This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

These abandoned private soldiers numbered nearly 30,000. Many of them were filled with despair, while others appeared calm but were actually numb.

Not everyone agreed with Dick's opinion on how to "arrange" these private soldiers. Some generals felt that a safer approach was to use them as supplementary troops and distribute them among other units. However, Reinhard sided with Dick on this matter and directly rejected these suggestions.

Although Reinhardt was suspicious by nature, he trusted his half-brother, who had traveled a long way to help him out of trouble, more than outsiders.

Moreover, Dick had privately discussed with Reinhardt beforehand that these people were being trained for him.

The current East Second Army Corps' main elite force is undoubtedly the 20,000-strong Imperial Guard. However, these royal troops are not Reinhard's direct subordinates. They are under the command of General Chase, the corps' second-in-command, who in turn is under the command of the Third Prince, Bailey. Chase's position in the East Second Army Corps is equivalent to that of a military supervisor.

It's possible that in the Third Prince's eyes, both Chase and Reinhardt were his loyal followers, so he arranged for them to be partners, but the two had always had major disagreements on command issues.

When attacking the fortress, Reinhardt, as an academic with rich theoretical knowledge, advocated concentrating the elite forces, with the Janissaries at its core, to launch a full-scale attack in one fell swoop. Everything was for the sake of seizing time, since opportunities are fleeting, and the faster the enemy's defenses are broken, the more initiative can be gained.

But Chase, this seasoned veteran, refused to send the Imperial Guards into battle at the outset. Instead, he advocated sending local ragtag troops first, and then letting the Imperial Guards deliver the decisive blow once they had worn down the enemy to a certain extent.

The two argued over this, and Chase went so far as to report the matter directly to the Third Prince. The Third Prince then played a "balancing act," allocating military supplies to the Second Eastern Army Corps to support Reinhardt's offensive, but at the same time he agreed with Chase's tactical arrangements, saying that cannon fodder should be used to wear down the enemy's manpower first, since the Empire had no shortage of people.

The war situation is now a complete mess, and the Third Prince has withdrawn from affairs. Even with a formidable enemy at hand, the conflict between Reinhardt and Chase is escalating, and they might very well part ways.

Dick was aware of the conflict between the two, so he decisively took advantage of it. He reminded Reinhardt to be careful of Chase. On the surface, they were all on the Third Prince's side, but Chase was backed by the nobles of the capital, while the Best family represented the southern noble group. The conflict between the two sides had always existed.

"This is all a trap, don't let them get you into trouble!"

With Reinhardt's tacit approval, Dick took control of these 30,000 people.

Regardless of internal conflicts, the most pressing task for the Second Eastern Army Corps was to ensure its own survival. Therefore, after arriving at Wumingjiao, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers immediately began large-scale construction work. All second-line miscellaneous troops and auxiliary units were mobilized to dig trenches and build walls on the spot, racing against time to repair the camps.

Their actions were quickly discovered by the Kingdom's scouts who had been following them and were promptly reported to higher command, soon reaching the main force that was resting.

In the eyes of the Kingdom's high command, the Eastern Second Army Corps was already trapped. The main army corps did not turn around and wipe them out in one fell swoop for two reasons: first, after annihilating three army corps, the exhausted troops were not suitable for further battle; second, it was more important to block the entrance to the northern side of the basin and to be careful to prevent the Empire from sending fresh reinforcements.

Now it seems that the vast Hessen Empire is even more outwardly strong but inwardly weak than they had anticipated, with reinforcements failing to arrive. On the contrary, the Second Eastern Army Corps, trapped in encirclement, is still managing to put up a fight.

Seeing that these hundreds of thousands of people were huddled in a corner of the basin, actually adopting a posture of engaging in a long-term standoff with their kingdom's army, the saintess and the generals around her immediately realized that if the other side could really gain a foothold, then it would no longer be a piece of meat in their mouth, but a thorn stuck in their teeth!

As a result, many Generals of Maple Dew immediately stepped forward to volunteer for the battle, willing to share the burden for the Holy Maiden.

But the saintess, who was surrounded by a crowd of admirers, was silently gazing at the huge basin map in the center of the tent, making it difficult for others to guess what she was thinking.

Chapter 257: The Showdown

With the combined efforts of tens of thousands of people, the Second Eastern Army Corps built a diamond-shaped earthen wall, eleven kilometers long and six meters high, in less than two days at Wumingjiao, backed by the river. The wall was "hardened" by earth magic used by mages, making it comparable in strength to a regular brick wall, capable of withstanding catapult projectiles weighing less than 100 kilograms and attack magic of intermediate level or lower.

On the outside of the city wall, the engineers also built a five-meter-wide and more than two-meter-deep trench and a large number of irregularly distributed tripwires along the wall, which could effectively hinder the advance of enemy cavalry and infantry.

Reinhardt played a significant role in the construction of the entire large bastion, as it happened to be within the comfort zone of this academic nerd. His meticulous and methodical personality was perfectly suited for supervising and overseeing the project.

As for Dick, he served as Reinhardt's "chief advisor," offering him advice and strategies.

On the third day of the construction of the bastion, the second batch of supply ships arrived. In addition to the military supplies that the Corps urgently needed, there was also a group of "reinforcements," or more accurately, a "military observation group."

This group of over a hundred people was all summoned by Dick; they were his men from Talaguge.

Unlike the war between humans and beasts in the North, the war in the South is a war between humans, and its form and intensity are different from those in the North. Therefore, this rare learning opportunity should not be missed. Moreover, the lion's share of the "tuition fee" is paid by the royal family and the southern nobles, so it is practically free!

It's worth mentioning that along with this group of officers were two nosy girls, Alter and Jeanne Alter. They had arrived at Mouth Harbor first on the second batch of munitions transport ship, and then changed course to come to the front lines with the officers.

"Weren't you supposed to stay behind and guard the house?"

"There's nothing going on over there, we think you need us more!"

Upon arriving, Black Gunner immediately asked if there were any worthy opponents. He also handed Dick a work report that Red Jade Eyes had entrusted to him. It detailed various orders Red Jade Eyes and Ding'an had recently signed, indicating that the arms market in the south was currently experiencing a steady rise in prices.

The northern goods they brought were extremely cost-effective, and the products from traditional small workshops were not as good as theirs. The goods from the capital were also more expensive, so they had no worries about sales in the relatively affluent south.

Of course! Not all the nobles in the south were law-abiding gentlemen; they never stopped making all sorts of underhanded moves, but they were all dealt with by their people.

A maritime trade route spanning north and south has already formed along the eastern coast. Laguge's fleet was just the beginning, quickly attracting a large number of followers. Many fleets actively loaded various goods and headed north for trade, with a significant portion going to Laguge's new port. Trade brought prosperity and wealth, as well as a large influx of people.

So don't blame Dick for being ruthless and profiting from the war; if he didn't make that money, it would have gone into someone else's pocket!

After the officers arrived, Dick quickly assigned them tasks and incorporated them into the training team.

The so-called training team consisted of elite soldiers selected by Dick when he reorganized his more than 30,000 private soldiers. Most of them were of humble origins but strong and healthy. The rest were temporarily assigned to the engineering team to dig and build walls.

Although short-term training is like cramming at the last minute and can't really transform them from cannon fodder into top-quality soldiers, short-term intensive training can at least give these cannon fodder the most basic obedience.

To save money, many nobles did not maintain a standing army in their territories, only having a small number of bodyguards. When war was imminent, they would simply conscript able-bodied men from their people and send them to the battlefield without any training. These cannon fodder militiamen lacked even the most basic military skills and might not even know left from right.

Compared to them, even if those old men in the Imperial Guard have many bad habits, they are still professional soldiers. With guaranteed logistics and timely pay, the combat effectiveness of the rank and file is truly not bad!

Under Dick's arrangement, these three thousand "new recruits" who had fought in battles, along with the officer corps he brought, stayed behind the bastion and began training on the spot, and were able to receive the same level of rations as the Guards.

Given the current situation of the army, with its material reserves still below the danger line, a tiered system was adopted for food distribution. One category was for the nobles and the guards, ensuring that the soldiers were well-fed. The other category was for the combat troops in local private armies and important logistical units, ensuring that they would not go hungry.

The third category is for auxiliary troops who are just there to make up the numbers. Because building bastions is physically demanding, their portions seem larger than those of the second category. But don't delve too deeply into what's added to the food. The only thing the cook can guarantee is that there won't be anything in the ingredients that can talk!

Under this strict hierarchical rationing system, many conscripts envied those who were selected for the training team, because they not only ate well, but also didn't have to dig in the dirt.

When I was a commoner, I was digging in the dirt. Now that I'm a soldier, I'm still digging in the dirt. What a waste of my time as a soldier.

The commoners envied the soldiers in the training camp, while the nobles were simply jealous of Dick.

Because Reinhard, in his capacity as corps commander, entrusted the lucrative task of managing logistics to Dick, a newcomer, this had already caused discontent among some. Now, Dick was openly forming factions and bringing thousands of men under his command, which only made them more resentful.

What makes you think you can? Just because you're a Saint-level expert?

Okay! Saint-level is indeed damn amazing.

These people didn't dare to openly cause trouble for Dick, so they could only go to Reinhardt to report them. However, Reinhardt trusted his loyal younger brother the most at this time, so these complaints not only failed to affect Dick, but also made Reinhardt write them down in his little notebook.

After eight days of massive construction work at Wumingjiao, the East Second Army Corps finally spotted a large contingent of the Kingdom's army.

They discovered two forces in total. One force came from the direction of the fortress and was likely reinforcements sent from the rear of the kingdom, with a strength of about 30,000. The other force came from the northwest and was likely the main force of the kingdom's army, with an estimated number of over 50,000.

The two forces quickly joined together and set up camp about ten kilometers west of the bastion.

In terms of numbers, the Second Eastern Army Corps still has a slight advantage, but the quality of its troops is questionable.

The number of frontline soldiers on both sides is probably roughly equal, and the role of cannon fodder is limited. The key point is the difference in morale, with the Kingdom's army, which has won consecutive victories, clearly enjoying high morale.

As for the Saint-ranked members who exist as a "strategic deterrent force," the East Second Army currently has six members on the surface (excluding Alter Alter and Jeanne Alter), while the Kingdom Army is an unsettling unknown.

Chapter 258: Let the nobles suffer a little, I'll bear the burden of their good reputation.

The number of Saint-level beings, the Empire's overall advantage does not necessarily mean an advantage in certain areas, and the fact that the Maple Dew Kingdom has been able to stand firm on the continent for hundreds of years is certainly not due to the Empire's "benevolence".

Since the start of the war between the two countries, the Empire has not only lost three legions, but also five Saint-level experts, and three others have escaped with serious injuries. The Kingdom can only confirm that four people are seriously injured or have suffered great losses, but none have died.

Of the five experts who were killed, three died at the hands of the Holy Maiden who protected the nation. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that, with the demigod bound by the laws of the true god and unable to personally intervene, that person's strength was truly absurdly powerful.

It was under these circumstances that, even though many in the legion were unhappy with Dick's interference in military affairs and even his blatant attempts to recruit people to build his own "faction," no one dared to ask him to get lost. This was because Dick and his beautiful female knight were both Saint-level warriors. If they were driven away, leaving only four Saint-level warriors to maintain order, these noble lords would feel uneasy.

However, in Dick's view, although the nobles who stayed behind were not good people, they were not without merits. At least they had more backbone than those who ran away, and none of them jumped out to say they wanted to surrender.

Dick himself wasn't sure how long the Second Eastern Army Corps could hold out. He helped them purely in the hope that they could hold out a little longer and maintain the tense situation so that he could continue to profit from the war.

The day after the Kingdom's army's movements were discovered, a messenger arrived from the other side to persuade them to surrender. The messenger was a former high-ranking officer of the Royal Guard who had surrendered, a court nobleman with the title of Marquis. Furthermore, this man was related to the Best family, being a member of the Duchess's maternal family.

Before the "old mediator" could even speak, Reinhardt drew his sword and stabbed him through the heart, demonstrating his unwavering resolve to never surrender.

Since things have come to this point, there's nothing more to say. Let's fight!

So the following morning, the kingdom's army launched a major offensive. Their morale was high; having already rallied by annihilating three imperial legions, their offensive was extremely fierce.

The defensive fortifications that the Second Army Corps of the East spent several days building were proven by the brutal attack to be... a last-minute effort that is indeed not very reliable!

Upon learning that the Second Eastern Army Corps had fled to Wumingjiao in the basin and built a large number of defensive fortifications on the spot, the Kingdom's army also brought over a lot of siege equipment, some of which even looked very familiar to the Imperial soldiers on the other side, as if they were their own!

Besides these siege weapons, the kingdom's mage corps is also a significant threat. Since the empire can accelerate city construction with the help of earth and wood mages, a "forced demolition magic" approach naturally exists, where magic counters magic.

It's important to understand that a proper city fortress requires not only solid walls but also a complete magical defense system. However, the earthen bunkers built by the Second Eastern Army Corps had to be simplified due to time constraints. As a result, their mage corps faced immense pressure when confronted with heavy siege weapons and magical attacks.

But no matter how hard the empire's mages tried, they could not be perfect in every aspect, and any slight lapse in concentration would reveal their weaknesses.

As for Saint-level experts, in the current situation, whichever side makes the first move is tantamount to losing half the battle!

Seeing the enemy's fierce offensive, the battle on the front line was intense from the very beginning. Reinhardt, who was in command in the center, issued orders frequently, and sweat was visibly dripping from his forehead.

Meanwhile, Dick led his corps of officers to observe the proceedings, even bringing along a number of recording crystals to record on tape and show to his family.

In the past few years, excluding bandit suppression, the main targets of Ragug's private army have been orcs. The scale of the battles has been quite large, with several important battles involving tens of thousands of people. However, the mode of warfare is quite primitive, so there is a clear lack of experience in fighting against humans.

Just like the offensive and defensive battle they are seeing now, many of the tactics and strategies used by both sides have amazed these Northern officers who came to learn from their experience.

"Watch carefully and study hard. This knowledge was compiled with the lives of many!"

The attack continued until noon, at which point the royal army temporarily withdrew. They had been busy all morning, and although they had not been able to break through the imperial army's defenses, they had dismantled most of the fortifications on the outer perimeter of the fortress, and even created several breaches in the main defensive wall.

Taking advantage of the enemy's temporary retreat, the corps' auxiliary troops immediately stepped forward to begin repairs, while Dick sent out training teams to the front lines to rescue the wounded soldiers who were still alive.

In the eyes of many noble generals, these seriously wounded soldiers who had lost their fighting ability were no longer of any value. The only way to show them mercy was to finish them off with a fatal blow to spare them further suffering.

As for rescue, medicine, healing magic, and divine arts—aren't they all more valuable than the worthless lives of cannon fodder? Besides, if we use them now, what will we use when the noble lord is injured?

But Dick didn't care about any of that. He saved the wounded whenever he could, and he also tried his best to collect the remains of the fallen soldiers, cremating them and waiting for them to be loaded onto ships and transported away.

Many nobles scoffed at Dick's behavior, thinking he was just putting on an act to gain fame and recognition.

Dick didn't care about these rumors at all, because they were right; he was just trying to gain fame and reputation. You don't want his good name, but I do!

Let's see whether the general public will be willing to follow you "consistent in word and deed" true villains, or prefer to rely on me, a "hypocrite" with a kind face but a treacherous heart.

In fact, after a morning of brutal fighting, the number of wounded that could actually be saved on the front lines was not many, only a little over three hundred in total. In some particularly fierce battles, where both sides repeatedly fought for key points, the soil on the ground had taken on the texture of minced meat, emitting a nauseating odor that made even the soldiers collecting the bodies unable to do anything.

"In just one morning, the number of combat casualties has exceeded three thousand. The situation will only become more and more intense, and... this is very likely just a probing feint."

For the entire morning, Bai Zhende stayed by Dick's side, observing the offensive and defensive battle together, and quickly drew her own conclusions. The Kingdom's offensive was fierce, but it was clear that it still had reserves of strength. No Saint-level experts appeared throughout the entire battle, and at the same time, the general reserve force could be seen lingering behind the treeline in the distance.

This indicates that the opponent is also observing, testing their fighting spirit, and looking for weaknesses in their defense.

"So, when is it our turn to go on stage?"

On Dick's other side, Jeanne Alter was rubbing her hands together, eager to fight. She had come all the way from the north for nothing more than battle and...excitement. She was also very interested in meeting the "Jeanne" opposite her, but unlike Jeanne d'Arc Alter, she wasn't interested in conversation; she wanted to fight!

The author says:

Author's note: I recommend Hyogo Kita Bancho's "Tokyo Aid Diary". As you can tell from the title, it is a positive story about fair trade and treating people with integrity.

Chapter 259: Three "Zhen" in One Frame

After a brief halftime break, the Kingdom's army launched its second offensive.

The first offensive was not merely a probing attack; their infantry also destroyed numerous traps around the fortress, opening up multiple attack routes. The adjusted second offensive then rapidly advanced along these routes, targeting the weakest points in the defenses.

Judging from their equipment and color scheme, the leading vanguard was clearly the famous "Red Guards," the national army directly under the Maple Dew royal family, comparable to the Imperial Guard of the Empire, and in no way inferior.

Their appearance also signifies that the Kingdom's army is finally getting serious!

"For the King!"

"The Empire Supremacy!"

Seeing the enemy advancing while shouting slogans, the Imperial Army's catapults and ballistae were the first to fire, while the magic cannons, which were running low on ammunition, were reserved for a critical moment. The musketeers, upon discovering the Red Guards' arrival, quickly moved along the passageway inside the wall to the top of the wall, waiting for the enemy to enter their firing range.

Since the Imperial Guard of the Second Eastern Army Corps was a "Central Army" directly drawn from the capital, the musketeers were equipped with fixed-ammunition rifles that were more advanced than those of the Northern Border Army Corps. Some elite shooters were also equipped with third-generation six-round magazines, thus possessing a considerable firepower density.

This type of firearm, modeled after Earth's own weapons, has been the nemesis of traditional dense formations since its very first appearance.

However, the Kingdom's second offensive was clearly well-prepared. Before the Empire's musketeers could fire, several powerful pressures descended from the sky... The Kingdom's Saint-level experts had made their appearance!

The Kingdom's army chose to attack at the perfect time: in the afternoon when the sun was setting. The bright sunlight overhead was like an indestructible searchlight, shining directly into the eyes of the Imperial Army. Meanwhile, the Kingdom's elite warriors cleverly hid themselves in the sunlight and launched a surprise magical attack from the air.

Hundreds of daytime meteors fell from the sky, landing on the heads of the soldiers guarding the wall.

At the critical moment, Dick made a decisive move. He had already vaguely sensed the enemy's position. Although the enemy was intentionally controlling the distance, they underestimated Dick's extraordinary keen perception. So, the moment the enemy made a move, he also used his almost instantaneous casting speed to strike back.

Eat my beam cannon in the face!

Dick doesn't like fancy micro-management; his consistent fighting style is to fully utilize his strengths and maximize attack speed.

The saying goes that in martial arts, speed is the only way to break through; seizing the initiative is about seizing the rhythm!

The powerful figures on both sides stopped holding back and revealed their best skills, turning the originally tense battlefield into a battle of gods.

On the Kingdom's side, there were nine Saint-level warriors who appeared and started the fight, including four warriors, three mages, and two "abnormal species" whose identities were difficult to determine at the moment.

There are rumors that in some deep forests in the southern part of the continent, there are some ancient, reclusive races whose origins may be even older than the elves who have dominated the world for nearly 10,000 years, and who possess many incredible abilities.

Seeing that even the Saint-level warriors had made their move, Reinhardt, who was stationed in the central army, panicked.

As a martial artist who practices martial arts, Reinhardt's talent can only be described as mediocre. He is almost thirty years old and has only vaguely touched the threshold of the advanced level. This is only with the help of a famous teacher found for him by the Duke. He can basically forget about becoming a saint in this lifetime.