Warhammer, I'm a nanny, not your father!

The implication is to abandon 180,000 infantrymen.

It took them more than ten days to penetrate deep into the grassland, and more than ten days to return.

This wasn't too deep, but the grassland people wouldn't let them leave.

Their pre-war preparations were not sufficient to begin with, and now the grassland people would definitely cut off the army's supply lines. They only had enough food and grass for seven days, so what would they do with the rest of the time?

After a few days without food or water, the army of over 100,000 people would have starved to death.

But as long as they have the protection of 4,000 armored knights, the grassland people who only have light cavalry will definitely not dare to confront them directly.

Thanks to the speed of horses, they could return to the Palatine Empire in just two or three days.

Although it is risky to leave the protection of the army, it is the most effective strategy at present. In any case, it is much better than staying and dying.

Faced with a difficult decision, Sogo still wanted to grit his teeth and fight for it, "Archduke Charles, even if you only bring 20,000 people, can't it be done?"

The private soldiers of other nobles may die, but the royal army should have some privileges, right?

Duke Charles shook his head slowly.

In particular, the 20,000 royal family members cannot be brought along, because almost all of them are heavy infantry, which will only seriously burden them.

"Your Majesty, the grassland reinforcements have not yet arrived. It's not too late."

"No!" Sogo flatly rejected Duke Charles's proposal. "They are all warriors of the Palatine Empire. I must bring them home! Besides, how do you know the grassland people have reinforcements?"

Seeing that he could not persuade her any further, Duke Charles gave up, and his sigh condensed into white mist in the cold wind.

The Qiexue army had only 5,000 cavalry, but with those 5,000, they defeated their 16,000. Even if they had no reinforcements before, the various tribes on the grassland would have come after the news spread.

Now it seems that there are only 3,000 Qiexue troops left, which cannot pose a threat to the 180,000-strong army of the Palatine Empire. But once they join forces with the cavalry from other grassland tribes, they will not be able to escape even if they want to.

The strength of cavalry lies in its mobility, and they always have the strategic initiative.

Your Majesty is probably still clinging to the hope that the enemy's cavalry will charge the infantry phalanx, thinking that the Empire's heavy infantry and musketeers can defeat the steppe people's charge.

But how could the grassland people be so stupid as to use cavalry to attack infantry?

Heavy cavalry is possible, but the grassland people do not have heavy cavalry.

The grassland people can surround without attacking, but they must remain vigilant at all times, and even when taking turns to rest, they must always be worried.

After more than ten days, the army will definitely be exhausted.

If you don’t run now, no one will be able to escape in a few days.

Now that Your Majesty is reluctant to give up these 180,000 troops and is too concerned about saving face, then just wait for death.

It would be better if he died. I just hope that his good-for-nothing son can seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if he cannot dominate the Palatine Empire, he can at least carve out a territory and become king.

Several noble generals took advantage of the shadow of the tent to approach Duke Charles and asked in a low voice, "Grand Duke Charles, how about we run?"

"If you want to run, run. Run at night after dark."

"and you?"

Duke Charles shook his head: "Your Majesty has treated me well. I will write a suicide note, please help me take it back."

They are all smart people, otherwise they would not come to him for consultation.

The nobles all had their own private armies, and each had a cavalry guard of more than ten men. Add to that the light cavalry that had escaped, and there were several hundred of them gathered together, so there was a chance that they could escape back to the Palatine Empire at night.

Duke Charles did not run away because of his identity and he could not escape at all.

Besides, what if Sogo really escaped back?

At that time, all the nobles who fled from the battlefield would be liquidated. If he, the Duke, ran away, he would definitely be the first to be liquidated.

Duke Charles only hoped that his son would wake up in time after reading this suicide note.

……

"Khan, lead us to charge again!" There was an uncontrollable tremor in the young Qiexue's voice.

He was shaking with excitement.

The grassland people had never had any experience in large-scale wars with the Palatine people, but the record of 5,000 to 16,000 was still something they could brag about for the rest of their lives. After all, it was a legend of defeating the larger force with the smaller one.

Most of the Qiexue are young, so it is not surprising that they get carried away by victory.

But they can get ahead, but Chagatai Khan cannot.

"Wait." Chagatai Khan's voice remained calm. "Wait for the tribes of the grassland to join us. No one is allowed to attack the enemy's formation without authorization."

Wop: "Cavalry has an advantage over infantry, but this advantage is definitely not achieved through charging. In ancient Terra, there was a general named Li Ling, grandson of the famous general Li Guang. His most famous feat was to lead 5,000 infantrymen against over 70,000 Xiongnu cavalry, killing over 10,000 Xiongnu at the cost of 2,000 of his own men!"

Qin Xia asked curiously, "What happened next? Such a brave man must have achieved great success, right?"

"Later, he was cornered by the Xiongnu until he ran out of ammunition and food. With no reinforcements, he was forced to surrender. Because someone with the same surname as him was training troops for the Xiongnu, his commander, Li Guangli, used this to frame him. The emperor, believing the slander, believed he was training troops for the Xiongnu and ordered the extermination of his entire clan."

The Qiexue army fell silent after hearing this.

Yesugei: "What about Li Guangli?"

"Li Guangli was later defeated and surrendered to the Xiongnu. His entire clan was exterminated, and he himself was killed by the Xiongnu as a sacrifice to heaven."

Chagatai Khan: 9.

The restless mentality of the Qiexue people gradually calmed down. Although they did not know Li Ling, Wop never lied.

Since he said it was true, it must be true.

If they rashly attacked the Palatine Empire's phalanx, they would only seek their own death like the Huns.

Li Ling was able to achieve a casualty ratio of 1:5 even with a smaller force. Although the grassland tribes had 30,000 cavalry, if they really dared to directly attack the infantry phalanx of 180,000 people, the Palatine Empire could wipe them out.

Tam scratched his head. "But if we don't charge, how are we going to annihilate the Khitans?"

Chagatai Khan's fingertips gently stroked the bowstring. "Quick maneuver, continuous attack, fighting to support the war. The eagles of the steppe never fight with their prey. Our horses are swifter than theirs, and mounted archery is our advantage."

"The grassland warriors' bowshot has a range of at least a hundred steps, while the Khitans' muskets have a range of only a few dozen. As long as we manage our distance well, we will be invincible!"

"We will continue to harass the Khitans every day, keeping them awake at night and afraid to cook during the day. We will wait until their food and horses are exhausted!"

The effective range of a bowstring shot from horseback is one hundred steps. The Chogorians are indeed born with supernatural powers.

The Palatine Empire relied too much on black powder and muskets, which made it inferior to the others, and its range was even worse than the steppe people's mounted archery.

Moreover, the grassland tribes also have the bug of Chagatai Khan, who can shoot and kill the enemy's main general from hundreds of steps away. As long as the grassland people don't rush into the battle, Wop doesn't know how the Palatine people can win.

The liberation of Barbarus has now reached its final stage.

……

"He said, it's time to go!"

When Mortarion's order came, the Death Guard at the foot of the mountain were all jubilant.

They are all elite fighters in the resistance army, so they are fortunate enough to participate in the encirclement and suppression of the Supreme Overlord.

This was a carefully planned raid.

Mortarion led his elite Death Guard warriors and crept quietly along the little-known mountain paths.

He had been here for three years and knew every pass and every hidden route in this rugged terrain.

At the same time, the remaining Death Guard built an impassable defense line at the foot of the mountain to resist the puppet army that went out to plunder and prevent them from returning to support the Supreme Overlord.

The Death Guard remain steadfast in their belief that Mortarion will lead them to glorious victory!

They will definitely achieve their goal in one fell swoop today!

Mortarion swung the terrifying scythe with great force, and the blade made a breathtaking buzzing sound as it cut through the air.

The crescent-shaped blade drew deadly metal arcs in the mist, covered with sticky blood and broken internal organs.

Behind him, there was only a bloody road paved with broken corpses, winding and disappearing into the mist.

Over the past thirty days, Mortarion had been meticulously crafting his plans for revenge, with the Death Guard following him on numerous incursions into the mountain, their surgically precise strikes crumbling the High Overlord's carefully constructed defenses.

Nakre's supply lines were cut one by one, his fleshworks and slave warehouses burned to ashes, his fortresses and castles were razed to the ground by chemical bombs seized from other overlords, and even the cave network running through the mountain ridges collapsed due to explosives.

His plan was foolproof.

But the closer the plan got to its end, the more uneasy Mortarion became.

Mortarion's gaze pierced through the rolling poisonous clouds like a sharp, tempered blade. Nakre's dark castle always stood on the top of the cliff, overlooking the battle between the Death Guard and the puppets.

On the top of the peaks of Barbarus, there are countless terrifying overlords, and the supreme overlord Nakre is above all the overlords.

The extremely toxic smog that lingers on the mountaintop year-round is enough to reduce even the lesser overlords to mere bones.

Only Nakre is there, and by killing him, Mortarion can end his shame!

"Why is my heart uneasy? What else am I not aware of?"

Beneath the heavy helmet, Mortarion's breathing was like the growl of a trapped animal. His fingers clenched unconsciously, causing his gloves to groan under the weight.

"Mortarion." Typhon's voice was hoarse in the poisonous fog. "We are almost at our limit!"

Mortarion looked back at his warriors, each of them clad in sealed suits of armor meticulously crafted from captured ancient tomes.

Improving defense is only a secondary effect; its real value lies in allowing Death Guard warriors to breathe freely in this deadly mountain fog.

Although the bulky structure restricted movement and the closed helmet obstructed vision, it was still a groundbreaking innovation.

But even so, they could only reach halfway up the mountain. The concentration of the poisonous fog above that limit was beyond the purification capacity of the armor.

The air they breathed had become choking, and their lungs began to feel the pain of burning.

This meant that the Death Guard could no longer travel with Mortarion and they had to stop here.

Mortarion knew that his warriors were no cowards, and that their courage and loyalty were unquestionable.

But they are only mortals after all, and their physical limits cannot break through the shackles of flesh and blood. This inherent limitation forces the Death Guard to stop here.

Mortarion did not blame him for this; the limitations of mortals needed to be faced.

Mortarion's scythe cut through the thick fog, the blade pointing to the castle looming in the haze below the mountain. "Go back and meet us there!"

"As you command, Lord of Death!"

Skelvar pounded his chest in salute, and Typhon supported Kvir down the mountain. She had been bitten by a killing hound during the battle.

Although the wound was not fatal, it made it impossible for her to continue fighting.

Mortarion removed his heavy helmet, now obscured by blood, and gazed at Wop. "We are the only ones left now. Help me, father."

His armor would not last any longer if it went any higher, and he didn't want the poisonous fog to affect his fight against the Overlord. There was no shame in asking his father for help, as his father would never refuse him.

Wop's smile was filled with unconcealable warmth: "I'm very relieved, Xiao Mo, that you didn't act stubbornly this time."

Mortarion: "My brother was arrogant, but he enlightened me. True resilience needs no proof, and bravado is the self-indulgence of the weak."

Wop laughed in silence.

Two years have passed, and Mortarion is still resentful of Chagatai Khan's words.

A sudden burst of psychic light erupted, and a light blue curtain of light enveloped Mortarion's tall body. Pure energy ripples spread out, dispersing the deadly haze that had lingered on the mountaintop for a thousand years.

So, Mortarion began his climb.

The path to the summit had long been cut off, and Mortarion relied solely on the Primarch's inhuman strength and perseverance to climb the nearly vertical cliffs.

Even a Primarch would be exhausted if exposed to the poisonous mist here.

But with Wop there, Mortarion only had to focus on climbing.

"boom!"

The sky was suddenly torn apart, and dozens of burning, spiky meteorites poured down from the dark fortress of Nakre.

These infernal shells fired by steam catapults cut through the poisonous fog, drawing scarlet parabolas in the air.

The screams they made as they fell were like the wails of tortured souls, instantly drowning out all the sounds on the mountaintop.

The first salvo of fireballs exploded the moment they hit the ground, and the sticky combustible mixed with asphalt to form a sea of ​​liquid fire.

The blazing white fire waves spread out in all directions like poisonous snakes, turning the entire mountainside into a boiling furnace.

What is even more horrifying is that human-shaped puppets crawled out of the broken shells.

These puppets, melted by high temperatures and wrapped in flames, were like evil spirits crawling out of the furnace of hell, and they pounced madly on Mortarion who was climbing up the hillside.

The moment the sickle cut through their bodies, these puppets blessed by witchcraft were like parchment burned by invisible fire, and turned into ashes floating in the sky with a loud "bang".

"Your sorcery is as ridiculous as your defense!" Mortarion snorted coldly.