutinize the plans.

The NPC officers also studied it carefully, their faces showing understanding and agreement.

This plan is clearly more in line with their current mindset and the Holy Expeditionary Army's advantages than the decapitation operation that went straight into the cesspool.

Diu Ni Rem's bulldozer project is full of civil engineering style.

The core idea of ​​this plan is simple and brutal, yet it demonstrates the Holy Expeditionary Army's greatest advantage at this moment.

The plan's objective was clear: to open up a solid land route, capable of carrying artillery and heavy equipment, from the main camp directly to the outskirts of Suvana before winter arrived.

No shortcuts, no detours, just run them over head-on.

The overall approach of the plan is to proceed step by step, avoiding rash advances and adopting a steady and progressive strategy.

Every step forward must be built on a solid foundation of defense.

In the plan, artillery will be the absolute protagonist. The core of all operations is to create the best firing conditions for the artillery, so that artillery fire becomes a giant shovel to clear the way and an iron wheel to crush all obstacles.

Meanwhile, the engineering corps was elevated from a supporting role to the vanguard. Their task was no longer simple repair, but to create passable roads and footholds in the muddy swamps under the cover of artillery fire.

After the operation begins, all field artillery and some long-range siege heavy artillery, as well as long-range rockets, will be concentrated to saturate the predetermined advance axis.

The goal was not to precisely kill the snake-men, but to thoroughly clear the vegetation and possible makeshift fortifications in the shelling area, and to blast the soft swamp surface to create conditions for subsequent engineering operations, while also deterring and driving away any snake-men that might be lurking in the area.

After the shelling stopped, under the close cover of the musketeers, the engineering corps carried a large number of prefabricated thick planks, logs, sandbags, and even tree trunks cut down from the rear, and rushed into the area after the shelling.

Their task was to lay simple but sturdy wooden rafts through the mud, and at the same time, to quickly construct simple circular defensive positions at key points, such as high ground and relatively dry mounds.

These bases will become new homes for artillery, shelters for soldiers, and springboards for continued advance.

During engineer operations, the musketeers providing cover must remain vigilant at all times, utilizing the range and accuracy of their flintlock muskets to pick off any stragglers or small harassing units attempting to approach and disrupt them.

Once the forward base is initially completed, some musketeers will be stationed there, using the base's low walls or breastworks to provide continuous fire support for the next phase of engineering operations and artillery relocation.

Once the forward base is secured and the road extends a certain distance, the artillery units immediately move forward and deploy their artillery within the new forward base.

Then, the cycle of artillery fire plowing the land, engineers building roads and constructing new bases was repeated, followed by musket cover and the relocation of artillery positions.

Like a slow but unstoppable war machine, it used steel and fire to "crush" a bloody path through the swamp, inch by inch, leading to Suvano.

Xiao Daozai looked through the plan and finally smiled, even whistling.

"Hey, this plan makes more sense! The artillery bombards the area, the engineers move in, the engineers pave the way while we defend, and then the artillery follows up... Isn't this a standard artillery-infantry-engineer coordinated advance?"

He looked at Rem, his eyes less resistant and more approving, as if to say, "You've finally figured it out."

Rem rolled her eyes; this was hardly a happy situation.

The bulldozer plan was great in every way, except for one flaw that annoyed him: it took too long to execute.

(End of this chapter)