Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 283 The Army Approaches the Vast Sea, Night Falls Again.
Han Hai Territory, the highest military command.

On the huge electronic map, floating streams of light outlined the main terrain of the Han Hai Territory and its surrounding areas, while blue arrows representing the enemy forces split into three routes, pressing towards Han Hai in full force.

The officers' hushed discussions and the constant stream of reports created an atmosphere that suggested a major battle was about to begin.

It's clear that Zircon Collar's fighting style is very methodical.

A formidable guard force has been stationed in Tianshuang City, which has become a hub for the transfer of supplies, and a general has been appointed to command it.

A mobile force was stationed on each of the two main routes, from Cloudfall to Skyfrost City and from Skyfrost City to Razor Corridor, to ensure the smooth flow of supply lines.

The southern route runs along the edge beneath the desert. The force advancing through the Tilo Oasis is a light infantry unit estimated to be between seven and eight thousand men. They move slowly, constantly sending out warnings towards the Dark Forest, which is the Silvermoon Forest of the elves.

Its main value lies in preventing the Elven forces from suddenly mobilizing a large number of troops to reinforce the Vast Ocean. In the event of such a special situation, they can provide information to the main force and buy time.

The force preparing to traverse the central desert route is a desert cavalry of around five thousand men, primarily composed of camels and pack animals. The presence of such a large number of specialized troops clearly indicates that Zircon Territory had made thorough preparations for entering the desert before the campaign, perhaps even dating back a year or two.

You should know that even after operating here for so long, Han Hai Territory still hasn't managed to gather five thousand camel beasts.

Of course, it's also because the population of the Vast Ocean is too small, so having so many camel-riding beasts wouldn't make much sense. But at least it shows that the enemy's ulterior motives are obvious.

On the northern front, Zircon's true offensive force consisted of a vanguard of about 12,000 men, a mix of cavalry and light infantry, a main force of 30,000 heavy infantry, plus an almost equal number of auxiliary troops and laborers, advancing eastward along the Razor Corridor.

The entire deployment is well-structured, with clear priorities, and combines offense and defense, leaving almost no obvious weaknesses.

To be honest, if the Creek Moon Federation had even one general of Marquis Monroe's caliber, they wouldn't have allowed the elven army trapped in the water to escape so easily.

So what is the response from the Han Hai Ling side?

Of course, we should attack the enemy's main force and seek a decisive battle on the northern front!

During this time, a small incident also occurred.

The General Staff under the Supreme Command put forward a rather brilliant operational plan.

After the main force of Zircon Territory crossed the Razorfen Downs line, whether by coaxing, deceiving, bribing, or trading, the orcs were persuaded to send troops from the North Camp at Flag Mountain Pass, delivering a direct blow to the enemy from behind.

"We can use the cat army of Xuanshui City as a vanguard to instigate local conflicts in the focal area, exaggerate the threat posed by the human race, and then, through cooperation with Sargeris, induce the orcs to launch a full-scale attack."

"As long as the orcs take control of the southern camp and block the way in the middle, we can launch an attack from the front and crush this enemy force in the shortest amount of time!"

This proposal sparked heated discussions within the military command, and the vast majority of officers believed that the strategy was perfect.

Then, Chen Mo rejected it from a completely unexpected angle.

The young lord gently stroked the map with his hand and said in an unquestionable tone, "There is no reason for us to join forces with the orcs to attack the humans."

"We will proceed according to our normal operational plan!"

This statement, which was both "pedantic" and "domineering," instantly left the officers of all ranks, who were already big fans of the lord, looking at each other in bewilderment, yet also filled with fervor.

Of course, given the lord's consistent correctness, since he didn't let everyone discuss it but spoke directly, that was an order.

Let's do it!
In terms of absolute troop strength, Han Hai Territory was at a clear disadvantage. Even with the main force of the First Brigade and some key members of the Fourth Brigade transferred from the north, plus the Han Hai Third Brigade stationed here, and the reserve troops under training, the total number of defenders was less than 20,000.

Of course, paper strength is one thing, but the actual strength will only be revealed in actual combat.

Meanwhile, Marquis Monroe on the opposite side was clearly also on high alert against the orcs. From the old site of the orcs' southern camp, which had been temporarily abandoned due to winter supply difficulties, to the Qishan Pass, which was covered by a large amount of snow and whose trade routes were almost cut off, the Zircon army set up more than a hundred sentry posts and small fortresses along the way.

They truly implemented the principle of "one post every three steps, one sentry every five steps," taking the concept of caution and prudence to the extreme.

Finally, the main force of the Zircon Army crossed the Razor Fortress and headed east, entering the territory claimed by the Vast Ocean Territory.

The outposts of both sides began to clash.

"My lord, the vanguard reports that our scouts have engaged those guys from Han Hai!"

"This is a report that just arrived! The reconnaissance unit suffered more than a dozen casualties, but drove the enemy out of the Razor Corridor and into the depths of the desert."

"Based on current reconnaissance information from the surrounding area, the road ahead is safe."

After briefly glancing at the battle report, Marquis Monroe's brows furrowed tightly, and the bloodshot eyes, already swollen from lack of rest, had become even more prominent overnight.

"Pass on my order: send out more scouts to find out more details about the situation ahead."

Inside the main tent, the Marquis's generals were all gathered, including the chief knight Mio, the third knight, the fourth knight, the sixth knight, and the seventh knight.

As for the others who weren't present, the second-ranked knight, Eri, served as the security captain at the Hanhai Restoration Plant.

As for the Fifth Knight, a long time ago, he was used as a speed reducer by a unicorn named Frostflow, and was then impaled on a spear and swung around for a long time. In the end, even his remains were never recovered.

The tradition of Zircon Territory is that a fallen knight must wait until the battlefield is won before he can be replaced. If someone can personally complete the revenge, he can even be promoted to a higher rank.

This is a quasi-militaristic strategy that perfectly suits the national conditions of Green Pine.

Faced with the thoughtful gazes of his generals, Marquis Monroe flicked the two ruby-like stone pieces on the table, producing a soft "tinkling" sound, before voicing his doubts.

"There's something I've never understood!"

"I can understand why the enemy placed their most elite air cavalry in Skyfrost City to cover up the fact that they emptied Skyfrost City."

"But we're about to reach the walls of Hanhai City, and our elite air cavalry hasn't appeared yet. Why do you think that is?"

"You should know that in Skyfrost, this elven force has suppressed our scouts to the point of being unable to raise their heads. In any case, they should be included in the core force defending the city of the Vast Sea Territory."

How could they have simply disappeared without a trace?

Faced with the Marquis's question, the knights exchanged glances for a moment and then shook their heads.

Having an overly capable leader can easily turn subordinates into mere tools, because once you realize that no matter how hard you try, you can't possibly have a clearer mind or more effective measures than his, everyone will give up thinking and focus on execution.

The Marquis seemed to have gotten used to it. As someone who liked to have as much control over the elements of the battlefield as possible, he also liked obedient and capable cogs in the machine.

Not expecting their answers, Marquis Monroe continued, "There are two possibilities. One is that the Vast Ocean cannot use these high-ranking elven troops at will; there are certain conditions that limit their deployment. Therefore, after using them in Skyfrost City, they cannot be used in the Vast Ocean Territory for the time being."

He paused, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, revealing his anxiety: "And the other possibility... is more troublesome!"

"It's possible that this elven force has been lying in wait somewhere in Dongguan, waiting for an opportunity to cut off our retreat!"

"If that's the case, then it means..."

Monroe gently tapped the stone slab on the table again, staring intently at the faint red glow emanating from it, his eyes growing even more bloodshot. "That means the enemy is absolutely confident of driving us back from the front, which is why they left such a strong force at Dongguan!"

"But my intuition tells me that the latter is more likely."

"I just had a divination done, and the result wasn't good!"

The divination using the two stone tablets could not, of course, influence the course of this grand battle, but a shadow had been cast over Lord Monroe's heart, and he appeared somewhat agitated.

On the reconnaissance route that the scouts risked their lives to carve out, the Zircon Army drew ever closer to the City of Vast Ocean.

Then, the Marquis of Monroe heard the news that was both logical and unexpected.

Something terrible has happened in Skyfrost City!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Since Liushuang left, the person in charge of military affairs in Tianshuang City has become Xia Er, the brigade commander of the Second Brigade.

Of course, there's also Comrade Ma Baoguo, who served as political commissar.

After receiving the order from the Han Hai Territory, the two commanders met briefly and then issued the order for the entire army to launch an attack.

So, in the deep darkness of the night, a crack was slowly pushed open in the side wall of a well in a secluded corner of the city.

That's right, the entire Second Brigade of the Vast Ocean never left Tianshuang City from beginning to end.

They're all lurking underground.

Located in a battleground and a crucial passage for orcish armies, Skyfrost City was constructed from the ground up, with both above-ground and underground sections built simultaneously, to prevent the city from being breached and causing widespread devastation.

Even the fully armed and overwhelmingly superior modern armies of Earth, who disregard morality and resort to any means necessary, have shown a degree of helplessness when it comes to tunnels.

Tactics don't have to be rustic, as long as they work.

When it comes to playing underground games, Dongxia is also very authentic!
When constructing Tianshuang City, Dongxia provided a complete set of engineering construction design drawings based on the survey results of the surrounding area, thus establishing a vast and complex underground tunnel network beneath Tianshuang City.

More than 4,000 officers and soldiers of the Second Brigade, along with 20,000 able-bodied men, hid underground in this city, silently waiting for their opportunity.

This tunnel even has a passage leading directly to the northern mountains, where there is also a base hidden inside the mountains, where the elven air cavalry rest.

In the early stages of the construction of this tunnel, Da Congming asked a question: what if the enemy discovers this tunnel and uses it to attack Tianshuang City?
Lord Chen Mo answered very decisively: "What else can we do? It'll be tough, we'll just have to kill them one by one!"

Yes, even if you have 100,000 troops, you still have to line up one by one in the tunnels, so you have to kill them one by one, which is really hard!

At this moment, as the first external passage opened, the vanguard of the Second Brigade of the Hanhai Army silently emerged from the tunnel, and a battle to capture the city quietly broke out.

After emerging from the tunnel, Charles set up a temporary command post in the small courtyard at the wellhead, and then watched with a hint of envy as one unit after another rushed out in various directions into the night, guided by reconnaissance.

As a brigade commander, he was prohibited from participating in frontline combat according to the military regulations of Hanhai.

According to the commander-in-chief's regulations, if one wanted to participate in front-line combat, the highest rank allowed was platoon leader.

Charles was a traditional, old-fashioned officer whose mind was still preoccupied with protecting the soldiers for his young princess. Therefore, he could only suppress his temper and obediently take on the role of commander.

Of course, there was no suspense in this battle itself.

The attackers were caught off guard, and it was a night attack. They were even more familiar with the terrain of Skyfrost City. Although Zircon Territory had also put out nighttime alerts, most of their attention was focused on the city walls outside, and they were extremely slow to react to the surprise attack that occurred inside the city.

The Second Brigade of the Hanhai Army encountered almost no effective resistance in the battle to control key points in the city.

The only large-scale battle that broke out occurred in the City Lord's Mansion area.

The outbreak was caused by the dogs patrolling outside the city lord's mansion, which shows that for these human-human nations, in terms of defense alone, some people are indeed worse than dogs.

When the barking began, the Zircon Guards patrolling near the city lord's mansion immediately searched the area.

The vanguard of the Second Brigade of the Hanhai Army, consisting of a reinforced company, launched a dense barrage of crossbow fire as the enemy was about to charge head-on.

The main reason for using a crossbow instead of a gun was to minimize the noise.

A shower of blood rained down in the night.

The patrol team used torches and glowstones for illumination, which were now scattered all over the streets. The light illuminated their terrified and desperate faces, but the warning signal was eventually sent out. As the magical beacon exploded in the sky with an orange-red light, the entire Frost City seemed to sit up abruptly from its slumber, like a sleeping giant, still somewhat dazed.

Charles clicked his tongue slightly and issued the command into the communicator: "Load the muskets, launch a full-scale attack!"

A series of gunshots rang out.

The reason it's called a musket is because the warriors of Skyfrost City use a special firearm that looks very similar to a dwarven musket. The mold was designed by a dwarven master, and the core components were shipped from East Xia. It's known as "Made in the Vast Ocean".

The "Hanhai-made" weapon is highly accurate, can be aimed, and can fire in bursts. Apart from its shape, it has no resemblance to the thick, sturdy "fire pokers" of the Starry Continent that fire three shots and two shots, and can be picked up and smashed when in a hurry.

Faced with such powerful firearms, the enemy, who were carrying torches, was instantly routed.

They only encountered some decent resistance when they attacked the steps of the city lord's mansion.

The tenth knight of Zircon was stationed here. From hearing the alarm to donning his armor and organizing the defense, this knight took less than two minutes, which can be described as a lightning-fast reaction.

The steps of the city lord's mansion also caused considerable trouble for the attacking side.

That's right, Chen Mo now understands why every city lord's mansion uses high stone steps. This is not only a manifestation of majesty, but also a semi-fortress-like defensive facility.

On such a wide and steep uphill front, the defenders held an absolute advantage. The muskets of the "Hanhai-made" rifles, facing the swords and arrows of the opposing side, failed to break through after two waves of attacks.

In the third wave, Han Hai brought in grenade launchers and infantry guns.

Huge explosions rang out one after another at the top of the stone steps and at the gate of the city lord's mansion, with bricks and stones flying and flames shooting into the sky!

Realizing the situation was dire, the Tenth Knight led the remaining guards in a counterattack, but the continuous storm of metal eventually pierced through his protective aura, and he collapsed on the messy steps.

On this night, the Second Brigade of the Vast Ocean launched a surprise attack within the city, while the Elven Sky Cavalry intercepted and hunted down the roaming inhabitants outside the city. By dawn, the young city had once again returned to the hands of the Vast Ocean.

They also confiscated the massive amount of supplies that Zircon Territory had transported here.

Of course, this is also tantamount to cutting off the logistical supply of the enemy's main force.

From this moment forward, the war has officially entered its second phase.

The full-scale counterattack of the Vast Ocean Territory has begun!

(End of this chapter)