Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 164 Two Plans for an Air Force Raid
The siege ended so abruptly that all sides felt a strange sense of lingering dissatisfaction and bewilderment.

As the orcs retreated like a receding tide, a scene of devastation was left on the plains south of Skyfrost City. Above the scorched earth, smoke and dust mingled into a murky mist that slowly dissipated.

A gentle breeze swept by, but it could not dispel the stench of blood and burnt smell that permeated the battlefield, nor could it dispel the deep doubts in the hearts of the generals.

Inside Sargeras Bloodhowl's central command tent, the atmosphere was as oppressive as a dark cloud overhead.

This brief but intense "skyfire" exceeded their prior knowledge of this small, weak, and insignificant human territory before the attack began.

Orcs have their own intelligence system.

Although siding with the orcs is an act that would bring shame to one's family and be scorned by humans, in the north, for various reasons, the number of humans gathered under the banner of the Orc King is not small.

Some were ostracized, some were determined to take revenge; some were trying to save their lives, some were trying to get rich!
In any case, the addition of these humans provided a huge and irreplaceable boost to the orc army.

Of course, they do not currently recognize themselves as human, but are classified under the ape tribe of the orcs, forming their own distinct group.

They call themselves "Those Who Never Return".

Hmm, she sounds quite aggrieved.

In fact, among this "non-returning" race, there is a common saying that it is their existence that has allowed the humans of the North to survive and avoid being slaughtered by the orcs.

This is not defection to the enemy, it is clearly bearing humiliation and hardship.

With the assistance of these guys, the orcs still have a pretty good intelligence-gathering ability. The reason why they launched such a large-scale attack on Skyfrost City is naturally because they have clear intelligence that this place is a weak but plump opponent.

However, it is clear that the orcs' intelligence was lagging behind.

Logically speaking, such a large group of refugees, arriving in a new area in such a miserable state, would take several months just to settle them down, find food, prepare supplies, and manage them in different areas.

As a result, in such a short time, they managed to allow their opponent to build a city.

But that doesn't matter. Even with city walls, it would just mean more soldiers would die.

The Plains Orcs were originally meant to be outnumbered. According to the Great Shaman Karl, this was an idea that the "Never Return" group gave to the Orc Chieftain, the current Orc King.

Therefore, Bloodhowl didn't even use its usual three-pronged approach of intimidation and persuasion to force a surrender; it went straight into a direct siege.

But now, things are going in a way that Sargeris Gorehowl hadn't expected.

If people keep dying without any results, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself when I go back!

First, we need to figure out what exactly this attack method of the enemy is, and what its conditions and limitations are.

"That shouldn't be magic."

The speaker was a leopard clan general with fresh burn marks on his face. He was one of the frontline commanders, and although his voice was hoarse and his lips were chapped, he still spoke quite clearly.

"I think this thing looks like... like a dwarf cannon, the kind of iron lump that Froststorm and Silver, those little dwarves, make. But it looks even more ferocious!"

"Are you kidding me? You mean one of those big toys that dwarves make?"

An older chieftain of the bear tribe, who had clearly seen such a thing before, retorted without hesitation.

"How many muskets would we need to fire in the city? Three hundred? Five hundred?"

"The mere fact that the barrel exploded was enough to send them flying!"

Well, the dwarf cannons these guys are talking about, which are basically basic cannons, do seem to have a higher failure rate.

There are many reasons why this world has not developed modern weapons, but the most important one is that psionic energy is far ahead in development and is too easy to use.

This directly cut off the development prospects of other paths.

To give a somewhat imperfect example, if lighters had been invented on Earth first, and matches had only just been discovered, would anyone still have spent so much energy and time researching match formulas, processes, fuses, and polishing surfaces, and continuously iterating to eventually create safe matches that could be mass-produced industrially?
It's probably very difficult!

Similarly, when a warrior's arrows can pierce through armor hundreds of meters away, and a mage can bombard targets over a range of several kilometers, primitive firearms, with their limited range of a few dozen paces, extremely low non-standard production, and poor performance due to moisture damage, failure, and overheating, were simply not worth considering, except for a few dwarves who were obsessed with mechanical craftsmanship.

In the words of Blue Star, under the same conditions, a mature, efficient, convenient, and powerful technology will strongly suppress another emerging technology route, rendering it meaningless for investment and improvement.

This is called demand-driven path dependence!
Therefore, based on their understanding of the dwarves' crude handicrafts and even the fact that each cannon might use different shells, the orcs still find it difficult to fully comprehend the concept of the firepower coverage of the Vast Ocean Territory.

It can only be imagined as a stacking of quantities.

The bear clan general disagreed with the other party's speculation about the type of weapon, but that did not prevent him from highly acknowledging its power.

"General, this 'heavenly fire' is too much of a threat to our infantry. Let's... let's change our location! Or... request reinforcements from the royal court!"

Sagris slowly shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the group of generals in the tent.

The generals from the royal court and the wasteland had anger and fear in their eyes, while the leader of the troops from the plains seemed to have a sense of...relief in his eyes.
If we retreat like this, what will the plains orc tribes think? A fierce glint flashed in Sargeris's eyes.

"Change routes? Ask for help? Isn't that admitting defeat?"

"Do we want the elders of the royal court to think we can't even handle a small human force? Do we want those guys on the plains to laugh at us?"

Sagris stood up, his imposing figure casting a swaying shadow in the tent: "Since everyone here is one of us, I'll be frank. Have you forgotten our true purpose for heading south?"

"Weaken the human race to prepare for the large-scale autumn hunt! Offer sacrifices to the great ancestral god!"

Of course, there's also that unspoken subtext behind it all.

Looting wealth and slaves are just side effects! The more important thing is to 'rejuvenate' and complete the Great Chief's plan!

Sagris surveyed the generals in the tent, his voice low yet imposing: "Their weapons are powerful, but they must have weaknesses!"

"Perhaps, they are as fragile as the mage legion and need to be carefully protected."

"Or perhaps, their use comes at an unimaginably high cost!"

"What do you mean?" the adjutant asked cautiously.

“Attack again!” Sargris declared decisively. “This time, a full-scale attack! Lure out their ‘Skyfire’ forces! And then…”

"Use air cavalry to wipe them out!"

"I don't believe those guys hiding in the back throwing lumps of iron can withstand the assault of our Flying Dragon Warriors!"

This decision was extremely bold, even somewhat insane, and a series of heavy gasps filled the tent.

The wyverns were the most valuable air force in this detachment, and Sargeris's trump card for dealing with unforeseen circumstances. Using them to break through the cover of ground troops and strike deep into enemy territory was undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble.

But at this moment, General Bloodhowl needs an explanation. Even if he fails to capture the city, annihilating the enemy's elite "magician corps" would be a respectable ending.

As for what if we can't take it...

Even with such heavy casualties, we still couldn't take it down. Isn't that a kind of explanation?
--------

At the top of Tianshuang City, the garrison is clearing the site.

Dismembered limbs and bits of flesh are easy to deal with, but bloodstains are much more troublesome, not to mention the many other miscellaneous sticky substances in white, yellow, green, and brown.

As the soldiers covered their mouths and noses with something and carefully cleaned the stains, they looked with a mixture of awe, relief, and bewilderment at the Han Hai Territory's position in the inner city, which had just spewed out flames of death.

The cheers had long since subsided, replaced by a new eeriness, with only the groans of the wounded and the urgent commands of the officers echoing in every corner of the defensive line.

A scarred human junior officer stripped a piece of armor off an orc, compared it to his own size, and threw it heavily into a huge wooden recycling basket, spitting angrily as he did so.

"None of them are good!"

"The orcs only know how to plunder, and those dwarf brats are even more ruthless... they actually made this kind of armor and weapon for the enemy..." His voice trailed off, but the surrounding warriors heard him clearly: "Those guys are just as insidious, only good at hiding in the back and picking off the spoils..."

Another junior leader nearby, probably unable to bear it any longer, interrupted, "You'd better shut your stinking mouth. Those were our allies who just helped us."

"Allied forces my ass! Why didn't they come out to help earlier? Weren't they just trying to negotiate with the higher-ups?"

"If they had fought like this earlier, would my old brother have died? Bah!"

Due to the deliberate spread of certain individuals, rumors began to circulate throughout the city. Upon realizing this, Xia Er immediately convened a meeting of the highest level in Skyfrost City at the temporary town hall. Several garrison commanders and the heads of several civil officials from the territories gathered in this small document room.

The room was filled with smoke, creating a subtle atmosphere.

"Yes, I did say some of those things, so what?" The speaker was a former tax official from Cloud Mist Territory, now in charge of resource allocation in Skyfrost City.

From his original standpoint, he was absolutely close to Han Hai, after all, a steady stream of supplies were being transported from Han Hai's channels and the chambers of commerce that Han Hai connected with. Even just handling them was enough for the logistics officer to make a lot of money.

However, his own nephew had only accidentally brought some "war supplies" back to his home, but the statistician of Hanhai Territory relentlessly pursued him all the way, and in the end, he was publicly executed.

The logistics officer remained loyal to the lord, but harbored resentment towards the Vast Ocean Territory.

What's so strange about that? Which country isn't like this?

Back then, during that great plague that swept across the entire Crystal Plains, the common people couldn't even get a sip of water, yet these officials still ate until their faces were shiny with oil.
In his view, this is just how the world is, it's all the same everywhere, so why should Han Hai pretend to be high and mighty?

Meeting Charles's displeased gaze, the logistics officer made no attempt to hide his words and said to himself, "That group of people are just demonstrating!"

"If we give in to them, there will be no more Cloud Mist Territory or Frost City; we'll just call it Vast Ocean Territory!"

"madness!"

Before Charles could speak, the old clerk slammed his hand heavily on the table.

"Demonstrate? What's there for them to demonstrate for? They'll just ignore you, that's all. With only a few tens of thousands of wounded soldiers and refugees, how can they survive the first few months without their care?"

"What, you've already forgotten about the support you received just as you've gained a foothold?"

One of the quick-tongued fellows chimed in, "Hmph, isn't that because she's got her eye on my lord!"

The old clerk snorted coldly: "Then, how about I persuade the lord to leave, and I'll hand over this city to you all from now on?"

The field immediately fell silent.

In fact, everyone knows perfectly well that the reason why Han Hai Territory is providing such support and assistance has nothing to do with the people in front of them; it is purely because of the face of a certain young princess.

Even those officials who refused to "live at the mercy of others" and feared being "swallowed up" had to admit the fact that without the other party's "ulterior motives," Tian Shuang City would almost certainly be gone.

At most, only a few lonely ghosts and spirits will remain, wandering in the mountains.

After the old clerk bluntly exposed the truth, the officials and generals temporarily put aside their own petty thoughts and began to seriously discuss the matter.

The territory's political officer stood up.

"Perhaps... this is an opportunity."

"The relationship between Lord Liushuang and Lord Chen Mo is very close, that's obvious. Everyone has seen how far Lord Chen Mo is willing to go for Lord Liushuang."

The political appointee had clearly been thinking about this for quite some time, and his words came out naturally:

"I think that although the Han Hai is militarily strong, it obviously lacks governance talent. Of their officials, only Helan is somewhat worthy of my attention. The key is that he is just a steward, not a proper kingdom official!"

"And we people... putting aside everything else, aren't we better at governing cities and managing civil affairs than those slaves and sand people?"

"Why don't we merge the two companies into one as soon as possible? We have more people now and more experience in governance. The sooner we merge, the more influence we will have in the future..."

"Nonsense!" Another military officer stepped forward: "That Han Hai Territory is nothing more than another small 'divine court'. I have seen it with my own eyes. The thousands of people under his command worship that little lord like a god."

"Are we supposed to be subservient to them every day? I might as well go back to Emerald and serve the Grand Duke!"

Another government official sneered: "Aren't you all being a bit presumptuous? Back then, he was just a country boy who admired the princess. Now, even if we send the princess over, does that mean they'll necessarily give Tian Shuang City real authority?"

"Perhaps they're waiting for an opportunity to annex us?"

As for the few who remained clear-headed, they cautiously reminded him: "I say, no matter how much you plan, you still need the lord's consent. You can't just send the lord into someone's house without him knowing!"

"The lord owns unicorns! Will he listen to your orders?"

"..."

Inside the small office, various thoughts and calculations intertwined and collided.

What will become of Skyfrost City? How can each of your factions maximize their gains and gain the upper hand to secure a more advantageous position in the new power structure?

This seems to be more worrying than the looming shadow of war!
However, the orcs quickly helped them temporarily forget about this trouble.

The next day, before dawn had even fully broken, the orcs began their advance and array formation once again.

The darkness before dawn is like dark clouds pressing down on the city.

Woo——woo——woo——

The deep, repressive sound of the beast horn echoed across the plains once more, this time lasting much longer than ever before.

On the walls of Tianshuang City, a large number of spare torches were lit, and the searchlights that had just been put to rest were turned on again. Experienced veterans had already judged from the movements outside the city that the number of enemies attacking this time far exceeded that of yesterday!
The captains began shouting from the city walls, occasionally kicking a dazed soldier.

"Ready to fight!"

"Archers, take your positions!"

"Rolling stones! Quickly, drag up another batch of rolling stones!!"

"Cheer up, everyone, cheer up!"

In fact, there was no need to urge them. The enemy had already increased the strength of the defending troops, and the dark orc army surged out again like a tide, with a larger scale than before.

Sargeris's forces were almost entirely deployed, clearly intending to achieve a decisive victory in one battle.

This time, there were no more probing attacks or tiered assaults. The orcs used their large shields as a vanguard, forming square formations and advancing rapidly like a moving jungle.

Amidst the orc infantry, porcupine-orc archers and orc javelin throwers pressed forward relentlessly, braving the arrows raining down from the city walls to reach the attack range and engage in a fierce exchange of fire with the defenders.

"They're insane! Aren't they afraid of accidentally injuring someone?!" a human general exclaimed in shock.

Obviously, no one would provide an answer at this point. The orcs chose a strategy that disregarded casualties, intending to use their overwhelming numerical superiority and ranged suppression to quickly break down the city's defenses!

The battle became intense from the very beginning.

Arrows flew through the air like locusts, and boulders crashed to the ground with a dull thud. The battle had only been going on for a dozen minutes when mages were forced to join the fray, and the glow of psionic energy exploded on the city walls.

Mid-level officers and professional swordsmen from Skyfrost City also began to join the battle, and all sorts of noisy shouts filled the air.

"General! The third section of the left flank is requesting reinforcements! They can't hold out much longer!"

"The right wing needs magical cover!"

"The twelfth defensive line is about to collapse! The captain has been killed in action! The orcs have scaled the wall! Reserves, quick—!"

Faced with this situation, Tianshuang City did not hesitate to call for support from Hanhai Territory.

The experienced Hanhai Guardian Team once again launched a firepower coverage reinforcement.

More rapid and continuous than yesterday! Twelve tongues of fire spewed forth once more, and the deadly swarm of steel bees roared over the city walls, precisely striking the most densely packed orcish charging formation.

boom! boom! boom! boom!
The flames bloomed wildly once more amidst the orcish charge! Smoke instantly filled a large part of the battlefield.

The continuous explosions became the main theme of the battlefield, and the shock and shrapnel reaped lives frantically, once again forcibly cutting the orcs' only supply torrent in half from the middle!
The human defenders breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Regardless of whether the other side harbored ulterior motives, under the intense shadow of death, such reinforcements undoubtedly became the stabilizing force for the defending army.

However, Sargeras Gorehowl, who had been keeping a close eye on the battlefield from the rear high ground, was also overjoyed.

They forced out their opponent's trump card so quickly; this city is weaker than they imagined.

He waved his hand sharply and roared, "Raise the flag! Give the order! Dragon Riders! Charge! Tear them apart!"

(End of this chapter)