This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Typically, each squad has two shield bearers positioned behind the breastwork at the front, flanked by a spearman wielding a hook-and-sickle spear on each side, and two crossbowmen firing alternately. The squad leader, as the squad's individual combat leader, wields a longsword and is responsible for command and close-quarters support. Behind the front-line infantry, there is a separately deployed phalanx of archers. The entire formation combines direct fire, projectile fire, and melee combat, aiming to be both offensive and defensive, effective at both long and short ranges.

In actual combat, this classic configuration proved to be very effective, and other lords in the expeditionary force began to emulate the Ragug private army's approach, upgrading their own army's tactics.

Inside the pit, Dart was already regretting his recklessness. He thought that as long as he rushed up, he could quickly achieve victory, but instead he stepped into the trap.

Watching the orc soldiers around him fall one after another, Dart's heart was bleeding. He was not the kind of general who loved his soldiers like his own children, but for a warlord, the army was the foundation of his livelihood, and he was now losing his entire fortune.

At this point, Dart could only pin his hopes on the Beast King's main army behind him, praying that they would rush up quickly. Even if he couldn't help them out of respect for the Beast King, he could at least help share some of the firepower.

However, Dart, at the bottom of the pit, did not see that after discovering that the human forces had hidden artillery, Nege immediately ordered the troops to halt their advance. At this moment, he was watching the Second Legion, which was struggling in battle, from a slope more than 2,000 meters away.

Neg was actually somewhat hesitant. His sense of honor as the son of the Beast King made him reluctant to see his allies in trouble while he remained unmoved. However, all the old ministers of the Beast King's direct lineage advised Neg not to act rashly and not to forget Ramon's instructions to preserve the strength of his own army.

Especially since the Second Legion is backed by the Blackbone Tribe, everyone knows each other's temperament. You can't earn genuine gratitude by risking your life to save them, but if Ramon's direct forces are greatly weakened, they will definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Of course! They couldn't really do nothing at all, so just to put on a show, Nege ordered two thousand-man squads to flank the human army from both sides, trying to put some pressure on them.

As for the Saint-level experts around him, they would not make a move unless absolutely necessary.

After observing for a while, Nege noticed that no high-ranking "superhuman" had made a move yet. However, having witnessed the true strength of his opponents, Nege knew that this did not mean that they did not have any. They were likely hiding and waiting for the orcs to make a move so that they could target and eliminate them.

In fact, Nege's prediction was completely correct. Just like Lao Liu, who was lying in wait in the bushes, Dick and his few Saint-level experts were eagerly waiting for the other side to have a "high-value target" and jump out on its own!

"That doesn't make sense! There must be two legions involved, right? And there really isn't a single Saint-level commander overseeing them?"

"Perhaps... it sensed the killing intent through its sixth sense?"

As Xiao Ai spoke, she glanced back and saw Black and White Gunner, Rita, and Lucoa, Dick's four top fighters, elegantly enjoying afternoon tea inside the bunker, as if this were their old home garden rather than the front line filled with shouts of battle.

Including Dick himself, there were a total of five Saint-level experts. They had planned to conserve their energy and wait for the enemy general to appear, but they waited and waited and the general didn't come, which made everyone a little bored.

However, at that moment, two powerful auras suddenly approached rapidly from the northwest. They seemed to be in a hurry and made no attempt to conceal their presence, so they were detected by everyone from a great distance.

"It's finally here!"

Seeing that there was finally an enemy worthy of his attention, Black Gunner was the first to jump up, quickly step out of the tent, whistle, and summon his mount Ramree. No longer concealing its divine steed nature, it raised its hooves and took to the air, charging straight towards the enemy.

They're called the vanguard, but they're really just stealing monsters.

Is it in such a hurry?

"That guy's thoughts are easy to guess. He just wants to be the first to act so he can take the opportunity to ask Dick for some things that would normally be absolutely forbidden as a reward. That's what it means to have made great contributions!"

"Damn it! I want Master's reward too!"

Hearing the whispers behind him, Dick coughed loudly to remind them to be mindful of their behavior. He then looked with some concern in the direction where Black Gun had rushed off. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the clouds there, as if a storm was approaching, but a powerful surge of magical energy could be felt.

At this moment, a subordinate came to report that all the refugees in the rear had boarded the boats and evacuated to the south bank, and the cavalry, who were also hiding and waiting, sent someone to ask Dick for permission to go into battle.

Dick glanced at the other orc legion that remained motionless in the distance, pondered for a moment, and then spoke to his subordinates.

"Tell the cavalry that they are the general reserve and not to move!"

From the current perspective, the Northern Alliance's second expedition has basically achieved its initial strategic objectives, focusing on eliminating three large strongholds and seventeen small and medium-sized tribal settlements, carving out an uninhabited "isolation zone" in the southern wasteland. At the same time, the rear also took the opportunity to complete this year's autumn harvest without any interference and put the grain into the warehouse.

Therefore, Dick's idea was to proceed cautiously. Since the orcs had recovered, he decided to withdraw to the rear to conserve their strength and prepare for the next expedition.

With the elves' help, the orcs are indeed growing stronger rapidly, but that's because their foundation is weak, making their progress seem incredibly fast. The humans, on the other hand, have a much stronger foundation. If they were to get serious, simply integrating and fully developing the power of the empire's northern region would be enough to crush the orcs.

Orcs need time, and so do humans.

Seeing that the battle on the front line was stalemate but their side had a clear advantage, Dick immediately ordered his men to take out the prepared oil and give some warmth to the orcs who were still struggling in the pit, and also to end the battle.

Before sending them out, Dick first sent Lucoa and White Gun to the front line to pick out a few that looked valuable from the pit and bring them back.

Soon enough, Dart, who had been targeted the entire time because of his overly ornate armor, was dragged to Dick by Lucoa like a dead dog. White Lancer Alter also brought back four officers, but judging from their attire, they were not of the same rank as the ones Lucoa had captured.

The unfortunate souls were all knocked unconscious, and as hundreds of large barrels filled with kerosene, along with tinder blankets and light catapults, were thrown into the pit where they had just been, the atmosphere on the battlefield instantly "ignited" on a physical level.

Chapter 198: I Have a Backup Plan, People Have Unorthodox Tactics

Faced with a series of heavy blows, the Second Army, now leaderless and without a commander, finally collapsed in morale. Seeing their own men in the pits howling like ghosts in the flames, the remaining cavalry abandoned their futile assault and turned to retreat.

Their retreat, in turn, caused the infantry charging behind them to collapse, ultimately turning this disorganized retreat into a complete rout.

Seeing the Second Legion's defeat, Nege thought to himself that it was exactly as he had expected.

Not to mention that the human race had prepared a trap in advance, the Second Legion itself also exposed too many fatal problems in the battle. Dart, as the commander, was literally brave but reckless. He had the courage to charge ahead, but his personality was too eager for quick success. He thought that as long as his whole family rushed in, he could do it. However, he did not know that he was playing right into the enemy's hands.

"Let the troops that launched the feint attack on both flanks withdraw; this is not an easy nut to crack."

Although he felt extremely annoyed and resentful, Nege managed to calm himself down. Just like Ramon's assessment of him, he was someone who knew how to reflect on himself. His talent wasn't particularly outstanding, but at least he could learn from his mistakes. Therefore, after being tricked many times, he gradually grew up.

However, the repeated defeats at the hands of the same enemy had already given Nege a certain psychological trauma regarding the opponent he had never met before.

The elves of the Deadtree Party have provided the orcs with considerable intelligence regarding the Northern Alliance, especially concerning the leader of this military alliance, a man named "Dick Best." He is not a pure-blooded human, but a half-elf, half-human hybrid. Given the social norms among humans, such a hybrid, even born into a top noble family in the empire, would still face discrimination. However, Dick has become a respected hero throughout the northern part of the empire through his personal abilities and magical prowess.

This made Nege, who was also of mixed race, somewhat admire this person, and even felt that it was not too humiliating for him to lose to such a person.

Just as Nege was feeling sentimental, a one-on-one battle between Saint-level warriors came to an end in the sky not far away. A cloud of black smoke fell from the clouds and flew rapidly toward the Beast King's main army. A disheveled human figure was revealed in the dissipating black smoke.

Seeing this, Nege signaled to the several Saint-level experts around him to provide backup. If nothing unexpected happened, that person should be Manu, the chief shaman of the Black Bone tribe, known as the "Great Shaman." This person was also a Saint-level expert, but he did not obey the Beast King and had always stayed within the Black Bone tribe's territory to oversee things.

According to legend, this sorcerer was skilled in divination and may have foreseen the Second Legion's impending doom, which is why he came to provide assistance, only to end up running into a brick wall along with his young chieftain.

Manu staggered towards the main legion, seemingly seriously injured. The two Saint-level warriors who went to meet her had just picked her up when they heard a loud shout from the clouds. Then, a strong wind blew the clouds apart, revealing a black-armored female knight riding a giant horse and galloping through the sky. Around her, one could still vaguely see many broken ghost remains.

It seems that Manu was injured by this woman first, realized that he was no match for her, so he released the evil creatures he had raised to entangle her, so that he could take the opportunity to escape.

Black Gunner, having just shattered those annoying demons and monsters with her Noble Phantasm, looked around and found that her fleeing prey was now being protected behind her. Moreover, the two powerful orcs looked familiar, as if she had fought them before. The two experts opposite her also recognized her.

When "acquaintances" meet, the atmosphere between them is inevitably a little subtle. Black Gun is unwilling to accept the escape of her prey, but it is indeed difficult to fight against three people at once. She is warlike and loves to fight, but she is not a crazy woman who is not smart enough.

At this moment, the two armies on the ground sounded the retreat horn one after another. Black Spear couldn't help but curl her lips and spit lightly, knowing that her Master was afraid that something might happen to her and was telling her to quit while she was ahead.

"Consider yourselves lucky, I'll let you off this time."

Black Gun pulled on the reins and flew back towards the main camp without looking back. He ran into Lucoa, who had come to meet him, and couldn't help but ask.

"Why aren't you guys helping me? I almost got the kill!"

"Stop thinking about your damn head. You rushed out and the enemy launched a sneak attack from behind. The convoy transporting refugees almost got destroyed!"

"what?"

On the fjord, Dick was leading his mage corps to protect a fleet of refugees from an attack by a horde of sea monsters.

The incident happened quite suddenly. Just as the expeditionary force's ground troops were wreaking havoc, a battle suddenly broke out in the fjord behind them. A group of monsters that looked exactly like giant anglerfish attacked the fleet that had not yet approached the south shore and the ship girls who were firing on the ground.

These hideous monster fish are enormous, generally exceeding twenty meters in length, with some elite individuals approaching fifty meters. They have huge heads and abyssal maws filled with sharp teeth, and inside their mouths are paralyzed tongues that are capable of attack, similar to those of frogs.

The fjord was extremely deep, and these monsters suddenly attacked from directly below. If Belfast hadn't reacted quickly and noticed the unusual surge below, they would have been swallowed alive.

Thanks to their small size and nimble, ice-skating-like movements on the water, the ship girls were able to launch a quick counterattack even when ambushed, displaying remarkable skill and dexterity.

But the troop transport ships carrying people were different; some of the strange fish targeted these slow-moving vessels and launched an attack.

Fortunately, Dick led the elite members of the mage corps to reinforce them in time. The mid-level mages landed on the ship and set up a defensive barrier, while Dick led several high-level mages to attack the strange fish.

During the battle, Dick discovered that these strange fish, which should have lived in the deep sea, seemed to be under some kind of mental control magic, which was why they were causing chaos in the shallow waters in groups.

But the controller was well hidden, or perhaps he wasn't even nearby, so Dick was unable to locate him.

With no other option, Dick had to kill the live fish first.

These monsters were tough and thick-skinned, but their flesh and blood were still somewhat fragile in the face of high-level attack magic and the bombardment of the ship girls. The sea surface was soon stained with their blood into an eerie deep purple.

Under the cover of the mages, the fleet finally broke ground on the south bank. The refugees practically fled ashore, jumping onto the shore and running wildly inland, far from the coast. They were almost stopped by those waiting to meet them on the shore.

Many refugees were in a panic, like startled birds, until they were repeatedly confirmed that they had indeed returned to human land and that they were truly safe. Only then did their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settle down, and they knelt on the ground and burst into tears.

Chapter 199: The Uncrowned King of the North

The number of human prisoners rescued by the expeditionary force was only about 10,000, less than one-twentieth of the total number of people captured. Even so, it was an incredible feat in the eyes of many.

Orcs are known for their brutality and cannibalism. When the Imperials fight against them, there is never any talk of "exchanging prisoners." Therefore, those captured by them are basically dead, and destined to die a gruesome death! Even these prisoners don't think they have any chance of being rescued.

But the Northern Expeditionary Force did it, even if only a small portion of it did.

In Dick's view, organizing an expeditionary force to storm the wasteland and rescue people was not only out of morality and to enhance his personal prestige, but also to greatly boost the morale of the Northerners.

It's important to understand that although the orcs had retreated after the Winter War, the ravaged northern border of the Empire remained shrouded in fear. Some people migrated to the untouched east, causing the population of Ragug to surge from 50,000 to over 400,000. However, across the vast lands north of the Central Mountains, the overall population was steadily declining.

The lower and middle classes feared the orcs would return, and they doubted whether the private armies of the local lords were capable of resisting them. Meanwhile, the border legions, who should have been responsible for their safety, had retreated into their fortified castles during the previous invasions, turning a blind eye to the orcs' atrocities.

What truly caused the collapse of public morale was the indifference of the imperial high command. The officials in the capital city completely disregarded the lives of the northerners, refusing to send troops or distribute relief grain, and even using tax exemption as a means of disaster relief, demonstrating a complete "take it or leave it" attitude.

Northerners, especially those in higher positions, are often resentful but dare not speak out, feeling only disillusionment. Yet, in order to survive, they have no choice but to drag their families along and try every means to migrate to the more prosperous and safer south of the mountains.

If this continues, the overall decline of the north will be inevitable. Even if Laguge has benefited from this war now, it will be difficult to remain unscathed once the surrounding environment deteriorates.

So at times like these, Dick had to lead the Northern Union to stand up and win a victory to boost morale and let the demoralized Northerners know that we are capable of protecting ourselves.

At this point, the fighting on both the fjord and wasteland fronts was nearing its end.

On land, the remnants of the heavily damaged Second Legion hastily withdrew from the battlefield, leaving seven or eight hundred corpses in the crater. More than two thousand infantrymen were also wiped out by the magic cannons. The flesh and blood of many orc soldiers were evenly smeared on this wasteland, allowing a large patch of lush moss to grow there the following year.

On the sea, Dick led his mage party until they finally defeated the last deep-sea monster, ending this horrible battle.

It was clear that these monsters were under some kind of mind control; their relentless fighting defied all common sense, and the manipulator had never shown themselves. This made Dick feel that his victory was somewhat unsatisfactory, but he had no way of knowing where to begin in trying to find the mastermind behind it all.

Dick figured this was probably another trick by the Dead Tree Party's elves. Dick was in the open, while they were in the shadows, a situation that made him feel very passive, only able to react to their moves but unable to strike first.

It seems that Dick can only hope to gain some initiative in this "covert war" once their "talent introduction plan" with the Duchy of Emerald Crown yields results.

Flying back to the northern front, Dick landed just as he heard the soldiers cheering in unison. They had successfully repelled the enemy's attack, forcing two orc legions to retreat in disgrace. Before Dick could even ask how the battle had gone, a horde of burly men in tin cans rushed toward him, lifting the rather short Dick high into the air.

"Victory! Long live the victory!"

"Long live!" xN

As the commander of the expeditionary force and the leader of the Northern Alliance, Dick was the leader who led everyone in a desperate counterattack against the orcs. His brilliant victories also made his personal prestige rise, and he unknowingly reached an almost unparalleled position.

As for the half-elf bloodline, it was merely a minor "flaw".

Battle reports from the front lines quickly spread throughout the northern region thanks to the full-scale propaganda machine, and the good news of victory swept away the previous gloom. In particular, when the people learned that the truly courageous nobles of the Northern United Front had successfully rescued more than 10,000 of their fellow humans from the orcs, hope was rekindled in many people whose families had been abducted.

These rescued prisoners have now become excellent propaganda material. To this end, the Crimson Eyes has made proper arrangements for the rescued personnel, registered and recorded their identities, and had the official Lagug Lord's Mansion contact their families on their behalf.

This is the time to be high-profile, so things must be done in a grand and spectacular manner.

Back at the lord's manor, after reading the battle report sent back by the eagle messenger, Red Jade Eyes learned that Dick and everyone on the front lines were safe and sound. She breathed a sigh of relief and stretched happily. Then, as if noticing something, she looked down and sniffed her collar, then scratched her hair, and suddenly realized that she hadn't had a proper bath for at least three days because she had been busy with work.

Given the cool autumn weather in Lagug, not showering for three days wouldn't necessarily make her smell sweaty, but Ruby Eyes was, after all, a girl who loved cleanliness. Moreover, the battle report stated that Dick would return to the main city after dealing with matters at the front lines, and judging from the date on the letter, he could arrive quickly using magical flight. Ruby Eyes didn't want him to see her looking disheveled.

Since their relationship took a breakthrough, Ruby Eyes has also started to pay attention to her appearance, and even took the initiative to ask Belfast, known as the "perfect maid," for makeup tips.

So the female demon king hurriedly got up and rushed back to her bedroom. When she came out again, she had already washed herself clean. Her loose but comfortable bathrobe had been changed into a clean and neat white-collar suit. This was a style that came from Earth. Red Jade Eyes thought it was good. The key point was that Dick liked to see her wearing this outfit. He could not help but lean in and touch her with shining eyes.

Thinking of this, Hongyu Zhitong was slightly taken aback, thinking to herself, "Wouldn't my hurried change of clothes be the same as actively seducing him?"

Never mind, let them tempt me! I've worked so much overtime, I deserve to make up for it!

Thinking this, Ruby Eyes returned to her office, only to find her secretary and bodyguard, Joel, sitting sideways in her office chair, embracing and kissing someone. So engrossed was the female assassin that she didn't snap out of her daze until Ruby Eyes entered, then jumped up, revealing Dick, whom she had just been hiding.

"Hey! I'm back! Hurry up!"

Chapter 200: Urinating and Defecerating in Public

Dick returned early mainly because the frontline battles had temporarily come to an end with the enemy's retreat, and the main force of the expeditionary force had returned to the imperial territory on the south bank of the fjord. So Dick returned to the main city first to give the girls who stayed behind a surprise.

It's worth mentioning that when Dick flew back, he suddenly displayed a childish tendency common to men. Instead of landing directly and entering through the main entrance, he sneaked in through the window, intending to scare Ruby Eyes. He ended up bumping into Joel, who was delivering documents, and was nearly killed by the female assassin's instinctive high kick.

Even a Saint-level mage can be easily killed if a high-level warrior gets close!

Fortunately, at the last moment, Joel recognized Dick and stopped in time, thus averting a tragedy.

When Ruby Eyes returned to the office, she saw Du Yuel "apologizing." The top three buttons of his shirt had been undone, revealing a deep purple bra and a pair of milky white breasts.

When Ruby Eyes saw Dick return, she was initially pleasantly surprised, but then, noticing Joel's disheveled clothes, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. She thought to herself, "If I had come any later, would you two have made a complete mess of the desk again?"

The office is for working, not for you to "do business"!

While inwardly grumbling, Ruby Eyes completely forgot that she had also left traces of "battle" in this office before, and her shouts were not much quieter than Yor's.

Regardless, Dick's safe return made both Ruby Eyes and Joel very happy. The three sat down on the sofa, and while listening to Ruby Eyes report on his recent work, Dick groped the two beautiful women on either side of him, truly managing to balance work and play.

While Dick led his troops out to war, Ruby Eyes stayed behind to oversee the overall situation, and the autumn harvest in Lagug and the surrounding allied territories went very smoothly. Thanks to the large-scale land reclamation efforts undertaken by the refugees, the arable land area in Lagug has tripled compared to last year, and the vast majority of the land is planted with corn.

In addition, with the agricultural technology provided by Ruby Eyes, as well as the pesticides and fertilizers she concocted, the total grain output of the entire territory has exploded by more than fifteen times this year!

After tasting the deliciousness of corn, people can no longer stomach the coarse and bitter taste of whole wheat.