Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 336 The charge to fill the trenches ended in failure.

The chief of the "Black Mouth" tribe stood in the biting cold wind, his large nostrils spewing out two thick white wisps of steam.

From the perspective of pure combat power formed by orc genes, the boar race would be a complete annihilation of the cat race.

"Shadowclaw" is a complete kitten. In the orc race, it usually exists as a scout and does not have the ability to fight against other powerful orc tribes head-on.

Unless there is a genetic mutation, whether it's strength, endurance, or a ferocious nature, the wild boar warrior can easily crush those "kittens".

Of course, it's different when the big cat comes along; the tiger orcs can turn the tables and rub the boar orcs to the ground.

What the wild boar tribe truly fears is actually the cattle tribe of Motianling. Those guys' totem poles are too heavy; even the thickest-skinned wild boar warriors can't withstand them.

Now that the bulls are busy, let's go all out and wipe out this damned "Shadow Claw" completely!
Having made up his mind, Chief "Black Mouth" no longer considered the casualties of his soldiers and issued an order for the entire army to launch an attack.

Amidst the hoarse chants of the shamans, ripples of psionic energy shimmered within the army formation. A heavy, pungent aura permeated the boar-man ranks, igniting a raging fire deep within the eyes of every boar warrior.

The soldiers stomped their feet on the ground as if in preparation for their charge, leaving deep grooves in the sand.

Their breathing became increasingly heavy, and white mist billowed far into the cold air. With their muscles bulging under the Berserk spell, even the faint "crackling" sound of their outer armor being squeezed by the force could be heard.

Chief Blackmouth stood on a makeshift earthen platform, wielding a massive warhammer studded with bone spikes, its sound like a gong.

"For the glory of fangs and black mouths! Crush them!"

"attack!"

His response was a deafening roar!
"Attack! Attack! Attack—!!!"

The army formation began to move!
At the very front were tribal warriors with shields on their heads. These guys worked in pairs, pushing a huge wooden shield horizontally forward as if pushing a wall, their purpose being to shield the troops behind them from the heavy crossbow fire.

Behind the shield-bearer, the "Black Mouth" warriors, in groups of three or four, carried giant trees over eight meters long, with even the branches not properly trimmed, and charged rumblingly towards the trench.

They want to build a bridge!
But it wasn't over yet. Behind them, orc laborers and human slaves, being driven along, carried baskets of rubble and bags of loose soil, clearly heading towards completely filling in the trench.

On the battlefield of Xuan Shui City, the middle-aged man standing next to the white-bearded man lowered his binoculars and said resentfully:
“There must be some 'Never Return' human trash giving advice to 'Black Mouth'. Look at their formation: shield infantry, warriors, engineers, and trench-filling laborers, the layers are clearly defined.”

"With these pig brains, how could they possibly launch such a well-organized and disgusting attack!"

The speaker was named Lin Sen, formerly known as "Amu," the "Rotten Swamp" slave who was rescued by the lord during his escape.

Because he provided information about oil, Lin Sen was promoted to counselor; because he was particularly familiar with the situation of the slaves and had certain coordination abilities, he was appointed as an administrative officer; finally, thanks to the good organization of the "Complaints Meeting" and his ability to mobilize the Xuan Shui people, Lin Sen eventually became the deputy city lord of Xuan Shui City.

Lin Sen was very honest and had a clear understanding of his own position. In his first performance review, he reported to Chen Mo like this: "The men of Hanhai are kind-hearted and reluctant to use their whips. I'm different. I know who needs to be coaxed and who needs to be punished!"

Chen Mo laughed heartily: "That's a skill in itself! Okay, you're in charge then, do a good job!"

"By the way, you're not allowed to call me 'Master' anymore. We don't have masters in Hanhai!"

Thus, thanks to the lord's appreciation and his own hard work, during a special period when many high-ranking officials of the Han Hai Territory returned to the central government to report on their duties and undergo investigation, Lin Sen became the highest-ranking official in charge of the Xuan Shui City's political affairs.

At this moment, the two supreme commanders of Xuanshui City—the cat clan leader Baixu and the human clan acting city lord Lin Sen—are standing side by side at the forefront of the war.

Their children have both been sent to the Han Naval Academy and are frequent visitors to the honor roll. Whether considering responsibility, emotions, or the future, they have no other options.

Even if it were the "Black Mouth" tribe, or even if the Beast King himself came, they would still resist to the end.

Lin Sen's assessment of the current first line of defense is not optimistic.

"At this rate of attack, we might not be able to hold out. Should we call for artillery support?"

The white-bearded man shook his head: "If we can avoid exposing ourselves, we should try our best to do so. I often attend the battle situation analysis meetings of the First Brigade. Brigade Commander Ma and the others have considered all the possible scenarios."

"If we rashly expose our firearms units and fail to keep the news under wraps, I'm afraid most of the Bailu Plain will come to attack us!"

"The artillery should not move until the enemy reaches the swamp industrial area!"

“You’re the military commander, so you’re in charge!” Lin Sen nodded in understanding, then raised his binoculars to observe more closely.

"Or, how about setting up a row of flamethrowers?"

"That would be good!"

Xuan Shui City is an oil-producing area, so fuel is the least of its worries!
The white-bearded man stroked his beard: "However, save it for later. Don't rush to use it. Let them use all their methods and see what new tricks they have up their sleeves!"

Just as the two were discussing, the first batch of warriors from the "Black Mouth" tribe had already charged to the front of the trench, braving the heavy crossbows and longbows of the Xuanshui defense line.

Arrows, crossbow bolts, and javelins rained down like a storm, and boar warriors carrying shields and tree trunks were constantly shot down, rolling around on the battlefield.

However, under the combined effects of Bloodlust and Berserk spells, these boar-orcs displayed astonishing madness and resilience. When their comrades in the front fell, those in the back, eyes red with fury, immediately filled the gaps, lifting their blood-stained war machines and howling as they continued forward.

Some tough guys could keep charging even after being hit by several arrows!
"boom!"

The first massive tree trunk was slammed heavily across the wide trench, the other end of which crashed onto the opposite bank, sending up a cloud of frozen earth.

The defending team is struggling to keep up.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

One after another, more "bridges" were erected.

"Charge! Tear those hiding cats to shreds!"

With bloodshot eyes, the wild boar warriors roared excitedly, stepping over the scattered corpses and broken wooden shields, and one by one charged onto the log bridges.

Some were hit by crossbow bolts and fell into the deep ditch, while others slipped and tumbled to the bottom of the valley. But some of the soldiers managed to cross most of the distance and finally leaped to the other side of the trench.

"It's done!"

Next came the close-quarters combat between the two sides.

Although the boar warriors who charged across the trenches were fewer in number than the defending cat warriors, their individual strength and resilience made them significantly superior in combat. The cat warriors, on the other hand, relied on their agility and teamwork to fight and retreat in the open areas between the fortresses, using pre-set traps and obstacles to resist step by step, employing a mobile defense.

Occasionally, lone boarmen would have their throats slit by cat warriors who would leap out of the shadows, while cat warriors would be sent flying, weapons and all, by the force of the boarmen's short, powerful charges in head-on clashes.

The whistling of arrows piercing the air, the muffled thud of giant logs crashing to the ground, the wild battle roars of the boarmen, the sharp hissing warnings of the cat warriors, and the clanging of metal weapons and armor clashing together, mixed with the wails of the wounded and the dying, all converged into a massive clamor that enveloped the entire front line.

Behind this battlefield, orc laborers and slaves, under pressure from the overseers, were constantly throwing stuffing into the trenches.

The deep trenches that were once an insurmountable barrier were being filled in at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Seeing that the situation was under control, Chief Blackmouth let out a triumphant laugh, for he had already foreseen the fate of his enemies.

"Little kitty! Go back to your mother's arms and nurse!"

"Crush them!"

The battle lasted from dawn until noon. After losing more than a thousand elite warriors, as well as several times that number of laborers and slaves, the "Black Mouth" tribe finally succeeded in capturing and filling in the first line of defense of the outer moat of Xuanshui City.

The cat warriors abandoned a battlefield littered with corpses and shattered weapons, retreating in panic, while the boarmen's banners were planted atop the charred fortresses.

Ahead was a row of wooden fences that looked frail and could collapse at the slightest push.

"Let the kids catch their breath, then keep going! Today we'll charge into the village and kick those kittens' heads like balls!"

Having won a local battle, the morale of the "Black Mouth" tribe soared, and howls echoed throughout the land.

After a brief rest, an even larger group of boar-men crossed the trenches filled with corpses and gravel, stepping over the remains of their comrades and enemies, and like a flood breaking through a dam, launched what they considered their "final blow" at the flimsy wooden fence.

Then they were stopped again.

The boar warriors charging at the front suddenly stopped, and due to inertia, the warriors behind them even bumped into them, causing a chaotic scene.

"What's going on? Why did you stop?!" the officer behind roared.

The lead boar warrior raised a trembling hand, pointed ahead, and his voice was filled with disbelief and despair: "A ditch...a ditch! Damn it, there's another ditch!!"

Black Mouth stepped onto the back of a guard, looked up, and felt a chill sweep over him, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

Behind the toppled wooden fence was another ditch, exactly the same width, extending infinitely to both sides, resembling a crack in the earth, blocking the only way forward!

Behind the trench, those "kittens" once again set up their crossbows and long spears, their gleaming eyes a silent mockery—welcome back again!
"Ugh... Ah... Ahhh!!!"

Chief Blackmouth was stunned for a moment, then an uncontrollable rage surged to his head, and he roared furiously!

"Damn it! These damned, deserving-to-be-skinned bastards! Are they mixed with rat blood?! How could they dig such a hole?! Huh?!"

"Get the timber brought up quickly from the rear! Attack! Keep attacking!"

Well, despite the weakened state after the Bloodlust spell wore off, the boar-orcs launched another attack fueled by their rage, and the battlefield was filled with the aroma of roasted pig.

Unfortunately, the flamethrowers produced in Xuan Shui City still have a short duration!

Black Mouth has gone completely mad.

He launched a full-scale assault, a full-scale assault regardless of casualties.

To put it simply, for the next three days, the "Black Mouth" tribe seemed to be trapped in an endless, recurring nightmare. They repeated the process of charging, building bridges, hand-to-hand combat, being roasted, and filling trenches.

With each breach of a defensive line and each fallen wooden palisade, a brand new, identical trench would appear before them.

The cat-like defenders utilized this intricate network of trenches for a highly effective and flexible defense. They would sometimes put up a fierce resistance, and at other times retreat, using arrows and fire to constantly wear down the boar-men's strength and morale.

Despite being a weaker cat tribe, the cat tribe managed to achieve a casualty ratio of over one to eight using these trenches. Every step the boar-orcs took forward came at a heavy cost in blood.

After three days of continuous attacks, and with the casualties of nearly seven thousand warriors and tens of thousands of laborers, the air cavalry brought by the "Long Teeth" tribe finally arrived on the battlefield.

There's no way around it; among the orcs, there has never been a boar-rider air cavalry. Those wyverns would rather die than let a boar ride on their backs...

I don't know if it's because they think it's too heavy or too dirty.

The boar-orcs, who had arrived full of confidence, received a message from the air cavalry reinforcements who had finally taken to the skies that made the Blackmouth Chieftain's blood freeze.

Behind the third trench they had just breached, there were six more trenches.

Behind them, some strange metal implements were shaking their long claws up and down, surrounded by a dense mass of orc and human laborers.

It seems they're still digging...

The troops' morale plummeted to rock bottom, and the offensive came to a complete standstill. A day later, a special envoy from the highest chief of the "Longtooth" tribe arrived on the battlefield, bringing with him, to the ashen-faced Blackmouth Chief, special instructions from the plains chief of the Wild Boar tribe.

"Blackmouth, the leader orders you to cease all offensive operations and retreat!"

"The losses are too great; Longtooth cannot provide any more reinforcements!"

"But...but..." Chief Blackmouth looked up dejectedly: "Can we...can we surround them and cut off their food and supplies!"

"It's no use. After the autumn hunt, once the Thunder Cliff Bull Clan warriors return, how will you encircle them?"

"Let's retreat. The leader will figure out how to handle the aftermath!"

A deathly silence fell over the tent, with only the howling of the cold wind sweeping through the camp.

Chief Blackmouth stared at the land outside the tent, soaked in the blood of his tribesmen, and at the distant, nightmarish, layered trench defenses. Suddenly, everything went black, and he fell backward.

This sudden battle came to an abrupt end. Of course, the retreat of the Blackmouth Tribe was by no means the end of this war!
Having hastily completed his interrogation, First Brigade Commander Makaga was already burning with anger as he headed back to Xuan Shui City.

(End of this chapter)