This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Meanwhile, in the main city of Ragug, Dick was leisurely sipping milk tea that Belfa had just brewed, completely oblivious to the urgency of the orcish invasion.

"Within three days at most, the situation in the entire north will become tense. It's like a drill. Appropriately increasing the tension is not a bad thing. Sometimes, too much comfort is the most fatal thing."

"But this can only delay things for a while at most; the inspection team will eventually come."

"It will only take three to five days, enough time for us to set up the stage. When they arrive, we'll take them straight to the beach to 'watch the show.' I imagine many of those pampered gentlemen in the capital will be moved to tears, right?"

"Heh! I think you're trying to scare them so much they'll pee their pants."

Rita, standing to the side, curled her lip and immediately exposed her young master's sinister intentions.

In order to disrupt the inspection team sent by the central government, Dick planned to stage an invasion drama in the fjord. He not only mobilized his own and his allies' armies, but also used a series of tricks to mobilize the orcs on the other side of the fjord to cooperate with his performance.

At this moment, tens of thousands of people on each side were in a tense standoff, but the thoughts in the minds of the two sides were almost exactly the same.

"Are they about to attack again?" x2

Chapter 224: Parting Ways

On both sides of the fjord, humans and orcs are gathering their armies, and the tension between them is escalating.

In Lagug, the official explanation was that border troops discovered large groups of orcs smuggling across the border, fearing it was a sign of another invasion. As a result, the border fortress quickly went into a state of war, mobilizing the main force of private armies to reinforce the border and requesting support from other allies in the Northern Alliance.

The orcs, upon observing the sudden gathering of the human army on the south bank, assumed it was a prelude to the human third expedition and thus reacted accordingly.

In a sense, Dick's move also mobilized the orc army.

On the very day that Laguge declared a state of war, a force of 3,000 elite soldiers departed from the main city and rushed to the northern border. Meanwhile, the second and third batches of reinforcements were already in preparation. Each village received orders to select 150 able-bodied militiamen to support the front lines, without disrupting spring planting; these men would serve as a second-line auxiliary force.

In addition to active duty and reserves, Dick also recruited prisoners from labor camps to join the army, promising that they could exchange military merits for reduced sentences. Within a day, two thousand prisoners eagerly signed up. Dick mixed them with some regular troops to form a "punishment battalion" and went to the front line with the third batch of reinforcements.

In the past, Dick did not like to use prisoners to fight. Although sending prisoners to serve in the army was a common practice for conscription throughout the empire, these ruthless and undisciplined bandits had many problems and their overall combat effectiveness was far less than that of a regular army composed of recruited good men.

However, Dick considered that this operation was essentially a show of deception, lacking any real strategic objective. Therefore, even though he deeply understood the principle of "treating soldiers like children, but using them like mud," Dick was reluctant to send his carefully trained main force into a meaningless war of attrition. He was also worried about exposing the true strength of his private army to the inspection team. So, after much deliberation, he could only resort to the hardship of sending the prisoners from the labor camp to the front lines as "thread-filling babies."

As for prisoners' human rights? At least not in Dick's case.

Dick has always believed that leniency towards criminals is disrespect for law-abiding citizens. So over the years, while Dick has been dedicated to improving the living standards of the residents in his territory, he has never forgotten his original intention when it comes to prisoners, making them do the hardest and most tiring work and eat large quantities of... feed.

Dick hoped to use stark contrasts to create a deterrent effect, making people realize how serious the consequences of crime are, which is much more effective than simply lecturing.

In just four days, Laguge mobilized 12,000 troops in the border region through military mobilization. Advance troops from the Northern Alliance also arrived one after another. However, the impact on spring plowing in the interior was minimal because various agricultural machines produced in the industrial zone and specially trained operators were gradually being distributed to the grassroots level to fill the labor shortage caused by the conscription of young and strong men into the army.

Many farmers who had spent their entire lives working in the fields witnessed "mechanized agriculture" for the first time in their lives, marveling at how much better these iron machines were than the large livestock that would easily become unruly and kick.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the same day, the inspection team was still enjoying the Marquis Richard's hospitality in his territory.

Marquis Richard was initially quite pleased that the inspection team's first stop upon entering the North was their own territory. He felt this was a sign of the Empire's high regard for him. Although he had embarrassed himself last year, he was still the only marquis in the North and the most powerful lord. Some self-important nouveau riche dwarfs who thought themselves great just because they were Saint-rank were worlds apart from a deeply rooted, old-fashioned noble like himself!

So the Marquis held a three-day grand banquet, serving the entire inspection team with fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful dancers. Everyone praised him as the Marquis, the true "model of nobility."

However, what made the Marquis somewhat uneasy was that the prince in the delegation, whose bloodline was extremely noble, seemed to have little interest in these hospitality arrangements, and was instead more concerned about the war in the north involving the orcs.

Richard has a deep-seated trauma related to orcs. The battle of Edede not only caused him considerable psychological trauma but also led to some unspeakable physical problems, which in turn caused discord in his marriage.

Therefore, Richard deeply hated the orcs, but lacked the courage to take revenge. He could only secretly pray that those despicable orcs and the lords of the Northern Alliance would fight to the death, and that he could reap the benefits of their defeat.

Many northern lords shared Richard's views, most of them old rivals with the Northern Alliance lords. These shady characters had also secretly formed a quasi-military alliance, but their purpose was not to fight the orcs, but to rival the Northern Alliance.

It can only be said that the historical lesson of the Elven dynasty's demise due to factional strife and infighting has failed to serve as a warning to the human race today.

The struggle between the two factions can be seen as a confrontation between the progressive, enlightened nobles in the north and the stubborn, conservative nobles. The former felt that the latter were corrupt and decadent, while the latter felt that the former were breaking the rules.

However, judging from the current situation, the progressive faction clearly has the advantage in terms of strength. If it really turns into a military confrontation, the Northern Alliance, which is already capable of confronting the orcish legions head-on, can obviously crush the old nobles at will.

Therefore, Richard was eager to bring in the central power in the South to support them, which was one of the important reasons why he was so hospitable to the inspection team.

On the fifth day in the Marquisate, Prince Heinz finally couldn't take it anymore. Most of the delegation wanted to eat and drink well in the Marquisate and wait to die, then return home after a while, write a report saying "everything is normal in the north," and that would be enough to get by.

So when Heinz suggested that since there was a war going on in the north, we should go to the front lines to see what was happening, many of his entourage immediately changed their expressions and earnestly advised him to think it over.

What's so interesting about the blood-soaked battlefield at the front? It's much more worthwhile to admire the dancer's milky-white figure and learn the northern accent together under the covers.

Seeing how cowardly these officials in the capital were, Prince Heinz didn't bother to waste any more words on them. He simply gathered his own men who were willing to obey him and left without saying goodbye on the sixth day.

Thus, the inspection team split into two. Heinz led one group to the north to inspect the front lines, while the officials who were left behind looked at each other after seeing the prince's handwritten letter. They wanted to catch up, but they couldn't resist the marquis's earnest entreaties and their legs wouldn't move.

The author says:

Author's note: While I was bedridden with a fever, the book club group was sent again. Backup group activated!

Chapter 225: The Empire's Great Flaw

On the sixth day after the start of the war, Dick personally led the fourth batch of reinforcements to the front lines.

This batch of troops numbered six thousand, a large number but few were elite soldiers. Only the main guard battalion of one thousand soldiers was a well-trained regular army. There was also a disciplinary battalion of two thousand men and a logistics and supply battalion of three thousand conscripted militiamen, responsible for transporting food supplies to the front line.

Dick kept the convicts in the correctional camp by his side mainly to keep an eye on them, and the main event to come was to put them on the "leading" stage.

Dick wasn't worried at all about the criminals mutinying. Not to mention that the officers of the disciplinary battalion were all loyal and reliable veterans with an average skill level of at least mid-level, they could easily suppress a dozen or twenty people who started a disturbance. Even if all the prisoners secretly colluded, they would still be no match for the elite guard battalion. Not to mention the group of girls around Dick who were exceptionally strong and well-endowed.

In fact, the soldiers in the penal battalion were more sensible than Dick had anticipated; they cherished this opportunity to redeem themselves. Two and a half years of labor reform and repeated discipline had shed their former banditry, and even their eyes had become much clearer.

Not long after the troops set off from the main city, a cavalry unit of several dozen men caught up with them from behind. These were the "special guests" that Dick had been eagerly anticipating for days. They hurried along the way and finally caught up with Dick, who was leading his troops to the front lines. Because they were so focused on getting there, they had no time to stop and properly observe the local customs and culture of Laguge. They only thought that the local roads were well-maintained.

Prince Heinz, riding his Nightmare, led the way, followed by his retinue carrying a large banner symbolizing the imperial family of the Hessian Empire. Seeing this, Dick, though unwilling, could only dismount and bow in respect.

"Earl Best, it's been a long time since we last met in the capital!"

Unlike the cautious and humble Dick, who resembled Wang Mang, Prince Heinz immediately dismounted upon arrival and personally helped the bowing Dick up. He was both enthusiastic and unlike the pretentious and affected generosity of the Third Prince.

After meeting, the two exchanged only a few words of pleasantries and did not linger. Instead, they continued northward toward the front lines, walking and talking side by side.

Prince Heinz showed great interest in the war in the north, eager to know how the northern princes had turned the tide of the winter war the previous year, from an initial disadvantage to a victory. Dick Best had also risen to fame because of this battle, and after entering the north, Heinz and his party heard many northerners praising the great magician Dick Best's achievements in their casual conversations.

"Your Highness, I must correct you on one point. We only barely managed to repel those brutal invaders by taking a desperate, high-risk gamble. In terms of the outcome, we actually lost the war terribly. The orc army slaughtered over two hundred thousand people in the North, indirectly causing millions to become refugees, and ultimately abducted hundreds of thousands. Those captured compatriots are still suffering in the hands of the enemy, while we could only rely on the fjord, a natural barrier that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, for a passive defense. What victor in the world has such a miserable situation!"

In front of Prince Heinz, Dick didn't, like a certain marquis, stubbornly insist on praising the country for the sake of face. Instead, he poured out his grievances and began to play the victim. He talked about how difficult the past year had been for the northerners who had risen up to resist the orc invasion. The local people had to tighten their belts and go hungry to supply the over-supplied army in order to resist the orc invasion. He, as the lord, was so poor that he was almost starving.

"The individual combat skills of the orcs far surpass those of our humans. Warriors who have been trained in martial arts are ultimately a minority. It takes five regular infantrymen to fight against one orc, forcing me to recruit criminals to fill the gaps in the army. We urgently need support from the central government. Even if there are no reinforcements, it would be good to provide us with some money, food, and weapons!"

Dick talked on and on about the various difficulties on his side, but the core idea was the same: he begged the central government to send money and some aid to their poor northern brothers for the sake of the empire.

However, Prince Heinz smiled wryly after hearing this and said that the imperial capital's leadership was currently focusing its manpower and resources on the southern campaign, because the benefits of attacking the southern states were clearly greater than those of fighting the orcs to the north. Therefore, for the sake of the empire's interests, the people of the north would have to suffer for now.

Heinz's inspection tour of the North was supposedly to express his condolences to the northern lords on behalf of the capital, but all he could offer the northerners were empty rewards that had no real meaning. The bestowal of titles was nothing more than dividing up the unclaimed lands that had been ravaged by the orcs and "rewarding" them to the surviving northern nobles, hoping to appease their discontent and prevent them from being ungrateful.

What's even more outrageous is that some of the bureaucrats accompanying them had an additional mission: they planned to raise money and supplies from the northern regions and then use them to support the southern front.

If it weren't for the great distance between the north and south, they would even have considered recruiting soldiers here!

After hearing this, Dick thought to himself, "Good heavens!" The level of inhumanity among the Imperial high command had once again shattered his understanding of the depths of depravity. Knowing full well that the North was already impoverished and facing the threat of orcs, they not only failed to provide any assistance but even expected the North to sacrifice their lives to support the Southern war, which was completely unrelated to them and from which they would hardly benefit. They were truly trying to drive the Northerners to their deaths.

The British Empire on the other side of the world probably couldn't have been more lenient with Northern Ireland.

To Dick's surprise, Prince Heinz was far too frank. He laid bare his intentions without saying a word upon meeting him. Either he was a political idiot who knew nothing about politics, or... he was not on the same page as the bureaucrats in the capital and was deliberately undermining them.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Being a representative of the inspection team is a thankless task. If things go wrong, it could even incite public resentment in the north, and then the blame would fall on Prince Heinz's head. So rather than pleasing neither side, it's better to make things clear with the northern princes and tell them not to take their grudges out on him.

It is worth mentioning that the group of officials from the capital in the inspection team did not come with Prince Heinz to inspect the front lines, but stayed in the Marquisate of Richard and continued to enjoy the hospitality there.

Two days later, Dick and his party, who had deliberately slowed their march, finally arrived at the Fjord front and met up with their allies who had arrived earlier at Border Fortress No. 3.

Prince Heinz, through Dick's introduction, met with the lords of the Northern Alliance. Everyone maintained basic courtesy to this "prince's envoy," but when they learned that the capital was still unwilling to aid the North and would only provide support in any way other than assistance, their expressions inevitably became somewhat uneasy.

Especially the most hot-tempered Earl Banner, the old man opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, breathing heavily but making no sound. However, Dick could tell from his lip movements that he was swearing quite rudely.

Chapter 226: The Punishment Camp's First Battle

In early spring, the sea breeze in the fjord was still icy cold after nightfall. Soldiers in the barracks were lining up to receive their dinner, creating a bustling yet orderly scene.

Dick stood atop the fortress, gazing across the river. Through the thin mist, he could vaguely see flickering lights—orc sentries, also on guard against human attacks.

According to the mages' aerial reconnaissance, the orc forces on the opposite bank numbered around 10,000. The main force was concentrated about 15 kilometers from the coast, with only a small number of mobile sentries patrolling the shore. They were clearly aware of the magic cannons on the south bank, so they kept their main force outside the cannons' range, adopting a completely defensive posture and showing no intention of launching an offensive.

For the lords of the Northern Alliance, this was not a bad thing.

According to Dick's prepared explanation, it was because they reinforced the border in time that the orcs' long-planned sneak attack failed.

Thus, the more than 30,000 people from both sides of the strait were caught in an awkward standoff.

The soldiers below were on high alert, while the lords above held meetings every day to study tactical deployments.

Most people didn't know that this was actually a "military exercise" that Dick had deliberately staged to fool the imperial inspection team. But even if it was just an act, Dick intended to go all out, so he seriously discussed with his allies how to defend and counterattack.

Some suggested a direct frontal attack. Since the fortresses along the fjord were built, the magic cannons allocated to them by the border legions have been deployed here. Such powerful weapons should not be wasted, as they can provide cover for infantry to cross the sea and land.

Others, based on the path dependence established by the previous two great expeditions, recommended another feint attack: a frontal bombardment to draw the orcs' attention, while elite troops sailed north from the open sea, quietly circling behind the orcs and launching a surprise attack.

Dick pondered for a moment, glancing at Prince Heinz, who sat in a corner of the conference room and seemed quite "well-behaved." He thought to himself that he should try to appear ordinary in this battle and not use any "trump cards." So, following the advice of his allies, he used some tactics that were more in line with their status as local lords.

Dick then combined the two plans, simultaneously launching a frontal assault and flanking maneuvers.

The frontal assault was spearheaded by Lagug's punitive battalion, while the flank maneuvers were spearheaded by elite cavalry and mages from various factions. They were already very familiar with this amphibious landing tactic.

After the tactics were finalized, the allied forces began operations the following morning. The flanking force took advantage of the darkness and sailed to the open sea before dawn, while the main attacking force, just like during the second expedition, began to build a pontoon bridge in the fjord after dawn. As a result, they were quickly discovered by the orc sentries on the opposite shore and immediately turned back to their main camp.

Ignoring the orc sentries who went to report the incident, the pontoon bridge was completed at noon, and the fully equipped disciplinary battalion, along with a thousand "supervisory troops," crossed the bridge to the other side.

The convict soldiers of the disciplinary battalion were well-prepared to be at the forefront as cannon fodder. As they crossed the pontoon bridge, the rumble of cannons echoed from the fortress behind them, while in the sky above the opposite bank, they could vaguely see dazzling "fireworks"—a scene of friendly mages engaging in aerial combat with enemy druids.

This scene brought great comfort to many of the convicted soldiers, because it showed that the lord had indeed given them a chance to redeem themselves, rather than simply sending them to their deaths.

Soon, the penal battalion successfully reached the north bank and set foot on the wasteland. The officers accompanying them loudly encouraged them with words mixed with profanity, urging them to atone for their past sins by fighting bravely against the enemy and to become valuable members of society again!

Encouraged by their officers, these criminal soldiers, who had only received a short week of formal military training before being hastily sent to the battlefield, marched slowly forward in four winding lines.

Compared to the well-trained Lagug standing army, their performance on the battlefield was naturally incomparable, but that was exactly the effect Dick wanted. Because most local lords' private armies were at roughly the same level, and many were even worse.

Behind the punitive battalion, the armies of the other allies of the Northern Alliance also crossed the pontoon bridge one after another. Because Dick had secretly communicated with the allies beforehand, the troops sent by each side were not their true main force. There were more than 5,000 people in total, more than half of whom were not combat troops at all, but engineers carrying pickaxes and shovels and some mages specializing in earth (wood) magic.

After landing, this group of people immediately began large-scale construction, building defensive positions on the spot.

Dick had long ago conceived the idea of ​​building a bridgehead on the north bank after the fortress complex on the south bank was completed, like a wedge driven directly into the orcs' territory.

So, taking advantage of this exercise, Dick decided to put his idea into action.

Prince Heinz, who was observing the Northern Alliance's operations, also noticed the Allied forces' movements and asked Dick with some curiosity.

"My lord, are you planning to build a stronghold on the other side and confront the orcs in the long term? Isn't that a bit too risky?"

"You may not know this, but orcs are good at open field battles, but they lack the ability to fortify strongholds. Our human army can't gain any advantage against them on flat, open wastelands. We have to build strongholds and fight a war of attrition like this."

"So how did you succeed in your two previous expeditions?"

"It's simple: concentrate your absolute elite forces and launch a surprise attack on them. But the same trick won't work if you use it too many times. Those orcs are just not very smart, but they're not stupid at all."

"I see, I've learned something new."

Heinz looked innocent and easy to fool, while his entourage, like war correspondents, were recording the battlefield with a recording crystal.

By this time, the mages who had been fighting in the air had retreated. They were evenly matched with the orc druids, and both sides suffered casualties.

Strictly speaking, druids have a certain advantage in aerial combat. They can transform into giant eagles with extremely high flight speed, and some powerful individuals can even transform into griffins or wyverns, thus possessing extremely high mobility. Human mages must form a formation to deal with them, and they are easily defeated in one-on-one combat.

After the mages landed, the medical team quickly rushed to treat the wounded, while Dick arrived at the north shore with the observation group. Dick took out his staff, about to show off his skills, when he saw several druids chasing him suddenly make a 180-degree turn in mid-air and run away, clearly having spotted him thanks to the powerful eyesight of the dragons and griffins.

Seeing this, Dick touched his face and muttered to himself.

"Damn! Am I that recognizable now?"

In any case, Dick's presence was like setting up an air defense identification zone on the spot, allowing the engineers who were carrying out civil engineering work to concentrate on moving bricks and mortar.

Further ahead, the punitive battalion, responsible for advancing and expanding the enemy's rear, was ambushed by an orc force after advancing about two thousand meters.

The orcs who ambushed them hid behind a hillside, having dug a pit in the ground beforehand. They leaped up only when the disciplinary camp approached, catching the camp off guard.

Fortunately, there weren't many orcs lurking in the pit, only two or three hundred people. Meanwhile, their main force was being forced to stay behind by the barrage of bullets fired from the South Bank Fortress.

The battle took place in an instant. The ambushing orcs successfully gained the upper hand, while the criminal soldiers, who only had the training level of traditional conscripts, were so startled by the orcs that suddenly sprang out of the ground that many of them had no time to react.

At this moment, the officers accompanying them played a significant leading role. They were originally supervisors, and the selection process was based on the minimum mid-level warrior standard. Therefore, in terms of individual strength, they were elites who were superior to ordinary orc soldiers, and thus had nothing to fear.

These officers roared at their soldiers, urging them not to back down, and then bravely led the charge against the orcs. As the saying goes, a cowardly soldier is one, but a cowardly general makes a cowardly army. With officers leading from the front, the soldiers naturally followed suit and were inspired to fight with courage.

At this moment, they seemed to be reignited with the ferocity they had as bandits, except that they used to show this savage side to the weak villagers, but now they were charging towards the orcs.

With their numerical advantage, the soldiers of the Punishment Camp could fight one or two at a time. No matter how fierce the orc soldier was, he was no match for the enemy and was quickly hacked to the ground.

The battle lasted about half an hour, and all two hundred orcs were eventually annihilated, but the punitive battalion also suffered more than five hundred casualties. If the officers were excluded from being killed, the exchange ratio of criminal soldiers to orcs reached about 3:1, which is a fairly good level of conscription.

At this moment, a messenger rode up to the disciplinary battalion and instructed them to quickly clean up the battlefield and then retreat to rejoin the troops that were coming to pick them up. All the wounded and the bodies of their own men on the battlefield must be taken back; absolutely nothing must be left for the orcs.