Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 256 The Decision of the Grand Elder of the Northern Foothills
Having achieved several brilliant victories in a row, the elves' morale was soaring like never before.

With the successive fall of the two major cities of Whitestone and Qingze, the villages and towns, large and small, and scattered outposts within the control of these two cities were utterly powerless to resist the overwhelming force of the elves.

Often, a mere hundred-strong elven leopard rider unit would sweep across the plains, and the local humans would surrender without a second thought.

In just one month, the elves had completely occupied this large area of ​​hills and plains in the upper reaches of the Northfall River and the western part of the Alliance. Moreover, because the war was progressing so smoothly, it did not cause any serious social unrest, and even the production order was not severely disrupted.

Following the great victory on the battlefield, another bumper harvest of grain was on the horizon.

Iona promptly issued a proclamation, which, in addition to reassuring the public, also set a series of conditions for reducing taxes.

For regions with mild resistance and positive cooperation, low taxes or even partial tax exemptions may be offered.

In areas where the elven army resisted and harassed the enemy to some extent, taxes continued to be levied according to the original federal regulations.

As for those villages and towns that resisted fiercely, the elves ruthlessly suppressed them, directly seizing all assets and land, while also mobilizing a large number of prisoners and commoners from the city to serve as laborers in preparation for the upcoming autumn harvest.

This combination of force and gentleness had an immediate effect, and the control area of ​​the elf quickly stabilized.

As long as ordinary people are given food, they can't cause any trouble in front of an army composed of professionals.

Meanwhile, the main force of the elves began to besiege the city of Shicui.

Shicui City is the Federation's handicraft city, famous for its textiles, dyes, and garments. A major characteristic of such cities with local advantageous industries is that they are wealthy.

Lord Reese Keller is a notorious playboy in the Federation, known for his extravagant spending, but when it comes to defending the city, his generosity proves to be quite fatal.

Being willing to spend money is the best morale booster in wartime. When the elves prepared to use the same tactic again at the foot of Emerald City, hoping to break down the enemy's psychological defenses through a barrage of attacks, they found that this approach was completely ineffective.

Boxes of silver coins were piled up on the city wall, the supervisory team stood behind them, and a notice bearing the city lord's bright red seal was hung on the watchtower.

Those who died on the city walls received compensation for their families; those who held the walls received money and rest; and those who deserted received a substantial "cutting fee" for every head the supervising team cut off.

The supervisory team's eyes were bloodshot, their gazes constantly sweeping across the defending troops, just waiting for someone to deliver an unbearable "achievement".

In this situation, both sides were fighting a pure battle of life for life, and as the battle went on, the elf started to feel a little sorry for himself.

How can the lives of immortal beings be mixed up with those of short-lived beings in this grinding wheel of flesh and blood?

The elves have once again entered a state of soft siege.

The sieges of the Starry Continent are divided into two types: hard sieges and soft sieges, due to the presence of professionals.

A hard siege means using enough troops to completely surround the city, leaving no way out. If the enemy tries to leave the city from any direction, they will run into the besieging force's defenses.

A soft siege involves deploying highly mobile, high-level professional troops at strategic high points and major transportation hubs around a city. If the enemy leaves the city, the friendly forces can catch up, defeat, and kill them, which is not much different from a siege.

The two sides remained locked in this stalemate until mid-October. Aiona personally led the main force of the elven infantry south. After three rounds of mobilization, the elven forces that had entered the plains now exceeded 200,000, of which 110,000 were gathered at the foot of the city of Shicui.

Clearly, the tough battle that didn't happen in Qingze City will eventually have to be fought in Shicui City.

During this period, the elves not only greatly boosted morale but also built up their confidence.

The occupied territory had ample food and supplies.

A large number of weapons and equipment.

This also includes a large number of war machines and the craftsmen who produce them.

Newly manufactured catapults are being continuously transported to the front lines of Shicui City to participate in the attack on the city's defenses.

However, while the elves were full of confidence and eager to fight, the Federation's military machinery finally entered high-speed operation.

Despite the bloated, slow-responding, bureaucraticly corrupt, and chaotic nature of the Xiyue Federation, it is still a major power, and the dilapidated state is local, not central.

As a federal state, how can it control these self-serving individuals in various cities? It relies on drastically weakening local military capabilities while strengthening the central military.

An alternative form of "strong trunk and weak branches".

However, in the Starry World, it is indeed possible to strengthen the trunk and weaken the branches, because no matter how lax the training of the Central Army is or how poor its weaponry is, as long as a sufficient number of professionals are maintained, it can still maintain a decent combat strength.

This time, the old guys in the Federal Council sent out two centrally-administered corps—one Iron Wall and one North Wind.

Elven intelligence indicates that the Xiyue Federation has adopted an extremely aggressive tactic. The Ironwall Legion is reinforcing Shicui City from south to north, preparing for a pincer attack to relieve the siege of Shicui City. Meanwhile, the North Wind Legion is advancing from east to west, heading straight for Qingze City along the Beilu River. Clearly, they intend to cut off the elven army's retreat and seem poised to swallow up all the elven forces that cross the Beilu River.

The elves were naturally fearless. After scouting their opponent's movements, they also split into two groups: one continued to besiege Jade City, while the other headed east, preparing for a decisive battle.

Soon, on the plains south of the North Mountain River, the armies of the elves and the River Moon engaged in a large-scale battle.

Having watched the previous two low-intensity battles, it was a bit disorienting for me to suddenly switch to such a large-scale combat scenario.

As the main forces of both sides began to fight, the flames of war instantly spread to both banks of the Beilu River.

The main forces cautiously formed ranks, approached, probed, and opened fire. A dense rain of arrows and spells that covered the sky obscured the sunlight in the center of the battlefield at the moment of engagement.

The elven leopard riders on the perimeter relentlessly suppressed the human cavalry, while in the air, the fully armored human heavy griffon riders forced the elven forest eagle riders into a series of retreats, frequently retreating into their own archer range protection zone.

In the small-scale battles for outposts on the periphery, the elven treants shone brightly. Every forest could transform into a raging war treant colony at any moment, working with the elves to crush small enemy forces into fresh fertilizer. Meanwhile, the human elite swordsmen, using their familiarity with the land, flanked and moved from various locations, launching wave after wave of attacks on the elven supply lines.

However, the battlefield gradually tilted in favor of the elves. As more and more archers completed their new gear and joined the battle, the elves, relying on an average daily consumption of nearly 100,000 arrows, drove back the North Wind Legion of Creek Moon by over 100 kilometers within a week.

Then, the Federation launched a counterattack that no one had anticipated.

They concentrated two groups of mages from two chariot clusters and, under the cover of multiple units, suddenly advanced more than sixty kilometers from the north bank of the river. Although Eona immediately mobilized cavalry to encircle them after the elven scouts discovered them, she ultimately failed to prevent the enemy from achieving their strategic objectives.

At the cost of two clusters of mages, the Creek Moon Federation blew up the dam on the upper reaches of the North Slope River in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the upstream outlet, the North Wind Legion began to push mountains and fill rocks in the middle reaches to block the river channel, aiming to inject more flow into the Elf-controlled area.

The Beilu River, which should have been a gentle waterway, has in the blink of an eye become a raging behemoth.

What began as a murky thin line on the distant horizon quickly transformed into a raging torrent that engulfed the plains. The floodwaters, carrying with them broken logs, mud, livestock, and corpses, devoured the Qingze Plain at an astonishing speed.

In less than half a day, the entire combat zone was transformed into a vast expanse of water.

Fortunately, November is not the flood season. At this time, the water level in the plains and lowlands is only half a person high. The main force of the elves who were transferred to the hills and slopes in time did not suffer too much loss of personnel. However, the logistics, supplies, and transport lines were all submerged by the raging flood.

The camp was swallowed by the murky waves, the warehouses storing arrows and provisions were submerged, and the tree-people, due to the properties of their wood, were swept everywhere by the current, waving their wet arms as they drifted with the tide. The shadow panthers, their fur soaked, frantically licked their wet coats, letting out low, confused whimpers at the boundless water. Standing on the makeshift high ground, bad news kept pouring in, and Iona felt a slight dizziness.

"Report! All the Treant squadrons responsible for flank cover have lost contact, and the Druids are attempting to summon them!"

"Elder, we have less than 20% of our arrows left, and only five days' worth of food!"

"The Tail Moon Leopard Cavalry Brigade is trapped by the flood on a high ground 30 kilometers to the north. We just made contact with the Forest Eagle, but they are surrounded by water and can't get over there at all!"

"The supply lines to Whitestone City are completely cut off, and supplies cannot be replenished!"

Yes, although the water flow couldn't drown the elven warriors, the troops were trapped in the raging torrents, lacking food and arrows, and unable to move.

Under normal circumstances, federal troops should also be unable to move or get through.

But soon, the scouts brought news that left Iona in despair.

The enemy has brought a large number of ships and is rowing across the plains, approaching our side.

This means that if they cannot quickly regroup or retreat, the elven forces separated by the flood will inevitably be devoured piece by piece by the enemy after running out of ammunition and food.

Iona finally succumbed to the intense dizziness and collapsed.

"Great Elder!"

"Quickly, bring Yongge!"

Where is the treatment?

After a brief period of chaos, Iona slowly awoke, roused by the calls of the crowd and the effects of the potion. In that short time, the Grand Elder seemed to have aged several hundred years, her once black hair now turning white at a visible rate.

But she can't give up yet!

Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, Iona suddenly drew her elven scimitar and, without hesitation, slashed a deep gash across her left arm, exposing the bone. As blood gushed forth, her eyes cleared instantly.

"Send my order!"

"All units, all units on the plains, immediately abandon all heavy weapons, armor, and supplies. If necessary... if necessary, abandon your mounts and the wounded. Retreat to the north bank immediately!"

"Lin Ying, give the directions! Retreat at full speed! At all costs, save the people first!"

This was no longer an orderly retreat; it could be described as a rout. Therefore, Iona needed some troops to hold off the enemy and buy time for the retreat.

The elder looked at his two guard captains.

"Kaila, Taya, each of you take a heavy archer unit and hold the high ground on the north and south sides to block the enemy... Three days, no, two days, just two days will do!"

Two days should be enough time for the elves to swim out of this floodplain.

"Two days from now, you will be allowed to retreat on your own or surrender. I have prisoners in my hands, and I will do my best to exchange them for you!"

"Try not to die."

With her trembling, blood-staining hand, Elder Aiona gently stroked the hair of the captain of the guard who was kneeling before her, her voice growing softer as she made her final addition.

"Remember, at the end of the battle, destroy all the composite bows, break them into pieces, and throw them into the water. Don't let the enemy get them!"

"Go!"

Next, arrangements were made for the southern route.

"Issue the highest Silver Moon decree, ordering Ysera's troops to abandon Emerald City and retreat to Clearwater City."

"The enemy will definitely besiege Qingze next. Tell her to hold the line, no matter what! Wait for my reinforcements!"

Yes, according to Iona's plan, the besieging forces led by Ysera in the south no longer had time to retreat to the north bank. They could only rely on Qingze City to hold out and wait for the elves to solve the flood problem and reopen the transportation and reinforcement routes.

Finally, Iona raised her hand and pointed eastward.

"Order the Fourth Army Corps on the Eastern Front to immediately move south and attack Xiasha Port according to the established route!"

"Apart from the prohibition of attacking cities, everything else is permissible. There is no need to sheath your sword, and you are not subject to military discipline!"

This was originally a backup plan prepared by Iona. While fulfilling the wish of that Lord of the Vast Sea, it could also attract the enemy's attention to the greatest extent possible, and even influence the enemy's military arrangements.

This whistle arrow was originally intended for use in a large-scale battle, but now, in order to preserve more of the main force on the western front, it has to be fired first.

In the rush, this was the most meticulous arrangement that the battle-hardened veteran elf could make.

Once the arrangements were complete, the Elven general's banner immediately began to move. Tens of thousands of Elven soldiers removed their armor, carrying only a bow, twelve arrows, and a small amount of food, and followed the banner into the surging torrent.

Iona took one last look at the swampy land. The floodwaters were still rising, and the surface was littered with fragments of the elven war banner, scattered arrows, and treants waving their arms helplessly like drowning people.

She bit her lip, turned and went into the water, never to look back again.

Iona's resolute decision, like a warrior cutting off his own arm, greatly surprised Xiyue. So much so that when the North Wind Legion rushed over in a hurry, they were already unable to stop the main force of the elves from returning north.

Two days later, Iona finally led the vanguard to set foot on the dry and solid land of the north shore. Almost at the same time, the Forest Eagle Knights brought good news: General Ysera had successfully led the southern troops to retreat into Qingze City and began to deploy defenses.

The sunlight in the sky was bright and clear, seemingly casting a warm glow on the soldiers' damp bodies.

Faced with the disheveled and exhausted warriors, the Grand Elder suddenly burst into laughter.

"This water..."

The elder pointed to the endless expanse of water in front of him and said in a deliberately raised, somewhat mocking tone, "With such a huge flood, if it were those little dwarfs, they wouldn't even be able to stick their heads out even if they jumped up."

The surrounding elven officers were slightly taken aback, but soon burst into laughter.

In such a bleak and miserable moment, mocking the dwarves suddenly made everyone feel much better.

Only the closest personal guards, who kept a close eye on the Elder, could see a deep, unyielding gloom in Elder Aiona's seemingly magnanimous eyes.

(End of this chapter)