This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Chapter 194: Come and Chase Me!

From the moment they crossed the fjord, the expeditionary force spent seven days successively breaching three large orcish strongholds and the settlements of more than twenty medium and small tribes, their advance unstoppable. These successive victories greatly boosted the morale of the expeditionary soldiers; each one stood with his hands in his pockets, seemingly oblivious to any potential opponent!

No one would dislike fighting a favorable battle alongside a capable and reliable leader, especially with the Marquis Richard's disastrous handling of the Winter War last year as a stark contrast, which only makes Lord Dick seem even more brilliant and capable, and the Northern Front is full of formidable figures.

Along the way, the expeditionary force eliminated at least 30,000 orcs and rescued nearly 10,000 human prisoners of war.

These survivors of the disaster were sent to the rear and taken in by the government hospital in Lagug. Dick specifically instructed that the refugees be taken good care of and that they be provided with medical treatment and recuperation to the best of their ability.

Dick's arrangement was not only out of goodwill, but the benefits were also obvious.

This will not only further enhance Dick's and the Northern Alliance's prestige in the northern part of the empire and establish their image as a righteous army, but it will also give the newly recruited medical staff a chance to practice.

Thanks to the population increase, Laguge has established the largest hospital in the entire northern region. What started as a small clinic with only twenty or thirty people has now expanded to six hundred. Shizuka Marikawa has now moved away from frontline work to focus on the education and training of new employees.

It is worth mentioning that among the rescued human prisoners, some of them stepped forward and claimed to be members of a certain noble family, hoping to receive treatment commensurate with their status.

Dick initially didn't want to pay attention to these people, but then he thought that the northwest region was almost deserted, and many of the nobles of the fiefdoms had been wiped out. There were "unclaimed lands" everywhere.

Given that most nobles are related by marriage, some minor nobles who like to cast a wide net and intermarry with many others are notorious for their "bloodline collection." As long as these people are true nobles, they often have "claims" over more than one fiefdom.

Having figured this out, Dick immediately put on a smile like an eel and began to "take care" of these self-proclaimed nobles by feeding and treating them well.

My unfamiliar friend, do you wish to inherit a title or revitalize your fiefdom? Then sign this contract with me, and I will help your land prosper once more!

On the ninth day of the second expedition, Dick finally received a report from the outer rangers that a well-organized orc legion was approaching their location. The enemy force was estimated to be around 30,000. The vanguard orc riders had already clashed with the rangers, and the enemy's equipment and training were on a completely different level from their previous opponents; they were true orc elites.

Dick immediately realized that Ramon's main force had arrived.

"Hmm, it seems a little slower than expected?"

According to the Rangers' report, the enemy's main force is currently 80 kilometers away from the expeditionary force, while their vanguard has already reached about 40 kilometers to their right rear. The enemy first discovered an infantry squad that had just finished clearing the battlefield and was returning to their unit, and immediately moved forward to harass them.

The attacked infantry squad immediately fired a distress signal, attracting a nearby Rangers unit to their aid.

The number of troops on both sides was not too different. The orcs had about fifty cavalrymen, while the expeditionary infantry squads consisted of one hundred men. After being attacked, they quickly climbed to a high ground to hold their ground and await reinforcements. Later, twenty light cavalrymen came to their aid.

The expeditionary force's cavalry and infantry were all from the direct line of Dick in Ragug, possessing strong combat skills and willpower. The orcs were also brave and skilled warriors, so as soon as they engaged in battle, they realized that the other side was a tough opponent. Each side left behind more than a dozen corpses and decisively withdrew from the battle.

The returning soldier brought Dick two spoils of war: a finely crafted saber and a beastman's battle banner stained with animal blood.

"It seems Ramon has acquired a new batch of elf equipment."

Dick casually tossed the exquisite sword to the messenger knight, glanced at the map beside him, and after a moment's deliberation, gave the order to immediately set off for the main force of the expeditionary force, which was resting in place. At the same time, he changed the original marching direction and turned south towards the fjord.

Dick instructed his troops to abandon some cooking pots and tents at the start of their march, intentionally creating a sense of "panic" and slowing their pace so that Ramon's main force could catch up with them just as they were about to retreat to the north shore of the fjord.

Imagine if the pursuing troops arrived at the shore just in time to see them preparing to board a boat and "escape" back to the other side. The enemy commander would certainly not let go of this "golden opportunity."

It's like the little roast chicken deliberately turns her back to the hooligan, creating an opening, and when the other party rushes in impatiently, she lifts up her skirt, revealing a huge thing that is thicker, harder, and more lethal than the other party's.

This is called "severing the enemy's base"!

Following Dick's instructions, the expeditionary force set up the site and then set off southward.

Not long after they withdrew, an orc cavalry force arrived at the camp.

Looking at the chaotic mess, the orc captain leading the group was delighted. He jumped off his pack animal and quickly surveyed the scene. Seeing that the charcoal fire in the mess hall had not yet been completely extinguished, he immediately pictured the human soldiers fleeing in panic like startled birds.

He had seen this scene many times last winter on human territory. Those weaklings had neither the courage to fight the orcs head-on, nor the ability to run away, which was worse than that of a rabbit. They would just shout and run around aimlessly, and he would pierce them one by one from behind with his spear.

During the Winter War, Ramon's main army initially fought in the northwest and later attacked the pass fortress. They did not advance into the eastern region, so they did not actually fight the lords of the Northern Alliance. They subconsciously felt that all humans were the same and that as long as there were no strong city walls, there was nothing to fear.

"You few, go back and report to the Commander. The rest of you, come with me!"

Thanks to the mobility of cavalry, this 150-man beast cavalry quickly caught up with the main force of the expeditionary army, which was marching at a slow pace, without realizing that their isolated force had penetrated too deep into enemy territory.

The overconfident cavalry captain wasn't so crazy as to think that his mere 150 men could directly charge the massive human army opposite him. So he followed behind, constantly moving around at a distance of about a kilometer.

Dick didn't send anyone to deal with this sneaky "little tail," but let it follow him, constantly sending messages to the main orc army, letting them know that he was there.

Chapter 195: Who is being cornered?

On the wasteland, the Beast King's main army of tens of thousands of people is slowly advancing.

Compared to other orc legions, Ramon's elite troops, trained by Ramon himself, were far more elite than any other force. This strength lay not only in their equipment, but also in the overall organization of the unit and the restrained ferocity and sharpness of their soldiers.

Simply put, these orcs don't look like "orcs" at all.

Looking at the elite soldiers under his command who were temporarily under his orders, Nege was filled with emotion. His father, King Ramon, truly deserved to be called a genius that only appeared once every ten thousand years among the orcs, a true "chosen one." If all the orc armies could be of this level, they would not only completely crush the humans, but at least take over the northern border of the empire and then stand on equal footing with them, which would be absolutely no problem.

Unfortunately, the entire Orc race only has 30,000 such a powerful army. The other regular legions are more or less controlled by the major tribes or the council of elders, and only nominally obey the command of Ramon, the Orc King. They are similar to the private armies of nobles on the human side. To put it bluntly, they are a group of warlords. It is already very difficult for Ramon to forcibly bring this scattered group together, but the price is also obvious.

It can only be said that political struggles have nothing to do with the level of civilization. No matter how primitive the orcish social system is, it doesn't stop the tribal chiefs from vying for power. They fear Ramon's strength, are jealous of his current prestige and status, and fantasize about replacing him.

Just like this human attack, the news quickly reached the orc capital. The chieftains in the council immediately confronted Ramon, blaming him for misjudging the enemy situation. However, not one of them offered to send their own troops to the rescue. They even wanted to keep Ramon occupied and prevent him and his native army from leaving the orc capital.

These scoundrels spout grand platitudes while committing despicable and shameless acts, pretending to be compassionate and empathetic, yet pushing all the blame onto Ramon.

Nege figured Ramon would definitely deal with these bastards, but the time wasn't right yet.

Following Ramon's instructions, Nege led his legion to the Southern Wasteland, but maintained a slow pace throughout. Several messengers from the rear caught up with them, demanding that the legion halt immediately in the name of the Elders, but Nege ignored them and detained the messengers as well.

Therefore, by the time he arrived at the southern part of the wasteland, he had already detained a dozen messengers!

At this moment, the scouts reported that they had discovered the tracks of the main human force, which was tens of kilometers apart on both sides. The enemy was retreating towards the fjord, and their numbers exceeded ten thousand.

Upon learning this news, Negri pondered for a moment. Ramon's instructions to him were primarily to drive them away, allowing for limited contact. In other words, while preserving his strength, he could engage in small, probing attacks to gauge the enemy's strength. If they weren't very strong, he could simply wipe them out in one fell swoop.

Nege immediately ordered his troops to speed up their march and catch up.

Whether or not we fight is another matter, but we can't have never even seen what the enemy looks like.

However, shortly after Nege ordered his army to speed up their advance, they unexpectedly encountered another orc force on the way.

Looking from afar, Nege noticed that the orc legion's banner featured a black rib, and immediately recognized them.

"It's the Second Legion of the Blackbone Tribe. What are they doing here?"

The Blackbone Tribe was a powerful orc clan in the southwestern part of the wasteland. Before Ramon unified most of the orc forces and established a nominally unified central government, they were the most powerful orc tribe in the wasteland. Although they later responded to Ramon's call and submitted to the Great Wasteland Khanate, the tribe itself remained very powerful and independent, and therefore had considerable influence within the council of elders.

After the Winter War ended, the Orcs did suffer some losses, but they also gained a lot. So, expanding their army was naturally put on the agenda. Using the invading army that had withdrawn from human territory as the backbone, they expanded into five legions.

The Beast King's main legion is the First Legion, with a strength of 30,000 men, while the Second to Fifth Legions each have 20,000 men, totaling 110,000 orc soldiers.

The Second Legion was originally a heavily damaged sweeping legion. The Blackbone tribe claimed the right to form the legion because they had made the greatest contribution (and suffered the most casualties) in the invasion war, and brazenly used their tribal emblem as the symbol of the Second Legion.

Upon seeing the Second Legion suddenly appear, Nege instinctively assumed that they were sent to stop him and immediately felt on high alert. However, he then saw a troop of cavalry rush out from the opposite side, just a few men, heading straight towards them, seemingly without any intention of engaging in conflict.

Soon, the group arrived in front of Nege. The orc leader was Dart, the commander of the Second Legion, the eldest son of the Blackbone tribe's chieftain, and the future tribal commander.

Upon seeing Neger, Dart grinned, revealing a mouthful of large yellow teeth, his smile bright and cheerful.

"Commander Nege, how could you not call me when you went to fight those human bastards?"

"Commander Dart, are you here to help?"

"Of course! I don't care what those old guys in the Elders' Council say. As long as it's a war against humans, I, Dart, will definitely lend my support!"

Looking at Dart's seemingly sincere smile, Negri was filled with suspicion. He knew very well that the Blackbone tribe members were all driven by self-interest, especially Dart and his father, who were cunning beyond what one would expect of orcs.

In reality, Dart was not as simple-minded as he appeared. He claimed to be there to help out, but in fact, he was there to compete for credit with the main legion.

After the elders discovered that their legion had left the orc capital, they initially wanted to send someone to call the legion back. However, Nege was instructed by Ramon to disregard orders while on the front lines and not to stop no matter who called him back, but to head directly to the border.

The elders were furious that they couldn't get Ramon back, but they were helpless against him.

At this moment, the chieftain of the Blackbone tribe suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He secretly sent someone back to his tribe to inform his eldest son, who had just become the commander of the legion, to also lead the Second Legion to the border. However, this was not to stop the main legion, but to use the pretext of "helping" to try to gain some credit for himself, so as not to let Ramon's main legion put on a show.

So Dart led the Second Legion to intercept the main legion, which had just begun its forced march, and said that he had come to help fight the humans, making it difficult for Nege to refuse.

Thus, the two legions joined forces, bringing their total strength to 50,000. According to intelligence from scouts at the front, the invading human army numbered only around 20,000. Even though the enemy possessed some powerful magical weapons, the 2.5-fold numerical advantage made Neg and Dart feel that the advantage was in their hands!

Inspired by Dart, the orcs of the Second Legion were filled with great morale. They charged forward with howls and roars, each one seemingly eager to die!

While Nege also felt that his side had a high chance of winning, he had suffered heavy losses at the hands of humans more than once before, so he was relatively more cautious.

The two legions advanced side by side, following the trail left by the human army as they "retreated." Along the way, they could see some messy campsites with various abandoned items everywhere, giving the impression that the human army was fleeing in panic.

They pursued the enemy for two days and one night, covering hundreds of kilometers, and finally spotted them the following afternoon. The enemy on the other side seemed to have only recently retreated to the fjord shore; many ships were moored there, and from a distance, they could see some humans slowly boarding them.

In this situation, even though he had repeatedly told himself to remain calm and composed, Nege couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. This was a golden opportunity. The human army, retreating to the coast, had no obvious fortifications to defend; they were like a pitiful little girl cornered by two groups of burly men. If a general offensive was launched, even their powerful weapons would be largely ineffective in close combat.

While Nege was still eager to try, Dart, who had almost the same idea, launched a full-scale attack with his troops without any scruples.

"Brothers! Let's fight the humans!"

Chapter 196: Battle

"They're here! They're here! The orcs are here!"

On the expeditionary force's side of the fjord, seeing a large group of orcs accelerating their attack towards them, Earl Banner was as excited as a sixty-year-old child. He slapped his son's back repeatedly with his large palm, the overwhelming paternal love making the young master "moved" to the point of grinning from ear to ear.

Meanwhile, on the lookout tower not far away, Dick had his men use signal lights to signal the artillerymen who were hiding in the rear bunkers and the ship girls waiting on the sea, so that they could enter combat readiness.

The defensive positions on the shore appeared disorganized and lacked sturdy fortifications, but these were all deliberate illusions created by Dick to lure the enemy.

Even before learning of the approaching orc army, Dick had already secretly sent people to make preparations here. Thousands of engineers from the rear, carrying tools and various prefabricated wooden components, landed here by boat and worked continuously for two days and nights to repair the current defensive position.

Looking at the entire position from the orc side from north to south, there are indeed no obvious fortifications. However, if viewed from the air or from another direction, it becomes clear that the soil in front is actually a gentle slope. Behind the slope is a huge pit, four meters deep and more than ten meters wide. Orcs charging from the front have to get very close to see this pit. By then, if they try to stop, their brethren surging up from behind will make them understand what it means to be "out of control."

Behind the pit, however, lay the true main defensive position, where a large number of expeditionary infantrymen were resting and waiting in the trenches. The engineers who built the trenches even considered the rest of the heavily armored soldiers, providing them with plenty of small stools to sit on, leaning against the earthen walls—a very comfortable arrangement.

Beyond the trenches lay the artillery positions.

Although the border legion commander, Erwin, was greedy, he did his job after receiving the bribe. He directly transferred sixteen light magic cannons from four second-line fortresses to support his "good nephew".

The orcs couldn't see these giant cannons deployed at the rear of their positions in the circular pits, and even if they could, the most effective countermeasure they could take was to accelerate their charge.

As for the chaotic crowd on the surface of the position, they were not soldiers of the expeditionary force, but prisoners rescued by the orcs. They temporarily played the role of "extras." The pier on the shore for boarding the ships was deliberately built very high, as if it were a stage for the orcs to see from afar, so that the orcs could see the panicked crowd scrambling to board the ships.

It must be said that the extras were very dedicated. As soon as the orcs charged in the distance, they immediately started howling and wailing, their expressions of extreme panic were so realistic that it didn't seem like acting.

Soon, the orc vanguard crossed the pre-marked firing line references, but Dick did not immediately order the cannons to fire. He wanted to wait until more than half of the enemy had entered the firing line before opening fire, using firepower to cut the tens of thousands of orcs in half, effectively dividing them.

As Dart charged forward, seeing that the humans opposite him had no reaction, a sinister smile crept onto his face.

Even after the Winter War, most orcs still naively believed that weak human soldiers could only defend cities and would be utterly defeated by strong orcs in close combat, so charging in would guarantee victory. Even the so-called "Northern United Front," which once set fire to the orc capital, only gained a slight advantage through a shameless sneak attack, and was ultimately chased away in panic by the returning main force.

Dart felt victory was within reach. All he had to do now was to behead the enemy commander before Negri, and then use this great victory to make the Second Legion more famous than the Beast King's main legion.

"Charge! Charge! Follow me, holy crap...!"

With the enemy so close at hand, and just fifty meters more to go, his sword could strike the humans' fragile necks. But when his beast charged up a very gentle slope, he saw that behind the slope was a deep pit that plunged vertically like a cliff.

Seeing this, Dart hurriedly tightened the reins, trying to stop his beast, but he forgot that there were more than two thousand orc cavalrymen charging alongside him. Those in the front row who saw the pit tried to stop, but those behind couldn't see it or hear what the people in front were saying. They rear-ended each other, pushing the people and their mounts into the deep pit filled with spikes.

Because Dart was wearing elite elven armor, which was only worn by generals, the wooden spikes at the bottom of the pit only caused some scratches to his exposed parts and did not harm his vital organs.

He stumbled to his feet, glanced at his mount groaning in pain with its throat pierced, and felt an overwhelming urge to curse. But seeing his men still being pushed into the pit, he could only swing his longsword to cut the spikes in the pit while quickly retreating to avoid being crushed by those who fell in later.

Just then, Dart heard a commotion and turned to look south of the pit. He saw a long line of human heads popping up at the edge of the pit, and Dart, clad in magnificent armor, immediately attracted almost everyone's attention. Being stared at by hundreds of eyes, even Dart, who despised humans, felt a little uneasy under their gaze.

"There's an official here, shoot him!"

Someone shouted something, and the human soldiers who had emerged all drew their crossbows and aimed at Dart in unison.

The main body of the expeditionary force was, after all, a joint force composed of private armies of various noble families. These feudal soldiers generally harbored the simple desire to "get promoted and make a fortune." Therefore, when they saw Dart, it was like Saionji Sekai seeing Makoto Ito. They couldn't wait to cut off his head, which represented military merit, and hold it in their arms to play with it carefully.

Seeing the barrage of arrows, Dart panicked and didn't know if his enchanted armor, which the elves had praised to the skies, could withstand such a saturation attack. In desperation, he grabbed an unlucky guy next to him and used him as a human shield in front of him. Instantly, he was riddled with countless crossbow bolts and turned into a hedgehog.

Because Dart was eager to claim credit, he led the charge too aggressively, causing a serious disconnect between the cavalry and infantry of the Second Army. As a result, the infantry following behind had only just entered the firing range when the cavalry had already charged into the pit.

Compared to the powerful heavy magic cannon, the light cannon has a shorter range and less power, but it is lighter and has a faster rate of fire. Within an effective range of 1,500 meters, its accuracy can be so precise that it can hit any target. It can even fire a "guided projectile" that can be controlled by the magician's mind and can turn in mid-air.

The sixteen magic cannons, along with the ship girls further back, formed an extremely tight firepower network. As Dick's trump card, Enmity did not directly attack, but instead sent two aircraft to conduct aerial reconnaissance in front, providing Belfast and the others with firing parameters to further improve the accuracy of the artillery fire.

Faced with this organized and premeditated ambush, the Second Army Corps, which rushed forward rashly, paid a heavy price for the commander's stubbornness.

Behind them, Nege, who was a step behind Dart due to his caution, broke out in a cold sweat when he heard the familiar sound of cannon fire.

The author says:

Author's note: Rheumatism plus writer's block, it's fucking awesome.

Chapter 197: The Scapegoat

The Second Army Corps was in a very awkward situation. The infantry, which had fallen behind, were being bombarded to the point of near death, while the cavalry, which had overshot their targets, were caught in a huge crater and unable to move forward or backward.

Some cavalrymen attempted to force their way to the other side, but the expeditionary force's infantry configuration was carefully planned. Dick referenced the famous Mandarin Duck Formation on Earth, having the infantry operate in small squads for coordinated combat.